Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
The burning wreckage was a sight for sore eyes. The Third Hokage watched as the survivors of one of the most horrific attacks in the history of the village attempted to piece their lives back together in the aftermath of the Kyuubi. Nine waving tails wreaked devastation, killing thousands and wounding even more in a battle that ultimately took the life of his successor. Sarutobi sighed and adjusted the hat that seemed heavier than usual upon his head. There were things that needed to be done.
"We have brought the child Hokage-sama"
Sarutobi walked over. In the hands of a Deer-masked Anbu lay a small blonde baby boy, whimpering in his sleep. On his stomach was a large circular seal that glowed brilliantly in the dimly lit room. "Place him in the crib beside my desk." Sarutobi turned to his window and looked out towards Minato's stone face. "What was his name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto sir."
They had decided to go with Kushina's last name. He chuckled to himself. Some secrets would have to be let out later than sooner. But the name Naruto. Maelstrom. "A good fit", Sarutobi said.
"Why sir?"
"He was certainly born during a storm of events. Weren't you little Naruto?" Sarutobi said into the crib. Baby Naruto laughed in response, oblivious to the chaos of the world around him.
Within Iwagakure the Tsuchikage sat on his throne, listening to a report about the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha.
"Their military has been taken down to half of it's full power, and our spys say that this damage will take years to recover from. Their forces still house the powerhouse Sannin trio as well as their instructor, The Professor, however Namikaze Minato, nicknamed the "Yellow Flash" is no longer among the living."
The room fell silent. All eyes were turned towards the messenger.
"The Yellow Flash? Dead?" A large man stepped out, his footsteps shaking the room. Clad in brown brown scale armor he knelt in front of the Tsuchikage.
"Tsuchikage-sama. The death of the Yellow Flash can only mean one thing. You must understand the actions we have to take."
"What makes you say that Takeshi?" The Tsuchikage's eyes fell upon the young upstart. Within a few years of service Takeshi had risen up to the higher levels of Iwagakure's political system. His words would've been meaningless if he had not been one of the few ninja commanders to survive and drive back the blonde menace during the war.
"A war is inevitable. They have been at the top for far too long." He turned towards the rest of the people within the room. A large scar that stretched across his right eye became visible to the others. "This was given to me by the man who killed thousands of our men. My men. This scar has pained me for years." He walked up to the Tsuchikage. "And now the pain is gone. Konoha will finally pay."
The Tsuchikage put his head down in thought. Another war would bring even more destruction than the last. Although Konoha had been decimated, the remaining half of their military was extremely strong. Even at an old age Sarutobi was a very capable leader and a brilliant military commander. Even if it was a sure-fire victory it would still take years to break down Konoha's signature will of fire. Not to mention Kusa was in the way.
"The cost is too great." the Tsuchikage stood, his short stature making it hard for him to look at Takeshi at eye level. "This war will not happen."
"You think the cost is too great?" Takeshi moved closer towards the Tsuchikage. Two iron clad ninja appeared beside them. They were the Tsuchikage's personal bodyguard and fighting force, the Espionage Assault Combat Unit troops were codenamed IRON. Each member wore a special metallic ninja armor that absorbed chakra, creating an iron defense or an unstoppable attack when channeled into their fists. Legends of their strength were told throughout the Elemental Kingdoms.
"We will lose more lives! Our grudge against Konoha is over! We must rebuild since the last war and you must stop living in the past Takeshi! This is my final decision!" The Tsuchikage pounded his fist against his throne, turning it into a heap of wood.
"You don't want to fight?" Takeshi moved even closer so that only the Tsuchikage could hear him. "Then you are weak." He whispered.
The Tsuchikage felt a sharp pain in his chest. He felt the nostalgic sensation of blood leaving his body.
"He stabbed the Tsuchikage!" A councilor yelled
"Get him!"
Takeshi pulled the kunai out of the Tsuchikage's chest, causing the Tsuchikage to stumble back and fall back onto his destroyed throne. Picking up a nearby torch he stood over the dying old man.
"Kill them all." He dropped the torch, creating a burst of light as the wood caught flame and burned the Tsuchikage alive.
The two IRON ninja jumped into action. Before the councilors within the room could even scream their bodies had hit the floor, their throats slit perfectly. Takeshi looked at the burning remains of the short old man that had ruled over them for so long.
"The coup is complete. Repeat the directive towards all units to kill any surviving council members of the old regime. A full purge must happen." He knelt down and picked up the Tsuchikage's hat that had dropped during the chaos. Covered in blood the brown Earth symbol could still be seen. Takeshi placed it on his head and walked towards the window of the Tsuchikage's chambers. "After that is done tell our chief strategists that declare their loyalty to me to meet me in this room. We will assess the military and see how long it will be until we can launch our invasion. Kill all who oppose my appointment."
