p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen Sarutobi was a patient man. Known as the second God of Shinobi, it was his duty to keep calm in all manner of issues that arise in the defense of the 'Village Hidden in the Leaves' or Konohagakure. He kept his cool throughout the entirety of two of the great shinobi wars, the near betrayal of his greatest student, Orochimaru, and finally the attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, which resulted in the loss of the fourth Hokage, his successor, his friend. That fierce level headedness had begun to crack though as he began to recall the events that he had recorded in his glass orb early that day./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Running through the streets at a breakneck pace where two boys are sprinting from their respective mobs. It was October Tenth, the day of the 'unoffical' fox-hunt of the twins Shiro and Naruto. It also happened to be their birthdays./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro had managed to lose his pursuers and was desperately searching for Naruto, and was going nowhere fast. The rendezvous point was empty and that set off plenty of alarms in the mind the red-haired, ruby-eyed Uzumaki./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"'Brother,' Shiro screamed in his head, 'BROTHER!'/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"His search took him around twenty minutes before he found the beaten body of his younger brother in an alleyway of the red-light district./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Naru?" he collapses near the body of his kin and breathes, "no…"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro runs to the alleyway entrance and cries for somebody, anybody, to help. Then rushes back to shake his sibling./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Please stop goofing around, I managed to get you your ramen." This was a tactic Shiro used often to receive a favorable response from his younger brother… he was met with silence./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Despair and sorrow plagued the mind of young Shiro as his screamed to the heavens his plea./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Give him back! God why did you take my brother from me! First my parents and then my kid brother, answer me why!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Because you and your brother are monsters"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro jerks his head in the direction of the noise and sees…/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""You…"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Mizuki stepped out of the shadows and stood in the moonlight with a mid-sized fūma shuriken at his back./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""6 years ago today is the day of the death of our beloved forth Hokage the same day that you and your demon-spawn of a brother were born, the day that the blasted fox was sealed within each of you brats. This farce has been going on long enough, for today I will be the hero that did what the forth could not and end both of your-"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Bloodlust heavily saturated the air at that moment as Shiro's ruby eyes no longer resembled said hue… they became a steel violet with a ripple pattern. Which became a vile blood crimson-/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"He raised his hand forward and stated "Universal Pull"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"The Chūnin's center of gravity was wrenched toward the ruby haired child, who caught him by the neck/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Give me one good reason that I should not devour your soul right now for killing my brother!?"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"A chain that seemed to eat all light into itself wrapped around his arm and tugged softly./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Don't go killing me off yet bro, cuz I'm not dead by a long shot"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro's gaze locked onto his sibling for all of two seconds before deciding that the choking sounds that the academy teacher was making was no longer suitable for background noise and chanted "Almighty Push"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Both parties respectively fainted. One passing out the other launching into a wall/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"The Third Hokage stood in the shadowed hospital room of the Uzumaki-Namikaze twins, he no longer kept up the emotionless mask on his face. Looking out of the large window, he felt pure unadulterated rage sweep over him. His village, Konohagakure, the village established by his sensei, Hashirama Senju, and the most prominent wielder of the 'Will of Fire', had become but a mockery of its former glory. The third could no longer, in good conscience feel pride obi look out onto his village and feel proud of what he saw, no longer could he feel right about the decisions he had made concerning the legacies of Yellow Flash and the Red-Hot Habanero, their children that now lay broken and bruised in a hospital ward, hooked up to every machine possible just to keep him alive. He had grown soft in his old age, and with that softness, had come failure; failure to maintain order in his village, and more importantly, failure to keep the promise he had made to the parents of the children./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"He failed to keep a simple promise, one that should have been easy to keep. For his little effort, the fallback nearly cost the lives of two, had cost him more than he could ever hope. He had lost his right to call himself a good man, could no longer say he had done all he could for those who needed it, and he had long lost his faith in the people of Konoha; all because of two children that most would consider trash./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"But with loss, he had also gained. He now had greater reason to correct the wrongs he had left alone, to attempt to make up for his lack of action, and to make sure that from now on Shiro and Naruto would live the life they deserved. It would not matter what methods he used, he didn't care about the consequences he would face, so long as the children were freed from the nightmare that their lives had become. And if Sarutobi would need to use darker methods, then so be it./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I promise boys, I will change things, no matter the consequences," he whispered to the sleeping boy./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""And you believe that is something that I can assist you with?" asked a voice from one of the dark corners of the room./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Danzō," Sarutobi said quietly. "It's great to see you arrived so quickly."