Alrighty, so I hope some of you weren't disappointed by that last chapter. I didn't want to create an expansive chapter after such a long wait, and to top it all off: the battle I have in mind is...detailed, so it'll be a bit long, and plus I get to stretch my stuff in a battle. So I'm excited. :D

Anyway, I would like to think all those that reviewed, and they are: Leaf Ranger, fred872(x2!), Chewie Cookies, Evej Hina, iliveilearniluv, and kika04! Thank you all so much for the nice compliments. It really means a lot to me. :)

Now then, let's get on with it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters. I do, however, own the plot of this story...it's nonprofitable of course, but its the fun that counts damn it!

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CHAPTER VIII

When one comes face to face with the many perils that await the warrior, what exactly dictates their prevalence? Their strength? Charisma? Experience? Or is it the desire to gain the acceptance of another? To disembowel the doubt that had been placed? There are numerous answers that can fuel the fire that burns so fiercely in their hearts. To lift thy sword and shield against invasion, oppression, or even in the name of justice; to stand as an embodiment of strength for one nation; one kingdom, is a dream for many. But...what of those that have seen the horrors that lurk in the darkness, that continuously stalk them endlessly to sunder their strength and hope? How far does their strength take them? What of their light? Just how many fall? And what of those...that revel in it?

When their minds and hearts fall into darkness, when they can no longer grasp at the seams of reality, do their horrors manifest. No longer can they distinguish between what is real and what is not. No longer do those that mean so much to them exist. Their mentality continues to fall deeper...and deeper...and deeper, till the threads of their humanity holds no more. The birth of a new life, born from a heart that once begged and pleaded for mercy and forgiveness, that hoped for a life that wouldn't shroud itself in darkness. For many battles, this new being vied desperately to retain their values, their memories, their heart, their soul, and to save the lives of those they cherish. While others...fall beneath its weight.

Strength is by far a term used to describe or dictate numerous actions associated throughout life. A strength to uphold what they believe is true, for what is right. A strength to oppose those that wish to take, to stand against villainy, to defend the lives that can not defend themselves. It is a strength that strikes the metal to forge the blade, a strength that shapes the armor...to defend the heart. In those principles does the warrior find the meaning as to why they fight, and the dangers that come from it. For many, they fall victim, but for others, they continue to fight a battle that never ends. One against the enemy. The other...against themselves. To the brave souls that valiantly lift the sword and shield, stare into the eyes of villainy, and rally a shout. For the damage that is done, for the minds that it destroys, to the monsters it creates.

For a man who rode horseback through the gales of the frigid night as the clouds began to obscure the moonlight, a large blade resting solely on his back awaiting its master's need while a frown grimaced his whiskered face. Begrudgingly, he closed his eyes, his memories resurfacing at the most uncanny of times. His right hand reached for the hilt of his sword, his instincts and past urging him to grab hold. Slowly, his hand fell, his deep breaths inaudible to those around him as he battled his burden. His freehand grabbing hold of the reins once more, he turned his head around and shouted, "We must hurry! If we are to intercept the enemy, it must be now!" With a sharp snap of the reins and a, "Yah!", The band raced down the path.

Eyes of cold lavender fell onto the Commander. Unknowing what exactly he had just witnessed. Unable to explain the dismay the Commander had just shown. Not a sign of weakness nor a sign of strength, but despair and a strong, hidden restraint. 'Why feel such an emotion at this time? Why now?' Neji thought as he noticed the chakra system within Naruto's form began to react in a peculiar fashion, a slow and steady flow, but in some portions of his body, the chakra surged violently, with flares of red seeping through his channels. 'Odd, his emotions are balancing each other out but, one gradually overwhelms the other? Despair then eagerness...no...that can not be right. Is...is he is relapsing? From what I wonder.'

Naruto slowly turned his head to his right, meeting eyes with that of Neji Hyuga. In one brief moment, he felt a surge of fear course through him, not out of provocation, but the intensity of his surging chakra, and the undeterrable gaze his icy blue eyes casted upon him. "Neji..." He called, snapping the ninja out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" He asked calmly.

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"About what you saw?"

"In you?" Neji then asked.

Naruto paused briefly, as if carefully picking his words, "No, the enemy."

"There are many foot soldiers, pikemen, archers, and mages. If we maintain this pace, I can see us arriving at the designation just in time. With the snow falling as it is, it is possible our tracks will be covered or obscured, though I have some concerns..."

"And they are?" Naruto asked as he turned towards him.

"How are we to combat such a large force? A band of one hundred will not stand a chance against thousands, our numbers will be overwhelmed in seconds. How do you plan on going about this?" Neji inquired as he turned his head slightly to the Commander's position, only to be greeted with an unsettling grin.

"With one...," He stated, "Swift..." smoothly, "Strike." Menacingly. Of all the bitter cold, of all the enemies that he had defeated, and the curse mark emblazoned upon his forehead; Neji shivered. "Let's move!" Naruto then shouted as the band snapped the reins of their steeds, galloping furiously through the beating snow while clouds of white mist rose rose from beneath their hooves. Their march never waned, and their resolve resolute; a roaring fire still burned amongst the cold.

