Previously:
"How is Hokage-sama? And did we kill Orochimaru?" He asked. The medic stiffened mid smile and looked away.
"I think that's a conversation you and I should have after your report, Mouse." Dragon-sama's voice drifted quietly by his ear. Standing behind him, bloody yet relatively unharmed, was his commander. Naruto kept his voice even, but his eyes betrayed his worry.
"Dragon-sama?"
"Just… follow me, Mouse." His commander passed a spare mask to him, and the pair began a slow jog back to the village, a grim commander and worry filled ANBU agent lost in their thoughts.
The invasion was won, but what was the cost? Naruto wondered this and more as his village passed by him, bathed in blood.
What was the cost of victory?
With Naruto Konoha Hospital…
Naruto stared stoically at the monitors keeping its patient alive. To see such a shinobi reduced to a breathing mask amongst a body of bandages was what shocked the young ANBU more than words could express.
"H-how did he...end up like this?" Naruto asked his commander. The man leaned against the wall near the window, seemingly staring at nothing. However, Naruto knew his commander, could tell the minute tensing of the shoulders that gave away the anger and weariness.
"He was lucky- facing off against two resurrected Kage and the traitor would have meant certain death for anyone else. Of course, your squad members protected him admirably...like true shinobi." Naruto sucked in a breath.
"Wolf-senpai, Cat-senpai… Dragon-sama, did they?" He couldn't finish his sentence.
"They're alive, though Cat is in a coma, much like Hokage-sama here. Wolf is busy tracking Orochimaru's escape route."
"So he survived…" Naruto spat bitterly; the whole point of Hokage-sama fighting was to kill the bastard and yet he got away while the man Naruto viewed as a grandfather (despite their rocky past) lay on death's door.
"Not without injuries. He won't last long without the medical expertise of someone Tsunade-sama's calibre...nor will Hokage-sama."
"We haven't had Tsunade-sama in the village for decades, though, and only the Hokage can order her back." Naruto pointed out.
"Which is exactly what I'm doing." Dragon said.
"...Huh?!" Dragon seemed to smirk under his mask.
"Yes, Hokage-sama saw fit to saddle me with the ball and chain of the job, the bastard. We were planning on announcing it to the village after the invasion, but all the paperwork is in place to put as incumbent should he be out for the count but still alive. The Daimyo himself approved of it."
Naruto felt an odd mix of emotions. On one hand he was elated his commander was going to be the Hokage. Nobody else had the leadership skills Dragon-sama had, not to mention he'd get to see who he was under the mask. oOn the other hand, having Dragon-sama be Hokage would no doubt mean no shinobi could rest.
'Eh, if I have to put up with it, those slacker chunin can too. Let's make way for the slave driver Hokage.'
"I can sense you thinking something that would land you as my sparring partner, Mouse." Dragon mused. Instantly the ANBU was at attention. "No matter, I have an S-ranked mission for you." Naruto gulped at the heaviness of the room, but just nodded to show he accepted. Dragon-sama tilted his head in approval. "I would normally have you stay near the village, as we need our Jinchuuriki. However, with our forces exhausted, and many chunin and ANBU facing retirement if not treated by Tsunade- Fox and Cat being two of those numbers- I cannot do that. The available genin would slow you down and the chunin and Jonin are either not in the know or are not equipped to handle such a task. The village needs you, as you're the only one available with the skills- don't give me that bewildered look, you are an accomplished shinobi Mouse. Hiruzen knows it and so do I."
"Thank you Dragon-sama" Naruto said quietly, glancing down at the barely hanging on Hokage.
"Now, you are to track down Tsunade-sama and get her to return to the village to administer aide and set up our hospital. Jiraiya-sama has some leads but I knew he would take his sweet ass time getting her back- time we don't have." Naruto barely caught the thick scroll with all the known locations of Tsunade-sama, and began looking over it while the commander continued. "Hokage-sama was struck by Orochimaru's personal poison by sword, which weakened him even after being eradicated. On top of that, his wounds are massive, requiring finesse our medics don't have. They estimate he has three weeks before his coma becomes permanent… I expect you back in two, is. That. Clear?"
