Disclaimer: I own nothing. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
The following story utilizes a number of Japanese terms. The following is brief glossary of them:
Iwagakure (Iwa) = Village Hidden by the Rocks
Konohagakure (Konoha) = Village Hidden in the Leaves
Sunagakure (Suna) = Village Hidden by the Sand
Kumogakure (Kumo) = Village Hidden in the Clouds
Kirigakure (Kiri) = Village Hidden by the Mist
Amegakure (Ame) = Village Hidden by Rain
Getsugakure = Village Hidden Under the Moon
Yugakure = Village Hidden in Hot Water
Ishigakure = Village Hidden in Stones
Takigakure (Taki) = Village Hidden by Waterfall
Shimogakure = Village Hidden in Frost
Kusagakure (Kusa) = Village Hidden in the Grass
Shodaime = First
Sandaime = Third
Yondaime = Fourth
Tsuchikage = Earth Shadow
Hokage = Fire Shadow
Raikage = Lightning Shadow
Kazekage = Wind Shadow
Biju = Tailed Beast
Jinchuuriki = Power of Human Sacrifice
Kyuubi no Kitsune = Nine-Tailed Fox
Iwagakure
Earth Country
Onoki cursed as he flung the sake bottle against the wall of his office. He was satisfied to see it shatter even though he lamented the loss of the expensive sake which had been a gift. He had been saving that sake to commemorate their victory. He stared down as the expensive rice wine puddled on the floor, staining it. Worthless. All of it.
They had almost won. They had been on the verge of victory over those damn tree huggers! And then … and then … he shook his head as he remembered the only survivor describe the … the massacre was only word that fit.
Nearly three hundred Rock Nins. Obliterated in a flash. Onoki saw the terror, the haunted shock in the sole survivor's eyes as he clutched his shoulder spasmodically; detailing how in an instant, Minato Namikaze had quite literally disarmed him with one of those damnable tri-pronged kunai of his.
The losses were barely a drop in the bucket for the total number of causalities in this war. But never so many in a single stroke. Never so many by a single man. And never so many in a bare instant.
The news had stunned Onoki but it was even worse for his men. They were flushed with victory after victory. Their success had gone to their heads. He had seen them swaggering around, secure in their impending triumph. He had tried to temper their arrogance as he knew from bitter experience that Konoha would not go down so easily and had seen too many come-from-behind victories. But that was only to keep the damn youngsters from getting too cocky. Even he had been sure—sure damn it!—that they were going to win.
They had been riding the wave of victory, only it had crested and left them stranded in the muck with their spirit in tatters around their feet. Shattered. Just like the sake bottle, his eyes flicked to the fragments lying on the floor with a rueful grimace.
Suddenly, they were stumbling and hesitant—they were the ones falling back while the tree huggers were gaining ground. Iwa was going to lose. It was all but certain at this point. Konoha had retaken the advantage and initiative despite their losses. But even more importantly, his men's belief in their ability to win was destroyed while Konoha's was probably higher than it had ever been. And he had no idea how to restore it.
If it even could be, he admitted to himself.
It might take months, even years.
Grimly, he knew what he would have to do. What it would cost them. It would be another body blow to their already shaky morale, but he had no choice. By surrendering now, he could save as much as he could. He could preserve as much as he could. He was the Tsuchikage. It was his job.
But he would remember, he promised himself. He would remember Minato Namikaze. The man who destroyed them. He would pay. The Rock always remembers Namikaze, he silently vowed. It grinds away; slowly but surely. It always remembers. It never forgets.
Never.
The Fox of Iwagakure
Chapter One:The Memory of Stone
1 Year Later…
Onoki smiled slightly as he watched the jubilant and spontaneous festival that celebrated the death of the Yellow Flash. His people had little to celebrate over the past year of rebuilding. They had been humiliated before the entire world by their surrender to Konoha. It was almost a pity that Iwa had not had a chance to avenge themselves on the damnable Namikaze.
Almost.
He grunted and swiveled in his comfortably padded chair with extra cushioning for his troublesome back and glared at several senior Jounins standing before him. "Are all of you idiots?" he demanded in a cold voice.
"But Lord Tsuchikage! We should strike now! Konoha has never been weaker—!"
