Chapter 1: Innocence, with a Hint of Insanity

Warning: While this fanfiction does use characters from the Tales of Phantasia Universe, the characters have entirely different personalities that will comply with the general plot of this story. It is a crossover per definition, but the characters are entirely 'OoC' and their universes are not intermingling (i.e. Naruto meets with Cless in Aselia and vice versa). Please enjoy this story.

Naruto owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Tales of Phantasia owned by Namco Bandai. I reserve no rights for the characters in the story.

Hokage Tower, Konohagakure no Sato (1815 hours, August 24, 7 AK [After Kyuubi])

Sarutobi Hiruzen was enjoying his afternoon tea while puffing on his beloved pipe. It was at the end of a stressful day like this that Hiruzen can truly rest and rewind. He turned on his chair to face outside of the window, where he had a stellar view of the village. Hokage Tower, aside from the Hokage Monument, was the highest point of the entire village. From his seat, he could see every single district of Konohagakure no Sato. He could see the large, traditional styled architecture of the Hyuuga Clan Estate. He could see the large fields of the Nara Clan Estate, where they groomed and raised deer for their antlers. He could see the smaller Akimichi Clan Estate, filled with its unique and exotic restaurants, and the flower shops of the Yamanaka Estate. He could see the Academy, with its rooftop directly perpendicular to the faces of the Hokage Monument, a reminder to all the students that they may also become as strong and powerful as their predecessor before them.

Sarutobi could not help but feel pride in the village he yearned to protect. Although he was forced out of his retirement due to the untimely demise of the Yondaime Hokage, he could not help but enjoy his job. He loved his people with all of his heart, and he could not bear to see someone with a lack of experience take the mantle of leadership. That was why he accepted the Council's offer to be reinstated as the Hokage.

The Kyuubi's spontaneous assault of Konoha 6 years ago had devastated the village. Many valiant lives were taken from the village, including that of his wife, Sarutobi Biwako. The previous candidates for the position of Hokage were slaughtered in the initial assault. Survivors of the onslaught were generally unfit for the position. ANBU agents were better suited as followers rather than leaders. Clan heads, such as Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chouza, Hyuuga Hiashi, and Uchiha Fugaku, were all too preoccupied with clan politics and the day-by-day administration of their respective clans to take on a job that demanded generality and impartiality. Many of the rookie jounin barely had much experience under their belts. Hatake Kakashi was possibly the best Jounin alive after the Kyuubi's attack, but he was only 14 at the time, and far too young to run a large, sophisticated village like Konoha. And many families were destroyed, leaving uncounted numbers of orphans.

The sheer amount of orphans left at the wake of the Kyuubi assault overwhelmed the Council. Many millions of Ryo had to be allocated to the care and wellbeing of these newfound orphans. Headmasters of the various orphanage organizations found themselves beginning to break down under the pressure of the sudden influx of children. Some even committed suicide, not willing to bear the burden that was tossed upon them.

Konoha was in economic and social ruins following the Kyuubi's attack. Konoha was not completely destroyed, but it would take years to fully recover. In the meanwhile, Konoha had to mask its weakness with the pretense that its new Jinchuuriki was unbelievably powerful. All nations understood and feared the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It alone gave Konoha an overwhelming advantage over villages like Sunagakure, who had only one Jinchuuriki that was but a child, or Kirigakure, who was currently conflicted with internal affairs to focus its efforts on pursuing wars it could not afford. Konoha nearly avoided a war with Kumogakure after they had the audacity to attempt a kidnapping of the Hyuuga heiress. For now, Kumo and Konoha maintained a neutral position with each other, not willing to be assertive with their own interests with each other. Iwagakure, on the other hand…

Iwa was active in its hostile relations with Konoha. Though neither village was willing to declare war with the other, following Konoha's victory in the Third Shinobi World War, Iwa and Konoha has engaged in multiple skirmishes that led to the loss of many Jounin and Chuunin alike. If Iwa discovered that Konoha's Jinchuuriki was not as powerful as Konoha claimed it was, then they would not think twice about invasion.

In a fragile political climate like this, only the Sandaime Hokage was the most viable option for the position. All other potential candidates were simply not fit for a leadership position. Jiraiya, the Toad Sennin, had to overlook his extensive spy network and was gone from the village most days of the year. Tsunade, the Slug Sennin, was an emotional wreck following the death of her fiancée and little brother between the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. Orochimaru had turned traitor 3 years back. Even if he did not, his amoral ideals and thirst for power and knowledge made him a horrible candidate, hence the reason why Hiruzen chose Namikaze Minato over his own protégé.

