Naruto - Warlord

AN:

I know, it's been an asslong time since the last update. I'm still going, but for those of you who has been following my AN's you already know about some of the bullshit that's passing through my life right now. I won't spend anymore time painting a picture you've already seen so many times already, so let's get right into it.

It's almost 4 am in the morning here now, so i'm not gonna spend much time with this AN. I could have waited until the morning, but chances are i'll be busy so i really wanted to get this out as quickly as possible. We're gonna have to save our little public discussion corner for the release of the next chapter, but as always, i WILL try my best to respond to your reviews, if any of ya have any questions or deductions you'd like to air. Or suggestions!

This chapter was actually heavily rewritten after a long discussion with one of you reviewers and i think the chapter's much better off for it, so don't hesitate to ask or comment. I think i perhaps should be a bit more open and willing to discuss future developments about the story, but i just hate the thought of spoiling it.

Oh, and one last thing. The doc manager REALLY fucked up a lot of grammar now on this upload. I do think i got most of them, but if there's any glaring mistakes that really ruin the chapter, don't be afraid to let me know; it's 4 am, almost, so i ain't exactly the sharpest to catch them right now.

For now though, it's off to sleep for me. Last chapter received resounding support and i hope people continue to like the direction of which we're heading. I'll look forward to reading your reviews when i wake up!

Enjoy!

Chapter 31

The stench was unbearable.

The townsquare of Nadeshiko village was littered with the rotting, festering and maggot riddled corpses of the Frost shinobi. Every brick upon the ground was covered in old dried up blood, splattered guts and separated limbs among the bloated bodies.

Standing on top of a building overlooking the townsquare of which he'd first met Shizuka, the smell seemed to pervade his senses like a plague, filling his nostrils and sticking to his skin like a layer of sweat. He could barely breathe despite his elevated position, as the smell was beyond anything he could have imagined. Even holding his nose, it felt as if he was breathing puss and... other things. The red glow of the setting sun threw an ominous atmosphere over the ruined village, as night quickly fell over the Nadeshiko's former home.

He stood, halberd clenched in his hand with the Kyuubi's emotions stirring oddly inside of him, with a grimace as he gazed upon Shizuka's work of retribution. True to her word, she had exacted vengeance upon the 500 prisoners from Frost. Their corpses had been dumped in the middle around the fountain together with those from the battle, their throats cut; A small mercy, as their end had been quick.

Revulsion and disgust was boiling inside of him. He had allowed this. Their lives where on his head, as he had ordered for them to be delivered to Shizuka, knowing their lives were forfeit. He may as well have put the knife to them himself. Men and women whose only crime was that of following orders.

"Warlord.", a feminine voice called from behind. Naruto's hand instantly clenched around the halberd, his shoulders tensing before he recognized Shizuka's somber voice. He had come there alone, having snuck away from his Iron Guard with a Shadow Clone taking his place to prevent them from knowing, but Shizuka had obviously suspected something. Shouldn't have surprised him, seeing as the Kunoichi were much more familiar with the more intricate side of manipulating and sensing chakra than that of his army.

He didn't turn around to face her, as he was afraid of what he would do when he saw her.

Would he see a woman, barely keeping it together after the slaughter of her people? Or would he see a monster, one that had slaughtered so many defenseless shinobi for a petty thing like vengeance?

The notion seemed hypocritical to him. Who was he to judge her, really... After The Ivory Docks?

Naruto didn't know how he would see her if he turned around. And so he kept his eyes upon the abomination before him, his expression hard as anger and disgust brew just beneath the surface.

"Matriarch.", Naruto nearly spat, pausing. A long couple of seconds passed until Naruto spoke again, using the momentary silence to calm his heart. "Come to enjoy the aftermath of your revenge?"

He regretted his words instantly, but as they had been said they were already set in stone. Shizuka, clad in her armor with a neutral expression, remained where she stood with a deep frown.

"...You think I enjoyed this?", she muttered, a touch of disbelief in her voice, though her feelings were otherwise masked wonderfully. "I did not. But my people have lost sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, fathers and mothers to Frost. They would have never accepted a decision of these shinobi being forced into our ranks or set free. I gave them what they wanted and what they deserved.", she stated. She would have seemed convinced, if not for the light quiver in her voice. "I did the right thing."

"...'The right thing'...?", Naruto rasped as shock filled him, unable to fathom her belief. He still refused to turn and look upon the woman. "The right thing? The RIGHT THING!?", he suddenly roared, raising his halberd to slam the bottom of the shaft into the roof of the building he stood upon. The roof cracked, yet stood firm as a loud, reverberating bang rang out across the city. "No, what you did was to take the easy way out.", Naruto rasped. His body shook and he could feel the Kyuubi's chakra grasping at the edge of his sanity, as it often did when he found himself as furious as he was now. "Being a leader is not about giving your people whatever they want, whenever they want it. Doing so means that you have NO respect for them!", Naruto barked firmly. "Being a leader is about doing what is RIGHT for your people, despite their immediate, fleeting wishes. The best decision is seldom the most popular one, and it is your responsibility as the one who leads them to teach them and make them see that. Instead, you've catered to their selfish whims and that of your own."

