The Shadow
Disclaimer: Any references to HP or Naruto are purely for enjoyment. There is no profit from it.
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"Bijuu/Boss summon speech"
"Human speech"
:Silent speech-- morse code, sign language, etc:
Human thoughts
Bijuu/Boss summon thoughts
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Chapter 2
Both looked up at the roar. Ryuutama rose up to look over the trees whilst Seimei used his enhanced false eye to look through all objects. What both saw horrified them The true Kyuubi kitsune, Head of the Kitsune clan was heading straight for the evacuated Konoha civilians. It was even large than his mate, about one an a half times and almost equally as large as his own summon. None would get away in time. Their Hokage had just passed on having completed a suicide sealing technique sealing away his mate. Now there was another one and a second seal would take hours to draw, but they didn't even have 10 minutes.
Whatever the consequences, as ANBU Shikikan, and Hokage-stand-in, he would defend his people as best as he could. Even if he did perish there would hopefully be some survivors and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, would be among them to guide them.
Quickly he created a shadow clone and transferred the sleeping baby to it. The clone held onto the cooling body of Namikaze Minato, the late Yondaime Hokage, and Tsuki also kept her paw on the device as the portkey was activated which sent them to the Hokage's Office. With his responsibilities out of the way he hopped onto the head of his summon.
"It seems Ryuutama-sama that our duty is not yet done."
The Dragon launched into the air and swiftly made way to the danger zone.
sonorous "Move the civilians away from the Kitsune!" shouted Seimei to the shinobi who stared with dismay at yet another beast that was even larger than the previous. The shout galvanised them into action and shocked them out of their mounting terror. They now had an order and that pushed their fear away a bit as they had something to occupy them. quietus
This time the King of all beasts landed with a thump directly in front of the Kyuubi making it jerk back a few spaces lest it's nose get squashed. He also flared his wings to create a shield. Unlike before where the fox had paused momentarily this fox charged straight ahead. The cogs in the dragons distinguished mind started to turn. Although Ryuutama fought back fine Seimei was feeling the edges of exhaustion and serious case of chakra poisoning and a second source of caustic chakra was not helping his condition.
A fierce bout of white hot fire shot out from Ryuutama's mouth making the Kyuubi retreat several meters. That was enough for the dragon to voice his suspicions.
"Kyuubi-dono is under a genjutsu."
That was a possibility but Seimei had a few doubts. "How? Kitsune are renowned masters of illusions. They would surely recognise one for what it was, surely?"
"Hai, but the shock of loosing a mate could distort such reasonings."
"That is true but being a chakra entity it would recognise a genjutsu immediately due to the foreign chakra."
"Hai, but not all genjutsus need chakra..." He left the sentence open ended for his summoner to puzzle out. He was not the youngest ever gene, chuunin, jounin and ANBU Shikikan for nothing.
Suddenly Seimei had a brain-wave. There was a sharp intake of breath, "you don't mean... magic illusion?" Ryuutama gave no answer as he was engaging the Kitsune poured more chakra into a stronger shield and sat down in a meditative position, keeping himself in place with chakra. He needed to ground himself.
Keeping only some of his consciousness aware of the surroundings he sent the rest of his mind into a black oblivion and opened himself up towards all the world's magic. In this state he could sense all the magic that was in all living things. Most things only gave out a small amount of magic signature, even the Sandaime because he didn't utilise that source of energy, but his summon and the Kyuubi gave out a lot of magic. Clearing those miscellaneous thoughts he searched for the Konoha Magic Node.
He had found that he could access the world's magic ley-lines and nodes after his imprisonment in Iwa several years ago. The nodes were the source of many a phenomenon in the shinobi world. After a few minutes of searching he managed to find the node. It was deep within the earth and encompassed most of Konoha and was a roiling mass of intense power. It was dangerous to take such power directly from the source but viable, if you had the proper training. And Seimei did.
He teased a tendril of power up from the node and also extended a link from his own core. Carefully he joined the two and siphoned off the energy to refill his own core. Unknown to him he glowed with a holy white aura set against a black sky and was totally visible to the people behind. Seimei was also unaware that he had gained several more grey hairs to add to his collection of already grey temples. Normally this wouldn't happen if his core still contained about 25 percent of his own magic as he was over tha age of 13- he had gained the other grey hairs from a similar procedure when he was 12 and a POW.