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"The now named Danzō walked out from the shade that concealed him. He was a seemingly harmless elderly man with both his right eye and right arm wrapped in bandages, a cross shaped scar on his chin, complete with a walking cane grasped firmly in his left hand. Hiruzen wasn't taken by surprise that the man had entered the room without him noticing, he hadn't been known as the shinobi of darkness in the 'bingo book' for nothing./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I thought it best that I arrive as quickly as I could, particularly since it's not every day that you actually request my presence." Danzō replied./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Despite his normally emotionless and indifferent expression, Danzō had adopted a softer and more concerned look as he observed Shiro and Naruto. This was not unnoticed by his old friend and Hiruzen couldn't help but smile in knowing that his long-time rival wasn't without a heart, as pretended otherwise./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Will they recover?" Danzō asked./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen heaved a quiet breath./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""They will make a full recovery, physically, the fox is doing that much at least. I am not too sure about their respective mental recovery though; the villagers went beyond their usual savagery this time so I don't know how badly it effected their respective minds," he answered solemnly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Indeed. I never expected the civilians to go so far, even with the ninja helping. Hopefully the boys will remain as headstrong as they have been for so long, because if they don't, more problems are sure to arise, of this there is no doubt." Danzō replied./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Shiro is strong, and his will is second only to his brother. If anyone can pull through something like this, it's them," Hiruzen said firmly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""True, but they are only seven years old. How much do you think they can take before either of them snaps?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I don't know" Hiruzen answered, taking another glance at the boys' frail form. "I understand that it was your men that found them."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""It was."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Then I owe you thanks. If not for ROOT Naruto would surely be dead, and with his death would come the murderous rage of his brother."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""There is no need to thank me old friend; I was only doing what was best for the village. Although I am still concerned by you allowing me to keep ROOT up and running in secret." Danzō said, hinting at the unasked question that had been circling his mind for a long time./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen smirked, an action that slightly put Danzō on edge. "I may not approve of all of the training methods your ROOT operatives are put through, but I would be a fool if I denied that they were effective. As such I would like to meet you in the middle," he explained calmly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""what are you planning Hiruzen?" Danzō asked in minor irritation./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Danzō be honest with me how often do you look at the village and think of the past?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""…"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I do this every day and find that there were little things that could have been done that made this village what our teachers had envisioned… I think… it is time that ROOT has been reestablished… I have finally reached my ropes end. I have grown soft Danzō, weak even, and in that weakness, I have allowed the village to grow weak. We shinobi are hardly better highly glorified laborers, and the civilians have become arrogant and self-centered behind our walls. This is no longer the Konohagakure that Hashirama envisioned; it is a joke, a mockery, and I intend to change that"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I am no longer going to be pushed around by the narrow-minded fools that think they hold power in this village. I am the Hokage, and what I say is law. Things will change, whether they accept it or not, and the first change will be making up for my failure to uphold Minato's dying wish" Sarutobi explained with conviction./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""That's all good, and I admire your new outlook on things, but where does my ROOT fit into things?" Danzō asked curiously./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"An almost wicked smile formed on the elderly Hokage's face. "What better way to heal a dying tree, than by starting at the roots. I do not intend to officially reinstate ROOT, and so long as it remains in the shadows, it can be of use to me. With your help, we could reshape Konoha into something to be respected and feared, but also loved and admired"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""And what if I refuse to help you? What if I use this as an opportunity to stab you in the back and take the title of Hokage all for myself?" Danzō inquired seriously./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""You and I both know that you aren't that cold hearted. Plus, with us working together like this, we will be able to have a say in what goes on in each other's area of the village. I get to alter how ROOT members are trained slightly, while you help me shape up the actual shinobi forces into something worthy of the village," Hiruzen said with a smile./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I am wondering if you have perhaps lost your mind, but if since you are beginning to think more like me, I wouldn't so casually call you crazy just yet" Danzō muttered quietly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""What was that?" Hiruzen asked with a glare./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Nothing" he answered quickly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""So do you wish to aid me in rebuilding this village?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Danzō remained silent for a few moments, thinking over everything that Hiruzen had said. He could definitely see the benefits of such an alliance between them, and with the old Sarutobi allowing him to make suggestions to how Konoha did things, it opened up several opportunities. For one, his influence on things would carry more weight without him ever having to put himself directly in the spotlight, and he would be able to continue his shadowy activities with ROOT more leniently./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Pausing his thoughts momentarily, Danzō took another look at the practically comatose boy whose room they occupied. He didn't care all too much for the… boy? Where is the other on-/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""And where do we fit in this plan of yours jiji?