1,763I guess I'm too softhearted to turn someone down. I do have another challenge I am advertising. But I would like this to be the last one I advertise for, so please, no more?
Anyways, the new challenge is by Demon90340. Please look into it if you're interested.
Anyways, we're at the end. It's been over a year since I started this story, and I have to say... I don't know how anyone who writes stories this long, or longer does it. I've had some serious motivation issues, the last 20 or so chapters, making it harder to write.
Still, the fact that I stuck to it, and finished, makes me happy. And I'm glad so many enjoyed it.
I'd like to thank everyone who helped by giving me ideas to add to the story. I really wish to thank DarkNexus, who was my source of all things Lord of the Rings, and who really helped my story become twice as good as what I had originally planned. And lastly, I want to thank my two betas: Bill Alain, and Kyuubi123.
Anyways, enough on that. On to the chapter!
Chapter 48
Light and Darkness
Naruto watched the walls of Ame, silently gauging the patrols who wandered it, and the occasional Wraith, who flew over the walls on their Fell Beasts. He tightened his grip on the branch above him, that he was using to help balance himself on the thicker branch he was standing on.
Huan... how do we take those Wraith's down? They'll obliterate our forces on the ground. He thought to the great fox within him.
"An interesting question. Truth be told, I'm not sure. All records show only one way. In order to destroy a Wraith, you must destroy who or what bonds them to the realm of the living. Only then can a Wraith be truly killed." Huan said, as he thought. "Though, you can weaken them with light and fire. They become weaker in the day, but grow stronger in darkness. However... they are bound into the world of the living. So you could use a type of seal to trap them."
Naruto nodded. "I see." He said softly, as he got down from the tree. "Then the best option is to have my best warriors hold them off until I can stop them, then finish them by killing Madara." He said, as he landed on the ground.
He headed back to camp, where the warriors were getting ready for the night's combat. There were no pre battle celebrations. Everyone was tense, and a sense of urgency hung over the camp. Samurai sharpened their weapons, checked bow strings, and meditated, or trained. The shinobi talked to their comrades, checked that they were carrying enough supplies, and rested, conserving their chakra and strength.
Naruto sighed softly, as he walked through the camp, offering words of encouragement to those who seemed to need it. He noticed Temari was sitting with her brothers, her eyes red and puffy. He walked over, and sighed. "Temari-san... are you okay?"
She looked up, and nodded softly. "Y-Yeah... but... I... I feel so bad for Shikamaru... he lost ... he lost Asuma. He... he was going to be... He was going to be the one who gave me away... at our wedding..." She broke into sobs.
Kankuro hugged her. "It's okay Temari. Remember... Shika still has you."
Gaara stood up, and went to Naruto. "She'll be all right, for now though, I might suggest letting her stay here as part of the guard for the home camp. It would allow her be near Shikamaru, as well as recover."
Naruto nodded. "Of course, you tell her when she calms down. I'll talk to the Commander of the Guard. How is Matsuri?"
Gaara looked over to where Matsuri was examining an Elvish Glaive Tenten had given her. "I think she is rather taken with that glaive. Should I be worried?"
Naruto chuckled. "Only if she starts carrying around scrolls of weaponry, and is constantly sharpening one." He patted Gaara on the back, and headed off around camp.
Eventually, he found himself back in his tent. He sat down, as he sighed softly, and placed his head into his hands. He stayed like that for several moments, before he looked up. "Illuvatar... watch over me this night. And let me have the strength to defeat the evil before me."
He stood up, and began final preparations. Tonight would decide the fate of the world.
Ame, that night
All was quiet in the village of Ame. Well, relatively quiet, as no village would be fully quiet.
Along the walls, sentries patrolled, keeping their eyes peeled. But even the sharp eyes of the Ame shinobi couldn't spot the shadowy movements near the water along Ame's northern and southern walls.
Mei watched as some of her shinobi moved closer to the south culvert. She smiled from the small raft she stood on. "Things are about to get interesting," she said, as she watching the 5 shinobi behind her prepare one of Kiri's two most powerful summons. Another 5 on the other side did the same.