"SHUT UP!" he boomed, slamming a fist on his solid rock desk. "Yes! They're weak! They suffered tremendous causalities from the Kyuubi Attack! The Yellow Flash is dead! The Yondaime Hokage is dead! So what?" he sneered. "Have you morons forgotten that we're not in any better shape either?"
They all fell silent.
"You youngsters can't use your brains at all! Big deal! So we go in and yes, we could probably wipe them out! Great! Good job! And then what?" he snapped.
No one responded.
"We'd destroy all of our reserves and forces doing it! There wouldn't be an Iwa left! Or maybe you've forgotten Suna or Kumo? They'd love the chance to wipe us out afterwards, particularly if we've done most of the job for them! And that's not counting the other Ninja Villages out there like Taki or Kusa or Ame! Or don't you think none of them wouldn't jump at the opportunity to be the new power on the block?"
They all started looking at each other sheepishly.
"No, you all immediately saw that Konoha is weakened and you all started frothing at the mouths to pay them back. I swear, you stupid morons couldn't find your asses if they weren't attached to your backsides! You're supposed to be Jounins! I rely on you peabrains to actually think! Now get the Hell out of here before I decide to demote all of you for stupidity!" he barked.
The Jounins practically trampled each other, as they all sought to flee his office.
Onoki cursed and slapped his face with his hand. By the Gods! This was why he couldn't retire! Because he was surrounded by idiots! He wouldn't trust these stupid feckless potatoheads to guide him to the bathroom! If he turned over his position, they'd run Iwagakure into the ground!
He slapped the security seals to lock and secure his office and touched a blank section of his desk, causing a large shelf to rise up, revealing a hidden compartment with several scrolls and other items tucked away inside. Reaching in, he pulled out a scroll with a broken seal and reread it again.
FROM: "BADGER" KONOHAGAKURE DEEP COVER AGENT
TO: TSUCHIKAGE
UPDATED INFORMATION. YONDAIME HOKAGE KILLED WHEN SEALING KYUUBI NO KITSUNE INTO INFANT.
INFANT IDENTIFIED AS NARUTO UZUMAKI.
MOTHER: UNCONFIRMED AS KUSHINA "RED DEATH" UZUMAKI; ONLY KNOWN UZUMAKI LIVING IN HIDDEN LEAF AND HAS NOT BEEN PUBLICLY SEEN FOR APPROXIMATE TIME OF PREGNANCY.
FATHER: UNKNOWN.
SANDAIME HOKAGE HAS RETAKEN LEADERSHIP OF HIDDEN LEAF. APPOINTED LAW TO KEEP UZUMAKI'S STATUS AS JINCHUURIKI A SECRET.
CONTINUING TO MONITOR SITUATION.
ENDS.
Onoki crushed the scroll in his hands with a muffled curse. A Jinchuuriki! Damn! And he holds the Kyuubi no less! He might very well be the equal to Han and Roshi in time.
No, Konoha was far from weak. They might have lost the Yellow Flash but they had gained a powerful new weapon in exchange. In a few years after his forces were rebuilt, Onoki might have been tempted to try something against Konoha but not now. By the time they had built up their numbers to any degree, their Jinchuuriki would undoubtedly be ready to be dispatched for missions.
Particularly since his own Jinchuuriki were not the most stable or effective of ninjas. They were more trouble than they were worth sometimes.
He sighed, scratching his bald pate. Kumogakure on the other hand seemed to be having much more success with their Killer B; the possessor of the Eight-Tailed Demon Beast. One of Kiri's Jinchuurikis had even assumed the role of the Mizukage no less.
Why couldn't his own Jinchuuriki demonstrate the same stability and effectiveness?
As ninjas; they were practically worthless. Both of them were moody, difficult to control, prone to destructive rampages, as well as a streak of disobedience. Not only that, but they were far from stealthy with their enormous chakra signatures was large enough that even a half-blind Chunin could spot them up. About the only thing that they were good for was as a deterrent to the other major powers as a last-line weapon of mass destruction.
Not that it scared the other Villages … too much. Hell, all of the major Hidden Villages had one in their arsenals—although Kumo, Kiri, and even Iwa had more than their fair share which they had mainly acquired in the good old fashion way. By stealing them.