"I did what our traditions-!", Shizuka began in an angry yell, but halted as Naruto threw his arm out to silence her.

"If your traditions demand the slaughter of defenseless women and men who were either surrendered or wounded, then your traditions are EVIL!", Naruto roared, the Kyuubi's chakra infecting his sentence at the end, distorting his voice. He let his arms drop as Shizuka quieted. He had half a mind to knock her down from the roof if she opened her mouth again, but he knew that would be ill advised. For now, her people were only there because of Shizuka and her council's decision to join them. "You know what the real joke of this is? You want to know the comedy that pisses me off the most?" A long moment of silence met his words. "The real joke of it all...", he scoffed. "...Is that this isn't even on your conscience. Oh no!", he laughed derisively, shaking his head with disgust. "No, this is all on me. Even if it was your decision to slaughter these people, it was I that allowed it, as your Warlord. And if I could turn back time and make the decision over again, I would have done the same thing. You and your people are too valuable for me not to, despite my reprehension in allowing... This. But it is not you that will be condemned in the eyes of people, both our own as well as others when they hear of this." He sighed deeply, some of his anger leaving him as he calmed himself. "No, it's me who will be blamed and hated for it...", he whispered, frowning as he felt more tired than he ever had before. "...As is right. Did you know that, when you made your choice?"

A long pause, until Shizuka cleared her throat unsteadily.

"...Yes..."

Naruto smiled with resignation.

"I see.", he simply said. He'd already known, but it was refreshing that she was at least honest about it, as she'd used him either with or without meaning to. "Then I'll resent you all the same, but thank you for your honesty. I'll respect that about you, at the very least."

"You have every right to resent me.", Shizuka responded quietly. "But I did what I thought- No, what I believe is right. What was just, for my people."

"And therein lies the problem.", he began, throwing her a scathing glance over the shoulder, finally looking upon the woman with a glare, whose face was lowered and covered by a curtain of her long, black hair. "They are not your people anymore. They are OURS. And this was the last time you ever demand anything of me.", he spat, the threat clear in his tone as he looked back towards the corpses. "Get out of my sight."

She nodded stiffly and turned around, disappearing into the air in a flash of speed.

Pleased with her absence, Naruto's eyes went back to the horrible sight before him as he fell back into deep thought. He'd let her think of his words however she liked. Right then and there, she could vanish off the face of the Elemental Nations for all he cared.

Long into the night he stood, filled with shame and regret, dreaming of simpler, easier days far away from where he was.

A few more weeks passed as Naruto and his horde, now fully merged with the Nadeshiko people, struggled with the care of the wounded who had been infected by infections and what not. Some of the worse ones off didn't make it and their loss was felt by all, but most managed to pull through.

They had retreated back to their camp away from the Nadeshiko village after the village and whatever remained of the Frost shinobi had been scavenged. There, they would remain for a short while in order to make sense of things, but Naruto felt a sense of urgency in regards to the threat of Frost potentially returning. Their interference was sure to anger the Frost's leadership and Naruto had no doubts they'd move to retaliate, as anything else would make them seem weak in response.

In regards to the Nadeshiko, all men capable of fighting had joined his army as either spearmen, rangers, archers, medics, whatever it was that their previous training and expertise allowed them to function best as. Most of the Nadeshiko women stayed beneath Shizuka as she began to organize a shinobi force under Naruto's orders and a surprising amount of women from his army were volunteering for the new shinobi unit.

It was understandable that a lot of the women wanted to get away from the soldier life, heavily dominated by the men which provided them with few private liberties, but Naruto was worried of how it would affect his army in the future. Any form of segregation between the peoples nationality and genders had up until that point been non existent, so he was uncertain on how this would play out in the long run. He hoped Shizuka and the rest of the Nadeshiko would change their minds about their rule, but a part of him knew he shouldn't be holding his breath. Thus far, they had shown a stubborn streak he found more annoying than he'd ever admit.

Shizuka, for her part, rarely spoke to him. After their last meeting within the ruined village, Shizuka had not appeared until their next meeting, though he was pleased to note that they were still able to have a professional relationship to one another. She performed her duties as loyally as anyone, though Naruto was tempted to try and keep a closer eye on her. As they had obviously disagreed on several matters, and seeing as Shizuka had been effectively demoted from her previous position as Matriarch to now take orders from Naruto himself, he imagined a lot of feathers had been ruffled.

