Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This privilege goes to Masashi Kishimoto.
Thanks for all your comments and reviews. I really appreciate your advice. I also started a poll on my profile page so you can vote there. If you don't like the given pairings you can type your own in comments and I'll also take it into consideration. As for Yugito, regardless of the main pairing in the story I plan on introducing her a lot earlier. Also she'll be more or less the age as Naruto, maybe 2 or 3 years older.
So, here it is, the first chapter!
Chapter 1: And so it begins
- Konohagakure no Sato, 10th October, late evening -
"This definitely was a long day. And what's worse it hasn't ended yet", Sarutobi thought as he made his way towards the Hokage Tower to meet returning commanders and people of the council. He slowly approached it knowing that there is no point in hurrying. Nothing worse could happen anymore. The war with Iwa was at its stalemate as neither of the sides could deliver the finishing blow to the enemy. Now even more then earlier although casualties which Rock ninja suffered last year, during the Battle of Kanabi Bridge, were severe so enemy attack was just a remote possibility. In fact this event could be the very point that could trigger talks about ceasefire and maybe even peace. It wasn't a happy thought that it was only death of Minato that was something that would reduce the tension between the countries but he was now a Hokage and must do whatever it takes to ensure the village safety. He couldn't be sentimental about it as the war lasted long enough and took too many lives already. If there was a chance for a change then it would've to be taken. It seemed like some period of history was about to be closed. And another one would be opened. The question was what it would be like?
As he finally reached the Tower he saw many concerned looks from shinobi that have gathered in front of it. Many of them were asking questioins and demanding answers, everyone was wondering what really happened and how the Fourth really defeated Kyubi. As he approached the building a storm of questions was aimed at him. Sarutobi raised his hand to silence everyone, "Listen, I understand very well that a lot has occured during last few hours but we must not forget about the present. We are still at war, I want three full force patrols to start their work at dawn. As for all your questions, I will make announcement after the official funeral of all victims. That's all for now, you may go to attend other things for now. Akane wait, there are some things I need to talk to you about.", he said to tall, black haired women in battered Jounin vest. She turned around and regarded the Hokage curiously. "Not here, in my office" he said before entering the building as she followed him.
- Hokage's Office –
"What do you want from me Hokage-sama?", the woman asked as soon as the door to the office were closed behind them. She was sore from the battle and there were still things she needed to do so she was in no mood for courtesy. Sarutobi walked around the desk and sat in the chair behind it. "I thought that I'd never have to sit here and make this kind of decisions again. Life truly can be brutal at times.", he thought as he regarded person in front of him. Akane looked relaxed and composed as always, only the look in her eyes showed that something happened. Something that she wanted to put behind or better never believe in it. "She addressed me as Hokage which meant that she already knows what had happened. Well, she was his strategic advisor for several years now and one of the best tacticians I have known in my entire life, so she probably suspected this outcome before we even realized seriousness of the situation.", he continued to regard her and finally said, "You probably know why I have summoned you now."
"To be honest not really. I understand that the situation is still critical but we have at least few more days before anyone can take advantage of us. Assuming that anyone has any forces left to do so. The war exhausted all great nations, not only us. Now I'd like to visit Kushina if I may?"
"And that's the main problem Akane", he said and she suddenly started to realize what just how bad the situation was, "Kushina died during the childbirth. We must do something about this. I know that you were one of the closest people to his family and that's why I asked you."
While he was saying that Akane was struggling to comprehend the situation. She suddenly lost both of her best friends. She knew Minato almost all her life and she met Kushina shortly after leaving the academy. And now, the day that's supposed to be one of the happiest in their lives, the day when they should be celebrating birth of their first child, was turning out to be the worst in the most dreadful way. She leaned against one of the walls not trusting her legs to withstand the impact of the news.
"What will happen to the kid now?", she asked as she started to regain her composure.
"For the time being he must stay in the hospital but after that he probably will go to the orphanage.", Hokage replied.
"That won't be the best place for him, unless the entire thing with Kyubi will be kept secret", now that the first shock passed she was starting to think clearer, "how many people already know about it?"