With his core full to bursting he carefully shrank the node tendril back before detaching his link. He was ready.
Seimei opened his eyes and stood up, faintly glowing with power. He raised both arms to chest height and pronounced a spell, "Finite Incantatum!" Twin jets of blue tinged white magic shot out from his foci-gloves. The energy encompassed the enraged kitsune and glowed once, twice before disappearing. Immediately the turbulent red chakra that formed the hide of the fox became calmer and more fur-like.
The fox also stilled and looked most comical stopping in mid-chomp of the dragon's leg blinking furiously as if not knowing what to make of his situation. Finally as if the memory of the past half hour came back to him he released the limb with a yelp and lay prone on the forest floor, head submissive on the ground and paws over his muzzle.
The Dragon king chuckled. It wasn't often that he saw the proud Kitsune lord cowed. "It seems I was correct Kitsune-dono... Explain."
Understanding that though Ryuutama was a fair and just king, his patience only went so far. The Fox disappeared and in its place a tall, black haired man, dressed in red battle armour appeared.
"Hai Taikun-sama (Emperor). I woke to find my mate gone and my kits dead. I immediately became enraged and sought the identity of the perpetrator. The only identification was a smell of fire, a diseased soul... and a leaf hitai-ate. I then set off to Konohagakure no Sato incognito however when I arrived I then felt the bond with my mate disappear. That was when I went into an uncontrollable rage and-... Moushiwake arimasen deshita (I am very sorry). "
The dragon leaned down so that his head was level with the humanoid fox. He gave a snort of amusement and acceptance of the apology
"Nonsense. I haven't had such a good work out in years. All is forgiven Kitsune-dono. You were under the influence of a genjutsu. Give your thanks to the young-drake who freed you."
Seimei hopped off from the head of his summon and steadied himself before he stumbled. He had to conceal a wince as his tender palms under the gloves touched the hard scales. He was fatigued from expending his energies in the time-manipulation seals and from fighting two large enraged beasts. His normally immaculate ANBU armour and cloak showed a lot of damage from the caustic chakra. The Kyuubi turned to his rescuer and gave a deep formal bow.
"Domo arigato gozaimasu ANBU-san. I thank you from freeing me from the genjutsu. I would have been immensely sad to have found that I have destroyed the village in the country of which I am guardian of." Seimei said nothing and only nodded. The Kyuubi then turned to his King. "Taikun-sama. What has become of my mate. She cannot be dead because the bond has not totally disappeared however I am not able to communicate with her."
"I will explain Kitsune-dono. Minato-senpai sealed your mate into a living vessel in a contract with the Shinigami. She is behind extensive seals and due to the aid of the death god it is unlikely that she will be able to be freed. Her physical body had disintergrated but her soul is present so that is why the bond can still be felt."
"You are very knowledgeable about bonds young kit."
"Because I have several of my own-" Seimei coughed and to his dismay he tasted blood within his mask. Ryuutama looked at his summoner in concern. Kyuubi sensed the foreign beast chakra within the human, which was incompatible, and was poisoning him. It wasn't as bad as it could be because the magic that had flowed in his body had burned away most of the chakra leaving only a few bits.
Kyuubi strode swiftly over and ran glowing red hands across the human's body drawing out the last remaining bits of chakra. Instantly Seimei felt much better but the damage would take a few days to heal.
"Arigato."
"Think nothing of it. I have a request. If you ever meet my mate give her this." To Seimei's shock the fox looked him straight in the eye and pushed a package across. He was unable to view the contents of the package but could feel it was there within his occlumency barriers. Once done he gave Seimei a bow and offered him a scroll, "dozo (please- when giving something)."
Seimei pocketed the scroll for viewing later. Once the gift was accepted the Fox Lord straightened and giving his king a salute he disappeared.
"Well done young-Drake. I also must depart. Summon my son sometime. He misses playing with you... Until next time." Seimei gave his summon a bow and Ryuutama touched Seimei on the brow with a feeler then the huge golden dragon disappeared creating a plume of smoke.
Suddenly the adrenaline of the past few hours disappeared leaving Seimei feeling weak kneed. He dearly wanted to collapse right here, right now, into sweet oblivion. But I'll be damned if I keel over in front of the whole populace... Tsunade-hime would gripe but hopefully a genin soldier pill will not do that much harm Using the lingering blood on his mask he felt his way with his tongue to a seal and dispensed a genin soldier pill. The pill only created enough chakra to barely fill 5 percent of his reserves but it was sufficient to ward of any stumbles for the time being.
