The Council Meeting and a Change of Plan
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D/C: I own nothing.
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"What did she mean about what we want when we go back." Temari said, looking around the table and then all eyes landed on Hizashi.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" Hizashi asked with an eyebrow raised.
"You know far more than the rest of us." Shikaku pointed out.
Hizashi let out a sigh, as he ran his hand through his hair. "What she meant is that, once we go back… many things could change. One choice can lead to an early end or to a long haul of pain. We have to be careful with the way we change things. We can't just change things out of massive proportion."
"She told you all of that?" Shizune asked, waving her hand towards his direction. "Then what's the point of going back if it's going to be worse than?"
"What he's saying is that, we have to be extremely careful." Zabuza growled out. "If we make a single mistake or forget the slightest detail we could end up losing the ones we need for the upcoming events."
"Zabuza and I have been here the longest out of all of you," Hizashi added in, he refilled his cup with sake. "During our stay here; we've seen what has been happening out there. Including seeing all the different outcomes of each event, including meeting Death himself a couple of times."
"Wh-what!" Jiraiya stuttered, everyone look confused or look in disbelief. "You two actually met the Shinigami"
"Yeah… After the third or fourth time you get used to seeing him..." Hizashi shrugged, looking not at all impressed with his past encounters with the Death God.
"If you don't mind him threatening you every few seconds to send you to your personal hell." Zabuza shivered at the memories of each threat. "Never again…"
Everyone did an involuntary shiver.
"We have to be specific with what we do." Hizashi said before anyone said anything a two-pieces of paper appeared out of nowhere and landed in the middle of the table. Right in front of Naruto and Shikamaru, they looked around the table they saw Hizashi and Zabuza nodding their head at them.
Slowly they reached over and each one grabbed a paper. As they read the paper, serious looks came to their faces.
Once that the two teens, finished reading the papers, they folded them up and put them in their pockets. Naruto look around the table. "We don't have much time, and we have to plan what we have to do, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru sat straight in his chair and took out a scroll and a pencil. "You said we are going back in time"
"Yes."
"Did they specify what year, month, day for the return?" Shikamaru questioned writing down notes.
"No… now that you mention it...no. They did not."
More notes were taken down. "What about our current abilities, did they say anything about that?"
"No."
Shikamaru continued to asked question after question. Everyone else began to understand what he was doing. He was going over what they needed to do. After several minutes, Shikamaru finished questioning Hizashi.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru grumbled, he rechecked the list he created several times to make sure go got everything. "Alright, when we do this we need a specific date to when we go back. We can't go back to far or too far in"
They all sat there thinking, what would be a right time to return. They have to ensure they go into a time in their lives and change everything for the good of the world.
"My birth-date." Naruto finally said, breaking the silence. "It's the day that Obito came and made the fox attack the village. The day that set off a chain reaction."
"Before or after the attack?" Shikamaru asked, pencil ready to write. Unlike the others sitting around the table, whom looked tense or right down horrified at the thought of having time rewind to that moment. The Nara trust his friend and could see the possibility of going back on that point of timeline.
"Shikamaru." Temari hissed at him.
"Right after the fox been sealed in him." Jiraiya answered Shikamaru, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued on. "We could save lives but…"
"We have to make sure Naruto has the fox sealed inside of him." Itachi chimed in. "He's the only one to be able to withstand the fox's chakra at that point and if we interfere with the attack more lives can be ruined."
"What about your parents, Naruto?" Neji asked.
Naruto groaned at that, before putting on a sad smile. "As much I want to… If they are still around then I won't be able to learn the lessons I have learned growing up and…I have a feeling I will see them again someday."
"You are willing to take on the harsh glares once again, Naruto?" Gaara asked.
Naruto gave his friend a half smile. "If I could already stand being alone for most of my life at this point, then this should be a piece of cake."
"Wrong." Shino stated, he looked over at Naruto to see him looking at him with surprise. Naruto's expression quickly turned downcast but Shino continued with an explanation. "This time you are not going to be alone, Naruto-san. This time we are here for you and for anyone who is in need of a friend."
Shino hunched against his chair and said nothing else.
"He's right." Shikaku sighed, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his chair. He closed his eyes in thought. "Last time, my clan and several of the clans tried and failed to adopt you. The civilians and few of the minor clans always out voted us from ever taking you in."
"The branch wanted to take you in, but we withdrew due to our own seal." Hizashi added in with regret heavy in his words.
Naruto began to smile at everything that he has being told. Then a look of determination once he thought over everything and looked over at Gaara. "I know that I won't be alone, including you Gaara."
