Kishimoto is the creator and owner of Naruto.

2 of 4 posted today

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Chapter Two

Repercussions

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"WHAT!"

The entire council stared at the ANBU messenger, faces blank in shock and dismay. The masked ANBU repeated his report almost emotionlessly.

"Hatake Kakashi, code-name Inu, discovered that a group of unknown shinobi had somehow penetrated the perimeter under the rtense of being ANBU operatives and killed the operatives assigned to safeguard Yondaime Hokage's son, Jinchuuriki Naruto. The unknown Shinobi escaped with Hatake in hot pursuit. When reinforcements discovered the situation and the message Hatake had left, they also went in pursuit, following the trail Hatake had marked. Despite encountering anti-tracking techniques designed to neutralize the Inuzuka and Aburame capabilities, the team managed to maintain pursuit, thanks in no small part to the signs which Hatake left behind.
"Sadly, the team arrived too late. Hatake managed to catch up with the unknown shinobi at the Valley of the End. They fought, and Yondaime's son was killed by a fire technique during the battle. Hatake is believed to be deceased, we found his headband, mask and much of his gear around the battlefield, but the surviving enemy shinobi must have taken his body, probably for his Sharingan eye."

"Are we sure Kakashi was really there?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked and the Anbu nodded.

"One of the statues was damaged by a Chidori, a technique unique to Hatake. From the impact crater, we believe… that Hatake was performing a suicide attack. The crater was far smaller then normal for a Chidori according to Specialist Maito Gai, and the shape… suggests that the Chidori failed within a second of the impact. Chakra exhaustion is the only explanation which fits the facts available."

"How do we know that the Jinchuuriki was killed?" another councilor asked.

"We identified his remains at the scene." the ANBU replied woodenly. "We buried them and erected a headstone. It seemed somehow appropriate that the son of the Fourth should be buried at the feet of the statue of the First."

"A wise choice." Sarutobi said sorrowfully. "I shall announce this to the village tomorrow. You are dismissed. All of you."

The ANBU vanished and the council rose and filed out, glancing back at the old man who had once been Hokage and was once more. The door clicked shut and Sarutobi didn't move. He simply stared at nothing, unmoving, ignoring the tears that ran down his cheeks and fell onto the council table.

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Danzo double-checked that the door to his office was closed and locked, then he threw his walking stick against the wall in a rare display of emotion.

"Damn the man!" He ranted as he stomped around his office. "I was about to get my hands on the greatest weapon ever and… and…"

Danzo slowed as a thought occurred to him.

"…and I was not the only one who knew about it." He said slowly. "That group that Orochimaru is part of, the Akatsuki, they were interested in the Kyuubi as well."

Danzo sat behind his desk and stroked his scarred chin with his hand as he continued to puzzle out what could have occurred to upset his schemes.

"They were interested in the Kyuubi and it would not be impossible for Orochimaru to have somehow discovered my plans to seize the weapon, despite how fast I moved. Maybe he was monitoring the situation and when he saw that I was making my move, he decided to use my own moves to conceal his…
"...the question is, did the Jinchuuriki really die, or did he use the fake I ordered to be made to make us believe that the weapon is no more while they raise it to be loyal to them?"

The dark, shadowy office offered no answers and Danzo sat motionless as his brain examined the new problem from all angles.

With the weapon no longer his to claim and control, how could he ensure Konoha's superiority over the other villages?

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"People of Konoha!" Hiruzen's voice echoed across the village, amplified by the fuuinjutsu arrays that had been applied to the inward-curving shade-providing pillars when the tower had been first constructed. "People of Konoha, today we mourn.
"The last week has been one of the worst in Konoha's history. We have lost many of our best Shinobi, many of our valued and cherished civilians and the Yondaime Hokage, my successor, Namikaze Minato, sacrificed himself to put an end to the threat we faced. It was he who stopped the unbridled rage and fury of the Kyuubi no Kitsune that sought to destroy all that we hold dear.
"By using his skills in Fuuinjutsu, Minato sought to seal away the Kyuubi no Kitsune into one whom he could trust above all others. Using his prowess and aided by his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, they spent their lives to enchain the Biju and place it within their son, Uzumaki Naruto, seeking to allow him to grow up as a Shinobi of Konoha, able to use the beast's power to protect this village."

The silence across the village was so intense that even the distant birdsong seemed to merely emphasize the attentive stillness.

"That was his plan, that his legacy would grow, being cherished and trained by Konoha until he could master the burden placed upon him, but to my great sorrow, it was not to be.
"Barely an hour had passed after his birth before he was stolen from us by an enemy agent seeking to seize his power and turn it against us! The son of the Yondaime was stolen by those seeking to forge him into a weapon to strike us down with!"

Hiruzen paused as the massed cries of sorrow and rage struck almost in a solid blow. Waiting for a long moment, he raised his hand and with the sheer force of his personality and projected Intent, the crowd fell silent once more.

"The scheme was discovered by one of the greatest shinobi to serve in our ranks, Hatake Kakashi, the son of the White Fang and the student of the Yondaime. When he realized that his Sensei's son had been stolen, Kakashi set out in pursuit. Injured and exhausted although he may have been, he knew his duty and so he set out to hunt down those who had stolen the young Uzumaki Naruto, marking his path so that others could follow to assist him… or to avenge him should he fall.
"We will never know what truly happened, but we do know that he caught up with the kidnapper at the Valley of the End. We do not know how many enemies there were, where they were from or who gave them orders, but Hatake Kakashi engaged them in ferocious combat, in a battle which reshaped the very valley itself!
"Sadly, it was also his last battle as he fell. Had he not been exhausted from combating the Biju, had he not been mourning his Sensei… had the reinforcements arrived fast enough, he would be with us still."