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Shiro step out from the shadows from behind Danzō./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I need to know how this involves Naruto," he stated firmly. His eyes flaring madly. "because lets face it this village has left its share of marks on us and while I know of the facts behind the blatant crimes against my brother and I, thought are still leaning toward simply faking my death and running away…"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Well," Hiruzen started carefully "what do you think about having your respective godfathers' beginning to train you…"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Danzō gave his friend an odd questioning stare. "You can't be thinking of bringing the sanin back are you?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Yes however I think the boys choose for themselves, although I don't think they will hesitate to accept once I tell him what I want him to do" the Hokage answered with a gentle smile./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Yes, the boy is quite insistent on becoming a ninja. A chance to personally help the Hokage make the village better would be nothing short of a dream come true for him" Danzō reasoned. "But the question is what would Shiro"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I think I can help with that answer" shiro stated, slightly annoyed that they were talking like he was not awake. "I want to train to be your replacement."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Cue nervous stare from each man./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Doesn't Naruto want to become hokage though?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Heck ill support him if that is what he truly wants but I will be his dagger and his guard if nessary, let him be the tree, I on the other hand will be the supportive ROOT. I want to become the next head of ROOT this way Naruto would not need to be forced to the darkness, I love my brother but I don't want him being forced to make the hard choices that most kages need to."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"A tense silence settled on the room for a few minutes as the old rivals processed what Shiro was asking of them. The only sound that interrupted the still night was the continuous beeping of the heart monitor connected to Naruto./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I have something to show you. I was planning on keeping it a secret, but with this new arrangement I think that I should show my trust," said Shiro sounding far more mature then any seven-year-old should. And after a deep breath asked the hokage to dismiss any ANBU in the vicinity and put up some privacy seals so that not even the Hyuga could look into the room. When all was said and done, he asked for a pair of glasses that would be as sturdy as the one that were used by the Aburame clan. As Danzō asked/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I also believe that what I wish to show you will come in handy, especially if your plans for Naruto are what I think they are."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen nodded and turned to Danzō saying, "Just make sure you have some of your men guard this room. At least I can rest easy knowing that ROOT won't be swayed by their own emotions."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I have had my men guarding it ever since he arrived. I might not care what happens to the boy but I will not risk someone putting the village in danger just for something as petty as revenge," Danzō replied firmly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen looked over at Shiro and examined his face before walking over to his chair, sitting down, complete with face-palming himself and Danzō distinctively heard something about himself being 'to old for this shit'. Danzō became curious and looked at Shiro before clenching his teeth to prevent himself going slack-jawed./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"While the younger brother gained the massive chakra chains of his mother, the older boy gained something else entirely. The Rinnegan was once again born into this world./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Running through the streets at a breakneck pace where two boys are sprinting from their respective mobs. It was October Tenth, the day of the 'unoffical' fox-hunt of the twins Shiro and Naruto. It also happened to be their birthdays./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro had managed to lose his pursuers and was desperately searching for Naruto, and was going nowhere fast. The rendezvous point was empty and that set off plenty of alarms in the mind the red-haired, ruby-eyed Uzumaki./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"'Brother,' Shiro screamed in his head, 'BROTHER!'/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"His search took him around twenty minutes before he found the beaten body of his younger brother in an alleyway of the red-light district./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Naru?" he collapses near the body of his kin and breathes, "no…"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro runs to the alleyway entrance and cries for somebody, anybody, to help. Then rushes back to shake his sibling./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Please stop goofing around, I managed to get you your ramen." This was a tactic Shiro used often to receive a favorable response from his younger brother… he was met with silence./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Despair and sorrow plagued the mind of young Shiro as his screamed to the heavens his plea./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Give him back! God why did you take my brother from me! First my parents and then my kid brother, answer me why!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Because you and your brother are monsters"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro jerks his head in the direction of the noise and sees…/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""You…"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Mizuki stepped out of the shadows and stood in the moonlight with a mid-sized fūma shuriken at his back./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""6 years ago today is the day of the death of our beloved forth Hokage the same day that you and your demon-spawn of a brother were born, the day that the blasted fox was sealed within each of you brats. This farce has been going on long enough, for today I will be the hero that did what the forth could not and end both of your-"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Bloodlust heavily saturated the air at that moment as Shiro's ruby eyes no longer resembled said hue… they became a steel violet with a ripple pattern. Which became a vile blood crimson-/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"He raised his hand forward and stated "Universal Pull"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"The Chūnin's center of gravity was wrenched toward the ruby haired child, who caught him by the neck/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Give me one good reason that I should not devour your soul right now for killing my brother!?"