"Dammit Leech! Another fic already?! What are you thinking?!" Is what I'm certain most of you are going to ask. Short and sweet: I wanted Mokuton Hinata but couldn't find it, so here it is now. I am aware that in canon having that ability is a bit more complex than just line of descent and even if it wasn't there's no connection between Hashirama and Hinata, but I don't care.
This is EXTREMELY AU! Don't expect canon Naruto's skills, certain incidents change, others might be avoided entirely. Oh and Hiashi isn't mean either. Considering what he becomes in Boruto though, that really shouldn't surprise you.
As with all my works as Leechblade, this is a fanfiction, that means I don't own the characters or setting, and paying for this is just gonna land us all in a heap of trouble…
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage stood against the Nine tailed fox, which had escaped from the seal upon his beloved wife Kushina's seal. Of all the times for the damned thing to break loose! And that sharingan wielder claiming to be Madara? Curse his former student Obito Uchiha for what he had done! Complete and utter betrayal of the Will of Fire. He had been mortally wounded already, and his wife was as good as dead.
There were a thousand and one ways this terrible incident might have been averted. If their assailant hadn't possessed mangekyou sharingan. If he had trusted a few more of Konoha's shinobi to guard him and his wife during the birth. If Jiraiya-sensei could have stayed another week in the village. Hell if he had just trusted Mito Uzumaki's sealcraft to keep Kurama in check during the birth.
Now Minato Namikaze had no choice but to entrust the future to his son whom had been born a scant few hours before. No choice but the use of the fuinjutsu he had carefully prepared in case the worst occured. One hundred and forty four hand signs were needed. He needed to be quick about them.
All twelve hand signs twelve times each, starting from the zodiac year in which the caster was born. "Zodiac Twelve Locus Seal!" This seal was the pinnacle of chakra sealing techniques. It would filter the Fox's powerful strength into Naruto's own chakra coils, allowing for the boy to have earthshaking potential as a shinobi. The other four points on the seal would allow the Bijuu to understand the host a tad better than normal. With any luck Naruto would have an easier time as a Jinchuuriki then Kushina.
Using what little remained of his chakra, Minato sent a messenger clone to his predecessor Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the hopes that the clone would be able to tell Hiruzen what the hell had happened.
"My son is a hero. Don't let the villagers believe otherwise old man. And get Kakashi ready for the Hat." The clone would vanish before Hiruzen could learn the whole story however, thus the Fourth's dying wish was all the man heard. Kakashi would have made a fine guardian for Naruto, and a better Fifth Hokage, however his sole surviving and loyal student was frankly too young and too broken at this point. He could only hope that the old monkey had a plan…
Hiruzen Sarutobi, The formerly retired Third Hokage had received his Successor's unfortunate message and was dismayed. How could the Fourth be defeated so easily? MInato Namikaze was a nigh legendary seal-master, he should have been able to prevent this incident from happening. The only thing that made sense was that some heartless monster had gone and sabotaged the seal.
At the very least Minato and Kushina's son Naruto had survived, even if he now bore the same burden the other Uzumaki of Konoha had been chained with. First things first: make damned sure that those idiot civilians on the council couldn't order the boy executed. The Civilian Council was for civilian problems usually a very good ruling body, however they had trouble telling the difference between a scroll and the sword sealed within it.
Oddly apt comparison there, considering the typical role of Jinchuuriki, but Hiruzen's role for now was getting Naruto into a good home to grow up in. He had donned the robes that accompanied the title of Hokage and stormed into the council chamber. "Alright, here's what's happened. MInato apparently took a fatal hit from the Nine tails and as did Kushina Uzumaki." It hadn't been common knowledge that those two were married.
"Lord Fourth sealed the monster away within an infant, Kushina's son, Naruto Uzumaki." Hiruzen explained. It was a simple task now to wait for the council's reaction. It wasn't as the old ninja had hoped though.
One of the civilian councilors, a man named Kanzaki if Hiruzen recalled correctly immediately opened his mouth. "We must strike while the creature is weak!" spoke the civilian without any knowledge whatsoever of fuinjutsu. "He sealed it away so we would have the chance to slay that monstrosity!"
Hiashi Hyuga, head of the Hyuga Clan spoke up in a rather…. Uncharacteristic manner "Oi Kanzaki-baka. Even if one of you killed the kid, which we of the shinobi council will not allow, I believe the fox would just reawaken in a nine years. It happened to the three tailed turtle after the death of Rin Nohara." The long haired man with blank eyes spoke. "It'd be best if one of the clans took him in." he noted.