"You got that right!" Temari said grabbing hold of her brother's hand to show her support.
"Thank you..."
There was a calm silence that fell over them. Whispers ran around the table as they started to talk about future plans and that peace quickly ended when Naruto added something to the plan.
"Before anyone freaks out, I prefer to not have any of the clans or anyone taking me in."
"Are you sure about that, Kid?" Jiraiya said, with a shock look. "I ca-"
"You need to work on you spy network and this time you have to come to Konoha more often to report in." Shikamaru interrupted the Toad Sage while pointing his pencil at him. "Plus he didn't say anything about us helping him."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at his friend. "What, no troublesome?"
Shikamaru looked up from his scroll with a bored look. "Troublesome, happy?"
"Very."
"What are we going to do with Sasuke and the Uchiha Massacre?" Itachi asked, he had a tight grasp on his cup of tea that near threatened to break due to the pressure that was being applied to it. "I do not want to have to go through killing my clan even if it's for the greater good. As for Sasuke, I don't want him to go down that path again even if he did manage to find his way in the end."
"The majority of the Uchiha always resented the village… I said majority… with or without the help of Obito." Jiraiya said, Itachi gave him his usual empty look. "As for your brother…"
"If he does not redeem himself, we will kill him. Why? To ensure the safety of the village." Shino said in a low voice.
Itachi bowed his head, he wanted to save his brother but… if it's for the good for the village... "Only if it's the last option."
"Don't worry, Itachi, I'll everything I can to help him before he goes down" Naruto promised the Uchiha.
"What was written on those papers anyway?" Kabuto asked.
Naruto and Shikamaru looked at him with serious expressions. "Classified Information"
Several more questions about everyone's past and plans to take out many problems came to be…
"Done." Shikamaru said while he closed the scroll and gave it to Naruto. "Here, all of the points we need to make sure we need to do and what we have to avoid."
"Are you two in charge of this then or what?" Anko asked as she continued to eat dango.
"Makes sense." Shikaku and Asuma both commented.
"How?" Shizune asked.
"Naruto has been in this mess since he was born." Itachi said, he raised an eyebrow towards Shikamaru's direction. He and the Nara never crossed path's persay. True, he would occasionally see the Nara whenever he picked up his brother at the Academy or whenever he did jobs around the village. Never once did their blades cross paths, but he had heard of how he planned in exact detail to take down Hidan and Kakuzu, even going as far to personal defeating Hidan. This is someone you want fighitng with you, not against. Still, what is his connection to the Uzumaki. Far as he heard, the Nara is closer to the Akimichi than anyone else. "As for the other…"
"I see Shikamaru as my closes friend and I trust him." Naruto responded, wrapping an arm around Shikamaru's shoulders.
"Plus the idiot needs someone to keep him organize." Shikamaru added in, ignoring the glare that was shot his way. He unwrapped the arm around his shoulders with a yawn. "Have you seen how your apartment looks like, troublesome..."
Naruto face planted against the table, in a comedic manner. Almost everyone who has actually seen Naruto's room nodded their heads in understanding.
"Plus, I would protect, follow and fight right side along him." Shikamaru said lazily. "Even if I have to do something troublesome, like becoming your chief adviser once you become Hokage."
"You better become his chief advisor." Temari warned, giving Shikamaru a glare to add emphasize to her words. "This time you better become a Jounin and not stay at Chunin."
"Since when did you care about that, Temari?" Narato asked, he didn't bother to hide his devious smile that was aimed towards his friend's direction. Shikamaru caught sight of the smile and internally groaned at what's coming up next.
"I do not want my sister to marry someone that has... a less than steller reputation..."
"It's settled then" Neji said aloud before anything else could be said or done. In actually, he just managed to get out of his drunken state just enough to catch some of the conversation. "I would also help you Naruto become Hokage."
"Of course I would help in every way I can." Shino agreed as well,
Everyone nodded their heads, in the entire time they known or seen him. They can tell a leader is right in front of him.
"Alright this is what we are going to ask for when she and him come back." Naruto said as he looked over the scroll. "…. Shikamaru…"
"Yes."
"Why is there multiple troublesome' written here?" Naruto asked.
"Troublesome."
-.-
One hour has passed, everyone around the table were on edge. They waited for the arrival of the main host of the party.
Slowly the sun began to disappear behind grey clouds. Fog began to creep through the tall grass, in a mocking manner. Everything around them began to slowly freeze.
"He's here." Hizashi said.