Trampling violently against the ground, the Yoko's hurried out of Yuelthin's pass, and into the clearing, masked by the barrier of pines while two soldiers stayed at the back and smeared the tracks in the falling snow for safe measure. Naruto looked towards his only mage, Anko. Immediately, she brought up her hands to her chest, clasping her hands together. As her eyes closed and her breathing steadied, a small, feint blue light glowed within her palms. Parting her hands ever so slightly, a mystical orb now hung between her parted palms, connected by two small strands of mana. Slowly, the orb began to expand as she brought her hands about her head, and carefully, she began to spread her hands apart, stretching the orb into the shape of a rounded shield. The shape gradually expanded, reaching to the far end of the band's rear guard, then covering the flanks, and the front. With her form and eyes glowing a bright blue, the barrier surged, then dissipated, leaving small arcane indentations upon the ground beneath them.

Neji didn't understand what had transpired in that mere moment, everyone accompanying remained calm and at the ready, while he was left in the shroud of confusion. What exactly was the barrier that had been placed? 'Wait...the barrier...it is reactionary. Is it dimming each signature inside?' He thought as he narrowed his eyes, 'No, it is blocking the outside, it is a mask to the outside. It is merging with the air and energy of the outside, covering those that remain inside the confounds of the barrier. It hides it by overshadowing the energy inside; clever.' He then thought. His eyes narrowing, Neji then tapped Naruto's shoulder as the enemy forces came closer, and with the point of his finger, signaled that the enemy was nearby. 'Now then...what will you do next...commander?'

"This land is almost ours." Came a voice just outside the trees, Naruto turned around ever so slowly and placed his right index over his lips, and his left hand carefully descending. The riling of the troops perhaps was something that couldn't be helped.

"Heh-heh, yes, this dwarven cesspool will fall beneath our might. The north has already been laid to waste, and soon, the rest will follow." Came another.

"What of the eastern side?" Yet another.

"The local tribes have all been eradicated, the march to Freijhord will soon be underway. Once the south has been taken, then it too will fall." Authoritative. With one swift motion, Anko gently placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder, then turned around to eye the rest of the band, with a slight tilt of her head, all of them laid their hands on one another before linking with her, Neji, or Naruto. With a perked brow, the Hyuga followed suit, intrigued by the sudden action. As Naruto turned to look at his arcane companion; whom gave a nod, in his thoughts, his voice spoke well within their minds.

'Just outside this line, our enemy marches. Silence is our biggest asset as of now, we have to maintain this in order to not be found out by enemy mages. Neji, I need you to keep an eye on the enemies movements, and signal once they begin to fallback to their base. When that moment arrives, we will then carefully tail them back to their base, and then we will map out our next move.' Naruto's thoughts resonated well within them all, each

'Why the hell do we have to rely on him?! All he does is give us a hateful look I mean-' Came another thought, clearly some of the others didn't exactly have the highest opinion.

'That is enough. As of now, Neji is the only one that can give us clarity in these parts.'

'That's right.' Anko's thoughts came affront, 'Maintaining this barrier is already wearing down on my mana, for me to provide the support the Hyuga bastard can give, will leave me vulnerable, besides there is a fine line between what a mage can do, and that of a Hyuga.' Anko then looked to Neji with a glare, 'If I were you, I'd tread lightly.' A threat made by such a woman that many, if not all, knew would easily be carried out in a moment's notice, was one to heed greatly.

'That's enough.' Naruto sounded once more, 'Keep focused on the task at hand, and if we are lucky, we won't have to endure the night's cold much longer.' Naruto then turned to Neji, 'We are counting on you.' Neji, on the other hand, refused to give his reply or any notion to others, instead, his Byakugan remained, his mana flourishing within his ocular veins.

'It would be best to conserve our mana to the best of our abilities. With this being said, I believe it would be best to drop the link Anko.' Kakashi's thought now finally coming to sound within them, 'And hopefully, the odds might work in our favor...despite the numbers.'

'Yeah-yeah, just focus on saving their asses and gettin' hell back to IronMaul afterwards One-Eye.' Anko taunted before letting her hand fall off Naruto's shoulder, and soon, the others followed.

Through Neji's eyes, the invading Elurian force remained stationary at the base of the mountain while a squad of ten began to climb Frostmyre's snowy path. Above, he could see many signatures inside, as many as five chasing after two, with ten or so stationed in one position. 'There's more up there...? The adjacent base is being occupied as well, so that means, where ever, what I presume to be Lady Hinata and her companion are heading right back into enemy ranks. However, there is so much more signatures,' Neji narrowed his eyes brows, focusing the amount of mana into his eyes to elongate his field of vision, 'Krystal. They have occupied the hold and are currently holding prisoners. How many is the question.' Thus he began to count, no matter how strained his eyes were becoming, 'Only five, but many...many are dead. I have to alert him.' With a series of taps on Naruto's shoulder, the commander met his eyes quizzically, and motioned for Anko to reestablish the link between them all.