"And would your clan with those damned cursed seals be any better?" spoke Fugaku Uchiha "Attempt to place that seal on the fox's cage, and you will let the beast free again!" The sharingan wielder spat with more hate than typical of the Uchiha clan.
"Obviously not my clan. I know enough to think it would be the worst possible idea. Though with any luck the next generation will be able to wipe the slate clean." Hiashi growled causing Fugaku to blink. The Uchiha and the Hyuga were united on something. This was a rare occasion indeed to get those two Dojutsu wielders to cooperate.
Kanzaki replied "All adoptions fall under the jurisdiction of the civilian council." unfortunately without the Mokuton or the Mangekyo Sharingan it truly was out of shinobi hands. "I do not know how the rest will vote but I will be personally preventing this demon from corrupting any of the shinobi who will defend us against it when it finally remembers it's true self!" A buffoon, committing an unforgivable sin, spoke.
Hiruzen was deafened and saddened by the noise of the civilian council. He screamed and raged within his mind as those ingrates made it require a miracle for Naruto Uzumaki, the Leaf's best line of defense against the Nine Tailed Fox, to have a family that would care for him as all children born deserve.
"Very well. I have no choice but to accept the verdict of the civilian council." Hiruzen said aloud 'But the boy will be a shinobi one day. A very good one if his lineage is indication, and you fools will be sorry then!' he thought to himself the whole way back to his never to be sufficiently damned office…
It took a few months and the winter was particularly harsh, but the rebuilding of Konoha had been completed. Now to prepare the torch for a new generation. Hiruzen summoned Kakashi Hatake, also known as Anbu guard Inu to his office for a very important discussion.
Kakashi entered the room from the hidden access in the ceiling, which was expected of an Anbu operative. Hiruzen wasn't in the mood for excuses or diplomacy by this point. "Remove your mask, and hand it over boy." The Hokage ordered unceremoniously.
Kakashi was taken off guard. Ordinarily Anbu operatives were the ones who chose whether or not they could stay in the corps, but Hiruzen was point blank ordering him out of Anbu. Kakashi reluctantly did as he was told. Apparently Shimura's opinion on Lord Third was either uninformed or far too biased. "May I ask the reason for this forced retirement?"
"You're not retiring as a shinobi, not even close. Thing is I can't afford to waste the only surviving student of Minato Namikaze in Anbu at the moment. The Will of Fire has dimmed far too much and we need to light it brighter than ever in order to survive." Hiruzen.
Kakashi stood at attention and gave a salute. "Jounin Kakashi Hatake reporting for duty. What are your orders Lord Hokage?" The Will of Fire was pretty much the only thing keeping the silver haired teenager standing at this point. If there was a threat to that Will… then the Grim Reaper himself wouldn't stop Kakashi from exterminating that threat.
"For now you need to fulfill the legal requirements for being Hokage. That means training a genin team and finding a spouse. Not to mention getting quite a bit stronger." Hiruzen commanded. The law adding those two requirements had been the brainchild of Hashirama Senju himself, and served to prevent the ideals of any given Hokage from dying out, as well as giving them bonds to keep them from going over the edge. It was a highly effective system, one that had kept the will of fire burning strong.
Hashirama Senju had been married before he formed Konoha, Tobirama Senju had married a civilian woman during his time as leader of Team Tobirama. Though their children had little interest in the shinobi arts it suited the Second Hokage to the ground. Hiruzen's now deceased wife had been named Biwako.
Indeed the law preventing bachelors or bachelorettes from becoming Hokage was a genius one. After all few could argue it's effectiveness "What's the point of climbing to the top if none are there to share the view with?" was typically asked of those contesting that particular law. It always shut them up.
This law had protected Lord Hashirama's dream in a highly effective manner. Each Hokage in turn was the sort of leader who understood strategy, the enemy and a warrior's heart. While shinobi are often considered heartless mercenaries outside of a Ninja Villages, within the walls all and sundry understand that shinobi were still human.
All except for Danzo Shimura. He took things much too far with his ROOT program and the moment Hiruzen found an excuse to pull that particular weed he was going to yank it up with the combined strength of every shinobi he could muster.
When Hiruzen finally pulled himself from his musings on that particular set of laws, Kakashi had already flickered out of the room. With Kakashi on the path to becoming the fifth Hokage Hiruzen had one less issue to think about. Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki would give him no choice but to join the shinobi academy.