Naruto and his forces crouched in the trees. Near Naruto, a crew of samurai had a large battering ram near them, to use against the gate. Naruto waited for the right moment to sound the charge.
On the wall, an orc growled softly, as he watched a militiaman walk by. He turned to another orc. "These pathetic meat bags couldn't fight their way out of a warg pup litter."
The other orc nodded. "As long as we get meat to eat though, I'll put up with them."
The other one was about to speak, when he noticed something. "Hey... how come the water is moving? The rest of the lake is still."
They both looked. "You don't think it's an-." Neither of them got to finish speculating, as the wall beneath them exploded upwards, shredding them, and spraying flames and shrapnel on all nearby. A similar situation was happening on the north side of the wall.
As alarms rang and yells rose into the night sky, the two groups of Kiri began their summoning ritual. As they finished, there was a surge under the rafts, causing small waves. Mei crossed her arms, smirking.
Several orcs and shinobi rushed to the edge of the canal that had connected to the wall and culvert. Now water poured both in and out, as flaming debris and bodies littered the area.
"We have to block up these breaches! Get whatever we can to-ARRGGHHH!" An Ame jounin was shouting orders, till a tentacle suddenly shot out of the water, grabbed him, and dragged him back into the water. Several more tentacles followed, grabbing more shinobi and orcs, and dragging them under.
On the other side, a massive form slowly surfaced, and six long serpent like necks arose. Twelve reptilian eyes glared down at the gathered forces around the north breach, before the six heads lunged down, snapping up six orcs and shinobi.
Naruto watched the Kraken and Scylla, Kiri's greatest and most terrible summons, begin their grisly work. He nodded to his forces. "Now."
As one, the main force, made up of two-thirds of the Allied army, rushed down the main causeway, leading to Ame's front gate. The battering ram crew rushed up, and slammed into the gate with it.
Only a few sentries remained on the wall near the front gate, to keep an eye out for such an attack on the front gate. The main bulk of the forces defending Ame had run to the breaches.
"ATTACK!" Shouted one of the gate sentries, as they tried to man the gate defenses. A cauldron of boiling oil was tipped over, but the ones manning the cauldron were inexperienced, and had tipped it over at the wrong time. The oil fell in front of the ram, not hitting it or the crew. They stopped, and waited, as several archers fired up at the wall defenders, to keep their heads down.
Naruto turned to a nearby ninja. "Explosive tags, quick!" He shouted. The ninja handed them to him, and he rushed forward, slapping them onto the front of the ram. "GET READY!" He shouted, grabbing one of the ram handles up at the front.
The crew lifted the ram again, as Naruto nodded. "CHARGE!" With a roar, they slammed it into the wall, causing a massive dent. Naruto signaled them to fall back, as he activated the tags. He quickly leapt away, as the tags erupted, blowing the doors in.
Naruto drew Anduril. "With me!" He shouted, as he fulfilled his promise, and was the first one in through the breach. The army roared, as they charged in after him.
From the tower, Madara watched all this. He slowly shed the cloak he was wearing, as he turned to the nine cloaked figures behind him. "Go, my Wraiths. Meet our enemies at the gates of this Tower."
They hissed and bowed, as they left.
Hearing roars from behind them, the bulk of Ame's defensive forces turned. To them, the breaches in the north and south wall now seemed to be nothing more than distractions, while the main attack came from the gate. Plus, they were losing troops to the creatures guarding the outside of the breaches. They turned to charge back towards the gate.
Seeing the enemy fall back, Mei smirked, as she led her forces into the breaches, and Ame.
Naruto watched as his force charged into the city, forming up. He turned towards the Tower, his destination. He looked down, to see shinobi, orcs, and militia streaming towards them through the city.
The enemy forces stopped short opposite of Naruto's forces. They formed up, and roared their challenge.
Naruto turned to his warriors, his blue eyes gleaming from under his helmet. "This is it! The final battle! Do not let your courage fail!"
He led the charge, as the Allied Nations roared, and attacked. The Ame defenders charged as well, and the two sides clashed in the moonless night rain.