By the time the smoke disappeared Seimei was adequately recovered enough to walk back to the village.
By the time he got back the sun was on the horizon. He was accompanied by the mate of his wolf companion, the Beta of her pack (Tsuki was the Alpha), whom it seemed had been ordered by Tsuki to be with him. He could sense several other pack members flanking them in the forest. Ken was asleep, perched on his arm, having been lulled to sleep by his smooth walk and a constant stroking of the feathers. His clone had kept him updated of the status of Minato's son and the seal. It seemed that no one had yet entered the office indicating that a successor to the Hokage-ship had not yet been chosen.
He sent a tendril of legilimency towards the wolf. :Ookami-san. only you will be allowed to enter the village. Tell your pack to return: The wolf replied with a sound of acknowledgment. He turned and gave a series of yips and growls. Soon the surrounding wolves left as they approached the gate.
He arrived at the West gate of Konoha and was heartened to see that there were a pair of Jounin on gate duty. Despite the harrowing events of the night previously Konoha would be ready in case of an enemy salute. He recognised the two shinobi to be former ANBU who had removed their masks only a few months previously. They showed their past role by falling into the ANBU salute position.
"Shikikan-sama."
"Ah... Ishi-san and Aoi-san, formerly Tsurugi and Hebi... correct?"
"Hai."
"Well done for staying alert after last night. What is the damage?"
"Many buildings collapsed creating fires. We are still finding casualties. All civilians are forbidden from entering homes until they are deemed safe and are staying in the Konoha Central Park. All chuunin and genin and to participate in recovery and building work. All jounin and ANBU are to resume their duties and carry out misisons. The biggest worry is that part of the Konoha Main Hospital collapsed."
"I assume that there is a full council meeting at the moment?"
"Hai."
"Very well. I will be in the Hokage's Office if I am needed." Seimei gave the jounins a salute and walked into Konoha.
As the jounin had reported there was a lot of damage and curls of smoke rose from several piles of rubble. The only people on the street were shinobi. They rushed to and fro carrying out their jobs to return Konoha back to normal as soon as possible. It took a while before the shinobi noticed him but when they did it was as if someone had pressed a pause button. Everyone stopped and stared. it was quite comical to watch actually as most genins' jaws went slack and their eyes bulged out. It wasn't until he reached the Hokage Tower that the shock wore off. As he entered the double doors of the tower there was a huge cheer.
The tower was deserted except for a lone ANBU guard. Even the jounin secretary was out on missions. He gave a nod to the ANBU and walked into the office. The office was extremely large, enough to hold 30 people comfortably, and painted in a calming beige colour. Directly opposite the door was a very large mahogany desk that was covered in paperwork- evidently Minato had put everything down upon the sighting of the Kitsune. To the right of the desk were couches and a low coffee table for guests and informal talks. Behind the couches opposite the desk were the paintings of the past Hokages and to the left of the desk were many cabinets and shelves full of many folders and scrolls. Most of the wall behind the desk was several windows that stretched from the ceiling to hip level and offered a spectacular view of the village.
His clone had set Naruto down on the couch next to him and had laid Minato on the couch opposite. He had patched Tsuki up as much as possible and she lay on the floor at his feet. Upon seeing his creator the clone gave a nod and dismissed himself. The knowledge of the past few hours since its creation flowed into Seimei's fatigued mind. Thankfully the knowledge was not taxing on the brain and didn't give him pause. It seemed chibi-Naruto had remained asleep and regular checks on the seal showed that the integration process was going along fine. Seimei was loathe to get up from the comfortable couch but he had one last duty to perform for his had to clean him up for his funeral.
Seimei waved his hands and all the dirt and exertion before his death disappeared. The slight smile and clean attire made him look as if he was just taking a nap as he was prone to do when going though the piles of paperwork. He also checked all his pockets for scrolls and such things and found a scroll addressed to him.
[Letter]
Dear Seimei-kun,
The first time I saw you you were just a brat of four years old due to take the Chuunin Selection
Exams in Iwa. When you approached Ero-Sennin and I to ask sensei to be the examiner for the
Fuuinjustu Journey-man Status exam I was so gutted.
I was on the same level as a toddler who by rights should have been playing with rubber kunai!
Ero-Sennin teased me for ages after you left.
