"Where the Konoha Dance…"

By Wubbie

NOTICE: Naruto does not belong to me. I wish it did, because there are a couple things I wish were done differently. However, give credit where it's due… Naruto was written by Masashi Kishimoto, and published by Shonin Jump! It's currently being licensed in the United States, so I just wanted to say that I claim no ownership to anything in here. I'm just borrowing characters and making up my own story. Well, here we go…

NOTE: I don't want to take up more space in the chapter than I need to for author's notes and shoutouts and stuff. So therefore, I'll place them all in the FIRST author's note page. That way, anyone who had a question or something can just go there and others won't be bothered to see it.

Chapter Ten: Kakashi, Konoha's Elite Jounin

Part One of Operation Ignition

Year: 21AK (21 Years after Kyuubi Attack)

"Good luck, my eternal rival, Kakashi!" Gai said on crutches at the Konoha gates. Kakashi gave him a nod and was off.

The morning was cold and frigid. Kakashi shivered as he began his 6 day journey toward the Rock country. As he raced through the woods outside Konoha, he noticed the small bits of frost upon each of the leaves. It never snowed in the Fire country and Kakashi determined that it could only be an omen of things to come.

Kakashi had to hurry, however. Operation Ignition would begin in a week. Tsunade was already there, making preparations with Shikamaru. This operation would most likely be the one that finished off the Stone and Cloud armies for good. But Konoha was relying on Kakashi, their best Jounin to face off against the army of Hagane Retsu. Kakashi clenched his hands as he began to think about the fight he would most assuredly have with the legendary Stone-nin.

.: Elsewhere in the village :.

"I don't know, Sakura-chan. Will Hinata like that one?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I like it," Sakura replied.

"I don't care if you like it! I care if Hinata likes it!" Naruto shot back.

"Hey! Do you want me to help you or not?" Sakura said, starting to grow irritated.

Naruto and Sakura were at a jewelery store in the village. Naruto only had an hour before he had to head toward the Cloud village. But he should have had enough time, well.. that's what he had planned on. Apparently it was taking longer than it should have. They had probably gone through the store about eleven or twelve times looking for what Naruto deemed the perfect ring.

"How about this one, sir?" the salesman said, pulling out a platinum-colored ring with a huge, sparkling diamond that reflected Naruto's blue eyes at him.

"Wow! That ring is so pretty!" Sakura exclaimed. Naruto gazed at it for several moments.

Finally, he said, "I don't like it. Next!"

The salesman looked exasperated and walked over to one of the other employees at the store. "Can you help these customers out? I haven't been able to find anything for them."

The woman shrugged her shoulders and walked over to them. The woman was very friendly and flashed a very pretty smile at Naruto. Naruto blushed when she looked at him. Sakura hit Naruto in the back of the head.

"Don't look at her like that, Naruto! Especially when you're buying an engagement ring for Hinata!" Sakura yelled angrilly.

"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hi, my name is Kayou. Is there anything I can help you with today?" the saleswoman said to Naruto and Sakura.

"My friend's looking for an engagement ring for his girlfriend," Sakura piped.

"Oh I see. And you haven't found anything you like?" Kayou questioned.

"Hm, not yet. But I've got to hurry. I have a mission to the Cloud country in an hour," Naruto announced.

"Well, it's not really a matter of picking an engagement ring from a box and saying it looks nice," Kayou started. "You have to really think about why you want to marry her. That's how my fiancee found this ring for me."

With that, Kayou flashed the ring on her finger to Naruto and Sakura. The two were amazed at how beautiful it was. It was a simple, elegant ring, yet seemed to have some sort of extravagancy on it. Kayou then pointed to the rings that were on display again.

"So just think about why you love her and I'm sure you'll find one that you like," Kayou repeated. Naruto relaxed and just began to think for several minutes about Hinata. Finally, he looked up and scanned the rings for a few seconds.

"That one!" Naruto said excitedly. "How come I never saw it before?"

"Wow! That one is amazing!" Sakura said in agreement. "We must've missed it!"

"I'll take it!" Naruto announced happily. Kayou smiled as Naruto handed her the money. Naruto gazed at the ring and placed it into the small box that Kayou handed him. "Thanks a lot, mam!"

"No problem, sir. Have a nice day!" Kayou said Naruto and Sakura walked out of the store. The original salesman walked over to her.

"How did you do that? I showed them that ring three times!" the salesman said, looking flustered.

