(During the Kabuto death arc)

*note that when reanimated and under Kabuto's control it is said that the reanimations cannot fight to their absolute fullest potential.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi were hot on Zetsu's trail. The plant-like creature could sink into the ground and run for his life but against a sensor on par with Naruto in sage mode, the Sharingan, and the nose of Kakashi and his ninken, even with the genius intellect that Zetsu had, the manipulator was finding it annoyingly hard to truly disappear from their trail. They needed one shot at Zetsu and they were going to get it.

With Pain's attacks and Konan and Deidara's bombs shaking the earth as each path fought against former members of "Obito's" Akatsuki group and the reanimations that came to attack, the trio still swiftly moved forward hardly hindered because of the aid of their comrades in arms.

The tides of war were heavily on the allied shinobi forces side, each reanimation sent to fight were essentially overpowered and sealed away thanks to the genius of Naruto's seals being handed to everyone fighting so they could work and finish off opponents before too much damage could occur.

The Rinnegan wielder was focused on defeating his opponents as well as gaining the final pieces to bring back the 10 tails. Konan would fight on his side, forever, but as her doubts crept back in, she felt as though they were fighting on the wrong side. She had a clone talking with Nagato trying to understand, to know if he's really going to kill himself for a goal that might not even be his when it is all said and done. However, she had a duty, so she continued to fight with Pain.

Together, even Pain and Konan were slowly seeming to be overwhelmed with the strength and teamwork of Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Suigetsu, and Jugo. The paths of pain fought together with Konan, splitting into duos and and a trio as they tried to defeat the Akatsuki teams that seemed to be too perfect of a match in countering each individual ability.

Kakashi felt it in his gut that something was going to go wrong, everything seemed to be going so well, too well. We're being played but why, what is the endgame with letting us get this far?The shinobi alliance had lost lives, that was an inescapable outcome against such monster opponents and reanimations that could only be stopped in one way but, they were faring so well it seemed to be too perfect.

Just as Kakashi's squad was thought to be closing in on Zetsu and the Preta Path was crushed alongside the Naraka Path did the eerie feeling in the air finally take form. Like a current, subtle and unnoticeable before it drags a person to their death, the tides of war changed.

Zetsu laughed menacingly, white and black merging into a sinister cackle as his 'Master' among other fine pawns perfect to capture and crush those standing between him and his mother were finally released and set to arrive soon.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged dubious glances, the latter muttering a small "Fuck" as their nerves stood on end. Something bad was coming and though they seemed prepared for whatever was thrown at them, Kakashi couldn't help but feel as if they weren't ready for what was coming.

^*^*^

Gaara's platoon was faring well on the outskirts of the war-zone, fighting and sealing off any reanimations that were sent to capture the jinchuriki at war. Everyone had taken some hits, chakra wasn't in abundance and those who were too quick to exhaust it were either sent out for a replacement or were killed in the heat of war.

Yet, with Gaara's guidance, the powerful allies fighting alongside him...they were crushing their enemies. Then, like something out of Gaara's nightmares, white spores bubbled up from the ground.

The spores took shape as deformed versions of white Zetsu, they were not limitless nor in perfect shape like the original with the limited Hashirama cells the creature could spare to create his spores but they were enough to do their job. They had no strong chakra presence and were easily overlooked until it was too late. The globs latched onto those not quick enough to dodge, encasing the shinobi and draining their chakra like a leech.

"It's draining them!" A voice called horrified as she sensed the very life drained from each and every shinobi, sending their chakra to a different source, powering up whoever was going to gain the boost of chakra.

Gaara watched from above, his sand was holding up as many as he was able to grab in the split second reaction. Those who had escaped watched horrified, calling for their allies and friends as their screams were muffled and drowned out as they were swallowed into the ground.

With an angered wave of his hand, Gaara brought down a rain of giant sand senbon, piercing through the creatures and making them whine and slop to nothing but mush. His sea-foam eyes analyzed everything, almost missing how the spores that came back up were not the same as those he'd crushed, they were lesser this time.

"Be calm, stay on your guard. They are weak to physical attacks but do not let those things touch you or it is over." Just as they believed they were ready to battle, another set of reanimations appeared; this time they weren't nobodies.