Naruto spun, and slashed an orc in half, as he met the enemy charge. Around him, enemies clashed, either meeting with weapons, or bodies. Some people went flying over others, or were knocked down.
Hinata had begun firing from her bow as the two sides battled. She drew an arrow, spun, and stabbed it into an enemy's eye, before firing it at another coming at her. She ducked under a slashing attack at her head, and stabbed a new arrow into his thigh, before actually throwing it into an orc's throat. She slung her bow on her back and drew her sword in one clean motion, slicing open the chest of an Ame chuunin who was charging at her.
Chouji growled, as he spun his axe, slamming it into a militiaman's legs, knocking him down. He then slammed the axe into his chest, gutting him, before blocking a curved orc sword aimed at his head.
Lee was tearing apart the front lines, along with Gai, in a series of rapid taijutsu attacks that no enemy seemed able to keep up with.
Neji used his Byakugan and Gentle fist to systematically destroy enemy organs and chakra points, while Tenten picked enemies off from behind him.
Shino had unleashed various bugs all over the battlefield. Some were sent to suck enemiy's dry of chakra and others, that had been bred with poison sacs, and were now delivering bites full of paralyzing, and sometimes lethal poison to those they bit.
The citizens of Ame who couldn't fight listened in terror from the bunkers under the city. All they could hear was the muffled roar of combat, and the clashing of weapons.
Yugito growled, as she cut open an orc with her metal cat claw gauntlets. On the north side of the battle, which was being fought by the Kumo forces, the battle was a stalemate. She and Hachibi couldn't use their biju's to thin the enemy's ranks, without causing friendly damage. But their magic, that they learned from Naruto, was allowing them to hold the front line.
On the southern flank of the battle, Gaara led the remainder of Suna's shinobi and samurai in battle against the enemies there. Backing them up were the warriors of Rohan. Those who were mounted would make headlong charges into the enemy ranks, before turning back to their own lines. Those on foot formed a shield wall, which held back the orcs and militia forces that charged them.
Gaara was using his sand to bash aside or engulf pockets of enemies who had managed to form strong defensive positions against the advance of his force.
The center was where the heaviest fighting was taking place. Naruto had led Konoha's forces straight in, wedging open the front line of Ame's defenders. Slowly, that wedge was widening, beginning to split apart the north and south flanks from each other.
It was then that the tide turned against Naruto and his forces, when a terrible shriek erupted through the air. Naruto looked up, only to see the Nine Wraiths approach.
"Not good." He whispered, as the enemy ranks opened, allowing the Wraiths to pass through.
One samurai charged a Wraith, yelling as he slashed at him. The Wraith blocked the attacks easily, before slashing across the samurai's throat, dropping him.
Naruto cursed. C'mon, think... think! "KAKASHI! FIRE! THEY'RE WEAK AGAINST FIRE!"
Kakashi, who was near Naruto, nodded, as he began running through handsigns. "Fire Style, Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
He launched a large fireball at the Wraiths. Most of them dodged, but two were engulfed. They shrieked in fear and some pain, as they flailed about.
Naruto was trying to think of something. We can't kill them. The only way to do that is to defeat Madara, and end him. Other than that, I can only stop them... wait... they're still bound to the world of the living. I could... yes... "YES! Everyone! Keep those Wraiths occupied!" He immediately made 20 clones.
Immediately, Hinata moved up. "Gladly," she said, as she launched a Water Dragon at another Wraith. It was blown back a bit from the blow.
Two green blurs rushed forward, followed by two shouts of "Leaf Whirlwind!"
Gai's kicked was blocked by one of the Wraith's blades, while Lee was less fortunate. The Wraith caught him, and tossed him hard back into his own ranks.
Chouji charged, and his axe smashed against one of their swords. He growled, as he expanded his arms enough to give him extra strength. The Wraith hissed back at him, while another tried to strike from behind. He was blocked by Matsuri, who used her elfin glaive to parry the sword to one side, and spun, stabbing at him. The glaive was blocked, as the Wraith attacked her.
Another Wraith tried to fight Chouji, who was still fighting his Wraith, only to be met by Elroth's sword and Tayuya's ax. They drove it back, grinning as they worked in tandem to hold it off.