He'd therefore maneuvered Hisao, as the leading officer of the Rangers, to work closely together with Shizuka's kunoichi for now. They'd train and work together until the Kunoichi forces were more properly administered and organized, as Naruto intended for them to have their own responsibilities separated from the rest of his army, but that would need time. Time for Hisao to get a feel for the general attitude of the Kunoichi and report back to him. If anyone could be discreet, it was Hisao.

Mingling with his people, Naruto was both relieved and disappointed by the lack of backlash in regards to the mass execution of the Frost shinobi. Other than a few incidents, where alcohol had been involved in both the sharing of words as well as fists, his people had settled despite the loss of life. A part of him had hoped for their resentment, some form of validation for the atrocity that had been wrought on the Frost shinobi, but considering his people's history, as the majority was former slaves from the Ivory Docks, he shouldn't have been surprised. Most of his people had aided the Nadeshiko, one way or another both during and after the battle. That they held Frost in contempt for what they had seen wasn't really surprising.

Even so, Naruto couldn't help shake the disgust he felt with himself for what he had allowed. Each disgraceful act he did made the next one easier...

...And that was what he was starting to fear.

Naruto grasped the flaps of Kurotsuchi's tent, respectfully asking for entrance as the guards remained outside, flanking her tent as they always did to prevent their political captive from escaping. Hearing a somewhat joyful response for him to go ahead, Naruto entered the tent with one hand near the handle of the hatchet fastened at his lower back. While he didn't expect her to try anything, as Kurotsuchi made leaps in her improved health he could never be too careful.

It was in the middle of the day, yet the skies were covered in dark clouds, so the interior of her tent was somewhat dim. Her tent was sparsely decorated, with little other than a bedroll and a table to fill it. At the end of the day, she was still very much a prisoner. He entered to see Kurotsuchi lightly dressed in a linen top and shorts, exercising vigorously as she repeatedly rose her upper body from her back on the bedroll she laid upon.

She gave him a bright grin as he entered, a light sheen of sweat covering her exposed skin from her exertion.

"You know, you won't be available to wash yourself until tomorrow, right?", Naruto chuckled at her, pausing by the entrance to watch her for a moment. Athletic and lithe as she was, her body was quite a sight to see, even if Naruto never allowed himself to lower his guard around her.

"Gonna bother you more than me.", Kurotsuchi snorted in response. She continued her repetitions, which Naruto took as an invitation to come further into her tent. Even as a prisoner, he made a point to respect her needs as much as he could, even if she wasn't able to wash herself everyday. Bringing things in and out of her confines was always a risk; One could never know what a Shinobi might be able to do, even with the most innocent looking things. Better to not take any chances at all.

Naruto waited respectfully for her to finish her repetitions, whistling approvingly when she flipped expertly to her feet.

"You're looking healthier each day.", he began, smiling softly at her. He was glad of her recovery, both for her own sake as well as that of his own considering her grandfather. "Yano's assuring me you're gonna make a full recovery."

"Mhm!", she hummed, nodding energetically. Her face was flushed with exertion as she grinned and one would have never been able to tell that she was a prisoner, if not for her chakra dampeners. "Surprised by their competence. From what I know, it ain't that long since your people started learning, right?"

"Right.", Naruto confirmed, watching as she began to stretch. He absentmindedly noted how... limber she was. It did strangely pleasant things to his stomach that he figured it was best not to think too hard on. "Got some folk that were taught before they joined up, so some knowledge is in circulation from them... But aye, most were taught more recently." Moving over towards the table, he gingerly took up a seat on his knees next to it, smiling wryly at Kurotsuchi. "They've had a lot of forced practice."

"So I heard.", Kurotsucho sighed as she stretched. Her top strained against her breasts as she shifted from side to side, and Naruto could swear she smirked at him when she caught him looking. "People learn the best and the fastest when thrown into it. And it's not like they've had much of a choice, right?"

"There's always a choice, one way or another.", Naruto muttered enigmatically, shrugging her comment off. "I wanted to check up on you. Been some days since last we spoke, I've-"

"'-Been busy', I know.", she giggled. Rolling her shoulders once, she trudged over to him, seating herself next to him. "I don't blame you, I know you've got a lot on your shoulders." She threw him a warm look. "Gotta say, I do miss our talks though."

A shiver ran up along his spine and he could hear the Kyuubi growl irritably just below the surface of his subconscious. He gave her a smile in return and spoke quickly to move the topic along to safer waters.

"Glad you aren't losing your mind in here.", he muttered, glancing over her form. She'd filled out nicely since her self-imposed starvation. She looked healthy now, as much as she did before her capture. "There hasn't been any more incidents with the guards giving you lip, aye?"

