A/N. Hey everyone, thanks for checking out my first story, Unexpected Alliance. The usual disclaimer, I don't own Naruto or any of its properties, those all belong to Kishimoto. I would like to throw out some mad props to WesDunne for beta'ing this story. It ended up so much better with his help. If you haven't checked out his story "Cruel Fate, Kind Destiny", stop what you are doing and go read it now. This will still be here when you get back. Go on. You won't regret it!
I will try to update every week, but being a sophomore in college means I may not have enough free time to get one every week. Stick with me, I will complete it one day. Hope you guys like it!
X.X.X.X.X
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
'Kyuubi'
Chapter 1: Unexpected Dreams
It was late in the Land of Iron, and the moon shone brightly down upon the snow covered countryside. The night air was crisp and cold; the only sound was that of the wind, whispering softly through the snowcapped trees. Deep in the capital of Yukiboshi slept the leader of Iron Country, but his sleep was not a restful one. He tossed feverishly in his bed before jerking awake, covered in sweat and clutching his sheets tightly. He rested his head in his hands, recalling his dream.
In it, Mifune walked through a village he recognized as Konoha, though it had changed since he had visited it in his youth. This world was one without true shinobi, without samurai. Instead of using their techniques to kill, clans used them to build and create, making houses for the homeless, fires for the cold, and remedies for the sick. It was a world without strife, where citizens from every land mingled peacefully. Konoha, Kumo, Iwa, Suna, and Kiri, the five great ninja powers were no more, all borders long broken down in favor of one unified country. Standing on the Hokage monument, silhouetted by the sun, was a figure wearing a red trench coat and a hat in the style of the Kage's that read 'Sekai no Kage'; The leader of the unified world. Mifune squinted, trying to make out the face of this person, but just as it was coming into focus he had been torn from his sleep.
'Was…was that really just a dream? It felt so real…no, my heart tells me it was a vision of what will come to pass.' If there was one thing Mifune never doubted, it was his heart. He rested a moment, feeling his pounding heart settle in his chest, before throwing aside his bed sheets and striding quickly into the hall. The doors to his room slid open, startling the samurai posted there. He looked over his guards, and pointed to the captain, and one of his nearest friends.
"Rei! I have an important assignment for you, one that will spark many questions within you, questions that I cannot yet provide sufficient answers for. Still, I feel this mission is necessary to the ultimate goal of the samurai." Mifune spoke quickly and passionately, unable to keep the fervor from his tone.
Takamatsu Rei was an older samurai, made clear by the gray beginning to streak through his otherwise light brown hair. Like Mifune, he still favored the older, more traditional samurai uniform, and his katana and wakizashi which were belted tightly to his waist. He was as honorable and loyal to his general as any samurai, and Mifune's tone spoke volumes about how important this mission was.
Rei bowed and spoke quickly. "I'm at your service Mifune-dono, for whatever you need."
Mifune nodded and continued, and even the most unquestioning samurai present were shocked by what he had to say. "Prepare your family to move. You will be the Land of Iron's ambassador to Konoha, and negotiate an alliance with them. I will send a messenger bird to the Hokage to notify him of your coming. Leave as soon as you are able."
Rei hesitated a moment while he processed his mission. Never did he think he, a veteran soldier, would be an ambassador. Still, he took his new mission in stride, bowing quickly before heading home to prepare for the long trip. Mifune watched his retreat before retiring back to his room. His remaining guards were so stunned that none noticed a figure silently retreating from the building. A pair of red eyes looked back only once to gaze at the capital before turning towards home.
'Kotoamatsukami was successful.'
Uchiha Shisui smirked before taking to the trees.
X.X.X.X.X.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was at his wits' end. He was too old to be Hokage, and should have been retired several times over by now. One look out the wide office window behind him though, where he could see his village stretch onward, and he would be reminded why he still did this job. It didn't mean he couldn't complain, however.
"Blasted paperwork, if only there was some way to just get rid of it all…I wonder if anyone would think it my fault if the Hokage tower 'mysteriously' burnt to the ground…" Hiruzen frowned. He knew he was being extra unreasonable today, but the unrest that was building in the village's prestigious Uchiha clan weighed heavy on his mind.