Then a tall dark cloaked figure appeared from the tall grass, and behind him was Tomoko. The figure looked to be ever taller than Kisame and Juugo. His hood covered his face, the cloak also hid his body, and the only thing visible is his arms. In his right arm he had he carried prayer beads in the other he had a dark wooden staff.
"Have you decided everything then?" The Shinigami asked in a dark looming voice.
Naruto stood up, and held out a different scroll. Opening it he did a quick look at it before closing it once again. "Tomoko told us that we have to make a pact with you in order for us to go back. What is it exactly do you want us to do for you?"
Death stops for a moment, and looked down at Tomoko. "You do realize this takes away the element of surprise you know?"
"Do you want me to get Mrs. Death?" Tomoko threatened.
"No!" Death replied quickly. He turned back to everyone. "What I want are the souls of those who are past overdue and others... In order for that to happen you have to become my messengers."
"Your what…" A few asked while the others murmured among themselves. "You want us to work for you?"
"Yes and no." Death shrugged sitting down in the armchair while Tomoko stood next to him. "What I want from all of you is send me the souls I have assigned to you. The only one who actually works for me is Akira-san."
"Assassination. You want us to kill." Shikaku said his eyes narrowed. If Death wants them to kill, well for being a ninja it's part of the job. But depending who is on the list.
"Not like that." Death asked the unasked question. "All I want are the one who truly belong in the depth of my belly. How you do it is up to you, just as long I get what I want"
Everyone sweat drop at that. They were not so sure if he was telling the truth about that or not.
"Like what Akira-san said, I am a patient god, everyone dies one way or another." Death chuckled. "The ones I am sending you are the ones I want sooner than later"
"Will that be it on our part for you?" Neji asked.
"Hm..." Death thought for a moment. "There is another thing but that can wait once all of you die… but I don't see that happening in any of your futures so soon... again."
"I will also say this, I am very generous to the ones who serve me loyally." Death said as he stood. "I will give you gifts for your service. Even though it makes it looks like you have a second chance in life. Do not waste it, and do not fail me."
He held out his hand towards Naruto, in turn Naruto gave him the scroll he had in hand.
Examining it, Death chuckled at it before closing it and placing it in his cloak. "Rise everyone and follow me"
Slowly everyone followed him towards an empty patch of grass. "In a giant circle everyone. Including you, Akira-san"
With a confused look, Tomoko got into a circle with everyone else. Death stood in the middle.
"Now I want every one of you to stay were you are and focus?" Death said as he began to chant in an old language no one understood. "Oh… it's better if you close your eyes"
Death swung the staff around himself, in a repetitive matter. The clouds darken; the fog began to swallow everyone from sight. Then it happened. The fog began to swirl around the circle in high speeds, they were in the eye of it. Everyone felt like they were being suck into it.
A giant flash of light appeared, then nothing. The dark clouds disappeared. The fog gone, with no signs of it ever being there, the only things there is Death standing right in the middle of the field.
"That went better than I thought." He commented, as he took off his hood; to reveal a man with pale skin and dark hair. "Now that I sent Akira-san back, now I have to do all that paper work."
He shivered at that, paperwork is his personal hell for him.
-.-
Death all around, guilt, pain and misery filled the air. The village was once again in shambles, the same way he remembered it.
Shikaku sat in his chair, in the council room. Looking around he saw many faces, a few he remembered and others he made sure to make privates notes on for later. Looking towards his left, he saw the head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi, with him his guard and brother Hizashi.
Hizashi did a slight movement that caught his attention. Shikaku responded.
'It worked…' Shikaku thought, as he looked around. He frowned when he saw a less bandaged Danzo walking into the room. It only deepened when he saw the civilians and the smaller clan's heads. "What a drag"
"You can say that again." Inochi, said, as he sat next to him. "It's a war zone out there"
Choza nodded his head in agreement.
The doors opened to show Jiraiya coming in with a bundle of blankets in hand. The third hokage was right behind him. Everyone began to scream and shout for answers.
"Where is the Fourth Hokage…"
"What happened to the demon…"
"What's going to happen now…"
Many questions went by, and none of them been answered. Jiraiya looked up to see Shikaku and Hizashi. Once again, a silent signal was given and received. Quickly the third told the council that the fourth had sacrifices himself to save the village. How he was going to take the mantle of Hokage again, among several other things.
'Now for the hard part…' Three thought heavily.
"What exactly happened to the fox?" Fugaku said staring down at the bundle in Jiraiya's arms.
Jiraiya held it closer to him; he began to murmur to it. The third let out a troubled sigh and began to explain to them what happened to the fox.
"You're saying that the Fourth sealed the demon, in that boy?" one of the council members said horror.