"None.", she confirmed, leaning back on her hands. Naruto swore she played up the arch of her back for him; nobody had such a naturally entrancing sway. "I've been chatting a lot with the female Iron Guard- the what's her name again? Akane?", she bit her lower lip with a frown, looking towards Naruto for confirmation. He nodded, knowing the Iron Guard in question, just as he knew them all. Akane's father had been injured permanently in the battle for the Ivory Docks. Naruto had made sure personally that his family were well taken care of, though he'd met Akane's admittance into the Iron Guard with some hesitance as she was a bit young. She was talented though, and had the same right as anyone else. "Yeah... She's nice, but man are they strict with what they're willing to talk about.", she huffed. "Bit annoying really, with how loyal they are to you and your orders."

"Still trying to wiggle out some information then?", Naruto drawled teasingly, though he watched her imploringly for any deception in her response. She merely smirked back at him, before she picked up a towel on the table to dry herself of her sweat, at least as well as she could without undressing in his presence.

"Can you blame me? Can't help it if I'm nervous about where we're heading next. You know, I was really worried about you when the fighting against the Frost happened.", she trailed off as she gradually lost her impish grin. "It's horrible what the Frost did to the Nadeshiko. While we never dealt with the Nadeshiko ourselves in Earth, I remember the stories I was told as a child. "She leaned back on her hands as she looked up thoughtfully. "Rumored to be both the most beautiful and lethal Kunoichi out there... Strange to see what they've been reduced to."

"Non intended insult aside, I can see what you mean.", Naruto agreed slowly, ignoring the pointed look she gave him in response to his poor, if a bit pointed, joke. "And I can see that Akane's been running her mouth more than what she's been ordered too."

Kurotsuchi sighed, frowning as she regarded him for a moment.

"Please don't be angry with her. We spent hours together last week when she was on duty and I'm a kunoichi. It's easy for me to persuade people into telling me more than what they mean to. And you don't have to be so worried of what I'm trying to do.", she pressed, looking back at him unflinchingly. "I want to help. I know you're worried I might try and escape and all, but-"

"If you're trying to convince me to release those dampeners, you can forget it.", Naruto interrupted, a bit uncaringly. Her hurt look made him more uncomfortable than he'd care to admit. "Don't give me that look.", he admonished, taking a deep breath as he gave her a stern gaze. "At the end of the day, you're still a kunoichi captured after a botched assassination attempt. Nothing's going to change tha-"

"Warlord! We've got company!", one of his Iron Guard shouted from outside.

Frost.

Swearing under his breath, he grabbed a hold of his halberd and bolted for the exit, but was stopped as Kurotsuchi grabbed a hold of his wrist. Gaze snapping towards her own, he almost expected her to try and assault him, but she merely looked at him with a pleading look.

"Please.", she muttered, expression begging him to listen. "I can help."

Looking down at the kunoichi who had gotten so far since her injury, the kunoichi who he himself had entertained the idea of killing, look up at him with her searching expression, made him pause for a moment. Her face was still flushed from her earlier exercise, some hair lightly matted against her sweaty skin, her lips strained invitingly in a pleading expression.

Uncomfortably aware of how she made his stomach tumble, he pulled his arm out of her grip.

"...Sorry...", he muttered, not knowing what else to say as he turned away. He didn't wish to see the hurt look that he knew she was sending him.

'Get a fucking grip.', the Kyuubi groused irritably as Naruto made his way outside. 'You know she's working you, so find your sense of reason!'

Doubt plaguing his mind, Naruto knew it's words to be true.

As he left the tent, he was met with the carefully controlled chaos of his encampment. Men and women were yelling as they geared up, running to their units as the officers rounded them up in their designated areas in order to protect their camp from all angles. Fires were killed, food left unfinished and trampled as whatever was not a necessity for the battle was summarily forgotten.

Just a bit ahead of him, Shou and En ran up to one another, with several more officers on the way as they ran, their units just about ready to defend. Making his way over, footsteps suddenly appeared next to him.

"...Storm's coming.", a small voice came from next to him.

Throwing a brief glance to his side, he saw Shizuka in a black kunoichi armor. Her words and presence made him frown, a brief flare of anger upon seeing her.

"Storm?", he questioned easily, unsure of what exactly she meant. They were close enough now to Shou and En's position for them to hear and they immediately fell silent.

Coming to a stop at the meeting spot, Shizuka rose a hand, pointing towards the far distance.

At the far end of the island, on the opposite from their own position in the direction of the ruined Nadeshiko village, a cloudy storm had gathered. Naruto frowned as he watched it intently for a long moment. A white sheen layered the air around it, exposing it's nature as a snowstorm, even at a distance.

...And it was headed straight towards them with shocking speed.

Just as he made the realization, a snowflake fell right past Naruto's eyes, much like it had during the night of the Nadeshiko village.

Frost had come for revenge.