"Hai Tsuchikage-sama." The two ninjas disappeared in clouds of smoke.
Takeshi looked out towards his village. Soon many would die for the sake of his bloodlust, however he did not have the slightest bit of remorse.
"Iwa will rule from the top again." He thought to himself. "And I shall watch Konoha burn."
Sarutobi watched the small blonde bundle sleep in his crib. The council had just voted to keep the child from being groomed into a human weapon, however the Kyuubi-child was to be constantly watched by an ANBU of their choosing, which was Uchiha Itachi. The black haired teenager stood at the door of his office, silently on guard. He had on the standard issue ANBU uniform, with gray padding across his chest and a strap that went across it that held the kodachi he had strapped to his back. Covering his face was a weasel mask, hiding possibly the strongest eyes within the Elemental nations. A sudden knock on the door jolted Itachi. Calming down he opened the door.
"Hokage-sama, urgent message from Jiraiya" Akino, his secretary walked in.
"Thank you Akino" He took the piece of paper. Channeling a bit of chakra into the paper, the words within the letter rearranged, turning the contents of the letter into something else other than a retelling of Jiraiya's recent vacation.
"This is dire news indeed." Sarutobi said. His problems had just gotten even worse.
"What is it Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked.
The Sandaime handed the paper to Itachi. On it had a simple message.
"UCHIHA."
"Wait. My clan?" Itachi removed his mask, passively activating his Sharingan out of distress.
"This information does not leave this room Itachi. I am sure there is more to it. We will just have to wait for Jiraiya to return."
Suddenly a strong smell wafted throughout the room. Itachi gagged behind his mask and walked towards the window. Sarutobi pinched his nose and looked at Naruto.
"Right on point Naruto my boy, a shitty situation indeed."
Takeshi stood at the balcony of his new residence, the Tsuchikage's mansion located on the outskirts of the village. There had been far less resistance than he had thought and soon the weakness within Iwa would be gone, drained away like the blood of his enemies.
"I like what you've done with the place."
Takeshi turned to face a short man with spiky black hair. On his face was a orange mask with a black spiral and one eyehole. The visible eye quickly blazed to life, turning a deep red with three tomoe surrounding the pupil.
"Uchiha Madara." Takeshi sheathed the kunai he had been hiding within his robes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"The deal Takeshi." The Uchiha leaned onto the ledge of the balcony. "That poison you used to kill the Tsuchikage was the biggest part to this plan of yours. Without that poison you wouldn't have been able to kill him that quickly and this rebellion of yours would be doomed."
"I know my end of the deal Madara." Takeshi adjusted the Kage hat on his head, casting a shadow over his face. "The utter destruction of Konoha will happen. This country will be at war."
"But first you must take care of Kusa, Taki and Ame. They are blocking you from direct access to Konoha's borders."
"Kusa will fall. And so will Konoha." Takeshi walked back into his mansion. Madara followed. "Those countries are weak and will not take long to fall. Konoha will not be able to rush to their aid fast enough with the Kyuubi attack being so fresh on their minds."
"How long?"
Takeshi sat at a large wooden desk situated at the back wall of his room. "At this point my military consists of mostly Genin and Chuunin with a strong contingent of IRON forces but not many Jounin. After my official appointment as Tsuchikage I will revamp the military, bringing in every able bodied person into training."
"You're dodging the question Takeshi. I asked how long."
Takeshi met the gaze of Uchiha Madara. "At least 12 years before we attack Konoha."
A loud crack was heard as Madara's fist destroyed the desk that Takeshi was sitting at. Takeshi looked unphased.
"Too long." Madara said.
"You are too impatient Uchiha Madara." Takeshi stood from his chair and stepped over his ruined desk, coming face to face with Madara. "Eight years to build my military to the point where a full scale invasion is possible. Three years to invade and take over Kusa, Ame, and Taki before we can reach Konoha's borders. One year to prepare for our initial invasion of Konoha. The other elemental countries will have no idea as to what we are preparing. Many of Jiraiya's previous spies have been detained and executed and we are using the same identities to feed him false information. This is the timeline my chief military strategists gave me and it is the same timeline I am giving you."
Madara looked at the brash new Tsuchikage. "Then so be it. I have waited long enough already." He walked back out onto the balcony. "I expect progress Tsuchikage-sama."
Takeshi nodded to him. "Progress will come Uchiha-san." The legendary ninja disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Takeshi moved back towards the edge of his balcony and looked back out towards his village.
Hanging from his balcony were three ropes that held the charred body of the Tsuchikage and the dead bodies of his councilors.