"By far not many, but I do intend to inform the rest of the village about everything that had happened today."
"Excuse me?"
"All of the villagers should know what the Fourth had done. I will tell them alongside his last wish."
"You cannot be serious about this. They won't take this well. He'll be hated by them. Maybe not all but still there will be quite a bit of them that will. In my opinion the whole deal should be kept secret. The fewer people know about it the better.", she argued.
"No, they must know of the sacrifice that was made to ensure their safety. It's not like he is the demon, they will recognize the real him. Besides I believe they will honour the Fourth's last wish."
"Okay, I understand.", she surrendered, "Let's hope you're right. But still I assume that you'll keep his lineage secret, right?"
"Yes, uncovering it now would put him in too much danger and also I'd like you to promise me that you won't tell anyone, even him, about it."
"Even him?", she asked surprised at the condition.
"He will have to be ready to defend himself when he finds out about this. After all Minato had a lot of enemies. Striking at his only son would be perfect revenge for them even after his death.", he answered.
"And you presume that he would tell the entire world about it?", she smirked at old man concerns, "I know that Kushina liked to chatter but she knew when and how to keep a secret. And after all apart from us only Jiraiya, Tsunade and Rin knew about their relationship. Kakashi knew that Minato had someone but was never interested who it was. He was to caught up in being perfect shinobi up until recently."
"Maybe but he still will be a kid. Besides there may be a few people who could add two plus two. Giving them too much info is not a good idea."
"Don't worry, I won't tell him, or anyone else for that matter."
"Thank you. That would be all for now, I'll talk to you after the funeral about other matters."
"I suspected so. Well, I'll be off now. I'll go and try to see him before exhaustion gets better of me.", she said and turned around to exit the room, "Oh, you'll do wise if you keep an eye on Danzo, he was on the battlefield some time before sealing and probably suspects something.". After that she left leaving Hokage alone with his thoughts which now were in total disarray. "And now to top all of it I'll have to deal with that war hawk again. Things just keep on getting better and better.", he sighed as he started to plan how to deal with the situation before it got out of hand.
- Two days later, top of the Hokage Tower -
"Thank you for your arrival.", Hokage addressed the members of the council who appeared next to him. "I'll would like to make an announcement and I think that after it there will be a few things we will need to discuss". After this statement many people present started to wonder what's going on. They have arrived expecting that it'll be a simple speech to encourage villagers but it would seem that there was more to it. Still many people were uninterested in uncovering the secrets of that night. Especially Shizuma Satomi, Nobuhiro Chiyama and Isaki Tasahana, representatives of the civilians, were not in the least curious what was going on. The beast was gone and that was all they cared about. Homura and Koharu were actually a bit curious about what they haven't been informed earlier. Members of the council from the ninja clans Hyuuga and Uchiha as well as the chosen members from ninja community: Shiyama Nara and Atsuki Aburame were calm just as always but you could sense the tension among them. Danzo was also present, he took some serious injuries during the fight with Kyubi and it would seem that his days in active service were all over. He was also one of the few people who suspected what was going on. Sarutobi knew that he actively sought support for his cause during these past two days. With little information that was available he couldn't do much which was the reason why Sarutobi kept the whole affair secret all the time. Now that he had the majority of the cards in his hands he could take the action he wanted. The only uncertainty laid with the reaction of the people in front of him but he was hoping that at least it won't be openly hostile. That would be enough to keep him alive, at least for now. As they were standing there Akane came carrying small Naruto in her arms. She would be present during the entire thing as she was his godmother even though she was never part of the family but that was hardly possible. Families of both his parents passed away very early. From his mother's side at the very beginning of this accursed war and from his father's side gradually during it.