"Hai, Dragon-sama!"
"Now, before you head out, you need to know a few things about our stray medic."
As Naruto listened to the 'quirks' his target had, he had to wonder if he would have been better off just offering himself up to Orochimaru rather than face the monster lady's wrath!
Meanwhile, with Hikaru…
Hikaru grimaced as he and the tracker nin tore through the forest, trying in vain to catch a whiff of Orochimaru. The minions had evaded capture and carried their slowly dying master away. Konoha shinobi had orders to kill or capture all enemy combatants before they reached the borders, but to not cross them- it would be suicide to risk it when they were already tired from the invasion.
Reaching the border with Sound, the Inuzuka caught the nauseating scent of Orochimaru, growling in frustration.
"He crossed. What now, Taicho?" The Inuzuka, Hana to be exact, asked. Hikaru sighed while thinking.
"We patrol the border until a new border guard arrives. I'll send word to the village; Dragon-sama will more than likely insist we search for stragglers for the next several weeks." With that he led his team- Him, an Aburame, Hana, and two other chunin back to the safety of their border, mind already traveling to the hell he lived through.
'If only I'd been faster! I'm sorry, Yugao-senpai.'
Flashback, invasion with Hikaru!
Hikaru blocked the Mokuton blow from the first Hokage. The resurrected leader had risen five minutes ago, pairing with his brother to separate him and Yugao from their leader.
So far it was working. Hikaru's eyes ached at the intensity he was using but he plowed on, slicing the wood with his heavenly rotation. Suddenly the Mokuton stopped attacking him, and Hikaru realized too late why: his blind spot held Yugao. He turned around at the sound of flesh being torn apart. There was Yugao, his big sister from another mister, being impaled by several Mokuton spikes. Her katana, the one she always said carried her very soul, the soul of a warrior, snapped in half from a Water Dragon's jaws. She took it bravely, never uttering a sound even when tossed into the air, thus ripping the spikes out.
"Y- YUGAO!" He screamed, his world stopping.
Flashback end…
From there the battle was fuzzy in his rage. Orochimaru screamed as Hokage-sama dealt him a mortal blow, flinging him into the barrier's flames. Jiraiya-sama ripped the barrier down at that moment, sealing the reanimated Hokage with the help of Hikaru and other ANBU. Hokage-sama kept fighting despite his injuries, and allowed himself to fall only when the traitor fled with his guard. Dragon-sama arrived five minutes later, ordering him to assemble a team and start searching for the bastard, either finishing off the man or making sure he left the Land of Fire.
And now Hikaru sat on a branch eating rations, praying Yugao and the rest of his team survived, that when he got back they could have a squad dinner like old times.
'Orochimaru, I swear it on my eyes- you will perish for what you've done. If one of my family died I will hunt you down, consequences be damned!'
And thus a vow of anguish was made, the teen Hyuga aging years in the span of a day.
With Konohamaru…
Konohamaru always knew he'd be a great Hokage- even Boss believed in him! He used to think it was all about being great at jutsu and stuff, but then Boss taught him what it really meant to be Hokage. It meant being there even when things were tough. He wanted to curl up on his grandpa's lap and cry, ask why Iruka had to...
But his grandpa was somewhere he couldn't go. Not even the scary Dragon guy would tell him anything, just that he couldn't see him. All the shinobi were busy gathering the dead or other stuff. Konohamaru and his friends, let out of the shelters, were ordered to go home for the day and report tomorrow for cleanup.
Konohamaru was supposed to go with Momo, since Iruka-sensei was...
But here they were, in Momo's kitchen where her mama lay in a puddle of blood. Her clothes were ripped and Konohamaru knew from the academy that what happened was wrong. Momo did too, causing her to cry harder, holding onto her only living parent.
First Iruka had to… and now Momo's mom. Konohamaru wished to cry. But, he was going to be Hokage.
So he hugged his friend tightly and dragged her downstairs to find one of the body collectors before taking her to Moegi's house. It's what a Hokage, his grandpa, would do.
Just why did Iruka-sensei have to die too?
