AN: Here's chapter 15.

Nothing to say this time so… let's get this started.

XXX

Crush II

Jiraiya cursed as he watched another building fall. They'd all know Orochimaru's invasion was near, but that didn't make this any easier to handle. In a way it was only making it worse. How had his old teammate found ways past Konoha's defences? Especially with Kushina and Minato back. Between the two of them the village should have been impenetrable.

His home was being destroyed around him. Jiraiya grit his teeth and jumped to another building where he deftly caught a Kunai inches away from his right ear. All his forward motion left him as he planted his feet onto the rooftop and flicked the weapon back at his attacker. There was a clang and the next thing he knew someone was behind him.

Jiraiya ducked under his assailant's blade, hearing it cut through the air just above his head. That would have been his neck. He spun, keeping his low position and kicked his opponent's feet out from beneath him in such a quick and fluid motion you would have though the whole altercation had been planned on his part. Another enemy came up on his side, Kunai poised to stab Jiraiya as the first man tried to recover.

It was fruitless.

Jiraiya stood to his full height as he caught the second attacker's wrist. With a quick upward strike from his left hand, he broke the arm at the elbow. The man didn't scream, merely aiming to land a blow on Jiraiya with his left knee. This caused the Toad Sannin to narrow his eyes as he released the man's wrist and caught his now forcefully discarded kunai. Faster than either assailant could react to, Jiraiya stepped forward just slightly and to the side, avoiding the knee and sinking the kunai into the main's throat while he delivered a lethal Rasengan to the enemy shinobi that had been getting back to his feet.

All of this went down in just a few seconds.

Jiraiya glanced down at his dead assailants and growled.

"Danzo…"

These men had been Root agents.

"I have to tell Minato." In the next moment Jiraiya had vanished from the rooftop in a blur of motion.

~X~

Sparks flew as Naruto used a few of his chains to change the trajectory of one of the enemy shinobi's arrows. Despite the projectiles looking as though they were made from material that couldn't be classified as sturdy, they were heavier and tougher than he could have possibly imagined. He clicked his tongue as his eyes darted to his left. Sakura and Karin were getting the injured man on his feet, some medic-nin already on the scene and helping him and his family to safety. He honestly didn't even know how the man had been in a position to get hit in the first place. Shouldn't the genjutsu have put him to sleep?

Alarms went off in his head.

"Sakura, Karin! Get away from him!" Naruto shouted as he rounded on the lot of them. His two companions looked startled, and in Karin's case, exhausted. He was furious. All that chakra spent healing the man and he was just another enemy. Naruto was gone almost too fast to follow, an arrow from their far-off enemy striking the rubble where he'd been standing only an instant prior.

He wasn't fast enough.

One of the medic-nin coughed wetly, a kunai sticking out of their chest. As their eyes widened in shock and their hands went up to grasp at the intrusive object, Naruto appeared next to Sakura—who was standing closest to the man—in time to block another kunai with his chain covered left arm, while his right one shot forward. Sword in hand, he cut his enemy down. The body hit the ground with a solid thump and Naruto grimaced.

Having caught on to what just happened, Sakura turned in time to dodge a thrust from whom sued originally assumed to be the man's wife. Gritting her teeth, she caught the woman's arm as Karin jabbed a kunai into her throat, making sure to catch her artery. Exhausted as she was, she was still a kunoichi. She refused to be dead weight.

"The kid, Sakura." Heeding Karin's words, Sakura glanced to her side. The child was running towards them, dead eyed and blank faced. It was disturbing. The little boy looked no younger than five. No child should have such a look in their face. As much as she didn't want to, Sakura reared back her leg and punted the boy towards Hijiri who turned and cut him down without so much as a second thought.

Sakura cringed, and swallowed rising bile back down. Her roiling emotions were harder to deal with. Her heart hammered in her chest and she felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. They had only been a child, she thought. Someone put a hand on her shoulder and she whipped around. It was Naruto.

"Don't think about it. We've got other worries Sakura. Take a deep breath an—" he cut himself off at a hissing sound reaching their ears. It sounded like a sizzle, but more alarming than what they'd normally here when cooking food. He whipped around, chains leaping out of him and forming a shield in front of them. Just in time too.

An explosion that left their eardrums ringing finished off the medic-nin who had been stabbed earlier. The kunai had an explosive note attached to it. Naruto's chains receded into him once things settled and his eyes widened upon seeing the other two medic-nin had been caught in the blast and killed. He grit his teeth. This is too much, he thought.

"Naruto let's go!" called Fu as Hijiri deflected another arrow. The rest of their group had gathered further down the street, using the cover of some buildings that were still standing to protect themselves from arrows while Hijiri, Sasuke and Hinata redirected them. Naruto, Sakura, and Karin ran over to the others, avoiding arrows thanks to the rubble.

"We can't stay here," Gaara said. Sasuke, Hijiri, and Fu joined them a moment later. No one was left in this street but them and so the others were more than okay with leaving. They had no easy way to get at the archer who was so intent on picking them off, so retreating for now would be best.

