Power Play
By: aishuu
A Naruto/Death Note fusion fic
Note: Written for the 31days theme exchange with a list assigned by scoured, 31 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Theme is "kicking the heart out."
The son of the Fire Lord is the brightest hope for his country. Let them say what they want about Konoha's strong shinobi – Yagami Raito knows that the true power lay the rule of law, the law which is dictated by his family. His father is getting on in years, and Raito knows that he will someday assume the leadership of his people.
It's a responsibility he's been waiting for all his life. He has trained enforce the laws for the betterment of society. A society is only as strong as its weakest link, and Raito has no mercy for those that break the rules.
The only blight in his path is that annoying hidden village. He understands the practical considerations of having a strong shinobi presence in the country, but he feels they're almost more trouble than they're worth. Every time a missing nin gets away, the collateral damage is immense. That's not even talking about what happens when one of the other hidden villages declares war.
Upon the death of his father, Raito inherits the lordship as expected. He meets with the Hokage, a loud young man who's nearly as opinionated as Raito himself. However he's also one of the stupidest people Raito's ever met, and Raito believes he can be controlled.
It's the one time in his life that he's ever misjudged a person.
The Hokage is not smart, but he's stubborn. He refuses to agree to many of Raito's plans, which include using the shinobi of Konoha as enforcers for the justice code.
"A shinobi should protect people, not terrify them!" the Hokage declares, vehemently rejecting Raito's proposal.
If that was all, perhaps an accommodation could be reached. But the shinobi of Konoha start to intervene where they see "injustice" and "police brutality." Those officers were only carrying out Raito's orders, and he and the Hokage nearly come to blows over the clear violations of shinobi authority. Raito knows what justice is – it is what he says it is, since he's the only one smart enough to comprehend the repercussions of a lax enforcement system.
"We're doing what's right! A leader doesn't rule by force – a leader has people follow him because he cares for them!" the Hokage spits out.
In desperation – though Raito would call it aggravated practicality – he resorts to the thing he despises. He digs through his family's library, seeking the hidden secret that brought them to power a century ago. He finds the jutsu that his great-grandfather sealed, a technique that kills by writing down the true name of a victim. Raito's not a shinobi, but he is a genius. It takes him a week to learn, and then another week to decide to use.
It's not an easy decision to make, but after weighing the options, Raito commits to removing the annoying Hokage from the picture. Hopefully his replacement will be someone Raito can work with. If not, he will just remove the successors until one is malleable enough. His mind made up, he writes the Hokage's name – gleaned only through careful research – down on the pristine white scroll.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Then he casts the jutsu. Within hours, Yagami Raito finds Kyuubi in his palace, looking for retribution.