In the Name of Revolution
Disclaimer: I will try to make sure to mention this with every chapter I post for this story - I do not own Naruto, nor do I own any of its characters.
Slightly AU. Sakura x ? (To be determined, you can pitch ideas though).
Sigh.. This is my first fanfic ever. I've been debating about writing something/anything for a really long time and decided to give it a try. I truly didn't realize how intimidating this task was until I decided to start writing.. So for your wonderful fanfic writers out there, I ADMIRE you. It took me four hours more or less to even get this much.. but I decided to post it anyways to gauge the response to see whether or not I should even bother.
Just a warning. In this story that I've crafted, the society that these characters live in have been vastly changed by the introduction of technology, so in a sense, it is very modern. This much hasn't quite been revealed in what I've written so far, so this is something to keep in mind.
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Sigh. "The amount of time that I will remain in office simply isn't long enough. However, regardless of who will be appointed to be President next, all of you must continue performing the tasks you have been delegated."
In the cloak of darkness, several audience members had nodded their assent.
Said President continued: "It has come to my attention that those Uchihas have steadily been amassing great public support and influence with their successful business ventures. Their stakes in both the economy and community have made them favorable candidates of the next presidential election. Those Hyuugas have also secured the public's attention with their so-called philanthropic activities. It goes without saying: the Uchihas and Hyuugas can not be trusted. It is our duty to protect Konoha and we simply can't fulfill this task if my position were to be claimed by these two naturalized unknown entities that seem to only have wealth and power on their agendas."
Near the President's desk sat six individuals, one of which asked: "Ne baa-chan. I mean, why can't you just rig the elections like old-man Sarutobi and my pops did? Just choose someone we know and tell the public they chose 'em."
Before the angry blond could retort at the lack of respect, a silver-haired and masked man who sat at the outer edge of the room politely interrupted. Perched precariously on a chair by one leg next to a man who fashioned a bowl-cut haircut, and with one gray eye lazily skimming the room, he proceeded to say: "I apologize for interrupting Hokage-sama" a resurrected term of reverence for the President reserved for their secret meetings, "but I can answer this for Naruto. You see, the Uchihas and Hyuugas are too smart for that. Especially with the backings of the Naras, Yamanakas, and Akimichis, the presidential appointment will not be announced and received without great scrutiny. Although these five families may not have originated from Konoha like all of us here, their affluent positions have allowed them to quickly gain and establish trust with the citizens, which makes it even harder to control the direction of the presidential race. They hardly care or understand matters of importance like a family's origination and their intentions, but seem to be well satiated with the feel-good emotions that these families willingly supply with their carefully-concocted humanitarian efforts. That is why we must do all we can now, in the shadows, to ensure that the results are in our favor - for the sake of the people of Konoha."
Another sigh. The busty blond nodded contemplatively and continued: "Kakashi is right. Sakura and Sai, you both are in favorable positions to continue keeping tabs on these unknown heirs. Amongst your squad, you two are the only ones enrolled into the Konoha Preparatory Academy. So it is vital that you keep your distance and observe. Although at first I had asked you to gather intel, we need to know all that we can about these heirs and their families. We've only heard rumors about the special kekkei genkais that these families possess, however, the individual abilities of each member of the family has still yet to be determined. Do what you can to provoke them, but remember… do not place yourself under their scrutiny. We have only operated this long under our network's strict adherence to secrecy. Don't blow it."
"Of course shishou. I'm not going to shout from the rooftops that I'm a shinobi like someone we know…" replied a kunoichi with startling emerald eyes and rosette locks to which her black-haired companion nodded sagely. And to the whiskered blond's chagrin, the room was full of sniggers which made him pout.
With a grin, the hokage issued her final statement of night: "Tenten, Kiba, Lee, Naruto, your quad will continue keeping tabs on the students at Konoha high. Keep an ear out for anything out of the ordinary. Remember, the other shinobi stationed there are under your charge, send them out periodically to gather intel. Report to me at our next meeting, so Naruto stop barging into my office even though your dad used to be President - it's suspicious!" The whiskered blond frowned. "Dismissed."
And as soft as a whisper, the room had been emptied leaving only the sole occupant, the venerable President of Konoha, Tsunade, nursing a cup of sake as her dutiful assistant took post outside.
With time, comes changes; and this simple fact is inherently true for the current standing for the now-country of Konoha. Once a hidden village nestled in the leaves of the Fire Country known for their admirable and heroic shinobi conquests, Konoha exists in a democracy run by civilians (non-shinobi folk) using a system of checks and balances (much like the US). Despite Konoha's rich history since its birth during Hashirama Senju's time, its countless history books and scrolls were determined by the masses to be "too entrenched in the habitual sacrifice of loved ones" which was indicative by the ever-present stain of crimson on its pages. At one point in time during the many seemingly fruitless battles and wars over power, again, fueled by the need to protect Konoha, civilians had decided to rid the 'unnecessary' evil entirely. In an act that for once in their lives allowed civilians to take the reigns over the future of Konoha and thereby shattering age-old traditions, they revolted. The civilians demanded to forgo the casualties of the incessant wars to have the opportunity to live a normal and conventional life.
For what purpose do the kages and shinobis of each respective nation exist? To protect the lives and interests of all citizens within their respective countries, at all costs. Though it took many years of hell-bent rebellion under the guise of revolution, and threats of relinquishing their residency and citizenship from many fed-up civilians, the last-formally recognized hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had acquiesced to the citizen's naivety. Sarutobi Hiruzen abdicated his position as the sandaime and had installed the newly-public-elected President, Namikaze Minato to lead their new nation. Whether or not Minato was a shinobi at the time was irrelevant, for it was the fact that the citizens had been able to choose and appoint their leader (or so they thought) was what mattered. It wasn't too long afterwards that other shinobi nations took a leaf out of Konoha's book and had followed suit - a new age was born.
However, that didn't mean that the way of the shinobi had been completely abandoned… In fact, to fortify the stability of the current Konoha, covert shinobis and kunoichis work in the cover of shadows to protect this new way of life. While civilians remain blissfully unaware and ignorant of the unknown and imminent danger that constantly threatens them and their 'ever-important' livelihood, countless shinobis place their lives on the line of duty to protect them. Despite civilian denouncement of shinobis and their meddling, shinobis simply continued their activities in secrecy. Regardless of whether or not civilians permitted/sanctioned or were even aware for such a vast underground shinobi-network operation to still exist and run, shinobis will forever protect the well-being and interests of all citizens of Konoha, at all costs. That is the oath they had sworn into when they took up the daunting yet vital task. And it is with that that these loyal and cleverly-disguised Konoha citizens took up the posts of students, teachers, mailmen, politicians, engineers, etc., to best perform their duties.
After departing from the hokage's office, the members in her audience quickly went about their rounds to notify the other shinobi of the new orders. Under the pretense of visiting friends or simply making house-calls, one thing was clear: stay vigilant.
Author's Note: Okay… I really do not know how long or short a normal chapter is or should be. Again, this is my first ever fanfiction, so I apologize if it's not the best. If there isn't a lot of interest for this story or this type of story, I'll probably just end it. So I'd be grateful for reviews, good or bad (not cruel).