The Wraiths strove to pierce this stubborn defense. Meanwhile, the orcs and Ame shinobi, embolden by the Wraith's appearance, struck back at the invaders. But what the Wraiths, and Ame's defenders didn't know, was that they were in a trap.
Five of Naruto's clones had positioned themselves in a star formation around the Wraiths, and five more in the spaces between them. The other ten were guarding them.
Meanwhile, Mei's Kiri shinobi rushed in, striking at the enemy's rear. Now, the confidence of the Ame defender's, bolstered by the appearance of the Wraiths, began to falter, as they found themselves encircled. To their front, the Konoha, Suna, Kumo, and Rohan forces were pushing They had been slowed by the Wraiths, but not stopped. To their rear, Kiri's forces had crashed through the defenders left at the breaches, and struck their rear flank.
The Wraiths were the only true reason the Ame's defenders were still holding. The Wraith's fought with chilling skill and speed, unleashing the occasional shriek to soften their enemies, or drive them away in fear and panic. A couple of them were trying to get to the Naruto clones, sensing that they were trouble. But despite their skill, and terror inducing cries, the clones guarding their brethren remained strong and stalwart.
The beginning of the end of the battle started at the southern end. The shield wall of Rohan's warrior's had stood like a concrete wall against the attacks coming at them. From behind them, Rohan's archers, and samurai with yumi bows had continually picked off targets with relative ease, only fearing the occasional retaliatory arrow or kunai. Suna's samurai also reinforced the shield wall, while her shinobi made small assaults in groups, driving into the enemy ranks, then retreating.
Orcs were ferocious combatants, brutal and unmerciful. But they were not courageous warriors. With Kiri's arrival at their back, and Suna's forces pressing against them from the front, the orcs of the southern flank began to waver, desperately looking for a way to escape, regroup, anything.
That fear was also starting to spread in the northern flank of the battle. The savage attacks of the orcs in that area began to falter before the skill and discipline of the shinobi and samurai from Kumo. As the orcs began to falter, the Ame ninjas and militia on both the southern and northern flanks found themselves being pressed further and further together between the two attacks from their front and rear.
The orcs in the center were holding, their brittle courage boosted by the presence of the Wraiths. But even that was beginning to wane, as the shock of the Wraith's appearance began to wear off. With them being held back by most of the Konoha 12, and their sensei, the rest of the warriors began to overcome their fear and pressed forward.
Through all this, the falling rain mixed with blood and gore on the ground, making it slippery for all. Forever after this battle, what was left of Ame would be renamed Susukeruchishio no Sato. The Village Stained in Blood.
Naruto looked at his twenty clones, who all nodded, as they finished their preparations. He turned to those fighting the Wraiths. "Drive them into the center of my clones!"
Tayuya and Elroth grunted, as they continued their combined assault, driving the Wraith they were fighting back towards the center of the ten clones, which were arrayed around the general area of the Wraiths. As they did so, they noticed Naruto and Hinata doing the same to two Wraiths. A fourth was driven in by Chouji's axe, and Chouza's staff.
Shino and Jareru had teamed up on another Wraith, as did Sakura and Lee. All the Wraiths were slowly being driven back by numbers and skill.
Naruto watched and waited for the right moment. Slowly, the last Wraith was driven into the right spot. "BACK NOW!" He shouted.
As one, every ally nearby leapt back, away from the Wraiths. They screeched, preparing to attack, when the ten Naruto's around them slammed their hands, and the seals drawn on them, down. "Five Point Containment seal!"
A blackline shot out of the ground below each clone's hand, and shot to connect with another line from another clone. The result was two star formations appearing on the ground, before light shot up. The Wraiths screeched, driven back into the center of the two stars.
Naruto nodded. "That should give us a while. Let's finish this!" He shouted.
To both sides, that seemed to be the end of the Battle of Ame. The orcs in the center lost their courage, as they saw the Wraiths be captured and contained. Almost immediately they began to frantically fight to escape. The ensuing chaos left the Ame militia and shinobi disorganized, and easy prey for the Alliance warriors, who began killing or incapacitating all before them.