There was one other candidate for the position of Hokage. She was Minato's genin teammate. Fujibayashi Shiina was not killed during the assault of the Kyuubi. She was the matriarch of the Fujibayashi family, who were not yet an official clan. Because of their pending clanship, Shiina was the perfect candidate for Hokage.

Shiina, along with her husband Fujibayashi Mumei, left their mark in history at the Third Shinobi World War. While Minato, who became known as the Yellow Flash during this war, spearheaded the assault of Kannabi Bridge and the recapture of the Land of Plains (which housed Kusagakure), Shiina fought Iwa shinobi in the Land of Currents (which housed Takigakure), preventing that key country from falling to Iwa's hands and giving them pathways for a potential invasion of the Land of Fire. Shiina was an amazing Kunoichi in her own right, possibly the second greatest kunoichi after Tsunade. She was feared as the Ruby Slash because of her distinguishable attire and proficiency with her signature weapon, the Wakizashi. In addition, she was adept at incorporating elemental chakra into her ninja tools, furthering granting them piercing and explosive power leagues higher than their base forms. She single-handedly created the branch of ninjutsu, Ninbukijutsu, which she personally named the "Igaguri Style of Bukijutsu."

Fujibayashi Shiina was a prime candidate for the position of Hokage. However, she became pregnant with her first child at around the same time that Uzumaki Kushina became pregnant. Shiina was still pregnant when the Kyuubi attacked and had to move to a farther location with the rest of the evacuated citizens. She gave birth to her daughter, Fujibayashi Suzu, at the Winter Solstice and had to take care of her during her early years. Because of her new responsibilities as a mother, she couldn't be Hokage after Suzu's birth.

He thought about the unfortunate circumstances his village was forced to deal with, but he took the time to appreciate its subtle beauty. It was during the sunset that the Village truly shined. The vermilion light illuminating the roofs and buildings of the Village as the sun receded into the horizon. He looked at his own face on the Hokage Monument. It was a reminder of what he was like in his prime: confident, powerful, and selfless beyond fault. He still was in this old age, but he also gained a sagely wisdom from his years of experience dealing with the clans, the Council, and Shimura Danzō.

However, he was not without regret. Possibly his greatest single regret was his inability to uphold the final wishes of the Yondaime Hokage; to treat the new Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, as the hero of Konoha. He thought that, by suppressing information of Naruto's Jinchuuriki status under penalty of death, the villagers will gradually begin to look at him like a normal child. He would gain friends and loved ones, and people would come to respect him as his own person, not as the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Unfortunately that did not turn out to be the case. An information leak merely minutes following the sealing led to over half of the village knowing Naruto's true status. These people hated him with a burning passion, and some of them even attempted to kill the baby as he was being brought over to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen sighed. These civilians have no idea about chakra constructs like bijuu. Once their jinchuuriki were killed, the bijuu would reform in the same amount of years as their tails. Bijuu were immortal, and made completely of chakra, not of flesh and bone like humans. Merely killing Naruto would not stop the Kyuubi from coming back to destroy Konoha.

Besides, Naruto did not deserve the villagers' hate. He was a happy-go-lucky, jubilant kid, according to the reports from the orphanage that took care of him. Sure, he engaged in pranks, but he would never attempt to maliciously harm his fellow residents. Hiruzen knew that these pranks were attempts to gain much needed attention from people who were harshly ignoring him. Children need positive attention; otherwise they grew up to be introverted and asocial. Hiruzen did not want Naruto to be like that, but there was little he could do in his position.

As the Hokage, he needed to maintain his neutrality in all aspects of government. No clan was allowed to adopt the Jinchuuriki because it would show bias. If Hiruzen was perceived to have a bias towards a specific clan, it could lead to problematic internal conflicts. Hiruzen himself was not allowed to adopt the child, since he was the clan head of the Sarutobi clan. He could not give the child to Danzō because Danzō would focus on making him an emotionless tool dedicated to the preservation of Konoha.

Kakashi had offered to adopt the child into his family, but not only was he too young and incapable of taking care of children, but his relationship with the Yondaime Hokage would raise eyebrows as to the child's true heritage. Jiraiya was away from the village when the attack took place, but he immediately rushed home after he heard what occurred. He couldn't adopt the child either because of the amount of danger his job entailed. Not to mention he was a lousy father figure, preferring to watch women bathe over taking care of toddlers.

