Chapter 287: He is Here

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 287: He is Here

"Lady Tsunade, we need our orders!" Tsume Inuzuka and her clan were ready to jump from the walls and charge at the enemy. "Just say the word and we'll go."

"This is bad… if we let them surround the village, it's all over," Shikamaru noted.

"We are all in position. The strategy will be as we discussed before," Shikaku turned to his friend.

"Leave it to us. We'll take the front," Chōza Akimichi reassured his friend, though inside he was deeply concerned. His clan only had a few dozen members capable of fighting, and that was not going to be enough against the thousands of ninjas approaching.

Inoichi looked at his daughter. "How can you be so calm?"

Ino smiled. "Because there's nothing to be worried about. Naruto will not let our enemies touch the walls of the village."

"He should have been here already," Inoichi couldn't understand how she could trust someone so much.

Tsk! Tsunade bit her lip. 'Why are you taking so long?' The enemy was at their gates, she could not wait any longer to begin sending her troops to battle.

"Very well, here they come! Prepare to defend our village! We wi—"

"Hold on."

Tsunade stopped when she heard that voice. It came from right above her. "Naruto! You finally appear....where the hell have you been?!"

Naruto frowned. "Of course, I have appeared. I gave my word to protect this place, and I have never failed on a promise like that. As for where I was...I think you can imagine..."

"But did you have to wait until the last second to get here? I'm sure you detected their presence even before our scouts," Kakashi pointed out. He was one of the few who knew about Naruto's massive spy network, created solely by his own clones. He had them everywhere, inside and outside Konoha.

"Sorry about that. I got lost on the path of life," Naruto responded with a grin.

Kakashi grumbled something under his breath.

"Naruto!" Tsunade shouted at him.

"What do you want me to say? I was a bit busy with… you know… my wedding night and all," Naruto told them.

Ino glanced at him with a playful grin. "I bet Hinata had the fun of her life."

"You can ask her about it later," Naruto told her. "Next time, you'll be there too, and w—"

"Ahem… can we focus on the current situation?" Hiashi huffed. He was happy for the marriage, but he would rather not hear what Naruto and his daughter had been up to all night.

"Couldn't you at least send some of your clones to hold the line until your arrival?" Tsunade complained. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?..." She muttered the last part very softly, as she didn't want others to hear that their leader was concerned about their chances of survival.

"My clones are already here. No one will be able to reach the walls," Naruto said.

"They are?" Tsunade asked.

"They're rushing in!" Chōza Akimichi shouted. "We can't let them get closer! We have t—"

Before he could finish, they all began to hear the screams of the soldiers beneath them.

"Something is attacking the soldiers," one of the chūnin said.

"Naruto's shadow clones…" Hiashi and the other members of his clan were using their Byakugan to scan the battlefield. "There are… hundreds of thousands. He's surrounding the entire army!" He didn't know Naruto could create so many. "When did you put those there?"

"You managed to outnumber this massive army," Neji looked impressed. "As expected of Sensei." Naruto had barely taught him anything, but for some reason, Neji refused to refer to him in any other way.

"I want everyone to stay on this side of the wall. I'll handle the army," Naruto ordered the two thousand soldiers present.

"Are you going to fight by yourself?" Itachi looked at him. "I wished to fight at…" He stopped when Naruto turned to him.

"Sorry," Naruto could tell that Itachi was eager to prove himself to Konoha after being given another chance in life, and to feel useful again. "You will have your chance. Just wait a bit longer."

"Right…" Itachi stared into Naruto's eyes. He had, of course, heard that Naruto had acquired the Rinnegan from the Akatsuki Leader, but this was the first time he had seen them like this.

Itachi had once met the Leader in person, but the energy emanating from Naruto was very different. It felt serene and harmless… but Itachi knew better.

Naruto's chakra was like a tranquil sea, one that could suddenly turn into a violent tsunami and destroy entire countries.

"Are you sure you don't need assistance? Every man and woman here is ready to fight for Konoha," Tsunade told him.

Naruto looked around. He was very familiar with many of the people here, some of them he could even consider his friends. "This is something I have to do by myself. I need to send a clear message to any of those who wish to attack Konoha."

After saying that, Naruto began to levitate high into the air.

"The first line is being pushed back!"

The members of the Hyūga clan began to report, as they were the only ones who could get a clear view of what was happening among the sea of trees beneath them.

"The clones may be enough against their weakest members, but he won't win the war with just that," the Lord of the Aburame clan commented.

"I don't think he ever had the intention of using them for that purpose," Hiashi said. "He's creating an encirclement with… oh…" He then realized Naruto's intentions when he saw where the real Naruto was. "Everyone, take cover!" he shouted.

Naruto had used hundreds of thousands of clones not only to prevent the army from surrounding the village but to keep them all in one place.

As his clones finished encircling the army, he stood over four hundred feet in the air, enjoying a perfect view of the battlefield.

"Too much cannon fodder and too many trees to enjoy a proper battle. Let's clean this place up a bit."

His eyes began to glow with an eerie golden light. Naruto extended his hand down, aiming at his target.

"Almighty Push!"

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