[Sunagakure]
Three months have passed now since Suna and Oto had failed in their surprise attack in an effort to destroy Konoha. Soon after, Konoha's counter attack killed a very large number of their own shinobi forces as well as Gaara actually being beaten in a one on one fight with the 4th Hokage's son. Not long after both Suna and Oto forces were driven out, it was discovered that it was Orochimaru himself who tricked them into the conflict with their old allies. He did this by killing their previous Kazekage and then taking his place in Suna. Once the truth was revealed, they immediately offered a surrender to Konoha as well as offered their own labor forces to aid the village in it's efforts to rebuild. Konoah's council accepted which began to ease tensions.
But now Suna was facing a new problem. Scouts from Iwa had been seen testing their borders so it was clear that the Tsuchikage was growing bold and looking for an opportunity to expand his borders or even launch a full scale invasion. Suna was in a very bad situation now because they currently had no alliance with Konoha who was one of the more powerful villages and they still haven't agreed on a new Kazekage. What made things even more desperate was that they had lost nearly a quarter of their own forces which left them with a crippling disadvantage if Iwa chose to go on the offensive. Even if they did have alliances with a couple of minor villages and even if they could bolster their numbers with mercs, they would still be defeated by Inwgakure.
Suna's council had agreed that the only way they could ensure their own survival was to broker a new peace treaty and a new ironclad alliance with Konoha. The only problem they had now was figuring out how they were gonna run this by Konoha. The most reasonable person they could try negotiating with was the 4th Hokage and that was out of the question. Minato Namikaze was almost killed in his battle with Orochimaru and from what Suna had learned, he was in a deep coma. In fact, they even got word that both his sensei, the legendary Sannin Jiraiya as well as his own son, Naruto Namikaze were out looking for the third Sannin, the lady Tsunade Senju. Konoha was hoping that she would be able to reawaken Minato from his coma.
Even if Jiraiya could find his old teammate and even if she could bring him back, there was no guarantee that Minato would be willing to negotiate with them since they did break their trust with them, cause huge amounts of damage to their home and conspired with one of their enemies, even if they were tricked in the end. Minato was a reasonable man but he wasn't stupid. Once he knew the situation that they were in and realized that he was now the one holding all the cards, he could very easily refuse the proposal of a new alliance and leave them to their fate at the hands of Iwa. Another scary thought was he may even want revenge and make plans to attack them personally. A fight with Iwa would be bad enough, but if Konoha were to attack...
Suna was really in deep. They had only a thin list of allies to aid them and the closest thing they had to a leader was Baki who was temporary acting Kazekage. Right now, he and the Suna council were in a heated debate on what they were gonna do and how they were gonna persuade Konoha into agreeing to a new alliance.
"Everyone Please, this argument isn't getting us anywhere!" shouted Baki over everyone else.
"Sir, we need to approach Konoha with the proposal of a new alliance." said one member to his left. "Even if it means bypassing the Hokage and speaking directly to their Council and Elders." he added.
Another council member snorted at that. "The only reasonable person we could try to negotiate with is out cold until the lady Tsunade wakes him up and there's no reason for us to believe that he'd welcome the idea of a new alliance with us." he retorted.
"I agree." replied another. "Minato would really be our only hope at peace between both our villages. The rest of their council is no doubt still angry with us for breaking our original peace treaty with them and breaking their trust. And don't even get me started on the damage we've done to their walls and village. Our labor forces are there right now trying to repair the damage we've done and it's gonna cost us quite a lot from our treasury." he finished.
"Don't even bring that up, I'm still getting a headache, thinking of those numbers." said another.
"Everyone please." said Baki again, getting them to turn back to him. "Our best chance for lasting peace is to negotiate with the Hokage once he awakens. We just need to make him an offer that he can't refuse as well as not look like we're desperate." he told them.
Everyone took another moment to calm down before one of the Elders, a man named Ebizo started up again. "Have our scouts learned anything at all about Jiraiya?" he asked.
"From what we've learned, he's made contact with Tsunade." another council member replied. "He's also taken the 4th's Son as his new Apprentice." he added.
"Naruto Namikaze?" he asked.
"The one and only." he replied.
This got another Elder's attention. Chiyo picked up the file she had of the 4th's son and started reading it more closely. Everyone kept on talking until someone decided to ask Chiyo's opinion. She looked back up from the folder to answer. "Yes?" she asked.
"Chiyo-Sama, what were you reading?" asked Baki.