"Well, I have a way with words," Kayou said cheerfully. "Can I take my lunch break now?"

"Sure, go ahead," the salesman said, waving her off.

Kayou smiled and walked out of the store to go find something to eat. She searched the skies for any sign of a black hummingbird, but to no avail. Today, there was no message. She looked downcast.

"So you've begun your mission already, haven't you Kaichou?" Kayou said sadly. "I would've thought you would send word first."

As Kayou walked off, dejectedly, she heard a slight flutter from behind her. She turned around to see a black hummingbird that suddenly -POOFED- into a small scroll of parchment. She picked it up happily and walked off.

"Oops!" she thought to herself.

.: A Week Later in the Rock Country :.

Kakashi ducked as three kunai were hurled in his direction. In an instant, his Sharingan was flashed on as he glared at his attackers. It was a team of three Chuunin. Various Konoha ninja rushed behind Kakashi, but he waved them off.

"I'll take care of them. You guys have to get to their supply base and wipe it out. Now go!" Kakashi ordered as he faced off against the three Stone ninja. The Konoha Chuunin under Kakashi's command ran in the other direction towards the supply base Kakashi spoke of.

Silently, Kakashi burst forward to attack the three Stone ninjas. In seconds, the three scattered and surrounded him. The first one performed a series of handseals and let forth a Doton ninjutsu that caused the ground underneath Kakashi to crumble. Kakashi leapt away, but the second Stone-nin threw a kunai with an explosive tag on it. Kakashi caught it with his pinky, twirled it around, and threw it at the third one. With a loud explosion, the third Stone ninja was blasted and the ground was charred black from where the Chuunin once stood.

The two remaining Stone ninja seethed in anger. The first ninja who performed the Doton rushed forward, followed seconds later by the second. Kakashi eyed both of them with his Sharingan. They were way too slow for him. Every punch and kick they threw was as if they were in slow-motion. Kakashi weaved a punch and sidestepped the second ninja, pulling out his kunai and slicing the second ninja's throat. The first Chuunin howled in anger as he backed away and threw another explosive tag at Kakashi.

Kakashi picked up the fallen second ninja and threw the corpse toward the explosive tag. As the tag hit the corpse, it blew apart. In the confusion of it all, Kakashi appeared behind the remaining Stone Chuunin and left several kunai sticking from the man's back.

Kakashi put the kunai back into his fanny pack and continued on into the battlefield.

.: In Another Part of the Battlefield :.

"This way! All the Konoha ninja are over here!" a Stone ninja yelled to his comrades, pointing toward a small encampment of tents.

A hundred Stone ninja were heard stampeding towards the Konoha base. A figure in one of the tents smiled as he walked out. He threw a bright flare into the air. Everyone of the Stone ninja were blinded as the flare went off. Fifty other Konoha Chuunins and Jounins made their way out of the tents.

"And they fell right into my trap. Kage Mane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru said cheerfully. As his shadow stretched out toward the several hundred Stone ninja, the Konoha Chuunins and Jounins rushed forward, drawing kunai.

In seconds, the hundred Stone ninja were immobilized. They could not move as fifty weapons specialists hurled kunai at their faces. Just a moment before the kunai hit, Shikamaru let go of the jutsu. None of the Stone ninja survived the onslaught.

"Let's go!" Shikamaru said. "We've got work to do. That was only a task force sent to look for us!"

.: Yet somewhere else on the Battlefield :.

Tsunade punched a Stone ninja in the face. As this happened, he flew back about fifty yards and crashed into six other Stone-nin. Konoha's Godaime was showing clearly why she was the most powerful ninja in her village. Tsunade brushed her bangs back and flashed a smile at the 3 ANBU captains who were following her, watching her back.

"Good job, Tsunade-sama!" One ANBU captain yelled.

"Amazing," another said.

"Doton: Retsudotenshō! (Split Earth Turn Around Palm)" a woman's voice cried out. In an instant, several rocks flew by and crashed into the three ANBU captains.

"No!" Tsunade said, with an arm reaching toward her three fallen captains. As she threw the rocks covering their crushed bodies aside, she realized there was nothing that even she could heal. They were dead. A single tear drop fell from Tsunade's eyes as she looked at their crushed bodies. She removed their masks and memorized their faces.

"You can't heal everyone, Tsunade!" the assailant called out from atop a large boulder.

"That voice!" Tsunade thought to herself. She turned to face the opponent. When she did, she realized who it was. After all these years...