"Now, shall we begin?", Sarutobi asked and the councillors nodded in agreement. He stepped to edge of the roof and addressed assembled people. "Dear people of Konoha we have assembled here today to remember those that have died fighting Kyubi two days ago. I know that the pain is still fresh but we must stay strong. The war with Iwa is not finished yet. We still have many more trials in front of us and we must never forget that together we are strong.", he paused to clear his throat before he started to continue. "As all of you know, one of the fallen during the battle was the Fourth Hokage. Now I'd like to tell you about events of that night. Kyubi was not killed that night." This caused a few gasps from the crowd while most of the people looked terrified by the news. "There is no need to worry. Kyubi was defeated and sealed in baby boy that was born on that night. Now he is the guardian that will protect us all from the demon so that such a disaster won't happen again. The last wish of our late Hokage was respect the boy and treat him like a hero of the village. I give you Naruto Uzumaki." With that he took the boy from Akane and lifted him so that everyone could see him. The reaction of villagers was vastly different from what he expected. Of course he never thought that there will be a cheer for the boy but this eruption of hatred and anger was totally unexpected.
"Kill the demon."
"Burn him now"
"He mustn't live another minute."
"It's all his fault."
"He'll kill us all when he grows up."
"Finish him off."
These were just a few shouts that came from the crowd that gathered. Sarutobi was personally at loss. Even in the worst case scenario he didn't apprehend this kind of situation. It was then that Akane decided to intervene, "Do you all know what are you talking about! This boy was chosen by your beloved Hokage to be the guardian of the Kyubi till the end of his days. Do you not believe in him? He personally placed the seal upon the boy. Do you think that there could be any doubt that the seal will fail? Show at least a bit faith in what the Fourth had done and in the boy he entrusted with the burden.", she shouted to the people. This caused them to think about it a bit but the Third still could sense that they were not convinced by this reasoning.
"That all is true. The Fourth personally oversaw the entire process. There is no danger that the beast will free itself. The boy is just the guardian of the prison for the rest of his life, not the demon like some of you may have thought. We should all honour the Fourth last wish and treat the child like a hero fore keeping the beast at bay. ", that calmed down the people but Sarutobi could see that only few of them were believed in what was said. He'll have to think about something after the meeting with the council. He gave Naruto back to Akane and said, "I wish to thank everyone who has come here. Now let's commemorate the fallen ones with a minute of silence." After that the silence fell over the entire plaza as people remembered all those that sacrificed their lives so that they could be safe now. "Thank you". When all was said villagers started to leave to attend their duties and affairs. Sarutobi turned around to face members of the council and he immediately noticed the looks on their faces. Civilians as well as former team-mates of the Third were shocked by what was said, Danzo was already calculating what can be done with this information, Fugaku Uchiha was frowning like he was trying to solve a difficult problem at the moment, Aburame and Hyuuga members were calm just as always although you could sense that they were analyzing the entire situation, Shiyama Nara looked bored as always but spoke in calm voice, "You've got a lot of explaining to do Hokage-sama."
"Indeed I do", Sarutobi replied, "We shall talk in the council chamber. Akane join us as soon as you take him to the hospital."
"As you wish Hokage-sama", she answered.
Things were turning out to be worse then she imagined but maybe it was just temporary. After the villagers got over the entire shock of Kyubi attack they would think things over and perhaps change the view on him. But now she had things to do. "I must get to the council as fast as I can. Better to keep an eye on things, else they may go out of control. And if that happens there's no telling what may go wrong. And there're at least few people would do much to see him dead.", Akane thought as she made her way towards the hospital.
- Hokage's Tower, Council Chamber, few minutes later –
Akane made her way towards the chamber as she listened to the discussion that was taking place. No one tried to organise it in any manner and she smirked a little bit. "So you're trying to buy some time until I get there, you old monkey, eh?", she thought as she approached the double doors leading to the chamber. With everyone arguing like that there was time for her to return from the hospital and take pert in discussion. She entered the chamber and looked around. She almost immediately noticed Danzo. Even though he wasn't part of the council there were still people that valued his opinion so his presence wasn't a total surprise. Surprising was the fact that he still could be on his legs with these injuries. "Well, he'd never miss any kind of event where he can scheme to increase his influence over the village. The problem is what he has got in mind this time.", she thought as she entered the room.
Sarutobi noticed as Akane entered the room and after several seconds he started to call for silence. After few attempts he managed to bring attention to himself and started explanation.
