:: Disclaimer :: I realize I didn't state this in the first chapter, but I do not own Naruto.

I wish I did… but I do not. However, I do own the various characters of my creation that may appear.

Yeah, you copyright guys have nothing on that, do ya? lol


Naruto: Endless Requital

Chapitre Two: The Revival of the Leaf

Written by: Lost Anthology

Konohagakure no Sato… The Village Hidden Within Leaves. One year since the Invasion of Pain, the village has pushed itself forward in an attempt to gain that which was lost. The effect of Pain and the technique known as Shinra Tensei was not a tragedy that could be forgotten; the scar that had been left from its large scale of destruction remained in the Land of Fire. It was not that it could not be removed, but that the village did not wish for it to.

It was a symbol; a symbol not only to themselves but to those who wished to stand and wage war against the village within the Land of Fire. It was hard growing accustomed to that way of thinking, however. Many considered the crater, a scar of humiliation and weakness. Preferred to believe it as a sign that anyone could trample upon the grounds of Konohagakure with ease if they so chose to. Yet when it came down to it, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade had declared it would remain.

By her assessment, both opinions were correct. It would serve to show that Konoha could overcome the grief that would plague their village and yet at the same time, it showed that Konoha was vulnerable and careless enough to allow such an attack. Though no other Kage faulted the nation entirely considering the overwhelming strength of Akatsuki, it remained true that Konoha was now in a time where nothing would be overlooked and no time would be wasted. Admitting such was a strong declaration. The revival of the leaf was at hand, and was proceeding excellently over the course of the year.

One day before the year became official and men and women were hard at work. Buildings were being reconstructed, while at the same time, commemoration was being prepared. Perhaps some would have found it pitiful to commemorate the fall of Konoha, yet this was also a time for remembrance. The many lives that fell that day were still a painful blow towards the people and even the Council of Elders had deemed it appropriate to come together for such an honorable event. Not one life would be forgotten; all bodies having been taken into account as best as possible, the ceremony would finalize Konohagkure's rise from the ashes and allow them to return to a point of tranquility that had been lost for quite some time.

For some however, peace would not come so easily. Speaking primarily of the Fifth Hokage and her duties, there was still much to attend to. Akatsuki, Kumogakure's Raikage calling for a meeting of the Five Kage and proper organization of Konoha's forces and nin, for a more appropriate readiness on incoming information from their allying villages. Something she was far from pleased to admit to was the fact that her usage of releasing the seal upon her forehead had taken a more drastic toll on her, than she could have previously anticipated.

Wrinkles had begun to form upon her face, though not enough to catch the wandering glances of those who surrounded her. To most, (mainly children and normal civilians) it was simply age, catching up with her. Unbeknownst to many however, this meant one inevitable thing: a replacement to the title of Hokage would need to be declared soon.

Within her heart, she had already felt her choice was made yet; it would not come so easily as simply relying on something like that. Such a decision would certainly not stand well within the circle of the Council of Elders, at least without significant reason and ample backing from the entirety of the village. Perhaps the Council knew this for they had chosen that particular time to interrupt her daily procedure of… doing almost nothing in the midst of tons of work. Tsunade smiled slightly before, turning her head towards the door as it opened…

Current Location: Hokage Monument

Current Time: Midday 12:00 p.m.

There was a slight sigh as blue eyes vanished behind eyelids; there was a feeling of nostalgia as Naruto looked over the village with a serenity that almost seemed too unreal to be surrounding him. He could not find himself understanding why he came to stand up here so often; knowing perfectly well that he was defacing the Hokage Monument, did not seem to deter him however as his eyes opened again and he looked out towards the village that was slowly revitalizing itself.

Since the approaching day of the Commemoration of the Departed, there had been quite a lot on his mind. More than he particularly cared to admit, even to himself. More precisely, his mind continued to wander among the many faces that appeared throughout his head. He hardly knew where to begin as faces of those that would be remembered tomorrow flashed through his mind. His hindsight stopped particularly on the medical kunoichi, Shizune. He had reacted rather horribly when he learned of her death; she had held so much faith in him… taken care of him and genuinely believed in him that the revelation that Pain had stolen her soul, shook him to an unfathomable point for a time being. He had heard Nagato's story, that fateful day and he the events that followed were Naruto's decision and not something he could take back. He had done what he believed was right, but his hatred was nevertheless still there when it came to the scar left in his heart, by his friend's absence.

