The place was brought to a standstill when a murder of cawing craws appeared in the dark corridors out of nowhere. The crows were suddenly surrounded by root Anbu - it had occurred within seconds of appearing. Talk about effectiveness.
It was silence until Danzo's footsteps echoed around, with his cane tapping the floor as he walked. He stopped a good distance away when he looked at both Naruto and Itachi.
"I wasn't really expecting this," the war hawk stated. "But it hardly matters. I can tie a loose end and then make you my soldier. It is foolish of you to come here thinking you can get way alive. Itachi, I did not think that you were this naïve."
There was a hint of disgust in Danzo's tone.
Naruto looked around, watching the Root Anbu - he ignored Danzo as he spoke to the Uchiha beside him. "They are effective alright. nice little dogs. I want to keep some of them..."
Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly - that wasn't part of the plan. "Why?"
"With Danzo dead, they will be lost. It will be easy to make them work. Besides, I need some weapons of my own to look around this world. It may be fine here in Konoha, but as the invasion has shown, some people are busy plotting outside. I must know before it is too late... and this people... well some of them will help me with that."
"Getting rid of them would be a waste," Itachi said. "Is everything set?"
Naruto nodded. "The barrier has been erected. I don't have to worry about anyone noticing anything. We can freely go wild."
The moment the words left Naruto's mouth, the blond dropped down the ground on both his hands. The malicious chakra that resided inside of him started to pour out - it quickly surrounded his body, forming two tails behind him.
Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan came to life. "We cannot afford to spend too much time here, and we need to know what Danzo has been planning..." the Uchiha stated calmly. "You can start with them, I will take care of Danzo; it should take a couple of seconds to deal with him. I need to be delicate to take Shisui's eye..." he looked to the man who dared stare at his Mangekyo. "Tsukuyomi..."
The Following Morning
It was early morning and yet the Hidden Leaf was woken up by a heavy storm that shook the entire village. It was more of a shock that had the villagers muttering in quietness as they recollected the memories they had of the day they heard of the Uchiha incident.
Another massacre had occurred and this one was bloody.
An entire Root organization had been slaughtered as well its leader. It was a mystery. At least with the Uchiha incident, they knew who had caused it, but this one was a mystery and it brought about fear within the streets of the Hidden Leaf. Who was it that had done it? Was it someone in their mist? Was it Itachi again? If it wasn't the Uchiha, who could done it?
It was better to believe what was tangible than the unknown. For that thought, some villagers believed that perhaps it had been Orochimaru or Itachi. Who knew? It could be between those two. The former had recently invaded their village and killed their Sandaime Hokage. It wouldn't have been above him to do something like this.
Everyone had their thoughts, but what was certain was that the village was in fear. It had happened overnight and no one saw or heard anything. Someone or some people had just walked in and killed more than a hundred of trained killers without anyone noticing, not even the Anbu who were supposed to know. It was a terrifying thought that made things troublesome.
As Shikaku would say.
Jiraiya looked at the village from the Hokage Monument. Yes it was still early morning, but the village streets were already filled with people. What was worrying was that the village was silent - not completely, but there was a sense of dread within the atmosphere.
The Sannin acknowledged that something had to be done in order to restore calm in the village. If things stayed like this, the other villages would surely attempt to try to take advantage of the confusion. It was a mess that he didn't think he would wake up to see. If he hadn't taken Naruto's advice, he wouldn't have been seeing this now. Then again, it was best that he was here.
It was in a moment like this when his presence was needed.
Still, it was just a day ago that Danzo had been hovering over the village like a black cloud. He had thought the village's future was at risk with the man acting as Hokage, but it had come to a bitter end. It was somewhat of a bitter pill: the man had coveted the position of Hokage all his life and when he had it, his life was taken away. He had not enjoyed it. It was taken away from him in brutal fashion.
Despite the situation, Jiraiya thought the man deserved it.
Nevertheless, it did not change the situation that was facing this village. More than ever, this village needed someone strong to stand in its leadership shoes. It needed someone with a reputation. Tsunade was what the village needed and he would get her back. No matter what. Her village needed her now and she could not run away from it.
She could hate him, but this was not a matter he could allow to go on unattended lest the Leaf falls.
Jiraiya narrowed his slightly after the Anbu who had come to him yesterday appeared on his right hand side. "Did sensei predict this one as well?"
"It was one of the possibilities but less likely so he didn't consider it would happen, hence I said Naruto would leave the village yesterday. With Danzo still here, there is no reason for Naruto leave," the Anbu said calmly. "I don't think anybody expected him to be dead just hours after taking the seat. But it has happened and it must be dealt with. With him gone, I have no reason to keep what the Sandaime gave me. I trust that you will carry out his wishes."
"You sound as if you are leaving this village," Jiraiya said curiously.
"I am," the Anbu said with a small nod. "I will claim the actions done to Danzo and his Root. If the village stays like this, people will panic. It is best they believe that someone actually did it than to let them continue making guesses," the man said.
"You must know who did it then," Jiraiya said in firm tone. "Why though?"
"It is a sacrifice I am willing to make for the sake of the Hidden Leaf. Every now and then, someone has to make a sacrifice," the Anbu responded.
"I know Naruto was there in the Root bases. I sensed the residual chakra of the Kyubi, but he could not have done it alone. Naruto is strong, but not that powerful."
