Chapter 2: Konoha mobilizes
Naruto was standing besides one of the many coffins that littered the 2° KOYOKY ('KOnoha YOyaku KYusei' or Leaf Village Reserve Force) depot. It was an empty deposit used by the Chuunin-composed "Hiruzen" division for logistic operations like resource stock piling, large enough to contain all the caskets and the mourning crowd. 53 coffins. One of them, the one that Naruto was standing beside, was different from the others. It was purple, adorned with sunflowers. Hinata loved those ones. In fact, she named her daughter after them, as "Himawari" meant "sunflower".
The Hokage was dressed in a simple black funeral kimomono, carrying on his waist a large, white crysantemum. He had straped a katana sword to his waist, with scarce decorations.
He called his blade "Kimiyoshi" or "Justice". It was no different from other katanas, the only exception being the two kanjii ideograms of the weapons name carved right at the beginning of the handle.
Naruto gazed at the coffin and slid his hand alongits smooth surface.
"Hinata-chan..."
He remembered the first time they met, all these years ago, when they were children. It was winter, and he had defended her against some bullies that called her weird due to her eyes.
"...I'm sorry I wasn't there to save you..."
His mind recalled, then, the memories of their genin days… all those D-Rank missions, all those peaceful moments.
"...I'm sorry I wasn't able to say 'I love you' one last time..."
His eyes started to water as he reminesced their first kiss, right after returning from the Moon, when they ended the Otsutsuki invasion crysis.
"...But before you and these witness..."
Shikamaru, Sakura, Kiba with Akamaru and Shino were behind him, listening to his word with sad expressions.
"...I swear..." Naruto unsheated his katana
"...that your death will not go unpunished." His eyes were cold
"I will bring justice. Or commit seppuku (Japanese Ritual Honor Suicide) along with my Security Command staff, should we fail or be unable to fullfill the promise."
Shikamaru and Ino subconsciously patted their tanto blades. Them and all the top Jounin-commanders in charge of the Village Security agreed to take their own lives in case of failure, as the extermination of the most powerfull clan was also, in some way, the result of lax surveillance and security measures. Konoha defence was the main duty of the 8° KOBOGUN ('KOnoha BOuei GUN' or Leaf Village Defense Force) brigade, while the internal security, along with counter-intelligence, was responsablity of the Kenpeitai, the main secret service of the village, the "homeland" counterpart of the Konoha own foreign intelligence force, the SENSAKU ('SENko tokushu SAKUsen' or Special Operation Group), which replaced both ANBU and NE (Root) divisions, as part of Naruto's Konoha Shinobi Force re-organization to better suit the modern times.
Nara Shikamaru was the "Taisa" (or Colonel) in charge of commanding the 8° KOBOGUN brigade, while Yamanaka Ino was the "Tokubetsu Shirei-kan" (or Special Commander) of the Kenpeitai.
While the KOBOGUN force, which consisted of 10 Brigades, was under the supervision and direction of the Leaf village Joint Commanding Staff like the rest of the Konoha Shinobi Force, the Kenpeitai office answered directly to the Hokage, the Council and, if necessary, the Daimyo himself.
SENSAKU force, directed by Sai, was the only exception, as it was directly under Hokage supervision and answered to no-one else, in order to protect him from coup-d'etats, should the KSF and the Kenpeitai desert or act against the Government.
The Hyuuga Massacre was an unforgivable mistake, and the pride of both KOBOGUN 8° Brigade and the Kenpeitai was already shattered and lost.
Should they also fail to deliver to justice the authors of the heinous act, they would even lose their honor and taint Konoha's as well, which would require the lives of the commanders in order to be restablished.
The ceremony went on. All the coffins were cremated, the ashes dispersed atop the Hokage Monument.
Himawari was still in coma, due to the effects of the Genjutsu torture she suffered, and Naruto was determined to discover who was responsible for all of this.
Sitted in his office, with both hands clutched in front of his face and his elbows resting on the desk, he prepared the course of action to take.
"Bring me Shikamaru, Ino and Sai."
Two minutes later, the commanders of KOBOGUN 8° brigade, Kenpeitai Office and SENSAKU force were standing in front of Naruto.
"You already know what we must do."
They remained silent and he continued his speech.
"Shikamaru, because the KOBOGUN is under KSF command, I must issue to it an official request. It's just a burocratic formality, but I need you to start investigating here in Konohagakure about the massacre as soon as I obtain the official response by the Joint Commanding Staff. Your jurisdiction is limited to and only the village. Also, you shall then tighten security for the other major clans. We already lost the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. If we loose other clan as well, we will be vulnerable to an external attack, without considering the cultural and heritage damages that come with the extinction of a Shinobi Noble Family." he then shifted his gaze towards the blonde woman. "Ino, displace your Kenpeitai teams all around Hi no Kuni (Fire Country), including the capital. Don't worry, I'll notify both the Daimyo and the Capital Guard garrison commander of your presence, so they will not hinder your investigation. Search for every clue, bribe every informant, corrupt officials or torture any suspect. I don't care. Do not leave any stone unturned if necessary. Remember that your jurisdiction is limited to the boundaries of the Fire Country." Last but not least, he looked at the former teammate and Ne/Anbu operator. "Sai, the SENSAKU will operate beyond the borders only, as usual."
He then stand up. "If this… terrorists are to be found inside the country, the order is to try to capture them alive at once and bring them to Konoha. Shall they oppose resistance, they are to be disposed. Definetly. If they are tracked outside the country, the order is to kill them at once, unless they surrender voluntarily. Give them only one warning, no negotiations, as the Allied Shinobi Military code requires at least to offer one chance of surrender and failing to do so, by killing them outright, is considered a war crime, even in peace times."
He looked at Sai again "It's useless to remember you that if any SENSAKU operator is caught by other Countries or, worse, by other Hidden Villages', Konoha will deny any involvement, and will activate that Fuinjutsu,"
The Hokage knew that, to preserve the safety of Konoha's secrets, all the SENSAKU operators were forced to be branded with a seal that allowed him or Sai to remotely kill any of them, at any time, should they be captured by the enemy or try to desert. Kenpeitai members were not obligated but, instead, warmly advised, to be voluntarily branded, as they have, by their nature, access to sensitive security informations about the Village.
"Any question?"
The three remained, again, silent.
"Dismissed."
AUTHOR NOTES
So, here we go again. No BoruSara this time, as I wrote this small chapter in order to introduce the Shikamaru and the KOBOGUN 8° Brigade, Ino and her Kenpeitai office and Sai with the SENSAKU Force, along with a general delineation of the Konoha Shinobi Force.
Don't worry, Boruto and Sarada will return in the next chapter.
Keep this organizations in mind, as you will see them again later on.
Until next time
The Alternate Writer
TRIVIA: The Kenpeitai is based on the WW2 Imperial Japan Military Police, that acted more precisely as a Secret Police/Gendarmery (think of the Gestapo in Nazi Germany or the OVRA in Fascist Italy).
Although part of the Imperial Army, it acted as Military Police for the Imperial Navy (who also had its own smaller MP, the Tokkeitai), executive police for the Interior Minister and judicial police for the Justice Minister. It was responsible of many war crimes and also of crimes against humanity. It was disbanded at the end of WW2, in August 1945.