"Hey uh...DODGE!" A slightly panicked unfamiliar voice called out from nowhere, raising the tension of the outer most platoons. Trees burst forth from the ground coiling like a serpent and constricting around those too slow to dodge, trapping and crushing those caught in the unnatural wooden attacks.

A monsoon of water rushed through, flooding the grounds like the force of a powerful waterfall. The water managed to wash away some of the spores but when everyone stood safe atop its uneven surface, dragons rose up menacingly crashing down in an attempt to crush all they could.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Dodge faster! Ahh I can't control anything...Tobirama help me!" That name...the leaf Shinobi present wanted to believe their unseen enemy wasn't who they believed and yet; the Jutsu, the names, the sheer power the chakras around them exuded...we're all going to die.

"You idiot, if I cannot control myself in this despicable jutsu what makes you think I can help you?" Replied a husky, obviously annoyed voice, it barely being heard above the rushing water and stressed calls of the elite ninja fighting for their lives.

The mass amount of liquid was being thrown around like a deadly hurricane, though luckily missed its targets thanks to the sand wall placed by Gaara and winds whipped through from fan users like Temari, protecting themselves.

The water, though countered, was able to soak through Gaara's sand making the once speedy and relatively light extension of his being slow from the weight of the wet sand. Gaara's face scrunched in exhaustion at the energy controlling such dense sand took; though, no matter how tired he got he was going to fight for his people.

*^*^*

Sai was flying high overhead when he saw the chaos going on in the separate battlefields, the reanimations present were on a complete different level and in what seemed like seconds with the attacks of Zetsu and the new enemies, Gaara's platoon was reduced by half.

Sai took a nosedive, stopping right before Shikamaru, the ink of his bird dispersing back into his seal. He reported his findings as the Nara whipped his shadows with deadly precision, trapping enemies with a terrifying ease letting them be sealed away.

"Damn, this is really going to suck. Guess we should be happy we went with limited troops." Shikamaru furrowed his brows, holding in the groan he wanted to release. Having it be impossible to get in close to their enemies was an annoyance but Shikamaru wasn't too worried just yet.

He had faith in Jiraiya's team and hopefully they'd pull through on their end...and soon or he really would have to start worrying. Losses sucked but they were accounted for, he and his father made sure of that.

"If this is happening to them, I'm betting the other squads are faring the same. Ino!" He called, the blonde moving to his side and without the need for an exchange in words, she linked Shikamaru with Sai, Shikaku and Inoichi were linked to everyone and couldn't have an individual line like this one...that left it to them. "Sai, I need you to check on Naruto's division, relay that to us then go join the Kazekage's area. Also, find out if that paper user has her face yet." Shikamaru's brain hurt as much if not more than his body at this point. He decided that if he lived through this crap he was napping for the next week.

"On it." The artist smiled blankly as his chakra weaved in the ink, bringing his beasts back to life allowing him to take to the skies once again.

Although they were ready for the possibility of the war getting worse, they were holding out hope that, after the arrival of the two Hokage and army of Zetsu blobs, Kabuto's reign would be stopped soon. However, as though fate didn't want things to ever settle, the war went from a 10 to a 12.

*^*^*

The second division, led by Ay and reinforced by Gai, was on its way to provide aid in sealing away the newfound threats of the first and second Hokage. There was nothing more than a flash of golden yellow and a pronged Kunai piercing the earth before bodies dropped dead.

It was so quick their blood didn't even have time to spill. In no time at all the second platoon was reduced to a few dozen as the flash moved closer and closer to Killer B and his 'guardians'.

"What the fuck was that?" Kiba yelped, him and Akamaru going even more alert at the new scent that just...appeared. Ay knew this Jutsu, all but the youngest of their survivors, knew and feared the arrival of an opponent all sane people never wanted to face.

"Master Gai! What has happened, in the blink of my eye all these men have fallen. Is this the work of dark magic? Yosh, I will fight 10 times harder for all of them!" Lee raised his fist in a promise, a renewed vigor burning in his dark eyes. He did not know what was capable of such envious speed but he wanted to fight, magic or otherwise he was going to fight it.

"This is no magic imbecile." Neji sneered with no real malice, his eyes straining to pick up on the chakra that was literally appearing and disappearing from his field of vision. One thing for sure was it was moving in closer to their area and Neji was trying to pinpoint an attack pattern. This was a jutsu he had seen Naruto working on but to see it being welded so menacingly, there was only one person he'd heard of that could do something fast.