Luckily enough while the daft idiots on the civilian council couldn't control what ninja did in their free time. For instance, if a ninja of any rank short of Kage wished to train some kid, barring a criminal record bad enough to warrant their chakra being sealed, the civilian council couldn't say a thing.
The Shinobi council was a tad more problematic on that front. It was still quite simple as all it required was making sure a volunteer sensei stayed away from teaching Dojo or Clan techniques. Though that bit wasn't really a problem, just a part of the way things were…
Three years passed and the war between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire ended. This also forced the shinobi to make nice, however all was not as it seemed. The Raikage had foolishly trusted the situation to a man whom had big ambitions, a small brain, and no heart to speak of.
Warui Rei was a skilled shinobi, but skilled and good aren't exactly the same thing. He'd been asked to head up a delegation to Konohagakure and figured that it was the perfect opportunity to steal a bloodline from the tree-huggers. This in spite of the fact that the practice had been banned since Kumo's 'Uchiha Incident'
He'd heard that the head of the Hyuga clan's brat was turning three that day in a bar. Warui had just the gift for her, a one way ticket to Kumogakure to be used as breeding stock later in life. It was effortless for him to sneak into the Hyuga clan's mansion and find the kid's bedroom.
Nothing like a bit of chloroform to help in bloodline acquisition. Unfortunately for Rei, the Byakugan wasn't the only power sleeping within little Hinata Hyuga. In addition to her eyes being able to gain 359 degree vision that could penetrate most walls, the very chakra her body produced had certain … special properties.
An unusual blending of Suiton chakra and Doton Chakra that resulted in a power that only one person before her. Mokuton chakra affinity. The capacity to manipulate vegetation at will. In addition to calming Bijuu. This power could forge legends, but on that fateful night it would save two lives.
Just before Hiashi Hyuga would have caught and slain the intruder within his compound, vines erupted from the floor immobilizing the Kumo Ninja with the minimum of damage to his body. Though that particular patch of floor would need to be replaced, Hiashi supposed it was marginally better then having to deal with a corpse. "I'm entirely unaware how you got all tied up like that, but you'll paying a visit to an interrogation room." The head of the Hyuga clan intoned, barely containing his rage.
The Hyuga were a harsh clan, Hiashi himself had invoked severe pain upon his own brother, Hizashi, earlier that day. Even so, it takes a specific type of man to stand idly by while some stranger carries his daughter off, and that sort of man Hiashi was not.
A few strikes to the intruder's chakra network kept him from anything resembling an effective escape attempt, and Inoichi Yamanaka had a new subject to grill before the sun came up in the morning. It wasn't even breakfast time when Warui Rei broke. He'd fessed up to his whole half-baked plan, even flat out admitting that this kind of stunt would get him in big trouble with Killer A, the fourth Raikage.
A meeting between Hokage and Raikage was organized to discuss reparations for this unfortunate incident. It was held within Konoha and Killer A was being unusually cooperative. He was still conservative with his offers, however all of the Uzumaki clan knowledge in Kumo's hands was relinquished, including a Hiden Technique that they had used to keep their bloodline pure.
While Hinata's gifts had yet to be unveiled, as her power's awakening had been attributed to actions of a teen aged Anbu operative who had been observing the situation. Yamato, as he would eventually be called, had been forcibly implanted with the Mokuton, and as such had preferred not to use the more potent applications of the power that Orochimaru had forced upon him.
Peace reigned once more, and Hiruzen passed a law forbidding any form of early graduation from Konoha's ninja academy. This brought the situation in Konoha a step closer to the truth of Hashirama's dream. A place where kids could be kids, that was the objective of a Hokage.
The Village hidden in the leaves had failed that boy time and again, but the moment when they would have no choice but come through for him was fast approaching. Secrets don't like staying hidden, especially when the secret was born of ignorance rather then deliberate action. For now however, parents and children are still together, guarded by the shadow of fire.
Okay I have to admit this first chapter feels like it is missing something, despite my best efforts to flesh it out. So, Kakkashi's already out of Anbu, Yamato is a known factor of the same (Still has the big bro type relationship with Kakashi though.) and Hinata has the Mokuton already.
Now some of you might complain that it should have been unveiled immediately however the time plot wise and in setting wise isn't right. Don't worry the next chapter will fix that.
Obviously this is going to be epic length, almost has to be considering how damned long Naruto is.