Hiruzen's only other option was to place him in an orphanage. Even then, the selection of the orphanage would have put him in quite a predicament. He ultimately decided to place him in the orphanage that was least known, Komatsuzaki Homes. An orphanage that lacked reputation would cause the least amount of scandal. He did not have time to waste over arguments against his every decision.

He spent too much time thinking about the difficulties of his position. Hiruzen was tired, and the day was coming to an end. He needed to fill out paperwork on the late coming missions, and then he would be able to retire of the evening. He wanted to be with his grandson, Sarutobi Konohamaru. The child's parents had both died during the Kyuubi's attack, leaving him as an orphan much like Naruto. But unlike Naruto, he was under the protective care of his grandfather and uncle, Sarutobi Asuma. Naruto had no one.

As Hiruzen finished the day's paperwork, the door to his office was abruptly smashed open. An Uchiha police officer came in, looking exhausted from an apparently long run.

"H…Hokage-sama!" The Uchiha said, panting heavily from his sprint.

"Uchiha-san, you know the day is coming to a close." Hiruzen said, straightening a stack of paper. "Please tell me what is so urgent that you need to dash violently into my office?"

The Uchiha tried to catch his breath before he continued. "There's…there's been a murder!"

"A murder? In Konoha?" Hiruzen was baffled. There hasn't been a murder in Konoha since Tobirama proclaimed the Uchiha as the sole clan for Konoha's Military Police about 40 years ago. The Uchiha were very thorough in their forensics and investigations, having arrested the correct felon 100% of the time. It was a major deterrent for potential criminals, so no major crimes were committed inside of Konoha, other than petty larceny, graffiti, and other misdemeanors. For a murder to have occurred at this time…

"Who was the victim?" Hiruzen asked in a solemn tone. He doubted it was a ninja. These kinds of crimes occurred in civilian neighborhoods, were rules and laws were far more lax than the shinobi code. A shinobi that attempted to murder somebody would have been put to death immediately.

"It was Fujibayashi Shiina and Fujibayashi Mumei." The Uchiha answered.

"What?!" Hiruzen bellowed in disbelief, dropping his pipe to the ground. Shiina was one of the most powerful Kunoichi in Konoha. How could she possibly have been killed in a murder?! Who could have had the power to kill her? "Have you found her assailant?"

"We have Hokage-sama. But there is a problem." The Uchiha said. He seemed genuinely unsure of what to do at the moment.

"Well? What is the problem? What could possibly have happened that the Police Force needs me to assist in their investigation?"

"Well, Hokage-sama…It's the assailant. The assailant's identity is…"

Fujibayashi Family Estate, Konohagakure no Sato (1223 hours, August 24, 7 AK)

"Suzu-chan! Lunch is ready!" Shiina shouted at the top of her voice. 36 year old Fujibayashi Shiina was very satisfied with her life right now. She had a loving husband, a wonderful daughter, and the Fujibayashi was on their way to becoming an official clan. It was her dream since she was a genin with Team Jiraiya. None of her teammates were from officially recognized clans, including her sensei Jiraiya. She vowed to become respected enough to be considered for clanship, like Hatake Sakumo did before her. Fortunately for her, her combat ventures were almost as legendary as her colleague Minato.

She was listed in Iwagakure's bingo books as an S-rank shinobi with a "Kill on Sight" notice plastered below her face. She was saddened that it was not "Flee on Sight" notice like Minato, but she still earned a reputation nonetheless. Her husband, though not as well-known as she was, was still listed in the books as an A-rank shinobi. Her family had indeed earned their stripes during the war, and soon they would receive the same benefits as other clans.

Their inputs will soon go noticed in the Konoha's Clan Council. They will receive stipends from the government assisting them in any clan related costs. They will be allowed to purchase more land and increase the size of their family. As Shiina thought more and more about the benefits she was soon going to receive, she couldn't help but think about the future of her daughter, Suzu.

Suzu was an odd child. She was taciturn and preferred to dissociating with her peers. She had trouble speaking in conversations that lasted longer than 4 sentences, silencing up awkwardly to the point where other people got fed up and left. Kids can be so impatient, but Suzu was a peculiarly tolerant child. She never complained about anything, which was a silent relief for her mother, but at the same time she was not as ecstatic or lively as other children. She stuck to herself in her room, playing with the bokken that Mumei purchased her for her 5th birthday. Shiina guessed that Suzu wanted to be like her, a swordswoman.