"T'was you and your kunoichi that sounded the alarm then?", En questioned raspily, receiving a nod from Shizuka.

"What is it then?", Shou muttered worriedly, eyes fixed calculatingly on the approaching storm. "The storm I mean. Because that seems a bit more potent than the night of the battle for Nadeshiko."

Shizuka took a deep breath, glancing up at Naruto for a moment, who caught her glance with a raised brow.

"Not what.", Shizuka muttered quietly, a light shiver running up her body. "Who."

Naruto felt his blood drain from his face, his features going ashen at the implications of her words.

"...You ain't telling me a person's making that, no way!", En barked incredulously, throwing a glance at the approaching storm. As it had gotten much closer now, it almost seemed like twice the size.

The wind was starting to pick up, the snow falling even harder around them.

"Shimokage?", Naruto questioned more calmly than what he felt, gaze already going from position to position between the units, trying to find improvements where he could.

"No.", Shizuka muttered again, her eyes now fixed on the storm. "'The Storm' is Frost's champion." A powerful, cold wind buffeted the area, kicking up Shizuka's hair around her as they all swayed against it's fierceness. "Time's up."

The Storm was nearly upon them now, the white sheen of the storm coming like a curtain of death that would blanket them at any moment.

"All units, first row of Spearmen in front with the second in the back, ready to switch if needed! 4'th and 8'th, get the non-combatants in center and protected!", Naruto began, yelling through the steadily increasing howl of the storm. "Archers, eyes out and arrows nocked. Anything moves, they shoot it as long as it don't risk hurting our own!" With a dismissive wave of his hand, the officers in lead of the mentioned units ran off, immediately yelling orders for their men. "Medics.", Naruto began, receiving a fierce nod from Yano at his side. "Shields up and at the ready in the center. You aid the wounded where you can, but prioritize your own safety before anyone else. We don't need you guys becoming second patients because you get distracted, understood?" At her decisive nod, she too was waved off to bark orders to her unit. "Rangers." Hisao, covered against the howling wind within his cowl, gave a slight nod as he eyed his Warlord. "I want you guys to cover the medics. Don't let a single one of these assholes in." Hisao's eyes hardened as he laid a fist on his chest to show his understanding. He too was waved off as Naruto finally turned to Shizuka. "As for the Kunoichi, keep them grounded. I don't need them in the line of fire for our archers. Save your chakra in order to counter possible incoming techniques when needed, understood?" At her nod, the final officer was waved off, leaving only Shou and En with him as the last minute preparations were made.

A light cover of snow now covered the ground, pelting away at their armors and tents. The surrounding trees groaned against the storm in protest, while the ever looming storm hadn't even hit them fully yet.

A stray thought, one that scared him, wondered what sort of individual 'The Storm' was. What control would it take to create something like this? He didn't want to imagine, but he knew the answer would soon be revealed to them no matter their wishes.

"Shou, on me. En, I want the Iron Guard on us, eyes out like the rest."

"Aye!", En groused, immediately spitting out orders for the Guard. Shou shuffled uneasily as he eyed the incoming storm. The curtain of white was seconds away from hitting them now, rolling over them like a moving mountain.

"...I don't like this...", Shou muttered. He shivered, as the temperature was dropping rapidly. "What are you thinking in numbers?"

Naruto pursed his lips for a moment as he put on his helmet, his masked visor sliding in place. He stilled his nerves and controlled his breathing.

"I'm thinking, our interference in Nadeshiko was truly unexpected. Chances are, as Frost's a minor village, that their main fighting force was dedicated at Nadeshiko, which was captured, killed or routed. Whatever force is coming here now, it's their elite. I'm thinking their intention here is not a complete and utter victory, but rather to cause us as much damage as possible." His gaze narrowed at the storm. "I can't imagine them being able to hold this storm up for long. It has to drain whoever's maintaining it something fierce."

"Brace!", someone yelled from one of the watchtowers, seeing the white curtain of snow roll over the tree tops just a short distance away with breakneck speed. Everyone visibly braced for the storm, barely peeking over their shields.

And then, the storm hit.

Temperature dropping immediately from the sudden, biting cold of the wind, the storm forced them all to lean further against the winds lest they be blown off balance. The snowfall was so thick in the air that Naruto couldn't even see the forest ahead of the camp, barely a few hundred feet away.

They were enveloped in a white hell, where sound and sight were taken from them as the storm raged around them. Tents that had been poorly anchored had already been blown away and loose items were either buried in snow or taken by the winds.

Several tense moments later, where everyone was kept on their toes, a kunai whistled through the storm. It went straight towards one of the spearmen, piercing and killing the man through his skull.

"Shields up!", Shou roared, and just in time as a storm of shuriken and kunai came from every direction. The snow and raging winds made it hard if not impossible to react to the projectiles that pierced the wind, masked by the storm.