But it was only the beginning of the end. For as victory appeared to be within the Allaince's grasp, a new figure strolled towards the battlefield.
Everyone felt the dark wave of power and malice roll over them, and turned to see a large, cloaked figure approaching. It was from that figure that the dark feeling of dread was coming from.
The figure scanned the battlefield, before his hidden eyes settled on Naruto. Slowly, he let out a soul crushing chuckle. "Impressive, young Namikaze... you've managed to almost completely rout my forces... but it won't save you now."
The figure yanked the cloak from himself, revealing an 8 foot figure, clad in almost demonic looking samurai armor, and wearing a black swirl mask with one eye opening. That armor bore the Uchiha crest in the center of the breastplate. But the white and red fan was now black, with a scorching red rune in the center.
Naruto's eyes widened, as he realized what the rune was. "Morgoth." He whispered.
The armored figure chuckled, as he stepped forward, drawing a dark colored nodaichi. "Yes, you know my master's name well. The one who gave me, and my clan, such power! I am Madara Uchiha, emissary of Morgoth! I thank you for bringing to me the last four tailed beasts, the Farofaerun who once hunted my master. With their power, I will be able to resurrect Lord Morgoth, and he shall bring about the never ending Shadow of his rule!"
Naruto growled. "So... Morogth intended to come back before his time? Does he fear Turin so much that he would cheat his way out of what awaits him?"
Madara roared. "Lord Morgoth fears nothing! He has outwitted the Valar, and as such, is taking what is rightfully his!"
Naruto gripped Anduril. "I swear to you... he will not, till it is his time."
The dark figure that was once Madara Uchiha chuckled, as he raised his sword. "Then come at me, oh brave one. Show me the power of Gandalf's pupil, so I may show his hope in you was worthless."
Naruto charged, swinging Anduril hard and fast. Madara blocked it with his sword, almost contemptuously knocking the sword aside, and slashing at Naruto. The blonde wizard blocked and struck again, which Madara dodged with the slightest of movements. He backhanded Naruto, who stumbled backwards.
"Is this really it? All you have? Pathetic." Madara went on the attack, only to be met by crossed sword and staff.
Naruto growled, shoving the nodaichi back, and swung his staff at Madara's head. The empowered Uchiha leaned back, dodging, and striking at him. Naruto parried with his sword, and swung with his staff quickly at Madara's face. The staff moved fast enough to smack the mask, causing it to crack a bit.
Madara turned his head, glaring at Naruto. "So... you can hit me... but it's not enough." His voice changed, sounding like many dark, guttural voices, as he spoke the ancient and dark language of Mordor. The dark tongue, infused with magic, caused the ground to shake, and the stormy night skies to darken further. Naruto suddenly dodged to one side, as a dark flame leapt from Madara's hand at him.
The blonde wizard looked up, as Madara chuckled. "Yes...I can feel it... this power... the power of Lord Morgoth!" He laughed, as he turned to see some of Naruto's personal samurai charging at him. He raised his hands, as another dark spell was uttered from his lips.
The samurai stopped, as darkness erupted from Madara's hands, and engulfed them. They were screams, as the samurai fell back, shaking in fear.
Naruto growled as he charged. He swung Anduril down hard and fast at Madara, who raised his black nodaichi up, and blocked. Naruto swung his staff under their locked swords, striking at Madara's chest. The staff connected, but the armor protected him.
Madara kicked Naruto away. "You should give up, Naruto. If you win, you only delay my master's return. Either way, Lord Morgoth will return. Why bother to delay the inevitable?"
Naruto stood. "Because in my experience... fate is only fate if you accept it. And as long as I keep fighting, your master is delayed that much longer." With that he twirled, blasting Madara with a focused blast of power.
Madara skidded back, before stabbing his sword into the ground to stop his backward movement. He looked up, and growled, as he used one hand for the hand signs of a jutsu. "Fire Style, Dark Phoenix Jutsu!"
Dark red, almost black flames erupted from Madara's mouth. They formed into a demonic phoenix, that let out an evil shriek as it shot towards Naruto.