"I'm looking over the file of the Namikaze Boy from Konoha." she replied. "Did you know that Naruto's first real mission outside Konoha was actually an A Rank and not a C Rank like it started out?" she asked him.
This made everyone else grow quiet from hearing that. "An A Rank?" asked another member of the council. "For a Genin fresh out of the Academy?" he added.
"Indeed." she replied. "I didn't think much of him the first time I heard of him given his records at the Academy. It says here that he graduated at the age of twelve years old, rather then ten like his Father Minato. Also he only made seventh in his class on graduation day instead of first like the Hokage did when he was a boy." she told them.
"But what else did we miss?" asked the man to her right.
"Naruto Namikaze, along with his Teammates Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, under the leadership of their Squad Jonin Kakashi Hatake, were involved with the downfall of Kingpin Gato and the death of the Terrorist Zabuza Momichi, Demon of the Hidden Mist." she told them.
"That was him?" asked a council member who was sitting next to Baki.
"It's not too clear at all in what part he played, but Kakashi says that Naruto's aid was crucial in their fight with the former Kiri Ninja while Sasuke and Sakura kept their client safe from harm." she replied.
This got several members to start talking quietly to one another. "How strong can he be, that he's the one Kakashi chooses to have aid him in battle, and not a member of the Uchiha Clan?" asked one member.
"A fair question." replied Baki. "I was present during the Chunin Exams and have seen him fight first hand. In the preliminaries, he'd beaten the male heir to the Inuzuka Clan despite having clear speed disadvantage and even more amazing, he'd beaten the Hyuuga Lord's nephew Neji Hyuuga. The only people who weren't surprised it would seem were his Mother and Father who witnessed the whole thing." he explained.
"What are his skills?" asked the member to Baki's right.
"The Boy has learned Jonin level Kage Bunshin and is skilled enough to use them quiet effectively in combat, as well as Kenjutsu training." he answered. "In fact, Temari reported that he was able to summon one thousand clones in his battle against Gaara." he told them.
This made every jump to their feet in shock from that. "There's no way!" shouted one member. "Nobody has that kind of chakra, not even a Jonin!" he protested.
"Temari's claim that there were a thousand certainly seems like an exaggeration." Baki replied. "But there's no denying that Naruto Namikaze has far more chakra than your average Genin. And that's not all." he added.
"There's more?" asked another member.
"Please, go on." said another.
"Naruto Namikaze has learned and is able to apply in combat, the 4th Hokage's Rasengan." Baki answered. "In fact, Temari mentioned in her report that Naruto used it to beat Gaara and thus ending their fight." he finished.
This silenced everyone at the council table. Thinking about it now, it all made perfect sense. Even if he didn't graduate at the same age as his own father did or even have the same high scores he did, that didn't mean that they should overlook his capabilities. Raised and no doubt trained by his father in the shinobi arts from a young age and then receiving new training from his new sensei, the copy ninja Kakashi and from what the reports said, Naruto was now under the wing of one of the Sannin. It made perfect sense as to why Gaara was in such a mess when Temari and Kankuro brought him back. For years, the late Kazekage tried many different methods to kill him from Tracker Ninja to Jonin Elites and they couldn't even scratch him.
But of all the people to defeat him in combat, it was a Genin from another village. If Naruto was able to do what none of their own were able to do, there was no telling how powerful he was gonna be once he'd reach the rank of Chunin or even Jonin. And at the age of thirteen, how strong could he become at sixteen or even eighteen? If Naruto Namikaze was as strong as they feared, they were in more of a desperate situation than they originally thought. The need for a new alliance with Konoha could never be more clear now. Suna needed to prove how sorry they really were and they needed to restore the bond they once had with their former ally if Suna was gonna survive in the months to come. For if Iwa doesn't destroy them, Konoha could.
"It's clear that we have to cement a new alliance with Konoha." said someone finally. "Does anyone have any ideas?" he asked.
"What else could we possibly offer them?" asked another. "We've agreed to repair the damages done to their village free of charge as well as handed over any and all information we had on Oto and Orochimaru." he told them.
Ebizo was quiet for a long time before finally speaking up. "I believe that I have an idea." he said, getting everyone else's attention. "In fact, not only will this cement a new alliance between us and the Leaf, but it could work out for us in the long run later down the road." he told them.
"What did you have in mind Ebizo-Sama?" asked the man to his left.
"I understand that Naruto is Minato and Kushina's only living Son. Is that correct?" he asked.