"Just because you sensed the Kyubi's chakra doesn't mean that it was actually Naruto who was there. What you don't know is that there is another person who contains the Biju's chakra," the Anbu said, drawing many questions from the Sannin. "By the end of the day, this village will know my mask and that I exist."
The Anbu vanished without another word after speaking.
In the end, the man didn't say anything and Jiraiya still had questions. He would have to dig deep to find them. Aside from the Kyubi's chakra, there was no trace of Naruto's presence. It was disturbing that there was another person with the Biju's chakra. The Sannin could believe that. That man had no reason to lie and it wasn't like he was going to do anything to Naruto if indeed he was involved.
Someone had actually done the Leaf a favour.
If he could get Tsunade to return quickly, then there won't be any troubles when she does return. If she had returned when Danzo was still kicking, there was a possibility that the man would've refused and a civil war might have taken place. It was within the scope of possibilities and Jiraiya had considered it.
With things like this, there would be no one to oppose Tsunade and the clan heads would give her the support. If she was able to apply her mind, there was no doubt that the slug princess could pull it off. She had been taught by the professor after all. How was he going to get her to return though?
Jiraiya shook his head. He would think of that after the Sandaime's memorial. What even made the day a bit better was that Danzo hadn't announced his position as Hokage. Very few would be disappointed.
Senju Compound
"You must have had a rather rough night out," Mikoto said, bandaging Naruto's upper body. The blond was in discomfort. He didn't have any wound on him to say he had been injured. The woman assumed the Kyubi had 'closed' those flesh wounds, but the pain was still there.
By now, Itachi was long gone, not even a trace of his presence left behind. It was better that way because once it became known of what had happened, it would be really difficult for him to leave the village. The whole thing was still dancing within her head. She could not decide if the thought had been morally right, but in the present situation, it had been the right thing to do.
To save Konoha and themselves, they had to shed blood. That was the world that they were living in. It was sad that to avoid evil, they had to become the lessor evil. There was no doubt that Danzo would have driven this village to war within months and many people would have been killed. To avoid that, they removed him from this world.
But what if another person rises to cause another war? Mikoto shook her head. She didn't need to have those kind of thoughts. When had she become that kind of a person anyway? She wasn't Itachi. The thoughts had been just her family, her clan and her village. World peace was the thought of idealists.
"Those robots were trained killers. I have to admit, they had been trained well. It was a lot difficult than what I had in mind. They made a real fight out of it," Naruto said with a wince. He had received his fair share of hits and cuts. It hadn't been a clean sweep, but they got through. Once the master was dead, it became a lot easier to handle.
"You faced Orochimaru - a Sannin and left the battle with no wounds but when you fight root Anbu you have troubles," Mikoto said calmly.
"I had the element of surprise with Orochimaru and with the Root Anbu, I did not have. Well the job is done anyway," the blond said.
Mikoto nodded, "And you're still alive. I am very happy that you are alive, Naruto. Of course I hadn't doubted your strength, but I am happy that you are okay..." the Uchiha placed a delightful smile on her lips as she spoke.
Naruto stared at the smile for a few seconds. It wasn't the first time he was seeing the smile. The thing that made him curious was that the woman seemed to have a different kind of smile when she looked at a few selected people. This was one that seemed to be reserved just for him. The blond shook his head. Maybe he was having one of those days.
"I had no other choice but to return. If I had died in that battlefield, my mother would have had trouble of having to live as being known as the mother of the shinobi who did this to the Hokage of the Leaf," the blond said in a firm tone. "At least now, things look good again."
Mikoto nodded. "Yes," she said. "You can start hoping again. We can hope for better things. I don't think they will allow just anyone to take the position after the Danzo case. Laws have to be changed about how a Kage is selected as well..." the Uchiha pause for a moment before changing the subject. "What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going home to my mother and smile while I make her breakfast. I feel as if I am free. I have never felt so weightless in my entire life. There is no Sandaime, no Danzo, no one to make me worry. The village now has a better outlook of me since the invasion - all thanks to the Third's scheming," Naruto said with a very tiny smile. "You can almost say that I'm quite happy."
Mikoto laughed. His tone and his words just did not rhyme. Although there was a tiny smile on his face, his tone wasn't smiling - it was actually blank. "I'm glad that you have found happiness. I wish you'd express it more. Do you want me to show you how to express happiness, dear?"
"I'm in the room with you," Sasuke said with a nasty look on his face. "Why are you acting like that with him?"
"Because he is a delight to your mother, Sasu-chan," Mikoto said with a smile. She had really forgotten that Sasuke was in the room with them. She blamed Naruto for making her forget that her precious son was in the room. She was certain that the blond hadn't forgotten but was actually just ignoring him.
Sasuke scoffed in response.
Mikoto merely shook her head before turning her attention towards Naruto once again. "I meant what are the plans from now on. Itachi says he won't be returning to the Akatsuki, I am sure there is something planned..."
Naruto shook his body for a moment just to feel the pain once more. There was a lot that he could do now. He could just relax and enjoy his delightful life with his mother now that things were calm within this rotten village. But that would be naïve of him. He could not stand and think that things were going to be alright from now on.
This was the shinobi world, anything could happen without any notice. An invasion had occurred in this village and he had not thought it would happen. Even though Suna had been tricked by Orochimaru after he killed its Kage, the relationship between the village and Konoha was at odds and how it went from now depended on how the coming Hokage would treat the matter.