Looking out toward the Hokage Monument, his eyes wandered before lingering on a face that brought up feelings of regret. 'What would you do about this Minato? I fear this will lead to a great deal of violence if I can't find a way to convince Fugaku that his clan is still important to this village.' Such thoughts were far too heavy for the early morning, so Hiruzen was considering taking a small break with his pipe and his favorite orange book when there was a knock on his door.
"Enter." The door opened and in stepped one of his ANBU captains wearing a bear mask. The agent kneeled respectfully and pulled a scroll from his pocket.
"I apologize for having arrived unannounced Hokage-sama, but I feel this warrants your immediate attention. We just received a messenger bird from General Mifune in the Land of Iron."
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "The leader of the samurai? What could this be about?" He took the scroll and opened it, reading the short message quickly. "What…Tell the guards at the gate to be expecting a visitor from the Land of Iron, and to direct him to my office as soon he arrives." Bear nodded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. 'I wonder what this will lead to…'
X.X.X.X.X.
Rei wandered slowly through Konoha, feeling incredibly out of place. The town was bustling and warm, and he drew all manner of strange looks, but they lingered only for a second. He supposed living in a ninja village exposed you to some strange things. He knew he ought to make haste to the Hokage, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.
'I have to convince the Hokage to ally with Iron, but surely he'll be suspicious? We've always been neutral, he will have to wonder if something has happened.'
Rei was no diplomat; he couldn't twist his words in such a way as to confuse someone into agreeing. He was an honest man, representing the best of the samurai and their ideals, which is why he was chosen, but being on the political scene still made him uncomfortable.
A good twenty minutes of wandering later, he finally found himself outside the tower. "I suppose I should get this over with. Putting it off will only delay what I need to do," Rei sighed.
Entering the tower he was quickly directed to the Hokage's office by a clearly flustered assistant. He supposed that the Hokage must be just as nervous for this meeting and what it could mean for Konoha. He hesitated for just a second before knocking on the large wooden doors. A voice told him to enter, and he did just that.
Rei's first impression of the Hokage was that he was much older than the samurai would have thought, but the lines on his face showed that he smiled just as much as he frowned. His eyes were sharp, betraying an intimidating intelligence. Bowing, Rei wondered absently if he should have done some research on the Hokage or his village. No time for that now.
"Hokage-sama, I want to thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I'm sure that message came as a surprise. I am Takamatsu Rei, Mifune-dono's ambassador."
Hiruzen smiled and motioned for him to take a seat. "I can always make time to meet with the ambassador to another nation, although I was surprised to see that it was from the samurai. Has something happened?"
Rei swallowed nervously. He really wasn't cut out for this. He decided to just lay it all on the table, for better or worse. "No Hokage-sama, things are peaceful in the Land of Iron. What brings me here today is something that I think will interest you. Mifune-dono wishes to draft a formal alliance between the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron." A heavy silence filled the room. A minute passed before Rei spoke again, his voice pitched with nervousness. "I apologize if there was some protocol I did not follow Hokage-sama; I am very new to this."
Hiruzen could only chuckle as the gravity of the situation sank in. "An alliance? I apologize for leading you astray with my silence, but this is all very unexpected. I thought the samurai prized their neutrality," the Hokage said, curiosity reflected in his voice. Rei nodded.
"In the past we were, remaining neutral allowed us to observe the actions of the five great nations objectively, so if it ever came to pass that we would need to intervene to avoid catastrophe, we would know who was in the wrong. However something has happened, and I am not able to say what, but Mifune-dono is convinced that an alliance with Konoha will help the samurai achieve their goal."
Hiruzen leaned forward expectantly. "Oh? And what goal would that be, Takamatsu-san?"
Rei closed his eyes, thinking of how to best to word his answer. Finally he looked Hiruzen directly in the eyes. "Peace." The Hokage fixed Rei with a hard stare before leaning back in his chair.
"This all sounds very agreeable, but surely there must be some conditions?"