"Um, yes sir." he replied. "He's the son and heir to both the Namikaze and Uzumaki bloodlines. They have no other children." he told him.
"Then it must be of the up most importance that both of those bloodlines are preserved." said Ebizo. "With their only child going on missions as dangerous as A Rank, their Council must be looking for any means by which to secure the future of the Namikaze and Uzumaki names." he he added.
"Where are you going with this sir?" asked another.
Ebizo leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table in front of him. "I believe that it's time we reopen an old tradition with Konoha. A tradition that hasn't been used since the end of the 1st Shinobi World War." he told them. "I believe that we should offer one of our Kunoichi as a Bride to Naruto Namikaze in an arranged marriage between Suna and Konoha." he finished.
Everyone else started looking around left and right as the conversation started to pick up in response. This was actually a good idea. It was one of the responsibilities of a village leader and their council to preserve Shinobi Bloodlines and with Naruto being the last known heir of two clans, the need to have him marry and preserve his family's lineage was something that the Hokage couldn't ignore. Furthermore, it was common practice for the children of village leaders to have their children be used in marriage arrangements for political reasons and the need now had never been greater. If the Hokage were to agree to the match, then Suna would be saved by the new alliance because part of the treaty would involve aiding the other village in times of war.
"But who should we offer to him?" asked one member.
"That's a good question." replied another. "We need her to be someone that they would certainly accept. She needs to be a capable Kunoichi but definitely close to his age. Any thoughts on that?" he asked.
There were a few names brought up, but nobody seemed to agree on a young lady that they thought Konoha would be willing to accept. After a few more names, Ebizo spoke up again. "I believe that we should offer Temari." he told them.
"I don't think we should give up Temari." said Baki. "She is our late Kazekage's Daughter and one of our best Genin." he told him. Truth was, Baki was her sensei and the idea of losing her was hard on him. He's worked with the Kazekage's children as their sensei for a long time now. Rasa was an old friend of his and after they discovered that Orochimaru had killed him, he made a silent promise to watch over his children for him for as long as he was able to. But now it seemed that Temari was gonna be offered to Konoha.
"I believe she's the perfect choice." Ebizo replied. "She's not only a capable Shinobi in her own right, but she's the Kazekage's Daughter. Konoha's Council will see it as the appropriate match. The Son of Konoha's 4th Hokage, marrying the Daughter of Suna's 4th Kazekage would be symbolic to many as a new era of peace between our villages." he told him.
"I agree with Ebizo." said Chiyo. "I believe that it's time for the Kazekage's Daughter to fulfill her duty to the Village as a Kunoichi and take upon herself this task in marrying the Hokage's Son for the sake of peace between our villages. Such unions have been useful in the past to ensure peace even between the bitterest of rivals and I believe that the time has called for it." she explained.
"Listen to the both of yourselves for a moment." spoke another member of the council from across the table. "You just wanna hand over one of our most promising Kunoichi, just like that?" he asked.
Ebizo was the one to answer. "Temari's records will make it difficult for them to say no." he told him. "Furthermore, the both of them are very strong ninja, which means that any children they have will also be very strong." he added.
"That's my point." the other council member replied. "First we're giving them one of our best ninja and then you're giving them a chance to breed even more powerful ninja to further strengthen their own Village's military might. Who's to say that they won't use this against us one day? I thought that we were trying to secure peace for our Village, not grant more power to someone who may one day slit our throats." he argued.
"Hear me out." replied Ebizo. "Yes, it does grant strength to Konoha if they accept Temari which does bring great potential for them to get stronger by the children that Naruto and Temari will have together, but there's more to the offer. If they accept the offer, then Konoha agrees to a new alliance with us, one even more stronger than the one before. The union between Naruto and Temari will be not only a joining between our villages, but also between two families. Both villages are obligated to aid one another in case of attacks from our enemies because both the Bride and the Groom will have family in both Konoha and Suna. The alliance is only made stronger with the birth of a child from their union." he explained to him.
The other council member sat back and sighed before responding. "Yes, I see your point." he answered.
"Also..." Ebizo continued. "If we're able to play our cards right, maybe we can have one of their children marry back into Suna one day and then we can raise our own family of powerful ninja." he explained.
"Then I believe it is settled." said Chiyo. "Unless anyone else objects?" she asked. After about a moment of silence, she smiled. "Then we shall send word to Konoha with our offer of Temari's hand in marriage to Naruto Namikaze for a new alliance." she called.
