Recap no Jutsu!

Sasuke watched in awe as Hinata drew herself up and gained a look of such fierce determination that he couldn't help but think of Naruto. He chuckled. "They'll be just fine," he thought to himself.

Sasuke and Hinata both focused on the hospital bed just then as they heard Naruto let out a loud groan. Tsunade and Shizune both let out small sighs of relief. Naruto sat up, shook his head like he was in pain, and looked around, blinking. Hinata froze as her and Naruto's eyes met...his blue eyes, once so full of life and joy, were blank, cold, and empty...

Chapter 4

As Naruto's blank, cold gaze swept the room, his eyes fell on Hinata, who was staring into his eyes in shock. For a brief second, his eyes gained their old life, and Naruto reached out and pulled Hinata to him, hugging her. He whispered into her ear, "Thank you, Hinata." Pulling back, he smiled at her briefly, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes, which hadn't quite gone back to the lifeless look they'd had at first, but they hadn't retained the joy seeing Hinata had briefly brought to them, either. Hinata was watching Naruto closely, her worry obvious to everyone in the room.

After a moment, Tsunade stepped forward. "Hinata, could you step back, please? I need to examine him," she said. Hinata nodded and moved aside. She stood beside Sasuke and watched as Tsunade ran her glowing green hands over Naruto. Having given him a thorough examination, she turned to everyone in the room. "Well, physically, he's fine." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at that. Then, more softly, she added, "But I can't really vouch for his mental health at the moment...only time will tell how stable that is."

Guy, who had been sitting quietly in one of the chairs in the room, leapt to his feet at Tsunade's words and flashed everyone a nice-guy pose. "We will all work together to rekindle the flames of Naruto's youth!" he said excitedly.

Tsunade sighed and rolled her eyes at Guy's exuberance. "It may not be that simple, Guy. When someone has been through what I can only assume Naruto has, the more effort those around him make to bring him back to himself, the worse he can get at times. Frankly, if the look in his eyes when he woke up is any indication, I hope and pray none of us ever has to go through what he has," she said seriously. "Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't try to help him, we should and will, but we must be careful."

Guy nodded seriously, taking the woman's words to heart. Hinata, who had been listening to Tsunade's words closely, moved back to Naruto's side and took his hand gently. Tsunade smiled briefly at the two, then turned to the others. "I gather the council wanted to speak to me?" she asked. Now that her first concern was dealt with, she was ready to see what they wanted.

Jiraiya stepped forward. "Yes, they did. I'll take you to them," he said softly. It was obvious to anyone who knew the white-haired man that something about what he had seen recently had changed him. He gave off a much more serious air than he ever had before. Tsunade nodded, and the two loyal Sannin departed the hospital room and made their way to the council chambers, leaving Naruto and Hinata to have some time to themselves. Shizune, meanwhile, made her way out of the room and to the nearby nurse's station to see if she could be of use while Tsunade took care of her business with the council.

"What happened to you in that genjutsu?" they heard Hinata asking Naruto as they left. No one noticed Guy slipping out of the room; he had a feeling he didn't want to know what Naruto experienced in there.

Upon arriving at the council chambers, Tsunade and Jiraiya simply walked in; they found the council in the midst of a meeting. Tsunade took her seat, which had remained empty ever since she left. Everyone in the room nodded to her. Jiraiya stood in the front of the room, watching the proceedings carefully. No one paid him any mind.

After finishing the ongoing debate, Shikaku Nara turned to Tsunade, deciding it would be more trouble than it was worth to put off bringing up what they all knew she was there to hear. "Lady Tsunade, I am glad to see you have returned to the village. It has been decided amongst us here assembled to name you as the Fifth Hokage," he said simply, not wanting to go to the trouble of saying more than was necessary.

Tsunade, who had been sitting with her elbows on the table and her fingers knit in front of her face, responded simply, "Impossible. I refuse." She shot a look at Jiraiya, letting him know to keep his mouth shut, then refocused her attention on the council at large. "I've never had any interest in leading this or any village, and what I see now is doing nothing to change my mind."

"And what is it you see now, Princess Tsunade?" Danzo Shimura asked. The bandaged man, who sat near the head of the table used for council discussions, was watching Tsunade carefully, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.

"I see a village run by a council with a figurehead Hokage who died to protect the very village that usurped his power," she answered. "It's a fool's game, even more so than I thought before, and I've no interest in it." Tsunade's gaze seemed to be sweeping the council room carelessly, but, in truth, she was watching everyone with even more intent focus than Danzo was watching her.