"Naruto and I need to meet up with the Yondaime. Or Kakashi. Orochimaru wants to destroy the village, but he's made it clear that we're targets of his," assails grunted, tossing aside a chipped kunai he'd been using. Their group began to ask questions, but Ino cut in.

"We can worry about that while we move. Where to?"

"Mom said to head home once the invasion began and she'd meet me there. I'll lead the way," Naruto said. With agreements from the others, they were on their way.

~X~

The giant snake's head exploded from the force of Minato's rasengan and with a turn of his head, the Yondaime homage was gone in a flash of yellow, appearing on the ground below where he slit the throat of an Oto-nin before vanishing again and shoving a rasengan into a seemingly normal man's face. He knew better though; he hadn't killed a civilian just now. He vanished again before the body exploded. Appearing a few feet away, Minato looked to his shinobi.

They were doing as they were told, securing the area and assisting those who could not fight. The only issue were the enemies hidden amongst the non-combatants. Minato wasn't sure where they'd come from. No Oto-nin should have been able to integrate themselves into their village so securely. Orochimaru couldn't have been planning such a thorough invasion.

Minato was just about to vanish again when Jiraiya landed next to him.

"Jiraiya-sensei," said Minato as greeting.

"I was nearby so I chose to meet with you personally instead of sending a toad. I think I know how Orochimaru got into the village despite your preparations," Jiraiya responded as he lifted the mask of one of the shinobi he'd dispatched. Minato narrowed his eyes.

"Danzo," he growled, "Kushina said Tayuya informed her that Orochimaru had recently gotten some assistance that was supposed to get him into the village, but to think that old man would still be this close to Konoha…" Honestly, Minato knew he shouldn't have been surprised. Danzo had always been obsessive. Realistically, there's no way he'd stray to far from Konoha when all his aspirations were here.

"This makes sense though. The faux civilians that are causing chaos around the village and the ease with which Orochimaru's forces made their way past our seals and into our walls all point to an inside job. Danzo undoubtedly had hidden passages in and out of the village that no one knew about but himself and Root. And no one in our village would train completely loyal, emotionless, and ruthless shinobi who care not for their lives nor the lives of their comrades. No one but Danzo."

Minato clicked his tongue and looked out at the raging battle before him once more. This development could cause problems, he knew. Orochimaru could be anywhere in the village and Danzo's ease of access in and out couldn't stand past this invasion. He needed to get to Naruto and Kushina or their plan wouldn't work. Taking a breath, he turned to his old teacher.

"Take control here for now. Get word to Inoichi and Shikaku that they need to capture as many invaders as possible, preferably the ones posing as civilians. Have them get the information on how they got into the village out of them. Failure isn't an option. I don't care what lengths they need to go to. I'm going to get Kushina and Kakashi, then find Naruto."

Jiraiya nodded gravely and wished his student luck. Minato vanished a moment later.

~X~

Kushina tore through a crowd of enemy shinobi, cutting them down with ease and precision as Yugao covered her back, making sure no one could even hope to approach her. Most enemies she put down didn't even see her draw her blade and to the onlookers around her it seemed as though Kushina was just running through the ruined streets of her village, enemies literally falling apart around her. It was a terrifying and bewildering scene to behold, mists of blood flying into the air, coating her clothes and hair. Meanwhile explosions sounded in the background, accompanied by a chorus of screams and yells.

Kushina wasn't sure she cared who was making the noises either. She wasn't too fond of the invaders or the villagers really. If her family was okay, nothing else mattered. And in that regard, she had faith in them.

"Die!" yelled a seeming civilian. Kushina's eyes merely flicked in his direction and he was diced up in an instant, spraying her with more blood. Yugao landed next to her a moment later as more of their shinobi guided civilians to safety. They shot her with horror-stricken eyes and she stared back coldly.

They scurried away faster.

The villagers understood that Kushina could dispatch them just as easily and they'd given her all the validation she could wish for by daring to treat her boy like scum. They were lucky her self-control was so great.

"Has there been any word from Kakashi, Yugao?" she asked, her eyes surveying her surroundings, taking in every shattered window and crumbled building.

"Not just yet. I assume he is still searching for Naruto. He's already been to Yakiniku Q and says it was no more. He doesn't think Naruto was trapped however and he has Pakkun searching him out. I'm sure it won't be long now," Yugao replied. Kushina scowled but said nothing. She needed to be patient; she knew that. But every moment they wasted trying to find one another was a moment more that their home was destroyed.

While she may not enjoy the place like she used to, her husband and her son still seemed to have some hope. Plus, Naruto's friends were here. She couldn't let Konoha fall. Letting a sigh pass her lips she nodded.

"Alright. We keep moving." Just as she said that, a flash of yellow at her side revealed her husband. Her lips lifted into a smile as she turned to face him. He looked no worse for wear, something she was entirely unsurprised about. She wouldn't expect him to have any troubles.

"Kushina. You look… bloody," he greeted with a small chuckle.