"And maybe we should ask that they have a child as soon as possible." spoke another to which everyone seemed to agree.
"One thing though." said Baki, getting everyone to turn their attention to him. "Who's gonna be the one to tell Temari the news?" he asked.
Everyone was dead silent from hearing the question. 'I feel sorry for the poor miserable bastard who will have to tell her.' thought Chiyo. This was something nobody wanted to do because the one thing that came close to how scary Gaara could be, was his older sister.
[With Naruto And Jiraiya]
For the last couple of days, Naruto had been traveling with his godparents Jiraiya and Tsunade as well as his surrogate sister Shizune. They were about five days away from Konoha and for the fifth time in a row, Naruto sneezes.
"Kid, are you sure that you're okay?" asked Jiraiya. "You've been sneezing nonstop since this morning. I hope you're not coming down with anything." he told his student.
"I'm sure it's nothing." replied Naruto who walked with his hands behind his head. "I don't get sick because of the Fox, remember?" he asked him.
"Well regardless, I'd like to give you a check up once we get back to the Village." said Tsunade. "Better to be safe than sorry." she added.
"Okay, but only after you wake Dad up." Naruto told her, eager to see his father awake again so they could start up their training.
"Deal." she said with a smile.
[With Temari And Her Brothers]
Temari was in the living room of her family's mansion while Kankuro was working on his puppet and Gaara was looking out over the village which has become this new hobby of his ever since he'd came back to Suna and recovered from his fight with that crazy blonde kid who thrashed him. Suddenly, Temari reached over to a tissue box that was on an end table next to the couch she was sitting on so she could bring it up to her nose and sneeze.
"Sis, are you sure that you're okay?" asked Kankuro. "You've been sneezing like that all day." he remarked.
Temari wadded it up and tossed in to the garbage can in the corner of the room before she sat back in her seat. "I'm fine." she replied before picking up her book again. "I'm sure it's nothing." she told him.
[Konohagakure]
At the very moment, Konoha's Council was meeting in the council chambers. With Minato in a coma, his wife refused to be involved and just wished to remain by his side at the hospital. Jiraiya wasn't there either, given that he and Naruto were out looking for Tsunade. Therefore, the people who were there were the Elders Homura, Koharu and Danzo, along with many of the clan lords and ladies. Among them were Hiashi Hyuuga, Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, Tsume Inuzuka and Itachi Uchiha. They were currently going over everything that's been happening lately and what their next move was gonna be. Each of them had some files and various papers out in front of them which contained reports they'd been getting.
"Itachi, what news have you received?" Tsume asked him.
Itachi brought up a piece of paper with a report on it. "From what my spies have learned, Iwa has been testing the borders of Suna. Chances are, they may wish to invade." he replied.
"Good, let Suna burn and we'll be done with em." she remarked.
Tsume, along with many other people in Konoha still were sore with Suna for the attack. They were fine with the offer for a surrender but they weren't too eager to try negotiating with them again anytime soon.
"Suna's problems are there own." said Hiashi. "However, we must look to our own borders." he said, bringing up his own sheet. "Ever since Minato was hospitalized, we've seen on more than one occasion scouts from Kumo in our territory. I'm hoping that they're simply doing a recon, but I get the feeling they may wish to try and invade us, now that we're no longer allies with Suna." he told them.
Homura sighed at that. "Then we should hope that Tsunade will be able to reawaken the Hokage before it comes to full scale war with the Cloud." he said. "Any word at all on Jiraiya and Naruto's progress?" he asked.
"Jiraiya has sent word that they've found her and are on their on their way." replied Choza. "They should be coming home in the next five days." he added.
"Very good." replied Homura.
Just then, a member of the Foundation appeared next to Danzo and handed him a note. He opened it and took a few to read through it.
"What is it Danzo?" asked Koharu.
Danzo didn't answer but he did get up and excuse himself from the council before exiting the room. Homura and Koharu got up and left as well to follow him and find out what was on the note that the Anbu gave him.
[In The Hallway]
Homura and Koharu followed Danzo and caught up with him soon after leaving the rest of the council to take care of business.
"Danzo, what is it? What's that you've got there?" asked Homura to the old war hawk.
Danzo stopped and turned to the other two. "A very interesting proposal from Suna." he replied.
Homura and Koharu weren't expecting anything else from Suna so this was a bit of a surprise for them. "What sort of proposal? They've already offered their surrender to us and their labor force is already working on repairing the damage done during the fighting. What else could they offer?" asked Koharu.