"I wish to start from the event that took place two days ago. We all know that Kyubi attacked the village almost without any warning. The beast couldn't be killed by any means that we here possessed so the Fourth used a very powerful sealing jutsu to seal the demon within a person. You all know about who I speak. Unfortunately the side effect of this jutsu is that it takes away the life of the user as well. The Fourth also expressed a wish that the child should be viewed as a hero for keeping the beast at bay from us. That is everything I have to say about that event.", he ended and waited for the questions from other members of the council.
"How strong is the seal? Is there any possibility that it will break?" asked Shiyama Nara.
"There's no danger in that area. This is the strongest seal that we know of. Such a possibility that it would break on its own or by Kyubi from inside doesn't exist."
"But it can be broken from outside?", asked Hiashi Hyuuga
"Yes, as any seal it can be broken from outside but, firstly it's not as easy as it would seem and secondly who and why would try to do such a thing? When the boy is old enough he will be informed about… his tenant so that he will be aware of the risks he faces.", responded Sarutobi
"So he will be…"
"What the hell are we thinking about?? The monster must be killed at once. There's no point in wondering about these things. Let's kill it right away and everything will end.", shouted Nobuhiro. Hokage was astounded that someone would venture such an opinion.
"What are you talking about Nobuhiro?", asked Shizuma, "You want kill a newborn child for something that was beyond his influence?"
"Actually that is the best course of action in these circumstances", Fugaku stated, "It would save us a lot of trouble in the future if he would be disposed of now. He is potentially dangerous to us all."
"Are you insane? Its just a kid. How can he be any danger to us?", Shizuma asked.
"We don't know anything about the seal. Maybe it's no as strong as you think it is. What if this kid becomes possessed by the demon and starts killing villagers?", Fugaku countered
"We all know about your dislike of the Fourth but he was a seal master and that's a fact. If he personally put the seal on the demon there's little doubt about how good it is.", reminded all present Akane, "There's no danger when it comes to the seal. The danger is that people will hate him and he will hate them back. Only then he may turn on the village."
"Killing the boy now would be a huge mistake", Danzo interjected, "He posses a lot of potential and if properly trained and used he can become very powerful weapon for us. This way he will not bring any misfortune and will be a huge asset of Konoha."
"You want to turn him into a weapon? That's even worse scenario then killing him. And how will you control him?" asked Homura
"A weapon can be used by you or against you depending which hand holds it", added Atsuki Aburame.
"I agree. Turning the boy into a weapon is not an option. That would bring only troubles in the long run for the village. We do not need mindless killers with no conscience.", summed up Sarutobi, "It looks like we have two options to choose from. Either we kill the boy or leave him alive, unless someone has any other suggestions?" No one had anything to add and an awkward silence settled across the room. Everyone was wondering about the choice they were about to make. Sarutobi took a glance at Akane. She looked as clam as ever but he knew that if the decision was unfavourable then she would do whatever it took to keep the boy safe. Even if it meant escaping from the village with him and becoming a missing nin. "I think it's about time we made our decision", he decided that there was no sense in delaying it any further. "Then this is it. Sink or swim".
"Who is in favour of killing the boy?" he asked and looked over the people sitting at the table. Immediately Fugaku Uchiha and Nobuhiro Chiyama raised their hands and were joined by Homura, Koharu and Isaki Tasahana.
"And who's against it?" with a relief he noticed that all remaining members supported his decision. Hiashi and Atsuki saw no reason in killing the boy. Already enough people have suffered in the attack and there was no reason in adding new ones to the list. Shiyama thought of the entire meeting too troublesome. The kid wasn't guilty of anything so what was the point of punishing him. Shizuma found it at least distasteful to kill someone for something he had no control over let alone a newborn baby. They all raised their hands and along with Hokage were able to push through their resolution. "Well now that we have this issue out of the way there's one more thing I must address", he started after everyone processed what happened, "I will enact a law that no one is to mention the fact that Kyubi is sealed within the boy under death sentence unless speaking with someone who already knows about it."