"Yosh! Neji is right, this is the jutsu of a man we all look up to. A fated opponent I can finally test my prowess against. The Forth Hokage." Gai was quite obviously afraid of Minato and yet, he was grinning. It was tense but filled with a fierce determination and excitement only the insane could hold in prospect of fighting the yellow flash.

"He's coming. Raikage, on your left. Move!" Neji spun into a revolving heaven, a defense barrier to prevent himself from being struck. Lee jumped up and away from the Kunai that struck near where he was once standing. Shino encased himself in an exoskeleton of beetles while Kiba and Akamaru spun the hell out of dodge. When no second attack came after them like it could have, they all were certain who the target was.

"Dammit, B shift!" Ay's body was reinforced even further with lightning, the shield he had going now not just for protection but increasing his speed that much more. In a split reaction he had moved his brother, now shifting into a much more monstrous state, saving him from capture. Protecting Killer B became 100 times harder.

The pronged kunai clattered broken to the ground, Minato a split second behind it as he readied a Rasengan to tear through Ay's absolute defense and grab his target. "Watch out." He called out in an attempt to warn his next move, but instead of landing the hit, bright green invaded his tunnel vision, a roundhouse with more force than Minato had ever crushed into his body and forced him backwards. Right as another donned in green and a young Hyuga converged on his position with sealing tags of some sort, Minato unhappily flashed away to finish healing before he was going to rush back into battle.

"Ah, Gai, you have improved as expected of Kakashi's rival." Despite his hands being forcefully coated in blood and his brewing anger at whatever the hell was happening, Minato smiled in pride at the man who was now older than he. Gai preened. All the young from Konoha were in awe of his appearance, he was definitely Naruto's father.

Of course a loser like Naruto would actually have a dad like the fourth, dammit!

Though Minato smiled, seeming surprisingly amiable in comparison to the terrifying power he was praised with wielding, as soon as his smile dropped his anger at being reanimated was palpable. Scary.

Minato grimaced as he dodged another set of attacks aiming to seal him away. He teleported to the portions of his marked weapons, grabbing them and repositioning them around the battlefield.

His task was to capture the 8-tails and as hard as Minato's mind fought, his body did not react to any of his own commands. He was forced back to attacking a wrathful Raikage and a transformed Bee oozing the urge to survive, to win.

Speed clashed, one of blue and one of yellow as Raikage stopped Minato once again from reaching Bee. This time, the fourth was able to dodge Gai's attacks as well, sending a powerful counter of his own. "Lord Raikage, it's a shame we are meeting like this." Ay gave nothing but a derisive, annoyed snort.

Minato's eyes scanned the area, taking in the sight of ninja from different villages fighting and dying together. It was like a dream come true...if he wasn't dead and being used as a puppet for the other side. "Mind telling me what is going on and why I'm to kill whatever gets in my way in order to subdue the Jinchuriki?"

"A group with indomitable force are trying to capture the remaining Jinchuriki to revive the 10-tails and bring about the end of our shinobi world. To protect the remaining 4 the hidden villages have formed an Allied Shinobi Alliance." A feared enemy indeed.

"The 10-tails." Minato breathed out in awe. "I would have never guessed it was more than a myth." Minato almost feared to ask the next question, Gai couldn't have been older than early 30's which meant his son was still a young teenager. If there were only 4 Jinchirki left...

However he didn't have chance to ask just yet as his body was fully invested in capturing the 8 tails.

Minato teleported behind Bee but was forced to move right away as Neji came in with impeccable precision and speed, a sealing tag in his hand. Gai was on him right as Minato reached his next point, the Taijutsu specialist was almost too fast.

After another close call, with timing too perfect in dividing the attention and allowing Minato to escape with a missing (currently regrowing) leg instead of being sealed away. The team was forced off balance when Neji swooped down with Shino from the left, blocking an attack meant to take out the Hachibi in one shot.

Even with their interference, the specialized gigantic flaming shuriken made it through their defenses. The tip of tentacle that took the full attack dropped to the ground with a thud followed by an angry bellow by the Hachibi. The ground shook with the pressure of his roar.