The Shodaime Hokage had (in one of his stupider political moves) effectively given away the sealed demon beasts to a different Hidden Village. He called it "maintaining a balance of power". Onoki had another word for it and often wondered if the man hadn't descended into senility.
Over the years; the minor satellite Hidden Villages of Yugakure, Getsugakure, and Ishigakure had been forced to surrender or had their Demon Beasts co-opted by one of the larger Hidden Villages. So far, only Takigakure had managed to hold onto their Biju—because Taki had became an ally to Konohagakure and was almost a vassal to the larger and more powerful village. And Onoki rather thought that perhaps in another generation or so, Konoha would absorb Taki's Biju as well.
Still, Kumogakure showed that a properly trained Jinchuuriki could become a powerful warrior and potent weapon if properly trained. Was that all it took?
He scowled. Perhaps Kumo was onto something there. The Raikage had adopting B into his own family and had him extensively trained in how to properly use his demon's chakra effectively.
In comparison both Roshi and Han had little to no connections with Iwa not to mention that few had been willing to train them. Even he had forbidden them from utilizing their Biju's chakra.
Both had extreme difficulty with their trainers—part of it out of fear and disgust by their burden, but their Biju's chakra also seemed to make their chakra unstable and difficult to control at times.
Would experience in using the Biju's chakra increase their control over it? He had to admit sullenly that it certainly sounded logical enough, but it was probably already too late in their cases.
Perhaps they would have to kill Roshi and Han in order to extract the Biju and put them into new hosts and train them up, he considered cold-bloodedly. Properly this time.
It was tempting. No—not yet, he decided with a grimace. Despite their inherent difficulties, having a half-trained Jinchuuriki was better than none. It would take years to turn them into an effective ninja. And they could hardly afford to weaken themselves now.
Kumo was expanding rapidly. They were undergoing a massive military build-up with a new training program modeled after Konoha's. Killer B was said to have almost fully mastered his Hachibi and it was rumored that the new Jinchuuriki of the Nibi was soon to be of age to be undergoing instruction in harnessing it's powers as well. He didn't favor the odds should Kumo turn their covetous eyes towards them.
In addition, Suna seemed to be stirring. Although it had not suffered militarily in the recent string of conflicts, they seemed to be taking an economic slump as their Wind Damiyo was outsourcing many of his missions to other Hidden Villages. He also had reports that they may have a new Jinchuuriki of their own. It was unprecedented, as they had avoided creating a new one ever since the disastrous last one. Were they spoiling for a fight to prove their military strength?
Shimogakure and Kusagakure were talking about a limited alliance treaty. Considering their proximity to Iwa, they would have to keep an eye on them so they didn't get any ideas about taking them on. Both villages had on occasion teamed up with Takigakure—and if that were to happen, there was too good a chance that Konohagakure might get involved.
No, we can't afford the least appearance that we're weak. Not after the Third Shinobi War. The new training program would have to be shelved for the next Jinchuuriki Host. For now, he decided and replaced the scroll and resealed the hidden compartment. He sighed and considered tackling the mounds of paperwork awaiting him before he glanced out the window to study the crowds of Rock Nins and civilians laughing and partying.
Despite all of the potential problems facing Iwagakure, it was a good day he decided. Everything else could wait and he left to join the celebration.
For the next three years, Onoki continued to receive irregular reports about Konoha from Badger, their deep cover insertion agent. The photograph attached to one report had nearly stopped his heart though. It had been like seeing the Yellow Flash again.
The incredible similarity between Naruto and Minato had triggered a nasty suspicion in his mind though and he reread their files on Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze in detail. The pair had graduated in the same class, but there were also rumors over the years that they were romantically involved with each other. Even their blood types matched. Onoki was convinced that Minato was Naruto's father; even though he lacked any solid proof.
He had entertained thoughts about assassinating the little bastard, but had reluctantly put it aside as being not cost effective. The assassin, whoever it was, would almost certainly be on a suicide mission. And the price for a mercenary or Missing Nin to go into a major Hidden Village to take out a target would be astronomical; not to mention the odds of them not being captured or talking about who hired them.