"WHAT? You can't be serious about it Hokage-sama! The council will never approve of such a decision!" shouted Nobuhiro
"Actually the council doesn't have to approve of it. It lays within Hokage's rights to enact and cancel the laws in the village. You can try to overrule it but you must have an unanimous vote to do so", Akane said in her usual calm and matter-of-fact tone unnerving her speaker, "You think you can pull it off?"
Nobuhiro glanced around the room and noticed annoyed look on the Fugaku Uchiha's face. He clearly was thinking the same thing but couldn't do anything about it. He was sure that at least two or three people wouldn't follow his lead and vetoing the law wouldn't work. He clenched his fists as he couldn't do anything in this situation. Then the most surprising voice supported Akane, "That's a wise decision. If the boy is to survive the fewer people know about it the better" Danzo voiced his opinion surprising many people in the room. Akane wasn't surprised about it at all, "You think you will be able to recruit him to your Root program later on if he survives his childhood and starts learning to be a ninja. You can dream about it. As long as I'm alive you can only dream about it. I won't allow Minato's son to become merciless murderer without any feelings, of that you can be sure."
"Now that everything is clear the meeting is over. I will have ANBU declare my decision tomorrow to all villagers. You can go now." People started going out to attend their own affairs. First Nara, Hyuuga and Aburame representatives exited the room. They had to get back to their clans and prepare for next missions that would come soon. They were followed by civilian members as they went out to get back to their homes. Homura and Koharu lingered a bit longer as if wanted to ask something but decided against it and left saying, "We hope you've taken the right decision". Fugaku Uchiha frowned like he was analyzing the entire situation and left without saying a word but clearly unhappy about the outcome of the meeting. The last to leave the chamber was Danzo which wasn't surprising considering the damage that he suffered during the attack. It would take weeks if not months for him to walk normally and he could forget about getting back to active service. When finally everyone exited Hokage addressed the woman that stayed at his side, "Now Akane I have a mission for you. I hate to send you right away but this cannot wait."
"I thought that this would happen. Don't worry I will set out in two days. This will allow the news to travel far enough so they won't think it's an ambush", she responded.
"I see you already have it all planned", Sarutobi smiled under his nose, "That's good. I just do hope it doesn't take too long for you to finish this one."
"You can never be sure about it. Maybe it will few weeks and maybe few months or years. It's a delicate thing after all. Well I'll better get ready for it. If you excuse me Hokage-sama."
"Yes, of course. And good luck.", he said as she exited the room. "Now back to the office and this blasted paperwork. How I hate it. God I could use a pipe at the moment.", he thought as he got up and went towards his office.
- Meanwhile, outside, on the way to Uchiha Compound -
Fugaku Uchiha was on his way towards his family compound. After he exited the Hokage Tower two other members of his clan joined him and one of them asked him, "How was it Fugaku-sama?"
"The brat will live for now. That was to be expected but still it was a close call for Hokage."
"Shouldn't we get rid of him now that the security will be weak?" asked the second person.
"That is not necessary. The brat won't matter in the end. Now we must concentrate on more important matters at hand. The Kyubi attack left us dangerously overextended. We must recall some less important operations. The only good thing is that at least that blasted Fourth is dead. Without him in the way everything will be a lot easier."
"Hai, Fugaku-sama", both of them nodded and followed him back to the compound.
Fugaku thought back to the events of the past few days. Kyubi attack was a total surprise and some people of his clan died before they could take shelter or during the fight with the beast. Now was the time to heal the wounds and one little brat was not something he should bother with. After all it won't matter if he dies now or in few years. Only one thing bothered him. Before the attack were circulating rumours that the Fourth had a lover. Now finding out whether there were true or not would be impossible. Everyone would have already forgotten such a trivial thing. And that thing mattered. He didn't just disliked Minato Namikaze. He hated him. He came from nameless family with no support whatsoever and reached the top. The top which should have belonged to his clan. And he would do much to get at him. But now it was over, he met his end and without him everything would be so much easier. Oh yes it would. He entered the clan possession and turned towards his home. He dismissed his two subordinates as he felt safe within the family walls. He checked on his two sons before he went to rest after a very long day.