Suzu's aspirations brought pride to the Fujibayashi family. They would often brag to the other parents about Suzu's willingness to learn kenjutsu, much to the dismay of the other clan heads. Shikaku would complain (saying his signature "troublesome" phrase) that Nara Shikamaru would stare endlessly at the clouds and fall asleep wherever he could. Chouza would say that Akimichi Chouji ate too much (which was odd, coming from an Akimichi) and that he was too self-conscious about his…body mass index. Inuzuka Tsume would talk about how obnoxious her younger son, Inuzuka Kiba, was. He was brash and impulsive, and loved to mouth off others without hesitation (possibly inheriting his words from his mother).

Yamanaka Inoichi was the only other parent with a daughter. Hiashi was too egoistic to ever allow his daughters contact with "commoners." Such a shame; recent gossip has it that Hyuuga Hinata was a very caring and compassionate young girl. She hoped that the recently birthed Hyuuga Hanabi would end up the same. For now, she would have to deal with the proud bragging of the Yamanaka clan head. Inoichi always boasted how Ino would make the greatest kunoichi in Konoha, after the legendary Tsunade. Apparently Ino was very, very intelligent for a girl her age. She also had skills throwing senbon and other projectiles and she was very cultured, like her mother. Well, she should be cultured. She grew up in a flower shop.

Suzu wasn't cultured in the slightest. She seemed uninterested in pursuing feminine passions, like playing with dolls or fiddling with cosmetics. She always preferred to play with her bokken, and she never wore make up. Not that she needed it; she was pretty as she was and did not need cosmetic enhancements to make her more beautiful.

Suzu had long, waist-length sepia hair that easily complimented her sepia eyes. She had her mother's brown eyes and her father's brown hair making brown the unofficial color of the soon-to-be Fujibayashi clan. She had a small nose and a large forehead, offset by her straight, narrow eyebrows. Her lips were small and her chin was very smooth.

Indeed, Suzu had the makings of a beautiful kunoichi, but the standards of a powerful shinobi. She probably would have made it far if she was born a male, but that was not the case. Not that Shiina wanted to actually be the case. She loved Suzu the way she was, and she would not change it for the world.

"Thinking about Suzu?" Mumei asked, focusing his attention on his newspaper. It was break time at the Hokage Tower, and he was making full use of it enjoying the company of his beloved wife.

"Yeah…" Shiina said, placing both hands under her chin. "I was just thinking about how she and the Yamanaka daughter could be good friends. From what I've heard, Ino is very talented for a female her age."

"Is that a fact?" Mumei asked.

"Uh huh." Shiina said. "I can't wait until she enrolls in the Academy! Imagine all of the friends she'll make?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Mumei responded. "She'll give that Uchiha kid a run for his money."

"Hey, doesn't it strike you as coincidental that many of the clan heirs were born this year?" Shiina asked.

"Major conspiracy alert." Mumei chuckled. "Though the Uchiha kid was the second in his family. That prodigy Itachi is going to inherit the Uchiha clan. He'll definitely make his family and clan proud. Hell, he could probably be the next Hokage!"

"Imagine that?" Shiina said. "An Uchiha as the next Hokage. If that were to happen, we would have gone a long way from our roots." She smiled at the prospect of a potential Uchiha Hokage. The Uchiha were the most prestigious clan in Konoha, after the Senju mysteriously died out. Senju Tsunade could no longer have children, having reached menopause about a year ago. The Senju were officially a dead clan.

There were a lot of prejudices against the Uchiha. Many of the other clans believed the Uchiha to be the primary reason behind the Kyuubi attack, since they knew from history that Uchiha Madara was able to control the Kyuubi using his Sharingan. The Hyuuga, in an attempt to undermine the position of their dōjutsu rival, spearheaded the theory, defending it staunchly against Uchiha rebuttals. The Uchiha were further ostracized as a result, being socially isolated by the other shinobi clans.

The Fujibayashi family and the Sarutobi clan did not share the same sentiments as the other clans and tried to give them their support for as long as they could. But the damage was already done, and the Uchiha were embittered.

"I'm pretty sure Suzu would kick his Uchiha ass any day of the week." Mumei joked.