But afterwards I found you to be a true Tensai (genius) and the long in depth conversations
about seals took away my reservations. Despite the 12 years age gap I found myself sharing
almost everything with you.
You have always had my back- remember when you caught me after the use of my 1000 kunai
Hiraishin no Jutsu on the Sougen no Akuchi (Blood Steppes) and cast a magic illusion so that I
didn't loose face whilst you half-carried, half-dragged me back to camp?
I have one last favour I ask of you. Please look after my son. It seems Kushina-hime will not be
able to. I have given instructions to Old Monkey Face, as he is the most likely to retake office,
for Naruto-chan to be looked to as a hero- for that is what he is, however I am not as naive to
believe that it will happen.
I want you to be there for him. You are the brother I never had and would love you to be his
surrogate uncle. My marriage to Kushi-hime and subsequent child is not something that I want
the public to know about. Vessels are notoriously invulnerable to injuries but I doubt even a
jinchuukiri of the Kyuubi can survive a beheading...
Because of the secret marriage I have left all of the Namikaze and Uzumaki assets to you in the
hope that Naruto will one day inherit them. Due to the dangers of the Namikaze heritage I wish
that Naruto not know of at least his paternal line until he is able to protect himself.
You have always been older than your years and have to say that it has been a great pleasure
working with you over the years.
I am sorry of the burden I have placed on you but this is the only way I can think of that will
ensure my son's well being.
Take care my friend.
Namikaze Minato
ps. I do not know how well 'kashi-kun will take these events. Rin-chan has family, but not him.
Just make sure he doesn't go off his head...
pps. Underneath are sealed a letter to Naruto-chan when he knows, Kakshi-kun, Jiraiya-sensei
and Hiruzen-sama.
[Letter end]
Seimei gave out a small sigh. It was true. He really did think of Minato as a brother. After the death of Kenshin only the constant companionship of Minato and Honoka-chan kept him sane. Seimei's head came up so sharply there was an audible crack. Honoka-chan! His thoughts suddenly turned to his last remaining person of his genin cell. She was a iryo-nin (medic-nin) and was most likely in the hospital dealing with the wounded when part of it collapsed. He just hoped to Kami she wasn't in that part of the building. She, Kenshin and himself were the genin cell that was younger than the rest and nick-named the Tensai-cell. Honoka was 8, Kenshin was 6 and himself 5 when they graduated and placed under the leadership of Hatake Sakumo, Konoha no Shiro Kiba (White Fang of Konoha).
Sakumo committed seppuku a year after they became chuunin, Kenshin died after their last mission before they were due to take the jounin exams by Kumo ANBU signalling the start of the 3rd Shinobi War, and Honoka was crippled from the waist downwards on the same mission and became a full time medic in the village rather than be on field missions as a field medic. After that disastrous mission he was picked to enter ANBU and had been with the corps ever since leading double lives as Senshi Seimei, tensai, elite jounin of Konoha, survivor of 2 months torture in Iwa and remaining sane, and Kuro Ookami, ANBU Shikikan and the Hokage's right-hand-man.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a jounin about to knock on the door. With his articificial eye in place of his left eye, which had been ripped out by the insane Sandaime Tsuchikage (Seimei smirked viciously as he remembered the death throes of the man when he carried out the assasination), one of the properties he had placed on the diamond ball was that it could see though objects.
Tucking the scroll into a pocket securely he called out before the jounin could knock. "Come in!"
"Shikikan-sama. The council requests your presence... along with the dem-" the jounin stiffened and shut up at the suffocating killing intent (KI) that was focused on him.
Seimei was tired and irritable and he would not abide by anyone who called his charge a demon. He ground out in a soft menacing voice- he found that this method worked better than shouting to get his message across. "Never call him that ever. You will not like the consequences," the jounin paled. This was a threat coming from the man who had managed to defeat the second Kyuubi, who was even larger than the first, and did so without dying (remember, no one could see what exactly was going on because of Ryuutama's wing shields). What ever he could do would not be pretty. "He is as human as any other... understood?" The terrified jounin didn't say a word. Seimei's irritation rose to greater heights and the KI increased. "UNDERSTOOD?" it sounded more like a growl than anything. The jounin realised that he had just succeeded in angering the man further and paled even more, his pallor resembling old parchment, and gave a petrified meep and fell to his knees and touched his head on the floor in complete submission.
"H-hai Shikikan-sama."