Then all hell broke loose. Many of them screaming for the death of the newborn, and many other things.
"SILENCE!" The third yelled out. It made everyone in the room silent. Shikaku coughed to get everyone's attention.
"Yes, Shikaku-san?" Said a very tired Hokage.
"You are telling us that the fourth hokage died sealing the nine tail fox, into a newborn; thus saving the entire village." Shikaku summarized. "Who is the child anyway?"
This was part of the plan; they decided that it would be known that Naruto is semi related to Jiraiya. However, in that retrospect.
"His name is Naruto Uzumaki, he is my responsibility." Jiraiya said in a serious tone. "His parents put me in charge of his safety before they died defending the village. His parents were Kaze and Mizu Uzumaki. It was the promise that Minato and I gave to them. To take care of Naruto, Minato wants this child to be remembered as a hero and not as the fox itself."
They used two names that would never would remembered. That and Jiraiya and Shikaku made false documents of the 'parents.'
More disagreements were voiced throughout the room.
"Are you implying that you would take the child with you, Jiraiya?" Dunzo said, eyeing Naruto.
Naruto began to stir, his hand peeked out of the blankets and tried to grabbed onto the toads sage hair.
A lot of the people looked in disgust while others looked at the baby with amusement.
"I have to travel due to my spy network, and I can't do that with the gaki-" Naruto pulled at his god-father's hair. "OW… Okay damnt, let go!"
Now it was a tug-a-war between Naruto and Jiraiya hair. A few laughed at the show, others hid a smile. While others maintained a composed look.
As Naruto continued to move, the blanket began to fall off, showing a sun kissed, blond, and whiskered baby.
Many of the civilians turned red in anger, the child looked exactly the way their now dead Hokage look.
"Then what are you going to do with the child, if you can't take care of him?" A man asked, he was one of the lesser clans in the village. "Why don't we just kill it and be done with it."
"Legally he is under my custody." Jiraiya said, as he held Naruto close to him. The baby continued to play with the sages hair. "It's too dangerous for him to be out. Especially if the seal can still break at any moment, at this time"
The entire room was silent, expect for the giggles that Naruto made whenever Jiraiya attempted to get his hair back from him.
"What a drag..." Shikaku sighed, he looked directly into Jiraiya's eyes, "If that's the case, you have to have someone take care of the kid when you're out of the village, then"
"A temporary caretaker...?" Hiashi added in.
"Yes that!" Jiraiya responded as he approached the stands. "I need people who I can trust with the kid."
As he walked towards them, many of the councilmembers tried to avoid him and the baby.
"And I know just who." Jiraiya handed Naruto to Shikaku. Who was now wide eyed in surprised. "Thanks for volunteering, Shikaku"
"Wha-what!" Shikaku said in surprise. This was not part of the plan as far as the shadow wielder knows. "I-I-I can't just-"
"Thanks again! I have to go. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back and take care of the brat!" Jiraiya smiled as he walked out of the council room. "I'll repay you once I come back."
The moment that the toad sage closed the door, Inochi and Choza began to loudly laugh at their friend misfortune. Shikaku mouth kept opening and closing. He was unable to say anything.
Naruto smiled a toothless smile. He lightly slaps Shikaku on the cheek.
Shikaku frowned at the boy, he swore that he could see an evil glint in his eye.
"Wait one moment!" One councilman yelled pointing at the two. "We haven't even decided if the demon is going to live or not!"
Shikaku frowned deepen, he held Naruto closer to him as he began to rise. Inochi and Choza stood with him. The other two are always by their friends side, no matter what.
"I believe the fate of the child has already been decided." Said a monotones voice.
Everyone turned to see Shibi Aburame, standing up as well. Buzzing was heard throughout the room. "Fact, Jiraiya-sama handed the boy to Nara-san for safekeeping until he comebacks. If he comes back and finds out that, he is dead. Then the one who condemned would also suffer the same fate."
"I believe so." The Third said in relief. "Then it has been decided that the Nara's-"
"I would nominate the Yamanaka clan to also take care of the child." Inochi added in.
"I would also want to add the Akimichi clan." Choza said.
No one wanted to say anything to it. Due to the fact that they can easily make their lives hell in the long run. Then two other clans added in to help with Naruto. It took Shikaku a bit by surprise but it wasn't much, since they also in the forgotten past also wanted to help Naruto.
"Aburame clan will stand by to help when it is needed."
"Don't forget to add the Inuzuka clan."
The old professor couldn't help but smile. "Then the ones who called out would be the temporary caretakers and protectors of Naruto Uzumaki."
To be continued…