Naruto rolled to one side, and the phoenix shot past him, but began to circle around. Naruto whirled, staff at the ready. "Nen daro e dur naur! (Water stop the dark fire!)"
The rain began to condense into a wall, before shooting at the phoenix. The two attacks collided, creating a massive blast of steam and smoke. Naruto whirled, as Madara's sword slashed down at him. He jumped back, but the blade still caught his arm, leaving a long cut.
He growled, holding his arm, and glaring at Madara, who smirked, as his blade glowed. "Impressive reflexes. But not enough." He charged, only to be stopped by two crossed swords.
Kirabi growled, shoving Madara back. "You didn't think we'd leave our main man all alone, did ya?" He said, as Yugito charged in, striking hard and fast with her cat claws. Madara blocked, but before he could counter, Gaara appeared, striking with his sand. Madara slashed through it, his one Sharingan eye whirling. "You insects won't stop me!" He shouted, as he slammed a fist into Gaara.
Even with the sand armor, Gaara was sent flying, and skidding across the ground. Kirabi attacked with all his swords, but Madara tracked it with his Sharingan, and blocked every attack. Yugito attempted to come from behind, but Madara whirled, catching her throat, and tossing her aside like a rag doll.
He turned in time to see Anduril flash, as it came streaking down at him. He barely blocked, leaving a slash across his mask that broke it in half, revealing pink, deformed flesh, and sharpened, yellow teeth.
Naruto smirked, as another sprang off his back, a blue orb of chakra in hand.
"RASENGAN!" Madara was blown back into a building from the blow, as the Naruto who used the Rasengan poofed into smoke.
The four wizards regrouped, as the smoke and debris began to clear. Madara slowly was returning to his feet, growling. "You'll pay for that, SCUM!" He came burst out, sword streaking straight for Naruto's chest.
Naruto blocked with Anduril, but the force of the attack, still drove him back. He growled, shoving back, and striking fast at Madara's head. Madara blocked, only to be attacked from behind by Gaara's staff. He grabbed it, and slammed Gaara into the ground. He pushed downwards, causing the staff to creak.
Gaara groaned, as he tried to get his sand to attack Madara. The sand rose up, and launched at Madara, but instead of hitting him, it phased through him. Madara chuckled, as he phased into the ground.
The four wizards quickly grouped together, keeping their senses alert. It was Yugito who first noted the incoming attack. "MOVE!" She shouted, as they dived out of the way of the dark flames. Except these flames were magically enhanced Amaterasu flames, that spread out into four directions, chasing the four wizards.
Naruto cursed, as he made four clones, which intercepted the four black fireballs, and were eradicated because of it. But before he could celebrate, Naruto found himself being choked, and lifted into the air by Madara.
"You are becoming troublesome, Namikaze." He snarled, as Naruto struggled to get free. "Perhaps I should break your arms and legs to end the problems you're giving me."
Naruto gurgled, which turned into strained laughter. "You... really.. think... I'd be... captured? I... I'm not... a jounin... for nothing... Shadow Clone Explosion."
Madara's eyes widened, as the Naruto in his hands exploded, throwing him back. Kirabi attacked next, smashing a lightning covered fist into Madara's face, followed by a rapid flurry of slashes from Yugito's metal claws. Gaara's sand caught him, and threw him several yards away.
As Madara slowly stood up, the wizards regrouped. "How do we take him down?" Yugito asked, showing signs of tiring. So were the others.
Naruto slowly looked up, as if searching the heaven's for an answer. His eyes widened, as he saw one point of light in the rain and cloud filled sky.
"That's it," he whispered, as he gripped Anduril. "Guys, I have a plan."
Madara growled, as he stood, seeing the four wizard's together. He gripped his sword. "That's it! I will ends this, here and now!" He roared, as he began to charge.
Yugito, Kirabi, and Gaara took up positions at Naruto's side and rear, while Naruto gripped Anduril. The three others were raising their staves, while Naruto raised the sword. As one, they began to chant.