"Archers, fire at will.", Naruto growled out, Kyuubi already filling his veins with the powerful, malevolent chakra.

"ARCHERS, FIRE AT WILL!", Shou roared at his side. The officers repeated his shout and arrows were soon fired blindly into the white hell that obscured both sight and vision. Arrows by arrows disappeared into the wall of white around them without any way of telling if they hit or not.

The kunai and shuriken continued to rain over them, piercing flesh at a steady interval. Naruto could hear his men and women scream at the pain they felt, others just dropping silently as a stray projectile pierced their throat or skull.

"...This is bad...", En groused, watching the medics already hard at work pulling the wounded aside.

"We're too exposed like this.", Naruto muttered with frustration. "We need a way to counter attack. Let's get our rangers and kunoichi-"

"Frost Release: Frozen Dragon Technique!"

Both Shou, En and Naruto's eyes widened as their features went ashen. They threw a swift glance around to try and locate from where the booming voice had come from, but the storm made it impossible.

"TAKE COVER!", Naruto roared at the top of his lungs, fearful for the lives of his people. Their camp still had their sick, wounded, young and infirm and the last thing he wanted was for them to become casualties. They were stowed away in center, protected by a circling unit, but a technique like that would mow them down same as anyone else.

There was no warning as the ice dragon pierced through the carpet of snow around them from the north west. Naruto could do little more than watch in horror as it tore into a unit, carving through like a hot knife through butter, visibly tearing his men to shreds by the force before it continued along it's path. It continued straight into one of his archer units before it shattered, leaving 2 of his units with major casualties in just a few seconds.

"Reserve units!", Shou immediately roared to those who had remained untouched at the rear lines. "Switch and support! Medics, get the wounded-"

"Frost Release: Heavenly Avalanche!"

'Naruto-!', the Kyuubi roared with an uncharacteristically amount of worry.

'I know!', Naruto shouted back in his thoughts. It had come from their north-east and he immediately ran for that direction. His Iron Guard close on his flanks, they ignored the projectiles that still pelted across the camp as their Iron Fist was up and running to protect them.

Just as he arrived at the north-eastern position of his units, an enormous shadow began to loom over them menacingly from within the white hell ahead of them, gradually growing in size as it approached. The sound of rushing snow came closer and closer until it finally became visible.

It was an avalanche. An actual fucking avalanche, taller than the surrounding trees themselves, that rushed towards them.

"Hold!", Naruto roared as his spearmen nearly faltered in their fear and broke their lines. His left hand was already moving through a set of handsigns, a look of great concentration upon his face.

'Gonna need your help for this...', Naruto murmured in his thoughts, receiving a consenting growl from the beast. He immediately felt the Kyuubi's chakra rushing through him, carefully aiding him in weaving his technique.

Just as the avalanche was about to hit them, Naruto roared out as his completed the technique.

"Wind Release: High Pressure!"

For a single moment within the storm, the air seemed to shift and go deathly still around Naruto, before violently accumulating around him. With the aid and power of the Kyuubi, he sent the violent winds straight into the rushing avalanche which seemed to explode at the contact, sending an enormous amount of snow into the air and across the camp.

Before anything could be said or done, a wave of shinobi, clad in white furs, wool and armor came bursting out of the remnants of the avalanche. With a wave of shuriken and kunai that fell several of Naruto's men and women, they were on them and within their lines within a second before anyone could react.

"Fight free!", Naruto roared angrily, seeing so many of his people die at once. He rushed into the combat, spearing a Frost shinobi who had just killed one of his own with a sword. His Iron Guard needed nothing said and threw themselves into the combat as well.

Twirling his halberd, Naruto cut another Frost Shinobi in two, only to be denied as the shinobi burst into light, powdery snow that dissipated in the air.

'Bunshin or replacement technique?', Naruto asked himself curiously, not given a moment of reprieve as the same shinobi burst out of the snow covered ground next to him. With a spin, the shinobi tried to deliver an expertly delivered swiping kick to Naruto's face, but Naruto had been ready for it. Grasping unto the man's foot, Naruto threw the man above and around his head and slammed him into the ground. His halberd quickly followed, cleaving into the man's chest with brutal efficiency.

Before he could turn, a kunoichi jumped on his back with a kick to the back of his knees. A tanto blade was driven into the vulnerable area between his helmet and shoulder armor, but her attack was foiled by Naruto's Iron Fist. With a grunt, Naruto span and swiped after her with his halberd, but she was quick and ducked away at the last second.

As the kunoichi disappeared between several others fighting, chaos now reigned across his entire camp. Naruto couldn't see Shou or En, or any of the other officers for that matter. The entire camp was in chaos as men and women fought for their lives and Naruto couldn't tell where any of his units no longer were.

Just ahead of him, a man who Naruto knew had his throat cut by a Frost shinobi wielding a kunai.