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"A chain that seemed to eat all light into itself wrapped around his arm and tugged softly./span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;""Don't go killing me off yet bro, cuz I'm not dead by a long shot"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Shiro's gaze locked onto his sibling for all of two seconds before deciding that the choking sounds that the academy teacher was making was no longer suitable for background noise and chanted "Almighty Push"/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"emspan style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin;"Both parties respectively fainted. One passing out the other launching into a wall/span/em/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"The Third Hokage stood in the shadowed hospital room of the Uzumaki-Namikaze twins, he no longer kept up the emotionless mask on his face. Looking out of the large window, he felt pure unadulterated rage sweep over him. His village, Konohagakure, the village established by his sensei, Hashirama Senju, and the most prominent wielder of the 'Will of Fire', had become but a mockery of its former glory. The third could no longer, in good conscience feel pride obi look out onto his village and feel proud of what he saw, no longer could he feel right about the decisions he had made concerning the legacies of Yellow Flash and the Red-Hot Habanero, their children that now lay broken and bruised in a hospital ward, hooked up to every machine possible just to keep him alive. He had grown soft in his old age, and with that softness, had come failure; failure to maintain order in his village, and more importantly, failure to keep the promise he had made to the parents of the children./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"He failed to keep a simple promise, one that should have been easy to keep. For his little effort, the fallback nearly cost the lives of two, had cost him more than he could ever hope. He had lost his right to call himself a good man, could no longer say he had done all he could for those who needed it, and he had long lost his faith in the people of Konoha; all because of two children that most would consider trash./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"But with loss, he had also gained. He now had greater reason to correct the wrongs he had left alone, to attempt to make up for his lack of action, and to make sure that from now on Shiro and Naruto would live the life they deserved. It would not matter what methods he used, he didn't care about the consequences he would face, so long as the children were freed from the nightmare that their lives had become. And if Sarutobi would need to use darker methods, then so be it./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I promise boys, I will change things, no matter the consequences," he whispered to the sleeping boy./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""And you believe that is something that I can assist you with?" asked a voice from one of the dark corners of the room./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Danzō," Sarutobi said quietly. "It's great to see you arrived so quickly."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"The now named Danzō walked out from the shade that concealed him. He was a seemingly harmless elderly man with both his right eye and right arm wrapped in bandages, a cross shaped scar on his chin, complete with a walking cane grasped firmly in his left hand. Hiruzen wasn't taken by surprise that the man had entered the room without him noticing, he hadn't been known as the shinobi of darkness in the 'bingo book' for nothing./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I thought it best that I arrive as quickly as I could, particularly since it's not every day that you actually request my presence." Danzō replied./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Despite his normally emotionless and indifferent expression, Danzō had adopted a softer and more concerned look as he observed Shiro and Naruto. This was not unnoticed by his old friend and Hiruzen couldn't help but smile in knowing that his long-time rival wasn't without a heart, as pretended otherwise./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Will they recover?" Danzō asked./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen heaved a quiet breath./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""They will make a full recovery, physically, the fox is doing that much at least. I am not too sure about their respective mental recovery though; the villagers went beyond their usual savagery this time so I don't know how badly it effected their respective minds," he answered solemnly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Indeed. I never expected the civilians to go so far, even with the ninja helping. Hopefully the boys will remain as headstrong as they have been for so long, because if they don't, more problems are sure to arise, of this there is no doubt." Danzō replied./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Shiro is strong, and his will is second only to his brother. If anyone can pull through something like this, it's them," Hiruzen said firmly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""True, but they are only seven years old. How much do you think they can take before either of them snaps?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I don't know" Hiruzen answered, taking another glance at the boys' frail form. "I understand that it was your men that found them."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""It was."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Then I owe you thanks. If not for ROOT Naruto would surely be dead, and with his death would come the murderous rage of his brother."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""There is no need to thank me old friend; I was only doing what was best for the village. Although I am still concerned by you allowing me to keep ROOT up and running in secret." Danzō said, hinting at the unasked question that had been circling his mind for a long time./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen smirked, an action that slightly put Danzō on edge. "I may not approve of all of the training methods your ROOT operatives are put through, but I would be a fool if I denied that they were effective. As such I would like to meet you in the middle," he explained calmly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""what are you planning Hiruzen?" Danzō asked in minor irritation./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Danzō be honest with me how often do you look at the village and think of the past?