"Tsuchikage..." Tsunade said.

"No need to get so formal, Tsunade. We've been friends since childhood. You know my name's Anshin. Always has, and always will be," said the Stone's most powerful ninja.

.: At the Supply Base :.

Kakashi arrived just outside the supply base, right on schedule. But something was strange. It was too quiet. He entered the supply base and looked around. It was dark. The moonlight shone above as Kakashi surveyed the area. The supply base was a simple fort with various small buildings inside of it, holding food, weapons, and sleeping quarters. It was the perfect spot for Kakashi to ambushed. He walked forward and looked around.

"They should've been here," Kakashi thought to himself. He rounded several corners. Amidst the darkness, Kakashi stood with his right hand clutching his kunai, and his left hand ready to throw a shuriken at anything that moved. The only sound that Kakashi could hear was his own breathing. But then he realized there was someone else there.

"When in doubt, trust your nose," were the words that his father told him. With that, he closed his eyes and began to sniff the air. "Blood!"

Kakashi ran throughout the complex, following the faint smell of blood in the air. Kakashi was Konoha's best at tracking down unknown targets. Even better than Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata. They paled in comparison to Hatake Kakashi, the son of the White Fang. And then he found his comrades.

"Ahh, I thought I heard someone in here," the man said. Kakashi's eyes hardened as he stared at the man whose dark skin was illuminated by the moonlight.

"Hagane Retsu," Kakashi simply said. "I've been wondering when I'd find you."

"Copy Ninja Kakashi..." Retsu mocked. "What an honor. I've heard so many stories about you. Maybe even more powerful than your father."

Kakashi looked down at Retsu's feet. The dozen Chuunin that were with Kakashi were now dead. As Kakashi gazed down at the dead Chuunin, several teams of Stone ninja arrived on the scene. Kakashi silently seethed in hatred as he stared at his fallen subordinates. But he wasn't the only one. Retsu looked angry.

"I said to go engage the enemy at the Two Bridges!" Retsu screamed at the troops. "I don't need any of you pathetic fools here."

With that, the Stone ninja ran in the opposite direction. Kakashi's eyes remained hardened as he stared at Retsu. The two combatants stared at eachother for several minutes, as they circled one another. Retsu kicked what was left of the dozen massacred Chuunin away and into a far wall. With a violent thud, they fell to the ground. Kakashi's face did not show any emotion as his grip on his kunai tightened.

"Shall we begin?" Retsu asked.

.: The Kage Battle :.

"You've gotten stronger!" Anshin said as she grappled with Tsunade upon a large stone rock. Anshin looked to be in her late twenties, but she disguised her appearance as Tsunade did. She had light brown hair and black eyes. She was even dressed similarily as Tsunade was, except perhaps that she wore a brown jounin vest.

Tsunade pushed off and attempted to kick at Anshin's midsection. Anshin caught Tsunade's leg and punched her straight in the jaw. Tsunade stumbled backwards as she winced in pain. As Anshin rushed forward to capitalize on her foe, Tsunade sidestepped and grabbed Anshin's vest to pull her out of balance. As Anshin stumbled, Tsunade kneed her in her rib cage. Tsunade then activated her chakra scalpel and attempted to attack Anshin's heart.

"I'm not that easy!" Anshin said as she slapped away the Chakra Scalpel and burst forward. Anshin threw an elbow into Tsunade's cheek which sent her reeling. As Tsunade was the greatest medical ninja in the history of the shinobi world, then it could be said that Anshin, the Sixth Tsuchikage, was the greatest psychiatrist to ever live. Anshin was unsurpassed in battle psychology, but was also unequaled in her ability to attack the mind and the five senses.

"I've developed some new jutsu, Tsunade," Anshin said as her hand glowed with chakra. Anshin slapped Tsunade which sent her flying backwards into some tall grass. Tsunade shot back up immediately but something was wrong. It was as if...

"..it's as if you've drunken too much sake, isn't it Tsunade-hime?" Anshin mocked. "You're experiencing symptoms of vertigo right now. How well do you perform when you can't tell left from right?"

Tsunade responded as she zoomed straight into Anshin's face and slammed her fist square in the nose. "Being Hokage and having to deal with Uzumaki Naruto, I'm always drinking sake. I can punch anything I want when I'm disoriented!"

Anshin looked up from the grass. Her eyes were red as her nose began to bleed. "That hurt! I'll make you pay for that!"