"I never though't I'd fight alongside you like this Minato. It seems as this dreadful jutsu summoned us to fight for the wrong side. There truly is no peace for the dead."

"Lord Third!" Shino hated everything right now: Hinata's chakra was fluctuating poorly, they'd lost most of their platoon to the fourths speed, they had to seal an enemy that they couldn't match in speed, and now they were going to have to fight another un-killable Hokage all while protecting a monster that can't fire off any massive attacks without killing them too.

"Yet another worthy opponent for me to defeat, I will foil your plans evil versions of my Hokage!" Gai laughed, lightening the bleak mood that arose with the arrival of another fierce warrior. Neji would cut off his tongue before he said Gai's outlook on life, specifically in times like this, made him feel better.

"I hope you do." The revived Hokage shared a glance before conjoining their attacks bodies following orders for Minato to capture and escape with Bee while the Third proved as a fatal distraction.

Neji and Gyūki both saw this coming, it was the best form of attack after all.

"The blond one will be coming for me, do not get caught up in the old man's attacks. He is slower and can be sealed easier." The Hachibi was still fuming at the loss of a tentacle and if it wouldn't end in chaos he would have blown the stupid reanimations to kingdom come. He'd settle with crushing the orchestrator of this whole war, a tentacle for a life as they say.

However, because he cannot release a tailed beast bomb at the enemies at this time, Gyūki decided it would be easier to have Killer B take command once again. Having a smaller target to attack would make things harder in the sense of if he is caught even slightly in Minato's grasp he can teleport the two of them away. Only if Bee's body is too damaged somehow will he come out for the time being.

"The Hachibi is correct, Kiba, Shino, Lee we will focus on stopping Lord Third Gai-sensei and Lord Raikage will stop Lord Forth." The younger members of the platoon shouted a chorus of "yes" to Neji's command and split off to defend their Jinchuriki and their lives, long enough to either seal away their enemies or stall long enough for Jiraiya's squad to end this godforsaken reanimation jutsu.

Chakra thrummed through their bodies feeding every muscle, every cell. They had to be perfect in their movements, using each and every muscle they have to its highest caliber in order to fight such fast, experienced enemies.

As the third Hokage readied another attack to kill his opponents to finally allow Minato a chance for capturing the jinchuriki, he was intercepted by familiar children looking much too grown up in comparison to the still-haing-baby-fat Genin he died fighting for.

"You have all grown." He smiled kindly, his wrinkles deepening giving him that soft grandfather look they were used to.

"Thank you Lord Third." It was painful to fight the grandfatherly Hokage they grew up with, but each Leaf ninja knew they had no other choice. Hiruzen warned them of each of his moves but he was still too strong for them to easily get a hit clean enough to place the seal on him.

"Let's get fuckin' wild!" Kiba's grin was feral as they shifted their formation. Hiruzen put some distance between them to give time for his leg to flutter back together. Bloodied and tired, it was time to end this before they lost any more stamina.

"Good, finish me." The Hokage asked kindly, feeling his body respond to the threat as his chakra readied another attack. Kiba and Akamaru spiraled down towards Hiruzen from the left, Shino and his swarm of kikachu blocked off the right. Neji took the front, his all-seeing eyes catching each and every movement with startling precision. Lee had him from behind and they all closed in.

The best route of escape seemed to be going for Shino. Hiruzen readied a fire ball to burn the swarm but they ate through the chakra. Hiruzen jumped towards the boy, ready for the kill, but Lee had finally opened his second gate giving him just enough of an enhancement to his already crazy speed in order to take down the slower of the two reanimated kage.

The green teen was fast, now too fast for the Third to counter since he was already going for the bug user. "Leaf Hurricane!" Lee slammed Hiruzen to the ground making the earth fissure outwards and much of the elders body crumble apart from the force. Lee descended faster than a blink and finally placed the tag on the Hokage.

Kiba was right behind him, putting his chakra in the seal and it glowed bright as Hiruzen's soul was being sucked into it.

"You have all followed the Will of Fire well, the future is in your hands. I have faith in all of you. Win this war." Hiruzen smiled as the rest of his body was sealed and destroyed once again, the jutsu connection broken as his soul was finally freed. Lee wiped his eyes, blubbering like a child as his body was slowly weakening, the glow around him fading. The rest were glassy eyed but smiling at the bitter-sweet goodbye.