He could not relax. Not in this world. He needed to plan ahead. First he would see who would be becoming Hokage. Until he knows who and confirms their motives, he would move to do what needs to be done. But of course, he would still make plans of his own. He could not live without a plan. Wrestling with the Sandaime Hokage had taught him that much.
"The fight with Danzo's rats taught me that I still have a lot to learn. I want to grow and become stronger. Watching Itachi fight showed me what real power is. I want to reach that level where I will be certain that I can protect my mother regardless of what comes to my way," Naruto said firmly. "With that in mind, I will leave Konoha for a while in order to get the training I need. Itachi will be training Sasuke..."
That was something that made Sasuke turn on a smile. He was still angry over the fact that Naruto and his brother had left him behind. He understood it was dangerous given Naruto's pain, but he was still bitter about it. This news was going to make him happy and he would be strong in the end.
"When do we leave?"
"Not even considering your mother when those words leave your mouth," Naruto said in a flat tone. "Sometimes your lust for power disappoints me. No matter what Sasuke, you must never forget what is beside you. Your mother carried you for nine months and she is the only parent you have left, treat her with care..." the blond paused. "I am going to mine."
"Are you going to tell her?"
Naruto closed his eyes as he thought of many scenarios. "Yes," he said. "Maybe not today, but I will. Mother will worry about it as she will no doubt suspect me and Itachi. If it is so obvious, it is best to clear the air so that we can both share our thoughts and be open with each other. The last thing I wish to do is to worry my mother about me keeping things from her."
"But you honestly do keep things from her," Sasuke pressed firmly.
"I have never lied to my mother and never will," Naruto said. That was his only response before he left.
Sasuke watched the blond disappear with a stare. He should also be heading home with his mother. He could not remain sitting here forever. They were things that had to be done and he had to think about how he was going to do things after leaving this village to train with his brother.
The raven head looked back at his mother and frowned - she was staring at the door Naruto used to leave the room. His mother had become really close to the blond. She was way too close to him for his liking and the blond made things worse by telling him how he should act around his mother. His own mother? Who did the blond think he was?
"You and Itachi are really close to Naruto," Sasuke said to his mother.
Mikoto smiled at the accusation in Sasuke's tone. "Don't be a jealous child, Sasuke: it doesn't work on you and for an Uchiha, that kind of an emotion is never good at all. You will do stupid things because of it," she said calmly. "What you need to remember is that I am your mother and Itachi is your brother. No matter, Itachi will always love you and he certainly does love you more than he loves Naruto. Don't ever doubt that, because Naruto can never take your position in our hearts."
Naruto's House
Kushina rubbed her eyes in a sleepy mode and just to confirm if her eyes were not playing tricks on her. She was seeing something very rare. She had always been the one to cook the meals that were eaten in this house, but now, Naruto was cooking for her, and his body language spoke volumes about a happy person.
What could have happened to make him so happy? Last night wasn't a pleasant night at all. She hadn't slept peacefully as she normally does because of the news of Danzo's rise to the Hokage seat. It had been a worry some discovery that made her fear for her son's future. She knew the man would plot to have her dear Naruto become a weapon for Konoha. It was something that she could not stand to watch happen.
She did not want her son to live that kind of a life. She wanted to him to live as normally as he could. She could not think of escaping this village, but if it meant saving his son's life from the danger, she would think of it. She was willing to do anything for her son.
Naruto turned around to face his mother with a small happy smile. "Good morning mother," he greeted the redhead calmly.
Kushina was starting to wonder if perhaps her son had been possessed or whether someone was playing a cruel joke on her. She had dreamt of something like this happening. She wanted a happy child who could surprise her like this. The Naruto she knew could never do something like this no matter how much he loved her.
Her Naruto shouldn't be happy, unless he had snapped and was actually crazy. She couldn't fault him for losing it. Things had been hard on him since birth. There was no reason for him to be happy on this day either. Today was the Sandaime's memorial. The old man had meant something to him. He could not simply be this happy when the man who had cared for him was to be buried and above all, when Danzo was Hokage.
Perhaps she was in a dream world.
"You're not dreaming, mother," Naruto said in his normal tone. The tone of his voice just snapped Kushina out of her thoughts and she walked over to the kitchen and settled down.
It was really her son that was making her breakfast.
"Are you okay, Naruto?" Kushina asked carefully and delicately, as if she didn't want to break anything.
Naruto nodded. Perhaps the right emotion to show at this moment would have been amusement over his mother's question and the worry in her tone; he had just nodded before talking in a more familiar tone.
"I am fine, mother. I have never actually felt so alive in my life..."
Kushina did not offer a response immediately; she dived into her thoughts as she tried to figure out how she was going to deal with this situation. She was failing to handle it normally. Should she be happy that her son was showing signs of happiness? She shook her head. She just needed to confirm something before doing anything.
"Naruto, you do know that the Sandaime is dead and that Danzo is going to make our lives difficult because he has become Hokage, right?"
She just needed to confirm that he was aware of the situation that surrounded them and that it was nothing to be happy about.
Naruto did not offer a response to his mother. He acted as if he hadn't heard her and continued preparing his breakfast. Once done, he brought a bowel of water for his mother and then dished out the food on the table before settling down. He said no prayers before taking a bite and then he responded.