With that, she started performing several handseals. Tsunade did the same as the two prepared to unleash their own signature jutsu upon one another.

"Shinten no Jutsu!" Anshin yelled as Tsunade also yelled, "Tenshin no Jutsu!"

With that, two white beams of light enveloped both users and hit both of them. Both Kage were floored as the technique hit one another. Tsunade began to scream as the worst memories of her life were being relived in her mind. She screamed as she saw Dan's body drenched with blood.

"Hang in there, Dan!" Tsunade said.

"Tsunade, I don't want to die yet..." Dan gasped. "I still have a lot of things to do..."

"Don't talk, Dan!" Tsunade screamed.

"I can't die here..." Dan said weakly.

"Don't worry, I stopped the bleeding..." Tsunade pleaded. "You're okay, now. You'll make it through this, Dan!"

"I see..." Dan said in barely a whisper. "I'm glad..."

"Dan! Hang in there, Dan! Damn it! Stop coming out! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

"Stop! He's already dead!" their comrade said.

Tsunade looked at the blood at her hands as Dan lay dead in front of her in a pool of his own blood. Tsunade screamed into the cold, rainy night.

She could not stop the memories from flooding. Anshin on the other hand was down and not moving. Tsunade's jutsu had temporarily stopped all of Anshin's muscles from moving. In addition, every nerve in her body was on fire.

For several long moments, the two women were screaming amidst the cold ground in the battlefield, incapacitated. The assault on Tsunade's mind and Anashin's body signalled a stalemate for the time being. The two woman, once friends, were down and out for the count.

.: Kakashi vs. Retsu :.

Retsu was impressed. Kakashi was perhaps the strongest shinobi he had ever faced. More powerful than even Orochimaru was many years ago.

"You live up to your reputation. It's been a long time since I've had such a great fight," Retsu said as he faced Kakashi. Kakashi glared back at Retsu. Several years ago, he would've been winded, and perhaps even defeated. But the training and battles he had undergone while fighting Akatsuki had made him stronger than he ever was before. Kakashi was now considered an elite ninja, onpar with even the Sannin.

"I've fought your father once, Kakashi. He was an outstanding ninja," Retsu said. Kakashi showed no emotion to the man. "I hope we can have as glorious a fight as I did many years ago with him."

Kakashi ignored him and threw several shuriken. As Retsu dodged them, Kakashi launched a series of Taijutsu combos that he had picked up from Gai. Retsu blocked many of the blows but Kakashi was still able to sneak a couple in. Unfortunately, Retsu did not have a single scratch on him after the onslaught.

"Very nice. But how will you do against my mace?" Retsu wondered aloud. As he said this, a mace elongated and appeared from his arm. Kakashi sighed as he drew his kunai once again.

Retsu rushed forward and swung the mace at Kakashi's face. Thanks to the Sharingan, Kakashi was able to dodge and avoid every swing of the mace. After several swings, Retsu dropped his hand and and threw a kunai at point blank range, hitting Kakashi right in the chest. Kakashi fell to the ground in pain.

"I got you now!" Retsu said as he was ready to hit the deciding blow. Kakashi's hand glowed as he charged up his Raikiri. As Retsu swung the mace downward at Kakashi, Kakashi burst forward toward Retsu and landed a Raikiri upon the Stone ninja's thigh.

Retsu shrieked as his skin was punctured for the first time. The damage was still very small, however, but it was enough of a counter for Kakashi to gain distance and recover himself. Kakashi pulled the kunai lodged in his chest and the small book that was in his breast pocket. The book Come Come Paradise had been in Kakashi's breast pocket, shielding his heart from Retsu's surprise attack. He smiled and placed the book into his fanny pack.

.: Elsewhere :.

Shikamaru signalled his hand up. The Chuunin and Jounin following him stopped in their tracks. He pointed to the ground. Immediately everyone sunk beneath the grass. He peered forward and silently wished he had Neji or Hinata around. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Hey Raido! Use Kage Bunshin and run in that direction. As many as you can!" Shikamaru whispered. "And have your clones henge into all of us!"

"On my signal," he whispered to his troops. Suddenly he transformed with Henge no Jutsu into a Stone ninja. With so many hundred Stone ninja in the area, it'd be impossible to tell who was who, especially in the night. Shikamaru scampered forward and out of the grass. He ran forward about ten steps and found himself in a clearing with about 60 Stone-nin.