"Ko!", Naruto roared as he watched the man fall with a spurt of blood. Pulling out his secondary weapon from his back, a hatchet, Naruto threw it with all his power at the shinobi, striking him dead center in the chest. Satisfied that he wouldn't get up again, Naruto rushed over to Ko, but it was no use. His throat was cut, brain already asphyxiating as Naruto could easily see his distant, unseeing stare as Ko gurgled and hacked up blood.

He was a father of two, one who had recently come of age to bolster the ranks of his 7'th Spearmen Unit.

Gritting his teeth, he raised his left hand again.

"Shadow Clone Technique!", he roared, his clones emerging around him by near a hundred who immediately threw themselves into the fray...

...Only for them to dissipate forcefully a moment after, sending Naruto's already tumultuous emotions further into a spiral.

'This storm, it's not natural.', Kyuubi growled aggressively. 'The cold's killing them, somehow, even though it shouldn't.'

Further musings was broken as Naruto was attacked from the side. Charging to his feet, Naruto twirled his halberd to deflect the shinobi's sword up and into the air, before running him through with the sharpened rear end of the halberd, all in the span of a split second.

Kicking the mortally wounded man off his weapon, Naruto watched as they were gradually beating them back with a sense of relief. He saw several of their recently enlisted Nadeshiko kunoichi fight with a sense of fervor he could only assume was due to a wish for revenge for what Frost had done to them.

Suddenly, a cold far worse than anything before seeped into his skin from behind. It was the only warning he received.

A rushing cloud of whisping snow surged towards him. His eyes widened as the shinobi from Frost threw themselves away, leaving his own men to be consumed by the converging cold. His men screamed as they disappeared into it on it's way towards Naruto. He barely managed to spot the rushing glint of a long, elongated blade flash through as it bisected one of his own in two. A couple of seconds what all it took for the assailant to rip through his men, before it was on top of Naruto.

Someone was inside of that rushing cloud and from what Naruto could see, was using a schythe.

He narrowed his eyes at the strange choice of weapon, but steeled himself as his assailant rushed for him. A glint of steel was the only warning he got as it came upon him, forcing him to deflect the blade from above.

Their weapons clashed with a loud bang that reverberated through the battlefield, spinning up the snow around them as the masking cloud dissipated from his attacker.

Locked by their weapons together, Naruto eyed his attacker warily as she was revealed. It was a woman, eerily pale of both skin and eyes that had no pupils. She was quite beautiful, by what little of her he could see. An oval face with high cheeks, with eyebrows thinly and elegantly drawn. Her eyes was as calm as the eye of the storm, matching the rest of her expression as she eyed him neutrally and emotionless, as if the raging combat around them was a thing not worth noting. She wore a tight, white silken cowl of which hid whatever else might have been shown of her feautures, while her body, while thin and athletic, was also hidden behind a Frost combat armor of white furs, wool and plated armor.

The schyte had a simple steel handle, with a blade just as simple in it's design. It was long and wide however, as wide as his leg at the thickest and about as long as the woman was tall.

The cold was... almost unbearable in her vicinity, and Naruto could feel the chakra wafting off of her. Had it not been for the Kyuubi warming him up, he would have been in danger of suffering frostbite.

This woman needed no introduction. This was 'The Storm' that Shizuka had warned him about.

His thought process was interrupted by the girl's tilted head, observing him almost curiously for a moment.

He received no warnings. None.

Suddenly, she pulled her schyte, dragging his halberd towards herself as she spun. Momentarily disoriented as her schythe flashed around and over her, he barely managed to duck and roll as the schythe nearly cleaved his chest.

Rolling to his feet with a twirl, Naruto swiped at her horizontally with a flourish. Already prepared for her expert riposte, he swayed and spun beneath her responding diagonal swipe. Anchoring his feet as he stopped his evasive dodge, his halberd was already poised to strike, stabbing forward.

With a shift to her stance and an undulating sway to her shuffling feet, she dashed back as she expertly locked the schythe with the blade of the halberd. With a strength that had no right to come from her much smaller figure, she pulled at Naruto's halberd, enough so as to force him forward or relinquish his weapon.

Slamming a foot forward into the ground to stop the pull, Naruto's eyes widened in fear as she dashed forward, appearing way inside of his comfort zone before he could blink. His left hand ramming into her face in a half-baked panic, The Storm merely dissipated into a cloud of light, powdery snow that obscured his vision.

The whistle of a blade carving through the air came from behind, but luckily the Kyuubi had been prepared. Kyuubi's chakra violently churning around him, it compressed painfully around Naruto, before expelling itself outward in a fierce explosion. The winds whipped around him at the force, expelling the surrounding snows everywhere. The people that had been fighting close were thrown away too as a result, both friends and foes alike.