Shiina chuckled. She was sure, however, that if the Uchiha child were to awaken his Sharingan, then Suzu would be in a world of trouble. "Hey, what's on the news these days?" She said, changing the topic.

"News has finally hit us on the predicament in Suna. Apparently this time last year the Yondaime Kazekage began assassination attempts on his son." Mumei said. "Can't you believe it? Who would try to kill their own son?"

"What I want to know is how do you know this?" Shiina asked.

"Well, I'm the Konoha liaison for Jiraiya-sama spy network. All information that goes to him goes through me first. I know where he's at all the time." Mumei clarified.

"Really?" Shiina asked. "I didn't know Jiraiya-sensei trusted you that much!"

"But Shiina, you were the one who introduced him to me!" Mumei countered. "Honestly, I love working for the man. Jiraiya-sama is pretty damn funny!"

"Hopefully you haven't fallen for some of his more…questionable habits…" Shiina said with a roll of the eyes.

"Hahaha, who do you think I am?" Mumei asked with a shrug of his shoulders. "I am absolutely faithful to you and you alone."

"Yeah, well I better not hear any of the neighbors saying otherwise."

Mumei only smiled at her. Shiina truly loved her husband. Originally, she had deep feelings for Minato, being in the same team and all. However, once Minato became involved with Kushina, Shiina had no choice but to sorrowfully let go of her love. That was when Mumei comforted her. She needed reassurance, and Mumei provided that for her in spades. Soon, a budding friendship turned into a serious relationship. They got married the year before the Third Shinobi World War, but their relationship had to go on hold in favor of the wellbeing of the village.

"So how is your job at Hokage Tower going?" Shiina asked.

"Well, it's going gr-" His voiced became muffled and incoherent.

"It's going what?" Shiina asked, washing some dishes. "Honey, what were you say-UGWA!"

Shiina coughed out blood. She looked down and saw a Wakizashi protruding out of her torso. The Wakizashi was thrust further out of her body, and her chest jumped up twice before stilling. She twisted and fell on her knees and stared in horror at the face of her killer. She was 6 years old, with sepia hair and brown eyes reminiscent of her mother. It was like looking at a reflection of her younger self. Tears began to roll down her eyes as she heard her murderer's next words.

"Don't worry mommy, daddy. I'll save you from that meanie Dhaos. It's all going to get better, I promise."

Shiina's body fell on the floor. She was losing blood fast, and she felt herself getting cold. From her peripheral, she saw her beloved daughter raise the Wakizashi above her head, readying for the kill. She turned away from her daughter, too sadden to even worry anymore. She instead faced the deceased corpse of her husband. His body was slumped on the ground next to her, blood flowing from the stab wound on his face. Suzu had stabbed her Wakizashi through his right temple, going straight through his brain and exiting through the opposite side. His eye rolled over his lid in a disgusting fashion, and his tongue was limp and hanging out of his open mouth.

She slowly placed her hand on her husband's face. The tears intermingled with the blood that was rushing out of her mouth, giving it a sort of salty, metallic taste. Shiina never thought she was going to die like this. Minato died in such a glorious fashion, sacrificing his life to seal the Kyuubi into a newborn child. She was hoping she would die an honorable death, like Minato. She wanted to die a warrior's death or, at least a peaceful death with her daughter by her deathbed. Never in her life did she ever consider this.

She turned to face Suzu. She looked into Suzu's sepia eyes and saw the tears that were streaming from her face. Suzu was holding Shiina's Wakizashi above her head, and looked as though she was hesitating. It was already too late though. Suzu pierced her right lung, and Shiina was having trouble breathing. She was feeling so cold and she just wanted her pain to end. As the tears ran down the side of her head, Shiina gave an affirmative nod to her daughter, wondering where, where, she went wrong.

"Mommy," Suzu said, tears dripping down to her mother's solemn face. "I promise I'll save you. I'll save you from Dhaos, I promise!"

She drove the Wakizashi down on her mother's forehead.

Torture and Interrogation Headquarters, Konohagakure no Sato (2007 hours, August 24, 7 AK)

Why?

Why did it have to come down to this?

Hiruzen was personally watching the interrogation of 6 year old Fujibayashi Suzu, suspected for the murder of Fujibayashi Shiina and Fujibayashi Mumei. How could she have done something so horrible? To her own parents at that?