"The old man's death is sad, but honestly, I have not really given myself the time to think about it. Perhaps it has yet to fully register in my head," Naruto said in a calm tone, very little emotion in his voice. "Danzo is another matter..."
Maybe he wasn't thinking that much of the old man's death because a part of him was happy the man was dead. Of course, he would never tell his mother that. If the Sandaime hadn't annoyed him with his schemes, maybe he would even shed a couple of tears during the funeral. But now, there was nothing in him.
"A troublesome matter that could ruin us," Kushina stressed the words slowly.
Seriously, the man was without doubt the biggest problem they faced. He was going to turn her Naruto into a weapon the has been dreaming of if he wasn't stopped. There would be little resistance from the clan heads, and she would have to fight on her own.
And she would put up a fight.
She wasn't going to allow anyone to ruin their lives just to gain something. She was happy with how things were progressing in their lives, especially. If he was smiling like this, then she could hope for a better future. Happiness for Naruto was a possible thing, but if Danzo wasn't stopped, that smile could vanish.
Naruto looked at his mother for a moment before looking back at his food. "I met the Sand siblings," he said. "Yesterday... I'm sure by now they have crossed the dessert and are home."
He had said this just to see how his mother would react. He was going to be careful with how he handled issues with those other siblings, but his hostility towards Kankuro would not be masked.
Kushina smiled happily. "I'm happy to hear that," she said. "I was worried that something might have happened to them. It would have been sad though. I'd really grown attached them..." she paused, thinking about their situation. "Temari-chan will surely have a lot to deal with now... they no longer have a mother and now their father is gone. I'd become like a parent to them, maybe I should keep watching them."
Naruto managed to keep his mask, but he had mixed feelings about the whole thing. His mother was seemingly forgetting that their village had attacked Konoha. Yes, they were fooled by Orochimaru, but history will record that Sunagakure attacked Konoha along with the Sound village.
When you put reason into the situation, it did make sense - how his mother was acting - but Naruto still felt somehow about the whole thing.
"Perhaps," that was the only thing Naruto was willing to say. He would not make decisions for his mother. "At least on our side, things are better. We don't have to worry about the villagers and can actually look forward to some peace..."
That was something that Naruto thought he would never say while in this villages, not when those monkeys were still dancing in the streets. This change didn't change much in his opinion of them. What they had done, he would not forget.
"We would, but you're forgetting something," Kushina said. But really, was her son the one to forget about something like that. He was acting as if Danzo didn't exist. The woman frowned, "What are you not telling me, Naruto?"
Naruto didn't waste time to respond, not because he was pressured but because he hadn't been planning on keeping it from his mother if she asked. There hadn't been a right moment to say it than this. "Danzo is dead," the blond said indifferently.
Kushina stared at her son. Her skin crawled as she thought of the possibilities. He had risked his life to get rid of Danzo. She did not doubt that the blond was involved if he was saying it. She should have thought that he would do something like this. Perhaps this was all that scheming with Itachi was all about.
"Life is a precious thing, Naruto," Kushina said calmly. "You're precious to me. If something happens to you, I don't know what I'd do. So, I beg of you, please don't ever do something so reckless again. What if Danzo had caught you instead?"
"Wouldn't have happened," Naruto said in a firm tone. "There had been plans to avoid such a thing happening and Itachi was there as well. Itachi would have given his life to save mine..."
"Naruto, you have been in Anbu before, you should know that not everything goes according to plan. You might think that you have everything thought out, but the unlikely will occur and throw away your plan E and F," Kushina said in a sad tone, thinking about the night she gave birth to Naruto. "I should be angry that you'd do something like that, but seeing how free it has made you, I can't complain."
Perhaps it would make her a bad mother, but this was the shinobi world and Naruto was a shinobi. He had lost his innocence long go. The ship had already sailed, she could not keep wishing for an innocent child. The Naruto before her was a fighter who would fight anyone who threatened their happiness and lives.
He did not shy away from taking decisions to secure their futures. When had he crossed the borders in trying to do so? Her son was calculative just like his father. He did things for a reason, and didn't just jump into a pool because the water looked clean.
Naruto smiled warmly. "It is a good day," he said. "The feeling is strange, but I can't say I hate it. It is somewhat refreshing."
"As long as you are happy," she said.
It became silent as the two ate their breakfast in comfortable silence.
About an Hour later
When Jiraiya came to face Naruto, he didn't know what to expect from the blond. There was no proof, but he was still certain that Naruto had been involved with Danzo's murder. He wasn't going to complain, Konoha had been done a huge favour and no one would cry foul over it as the man hadn't announced his position as 'acting' Hokage as of yet.
Still, the Sannin was certain that Naruto didn't do it for Konoha and it made him worry a little. Would the blond kill anyone who he thought was going to make his life miserable? The blond had told him before that Danzo would not be alive to be Hokage today and when Konoha woke up; the war hawk was declared dead.
Killed along with his Root Anbu...
There had been blood everywhere and it seemed that whoever was in that place hadn't been all gentle at all. It wasn't like the assassin style that Naruto was known to use. Jiraiya just could not stomach seeing the blond surrounded by piles of bloody corpses.
"What can I do for you, Jiraiya?"