'There is more,' He stated simply in his thoughts, 'There is more enemy occupation upon the adjacent mountain, and with them running right into them, they will be captured in just a few moments, however, there is more to this operation than rescuing Lady Hinata and her companion; they have prisoners in what I believe to be Krystal. From what I can see, there are five dwarfs alive with serious injuries, while their brethren lie dead on the floor.'

'Only five left?' Came a thought

'Yeah, only five of them...but out of how many?'

'From what I can tell,' Neji's thought began as he scanned the area, 'Seventy are dead.'

'That hold was guarded by at least a hundred strong, if there are only seventy...then what happened to the remaining thirty?' Another soldier minded.

'I can not see anything else, I can find no other traces of the remaining dwarves.' Neji replied, but then, 'Wait!' Neji watched as the faraway traces of their life force began to slip by just the minute of motions, in doing so, Neji grimaced.

'What? What is it that they are doing?!' Naruto shouted within the psyche.

'They just killed one prisoner, four of them remain. I wonder if it is some form of interrogation that they must be doing within the confounds of the hold. But now...,' He then paused, as he seen one form stand in front of the remaining prisoners, he could only clench his teeth as the surge of mana into his ocular veins pushed him beyond his limits.

'Don't strain yourself Neji.' Naruto spoke calmly, 'We all have to play a part in this, we can not have anyone falling behind. If they notice one of us is weakened, they will stop at nothing to misdirect our attention. Calm yourself.' Neji narrowed his brows upon the commander's remark, however, his dismay would have to remain hidden for now.

Disregarding his intentions, his focus prioritized back to the scene at hand.

Meanwhile...

In a palely lit tunnel did the two scouts run. Sprinting as fast as they could from their pursuers, desperately trying to evade capture or death despite all that stacked against them, one of the dwarves, Barval, and the other of the noble ninja clan of Konoha, Izuki, Hinata. In the coming of mere moments, did the howling winds soon bellow amongst the frigid air, tossing and clashing against nothing more than a stone bridge connecting Frostmyre to that of the faraway, adjacent mountain.

"They're just up ahead, we have them trapped!"

'Trapped? What do they mean?' Hinata thought as she struggled to bring forth her Byakugan, straining so hard just to conjure the last of her mana. To her horror, their fears had come true. Standing in the quarters of Kehl, Hinata could see just how many occupied the dwarven hold, and now they had found the the bridge that hung high over Yuelthin; they were advancing. "Barval," She said wearily, "We...we have to jump." She then mustered spotting their only hope of escaping capture.

"Jump?! Are you mad?! Only a mage can survive a fall this high up!" He shouted in dismay, however, Hinata could only bear the incredulous remark with little strength to muster past it.

"Nine meters down; to the southwest of the entrance to Kehl, is a ledge wide enough to warrant our escape. If...if caution is taken highly, the ridges beneath it may be scalable." She said with little courage as she shook her head, her soft lavender eyes closed in disbelief at yet another deemed failure. Amidst her disbelief, she continued forward, and began to run, not caring of the ice and snow already packed onto the bridge itself. The only answer from her comrade came in the form of a groan and a curse. Across a fifty meter bridge to the remaining nine meters required to make the jump; an advancing army quickly closing in on both sides, the odds were weighed heavily upon them.

Thirty feet.

Barval could only clench his teeth tight; with outstanding numbers against them, and immense exhaustion weighing upon them both, it seemed as if it were their only means of escape. Nine Meters; approximately thirty feet beneath the bridge. Would his legs be able to withstand an impact from that far? The Hyuga...of course; a dwarf...not so much. Agility was not a dwarf's strong suit. "Let's move." He groaned as two continued to run along the treacherous rock and ice.

"There they are!" Came a shout from behind them.

"After them!" Arose another.

"We must hurry Barval!" Hinata shouted frantically. Two men now exited out of the entrance to Kehl, two of them, each with pikes thrust forward.

Twenty feet.

"Pikemen ready?!" Came a shout from ahead.

'Just ten more feet til the jump.' She thought frantically, and in one brief moment, "Barval now!" She shouted as she leapt out from the bridge with her dwarven comrade in suit.

"Mages, Encase!" Was the last order given. Suspended high above the clouds, staring widely into their depths did they hang, their limbs restrained by arcane magic. The calculations, their efforts, and their last threads of hope...dwindled in one brief moment. Everything they had worked so hard to accomplish, endured against the worst of conditions, and bore witness to all of sadness and loss. Their most dreaded thought had now come to surface.

"Sir, capture...successful."

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Hmmmm, my chapters have been pretty short haven't they? And yet, they take sometime to write. I'm definitely off my game. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I shall see you next time. Laterz!