Danzo hands Koharu the paper for her and Homura to read. "Read for yourselves and let me know what you both think." he told her.
Danzo watched as the two other elders took a moment to look over the message from the Sand Village. After only a couple of minutes, their eyes opened up a little wider when they got to the more interesting bit. Once they were done, Danzo took it back.
"Well, this is certainly a generous offer on Suna's behalf." Homura remarked.
"Indeed." replied Koharu. "It's clear that they're very sorry for breaking the original treaty and starting a war. This would certainly be most beneficiary in healing the wounds between both our villages." she added.
"It would also benefit us on several political levels." Danzo told her. "I believe that we should accept the terms and welcome the proposal from Suna for the arranged marriage between Temari and the Hokage's Son as well as the new peace treaty between Konoha and Suna." he told them.
Homura rearranged his glasses before speaking again. "There is only one problem though Danzo." he replied. "We wouldn't be able to get this to go through." he told him.
"Homura is right Danzo." said Koharu. "First of all, Minato is still in a coma. As the Council, we could accept this proposal, but he'd still have to authorize this with the Hokage's stamp of approval." she explained.
"And even if he wasn't in a comatose state, there's no way he and his wife would agree to this." said Homura. "The Hokage and First Lady have made it clear that they've always wanted their Son to find a wife on his own and not for political reasons, even if it would be a huge benefit to have Naruto joined in a political arrangement." he added.
"Lastely, there's the issue of the Council itself." said Koharu. "Even if we could pass this without Minato not canceling it afterwards, which of course he would, we'd need the rest of or at least the majority of the Council to agree to this as well and they wouldn't turn on their Hokage. I'm sorry Danzo, but I don't see us passing this and agreeing to the arrangement without Minato, Kushina or the Council overruling our decision." she finished.
Danzo wasn't fazed by any of that at all. "You let me worry about everything." he told them. "I'm gonna get this proposal approved and the marriage plans to move forward, whether the Hokage and First Lady like it or not." he told them.
"How?" asked Homura.
"Trust me." he replied. "Just keep everyone else out of it and let me worry about the rest." he told them.
"If I may, why are you so determined to agree to the arrangement?" asked Koharu.
"Even if Minato, Kushina or the Council is unwilling to admit this, we need this alliance." he replied. "For the longest time, the alliance we've had with Suna was crucial in preserving the peace and maintaining the delicate balance of power between the five great villages. Ororchimaru had disrupted that balance by tricking our allies into the conflict and now, we ourselves are in a partially weakened state without a Hokage and the loss of almost a fifth of our Shinobi forces. We need to agree to this proposal not only to preserve powerful bloodlines, but to restore the peace and balance between the five great villages. Minato and Kushina may not agree with my methods, but they can't question my motives. I'm looking out for the future of Konoha." he finished.
And with that, Danzo turned and left for his HQ in the Foundation to put this plan into effect, while Homura and Koharu returned to the council chambers so as to resume their duty.
[Konoha General Hospital]
Five days later, Naruto and Jiraiya would return to Konoha with Tsunade and Shizune. The first thing they did was head strait to the hospital to take a look at Minato. When they arrived, there were a couple of Anbu guards standing outside the door and a few more within the room to watch him while he slept. Near the Hokage's bed sat Kushina. She turned and was happy to see that Naruto returned home along with Jiraiya. She also had a happy reunion with Tsunade as well and was overjoyed that they were able to convince her to return to the village. Naruto watched with anxiety as Tsunade read the reports next to his bed, dying to know if she was gonna save his father. After a few minutes, Naruto smiled when Tsunade looked up and smiled as well.
"Minato's condition is critical, but not life threatening." she told both Naruto and Kushina who were relieved to hear that. Ever since Orochimaru's attack happened three months ago and Minato had fallen into his coma, Naruto, his mother and the whole village have been in a state of worry for him. "I'm gonna need some time, but I can bring him back." she promised.
"Great!" cheered Naruto. "How long should it take?" he asked, eager to see his father again.
"Now that's hard to say." she answered, putting a hand on her hip. "It could take me several hours to a few days. All I can promise is that I can reverse the damage that Orochimaru had done." she told him.
Naruto looked over to the bed where his father lay, hooked up to the life support with his heart monitor keeping track of his heartbeat. "Dad." he said sadly.
Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his mother smiling down at him. "Your Father will be alright Naruto." she promised. "Tsunade will help him. Now I think you should get home and get some rest." she told him.
