AN: Yea, I know, ANs suck, but I need one here. I'm going to try to keep this as canon as possible, so definitely spoiler warnings abound. Also, I have a poll up already, so if you want another chapter, I need the poll results. I'm not being mean like "I'll only write if you review", it's just for the story, I'm going to involve another character so I'm giving people a chance for input before I get far enough to drive people off. So, yea, please take a look at the poll on my profile! ^_^
WARNINGS: As above, spoilers for Naruto manga and anime, not going to go find from the exact episode, too lazy. And unbeta-ed. If I miss something important, please feel free to tell me.
Disclaimer: Tis poor college student...well, not so poor, I have stocks! WOOO! But I definitely don't have Harry, or Draco, or Naru-chan, or Kuru. Depression flows abundantly.
Tsunade sat facing the Raikage, the man studying his clenched hands and peering over at Gaara periodically. The young Kazekage was also tense despite his stony countenance; worry for his cheery, blonde friend weighed heavily in his silence. The Godaime's honey brown eyes strayed to the windows of the large conference room at the thought of the young Jinchuriki, straining to see some sign of the returning Tsuchikage and his Konoha charge. All five kages had been anxious since the news of the information breach by the Akatsuki.
If they lost Naruto and Bee, the war would also be lost and the first, newly formed Shinobi Alliance would fall to Madara before they even had a chance to fight. The Hokage sighed and turned her focus back to A. "Once we retrieve Naruto and Killer Bee, where will we hide them?" Her voice was soft as she broke the precarious silence. "Naruto currently believes he's on an S-class mission. It's the only thing preventing him from forcing his way onto the frontlines." Her hands fisted and her eyes narrowed as she glared into the wood of the table before her. "If we leave him in Kumo, he won't stay for long."
The Raikage frowned and Gaara nodded, intimately familiar with the blonde's stubbornness. "Bee will stay here on my orders regardless," the dark skinned man rose as he spoke, his eyes unknowingly following the same path the blonde woman's had taken previously, straying to the large wall of glass.
The young red head rested his chin on laced fingers, "Tsunade-sama, would Naruto-kun accept another mission outside of the war zone?"
"Probably, as long as he doesn't find out that his current one is fake." The woman barely managed to refrain from sighing. She loved that boy, Kami help her, but he was hopelessly dense at times.
A gripped the edge of the table, long, powerful fingers causing the wood to creak under the pressure. "But where would we send the kyuubi to ensure his safety? If we move him now, it'll be almost impossible to keep the state of the war from him."
Gaara leaned back in his chair, delicate fingers still intertwined, and regarded the powerful woman across from him. "Not only that, but if the Akatsuki detect even the smallest probability that Naruto-kun is vulnerable, they would act immediately."
The three kage lapsed into silence, watching the small forms scurrying about the village from their high perch behind the windows. Tsunade felt a sharp pang as she observed the humdrum of Kumo village life, steady even in time of conflict, similar to that which Konoha had lost with Pein's attack. The crater that resided where her beloved village once stood flashed behind her eyes again and she closed them, futilely trying to erase the sorrow and helplessness the image planted firmly in her ribcage. A grinning, idiotically endearing smile worked its way through her thoughts and she smiled softly as the smile was followed by determined bright blue eyes, sunny blonde hair, and flashes of obnoxious orange. It was only because of Naruto that the damage wasn't more extensive, that people stayed alive, that Pein, or Nagato as Naruto had started to call him, had returned the lives he had taken. He had truly taken the mantle of hero, coming in the nick of time, defeating the enemy and working his way, finally, into the hearts of the villagers.
Yet, she still doubted the Alliance's actions. She was much like her Jinchuriki in many ways and knew he would not allow himself to feel useless, to standby while others prepared for war. He would much rather be on the front lines, and, while she would worry constantly for the boy whom she had come to view as a little brother, she would also prefer to have him fighting. She was a Hokage, and he was a powerful, reliable Shinobi that tended to raise the morale of his comrades. On another level, she wanted him to reach his goals, allowing him to grow by experience in order to realize his full potential was merely the least she could do.
However, she was not the final authority anymore and she was outnumbered. What she wanted for Naruto no longer mattered. But no she was being given another chance to protect the boy, and she wouldn't allow anything prevent her from taking it. To give him peace, an ignorant bliss away from the world of war, Tsunade felt it was the least she could do. Until they won, protecting what Naruto had protected, it was all she could offer with her current power. The only problem was how; how could she prevent Akatsuki from getting information, how would she convince the blonde to do as she said, how could she ensure his safety? Where would he be safe? Where would he finally be out of Madara's reach? Nowhere in the Elemental Nations was truly safe. Her eyes widened. "Outside of the Nations."