The blond asked the question while standing atop of the Hokage monument. The Toad Sage beside him was wearing black - the time for the Sandaime's memorial was upon them, but Naruto was still in his normal clothing.
"Aren't you going? Considering how close you two were, it would be somehow if you don't go..." the Sannin stated.
Naruto looked up into the heavens with a blank look on his face. When was it going to rain? He wished for nothing more than rain drops to pour into his face. It wasn't that he needed them to hide the emotions in his face; he just felt the rain would go well with the cloud that was hanging over his head.
"I'm not going," Naruto ended up saying, surprising Jiraiya.
Why did he have to go? What would it achieve if he went to that place? People would be crying and it wouldn't be pleasant for him especially if it were these people of this village who would be wearing those sad looks, weeping for the death of the old man.
He still had to think about the situation that had arisen between him and the Sandaime. Before the man died, he had been growing to dislike him for his plots and twist. He was never free because the old man seemed to have a hand in everything that he did and he was always watching his every move. It had felt as if he was trapped, unable to do anything to escape.
Honestly, he had tried and failed to get the best of the old man but he had failed. It had been frustrating that with each move, the old had already known. If anything, he was nothing more than the Sandaime's puppet. If the old man had lived through to this day, they would have ended up resenting each other - Naruto was certain of this.
"Why?" Jiraiya asked all in curiosity.
Somehow, the blond seemed a bit down, but yet he his tone had felt emotionless. Perhaps he was just hiding his emotions. Then again, Naruto wasn't the one who walked with his emotions masked in his face for all to see.
Still, Jiraiya wanted to know why the blond was choosing not do go. This was good bye and if you miss your chance, you might never get the chance to do it. If it wasn't because of what Naruto had said the day before, he wouldn't be in the village by now; he would have left Konoha in search for Tsunade.
"I have a lot to think about," Naruto said as he sat down, legs crossed, eyes a downcast. His vision the stone he was sitting on not the gloomy streets of the Hidden Leaf. "There is a lot to think about..." Naruto repeated.
Naruto was saying the same thing twice? What was happening in this world? Was he perhaps dreaming or was it starting to dawn on the blond that the Sandaime Hokage was now gone and would no longer be in this world anymore. He would no longer burst into the office and say 'sensei.'
The old man had ceased to exist in this world and all that remained was his legacy as well as the bitter and sweet memories they shared together.
Before Jiraiya could say anything, Yugao flashed into existence, wearing black. She smiled thinly at the Sannin before speaking politely. "You should go; they are already looking for you. I will stay with Naruto."
Jiraiya nodded before sending a glance at Naruto once more. He disappeared without saying another word.
"It is really a sad day for Konoha..." the woman started in a calm tone. "I'm sure when our allies hear about this they will also mourn with us..."
The death of the Sandaime wasn't the death of a normal shinobi. The old man had lived through three shinobi world wars. It said much about his age, but also a lot more about his power. He was truly a humble soul that was respected for being peace loving. He preferred negotiations over the needless bloodshed.
Like the Yondaime Hokage, he had died in the service of his village and as a proud Kage.
"Possibly," Naruto nodded in agreement. But his reasons were much more different from what Yugao had in mind.
In his mind, Naruto thought that the Sandaime had a way with people. The old man could sell the image of an old man who had seen too much in his life and all that he wanted was just peace. The old man was like that. He played with people's perceptions to suit his own agenda.
It had worked well for him as nobody ever discovered that he was a fox in a sheep's garment. Well, if you never got found out, who would complain? For him it was a problem because he knew the Sandaime's nature and his tendency to plot twisting schemes that would work for the tomorrow he hoped for.
That was the thing with this world - everyone was always thinking about their ideals and the kind of world they wished. Everyone thought that they were right, but who was wrong? Who was even allowed to say that someone was wrong and that this was right? People had their own justice and moral compass, but the problem arose when they tried to force those ideals into other people, even resorting to manipulation.
Naruto had no problem with those games though, but he would never allow anyone to manipulate his life ever again. It was enough that the Sandaime had manipulated his life so that he could have the ideal puppet.
Yugao glanced at Naruto for a moment and looked back at the silent streets of the Hidden Leaf. It was a sad day for the Leaf; Konoha had lost a great pillar, a legend in the Hokage's office and now it didn't have a Kage. The one who had grabbed the seat yesterday was dead.
If other Villages had known that Danzo was the acting Hokage, they would have smelled blood and made attempts to attack the village. "Why are you not attending the proceedings, Naruto?"
"Is there any reason, I should?"
"You were close to the Sandaime Hokage and this is the time you get to say goodbye to him; this is the time we get to grieve for the loss we have incurred... I should know. I was struggling to deal with my own pain at the loss of someone I loved..."
The pain of losing someone you loved was something that was breaking to the heart. Yugao had felt it and even though she was trained to control her emotions as an Anbu, when he loved one died, she had been unable to control any of her emotions. Nevertheless, it was life, and with the help of Kushina, she was able to cope.
The woman had after all lost her husband, the great Yondaime Hokage and had to content with her son being a Jinchuriki and worse of all, the villagers hated him for it. Kushina's pain had been greater than hers, but she hadn't fell apart. She was a strong woman and Yugao admired her for her strength.