"Aiya Earendil Elenion Ancaliam!(1)" They chanted as one. Up above them, that one spot of light in the sky began to glow. Slowly, the light of Gil-estel, the star of Earendil, began to grow, greater and greater. It's light shown down upon the four wizards, causing all to cease their fighting, and stare in amazement or fear.
The light began to channel into Anduril, the blade glowing brightly with its power. Naruto looked at Madara, who was almost upon him. "This is your end, Madara! FOR THE VALOR!"
There was a blinding flash of light, and then silence fell over the battlefield. Naruto and Madara stood, their backs to each other. For several moments, nothing but rain could be heard. Then a line of red appeared on Naruto's chest, and he cursed, falling to one knee.
But Madara didn't celebrate his wounding of Naruto. Instead, he screamed in utter agony, as he was engulfed in a burning, searing light. His body began to burn away.
The Tower of Ame began to shake, as inside the giant statue that held the soul and power of Morogth began to crumble. Without Madara's life force to sustain it, it fell apart, and Morgoth roared, as he was forced back to his seal, to wait for his true time to come back to power.
Madara let out one final scream, before he became nothing but ash. The tower of Ame crumbled into the ground.
Naruto slowly stood, clutching the wound across his chest, as he slowly turned to see the warriors before him. There was utter silence for several moments. Then, there was the clatter of metal hitting ground, as an Ame shinobi dropped the kunai he was using. Slowly, the other Ame warriors did the same. The orcs stood there, absolutely terrified, before they turned, trying to fight their way free.
Naruto raised his sword up. "ENOUGH! BE STILL!" His voice echoed across the entire battlefield, and immediately, all was still. Naruto slowly lowered a now smoking Anduril. "I want no more bloodshed this day. All warriors of Ame will be kept alive, and treated with respect. All orcs will be allowed to run to the frozen north-lands of Iwa, where they will either stay, or continue to run north. Do I make myself clear?"
Slowly, there was a nod of assent, and the allied forces parted. The orcs immediately began to run, not wanting to be anywhere near this warrior who defeated their great leader.
Naruto panted softly, as he began to stumble, only to be caught by Kirabi and Gaara. "Just rest man," Kirabi said. Naruto nodded weakly, as Hinata rushed up. She immediately began to heal him.
As the Ame warriors were rounded up, warriors from the Allied forces gathered around Naruto. As they did, one samurai slowly sank to his knees, and bowed. "Shogun-dono." He whispered.
Slowly, more and more samurai did the same. Shinobi dropped to one knee, bowing their heads, while the Riders and warriors of Rohan drew their swords and saluted Naruto. Many murmurs of "Shogun-dono" echoed through the crowd. Then Faorl raised his spear into the sky.
"HAIL NARUTO NAMIKAZE!" He shouted. A great cheer rose, as the victorious warriors celebrated their victory.
Naruto smiled weakly, and raised Anduril, as another cheer rose up.
Minas Tirith, 3 weeks later
Minas Tirith shone brightly in the sun, with banners waving in the breeze. At the very top, along the jutting spur of Mount Mindolluin, and filling the Court of the Fountain, hundreds of people stood, in their best clothing. Banners from the various allied countries fluttered in the breeze, held aloft on ceremonial naginata and spears by their warriors.
The great doors of the Tower of Ecthelion slowly opened, and the people watched. From the doors came Faorl and Elroth in thier best armor and clothing, bearing their swords. Behind them came the Kage's of Konoha, Kumo, Kiri, Suna, and the newly formed Yukigakure no sato. Each was wearing their kage robes, and hats. Beside each kage were the daimyo of their country, in their best kimono or armor.
Faorl moved to the left side of the procession, and the daimyo's lined up beside him. Elroth stood on the right, followed by the kage's. All turned their attention to the four figures behind them.
Slowly, Naruto came out, wearing his newly repaired and refurbished armor and clothing. Besides him, Hinata wore a beautiful gown of lavender silk. Her hair had been brushed out, and a silver circlet sat on her brow.
Behind them, Tayuya and Lily came out, bearing the banner of the Alliance, and the Banner of Earendil. The two girls moved to each side of Naruto and Hinata, as the blonde Shogun stood on top of the stairs.
