Zero Regrets
Summary: A post war act that could change the Elemental Nations. Minato asks for retribution, from winning the war from Iwagakure, how will this agressive decision reflect on Konohagakure? And how will it reflect on Soryûshi's life? AU, non cannon. Alive Minato and Kushina, non Uchiha massacre, fem Naruto.
A/N: The premise of the story only makes sense if the third Hokage stepped down before the war ended and Minato was the one making a piece treaty as fourth Hokage.
Zero experience while writing for others rather than me,it might be horrible but oh well. Enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 1 Third is the charm
Two pairs of eyes stared at each other. Bright green locked on light pink.
Without any warning, both jumped at each other as fast as they could, chakra being a decisive factor to who would be at an advantageous position.
*clink, clink*
The sound of metal clashing against each other, echoes in the air, preventing the enemy to strike at a vital spot. Small sparks are born from the strenght that both opponents put behind their slashes. The difference in strenght is marked on his muscles, with each hit a small pain invades his body, the muscles want to give but the brain keeps pushing harder and harder.
But a miscalculation in the heat of the battle draws the first blood.
*drip, drip*
A small red line is drawned on his cheek.
The pain, a minor set back. For what is the life of a ninja if not of endurance. Pain is an everyday reminder that they are alive.
Breaking his thoughts, is a small jet of fire heading on his way. He easily dodges and prepares for a counter move, but his opponent is no where in sigh.
"Show yourself, yellow demon!"
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as he suddendly felt a kill intent that made him very uneasy.
And all he knew was pain... A fist connected with the top of his head and stars was all he could see.
"You idiot, " yellow demon"? We are training, not playing ninja. " Kurotsuchi talked for the first time since their training began.
"Aw, cmon onee chan, I was just trying to add more exciting to the training ." The younger ninja answered.
Kurotsuchi smilled sadly at her otouto, even in their young age and after losing their mother after the war, he still had his cheerfulness. And if it depended on her, that would be a constant in the future. But she knew better, the ninja world changed people. In a world fuelled by death and greed cheerfulness had no place. The sooner one learns it the less they might suffer in the future.
"Come over here Soryûshi, lets work on our jutsu, little brother"
"We already know you have an affinity to Earth, Fire, Wind and Lightning. Now, since you have the same affinities as ojiisan and he already teached you the basics of Dust Release, I will teach you the basics of Lava Release!" Kurotsuchi told his little brother with a smile that promised pain if he didn't hurry up.
"Are you good enough to teach me that?" The other ninja now identified as Soryûshi questioned.
And that marked his second mistake of the day, as a flying fist connected once again with his head in a very painful way.
"Baka, stop wasting time. Of course I am good enough, you should feel honored to be taught by the future Tsuchikage!"
"Hear, hear!" Soryûshi pumped his fist in the air and laughed.
"Now listen up. Lava Release is a nature transformation kekkei genkai, a combination of Fire and Earth, unlike Dust Release that is a kekkei tõta using Wind, Fire and Earth. Whereas most kekkei are largely identical between users, Lava Release has a variety of forms depending on who's using it. My is in the form of volcanic ash and quicklime, because I am that awesome. You will need to find yours. Since you don't have Water affinity, I don't advise you copy my style. Find what comes naturally to you." Kurotsuchi said while nodding her head at her brother.
Few days ago at Konohagakure
In a room were gathered all head clans, the current Hokage Minato Namikaze and his 3 advisors, Danzou, the third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and his best friend Fugaku Uchiha.
The recent discussion about the war with Iwagakure being the main point. What sort of compensation would they demand the losing side.
"So we all agree on the amount stipulated, plus the percentage from future missions for a períod of no less than 4 years. Anyone wants to add something to discuss on this matter?" A man with azure blue eyes and spiked, yellow blood hair questioned.
"Hokage sama, had you given any thought about my proposal?" A man with an x-shaped scar on his chin that went by the name of Danzou Shimura asked , his eyes hiding any emotion as he spoke.
"You can't be serious about that! It could trigger a new war! Do I need to remind you that we just ended one?" A man knowed as the third Hokage, visible distressed slammed his fist on the table making everyone in the room remember his old moniker as Shinobi no Kami.
"Now is the time to take advantage! We won the war, if they refuse our demands we just need to remind them how and why they lost." Danzou affirmed calmly not looking at Hiruzen.
" Fugaku what say you?" Minato clearly waiting to know what the last of his advisors thoughts were on such an important matter.
"It's a very delicate issue. For one, bringing the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage would bring a value asset as ninja and as a hostage if the need arised. On the other hand, as Hiruzen has said, demanding this could be very dangerous. We might not even get out of Iwagakure alive after demanding such a thing. I don't know how I would react if it was my son Itachi in discussion instead. Things would problably get bloody."