"You're mistaking something, Yugao," Naruto started in a firm tone. "Perhaps in the early days, I had grown to like the old man, but as the days grew, perhaps to be more specific, in the past months, i hadn't been smiling with him. Any more months to have come with him still alive, I would have grown to resent him. It is good that he died now before I could learn to dislike him."
Yugao was shocked at hearing that. For a moment she thought of slapping the blond, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing that reflected his emotions. Perhaps he wasn't focusing on the old man's death, perhaps he just didn't care.
Either way, it was wrong.
Yugao could not tolerate something like that and she was sure that Naruto would not speak like that in front of his mother. Kushina had sent her here because she had known that Naruto would not show himself in black. He needed someone, what could she do to help him? Someone so young shouldn't be like this, he had to have emotions.
"The Sandaime had at first fought to keep you away from Danzo because he didn't want you to become an emotionless robot, but it seems that he didn't have to worry about that," Yugao sad absent-mindedly.
"Emotions? I have them; they are just not wasted on pointless things. The Third is dead, we must move on. The dead must not hold us from looking forward. Admittedly, the Sandaime was doing all he could to secure my future, but with him gone now, I will have to get my hands dirty."
Well, not literally. He did have his toys now.
Yugao narrowed her eyes; the was a dangerous feeling in his tone and she didn't like it; it made her feel slightly nervous. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing major," Naruto said with a slight shrug. "I have to go away for some time to train and become stronger as I grow. A time away from this god forsaken village will do good to refresh my mind," the blond added.
Yugao shook her head. Even though the villagers were now whispering his name with small hidden smiles for his actions during the invasion, Naruto could still not like them. She was sure that a couple would be worried about him when they do realize that he wasn't present at the funeral, even though he had been close to the Sandaime Hokage.
She had become used to the fact that Naruto held no love for Konoha though. He never did show it to other people because he knew he would be treated as a flight risk, but the Sandaime had at times treated him as a flight risk and Naruto had known about it.
"A new Hokage would have to agree to it, but I don't think the council would agree to it," Yugao said calmly. Well, if they knew what the Sandaime thought about Naruto, they would keep him locked up in chains and keep him from leaving the village.
"I don't really care about the council: they will not dictate my actions, but if they are being stubborn, I will get Jiraiya to play his part," Naruto said before slowly standing up. "Come on, you must cover for our disappearance to Suna."
"We are going to Suna?"
Naruto shook his head, "I am going to Suna; you will stay behind to watch my mother. It will only be for about an hour though," the blond said firmly. "There are some things that I need to handle."
Yugao stared curiously; Suna wasn't just outside of the Leaf, it was far away into another country. It didn't take an hour to get to the village, it took much more than that.
"There are people who have gone ahead of me; they should be ready to call him at any time soon. I want to be ready when they do call me," Naruto said.
Sunagakure
Baki found himself sighing once more again; he was in the presence of the Village's council, the current ruling body within the village. Without a Kage, the council was now in charge of all decision making.
They had been fools to think that they would win a war with Konoha. They had supported the invasion and were not against it - all of them. Baki was a shinobi and he did not question orders, he merely did as instructed.
Perhaps the fools had become slightly greedy after Orochimaru had made the proposal. He had known that the snake Sannin had approached the council when Rasa had first refused to listen to the man's proposal. They had a good thing going after all, and they had secured Suna's future, so Rasa had no reason to betray that plan.
Yet, the council didn't have the same thought.
He should have noticed the differences though. Rasa had spoken proudly about the plan had he worked up with the Uzumaki and the Sandaime Hokage. Everything had been well and going smoothly. He had been a good father to his children and then all of them sudden, he flipped.
Baki had not questioned anything. He had his thoughts, but he didn't voice them.
He had been foolish.
But never again would he make that same mistake. He would look after the Godaime Kazekage and would question where he felt the decisions being made if they were questionable and if he felt they were wrong.
His thoughts were not the source of his sighs, nevertheless. He was dealing with the damn fools of the council. He had returned from Konoha to inform them about the decision that they had to make about what Danzo had informed him. The man had ordered them to surrender or risk being forced into submission.
"We simply cannot allow that man to rule over this village like that. Suna is ours and we will not sell it to that man.:"
"But we can hand them Temari. That traitorous snake did inform us of Rasa's deal with the Sandaime."
"Perhaps we should send a message to either Iwa or Kumo. I'm sure both villages would be willing to help, for a price I know, but we can use the Kazekage's children as bargaining chips."
There was a pause for a few moments.
"Yes, that would work. Neither village would want Konoha to get any stronger than it already is. They will think that if Konoha is coming after Sunagakure, what will stop it from coming after them after it has recovered from the invasion?"
This was the madness that was making Baki sigh. This was perhaps the longest he has attended. They could not come into a consensus.
"Baki..."
Whatever was going to be said was stopped when a murder of crows burst through the entrance of the chambers and the lights went dead. The reactions had been instantaneous as the people within the chambers quickly got up into their feet in fear and started shouting for Anbu and for Baki to do something. They had the idea that they were under attack.
No one was supposed to disturb them and if there was something that needed their attention, an Anbu would have reported it to Baki and the man would have told them about it, but this was an obvious attack on the council.
Perhaps what brought the fear were the crimson eyes that were glaring dimly within the murder of crows. It was undoubtedly the Sharingan, but who?
Itachi?