"Dismissed. I know the way." Seimei replied and turned his back on the jounin. The poor man took his chance and positively fled the building. Behind him the ANBU guard gave a snort of amusement as he had heard every word and happened to totally agree with his commander. Tsuki who had been waked by the KI and her master's emotion gave a chuff of laughter.
:did you see the baka's face! Ha ha ha! He couldn't get away fast enough:
Seimei gave a wry grin, his irritation going away, :hai, I am pretty intimidating I guess... but there was just the example of what I fear will be a general trend in the behaviour of the citizens. If a fully competent shinobi can act like that, what would the reactions of the civilians be?:
:hai, but Naru-pup will not be alone. He will have at least have you and my pack:
:arigato hime... now do you want to follow? Are you well enough to come?:
In answer the large wolf stood up and padded over to him, stood on her hind legs and gave his face, well mask, a lick. When she did so he could feel the lingering chakra signature of a chakra heal which his clone had evidently done. He gave a chuckle.
"Fine fine. There's no need to scrape the paint off the mask with your tongue. I'll just pick up Naruto-chan and we can leave."
The brief rest had done him good. He was able to stride down the street to the adjacent council building, which like the Hokage Tower, remained whole. He strode down the street at close to his normal speed and together with his slightly charred red cloak that billowed out behind him and two almost hip height larger-than-average black and grey wolves by his side people didn't hesitate to jump out of the way. Any of those who didn't get the hint and gave glares to the bright orange bundle in his arms got a dose of fear, in the form of KI, in return. Just before he entered the drab grey building there was a screech and Ken landed on his shoulder.
The building had two amphitheatre-like halls. The larger was for the full council for both civilian and shinobi members. The second and smaller one was solely for shinobi use. There wasn't one for only civilian councils. There was also one last secret council hall, which was more like a large room, for the War Council. Only the Hokage and ANBU Black Ops Shikikan could open the hidden door and as the name suggested the council only convened for wars and so the room was last used only a year previously for the last meeting at the end of the 3rd War in which he was already the commander.
He arrived at a pair of double doors. There were two ANBU guarding it and they fell into a salute when they saw him. He acknowledged them with a nod and stepped through the doors. His entrance went unnoticed to all but a few. It would seem that Sarutobi Hiruzen had been chosen as the replacement Hokage over Danzo who stood with an impassive expression but a brielf legilimency brush of his mind showed furious thoughts. The council, well the civilian part, were shouting and even from the opposite side of the hall Seimei could sense his tightly controlled chakra bubbling in response to his growing anger. The shinobi section looked equally annoyed and bored by the proceedings. Knowing that it would not do his leadership image any good if the newly renamed Hokage blew his cool so Seimei stepped into action.
Seimei deliberately closed the door and cast a subtle genjutsu to amplify the sound of a shutting door. The sound caught the attention of most of the people in the hall and the rest followed suit once they realised they were the only people shouting. Once he was sure they had all shut up and had their whole attention, he began walking forward in a measured pace. He placed each step carefully and with more focre than usual so that the click of his boot heel could be heard. The clicks echoed through the silent hall and he added a bit of magic to cause his cloak to move in an absent wind. The newborn was in the crook of his arm and hidden by his cloak.
He looked truly impressive in an all black attire and blood red cloak, with a regal falcon on his shoulder and two massive wolves by his side. It couldn't be seen but Seimei grinned and felt a bit of vindictive satisfaction at the civilians who shied away in fear from him and his wolves. He was sure one even pissed himself when Tsuki brushed herself against the gaudily dressed tub of lard. Sarutobi Hiruzen was akin to a grandfather to him and detested people who made his surrogate grandfather's life more difficult when he had already given so much.
He stopped in front of Sarutobi and gave a shallow bow, only tipping his torso forward slightly because of his charge. Ken hopped onto the armoured hand of the Hokage and enjoyed his stroking. "Hokage-sama." Seimei said in a smooth baritone.
"Ah... Ookami-Shikikan," Sarutobi's eyes conveyed his gratitude. "We were just finishing talking about the damage taken and budget distribution... I believe we are fnished. Are we not, council member Sourei?... unless you have something to add?" he asked with a slight edge to his voice.
The trader council woman was not without preservation instincts and faced with a cold Kami no Shinobi (God of Shinobi) and a terrifying ANBU with animals by his side that could easily rip her throat out. She stuttered out, "i-iie (no). I have nothing to add."