- At the same time, under the Hokage's Tower -
Danzo entered the underground network of tunnels. The underground consisted of multiple tunnels, hidden passages, natural caverns, sewers and canalization system all linked throughout the entire Konoha. One could use it to travel the entire city without being noticed. In one of the bigger chambers of the underground city was located one of the training bases of the Root. When Danzo arrived one of his lieutenants approached him. "Any news from the meeting Danzo-sama?"
"Yes, as we supposed the boy is a Jinchuriki. But as for now those fools from the council won't allow us to train him."
"Should we take here by force?"
"No, anything that stands out too much will bring too much attention to us. We still have several years in front of us during which we can convince several people to our side."
"Hai, Danzo-sama."
"Any news on the Uchiha?"
"Nothing new. They're recuperating just like the rest of the village. Their casualties are similar to other clans in the village. There was no suspicious activities during the past few days."
"Good, continue to carefully observe them. Immediately report to me when you learn something about their operations. Leave the issue of the Jinchuriki in peace for now. We'll take care of it when the time comes. Dismissed."
"Hai", the masked person disappeared in a puff of smoke and Danzo went back to the hospital. His injuries were severe enough to force him to stay in hospital for at least few weeks, but now that everything was taken care of he could allow himself that luxury. At least as long as the Uchiha weren't plotting anything.
- 6 years later, Konoha Market District -
Naruto was walking on the street on the bright sunny day. He decided that it was a good day for some small shopping. His clothe were starting to get too small for him so he needed something new. "Maybe this time I'll manage to buy something with less orange.", he thought as he made his way through the streets. He still couldn't understand why some villagers treated him like a disease. They wouldn't sell him anything, or let his kids to play with him. Even though no one beat him he still felt sad for being treated like that when he didn't do anything. Others would just simply ignore him all the time not even looking at him when he talked to them. He just couldn't understand it. He went into one of the shops where he could at least buy something. He looked through the wares and noticed few nice T-shirts and went to the counter. When the shopkeeper noticed him he frowned and looked at what he was holding.
"How much for these?", Naruto asked approaching the man
"700 ryo each", said the shopkeeper
"How much?"
"I said 700"
"But you sold it to that lady for only 450"
"Well, for you it's 700"
"Why should I pay more then others?"
"Because you're a de… I mean because I said so. Take it or leave it boy.", the shopkeeper managed to avoid a serious mistake but Naruto still noticed that something was off.
"That's not fair. Why others can pay less and I must pay more. We're all equal now, aren't we", he still tried to argue but this remark somehow angered the shopkeeper. He took the boy and dragged him towards the exit.
"Do NOT ever compare me to the likes of you. Now get the hell out of my store before I call Police to take you.", with that said he pushed him out of the store. Naruto turned around and stuck his tongue out but was completely ignored. It looked like no one on the street noticed what had just happened. "Why do people always treat me like an air or sometimes even worse. I'm too a human. But I'll make them notice me. If they won't notice me for being a good boy. Then I have just the thing for them.", he thought to himself as he made his way towards his apartment. The on looking ANBU with dog mask couldn't help but wonder when the scowl on the boy's face turned into rather evilly looking smirk. He was up to something and it would be better to stay on your toes this night.
- Later that night -
Naruto woke up and noticed that it was still dark outside. He set up his clock for 4.30 so he would have enough time to set the entire thing up. He gathered everything and made his way towards the shop. He stopped several times on the way feeling like someone was watching him but he couldn't find anyone so he shrugged it off as just being nervous. After all he would be pulling his first prank. Up till now he tried to act the way everyone else had but because it didn't have any results he decided to do something unexpected. When he reached the shop he went towards the rear entrance. The door were locked and he didn't have enough experience to pick the lock but fortunately the shopkeeper forgot to close the small window on the right. Naruto somehow managed to crawl inside and immediately started working.