"Aww, but Mom, I wanna be here when Dad gets up again." he protested.
"No buts little Mister." she replied, crossing her arms. "You heard what Tsunade said, it'll take her some time to wake him up and you've been on a long journey. Head back to the house, get some rest and I promise, I'll come and get you when your Father wakes back up." she promised.
Naruto gave a weak smile and hugged her. "Yeah, okay." he replied.
"That's my Boy." she said before giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "Now run along and head home." she told him.
Naruto bid his godparents and surrogate sister goodbye before heading out the door and heading home. Now that he really thought about it, he was pretty tired. He'd get home, make himself an instant ramen and get some shuteye. Meanwhile, Tsunade had Kushina and Jiraiya clear the room so she and Shizune could get to work on the Hokage. From what they were able to tell, the medical staff here was able to repair the damage that Orochimaru did to Minato physically, but the psychological damage was something that was beyond their level of medical training. Tsunade made it a mental note to update everyone's training in the medical arts here because they were no doubt gonna need it. After hours of hard work, Minato would reawaken the following day.
[The Next Morning]
Kushina would be the first to shoot in through the door to the room where her husband rested when she heard that he was awake. "Minato!" she shrieked when she stormed in.
Minato sat up in his bed with Tsunade standing next to his bed and reading a clipboard that had all the information on Minato's current and previous conditions. Shizune stood off to the side with Tonton in her arms and waiting to assist her should she need it.
"Kushina." He replied with a smile, delighted to see his wife again.
The red head flashed across the room to embrace her husband and the both of them hugged one another tightly. "Minato, I missed you so much." said Kushina, trying her best not try cry. "It was so awful, having you here and yet unable to wake up and hold me in your arms." she told him.
Minato felt a lump in his throat as he laid back. "I was worried for you too Kushina." he told her. "Before I lost conscientiousness during my battle with Orochimaru, I feared what was gonna happen to my Family and Village." he confessed. "Waking up to see you and everyone else alright has brought me such relief." he finished.
It was then Jiraiya entered the room to see Minato awake which made him happy. "Welcome back Minato." he greeted.
"Sensei." Minato replied. "I suppose I should thank you for the part you played in bringing me back." he told his old friend and mentor.
"All I did was find Tsunade who woke you up." he replied. "But you should really be thanking Naruto. He was the one who convinced her to come back for your sake." he explained.
Tsunade chuckled, remembering her fight with the young blonde. "When I said I was never gonna come back to Konoha, I meant it. And yet Naruto was able to talk me into doing something that neither Jiariya or Shizune were ever able to do." she said with a smirk. "You should be proud Minato, your Son can be very persuasive." she told him.
Minato smiled hearing that and looked over to Kushina. "Where is Naruto?" he asked her. "Where is our Boy?"
It was then Danzo entered the room unannounced. "He's currently in the Team 7 training field with Kakashi and his teammates." replied the old war hawk.
The mood slightly darkened in the room. Minato and Kushina in general were never really big fans of Danzo. Out of all the elders, he was the most authoritarian. Both of them have been having to turn down his "Offer" to train Naruto for years because they didn't want him using their son for his own personal gain. Furthermore, Danzo had always been searching for ways to exercise power that wasn't his to use and run Konoha in his own way. Minato's never been able to bust him yet for doing any of these things, do to lack of evidence, but he's kept a very close eye on him ever since he was named 4th Hokage. Before he retired, Hiruzen warned Minato that Danzo could be a powerful ally in defending Konoha, but also a dangerous enemy if you make him one.
"I am glad to see that you've awakened at last Minato." said Danzo as he entered the room. "And I'm pleased to see that Jiraiya was successful in his mission to find Tsunade." he then turns to face the blonde medic ninja. "Tsunade, welcome home. I hope you'll be staying from now on. Konoha could really use your expertise as a medic in the future." he told her.
"I do plan on staying yes." she replied with her hands on her hips. "I still have problems with Konoha and there's a lot I'm trying to deal with, but it's very nice to see my Godson again." she told him.
"So what do you want Danzo?" asked Kushina in a calm but firm tone.
"I need to speak with your Husband about a matter that requires the Hokage's full attention." he answered.
Minato sat up in his bed but remained calm. "I've only been awake now for a few hours Danzo. What could be so important that it couldn't wait till I got back to the office?" he asked him.
