Naruto: Scatter

Jiraiya's group set up camp a while away from the battle they had, the injured lay inside the tents they set up while the dead had been sealed within a scroll.

Inside another tent, team six and Byakuya was standing around. 

"Alright. Dekai, I'll need you to go to Konoha and deliver this message to the Hokage personally." Jiraiya spoke, looking at Dekai and gave him a scroll. "Make sure it reaches the Hokage and no one else." His voice serious as he spoke. 

Dekai nodded, wasting no time, he sprinted out of the tent. 

Jiraiya sighed. "Jiraiya-sensei." Minato called out. "Iwagakure knew we were going to be stationed at Kusagakure." He started out. "And instead of backing off like the Hokage hoped, they sent a team composed of many Jonin to intercept us... I fear Iwa wants a war to break out." 

Jiraiya nodded at his student's words. "Yeah. Although Konoha won the second war, it wasn't without sacrifice. Konoha has taken the biggest blow in the war and the other Villages didn't take to well to our victory. Iwagakure was one of the Villages who didn't stop attacking even though the war ended..." He explained, just to bring Byakuya up to speed. 

"Although Iwagakure hit us the most during the time after the second war, the other Villages aren't out of blame. Konoha has been dealing with many minor and some major attacks at our borders from other Villages..." Jiraiya continued, his voice grim.

Shaking his head, Jiraiya looked at Byakuya. "Let's forget that for now. How are you holding up, kid?" He asks Byakuya, knowing the boy had just gone through his first kill. 

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya's question, confused. But he still responded. "I'm doing good and you, Jiraiya-sama?" He questions back. 

Hearing Byakuya question back, Jiraiya's expression mirrors Byakuya's confusion while Minato bursts out laughing. 

"Haah..." Breathing out after suppressing his laughter, Minato looked at Byakuya. "He didn't mean how was your day, Byakuya. He meant how you were holding up considering what you just went through." Minato explained before laughing out loud again, seeing Byakuya's still serious face responding with an 'Oh.' and nodding. 

"Whatever..." Jiraiya muttered, giving up. "Let's recover and wait here for a few days for the Hokage's reply." He commanded and walked out of the tent.

Four days passed in a blur with the team receiving no trouble from any Iwa ninja. Early morning on the fourth day, Dekai returned with the Hokage's message. 

Jiraiya went to Dekai, took the scroll and opened it up. Quickly skimming through the details, Jiraiya let out a long sigh. Turning to face the ninjas in the group, he spoke up. "Hokage has sent word back. He congradualtes us on our victory but speculates it as a ploy by Iwagakure. After we sent word to Hokage-sama, Iwagakure has declared open hostility towards Konohagakure, claiming we infiltrated and assassinated many Jonin." 

As Jiraiya spoke, he crumbled the scroll in his grip. 'This will be the last straw to begin the third war.' He thought. 

"Reinforcements will be arriving in a while and we will operate an official platoon in Kusagakure." Jiraiya's words hang in the air for a while. "War is inevitable..." 

Byakuya, hearing Jiraiya's words nodded. He knew the third war would be official during this time frame. He didn't know how it started, but he knew many things snowballed into it. 

With that, days turned into weeks and soon, a little over a month passed by. The group had encountered many Iwagakure ninja's in battle, with every one growing larger and larger. Word had reached them about the conditions on the other borders. 

After Iwagakure had declared hostility, the other Villages slowly started increasing the power they sent against Konoha's borders. Konoha, getting attacked on all sides could do nothing but send out all their forces to stand against them. 

Byakuya plucked out his Zanpakuto's blade from the Iwa ninja's abdomen and pushed the dead body away. "Haaah." He breathed out, wiping the sweat off his forehead and looked around, spotting many dead ninjas around him. Both Konoha and Iwa bodies scattered around. 

Once again Iwagakure had attacked their platoon during the veil of night and once again they had defended. Iwagakure has been using Gorilla tactics. Suprise attack, kill a few, run away and repeat. 

And Byakuya has to say, it's working. 

Although the ninjas attacking them didn't hold much strength. Jonins rarely joining in on the surprise attack, but the consistency has slowly whittled away at the platoon's strength. 

Byakuya walked into his tent, taking off the Haori that had been stained in blood and hung it up before walking to his baed and falling on top of it, instantly falling asleep. 

"Byakuya!"

After an hour or two, Byakuya gets waken up by a call outside of his tent. Groggily standing up, he grabs the hanging Haori and puts it on before walking out of the tent. 

"Byakuya-san." a Genin ninja salutes, looking at Byakuya's figure. During these few weeks, Byakuya had shown the full extent of his Zanpakuto, gaining the admiration of many ninjas in the platoon. 

Byakuya nodded at the boy's greeting. 

"Byakuya-san. There has been a message from the Hidden Leaf." The genin starts speaking. 

*Boom!* 

a Loud explosion goes off far away from the platoon in the direction of Iwagakure, grabbing both of the two boys' attention. 

"War has officially been declared." The genin finished, gulping at the sight of the massive clouds of smoke gathered above the canopy of trees. 

Byakuya nodded at the boy's message, not moving his eyes away from the direction of the explosion. "Thank you, you may go." He says. 

'Something feels off...' 

Just as he thought about it, a flash of yellow appeared in the middle of the platoon. Jiraiya and his team appeared suddenly from the flash of light. They held each other up. 

Byakuya quickly reached where they were. Looking at their beaten and battered forms, Byakuya frowned. "What happened, Minato-san?" He asked, moving closer to Minato as he was the one who had the least injuries.

Glancing at Byakuya, Minato responded in between heavy breaths. "We encountered Iwagakure's Jinchuriki at the front line." His words were loud enough to be heard by all the ninjas who had gathered to the commotion. "We only escaped thanks to my Jutsu..."