"Hokage sama, if I may?" A guy with a hair style that resembles a pineapple asked. But despiste his hairstyle, his face showed great signs of an high intelligence that was knowed to those around him.
"Go ahead, Shikaku. The more different sides of this I get, the better we can plan."
"Perphaps if we appear to give them something without actually giving. We could tell them that she would only stay until she gets to jounin. After that she would be able to return home and be ready to assume the Tsuchikage role. Now there's two chances. One of her not wanting to return and stay here, making Konohagakure gaining a new bloodline. Or we make sure the next Tsuchikage views us in a good light. Meanwhile Iwagakure thinks they get a valueable spy on us, without us suspecting. It would be a battle of wills between the village of Konohagakure and the girl."
Minato, as a father of a little girl, wasn't clearly pleased with the situation, but he was Hokage and he had an obligation to do what's best for the village. With the arguments done from various head clans adding their points of view, he finaly declared his final decision.
"Very well, we will move forward with this immediatly. Prepare a small party to leave for Iwagakure and get ready for the possibility that they might go hostile on us. If needed I can get us out of there with the Hiraishin no Jutsu. I shall send a toad so Jiraiya can meet with us. Dismissed!"
Near Iwagakure's gates
Iwagakure, one of the Great Five Shinobi Village. The rocky mountain ranges that surround the village provide a natural stronghold that makes it a very difficult to penetrate without permission. The village's infrastructure is built from much of the surrounding rock and stone, shaped into tower like structures that are inter-connected by a network of bridges.
A small party composed by Minato, Shikaku, Jiraiya, Kakashi and Tsunade stared at the gates of Iwagakure. The group was waiting for the welcoming party and didn't had to wait for too long before a group of twenty ANBU approach them at high speed.
"It's show time, Jiraiya get your toads ready in case we need a distraction for retreat."
"On it Minato."
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" With a poof of smoke, several small toads appeared where Jiraiya's hand was moments ago and, just as fast a they appeared, they scattered away hiding from everyone waiting until new orders were given.
A few seconds later, Konoha's party was surrounded by the ANBU from Iwagakure and the tension from the still fresh war was visible to everyone.
"Hokage sama, Tsuchikage sama is awaiting for you. We shall escort you and your party to the location where the meeting shall take place. If you would follow us." The leader of the group told them and turned around departing as soon as he finished speaking, not hiding his distaste towards the group.
Back with Soryûshi and Kurotsuchi
"Focus more on your chakra control, you are doing well and as you get older, and with the right training, you will get more chakra. The Dust Release takes a lot of chakra to perform so don't depend only on it. We should progress with Taijutsu someday." Kurotsuchi told to Soryûshi as their training ended .
"Hai, Hai! Want to go back home or grab something to eat somewhere ?" Soryûshi asked while clearing the sweat dropping from his forehead with his sleeve. That was one hell of a training but he always enjoyed training with his onee chan. Also helped that she was considered a prodigy just like him so they wouldn't need to hold back.
Being related to the Tsuchikage wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Yes people treated them with some sort of respect, but some times they had too much respect to say what they were thinking, or maybe it was fear? Anyway, the worse tho was the constant pressure to be better than everyone else. It was a níce motivator but sometimes it could put you down on a path of solitude where all you would do was training. Apart his onee chan, he didn't had any actual friends and he could only guess it was the same for her.
"Let's go home, it's your time to cook and the perfect oportunity for you to try to do something better than me." Kurotsuchi quickly decided, disregarding any of Soryûshi's complaints that there were many things he was better than her at, sadly he couldn't name one .
"So, have you give any thought to how you will use your Lava Release ?" Kurotsuchi asked while they were moving back home and with Soryûshi still whining that he could beat her in other things...problably.
"Huu, I thought about how you work with lava and water, so I thought why not do the complete reverse? Adding earth to the lava, I could throw some cool rock projectiles imbued in lava! Or, or make some mini golems to fight for me ahah! How cool would that be?" At this point Soryûshi was jumping around Kurotsuchi, clearly having too much fun getting new ideias.
Kurotsuchi was about to reply, when she suddendly felt the chakra of two ANBU approaching them at high speed . She wondered if the old man needed something with them. Well, she would find it soon enough.
"Kurotsuchi, the Tsuchikage is requesting your presence right now. If you would, please follow us right now." The leader of the group told her in a monotone but showing the importance that her presence required.