Teal eyes snapped to her. "Hokage-sama?" The young Kazekage studied her questioningly, a small flutter of hope in his chest.
Tsunade felt a small smile slip onto her face. "We send Naruto outside of the Elemental Nations, outside of Madara's reach."
A frowned, "But no Shinobi has been outside the continent in years. Outside of Madara's reach is also outside of ours. If we send the kyuubi away, we still have no guarantee of his safety."
Gaara's face fell slightly, a small apathetic scowl on his lips with a wrinkle on his brow, "That's true. Where would we have him stay? And we have to produce a 'mission' for him to even consider going."
The larger man nodded at the boy, "It would be best to have another person to keep him there and occupied, preferably from the area he is detained in."
The Hokage's smile never slipped during their analysis. "I assure you, that won't be a problem." Both of her companions started and the woman steepled her fingers before her face, pressing her curved lips to the back of her thumbs. "We have, let's call him an acquaintance, that could assist us in our endeavor."
A chill entered the air and the youngest member shrank back slightly, worried by the blonde woman's suddenly darkened, enlarged, and obviously scheming aura. He almost pitied his fellow Jinchuriki, almost. However, he was more preoccupied with his own self-preservation. The last of the Konoha Sannin was not someone to take lightly.
Minerva McGonagall strode briskly down the corridor, heels clicking and echoing off worn stone. The castle felt cold and dead without the chatter of the hordes of students that would be flooding the school in a few short weeks. The stern woman halted before a familiar gargoyle and smiled softly as she spoke, "Peppermint pygmies." The mass of stone leapt aside revealing a spiraling staircase. She stepped gingerly upon the first step as she allowed it to move her along, leading to a solid wood door.
"Come in Minerva," an old voice quipped as she had raised her hand to rap against the slab of old dark oak. The witch felt a slight exasperation with the headmaster's old habit, but obeyed silently. The round room shimmered with reflected light from the collection of assorted trinkets nestled among the large, crowded bookshelves that lined the majority of the walls, sending small patches of gold, bronze, and silver dancing across portraits and the vivid purple robes of one Albus Dumbledore. The old man smiled genially at the Deputy Headmistress, blue eyes twinkling as he regarded her over half-moon glasses. His hand rested on an odd roll of paper that the woman, surprised, identified as a scroll.
"You wished to speak to me Albus?" She inquired shortly. There was an Order meeting scheduled for this evening and they had already reviewed the details of the plan they were to present to extract Potter from his relatives. There was nothing, which she knew of, that would warrant her presence immediately. Her eyes wandered back to the scroll.
"Yes," his knobby fingers tightened slightly around the rolled paper, supporting her suspicions, "It seems there may be another interesting factor coming into play soon," his eyes flashed with amusement, "a most interesting factor."
Minerva's brows furrowed, "Do we need to reevaluate our course of action concerning the boy?"
The wizened wizard slipped her a comforting smile, "No, no, I don't imagine it's possible to plan for this particular person, if an old acquaintance is to be believed." Half-moon spectacles slid down a crooked nose and he regarded her momentarily, "I simply thought it prudent to inform you of the coming whirlwind in hopes to tamper the damage."
The witch watched the wizard for a moment before sighing. She had long accepted the man's eccentricities and that she would never completely understand his thought process. "Alright, Albus," she conceded, "and may I ask who this person is?"
The infamous twinkle bloomed in blue eyes with full force. The Headmaster chuckles, "Naruto Uzumaki."
Her lips pressed into a thin line and a chill raced down the stern woman's spine in a sudden self-preservation forewarning and her instincts sent warning bells off in her head. After six years of Weasley twins and spending her own Hogwarts education observing the Marauders' various escapades, one would suppose she would recognize the feeling that always accompanied a brush with the menaces before one of their particularly spectacular performances and prepared herself for what hell the mysterious foreigner would reign upon the castle, however, McGonagall just dismissed the shiver and nodded, "I look forward to meeting this Mr. Uzumaki."
AN: Again, please take a look at the poll so I can give another chapter! Would also love to hear from anyone whom deems me worthy enough to hear from her wonderful readers!
I'm starting college again (I always hate to see break go), so I might be hard pressed for time, but I'll try my best. The quicker the poll is done, the quicker I can start writing chapter 2. Also, be aware, I've got family in the current situation in Antarctica, some in Europe, and another in Australia and I'll be running back and forth during my free time, especially since my little nephew is due on my birthday. Be prepared for rambling ANs that you don't have to read and, during breaks, spotty updating.