Nightfall By Freowin

Chapter 25 - The Loyalist Retreat

I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.

Nightfall!

Chapter 25: The Loyalists Retreat.

Naruto and Itachi ran through the mist away from Kiri, the destination was a small village a few hours run away, maybe more if the mist held.

Behind them in Kiri a vacuum of power had been created. Yagura's generals in charge of the defense of Kiri and the hunter ninja gone, the city was in turmoil even though the dead bodies of Niiro and Cou had only just been found. To make matters worse there were no suitable clear cut replacements. And because of this the higher ranking ninja who wanted the job turned on each other justifying the name of "The Bloody Mist".

Unknown to the people of Kiri a masked man sat atop the tallest tower looking down on the carnage as it unfurled below. 'What a nice bit of chaos my new friend has made I couldn't have done any better myself. He picked the perfect targets to cause the most damage in Kiri's loyalist army. I must say that I am impressed' he thought gleefully as parts of the village began to burn due to the fighting.

It took the two Yoinokuchi ninja longer than expected to find the village in the fog that blanketed the land at night. The sun was still an hour from rising but that suited the pair to no end, they were unsure if Kiri's forces were tracking them or not.

"What is so special about this place? It doesn't look like much, although with a nation in the middle of a war i guess that is a bit harsh" Naruto said as they walked through the seemingly abandoned village.

"There is an entrance to the underground tunnel system here" Itachi replied.

"Really, aren't we a little far behind enemy lines for that?" Naruto asked.

"It is a one off, the special operations teams use it for sabotage and assassination missions" the Uchiha said.

"That makes sense I guess" Naruto said as he followed Itachi into an abandoned house that looked like it had been put up for demolition years ago.

Itachi walked into the center of the living room and smeared a small amount of his blood on the floor. A large seal array began to glow and the floor separated to reveal a large staircase.

"Let's go it will still take awhile to reach the Resistance Headquarters so we better make a move" Itachi said.

Naruto nodded in agreement and followed. The tunnel was completely dark, Naruto had no idea where he was going until Itachi lit a torch that had been placed on the wall. The blond found one of his own and lit it using a Katon jutsu.

Compared to the other underground tunnels that Naruto had seen during his time in the Land of Water this one was by far the worst. It was narrow only allowing for two people to just stand side by side. And the floor was uneven, with several bumps and rocks extending out.

"You know compared to the others, this tunnel is a dump" Naruto said.

"It was built quickly and is only used on rare occasions. So it isn't that big of a surprise to me" Itachi replied.

"How did you know about this place. Did you use it for a mission while the rest of us were in the chunin exams?" Naruto asked.

"Yes just once, I was asked to lead a team to destroy a new weapons factory in a village just outside of Kiri. Because of that I was shown the passageway and they added my blood to the list of people that could activate it. If anyone else tries to get into the tunnel without the seal the whole thing will collapse" Itachi said.