Her peaceful face faded and was replaced by the lavender eyed Hinata. A slight smile spread over his face, as he thought about her; not dead of course. Her shocking confession was perhaps the most confusing for Naruto to understand, though that was simply because relationships and such feelings were not entirely something he was a genius on. Sure he had held that crush upon Sakura years ago and there were even times when he thought he felt something, but recently, he could not find it within himself to truly comprehend the word 'love'.

It was a couple weeks before he could even confront Hinata on that moment, yet she was not as shy as she used to be; she seemed to be waiting for what she believed would be an inevitable heartbreak. Naruto couldn't understand why she always seemed so hard on herself; the mere look upon her face made the ninja smile slightly before he had closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her shiver at his touch, yet did not let go; if it was uncomfortable for her, she could push him away and run. Though he had no idea how he would react to that, he was happy to know that he wouldn't have to think about it as her shivering ceased and her body rested against him. To be honest, he could not be sure what he felt for her; he had no intentions of blindly confessing that he loved her or simply rejecting her either. Of course not.

If training in Myobokuzan had granted him anything, it had surely made him a more wise and perceptive individual when he wanted to be. So her shock did not end there as Naruto had quietly asked her to wait for his answer. "I know you've waited… more than you should have been made to, but will you wait a little longer, Hinata?" He had said those words, quietly and only so she could hear. He knew that it would be asking much of her, but deep down, Naruto knew that he would not ask such a thing… would not make her suffer unless he believed that he could return those feelings towards her. It was not a simple thing to ask, but he wanted her to wait until such a time where he could fully give her all his heart, like she had done.

That was not primarily what had shocked Hinata, however. Throughout her mind, she had repeatedly recounted his words during their embrace. He had not said no and that was enough to want to make her wait an eternity. It was a surprise to both when she finally found herself able to wrap her arms around his torso; fortunately her reddened face was buried in his shoulder as she nodded. He was pleased with that and after a moment, they separated from one another and, there was something about the way she had looked –the smile of happiness and relief that had come from hearing his words– that made Naruto wish and want to always bring that to her.

It was one of his pleasant memories as the image of her faded from his mind and was thus replaced by… He grimaced slightly, before a smile at that very action replaced it. He could not blame himself for the act against Sasuke's face and immediately, he felt the solution to that problem as his eyes stared down and were filled by the entirety of the village. Arms crossed over his chest, he could not help but feel a weight lifted slightly from his shoulders, as the idea of setting Sasuke aside for the moment did not make him feel as horrible as he believed it would be.

It's the best option, he told himself as his Sage form became noticeable in his facial features. He could not afford to chase after Sasuke while the village was so considerably vulnerable. The lives of many versus the life of his best friend and there was no particular way for Naruto to save them both at the same time. Recalling the visit of the three man cell from Kumogakure no Sato, Naruto had a slight bit of concern when hearing that Sasuke had captured the Eight Tails Beast and that as a result, Kumogakure would make it their job to dispose of him, yet Tsunade had declared that since such could not be brought up in a formal manner between the five Kage, that would be forbidden for the time being. Despite that, Naruto highly doubted that Kumogakure would have stuck by the Hokage's words; they would certainly have continued their search throughout this year, yet since no news had come –as he believed it would if Sasuke had been killed– Naruto could only presume, Sasuke was still alive and that was enough for him.

The horizontal slit-pupils in Naruto's eyes moved a fraction as he turned to acknowledge the familiar presence that had decided to grace him with their presence. Grinning, he sat himself into a lotus-style to better accommodate himself. "I'm a bit surprised to see you here. Am I lucky or has something occurred, Shima-sensei?"

The elder frog gave a slight smirk as she shook her head and gazed out at the lush forest, which was once again beginning to grace Konoha's presence. "This old frog gets lonely these days, Naruto. You know that. Without that old sage Jiraiya and Pa (Fukasaku), what more does one like me really have, besides my final student?" She finally turned to meet his gaze before settling herself down beside him. "Besides, I was under the impression that you were waiting for a bit of company. Would you rob one such as me of this moment before readying yourself for the day ahead?"