"Yes, well… there must be some reason for that little moniker I acquired, no? Are we going to Naruto now?"

"Meeting up with Kakashi. I don't want to tip off anyone that we need Naruto for anything special until it's too late for them to stop it." Though a little annoyed she couldn't go to her child, Kushina let it be. She knew it was for the best and Naruto should technically be surrounded by his peers right now anyway. Not to mention the plan was to meet up at their home to prep for their final assault. The adults had just hoped they'd run into Naruto before then to make sure nothing went awry.

"Fine. Let's go," she sighed. Minato put a hand on hers and Yugao's shoulders before they were gone in a flash of yellow.

~X~

Orochimaru smiled down at his long-awaited plan coming together. Konoha was being torn asunder by his forces. He could see much of the village fall from atop the Hokage monument, thinking the Konoha-nin too busy to with avoiding death at the hands of his forces to pay any mind to his vantage point. That's not to say he thought he would remain hidden though. He knew that eventually someone would notice him up here. The more likely outcome, however, was that he'd be joining the battle once one of his men found Sasuke.

A cold smirk lifted his lips at a near silent rustle from behind him. News had come faster than he'd been expecting.

"Kidomaru. You bring news?" It was a question as much as it was threat. If he was daring to seek him out without any noteworthy information, then he would regret it. Orochimaru believed Kidomaru to be smarter than that, however. For his own sake, he had better be.

"I found the Uchiha and kept him and his friends distracted long enough for Jirobo to meet up with me. He's keeping watch on them. I will lead you to them whenever you wish," he informed as Orochimaru merely turned to him.

"Good. Let us depart."

They both vanished.

~X~

"The six-armed assailant has traded places with someone," Hijiri informed as their group continued to run, cutting down attacking shinobi who were fool enough to get in their way. The surrounding buildings were falling apart around them and the streets stunk of death. Screams reached their ears from all sides and various jutsu—mostly katon ones—leapt into the sky around them. They'd spotted a large snake summon rearing up on their right only for it to be taken out by a few anbu.

They were not too much further from Naruto's home and he hoped that the smoke he saw rising in the distance was not coming from his house.

"Does it seem like they are capable in long range combat like the other one?" Shikamaru asked, already putting a plan together. Without the threat of being skewered from range, he hypothesized that they could take out their new tail.

"It does not seem so."

"We should get rid of them," Fu said, having little doubt that they got her meaning.

"They are following us rather casually. It is likely that they are overconfident and do not think that we could possibly pose a threat," Hijiri responded.

"The we should do it. An ambush. Who are the fastest? Closing the distance and giving the rest of us time to get within proper range is going to be key here," Shikamaru continued.

"Far as I'm aware, I'm the fastest," Naruto commented, "and Hijiri is at least as fast as me."

"Lee is faster than you, Naruto. You've definitely got blinding speed, but I don't think you're quite as fast as him yet," Tenten said. Naruto just shrugged.

"That's fine. Better than fine, in fact. The three of us should be more than enough to keep our tail's attention while you all move in," Naruto replied.

"The let's do it. We'll take a left further up the road. Line of sight should be broken long enough for the three of you to pounce," Shikamaru said. They all nodded and after Lee removed his weights—which briefly startled his companions due to the sheer weight of them—they took the left turn they'd been waiting for.

Hijiri, Lee, and Naruto were gone in a blur.

~X~

Jirobo followed along behind his marks casually, wishing he had some food on hand. He was hungry. Heaving a sigh, Jirobo saw his targets turn a corner before he looked out at the rest of the battle raging throughout the village. Soon enough Konoha would fall. He truly believed that.

Jirobo knew that there were powerful enemies here, but he couldn't imagine anyone stronger than Orochimaru. That man truly was a vile monster. In every sense of the word. He would crush Konoha and Jirobo would help him. Did he want to? No. not at all, but what choice did he have? Besides, even if he didn't want to do Orochimaru's bidding, he did enjoy crushing others…

He looked back towards his targets only to find the one clad in a green body suit right in front of him. Jirobo's eyes widened. The boy was fast. A swift knee flew towards his stomach and Jirobo blocked the blow with his arms. He slid across the roof he'd been on and his instincts screamed at him. Jirobo pivoted as quickly as he could and prepared to throw out an open palm strike at his adversary, only for Naruto to stop short of striking him and back away, throwing off Jirobo's balance.

Hijiri's naginata tore into Jirobo's back, causing him to yell out in surprise and pain. He stumbled forward and Naruto's foot met his face, sending him onto his back. For a moment, he just lied there.

Then he got angry.

Standing to his feet, Jirobo took stock of the three enemies surrounding him. He licked his lips and prepared himself. It was mealtime.

"Alright, trash… come."

XXX

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Sorry for the wait. Decided to take a break for the holidays. In other news, I have a wattpad now. I do have some original work there as well though, if anyone is interested. It's not the same as what I have on my though. And hey, it's free.

www dot wattpad dot com/user/CruelZer0

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