From the head of the table, near where Danzo himself was, two elderly figures sputtered in outrage. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, who had once been Hiruzen Sarutobi's teammates and then advisors, seemed to have lost the ability to speak temporarily due to their ire. Koharu recovered herself first and snarled at Tsunade. "We have done nothing of the kind. Our purpose has always been to advise the Hokage and to take care of trifling matters that are not worth our esteemed leader's direct attention," she said.

Tsunade grinned behind her hands. "Thought as much," she told herself. "I didn't ask what the council's purpose was, Koharu," she said blandly. "I said what it has done."

Homura regained his composure and asked Tsunade, "In that case, what would you have the council do if you were Hokage, Lady Tsunade?"

"I would have them do what Koharu just said, Homura," she answered simply. "Only what they are supposed to do and nothing more. Oh, and since when was it the council's place to judge what is and is not worthy of the Hokage's direct attention?"

Homura thought about that a moment, then responded with a question of his own. "Should we not employ our wisdom and experience in any way we can to aid the Hokage?" he asked.

"Of course you should," Tsunade responded, "but you should do so in the way that your Hokage directs you."

"Which is what we have always done, Lady Tsunade," Koharu interjected. "What you call usurping the power of the Hokage is, in truth, following his orders."

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Shibi Aburame spoke up. "There is much logic in Lady Tsunade's words," he said. "We have overstepped our bounds on occasion. However, there is also logic in Lady Koharu and Lord Homura's words. We were ordered by our former leader to use our own judgment to determine what should and should not be sent to him."

Shikaku Nara sighed. "This is such a drag," he said, "but I have to say that we as a council have far overstepped our bounds on more than one occasion, even overriding the Hokage at times when we felt it was necessary. While it is true that he would often change his mind after hearing us, there were also times where we were rather forceful in our methods of changing his policies."

Tsunade carefully kept her grin hidden behind her hands. "Exactly as I thought," she thought triumphantly. Lowering her hands, she told the council, "You have changed my mind. I will be Hokage, but I can assure you there will be some changes in the infrastructure of this village very, very soon." That said, she rose from her seat and left the room, Jiraiya following behind her. They left behind them a stunned Danzo and two very worried advisors.

Shikaku sighed again, shaking his head. "Why do I get the feeling my life is about to become a lot more of a pain in the near future?" he asked rhetorically.

"It is a logical conclusion that both you and I will have a heavier workload in the future," Shibi responded, adjusting his glasses briefly. Turning his attention to Koharu and Homura, he added, "And that theirs will be much lighter."

xxxxxx

Tsunade made her way back to the hospital and rejoined Shizune. The two together then made their way around the various rooms. They checked on Kakashi, whom Tsunade awakened much as she had Naruto. Kakashi seemed to be taking the whole experience much better than his student, though. Then they made their way to Lee's room, where Guy met them. Guy was rather subdued as he watched the two expert medics examine his student.

"Is there anything you can do for him?" Guy asked worriedly. Ever since the boy had been wounded in his fight against Gaara, Guy had been deeply worried about his future as a ninja. Even though the boy had refused to stop training as much as he could with his wounded arm and leg, Guy knew that some injuries just wouldn't heal themselves. He also knew that if Tsunade couldn't help Lee, no one could.

Tsunade could tell from the way Guy was watching her and the ridiculous similarity in Lee's apparel and appearance to Guy's own that this was more than a student to the green-clad Jonin. After her first examination, she knew that only she had any chance of helping this boy at all. His entire body would have to be stimulated at once to heal the damage he had sustained, and there was only a 50% chance that it would work even then. And if it failed, she knew he would die. Turning to Lee, she said seriously, "You should give up on life as a ninja."

Guy was stunned by this. "Are you saying you can't help him?!" he asked. If even the greatest medic in the world couldn't help, Guy was certain no one could.

"Well, no, not quite," Tsunade replied. "There is a chance I can help him, but it's a 50/50 shot at best, and, if something goes wrong, he'll die. It's better that he just gives up on life as a ninja now, so he can live as well as he can."

Lee was clearly devastated by this. The boy looked away from his sensei and Tsunade and made his way out of the room. Tsunade held Guy back a minute. "Yes, Lady Tsunade?" Guy asked hesitantly.

"I can tell you see that boy as more than just a student, Guy. It falls to you to advise him, I see that. As I said, there is at best a 50% chance of the surgery being successful, and that's only if I'm doing it. If anyone else were to attempt it, he'd die for sure. I'm willing to try, but it has to be his decision, and you know the risk," she told him seriously.