Naruto had to hand it to the elder frog as he shook his head in slight amazement. Perceptiveness seemed to run through this species, which was more than he could have said he would have expected years ago. He now saw more than significant meaning in why Jiraiya and his father had both chosen Toads as their summoning companions. "Of course I wouldn't. You know I'm around whenever you need me."

Shima nodded. She did indeed know that; it was quite marvelous really, but that was just the individual Naruto had come to be. Someone you could indefinitely rely upon. "Konoha will be more marvelous than even before once everything is completed. It is quite the spectacular revival, really."

"Like Bushy Brows always says, 'the Lotus blooms twice.' The entirety of Konoha will be the lotus this time, though. We'll be more magnificent and powerful than we ever were." Saying such a thing, Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he leaned back on his hands, and felt himself grow warm at his unusual sentiment. He had never really been one to say such things, but then again, he was rather unpredictable. He was continuously changing as people had told him. He was growing more mature with every waking experience it seemed and this simply happened to be an experience that was showing the world in a new light, for the young Sage.

Shima seemed to agree as she watched him, curiously. There was something to marvel in this boy; something that really could not be explained. He had mastered Sage Mode almost effortlessly while Jiraiya had not. To be perfectly honest, Naruto had numerous accomplishments under his belt that many believed would be impossible for the blonde ninja. Never one to stray from surprising both friend and foe, it seemed that Naruto had been revived as well throughout this ordeal. Revived but never truly changed. All that had changed was the increase in his resolve to protect Konoha. To protect those who needed him. "I am glad I came here today…" she said quietly. "He would have been proud to see you like this, young Naruto… just like I am proud to see you."

Her words had surprised Naruto, causing him to look at her again, but she was already departing. "You're wrong, Shima-sensei. He wouldn't have been proud; he is proud." The elder frog turned to see his sympathetic smile before she faced ahead and returned to Myobokuzan.

Naruto gazed at where she had been for a moment before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his legs. His eyes closed before he grew completely silent and found himself waiting for the someone, he wasn't quite sure would come. All the while, he had begun to gather Sage Chakra, much like two of his clones continued to do in the hidden land, where he had first learned of the Sage Techniques.

Current Location: The Hokage's Office, Konohagakure no Sato

Current Time: Midday 12:05 p.m.

Tsunade was to say the least, far from pleased. Sitting in her desk, elbows propped upon her desk, and her chin resting on her entwined hands, she gazed with a rather annoyed look about her, at the three figures standing upon the opposite side of said desk. Since she had woken up this morning, the day had not been going well –at least not for her– and she had very little hope that it would make a u-turn and get any better. Of course with the three looming figures of Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane –otherwise known as the Council of Elders– how could she? An melodramatic moan of self-pity escaped her as she leaned back into her chair and turned her attention, solely to the one-eyed, wet noodle of a figure that was Danzo.

"So what have you brought us all here to discuss, today huh?"

Danzo stiffened slightly but otherwise made no inquiry at the stature of the woman before him. That being said however, it did not mean there was not enough anger coursing through his body as he inhaled slowly and turned his gaze towards the two beside him. "It is nothing, which should be unclear to you, Tsunade. As I have brought up before, a successor towards the title of Hokage must be chosen soon. I believe such a decision should be made and announced during tomorrow's ceremony."

Of course. Tsunade expected this to turn up at some point in the day; the plans for the ceremony tomorrow were completely in order so how else could the day turn into a shitty one, than by Danzo's hand. Her expression of annoyance did not change much, except at the slight uneasiness that was Danzo stiffening. He had been rather upset with her for a while now –more than usual at least– and she could only imagine that he was hoping she would have died, during Pain's Invasion. It certainly would have made things far easier for the blunt little tactician that he was, and it was made Tsunade rather pleased in the midst of this annoying quandary, that she could put a kink in the plans of the Elder.

Pushing back a slightly displaced lock of hair with her finger, she closed her eyes casually. "So, how shall this be taken care of, then? Who are your recommendations?"

It was more than amusing to watch the surprise appear on Danzo's face, even if it lasted for a fraction of a second. Of course he had not expected her to oblige to this little 'unnecessary quarrel' as she had declared it on a previous occasion. His composure regained, he looked over her, suspicion now growing as Koharu and Homura seemed rather pleased and relieved that Tsunade was finally consenting towards this idea. They were quite the fools when they wanted to be, yet Danzo knew that something was wrong with this situation… he simply did not know what that was yet and that's what made him begin to question whether this would be an productive meeting or not.