Outside of Konoha was another story… but Onoki shelved it.
He had more important things to focus on—they had just learned that Suna had created a new Jinchuuriki and they had an increased training tempo. It seemed that due to the economic cutbacks, the Kazekage was cutting the size of his forces by focusing on creating a small number of ninjas who were more powerful and better trained than normal.
However, he had Badger keep an eye on Uzumaki and had been rather surprised at his treatment at the hands of Konohagakure. He sneered. For all of their talk, the damn tree huggers were a bunch of hypocritical liars when you came down to it. They might talk about their "Will of Fire" and preach about how the entire Village is a Family and how they were good and noble and honorable compared to the other Hidden Villages who practice all sorts of harsh and abominable training methods. But when it came down to it, they treated their Jinchuuriki like garbage.
Still what shocked him the most was that Sarutobi was apparently content to fritter away such potential in the boy. Even though Onoki despised Namikaze, he certainly wouldn't ignore such a potential gold mine.
The Yellow Flash was a genius ninja; the kind that appeared maybe once in a hundred years if you were lucky. And Kushina Uzumaki might not have been a Kage-level Ninja but it wasn't like she was unskilled either and was easily an Elite Jounin; not to mention her legendary family background. Few of the youngsters these days remembered the Uzumakis and their prowess and her own lineage was distantly connected to the Shodaime's wife.
But the son of a Kage and a blood relation to the Uzumakis and the Senjus? A child with such an illustrious parentage would have immediately been placed with elite tutors and undergone an accelerated training program in any Hidden Village. And that wasn't even mentioning the demon in his gut which would have prompted careful evaluation and observation by carefully chosen guardians.
Not that he really minded too much, if Sarutobi was going to be an idiot about things with treating his Jinchuuriki like that. But really, leaving the boy to fend for himself in an orphanage or abandoned on the streets and ignored by everyone, civilian and ninja alike was incredibly stupid and wasteful.
It wasn't even some sort of subtle indoctrination program to inspire loyalty to the Village or the Hokage. It was too sloppy for that. Both ninja and civilian alike all treated the brat like garbage where the ninjas should have been standing up or protecting him.
No, it was seemed purely political in that the entire populace needed a scapegoat and Naruto was chosen for it with Sarutobi willing to go along with it, unable or unwilling to make a stand. Onoki had faced Sarutobi several times on both the battlefield and across a conference table over the decades. The man had been the God of the Shinobi, yet now he was so weak and frail, he crumbled like soft clay. Onoki supposed he should have felt sadness at this glaring weakness of an old and honored enemy … but all he could feel was scornful contempt.
The brat would definitely not be ignored in Iwa! He would be—Onoki's thought processes stuttered to a halt.
He canted his head and thought carefully. My, what an interesting concept! He had a Jinchuuriki Host. A Host that was pretty much ignored upon by his very Village and resented it greatly.
A third Jinchuuriki would definitely tilt the balance of power in Iwa's favor.
Particularly the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, reputedly the most powerful Biju of them all. Not to mention the son of the Yellow Flash. If he inherited even a fraction of his father's prowess…
Onoki thought it deliciously ironic. The father had nearly destroyed Iwagakure … and his son would rise Iwa to all new heights of glory. Perhaps he would even help destroy your very Village Minato… he thought to himself whimsically as he began plotting…
5 Years After the Kyuubi no Kitsune Attack…
It would not be easy, Onoki reflected with narrowed eyes. It had taken nearly two years to set the groundwork for this operation. It was risky and in the end, it might not even work and could cost them much.
It could even lead to the Fourth Shinobi War if Kumo and Konoha realized that they had been duped. Deliberately staging a few minor incidents to provoke both sides had not been easy but it had justified itself in current Kumo-Konoha War. Frankly, Onoki considered it just a bonus that both Hidden Villages were taking a beating. It would be too much to hope for that they would annihilate each other, but he would take what he could get. But that was not the real point of this operation. No, he needed Konoha to be distracted. He needed their forces stretched thin.
Even so, most of the men he was sending might even be killed. Worse, they could not afford to be taken alive if it came to that. No, they had to sacrificed for Iwa rather than captured alive. The Yamanaka Mind Walkers of Konoha were too skilled, too good at their craft to be allowed to have their information extracted.