The Storm, the woman that is, was also momentarily sent flying. Tumbling across the broken camp, she lodged the blade of her schythe in the ground, tearing it apart as it broke her momentum. Coming to a stop, she offhandedly bisected 2 nearby fighters without taking her eyes off Naruto.

'Thanks.', Naruto muttered as the Kyuubi's chakra receded, the bloodlust disappearing with it. While he could control it to some extent, too much was still dangerous.

A shadow suddenly fell over Naruto. Snapping his head towards his right, he saw a Frost Dragon about crash down upon him. Sucking in a sharp breath, he reared back with his halberd as he had to destroy it. It would hit his men and women fighting if he dodged.

"Lava Release: Ash Stone River!", a voice shouted hard throughout the storm, and Naruto was surprised to see a thick cloud of ash waft in between himself and the approaching dragon. Swiftly condensing into a black, molten wall, Naruto was not given the time to look for whoever aided him as the construct smashed into the wall with the force of a mountain. It shattered itself upon the molten wall, taking it down with it in an explosion of debris that rained across the field.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of movement.

'Naru-!', the Kyuubi roared it's warning, but Naruto was already a step ahead.

Forgoing his defense, Naruto twirled the halberd above his head, before heaving his entire weight into a swiping strike from left to right towards the movement he'd sensed. His maneuver happened in a flash, catching 'The Storm' by surprise as she had lunged for him.

She managed to block, but only partly as the blade pushed against the shaft of her schythe. His strength too much for her to handle, it dug into her side in a shallow cut. With the majority of the blow having been absorbed in her block, she yelled with pain and surprise as she was sent flying off, tumbling across the camp where she eventually smashed through the supporting pillars of a watchtower. Naruto's men who had been occupying it screamed with shock as it collapsed, but the damage to The Storm had been done.

She eventually rolled to a stop outside of their encampment, hunched over her wound in pause.

Naruto watched her a moment longer, taking note of the receding cold. Shouts of warnings broke out from the combating Frost Shinobi and suddenly, they were all making a break for it as they made a full retreat.

A pair of Shinobi appeared next to The Storm, grabbing her by the shoulder to haul her away.

"Archers, fire at will!", Naruto roared furiously as it was clear they had beaten them back. "Take down as many as you can!"

His archers, finally regaining their bearings as the wind and snow had already died down to much more manageable levels, wasted no time firing away at the retreating Shinobi. Several fell to both arrows and javelin that was thrown after them, which Naruto observed with sadistic glee.

Looking back towards The Storm, who was still being hauled away by her comrades, their eyes met. The Storm observed him with cool interest, a look that was returned with a glare of resentment. Seeing as his archers weren't focused on her, Naruto anchored his halberd in the ground and stuck his hand out.

"Javelin!", Naruto growled out. A nearby Iron Guard quickly placed a javelin in Naruto's hand, which he immediately took aim with.

She wasn't getting away if he could help it.

It was then, his eyes set on The Storm, that he saw her lips turn into a small grin, the corners of her lips barely quirking to show her amusement. It was then, that Naruto read her lips whisper some words...

I won.

A flash of rage surged through him, taking with it a stream of the Kyuubi's chakra as he threw the javelin with all his might. It soared through the air faster than the eye could see.

Before it hit it's mark, The Storm along with her comrades, disappeared into the forest in a flash speed, with the javelin missing it's mark.

The battle was over.

"Set a perimeter!", Shou's voice burst through the chaotic camp, littered with dead and wounded. "Warlord!? Warlord, where the hell are you!?"

Seeing his people run around like headless chicken, his officers screaming orders left and right at the top of their lungs, Naruto threw a last look towards the direction of which the Frost had escaped to.

Somehow, he had a feeling they'd meet The Storm again eventually. She had been a force to be reckoned with to be sure, and he wondered how much of an effect maintaining snowstorm had on her physically, but she had been mortal like the rest of them in the end.

Turning towards the center of the camp, Naruto mentally steeled himself for the grim task of cleaning up the camp and reorganizing the mess...

...And then he froze to his spot, as he spotted the one who had, in all likelihood, aided him in the battle.

Kurotsuchi stood there a good 10 feet away, free of her shackles. She wore an impish grin, despite the light blood she had splattered over her which revealed her to be a participant in the fight. Shocked beyond words as his his mouth was agape, his expression obviously showed through his mask as Kurotsuchi grinned. Words failed him as his mind went a mile a minute to process what he was seeing. She giggled nervously at his pause, deliberately dropping the bloodied kunai in hand as the people surrounding her finally realized who she was, brandishing their weapons at her in shock.

"A-Aha, um...", she stuttered, though her infuriating and impish grin was still in place. "...Surprise?"

Naruto was not amused.

You know the drill.

MiNdZeRo here, signing out.