The Fujibayashi Estate was a bloody mess. Literally. The blood of Shiina and Mumei had leaked all over the floor, covering the entire ground in a pool of red liquid.

According to preliminary observations, Mumei was the first man to have died several hours ago. Cause of death was a single stab through his temple. Death was instantaneous. Shiina, on the other hand had a more gruesome death. She was pierced a single time through her right lung. She collapsed to her knees due to the shock of sudden and mortifying pain. It was then that the perpetrator ended her life with a clean stab through her forehead.

Hiruzen could not honestly believe that Suzu would do such a thing. She always seemed so quiet and detached, yet very obedient and considerate. She did not seem like the sort of person who would kill her parents in cold blood.

Police reports indicated that the perpetrator did not leave the scene of the crime. Suzu was found on the corner of what appeared to be her room, holding herself in fetal position. She kept repeating the question "Why are you doing this, Dhaos?" in a monotone voice and a blank stare. The murder weapon was Shiina's signature Wakizashi, dubbed "Fantasia's Tail." It was discarded carelessly to the side of the room, with the blood of the victims fresh at the blade. All evidence pointed to Suzu as the perpetrator of the crime. The biggest question was why.

That was what Morino Ibiki was tasked to find out.

"Tell me Hiruzen," a familiar yet apathetic voice began. "Why must Ibiki, Konoha's most notorious TI agent, be interrogating a child?" Danzō made his way into the observation room to watch over the interrogation of Konoha's newest felon. It was a scandal so extreme that Danzō had only heard cases like this in Kirigakure, once known as the Bloody Mist Village.

"I wish I had the answer to that, Danzō." Hiruzen replied. "This whole murder is so confusing. It's evident that the child killed her parents. Yet, the motive remains as elusive beyond comprehension."

"You know Hiruzen," Danzō said in an impassive tone. "If there are multiple answers to a given question, the best answer is always the simplest? Maybe you are overthinking things."

"I do not wish to question the child's mental health, if that is what you are considering." Hiruzen said. "She must have been under a genjutsu, or her mind must have been altered…"

"That's just wishful thinking Hiruzen." Danzō said. "How typical."

Danzō was right. No matter how much he tried to twist the logic, all evidence pointed to Suzu. From what Ibiki was currently getting, it seemed that Suzu was not affected by any outside influences prior to the murders. No genjutsu, no seals, no alteration of her mind, nothing.

Hiruzen sighed. He took a puff of his pipe in an attempt to focus his mind on something else. Suzu was very compliant with Ibiki so far, answering his questions and conjectures with what seemed to be honest answers. She was adamant about some entity, dubbed "Dhaos" by the troubled little girl, having control of her parents' minds. According to the girl's own accounts, she tried to save her parents, but nothing she did seemed to work. So she did the only other alternative.

"Face it Hiruzen." Danzō said, turning to make eye contact with the Sandaime Hokage. "The girl has all of the telltale signs of mental instability: asocial behaviors, taciturn attitude, and a firm belief in the existence of a being that others cannot sense."

"Presuming that she is mentally ill, what next?" Hiruzen asked. "She's only a child. In the eyes of Konoha, she cannot be judged as an adult. How can we punish her?"

Suzu's case was unprecedented. Not only was she the youngest human in Konoha's history to commit a felony, but all of Konoha's laws did not apply to her. Rules and laws pertaining to children were left under the individual care of the clans. Civilian children went under the gaze of the Civilian Council. Laws for non-clan children were extremely vague, if at all existent.

He could judge her as a civilian child. But that would bring about widespread controversy among the other non-clan shinobi. 'Why does the office of the Hokage have to be so complicated…?' Hiruzen lamented.

"If you no longer desire your position, you could always abdicate to me." Danzō said suggestively, as if reading Hiruzen's mind.

Hiruzen chuckled lightheartedly. "You know full and well that you are not fit for such a position. That is why Tobirama-sensei entrusted me with Konoha's future."

Danzō said nothing to Hiruzen's comment. To refute such a trivial argument would show weakness. And Danzō was not a person who would willingly display his faults to his archrival.

"Hiruzen," Danzō finally said. "Why don't you just kill her? She's a threat to Konoha's safety. The faster you end her life, the more secure Konoha would be from internal strife. Besides, you would save the child from the inevitable torment once she comes to terms with what she has done."

"I knew you would say that Danzō." Hiruzen replied. "Of course, you would know my response."