As much as he would have preferred to turn the question back around towards Tsunade, Danzo was robbed that privilege as Homura stepped forward; there was a seemingly odd sense of eagerness about him – perhaps due to Tsunade's unusual acceptance – yet he turned and to glance at Danzo as he spoke, "it is our recommendation that Danzo be taken into consideration and eventually declared as heir to the Hokage throne, Tsunade." Turning to look back towards the young looking Hokage, Homura did not see the quick flash of anger, directed towards him.

Rather than respond immediately, Tsunade opened her eyes and stared at the trio for the moment. With such influence, she had expected Danzo to win these two over; they were a trio of militant based elders and altogether, they clashed against her in their ideals on what was best for Konoha. More than anything, that made the idea of Danzo becoming the Rokudaime Hokage something, she would not let come to pass. These three had considered Tsunade a novice in the role of Kage, but they had no idea just what damage could and would come to Konoha if Danzo got his wish. She had taken into consideration this moment for quite a while, yet it was increasingly difficult to find a suitable candidate within her eyes that would measure up to a high enough standard to sway the elders to side with her.

At one point, she had considered Hatake Kakashi; the Copy Ninja was more prominent than a great deal of Nin within the world and she would have been quite satisfied with his ability to lead Konoha. Yet since the Pain's assault, Kakashi had not been the same. He had survived the attack; even in his weakened and lifeless condition, a nail would not be the reason Kakashi left this world. He was however having considerable difficulty these past few months. It had taken him a total of four months to make what had previously been said was a 'full recovery' yet, it was merely a month later before the white haired Jōnin collapsed, racked with pain that could neither be explained or cured. He spoke various times of his Sharingan unwillingly bringing about unusual nightmares to his unconscious mind in his sleep; as if being attacked repeatedly by Tsukuyomi. Mentally and physically, Kakashi was inept to lead and Tsunade would not dare put any more strain than he already had. All she had been able to do was keep watch over him; a procedural healing and check-up every few hours or so to see whether signs of symptoms had turned up was all that could be mustered and he did not ask for anything else. He was tough; she understood that well, but she could not help but grow stressed over this ailment that consumed him.

Turning her mind from the events that brought an unusual ache to her chest, she resumed her process of thought as the three elders stared at her quizzically. "You know, it's impolite to stare. Give me a minute to take things into consideration, will ya?" Turning in her chair, she stood up and glanced out the window of her office, taking in the beautiful sight that was once again 'rising from the ashes' so to say. It would have been uncharacteristic of her not to grin at the hard work being put into bringing Konoha back to its full glory and in turn, her gaze shifted upwards towards the Hokage Monument. Seeing the five carvings of the past to present Hokages made Tsunade feel a lot older than she looked and wished she was. It was a tragedy that releasing her seal all those years ago had brought about a more wearied and slightly disheveled look, but she did not regret for one second, the reward that had come with it. This village… these people… they were her life and not one of them should have died in the first place. Her eyes stayed upon her own face within the monument before taking notice of something different. Blinking and shaking her head faintly, she looked at the monument once more before noticing the unusual bit of color upon her stone face.

It took her a moment, mainly out of disbelief but she quickly smirked as she laughed to herself and turned her head back to look at the still waiting elders. She couldn't believe it had taken her this long, but really, her solution to this problem, had just been right in front of her… something she was particularly glad for and upset about at the same time. "I've made my decision. Unfortunately enough, I do not agree with the decision to allow Danzo to be my successor. While I have no problem worthy of mention towards consideration, I am recommending my own candidate as Uzumaki Naruto."

"I won't allow that," Danzo forced out angrily. Koharu and Homura both glanced at each other, as a state of uneasiness washed over them.

Tsunade arched an eyebrow under his protest, before smiling. "I'm afraid that's not an acceptable response."

Danzo furrowed his brows. "And why is that?"

"Naruto is considerably the best candidate for Hokage, if you really wish to know. Your prejudice against him simply because he is the container of the Nine Tailed Fox is all that prevents you from admitting such. I've dealt with that in the past, but this is not a matter for your childish excuses." A short breath was taken yet she continued before Danzo could retaliate, "I see no reason supplied that is decent enough to reject this decision, unless you have the resources to prove somehow that Naruto is incapable or traitorous to Konoha."