About 8 o'clock as the shopkeeper made his way towards his shop he hummed to himself. This was a nice day and after the lesson he gave to the brat the day before he was sure that he wouldn't be seeing him again. He entered the storage room and went to main part of the shop when he suddenly slipped on something. He tried to get up but again slipped on the floor. Then he noticed that there was oil spilt on the floor. He crawled towards the door and grabbed them to get up and he suddenly noticed that something stuck to his hand. He looked and saw a piece of cloth wet with glue. He tried to get rid of it but it was constantly sticking to his hands. As he went to the sink he heard someone giggle but saw no one and ignored it. He washed his hands but when tried to dry them he saw that the entire towel was dyed in purple paint which now adorned his hands. Just then someone erupted with laughter and the shopkeeper saw Naruto who was laughing when he saw the entire situation.
"You brat! What have you done! Just wait till I get you in my hands! You'll be sorry." Naruto just stuck his tongue out and ran away still laughing but was caught soon after by two chunin who happened to be on guard duty that day.
"Now you'll be sorry for what you've done", the shopkeeper said and was about to start his punishment when Hokage arrived at the scene. He was taking a morning stroll when he happened to be passing by when he noticed the commotion.
"What's going on here?", he asked as he approached the scene.
"Hokage-sama, this little brat destroyed my shop", complained the shopkeeper.
"I didn't do it. I just played a little prank on him", countered Naruto
"Watch your tone squirt! You're talking to Hokage.", said the shopkeeper
"How many of the wares were destroyed?", Sarutobi asked the man
"I don't know exactly…"
"Well then please check while I have a little talk with Naruto here."
"Of course Hokaga-sama, right away.", replied the shopkeeper and returned to his shop.
Hokage made a small sign and moment later ANBU with a dog mask appeared at his side.
"Kakashi, tell me what really happened here", he asked in a small voice.
"Well, it looks like Naruto decided to pay back for something that happened earlier and played a little prank on this guy."
"And you decided to do nothing about it?"
"It wasn't anything dangerous. Besides it was kind of fun to see the guy squirm around the room.", replied ANBU. Hokage just sighed as he looked at the young boy in front of him. The shopkeeper returned a moment later with a confused look on his face. "Well… nothing was destroyed but the entire storage room is mess and I must open the shop in few minutes!"
"In that case.", Sarutobi cleared his throat and said, "Naruto you are to clean the mess you've done and the entire shop as the punishment. After that come to my office because we need to talk about your behaviour." Naruto pouted at the verdict but said nothing and went into the shop. The shopkeeper bowed to the Hokage and followed the boy to make sure there are no more traps set inside. Hokage sighed again and headed to the tower for his daily struggle with never ending paperwork.
- 2 hours later, Hokage Tower -
Naruto entered Hokage's office. That nasty shopkeeper got him to wash the entire shop twice. And that when he didn't even touch anything there. Well still it was better then being beaten so he didn't complain. Besides it was fun to watch what he tried do to get out of that patch of oil he set. As he entered the office he saw Sarutobi sitting in his desk.
"Hey Old Man, what did you wanted to talk to me about?", he started.
"Naruto, you know who I am so why don't you at least try to address me properly?", Sarutobi asked but without annoyance or anger in voice.
"Well, you're the oldest person I know or have seen in the street so you're an Old Man.", Naruto replied
"Oh trust me, there are older people then me."
"So they are Very Old People then, but still I haven't met yet", Naruto seemed unfazed by that statement and Hokage chuckled a bit.
"As for the reason I called you now. Why did you do it?"
"This little experiment?", Sarutobi nodded and frowned hearing that the boy called it an experiment, "Well, I thought it could be fun." He just said and flashed his wide smile.
"Do you really have nothing better to do?"
"Not really, sitting at home is boring and other children doesn't want to play with me. So I figured that this could be interesting", Naruto explained and looked down with sad look on his face.
"Well, next year I planned on enrolling you to Ninja Academy so you'll have something better to do.", Sarutobi said to lighten a bit boy's mood.
"Really that would be awesome. Can I really become ninja?", Naruto asked excited at the prospect.
"Really."
"Wow, that's great. But I don't know that much about shinobi. Won't they throw me out for it?"