"Excellent. Now that my commander is here we can get an account of the events of the past 12 hours... Shikikan, if you please."
Seimei acquiesced and stepped up to address the whole hall. In an emotionless tone he began his tale.
"I was with Yondaime-sama when I got a notification of the Kitsune breaching the outer perimeter set up about 300 meters from the village wall. I immediately went to assist in holding off the Kitsune whilst the Hokage finished the seal. He arrived with a baby and using the Shiki Fuujin seal the Kitsune into the baby. After that another fox came and I went there. The second Kitsune was defeated by me and hre I am."
Almost all of the occupants in the hall face-faulted at th very brief description of events except for those who knew him. There was silence for several seconds then a brave civilian council member spoke up. "WHAT! Is that all you can say about two huge demons who arrived and caused thousands of billions of Ryo damage and killed thousands of people!"
"... hai. Hokage-sama called for a report. That is as far as much detail I will go with non-shinobi present."
The council man puffed up in outrage. "Do you know who you are talking to?"
"Hai," Seimei paused to search his mind for a name, "council man Hade-san, wealthy first son of a Metal trader... however you are not my Hokage and therefore have no jurisdiction over any of the Shinobi Force." Seimei peirced him with a glare, the yellow lenses of his mask glinting ominously.
The trader's son paled and clammed up. There was an awkward silence in the hall before the Hyuuga Clan Head, Hiashi, spoke up, voicing the question on the minds of most of the shinobi.
"Shikikan-sama, why were there two Kyuubi Kitsune?"
"Iie Hyuuga-dono. There was only one Kyuubi Kitsune. The first was the mate."
"Why did they attack?"
"Their kits were killed and the only definite identification of the perpetrator was a Konoha Hitai-ate." Whispers erupted throughout the hall. Seimei waited until it died down and spoke up again. "It is not well known but the Kitsune Clan are the guardians of Hi no Kuni and are normally peaceful creatures. The death of their kits were just beyond the pale."
He allowed them to have time to digest that piece of news when one of the civilians regained his confidence and shouted out, "why are we discussing that? It is in the past. We should be talking about how we should deal with the demon!" This sparked off other council members and soon there was a full blown shouting match in the hall. What amazed Seimei more was that there were several shinobi who also joined in and called for 'the death of the demon'. Seimei allowed the shouts to continue seeking to see if it would die down by itself, but it didn't seem likely. The shouting also appeared to have woken up the child. Not wanting another set of lungs to contribute to his growing headache- he hated council meetings, he cast a calming spell over the child. Seimei turned around and traded a look with the Sandaime who gave him a slight nod.
Seimei turned back round and waved a hand over his throat sonorous. "SILENCE!" like a whip crack his voice cut through the clamor. Everyone stilled as he released his KI which, fueled by his throbbing temples, rivaled that of the Hokage's. The council members quieted instantly and resumed their seats, only just beginning to get the connection that they had angered the one person who had fought off the Lord of the Kitsune Clan.
With the voice amplifying spell his frigid voice easily reached the furthest edges of the hall. "Do you have any idea of what you have just suggested? You have just thought to destroy an innocent life before it began. We are not Kiri-"
A nameless shinobi stuttered, "b-but th-that's not a child. He's a demon." The started another round of agreements.
Seimei shot the shinobi a blast of concentrated KI making him go pasty white and start choking. He only stopped when the shinobi fell unconscious.
"Do you see this seal?" he brought Naruto out from the folds of his cloak and exposed the glowing seal. He cast a projection jutsu so that the image was visible to all. "If the vessel is killed when the seal still glows then the Kitsune will be released... from Yondaime-sama's predictions it will take nine years for the Kitsune be fully contained." There was a shocked silence. All glared at the loudest people who had suggested the execution of the vessel. Those people just tried to look small and disappear into the ground.
Sarutobi stood up and whispered something into Seimei's ear. He nodded, dispelled his voice amplifying spell and covered up Naruto again then faded into Sandaime's shadow. there were a few gasps from the civilian section of the hall at the action but Sarutobi cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"As Ookami-Shikikan informed the council. The child must be kept safe and so I declare the information of the seal and repercussions associated be an S-Class secret and will not get beyond this hall. Even the information about the Kitsune being sealed into the child. Under penalty of immediate execution."