With Dragon…
Sighing, Shisui held his annoyance in as fifteen different shinobi and clan heads demanded his attention at the emergency meeting.
"We should go to Suna and wipe them out!" One elder shinobi argued.
"Take their Biju out of their captured Jinchuuriki and put it into one of our shinobi" Another elder tried to add.
"We need to bury the dead immediately!" A clan head fretted.
"Dragon, let me go after-" Jiraiya started only to be silenced by Shisui's hand. Mouse's mission was S-class and secret from most at the moment. They believed the Jinchuuriki was recovering and having his seal checked before being sent on patrols. No need to worry the masses by releasing that he was being sent on an almost impossible task.
"Silence, all of you! God, I've had toddlers be less obstinate than you lot! Jiraiya-sama, you know the mission I need you on- it will protect him the quicker you succeed." Jiraiya nodded, apologizing. Shisui blinked, a bit surprised, but continued. "We will not be leading war parties to Suna until we regroup- and then we would assess our options. Nor will we be declaring open war by stealing the enemy's Bijuu- yet. If we decide to reseal it I and Hokage-sama will demand that it be done in secret with a child that is compatible. There will be no mistakes like the ones with Naruto Uzumaki, letting the village fear him when they should worship him for the military power he grants us."
"But-" Homura tried to interject.
"No buts! Now, finally, we will be systematic in burials. Civilian cadavers will be buried over the next seven days. In two weeks we will bury the shinobi, after each body has been properly prepared to prevent grave robbing or resurrections. We had two Hokage risen up by a mad man today; if they hadn't been contained when they had we would have no village to call our home."
"But clan traditions state that Hyuga are encased in stone coffins and buried within two days, Dragon!" Hisashi said. Shisui shook his head.
"Not anymore- not for shinobi that is. We cannot risk enemies taking advantage of our dead. Each shinobi will be autopsied and have their personal belongings sent to families- the rest of their bodies are to be cremated and the ashes buried or given to families. We will have a mass memorial for them all in two weeks time." The room was quiet, knowing their acting Hokage was correct. "Until then they will be kept in stasis seals. Next meeting is tomorrow evening, I want reports over every needed repair and head counts, am I clear?"
"Yes Dragon-sama" was murmured and the room emptied save for Jiraiya and Shisui, still decked in his stifling commander garbs.
"He'll be alright you know; he's tough, quick, and those damn chains will save him. Not to mention those summons… we're lucky he could summon so many during the invasion." Shisui mused. Jiraiya sighed.
"I know, he'll do the mission. The question is if Tsunade-sama will even be able to help. You know it's a long shot that Sensei can be saved, right?"
"I know. Mouse didn't need to, however. He needs to be hopeful, it's the only thing that will give him the strength to carry on. Now come, you have a mission and I have village to keep running."
Jiraiya chuckled, already looking forward to what changes the young official kage to be would implement.
With Naruto…
Rushing through the trees, thoughts of the past day flooded the young ANBU's mind. Dressed in non descript, non-shinobi wear that allowed his uniform to be invisible under it, Naruto was the picture of a spy. He had two weeks to track down Tsunade-sama without scaring her off. If she listened to the orders (unlikely), great. If not, he was ordered to bring her back by any means necessary as long as she was alive and able to work.
Hence his restocked tags and water scrolls. Naruto snacked on several ration bars and knew that he had a long two weeks to go. Thankfully Angel, his best friend and partner, was curled into his pack, resting up. She saved many during the invasion, it seemed, yet insisted on accompanying him.
It was nice to have one member of his family by his side, at least.
Finally, with Orochimaru…
Orochimaru screamed in agony, the burns eating into his very chakra network, the wounds and the poisons killing him. His hands lay utterly devoid of their chakra network, making his body switch impossible with the other injuries.
If only Kabuto was here. Too bad he wasn't at his base where the samples of his medic lay ready for him to resurrect. Even then, the medic might not be enough.
He needed Tsunade. And now.
"Get the rest of your worthless team together, Kimimaro; we have a little road trip." The sanin hissed before downing several medications. They would only slow down the inevitable, but it would hopefully be enough.