"Come on! They Konoha bastards are this way!" Shikamaru yelled out, running in the direction of Raido and his Bunshins. Immediately, the Stone ninja ran forward into the trap. As they ran by, the real Konoha ninja hid in the grass. Shikamaru gave them a nod. Within seconds, the massacre began as the Stone-nin were ambushed.

.: Back to the Kage Battle :.

Tsunade shot up as the jutsu began to subside. As this happened, Anshin also got up. The two were absolutely drained and all the color was lost in their faces. Under the pale moonlight, the two strongest women in the world looked like ghosts. Both had just withstood torture to the body and the mind.

"How much more do you have left?" Tsunade panted.

"Not much..." Anshin replied. The two stared across from eachother, panting. They had been under the jutsu for about an hour, but such torture had felt like days to one another.

"Did you ever think, forty years ago... we'd be fighting eachother to the death?" Anshin asked. Tsunade looked back at her.

"No I didn't... We were best friends," Tsunade whispered. The two stood in silence, staring back at each other. Tears rolled across their faces.

"I promise you it'll stay that way. No matter what. We've always been friends. Always have and always will be. But I love my village," Anshin said. Tsunade nodded in agreement. Many minutes passed.

"Fight another day?" Tsunade said finally.

"Yeah..." Anshin said. With that, the two withdrew and headed back to their respective camps. Anshin smiled as memories flooded her mind of her old friend. But she began to laugh. She could tell that she would've been defeated by Tsunade. She was severely weakened and lacked the chakra to mount any sort of defense.

"Yup. There's a reason why I'm the greatest battle tactician in the world," Anshin said, congratulating herself on forcing a stalemate.

Meanwhile Tsunade began to wonder if she'd regret the decision. It was too late now though.

.: Back at the Supply Camp :.

The battle between Kakashi and Retsu had raged for two hours. And so far, Kakashi had not been able to find a weakness. He was starting to run low on chakra as well. He decided that if the battle was going to end, he'd have to end it here. As he sized his opponent down, he began to think of a strategy. And in seconds, he thought of one. Kakashi was already Konoha's greatest genius, but combined with the Sharingan, he had the jutsus to back up any strategy he could think of.

"When you can't find an opening," Kakashi recited as he remembered his father's teachings. "Create an opening."

With this in mind, Kakashi's Sharingan glowed as he muttered, "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Retsu watched Kakashi with much intrigue. But he realized that it was not the time to test Kakashi. A ninja like Hatake Kakashi could kill any man at any time, regardless of who his opponent was. He was simply that good. Retsu began to move around, realizing that Kakashi was aiming at him, but to no avail. In mere seconds, Kakashi was able to target Retsu's arm. Retsu screamed in agony as his arm simply disappeared and cut off. It began to bleed quite profusely as he dropped his mace.

In a rage, Retsu rushed forward and threw a punch at the now-fatigued Kakashi. Kakashi flew back into the walls of the encampment. His ribcage was clearly broken. But his plan was going well. As Retsu picked up the mace on the ground with his one good hand, he prepared to finish off Kakashi once and for all.

"Well, it's been fun. But I've got to go!" Kakashi muttered, pulling out a small, purple capsule from his fanny pack. In an instant, he threw it to the ground. Poisonous gas filled the area. The gas was extremely potent and seeped into Retsu's open wound. Retsu's arm felt it was on fire as he began to grow weaker.

Kakashi rushed out of the encampment as the gas was too strong. He stumbled back toward the Konoha encampment. He was not able to defeat Retsu. However, he was able to force a stalemate. The poison Retsu was absorbing would put him out of commission for several weeks. Kakashi smiled as he knew that even though he had lost the battle, he had most assuredly defeated the Stone's most powerful warrior in a game of wits.

.: On the Battlefield Against the Cloud :.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Ibiki called out.

"Yes?" Jiraiya asked as they stood atop a mountain, preparing for battle.

"The reports are in! The Stone are retreating! If we can defeat the Cloud, we can end this war!" Ibiki announced. "Not only that, Hatake Kakashi has defeated Hagane Retsu!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow when he heard of Retsu's defeat. "Kakashi?" Jiraiya thought to himself. "You've come along in the past ten years."

"I knew Kaka-sensei would win!" Naruto burst out of seemingly nowhere. "He's the best!"

Jiraiya smiled. "Are you ready, Naruto?"

"Let's go!" Naruto said excitedly, bursting out of his tent.

Next Time

Chapter Eleven: The Lonely Battlefield

Part Two of Operation Ignition