Now, they had to meet with the rest of their little platoon and finish off Minato.

"Who are the other Jinchuriki able to stay protected from such an enemy?" Minato didn't want to get his hopes up, Naruto was rather young so survival was less certain than someone as experienced as Bee, but he felt somehow Naruto was still alive. All he needed was confirmation.

"The new Kazeakge is the holder of the one tails, the seven tails, and the nine tails."

"Naruto has made it this far, good." Minato broke into a genuine smile, glowing with father's pride. "How is he doing?" He wished to see his son, but even if he can't be there directly he can learn about him. Gai was sure to provide him with that information. The Taijutsu master was grinning as he prevented Minato from moving in on his target.

"Yosh! Naruto is burning with youth, he is on the strongest team in Konoha and has surpassed every limit set upon him! He is a valued shinobi and friend! Be proud!"

Killer B gave a rap about the blonde 9-tails host and before anyone could be confused, Ay translated it. "He created the seals we have used to stop the reanimations and is one of the main pieces in winning this war. He is an idiot but a charismatic idiot." Minato looked even more like a proud father. His son, Kushina's son was amazing.

Minato wished he could meet him, but because Naruto hadn't loosened his seal to the point of Minato's store of chakra to activate he hadn't gotten to see the kind of man his son was growing up to be.

Things seemed to become more bleak when Minato began to get more hits in. None of them were fatal but he'd managed to blow through the Raikage's impenetrable lightning armor once.

"Dammit, bastard." Because he had just recovered from Pain's assault and losing an arm, he had a slip up with his chakra, spreading it thinner to use less stamina but it was just thin enough for a break.

In that split second opening, his Kunai sliced into Bee's thigh before the rest of his attack was intervened by Gai once again.

Getting a critical hit to slow the Hachibi host down so he can't evade capture next time definitely was putting more favor on Minato's success. Ay was losing chakra fast, and Bee was slower and now an easier target to grab and knock out. All he needed was to get around Gai, with Minato's speed and Gai's lack of anything but Taijutsu, it should have been easy.

What Minato and his puppet master were not equipped for was something Gai had not been able to do in the past nor did anyone have a true counter for it: His mastery over the 8 inner gates.

Gai's tanned skin turned an angry shade of red, power swirled around him as he began to open the gates one by one.

"Gai-sensei!" At the call of his students, Gai smiled brightly at them, Lee was being carried by Akamaru but they were alive. He gave his infamous 'nice guy pose' for what they hoped wouldn't be the last time.

He reached the 5th gate, The gate of Limit, and stopped, hoping it will make him faster than Minato even if he is using Hirashin. He would only open the final 3 gates if this attack didn't work, he wasn't ready to leave his students or his fated rival just yet, but if it meant winning the war. He'd lay down his life. "Yosh! I will finish this in one final attack! I shall show my superior speed! Let my flames of youth burn bright for all to see!"

Gai attacked, Minato teleported but each time he landed somewhere else, Gai was already right there. He tried to avoid any close combat but he was too slow, his body couldn't do as much as it could if Minato was the one in charge and that ended up being fatal. Gai kicked Minato into the air, wrapping his body around Minato in a vice grip and planting the sealing tag on his back.

Minato's reanimated body stopped attacking and he smiled at those who surrounded him amidst the bloody battlefield. "I never thought I'd get to see an alliance, a true step towards peace. I'm happy I got to come back if only to see this." His eyes shined as his body was dissolving, freeing his soul with the re-death seal (named by Naruto and barely accepted by everyone else). "Tell Naruto I love him and I'm proud of him."

"Of course!" The golden glow surpassed by Minato dissipated completely as his presence was fully gone.

"I've identified the few survivors, they are alive but just barely. We'll bring them with us to the Medical Division." Neji pointed out those whose chakra was still there, if only faintly. They gathered up the few survivors and began the quick trek to the medical tents.

"If you are not dying or out of chakra completely, get patched up quickly. We're going to head back out where we are needed."

A/N: This is a 2 part chapter, I just split it up so it is a bit easier to read! Madara is finally showing up next chapter as well as Naruto's team's battles, and Hinata will finally re-join the war so fun ahead! there are 2-3 chapters left before the endings! Thank you for reading this far I love you all!

Question: What do you want for Christmas?