"Don't worry they won't. But if you're so concerned about it I can lend you a few books about shinobi. You can read right?
"A little bit, haven't got much practice with it."
"Then here. These two are quite easy ones.", Sarutobi said handling him two small books. Naruto looked at them and read the titles, "Int…rodu…ction to Shin…obi Life"
"Basic Ru…les and Pri…nci…ples of Combat"
"Not bad, Naruto. But you should try to learn more."
"Okay Old Man. I'll try. And I have one question to you."
"Yes, Naruto?", Sarutobi was genuinely intrigued what the boy wanted from him.
"Why do people respect you so much? They always bow to you and say -sama at the end. Why they do such things?", Naruto wanted to ask this question for some time now and eagerly awaited for the answer.
"That's because I'm the Hokage, Naruto. I'm taking care of the village and people respect me for it. Just like they did the previous Hokages", old man explained to the young boy in front of him.
"And all of them well as respected as you are?"
"Some maybe even more."
"Okay, the it's decided. In the future I'll become a Hokage and people will start respecting me."
"That's a nice dream Naruto. I do hope you can achieve it.", he said smiling at the boy.
"Thanks Old Man. I'll be going then. See ya.", Naruto got up and turned to the doors.
"Oh and Naruto, maybe you could find yourself a hobby of some sort. This could help you spend some time in more interesting way.", said Sarutobi
"Okay, Old Man I'll think about it", he said with a glint in his eye and exited the room.
"I don't like it. I've seen that glint way too many times in Kushina eyes. And that doesn't bode well. It never did.", Sarutobi thought as he looked at the boy from his office's window.
- 2 days later, Hokage's Office -
Sarutobi was waiting for Kakashi who was late as usually. He wondered what kind of ridiculous excuse will he have this time. As he wondered white haired Jounin entered the room. "Excuse me for the delay Hokage-sama but I happen to come across two chunin chasing blond bag of energy and it was too interesting too resist.", he said and Hokage became suddenly interested
"Really? And why was it so interesting?", he asked
"Well it took full 15 minutes to get. He really can run quite fast for a boy his age. And has some quite interesting ideas.", the Jounin answered.
"And why were they chasing him in the first place?"
"I didn't really get it but it was something about painting someone or something like that."
"I see. It looks like he at least took my advice about having a hobby top his heart."
"It does look like it.", white haired man chuckled under his nose, "And it does look like the things just got more interesting in the village."
"Indeed. Now about your first Genin squad…"
A/N:
That's the end of the first chapter. Wow, I didn't think I would write this much but it somehow turned like this. Now just a few things I think you'd like to know.
Konoha political system I: The Council
I designed council to consist of three parts. First are the heritable positions of most influential Konoha clans. At first there were three such seats, but as the Senju clan became more and more dispersed among the villagers and their seat became electoral.
Current Seats: Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuuga
Second part are electoral seats chosen from ninja community. Currently there are four seats but as I explained above there were only three in the past.
Current Seats: Homura Mitakado, Koharu Utatane, Shiyama Nara, Atsuki Aburame
Third part are electoral seats chosen from the civilians. They are in minority as this is after all ninja village. There are also three of them.
Current Seats: Shizuma Satomi, Nobuhiro Chiyama, Isaki Tasahana
Hokage is also part of the council but he is designated by his predecessor and not elected and he presides the meetings of the council. Generally the council assembles the decide about very important matters letting the Hokage govern daily affairs of the village. In order to take a decision the council needs at least 50% votes in favour of the solution with Hokage vote being a decisive one. Council can also overthrow a Hokage's law but only by an unanimous vote with more then 2/3 members present. People from outside of the council can be invited to the meetings in form of advisors. Hokage can also bring his own advisors if he/she feels like it. They can voice their opinions but they do not posses the right to vote.
Some review notes:
This is only slightly AU so sorry Miss. Patty but no can do although I don't plan on having the villagers constantly beating him to a near death state.
And Simsen this is categorized as adventure so I won't concentrate on couples but I think they are nice addition.
I really welcome all your comments and advice.