"This type of requisition cannot be allowed, Tsunade. He is too dangerous and unpredict–"

"It has been seventeen years now since the Fourth Hokage sealed the beast within Naruto. He has shown ample control over such, especially during the Invasion, you happened to be conveniently absent from."

That retort stunned Danzo in place as she leaned against her desk and turned towards the other two elders. "The village needs a Hokage that they can look up to; one that they can believe in and trust. Not one that hides in the shadows with his soldiers while the village is practically destroyed. There wouldn't even be a village for you to be trying to fight for control of if not for Naruto, so how can you not grant him this opportunity?" There was nothing but an attempt at finding the right words between the two as Tsunade slammed her fist down on the desk. "How long do you plan to keep this boy from his destiny?! Look at him and look how closely he resembles that from who he came from not simply in looks but in action. He is the shadow of his father and if you look at him as the rest of this village does, you'll see that given the chance, he can eclipse his father like he has done with Jiraiya."

Tsunade sighed, before turning her chair around and falling back into it. She had made her case and had made it while Danzo was powerless to stop her. Perhaps if he had cut her off before she had gotten going, he would have had a chance but he was too slow and Tsunade had played this through her mind, the moment she saw Naruto watching over the village. She was almost a bit surprised now that she recounted her words; it flowed effortlessly as if these three before her should have known this all to begin with. She did not want to think about the collective voices muttering across from her; Danzo's grunts had joined the fray and it was obvious with a hiss here and there that there was now chaos within the three's ranks.

It was at the slight movement in her peripheral vision that Tsunade's head rose to see Danzo leaving the room. She displayed no open emotion to that, instead turning her gaze upon Koharu who seemed slightly hesitant to inform her of the news, she knew was coming. "It has been taken under consideration and… Uzumaki Naruto will also be announced as a recommendation to the title of Hokage. The rest of the elders will meet and speak on this decision and decide what is to be done. In the meantime, we wish you to consider ideas for how best to approach this situation, should the Council not be able to come to a clear decision, Tsunade."

Nodding her head solemnly, the two elders departed leaving Tsunade smiling and content that the day had actually done just what she had wished for. The U-turn was now in play as she found herself with one more task to be done. Grabbing the Hokage's Robe from the back of her chair, she glanced at the figure still atop the monument and shook her head before vanishing from the office.

Current Location: Hokage Monument

Current Time: Midday 12:45 p.m.

Naruto was waiting for Tsunade when she had finally made her way to the top of the monument; a slight smile spread across his lips as his Sage Mode faded away and his natural blue eyes stared up towards the looming figure that now hovered above him. Nothing broke the ensuing silence between the two as their staring contest of sorts continued. It was an unusual moment, but Naruto could somewhat sense something coming towards him; oddly enough, he felt himself worrying for pain and also for something big to be thrown at him. He couldn't say he was particularly undeserving of the pain, but the latter… he really did not see what news there was to actually bring the Hokage up here. Was yelling at him for defacing the Hokage Monument really that important? Or was she simply upset that he had chosen her carved head, to sit upon.

With a heavy sigh, Tsunade consented towards the latter of Naruto's assumptions, falling into a seated position beside the blonde ninja. All sign of seriousness had faded immediately as she grinned and leaned back, examining the sky that loomed overhead. "You know, I thought for sure this day would turn out to be complete crap. As it turns out however, you've proven to be a great deal of help and all you had to do was deface my monument."

There was more than a hint of humor in her voice, but Naruto preferred to play towards the side that was pleased with him. Letting his smile grow, he simply shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "It's a talent I'm rather proud of. Just so I know though, what did I do to save you from a day of despair?"

There was a simple shrug before Tsunade glanced at him as though he was nothing of true interest. She didn't want for him to have too much enjoyment from this to be honest; she was still going to beat him to a pulp for using her monument as his sitting grounds, but that could wait, she supposed. And considering the many thoughts going through her mind… it would not have to be put off for long. "Didn't do much really. You're just here and it got me thinking. I was already annoyed and getting a headache, so you know I didn't really want to in the first place. You kind of made that easier though and the end result was a bit more than I would have hoped for."