Before Baki could move, two white masked man flashed both in front and behind him, their blades pressed against his body. He was caught in a web and was certain, one wrong move; the blades would be piercing his body.
For now, he would stay still.
Baki glared at the murder of crows, certain there was someone. "Who are you?" He demanded.
The crows cawed as they started flying all over the chambers, revealing a very still Uzumaki Naruto holding a blade on his right hand; his eyes were just cold.
"Uzumaki, what is the meaning of this?"
When it was apparent to the council members that it was just a brat, they shouted for the Anbu to come forth and dispose of the fool who dared try to threaten them, but no help came. No one came. They just shouted and called helplessly.
Once tired, they glared at Naruto. "What is the meaning of this?"
"It has come to my attention that this council conspired with Orochimaru to invade Konoha even after your Kazekage had refused. If you had been fooled like everyone else, I would have let it slide, but you supported the invasion..." he paused before asking. "Why?"
"That is a foolish question to ask... do you think you can get out of here, gaki? This is our village and no sooner than later, this place will be crawling with Anbu. Be clever and we will not dispose of you but we will use as a bargaining chip to make Konoha forget everything."
Naruto didn't looked impressed at all. "You're not worth talking to anymore," the blond stated before blurring out of view. He appeared in front of an old council member with his blade held high. The others watched curiously, as the blade dripped with blood.
A second later, a head dropped to the floor.
Chaos reigned and Naruto snapped his fingers. Two more masked men appeared into the chambers and disposed of the remaining council members.
Baki watched with an expressionless look on his face. He didn't care about the old farts. If anything, he would have ended up killing them himself. They had become too power hungry and would drive this village toward the edge of a cliff.
Naruto settled down on one of the chairs and motioned for Baki to be freed. The man sat down across the blond. He really needed a seat. This was a coupe... one that would not be bad if he was able to negotiate. The village did need new faces to lead it out of this troubling situation.
"These are Danzo's men," Baki stated, looking straight at Naruto.
Naruto didn't respond to that; the man was merely making a statement, he didn't have to respond to it. "Danzo is dead; you no longer need to worry about surrendering to Konoha. A new Hokage will probably be Tsunade, and if she has kept the Sandaime's teachings, she won't make the same demands as Danzo made."
"Did you have a hand in his death?"
Again, Naruto didn't respond to the question. "For the next two and a half years, you will train Gaara in leadership. You will select a new smart council and then after you think he is ready, install Gaara as the Godaime Kazekage."
"Do you wish to make Gaara your puppet leader?"
"Gaara is a smart person, I'm sure he will be a good leader who will be grateful and will not make stupid decisions as the former council made..." Naruto paused. "Do you have a problem with this arrangement?"
"What do you plan on doing after? Rasa held a very high opinion of you and you don't look as if you're interested in controlling Suna, not that I would allow it."
"I have no interest in leading this village. I merely took an action that interests me and works well for me. If things go south in Konoha, I can come here with no problems and no one will object to it. This village can become a fortress with Gaara's power and any village would think twice about attacking it, so it makes it a safe place.
Nevertheless, if you do have problems, you can die in the next minute and I can look for someone else to do the job. The Anbu around here are dreaming in the world of genjutsu. As far as they are concerned, everything is going smoothly and the council members are still debating." The blond stood up. "I hope I do not have to come again and slaughter everyone in this room, with you included."
If Baki had been told that such a situation would appear before him in his life and caused by someone so young, he would have laughed until he rolled over the ground - it would have been ridiculous. But it was happening. He gave himself the credit for being calm about it. His next question surprised him though - he could not quite believe he was the one asking it.
"You seem to have things in script, what do you think will happen now? Even if the next Hokage doesn't make demands to Sunagakure, our relationship has reached a point where anything can happen... what do you think would be the best way to deal with the situation?"
Naruto looked at the man with a blank expression on his face as if to ask if the man was being serious. He shook his head, and gave his response. "I don't particularly care about that. What needs to happen will be up to you. I was merely removing objects that may cause troubles to spur. If they had gone to either Iwa or Kumo, a bloody war would have occurred soon enough. I wouldn't mind wiping out an entire village if it would prevent war from happening."
The lack of emotion made Baki doubt that this would be done because Naruto wanted a safe world. No, believed there was another reason for that. From what Rasa had observed, the blond didn't hold a high opinion of other people - in fact, he didn't care about them.
Baki placed his hands on the table and stared at the blond. "Konoha doesn't know you're here and I'm sure it doesn't know you are working with Danzo's people. If this got out, it would cause uproar. If you are saying Danzo is indeed dead and you have his people, then it is safe to say you had a hand in his death... does Konoha know about it? For a man who was acting as Hokage, it can be considered treason if it is discovered."
Naruto didn't look amused. "The people that matter are actually happy that he is dead," the blond stated calmly. "But if you're interested in doing blackmail or threats, hold all the cards in your hands and learn more about the game. But continue trying to play it, and I will reconsider allowing your existence to continue."
The blond burst into a murder of crows once again and was gone a second later along with the masked men.
Baki noticed the room glowing slightly and realized that there had been a barrier placed around. It was for sure blocking chakra from leaving the chambers and the sound as well. A smart move. Even if he had done his signals using chakra to alert the Anbu close by, they would not have felt it because of the barrier.
Never mind that, how was he going to deal with the situation now? The village had no leaders as things stood and without a Kage and a council, it was lost. He needed to step up and assume leadership role, but he would need help.