"I've figured as much. You've always been soft-hearted, Hiruzen. You failed to kill Orochimaru 4 years ago, even after he experimented on over 100 Konoha shinobi." Danzō said in disgust, the first emotion he actually expressed throughout their little conversation. "Now you can't kill a child. How the mighty has fallen."

"You cannot expect me to do something as cruel and cold-hearted as to deny the child her future?" Hiruzen replied. "What have we fought our wars for? Was it not so that children like Suzu and Naruto could live freely and happily without the threat of sudden death looming over their shoulders?"

"So would you leave her to her own designs while the deaths of two able-bodied shinobi go unpunished?" Danzō retorted.

"I do not plan to let her go with impunity." Hiruzen snapped.

"Then you better decide, and you better decide quickly before word of this incident spread like the last one you failed to keep under wraps." Danzō said, referring to the largest information leak in Konoha's history.

Hiruzen thought very carefully about his options. He could kill the girl, denying her future and exacting justice for her crimes. But Hiruzen was not that cruel-hearted. Hiruzen wanted to believe that he was open-minded and willing to forgive. So he did not want to kill Suzu.

He could seal off all of her chakra using the Gogyu Fuuin. That would eliminate all her chances of becoming a shinobi. She could live the rest of her life as a civilian, with this incident quieted from the rest of the civilian population. But her parents would not wish for that for their daughter. Ever since her conception, Shiina had always wished for her daughter to be a powerful kunoichi like her.

That left one option.

Hiruzen made a hand seal. Soon, a dog-masked ANBU shunshin'd into the Headquarters.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The ANBU asked.

"Bring in Yamanaka Inoichi."

Hey Y'all!

Missed me huh? Well I suddenly got a burst of inspiration for writing a new series, and I spent a week writing chapter after chapter for this new series. So far, I've completed 5 chapters and the plot is looking up. I'm still thinking about whether or not I should have Fujibayashi Suzu, the story's main character, interact more or less with the Rookie 9 and Team Gai. We'll learn more as the plot continues, but I assure you this is going to be awesome.

As for the status of my other stories True Path to Power, Finding Conviction, and Release from Pain. I've decided to give them the same treatment as I've given Phact Phantasia. Starting on Sunday, I'll be focusing only on True Path to Power, followed by Finding Conviction in the following week, and ending with Release from Pain the week after that. Once I finish giving all of my stories their individual treatment, then I will go back to the regularly scheduled releases.

Speaking of regularly schedule releases, I'll be releasing the next chapter of Phact Phantasia next Saturday. From there on, Phact Phantasia will be released the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. I do need to focus on my other stories, so a small side project like Phact Phantasia can't have weekly releases. It will be far too much work for me, since I'm already spearheading 4 stories. Wow. But that's not as bad as some people...

Phact Phactasia will be 5,000 to 5,999 words long. The Author's note at the end will increase the length of the chapter, but the chapter content itself will always be in that range of words. This also helps with writing other stories.

By the way, The title of this story gets its name from a sword with the same name in Tales of Graces f.

This chapter introduces you to Fujibayashi Suzu, the 6 year old daughter of Fujibayashi Shiina. Shiina is one of the two undisclosed genin from Team Jiraiya, and like Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya, she does not have an official clan. She gained her fame in the Third Shinobi World War for preventing Iwagakure from taking Takigakure and the Land of Currents (which was previously unnamed in Naruto canon). She was a potential candidate for Yondaime Hokage, but because she became pregnant shortly afterwards, she could not have the position (not because of sexism, but because of the stress that builds up from carrying a baby). I think that establishes Shiina well.

Fujibayashi Suzu didn't get a lot of character development in this chapter, and she did not receive a POV. But she will. Don't worry. Also, she's going to share traits with the actual Suzu Fujibayashi from Tales of Phantasia, but she'll be her own person.

Dhaos is also in this story. What role will he play? How will Suzu deal with his influence?

I hope you guys enjoy the ideas I have spinning around in my head. It was really, really fun writing the last 5 chapters, and I hope I can continue working on this series until its completion.

-Blackrazgriz 6/15/2013 12:20PM EST

NOTE (3/19/2014 10:15PM EST): Updated entire chapter, replacing errors and mistakes.

NOTE (4/1/2014 12:01AM EST): Replaced the word "Equinox" with "Solstice." There is no such thing as a Winter Equinox.