Naruto blinked, pretending to follow along as he nodded and looked at her as though what she was saying was vitally important. "Wow, to get you thinking during a headache… that's a feat worthy of a Kage. I hope they'll take that into consideration when my time comes to take that role over." He laughed even as he felt her flick him in the forehead; through that pain which sent him tumbling over, he laughed and rolled back into his previous position, to see Tsunade standing. Was their conversation over so soon? He really was confused now as he stared up at her, expectantly.

Noticing the look on his face, she simply beckoned for him to follow as she began to depart. "It's funny you should say that actually. I did take that into consideration as I recommended you to be my successor."

He was already beginning to stand, when her words struck him. For a moment, he could not move as he remained hunched over and seemingly paralyzed. Not hearing his footsteps behind her, Tsunade turned to look at him, with a stare of mild entertainment. She hadn't considered his response to be so… quiet. It was actually a bit of a shame, the world didn't already know as she shook her head and continued walking.

"What… did you say?" His voice was almost like a whisper as he had finally managed to revert to a full vertical position. Yet still as stiff as a statue, he watched her… waiting for any signs of her mocking tone or her laughter to indicate he had misheard or that she was joking. Nothing came though as she continued walking, the Hokage's robes flapping in the wind. His eyes had become transfixed on the flames of her robe as he slowly began to follow her. "Hey… hey granny, what the hell did you just say!" He blinked, growing frustrated as her pace did not lessen… in fact it seemed as though she had sped up, just to get on his nerves, which was at this point in time, working. "Damn it, stop joking with me." He had stopped and he felt himself growing genuinely angry as he stared daggers at her. It wasn't very Naruto-like but this was something he could not… did not wish to joke about. It was something that could not be toyed with; anything but his dream.

Tsunade seemingly sensed this, for she turned and rolled her eyes at his foolhardy expression. "Geez, maybe you haven't grown up. You know, you're going to need to work on that if you're going to be Hokage, Naruto. I don't want a pathetic kid taking over my position and tarnishing my name." She had left him to ponder those words as she vanished from sight as a rustle of leaves replaced her.

The anger that had coursed through the blonde ninja just seconds ago had vanished in that instant, as his mouth fell open. He could hardly believe it, but it was happening. It was… actually happening to him. What he had wanted for so long; what he had swore he would someday achieve was actually closing in. He could hardly contain himself to the loud cheer of excitement that suddenly escaped from his parted lips as he leapt into the air, fist clenched. There would be no doubt that the village would hear him, yet he didn't care. Tsunade had not stressed any point in keeping this a secret and even if she did, how could Naruto contain his cheers as he suddenly leapt from the top of the Hokage Monument and plunged himself into the forest below. His voice growing louder and louder as he released the happiness he did not know he had possessed.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO WILL BE THE NEXT HOKAGE!!?"

As she walked through the streets of the village, hands in her pockets, Tsunade could not help but grin stupidly as the many hands that had suddenly been at work, all turned to watch her, while ears listened to the proclamation now filling the Land of Fire. It would be a surprise if the world did not know by the end of the week. Uzumaki Naruto was now a candidate to become the Rokudaime Hokage.


:: Author's Note :: Well I'm happy to say the Second Chapter is up and I feel as though a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Hehe, I've never been all that good at portraying Naruto (on the few occasions, that I did) and it was rather unusual portraying his happiness at Tsunade's news. That probably sounds a bit unusual, but characters like Naruto have always been something difficult. If it seemed out of character, than I'd love to have your opinion on it. I must have redone the ending several times before settling upon this.

Anyways, I thought it would be good to show Konoha returning towards its former glory… or rather rising above such as changes are certainly going to follow. I had foreseeable problems with writing this chapter now, but considering that I'm taking the story in Arcs and this first Arc is the 'Rise of Nations', I thought it might be nice to give a little insight to an important nation to be. This story is still however focusing on Sasuke and so it will be a while before the Ceremony in Konoha returns for your reading pleasure. (3 or 4 chapters to be exact)

I'm hoping you all won't hate me for that little jumping fiasco, but I didn't want to focus on too many chapters with politics. Yes indeed, there will be fighting in the next chapter… the next few chapters. Sasuke's going to have a lot on his hands and if hints in the first chapter haven't indicated, the search will certainly be over. Anyways, enough trying to spoil, I don't like it, so stay tune and don't hesitate to leave comments on how to better the story. I need it. ^^