Danzo brought out from the folds in his robes a piece of paper. "It's a matter that effects the whole village." he answered. "And it involves your Son." he added.
Minato and Kushina really didn't like the sound of that. "Let me see that." Minato ordered, holding his hand out.
Danzo handed him the parchment and waited. Kushina, Jiraiya and Tsunade watched as Minato first read it calmly but as he continued reading, his eyes grew wider and wider until he reached the end. Then much to everyone's surprise, the blonde Hokage turned in his bed and stood up on his feet. He then turned to Danzo looking angry. "You cannot be serious!" he shouted.
Kushina got up and walked over to her husband, looking worried for him. "Minato, Honey what is it, what's wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Minato handed her the paper so she could read it as well while he just started Danzo dead in the eye. Jiraiya and Tsunade watched with raised brows as Kushina was looking more and more upset as she continued reading the document her husband handed her. When she was done, she crumpled it in her hand and glared at Danzo in rage. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" she shrieked.
Danzo remained calm as the young couple confronted him. "I believe that you both know exactly what that is Kushina." he replied. "That contract you're holding is a proposal from Sunagakure for a new Alliance between them and us, bound together in an arranged marriage between one of their Kunoichi and your Son." he finished.
"WHAT?!" shouted both Tsunade and Jiraiya in unison. Shizune stood where she was with her mouth gaping at what she heard.
"I believe I've already made it clear." he retorted. "Naruto is to be wed to the young Kunoichi from Suna when she arrives to form a new alliance between the Leaf and Sand Villages." he said plainly.
"Did you agree to this while I was in a coma?" asked Minato, still mad at the older shinobi before him.
"I haven't sent word to Suna yet that we agreed to their offer no." he replied. "We still need the Hokage's approval before we can reply with an answer. I'm hear to tell you that you will agree to this and that your Son will marry the Suna girl when she arrives." he told him.
"And who the hell are you to order me or my Husband around?" snapped Kushina. "Last time we checked, the Hokage's authority is above yours, not the other way around." she told him.
"Kushina's right." replied Minato. "If we want a new alliance with Suna, I'd be happy to negotiate with them, but I'm not forcing Naruto into an arranged marriage simply because you're ordering me to do it." he told him.
Danzo then reached into his robes again to bring out another document. "But this order doesn't come from me." he replied. "It comes from the Daimyo." he told them, holding out the parchment for them to see. Minato and Kushina's eyes widened as they read the executive order given to him from the Lord of the Land of Fire whose signature they recognized at the bottom. "Since you were in a coma, I believed it best to bring this issue to the highest authority in the Land of Fire. He deemed it an appropriate solution to the situation with our villages and has given the order for Naruto to be wed to the Bride that Suna has offered. You dare not defy the orders given to you by our Daimyo, Hokage or not." he finished.
Minato and Kushine knew that there wasn't anything that they could do now. They were aware that Danzo was certainly the sort to use such dirty tactics but this was a very cunning move. Minato could only guess that it was Danzo's Foundation that brought him this information without the rest of the council knowing. If this proposal were brought to the whole council, they would have stopped Danzo from passing this along to be approved until Minato and Kushina could have a say in it. And given that the man had a rep for negotiating, it would have made sense that he'd persuade the Daimyo to go along with Suna's proposal. Without a Hokage, the Daimyo's influence was often needed to make decisions that would effect the village.
What made things even more annoying was Danzo didn't do anything illegal at all really. He simply played the law to his advantage legally so that he could forward his own agenda. The game of politics was a dirty business in life and Danzo was one of the best players there was. And now, despite the both of them wanting to avoid forcing Naruto into this, they were gonna have to agree to have Naruto go through with the arrangement with the girl from Suna. They both knew that this was gonna break his heart.
"So, shall you be the ones to inform Naruto of his new engagement, or shall I?" asked Danzo to the young couple before him.
Minato stepped forward and looked him dead in the eye. "If anyone's gonna tell my Son about this, it's his Mother and I." he told him sternly. "Not you." he added.
The elder then handed them a file he was holding before turning and making his way out the room. "Then I suggest that you tell him soon." he said, not looking back. "The sooner, the better." he finished before the door closed.
Minato turned to Kushina and hugged her as she laid into him. "Minato." she said, trying not to sob.
"I know." he replied.
"Minato, it's not fair." she said sadly. "You and I had a chance to find love on our own time. Now we have to deprave Naruto of that choice?" she asked.