Rei nodded. "Of course, but I think you will find them agreeable as well. Mifune-dono has one condition only: that Konoha send an ambassador to the Land of Iron to stay there and serve as council, and I be permitted to remain here with my family to do the same."
Hiruzen didn't need to hear any more. "Very well Takamatsu-san, I approve of this alliance, but I must confer with the council before anything can be officially drafted. However, I do not see them offering much resistance."
'If everything works out, perhaps I can use this to convince Fugaku that the Uchiha are still important to the village.'
Rei bowed to the Hokage. "Of course, I will send notice as soon as it has been decided…" Suddenly the two found themselves interrupted when the doors flung open. A small blonde-haired child wearing a white t-shirt ran in, followed by the Hokage's assistant. The boy had deep cerulean eyes and a mischievous grin, but most interestingly had three deep scratches of each cheek, giving the appearance of whiskers. The assistant tried repeatedly to grab the young boy, but the blonde was far too agile.
"Oi gramps! I want to talk to you about joining the ninja academy a year early!" the young boy exclaimed, quite loudly, as he ducked between the assistants legs. The frustrated aide bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry Hokage-sama; he managed to sneak past me. I'll see to it that this…child is removed immediately."
Hiruzen shook his head. "No that's alright, leave him be. I was expecting him sooner or later. You can go and I'll deal with Naruto." The assistant looked ready to protest, but one look from the Hokage and the attendant retreated quickly. The Sandaime smiled at the boy.
"You're late Naruto-kun; most days you would have barged into my office by now." Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well I would have been here earlier, but it's like all the ninja are being extra careful today. Anyway, so…" Naruto stopped mid-sentence and blinked twice, just seeming to notice the other presence in the room. "Hey jiji, who's this guy?" Rei crouched down to look the boy in the eyes, a smile on his face.
"Well hello there-Naruto was it? Nice to meet you. My name is Takamatsu Rei, and I will be living in the village for a while."
Naruto eyed the man warily. Only old man Hiruzen and the owners of Ichiraku's were ever nice to him, but if he really was from outside the village...maybe...
"Are you a ninja like jiji? Are you really strong? Oh! Can you teach me?!" Naruto asked, his voice gaining pitch as his excitement increased.
Rei smiled wide. The boy was energetic and loud, but it was endearing in a way.
"No Naruto-san, I'm not a ninja. I am a samurai from the north, and yes, I would like to say I am strong, though not nearly as strong as Hokage-sama." Rei inwardly smirked as Naruto's eyes widened.
"Wow! You gotta teach me now! Please, please, please!" Naruto threw out his best pouty face at the older samurai.
"Naruto-kun! Please don't harass our guest. He is a very busy man." Hiruzen said, trying to scold the boy, but no one could miss the amusement in his voice.
"No, it's no problem Hokage-sama. How old are you, Naruto-san?" Rei asked, still chuckling. Naruto looked down at his hands, before holding up seven fingers. "Seven years old, huh? You're the same age as my son! If you would like to come train with him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. It would be good for him to make a friend in the village, and I think he would like you," Rei told the boy. He was surprised when Naruto looked ready to cry. "Naruto-san, what's wrong?"
"I've never had a friend really. Do you really think he would want to be my friend?" Naruto sniffed, wiping his tears on his arm.
Rei looked curiously at the Hokage. 'How could a boy like this have no friends?' He expected to see disbelief on the Hokage's face, but instead all he saw was sadness. He placed his arm around the boy. "I'm sure he would be your friend. Come with me and I'll introduce you two," He said gently. Naruto nodded, and took Rei's hand. The samurai was surprised, but smiled softly. He turned back to the Hokage. "With your leave Hokage-sama, I would like to explore my new home a little more."
"Of course Takamatsu-san. Naruto-kun, be good alright?" Hiruzen told the child, sounding like a worried grandfather rather than the strongest shinobi in Konoha.
"I will jiji! See you later!" Naruto sang with a backwards wave as they left the room.
Hiruzen swiveled his chair to look once again upon his village. This time however, a smile was on his face. 'Things are looking up for him, Minato. Finally.'