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""…"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I do this every day and find that there were little things that could have been done that made this village what our teachers had envisioned… I think… it is time that ROOT has been reestablished… I have finally reached my ropes end. I have grown soft Danzō, weak even, and in that weakness, I have allowed the village to grow weak. We shinobi are hardly better highly glorified laborers, and the civilians have become arrogant and self-centered behind our walls. This is no longer the Konohagakure that Hashirama envisioned; it is a joke, a mockery, and I intend to change that"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I am no longer going to be pushed around by the narrow-minded fools that think they hold power in this village. I am the Hokage, and what I say is law. Things will change, whether they accept it or not, and the first change will be making up for my failure to uphold Minato's dying wish" Sarutobi explained with conviction./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""That's all good, and I admire your new outlook on things, but where does my ROOT fit into things?" Danzō asked curiously./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"An almost wicked smile formed on the elderly Hokage's face. "What better way to heal a dying tree, than by starting at the roots. I do not intend to officially reinstate ROOT, and so long as it remains in the shadows, it can be of use to me. With your help, we could reshape Konoha into something to be respected and feared, but also loved and admired"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""And what if I refuse to help you? What if I use this as an opportunity to stab you in the back and take the title of Hokage all for myself?" Danzō inquired seriously./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""You and I both know that you aren't that cold hearted. Plus, with us working together like this, we will be able to have a say in what goes on in each other's area of the village. I get to alter how ROOT members are trained slightly, while you help me shape up the actual shinobi forces into something worthy of the village," Hiruzen said with a smile./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I am wondering if you have perhaps lost your mind, but if since you are beginning to think more like me, I wouldn't so casually call you crazy just yet" Danzō muttered quietly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""What was that?" Hiruzen asked with a glare./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Nothing" he answered quickly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""So do you wish to aid me in rebuilding this village?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Danzō remained silent for a few moments, thinking over everything that Hiruzen had said. He could definitely see the benefits of such an alliance between them, and with the old Sarutobi allowing him to make suggestions to how Konoha did things, it opened up several opportunities. For one, his influence on things would carry more weight without him ever having to put himself directly in the spotlight, and he would be able to continue his shadowy activities with ROOT more leniently./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Pausing his thoughts momentarily, Danzō took another look at the practically comatose boy whose room they occupied. He didn't care all too much for the… boy? Where is the other on-/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""And where do we fit in this plan of yours jiji?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Shiro step out from the shadows from behind Danzō./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I need to know how this involves Naruto," he stated firmly. His eyes flaring madly. "because lets face it this village has left its share of marks on us and while I know of the facts behind the blatant crimes against my brother and I, thought are still leaning toward simply faking my death and running away…"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Well," Hiruzen started carefully "what do you think about having your respective godfathers' beginning to train you…"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Danzō gave his friend an odd questioning stare. "You can't be thinking of bringing the sanin back are you?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Yes however I think the boys choose for themselves, although I don't think they will hesitate to accept once I tell him what I want him to do" the Hokage answered with a gentle smile./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Yes, the boy is quite insistent on becoming a ninja. A chance to personally help the Hokage make the village better would be nothing short of a dream come true for him" Danzō reasoned. "But the question is what would Shiro"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I think I can help with that answer" shiro stated, slightly annoyed that they were talking like he was not awake. "I want to train to be your replacement."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Cue nervous stare from each man./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Doesn't Naruto want to become hokage though?"/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""Heck ill support him if that is what he truly wants but I will be his dagger and his guard if nessary, let him be the tree, I on the other hand will be the supportive ROOT. I want to become the next head of ROOT this way Naruto would not need to be forced to the darkness, I love my brother but I don't want him being forced to make the hard choices that most kages need to."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"A tense silence settled on the room for a few minutes as the old rivals processed what Shiro was asking of them. The only sound that interrupted the still night was the continuous beeping of the heart monitor connected to Naruto./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I have something to show you. I was planning on keeping it a secret, but with this new arrangement I think that I should show my trust," said Shiro sounding far more mature then any seven-year-old should. And after a deep breath asked the hokage to dismiss any ANBU in the vicinity and put up some privacy seals so that not even the Hyuga could look into the room. When all was said and done, he asked for a pair of glasses that would be as sturdy as the one that were used by the Aburame clan. As Danzō asked/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I also believe that what I wish to show you will come in handy, especially if your plans for Naruto are what I think they are."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen nodded and turned to Danzō saying, "Just make sure you have some of your men guard this room. At least I can rest easy knowing that ROOT won't be swayed by their own emotions."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing""I have had my men guarding it ever since he arrived. I might not care what happens to the boy but I will not risk someone putting the village in danger just for something as petty as revenge," Danzō replied firmly./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"Hiruzen looked over at Shiro and examined his face before walking over to his chair, sitting down, complete with face-palming himself and Danzō distinctively heard something about himself being 'to old for this shit'. Danzō became curious and looked at Shiro before clenching his teeth to prevent himself going slack-jawed./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing"While the younger brother gained the massive chakra chains of his mother, the older boy gained something else entirely. The Rinnegan was once again born into this world./p