Minato gently kissed her on the forehead. "Kushina, I don't like this anymore than you do." he told her. "But we can't be too surprised that it was probably gonna come to this." he said to which she looked up at him. "You and I both knew that once I became Hokage, we were gonna have to make very difficult decisions one day and the possibility that Naruto would be married for political reasons was probably gonna be one of those decisions. Even being Hokage, there are things that are beyond my control and this is now one of those things." he explained.
"I know." she replied. "I remember the talks from when we first learned that I was carrying him. I just...I just thought since you and I really wanted him to find his own way, that we'd never have to worry about the whole political garbage. And now that it's finally here, I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that we're gonna have to force our boy into a marriage with someone he doesn't know" she told him.
Minato let her go and then took her by that hands. "This may not be the ideal dream that we had for our Son, but this could still turn out well for him." he told her with a hopeful smile. "We're just gonna need to be careful in how we break this news to him and help him understand that this isn't a terrible thing either." he told her.
"I know." she replied. Kushina remembered that Mito Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki before her was married to Hashirama Senju in an arranged marriage as well and she told her that they were very happy together. But then her thoughts drifted back to her boy. "But Minato, he's only thirteen years old. That's just so young for someone to be married and then be expected to father and raise children." she told him.
Minato nodded his head at that. "We'll work something out with Suna to make things easier on him." he replied. "We may not be able to get him out of this arrangement, but that doesn't mean we can't sweeten the deal for him in the days to come." he added.
Kushina smiled and hugged her husband again before letting him go. "So, who's the lucky girl?" she asked him.
"Well if you must know, her name is Temari." replied Jiraiya. Both husband and wife turned to see the old toad sage reading the file that Danzo had left them. He seemed to have grabbed it while they were having their little moment together. "And I gotta say, she's a real Cutie." he remarked, looking at her photo.
Tsunade grabbed the folder from him before bopping him on the head and then handing the folder back to Minato. Kushina read it over his shoulder as well while looking at the lovely young woman in the photo who had sandy blonde hair and teal green eyes. "Well, she is very pretty." Kushina commented. "And her name, why does it sound familiar?" she asked, looking over to her husband.
Minato answered while still looking over her file. "That's the same name of the late Kazekage's Daughter." he told her. "Rasa had three children and Temari was both his oldest and only Daughter." he explained. Minato then turned to face Kushina. "I don't know if you remember or not, but I've had to meet with the 4th Kazekage several times before. I've only seen Temari once before, not including the most recent Chunin Exams and that was when she was still a very little girl. Two or three I think." he told her.
Kushina's eyes widened at the realization. "That's right, she was the young lady who was teammates with...Oh." she said, her smile dropping when she remembered Gaara.
"Fate is cruel to us." said Minato, remembering Gaara and how he killed his enemies with no pity or remorse. "Naruto's probably gonna need more help with this than we thought." he added.
"When is the best time to talk to him about this?" she asked.
Minato took a moment to think on that. "We'll talk about it with him over dinner and then we'll talk to his team and friends about it too before we make the news public." he answered. "We've got a lot of work to do in the months ahead." he added.
Minato and Kushina didn't know how they were gonna make this sort of thing work out for Naruto at all really. What they were hoping was he could win over someone from his class or even one of those lovely young ladies from one of Konoha's most respected clans like one of the Hyuuga or Uchiha girls. But clearly, fate has chosen Naruto to be wed to a kunoichi from another village and for political reasons. But one thing was certain, they weren't gonna let their son be trapped in a cold and loveless marriage for the sake of political face. They were gonna help him find love and happiness with Temari and hopefully, for her with him as well. The only thing they had to figure out now, was how to tell Naruto in a way that wouldn't crush him.
[Author's Notes] So as you can all tell, I've made some major changes to the original first chapter of the story and I'm not just talking about either the length or the writing style. One of the things I've faced strong criticism for in the past was how lazy my writing was for the beginning when it seemed like Minato could have stopped it all. I felt like making a situation that neither he nor Kushina would be able to stop from happening. I mean, let's face it, when the Daimyo gives an order, who can top that?
Anyway, this isn't the only chapter that I plan on rewriting. I plan on doing the same with all previous chapters, as well as making some major changes to the second and third chapter as well. This should make for a far better story I'm hoping and also tie in well with the rest of it.
As always, thank you all so much for reading my work, please leave me either a Review or a PM on what you think and if you have any thoughts or ideas then please shoot them to me cause I love hearing from you guys.
This is Dragon1990 signing out.