Sarutobi went through many hand seals at high speed and flared his chakra. The result was that all in the room were encased in golden sparkles then disappeared. no one dared object because the display of chakra showed them Sarutobi had the title of Kami no Shinobi for a reason. What they didn't know was that the whole thing had been a show and the actual reason for the light show was because of Seimei's secrecy spell that bound to the magical cores of every individual in the hall that prevented them from communicating the information they had just heard, including talking, writing things down or even in any sort of code. The only people barred were the Sandaime and himself.
Danzo was the first to recover from his shock that the Hokage had placed some sort of jutsu on them. "Hokage-sama," Sarutobi decided to let the barely disguised tone of disrespect slide- this time. "May I be the first to put forward a claim on the child. As I have... extensive experience the child will do best in my care and he will become a true asset to Konoha."
"I refuse Danzo-dono. He will not be turned into a weapon. He will have as normal a childhood as possible."
"But Hokage-sama. If I am right in my assumptions then the child will have an immense chakra capacity, then the possibilities combined with the training I could give are endless... It will be for the greater good of Konoha." That was the last card in his deck- for now. He knew Sarutobi well and as the Hokage would look over the largr picture. He was sure that...
"Iie. They were a necessity during the war but I will not have any child soldiers be made in times of peace. This is my final say on this matter." Danzo understood he would get no further at the moment so he gave a shallow bow showing his contempt, Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the blatant disrespect but said nothing, and sat down to plan and bide his time. one day Sarutobi, one day. You will regret having ever gained the Hokage seat
Ushiha Fugaku spoke up. "May I then put up a claim. The Uchiha clan will be happy,' there were a few snorts from the peanut gallery, after all who had ever known an Uchiha to have another expression bar scowling. A muscle in Fugaku's jaw tightened but he carried on, "to adopt the child into the clan. The compound is very secure and with the HQ of the Konoha Police being in the Uchiha Compound we will be able to keep a constant eye on the child at all times."
Hiashi also stood up, unwilling to let his political rival gain such an asset so easily. Thinking quickly he formulated a reasonable argument. "Hokage-sama. If I may put up an alternative claim. The Hyuuga Clan would be honoured to adopt the child. The clan compound is very secure with nearly all shinobi residents and with the byakugan the progress of the child's chakra could be easily monitored."
Soon after the first two claims there was a flurry of clans all putting up their claims and reasons for adoption. Sarutobi listened to all with increasing frustration. It was easy for the veteran shinobi to see that all were doing so for their own greed. Notably to both the Hokage and his Shikikan was that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Aburame, Inuzuka, Yuuhi and Morino clans didn't speak up. Shikaku spotted Seimei in the shadows and gave his ex-Teichou (ex-captain) a shallow nod who returned it understanding the message conveyed.
Having had enough of the babble said in a quiet voice that could nonetheless be heard through the noise, "enough! I have decided. No clan will be adopting the child. He will be a child of the state. The Sarutobi Clan will however look after the child-"
Danzo interrupted. "But Hokage-sama, that will be giving the Sarutobi clan an unfair advantage. If no clan will be able to adopt the child-"
"Hai Danzo-san but I will not be adopting him."
"It will amount to the same thing."
Sarutobi gave a small sigh. It seemed that his rival's sentiments were echoed by many in the hall. "Very well. The child will be in the care of the state, adoptions will be reviewed personally to ensure the person is independent of any clans."
Taking his chance in the lull in questions he dismissed them and all stood for him to leave the hall, Ken winging his way behind him. The occupants of the hall were silent for a bit after Sarutobi left but then began chatting and falling into groups. Some like Danzo, Fugaku and Hiashi left immediately whilst others lingered. Most were waiting for a closer glimpse of the vessel as the blanket had covered the babe and the projection only showed a bit of the stomach skin. Seimei knew their objectives and didn't oblige their wishes so after one last look from Shikaku he and his companions merged with the shadows and disappeared.
The shadows were a strange world. The traveler could see everything bu the colours were shades of grey and a constant flow of chakra was required in order to remain in the shadows. It was a jutsu from the Nara clan library and only through special dispension did Shikaku teach the rest of his ANBU squad of which only Shikaku and himself were the surviving members. Knowing that this mode of transport was faster he had time to drop off Tsuki and her mate back to their den before popping out of the shadows in the Hokage's Office.
He was just in time to see Sarutobi enter the building. Seimei settled on one chair and waited for his arrival.
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