"Soryûshi, start making the dinner. Don't think you can escape today. This will be fast, I will be right back, ok ?" She said with a smile and her pink eyes staring at the Tsuchikage's tower in the horizon. Soryûshi could only nod, watching they leave him behind.
Tsuchikage's tower
It was a large round room, brown coloured with a few plants in the corner. On the walls you could see detailed maps and some pictures from the previous Tsuchikages and some renowned ninjas. Various books were on display, some new, some older, from laws to economy. On the desk there were various documents, two piles of it. Minato winced looking at it. On the lead of the table was a very short, old man with a triangular beard and a moustache that has angular corners, a big red nose and thick eyebrows. This man was the third Tsuchikage, Õnoki. Besides him was a large group of ANBU and his son Kitsuchi, a high ranked shinobi by his own merit.
On the other end of the room were Konoha's group of Minato, Shikaku, the two sannins and Kakashi. While they waited for the last member to arrive, the discussion about the economy sanctions .
"So I take this will be all and you can leave our village immediatly?" Kitsuchi said in a low tone, that sounded more like a threat than a question.
Jiraiya snorted at this and spoke sofly only for Tsunade, who was near him.
"Guess he doesn't know we are expecting someone else. Boy, will this be fun or what?"
The only answer that Tsunade gave was a well placed elbow on his ribs.
At that moment a knock on the door was heard.
"Come in". The Tsuchikage answered with a firm tone, hiding his sadness very deeply for what was about to happen.
At this, two new ANBU enter the room escorting Kurotsuchi.
"Kurotsuchi? What are you doing here? What's the meaning of this?" Kitsuchi asks in a mix of confusion and fear that this meeting might take more from him than he expected .
"This two ANBU told me that the old man over there wanted my presence here. I would like to know aswell what I am doing in the presence of this trash." She sneered upon looking at the Konoha's group .
The Tsuchikage laughed internally, it was refreshing to see his granddaughter with a Will of Stone so strong. He only hoped he could get a way to refuse this horrible deal with the tree huggers. His past mistakes were catching up to him.
"Kurotsuchi, this Konoha's group is here regarding the past war. Now what I am going to say might be hard to hear but please, let me finish before interrupting, or trying to kill anyone here." Õnoki tried to calm her before speaking but clearly wasn't being sucesseful looking at her face.
"Hey, Minato. Can you sense a presence outside spying on this meeting?" Jiraiya whispered to his former student to make sure he wasn't the only one .
"Hai, who ever it is, isn't making a very good job at hiding so I don't think it's that important. The chakra is similar to the girl's chakra. Pretty sure they also noticed it." Minato shrugged it off but had a small smile on his face.
"Part of the sanctions that Konoha demands is... They want you to go with them and join as Konoha's ninja until you are a jounin and have then a choice of returning home."
"Have you gone insane? It's my daugther! I won't let this happen, you won't sell my daugther to the people that murdered her mother. She will be a prisoner inside that village. She is training to be Tsuchikage and she has the potencial to be a great one. This is their game, they want to cripple our future while making sure of their own." Kitsuchi was livid at this point, his rage only growing by the minute.
"We will not discuss this here! Do you think I take any pleasure on sending my own kin to Konoha? The Princess of Iwagakure living around the people we hate the most? No, they have one over us now, but" and now Õnoki stared directly at Minato, " you better watch your back, you might be the strongest village now, but things change pretty quick in this world we live on." Õnoki said, leaving a sense of premonition in the air.
And then there was silence.
No one knows for how long , a minute, an hour. They were all waiting, all eyes on the girl, awaiting her reaction.
But it wasn't Kurotsuchi that reacted.
The sound of breaking mirror echoes in the room and all eyes turn around to see a small boy with bright green eyes, black short hair and an angry face but it didn't had much of effect on all this war hardened ninjas and also didn't help that the kid was six years old and that look made him look more cute than scary .
"No! You tree huggers and specially that yellow demon won't be taking onee chan away! I will kill you all or die trying before I see her away!" Most of the Konoha's group was laughing silently, for the exception of Jiraiya that was being very vocal and Kakashi that was smiling with his..eye?
But they all stopped laughing when they felt chakra being molded.
Soryûshi was molding his chakra into his hands, while thinking about his lessons with his ojii about the Dust Release . It was very taxing, so he only had this one chance. And he had to capitalise on their surprise . Sadly he didn't had the same control nor chakra that his ojii has, so his attack would be on a much shorter scale. Maybe if he aimed for the heart of the demon.
"Jinton :Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!" A small cube started forming on his hands. But before he could release it, a red blur grabbed his hand and redirected the jutsu to the wall the opposite side, hurting no one and leaving him panting.