Apart from several cries of shock and sadness, the crowd remained silent.

"During the battle, Uzumaki Naruto died. We can only assume it was so that he could not be returned to us. His body was left in the Valley, but when he died, he took the Kyuubi with him. The fell beast which tried to kill us all is no more… but the price… the price was too high.
"Kakashi's body was taken by the survivors of those who had sought to take our hero and use him against us, leaving only Naruto's corpse behind. He has been buried at the foot of the statue of Senju Hirashima and I have signed orders for a C-rank mission every month for a team to travel to the valley to maintain his grave. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.
"Make no mistake, we have been injured gravely, but even now, we are rebuilding! We shall not let adversity quench the Will of Fire, but we shall stand tall and proud! Let us remember the example set by Jonin Hatake Kakashi who gave of his life to protect us all against those who would see us slain or scattered! Let us live our lives as he would have wished, with honor, with courage and giving our strength to each other as others lend their strength to us in turn!
"We have been hurt, but we shall emerge stronger!
"And we shall always remember the Yondaime, his son and his student!"
"For Konoha and the future!"

The noise from the crowd wasn't cheering, but a roar of determination which promised vengeance on those who had slain the son of their beloved leader.

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"No doubt about it, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki is dead." said one of the cloaked figures. "The seal on the kid must have been extraordinary since it seems to have prevented the Kyuubi from being dissipated and reborn when the boy was killed. The Kyuubi is… gone."

"That is… unfortunate." said another one. "Without all nine of the Biju, the plan cannot go ahead. You are positive it is not going to be reborn?"

"Zetsu scoured the entirety of the Land of Fire." the first figure replied. "There was no trace of the Kyuubi's chakra. The Jinchuriki was killed in the Valley of the End and his grave is there. It is occupied, and the Leaf Shinobi are too compassionate to have killed a random child just to mislead others. There is no doubt, the Kyuubi is no more."

For several minutes, a heavy silence descended on the group, then the second figure spoke. "For the Jinchuriki to have been killed so quickly, someone must have sabotaged their security. Someone must be moving against us. Someone from the Leaf, someone who knows about us and what we wanted."

"Danzo." another voice stated and the first figure nodded.

"I agree. That is the only conclusion available. Orochimaru. You know Konoha the best. Go there, locate Danzo and kill him. He has broken the agreement we had, he must die so that all know the consequences of such an act. Do not let him escape or try to blackmail his way out of his fate. He must be dead within the week."

"As you command, Leader-sama." A pale-skinned figure almost hissed.

"I must withdraw and meditate about this. Of all the things I had predicted, even I had not foreseen that the Kyuubi would be truly destroyed. And if the Kyuubi is no more, will the other Biju be destroyed as well, now that it is proven that it can be done, or has the technique died with the caster?"

"I will check with my sources, although they probably will not know." Orochimaru said and the leader nodded.

"So long as you try, and report on your findings, that will be fine. Go now."

Orochimaru's chakra silhouette seemed to flicker and fade, then the leader turned to face another of the members.

"Sasori. Your intelligence network surpasses that of all others."

"Find out just what happened to the kid and who's got the cyclops' body." Sasori nodded. "I'll have my agents keep watch for any non-Uchiha who suddenly gains a Sharingan."

"Excellent. Perhaps we will be able to find those who have interfered with our plan and then we can… express our displeasure with them."

"As you command, Leader-sama." Sasori stated as his image vanished.

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The silence around the table was broken as one of the trio lifted the saucer of Sake in front of him and took a sip.

"Hell of a loss." The blond grumbled as he returned the saucer to the table.

"Hokage, Biju, Legendary Jonin and Heir." The scarred man sat to his left agreed. "Konoha's standing is going to plummet."

"The Sandaime is back under the hat." The largest one protested. "That'll buy us some time… right?"

"It's not that simple, Choza." The dark-haired man countered. "Konoha's taken a huge hit. We're having to make some serious changes to keep our strength up."

"I heard that Hiruzen's old team-mates tried to get him to accept them as his Advisers once again." Inoichi noted and Skikaku chuckled darkly.

"Their first suggestion was to steal Taki's Jinchuuriki. Hiruzen kicked them out."

"Then who is he having as his advisors?" Choza asked curiously.

"Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuuga Hiashi."

Inoichi and Choza both jolted in shock, Inoichi spilling the Sake that he had been about to drink.

"What?"

Shikaku's lips twitched at the unintentional chorus.

"We need to look strong. Bringing our two most powerful clans into the inner circles of power helps with that. Don't think that it's without a price, though. The Hyuuga are being tasked with creating a new seal for their people, one that can't be used to take down the one it's applied to. The Uchiha are being reassigned back to proper fieldwork and are bringing shinobi from other clans into the Police Force to fill the resultant vacancies. They're still in charge of it and will remain so, but with more of their own in the field and others amongst their ranks, it looks like their slow separation from the rest of the Shinobi forces is being reversed."

"The Hyuuga are being set up to re-unite their clan and the Uchiha are being made to actually integrate fully?" Inoichi shook his head in disbelief. "How is the old man getting away with this?"

"Because both clans see the prize and are willing to pay the price for it." Shikaku refilled his saucer. "Fugaku's already trying to get his Heir into ANBU."

"Kid did good in the field." Choza noted, reaching for the bottle. "I heard he's already being considered for Jonin…"