Civilians and retired shinobi would do in a new council. Yes, that would do. It wasn't just shinobi matters that were handled by a Kage but also, civilian matters. Someone to represent them would be needed. He just needed to be careful with whom he picked; otherwise, he would end up regretting it.
Konoha
Naruto's house
"Are you really fine, Naruto?" Mikoto asked, looking at Naruto with concern. He hadn't showed up at the Sandaime's funeral and he didn't seem to be suffering from grieve - in fact, he looked way normal and perhaps a little cold given the situation.
Mikoto believed that Naruto wasn't that of a cold person that he would no care if someone he cared for died. He and the Sandaime had been friends, well until of late. Naruto was no longer going to the Sandaime to have the normal talk; it was always business with the old man trying to manipulate the Naruto.
She had never been fond of the old man's tricks. Perhaps that was why she stayed away from the village politics, council and just focused on rebuilding her clan. The children were growing up nicely; they would grow into the politics of the village.
"I have no problems... for a moment I was a little sad that he is dead, but I have gotten over that," Naruto responded calmly.
They were sitting behind his house, in the garden: Yugao and Sasuke were also present. His mother was locked up in the house with Jiraiya. Naruto didn't know what they were talking about, but he hadn't bothered trying figure it out.
Mikoto sighed and just nodded. "Are you still serious about leaving the village for your training?"
Sasuke butt in before Naruto could respond. "Of course he was serious, mother," the Uchiha stated firmly.
Naruto would not joke around something like that; he didn't even do jokes, did he? Sasuke was sure they were going. He was really looking forward to the training. He would come back stronger; Naruto and Itachi would no longer leave him behind when they go out for dangerous missions; a child no more. Most of all, he would finally spend some quality time with his beloved brother.
"You appeared fine when I talked about it yesterday," Naruto said, having ignored Sasuke.
"I was," Mikoto paused and put on a look on her face. "But when I got home, I thought about it and realized that you would be gone for a bit too long for my liking. I will miss you. Really, just thinking about your absence in my life for at least a year makes me feel lonely and sad."
Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at this as he thought over a few things. "If it weren't for your responsibilities, you'd be free to come with us."
Mikoto nodded, "But at least when you do come, you will be all grown up and looking like a man. You think like a man, but haven't quite grown up, physically at least. I wish I could just sleep and wake up 3 or four years later."
Yugao stared at the sly smile on Mikoto's lips. Was it just her? She shook her head. No, she wasn't seeing things. Mikoto had the look of a hungry woman in her eyes. It wasn't for the first time she was seeing it. In fact, the woman treated Naruto like an adult and Sasuke as a child. When she spoke to Naruto, she spoke as if she was speaking to someone her age.
Certainly, the woman had some naughty thoughts about Naruto... could it be that she was 'booking' the blond? She was a fit single woman who didn't seem to have any interest in any man other than Naruto - who wasn't a man but a boy by the way.
However, that didn't seem to matter to Mikoto did it? She was waiting for the day when blond would come back all grown so that she could nasty things to him. Yugao turned red as her thoughts wondered off. She looked at Naruto, he was a fine looking boy who was mature, but his mother issues were definitely a problem.
How come neither Naruto nor Kushina seem to realize the intensions of Mikoto?
Yugao blinked when she realized that Naruto's eyes were staring into hers... she had been caught staring. She smiled and Naruto just shrugged it off with indifference. That was what she liked about him. He did ask questions, but not always.
Unfortunately, for Yugao, Mikoto didn't let it slip. "IS there something on your mind, Yugao?"
The former Anbu quickly shook her head. "No," she said.
"Have you cleared things with Anbu? When Konoha does get a new Kage, you won't be allowed to roam around as you are now. But it will be simple for you to come around here as you like."
"I have," Yugao said with a nod.
Mikoto nodded as well. "Are you planning on joining Naruto? Though, for you, it would be difficult to convince the leaders to allow you to leave."
Yugao merely shrugged. "I have been Anbu all my life, since I have quit Anbu, I would have to be drafted into the Jonin roaster or at least registered to take part in any missions. For now, I am free of all chains and until I agree to anything, I am retired as a shinobi. Besides, any Kage who comes in will only read a file that says I am incapable of carrying my duties as a shinobi... the Sandaime never got the chance to complete his report..."
Mikoto smiled. "I like that people who surround my boys are smart... well, I doubt Naruto would allow himself to be surrounded by a couple of idiots," she shook her head at the thought and turned to Sasuke. "You have to start using your head a lot more than ever... and I hope by the time you return, you will be mature..."
His mother was making it sound as if he doesn't use his mind. "I use my head, mother. I just cannot think like Naruto..." He frowned when he thought that his mother was trying to make him be like Naruto or at least comparing him to the blond.
Mikoto shook her head. "You cannot think like Naruto... it works for him because he is Naruto, but you are Sasuke, think like Sasuke and your things will work out well for you. Trying to be like someone else won't do you good..." the woman smiled brilliantly. "Besides, I love you for who you are. I will not ask you to be like Itachi or Naruto."
Sasuke smiled and almost thanked his mother, but Naruto was sitting right there. He didn't want to act like a child in front of the blond. He could see the kind of look he would receive. Then again, what could Naruto say when he was obsessed with his mother?