*whistle *
"So young and already using Jinton, you have a little prodigy here Tsuchikage sama. A prodigy that doesn't want his sister to come with us. Perphaps we could get to a new agreement ." Said a smiling Jiraiya to Minato while still grabbing the kids hand.
"No! Absolutely not ! You came for..." Kurotsuchi couldn't finish her sentence before Soryûshi interrupted her very loudly .
"I accept! Onee chan won't ever be a tree hugger. She will be the next Tsuchikage and lead us to greatness. I will go in her stead and endure whatever you had planned for her. I won't let you do anything to her."
At this point both Kurotsuchi and Soryûshi were crying their heart down. They were the only friends they had and were siblings, if one left, solitude was all that awaited them.
Every child learns to hate Konoha from an early age. It's not hard since with the war, most people lost someone to Konoha's ninjas. Now Soryûshi had to go to the place he hated the most but for his onee chan he would do it without any regrets.
"What say you Tsuchikage sama? Will you allow this to happen? Or shall we take the girl as previously agreed?"
Minato challenged Õnoki.
To be honest, Minato prefered to bring the kid instead of the girl. They were both prodegies, but separating the girl from her parent hit too close to home and made him think about his daugther. What if their situation were reversed? And besides, the kid had spark in him, having the balls to attack the Hokage and with jinton no less. Almost made him laugh if not for the situation they were in. He would problably get well with his daugther if there was no shadows of a war that scarred everyone.
Tsuchikage was having an horrible day, and this decision was one that made him hate being the leader at the moment. Regardless this situation could work for him. He could keep training Kurotsuchi to become Tsuchikage, her hate and the will to get her brother back would boost her training and her skills would growth exponencial. Soryûshi would train under Konoha's best and get inside information. He might hate Konoha, but it's know they have very strong ninjas and an advanced academy. It would pain him to see him leave, but it was necessary at the moment and he would make sure he is properly treated and trained.
Taking one last look at his family, he only saw pain and sadness. He only hoped they would forgive him one day.
"Very well, but I want Soryûshi to be treated well and trained by the best once he gets to genin. If you can't do that I guarantee you will heard from us sooner than you might like." Õnoki glared and let out a bit of killing intent to show he was very serious about this.
"That's reasonable, I am glad we agreed on this. We will be awaiting for him outside of the gates, I think we might have over staying our welcome. Until the next time Tsuchikage sama." And with that Minato left with his group, followed by the ANBU.
Inside stayed the Tsuchikage, Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, Soryûshi and a few ANBU.
"Why did you do that? How could you be so stupid?" Kurotsuchi yelled to the air. Was it to Soryûshi for taking her place as hostage? Or to the old man for allowing this? Or her father for doing nothing, even tho she knew there was nothing he could do? She simply didn't know and at this point didn't care. Her sadness was just to unbearable.
For some time, no one said anything. The only sound were the ticks of the clock and the wind blowing from the still broken window.
"Sorry onee chan, I couldn't let you go. Your future is here, you will be the greatest Tsuchikage ever. Your Will of Stone is uncomparable, I just couldn't let them take you. The next time I see you I hope you are wearing that big and ugly hat." He then approach her and hugged her for all her worth.
"Love you." He said with his face on her waist.
And with that no more words were needed. They all said their farewells, hoping that eveything would go for the best.
At the gates, before Soryûshi joined with the Konoha's group, Õnoki called him for a parting gift that would help him immensely in the future.
"Soryûshi, I want you to take this scroll. Study it, master it and show me the next time we see each other. This is a very special and powerful Kenjutsu. It's the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. I believe and trust in you with this knowledge. If some tree huggers bother you, show them not to mess with Iwagakure ninjas. Good luck."
Kitsuchi was next and hugged his son, words weren't his strong point but words weren't needed right now. All that mattered were showing in each others eyes.
"Good luck, son. We will be expecting you soon."
Finaly the siblings stared at each other. " So is this your way of finaly beating me on something? Pretty lame if it is." Kurotsuchi said on a sad tone.
"Guess this was my third mistake of the day. But I don't see it as such. I beat you because even if you can't see it right now, this was the best for the two of us."
"Thank you for eveything onee chan, sincerely." And with that he parted away and met with Konoha's group.
Jiraiya watching the kid approaching, called for him.
"Hey kid, you ready to leave? You won't come back for a while."
Soryûshi looked one last time at the village, the orange sunset lurking in the sky, bathing the village with it's color, the wind blowing in a way that seemed to be waving him goodbye.
"The village really looks beautiful under the sunset."
And turning around he started walking towards them, leaving for what might be the last time he sees the ones he loves.