And there was still the fact that too much was still unknown; particularly information about any defenses on the boy were still rather soft and undefined. Onoki could not believe that Sarutobi would be so careless as to leave the boy totally unprotected. But every casual assessment seemed to confirm that the Old Monkey had. Still, it wasn't as though the Old Monkey hadn't been making blunders and errors … a lot more of them recently.
The Sandaime Hokage was just too old. And not physically, as he was approximately Onoki's age as well—but he should not have retaken his post in Onoki's opinion. He had lost his edge. And it showed at how badly Konoha was doing lately.
Even though the Konoha-Kumo War had been going in their favor—it had more to due with their frontline medic nin squads; an innovation pioneered by the Slug Princess Tsunade over two decades ago. Iwa had tried to copy it but their medical training program was just not up to Konoha's standards. Konoha managed to save nearly 70 percent of their causalities compared to Kumo's rather dismal 40 percent. In addition, the survivors' recovery times were faster and better too, resulting in Konoha being able to return an experienced veteran back to the frontlines while Kumo was forced to send an inexperience rookie.
The numbers were slowly shifting in Konoha's favor. Even with relatively equal losses, Konoha's numbers managed to hold relatively steady while Kumo's was declining. It would be bloody however. It seemed that even the Raikage realized it and was suing for peace much like Onoki had in a desperate attempt to save as much as he could.
But the exfiltration group was facing additional problems as well. Even though Badger had spent the better part of the year befriending the mistreated and ignored Jinchuuriki and planting seeds; there was no guarantee that the brat would blindly accept Iwagakure as his new village and forsake any loyalty to Konoha.
There was no telling just how deeply your love of your home and your country ran. No telling just what would happen until you actually had to put it to the test. They could kidnap the boy, but that was only a last option scenario. Because Iwa needed a willing and cooperative subject. It was easier that way in the long run for what they wanted Naruto to become—a loyal and dedicated Iwa Nin who they didn't have to keep an eye on every single moment for fear that he would try to run away.
According to the reports, the boy was young and angry at being ignored. With a lot of that hate and anger directed at the Village itself. He was moldable and a very suitable candidate for recruitment. But still… there was that nagging question: Would he or won't he?
No, there was no guarantees.
"But those who cannot risk, cannot win either."
He remembered the Shodaime Tsuchikage's legendary quote during his legendary gamble during the Foundation Wars. And he had won that particular toss of the dice, Onoki reminded himself.
No, he had a very good chance that this could work. Konoha was weakened and complacent. They entrusted far too much of their internal security to their Security Seal Barrier. And with the upcoming peace talks, their guard would be down.
Yes, it could work, he told himself smiling faintly. I told you Minato Namikaze that the Rock always remembers, yes it does. And this was one of the best opportunities he had ever seen. If it worked, it would be worth the loss of the entire squad and even Badger. It would be a pity to lose their best spy, but this opportunity was just too important.
He smiled as he ordered in the special infiltration squad that he had handpicked and tried to project as much confidence as he could as he briefed them on the forthcoming operation; knowing that his men expected of it even though he could very well be sending them to their deaths.
He watched them as he concluded his briefing, studying them carefully. None of them backed down or looked uncertain or hesitant. They were Iwa to the core. He promised himself that all of Iwa would know their names and their sacrifices, if it came to that—even if he had to disavow them to the world at large. But this was a golden opportunity, the chance to gain a fantastic advantage over not only Konoha but the other Hidden Villages as well.
It would work, he told himself again.
A/N: Even though I've been trying to update some of my older stories that I've got on the backburner, no matter how hard I've tried, some new stuff has just been bubbling away at my imagination. I recently saw a few of the newer Naruto episodes and had to admit that the Tsuchikage and his Jinton jutsus were pretty damn nasty. Which is what inspired me to write out this idea.
I know it's been done before; Naruto gets kidnapped and raised by a rival Hidden Village. But mostly I've only seen Kumo doing the deed and not Iwa. So I figured I might as well do my own variation where he gets taken by Iwa.
The whole "Those who cannot risk, cannot win" quote is an adaption of John Paul Jones' more lengthy quote, "It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win."