Everyone present slowly lowered their heads in respect, before raising them again. Naruto smiled, as he looked over them all.
"People of the Allied Nations... we are here to celebrate a great victory. A victory that does not belong to one person, or one nation... but to all of us. Let us remember our friends who gave their lives so that we may live," he said softly, as he closed his eyes. Everyone lowered their heads as well, as both Naruto and Hinata slowly began to sing in elvish.
As they finished, all looked up, as Naruto smiled. "And now... let us celebrate, as we bring about a new era of peace, and prosperity."
A great cheer and clapping went up, as Naruto and Hinata slowly walked down the steps, smiling happily, as they remained close together. They looked at each other, and gently kissed, enjoying this moment, and many more to come.
Epilogue
The young boy blinked up at his grandfather. "Is that the end of the story?"
The old man chuckled softly. "I'm afraid so. But that doesn't mean there weren't more. After all, the Wizard of Kitsune had many more things he had to do in his life. He led the Elemental Nations to peace, and had a family. A family he loved very much," he said, hugging his grandson.
At that moment, the door to the study opened. A tall man with spiky yellow hair, and blue tints came in, wearing the armor of the Shogun. His pale blue eyes smiled, as he saw his father and son. "Hey." He said simply.
His son grinned, as he rushed forward. "Dad! You won't believe the story grandpa Naruto just told me!" He hugged his dad fiercely.
Shogun Kyouran Namikaze, son of Hinata and Naruto Namikaze, smiled softly. "I'll bet. He told you all about his adventures when he was young, didn't he?"
His son grinned. "YEAH! He told me about how he and grandma Hinata, and grandpa Elroth and grandma Tayuya all fought that big war, and beat that mean Madara guy!"
Kyouran smiled. "He told me about that story too, when I was your age." He looked up t Naruto who smiled softly as he stood, gripping his staff. "Don't tell me you're getting old dad."
Naruto chuckled. "Oh, I could still beat the tail off you if I wanted to. But I decided I much prefer reading, writing, and teaching to fighting. Less stressful on the body and mind." He said.
Kyouran smiled. "I'll bet. A nice break from protecting an entire continent and helping break up disputes."
The old wizard nodded. "It is. But there are times I would still trade these days of rest for the old days of adventure."
Kyouran smile became sad. "It's been almost 15 years, hasn't it?" He asked softly. Naruto nodded.
Fifteen years ago, Iruka Umino and his wife Anko had passed away in their sleep. They had been the last of Naruto's adult friends to pass away. Most of his comrades were still alive, with children and grandchildren of their own. Itachi and Alicia had left Konoha shortly after the war was over, and had begun traveling the world.
Naruto sighed softly. "They're with the Valar now. And hopefully... one day I'll join them." He smiled a bit at that.
Kyouran smiled as well. "C'mon son. I promised we start training you to be Shogun today, didn't I?"
His son smiled, as he ran off excitedly. Kyouran hugged his father, and followed.
Naruto sighed softly, as he sat back down at his desk, and looked out the window for a moment. Then he pulled the book he had been writing in to him, and slowly picked up his pen.
The victory of Ame marked the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi war, and with it, brought about the end of the Fifth age of Middle Earth. The Golden Age of Shinobi has ended, as more and more people turn from war. I can feel that my own time here, and that of my wife, is ending. Perhaps in the future, we will make our own journey across the seas, and reach the Undying Lands.
He sat back, letting the ink dry, before he closed the book. He sighed softly, as he got up, and slowly looked out the window. He softly nodded to himself. "Yes... perhaps it's time for another adventure," he said, smiling.
And that's it folks. Wizard of Kitsune is finally done! Holy crap. I don't know whether to be happy or upset. Happy that I finished, or upset that it took so long, and I feel like it could have been better.
Oh well.
I really want to thank all my readers who stuck with me, through the good and bad times of this story. And special thanks go to DarkNexus, for making this story at least 3 times better than I had.
Special thanks also go to my beta's, Bill Alain, and KYuubi123. Thanks again guys!
I hope you all enjoyed this story.
1. Hail Earendil. Brightest of Stars.