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Usurper

Time skip 8 years

Minato pushed his seat back standing and looking at the ANBU that had entered his office seriously.

"What news?" Minato questioned and the ANBU knelt.

"The bandits are massing on the border," the ANBU reported seriously. "They eliminated two thirds of our scouting force. They had inside information. They knew what we were planning."

"I see," Minato sighed sitting back down. "Please summon Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane."

"Yes sir," the ANBU said leaving with the Body Flicker Technique.

A moment later, both of the Village Elders walked in along with Sasuke and Shisui Uchiha and Danzo Shimura.

"Hello Itachi, Shisui," Minato said pleasantly then glared at Danzo who he had never liked. "I did not send for you Danzo."

"As a Village Elder, I am entitled to be present at any meeting I wish," Danzo stated as if daring Minato to challenge him, a very unwise challenge, given who he was talking to.

"Homura, Koharu, I brought you here to discus the bandits," Minato stated. "However, as I remember specifically ordering Danzo to shut down Root and it has yet to end, I do not believe he can be trusted with such sensitive matters. As such, I might as well hear what you two have to say."

He looked at Shisui who looked at Itachi.

"I suppose since everyone here is aware of my role as ANBU," Itachi sighed. "The Uchiha are planning to take power. I tried to speak out against it but they would not listen. My father suggested it."

"This is a very serious accusation," Danzo stated. "Why would the two of you, both Uchihas, possibly want to rat on your own clan? I think that this is all an elaborate scheme to take power from the Fugaku Uchiha."

"It is not," Shisui stated calmly. "We have proof. A letter from Fugaku to several co conspirators."

"Let me see," Minato commanded holding his hand out.

Shisui handed it to him and Minato read it carefully then stared at the signature at the bottom.

"It's genuine," Minato stated. "This is very troubling."

"If it is genuine, we must act immediately," Danzo advised. "We should put the Uchiha threat down immediately."

"What?" Koharu gasped. "Just wipe them out? Why would we do that?"

"Danzo's right," Homura stated. "We must make an example of them. Treachery will not be tolerated."

"No," Minato interrupted. "We are not going to exterminate an entire clan because a few want power."

"We don't have to," Itachi stated. "We can arrest my father. If we do, we will essentially cut the head off of the snake."

"But we don't know for sure!" Danzo argued. "We should just wipe them out so that we can be sure!"

"Watch what you say!" Shisui warned as both he and Itachi activated their Sharingan. "Especially when you speak of wiping out our clan in front of us."

"Enough!" Minato shouted. "We are not massacring the Uchiha. Why are you so against bringing Fugaku in, Danzo? What are you so afraid of? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing, Lord Forth," Danzo assured him.

"Good," Minato growled standing. "Because if I find out you had any hand in this uprising for your own reasons, you're a dead man. Do you understand? You had better pray Fugaku doesn't implicate you. Dismissed."

"But-"

"Dismissed!" Minato interrupted and Danzo bowed and left and Minato waited for a moment before turning back to the Uchiha. "Itachi, shadow him, carefully. I don't trust him."

Itachi bowed and left with the Body Flicker Technique and Minato turned to Shisui.

"Shisui, get Kakashi into his ANBU uniform and have him help you arrest Fugaku and the other names implicated by this letter," Minato ordered. "Take them all to Torture and Interrogation. Start with Fugaku. Something tells me Danzo didn't leave to tend a garden."

Shisui bowed and took the letter than also left. Lastly, Minato turned to Homura and Koharu.

"As for you two," Minato began. "Never invite yourself to a private meeting. Now, the bandits had inside information on our movements. That means that someone at our last meeting on how to deal with them was a traitor. That would mean either you two or Danzo. I suspect him more than either of you. As such, I want you to send Shikaku, Guy, Kurenai, and Asuma to deal with the bandits. Tell them to take up to five others but to move quickly and silently."

The two Elders nodded and left and Minato sat down looking at the scrolls on his desk. He used his clones to do his paperwork usually but he doubted even they could focus long enough to do the paperwork now. He decided to have a few clones try and created three then teleported back to his house to see his wife and Naruto.

Kakashi knocked on the front door and Mikoto answered.

"Oh, hello," Mikoto greeted pleasantly. "Can I help you?"

"We need to see Fugaku," Kakashi stated kindly. "Is he in?"

"Sure, just a minute," Mikoto smiled. "Fugaku, you have company."

They waited patiently and Kakashi nodded to tell Shisui to be the one to speak.

"Hello," Fugaku stated stepping out. "I know why you're here. I'll come quietly as will all of my partners. Just give me a moment so that Mikoto doesn't panic."

Shisui nodded and Fugaku walked back into the house. A minute later, Fugaku walked out and led them through the Uchiha compound and collected the other five. All of them were taken to the Torture and Interrogation Force and once there, Fugaku instantly requested to have Inoichi search his mind. The moment they were linked, Fugaku began to tell him everything.

Danzo closed his suitcase and ran. Once he was on top of the wall on the outside of the village, he killed the two shinobi guarding the entrance. Then, he detonated the explosive tags in his house. With the signal sent, the Missing Nin he had hired, that posed as bandits and that had been planning on taking over the village after the Uchiha had been eradicated, weakening the military strength of the village, rushed over the wall just as Minato, Itachi, Shisui, Kakashi, and Guy arrived. Danzo glared at them as the Missing Nin charged, fifty in total, all ranging from B to S-rank.

"I'll get Danzo," Minato stated. "You all handle the Missing Nin."

"The others should be arriving shortly to back us up," Guy stated. "I rushed back so they should be about five minutes out. Let's be done when they get here."

"Agreed," Itachi nodded as he, Shisui, and Kakashi activated their Sharingan.

The four of them charged into the ninja, laying waste to their numbers and leaving corpses in their wake. While they did, Danzo dropped off of the wall and darted into the trees sending out shadow clones then turning the real him invisible and cutting left, running away at a forty-five degree angle. Minato sent a clone after all of the other Danzos, all of which were designed to leave a seal in the air for five seconds after they were destroyed or released so that Minato could catch up. However, when all of his clones reported that they were simply clones that they had chased, he understood that Danzo was gone and turned back to help the others. Two Missing Nin were still alive, one with grey hair combed back and holding a three bladed red scythe and wearing only pants and sandals, and the other with long yellow hair in a ponytail with bangs over his left hair and a dark grey trench coat. He held a pair of kunai and kept glancing at the other ninja while backing away slowly.

"I didn't sign up for this," the blonde stated, clearly meaning to get away.

"Get a grip," the other snarled. "It's not like we've never fought multiple shinobi before."

"Easy for you to say, you're-" he was cut off by one of Minato's kunai sticking into the back of his head deep enough to kill him.

Then, Minato appeared next to the kunai and slashed the other shinobi's throat. Both fell to the ground but the blonde turned into a mass of white clay and then melted. Minato sighed and retrieved his kunai and ordered the corpses buried. After about three hours, it was done and Minato returned to Fugaku and Inoichi for negotiations and sentencing.

"Since you came in willingly, named your co-conspirators, and willingly told us about Danzo's part, I will let you off easy," Minato stated. "You will spend exactly five years in Hozuki Castle with the others. After that time, you will be welcomed back so long as you never attempt a coup d'etat again."

"Thank you Lord Fourth," Fugaku said bowing. "I am recommending Itachi for Clan Head. I think he would be perfect for the position."

Minato smiled and nodded. Fugaku was right. Itachi was a natural leader. He would make a good Clan Head. Minato sighed and returned to his home. He had had enough for the day.

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