Guy simply nodded and departed. He had a student to advise and cheer up, if that was even possible. Tsunade sighed, then wandered the halls of the hospital until she met up with Shizune. The two of them then sought out Jiraiya, whom they found waiting on a bench outside the hospital. The three of them then made their way to the old Senju home. They needed a private place to make plans, and the place technically belonged to Tsunade now.

xxxxxx

Hinata shivered. She had listened intently as Naruto told her what had happened to him in Itachi's genjutsu. Naruto had spared her some of the worst parts, and he hadn't given her a lot of detail, but she now had at least an idea of what had happened to him. Naruto said quietly, "I'll never forget what he told me...he said that you had saved me from his worst tortures. That's what I was thanking you for when I first woke up...and I want you to know I really owe you a lot for that."

Hinata sighed. "You don't owe me anything, Naruto," she said back. "You have done so much for me over the years, that anything I do for you now is simply an attempt to pay back what I already owe you." Naruto looked at her, confused. "Do you remember the little girl you saved from a bunch of bullies just before you entered the Academy?" Naruto nodded. "That was me. You saved me that day. And ever since then, it has been your smile that has kept me going, your determination that has shown me the right way to go, and your example that has been my inspiration. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be a ninja." Shaking her head slightly, she finished, "Actually, if it weren't for you, I might not even be alive. So, really, anything I ever do for you is nothing more than me paying you back what I owe you."

Naruto shook his head, realizing in wonder that he had hardly ever heard Hinata say that much. "All the same, Hinata, I'm grateful," he said simply. Laying back, he added softly, "I think I'm going to try to get some sleep. Will you stay with me, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded and took his hand gently into her own. "Of course I will, Naruto," she said. "I'll always be here for you from now on." Naruto gave her hand a grateful squeeze and closed his eyes. Within moments, he was asleep. Hinata remained where she was, occasionally squeezing or stroking Naruto's hand. "Yes, I will be here for him from now on," she thought to herself. "That's a promise, Naruto. And once a promise is made, I never break it. That is our ninja way."

xxxxxx

Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tsunade were sitting around a large table in the old Senju home. Tsunade had her hands knitted together in front of her face, as she had during the council meeting, Jiraiya was leaning backward a bit, and Shizune was watching Tsunade intently. "So, Tsunade, what now?" Jiraiya asked after a few moments.

"Well, first off, I'm going to force Sensei's old teammates to retire," she began. "They have long since outlived their time, and it's time they realized it. I'll leave it up to them whether they continue their lives as ninja or not, but their time as advisors is over. After the council meeting, I'm sure even you can guess who their replacements will be."

Jiraiya nodded. "Shikaku and Shibi are good choices. Shikaku may be the typical lazy bum of the Nara clan, but he's absolutely brilliant, and Shibi may have the emotional range of one of his bugs, but at least you won't have to worry about him losing his cool under pressure. What about the rest of the council?"

Tsunade chuckled. "Today was just to feel them out. I'll do a bit more digging in the near future, and the members of the council will find out just what it means to mess with the Hokage. As for the members who will align with me and those who truly wish to aid me, they'll keep their positions, but their authority will be minimized to some extent. And if I find out that any of them had a hand in making Naruto's young life worse..." she trailed off, unable to articulate what she would do to them. The look on her face at the thought, however, promised them great pain indeed.

Shizune decided to speak up then. "And what about me, Lady Tsunade?" she asked.

"You will be my eyes and ears, Shizune," Tsunade answered. "No one on the council knows you, nor have they associated you with me, so they won't check their words with you around so long as they don't know who you are to me. As such, you will be of great assistance in finding out which council member thinks what and which are aligned with me and which with Danzo. Of course, this is a temporary issue, and, once it is resolved, I hope you will remain with me as my assistant."

Shizune bowed. "Of course I will, Lady Tsunade. It's what Uncle Dan would want," she said simply.

Tsunade stepped over to Shizune and rested a hand on her shoulder. Shizune looked up at her long-time mistress questioningly. "For right now, however, I want you to head back to the hospital and keep an eye on Naruto. Let me know immediately if something happens or if he seems to be getting worse," she said, a gentle smile on her face.

Shizune smiled a bit in return, then said, "It'd be an honor." She then bowed again and left, her steps purposeful.

xxxxxx

Even as Tsunade was making plans, the council was discussing the current situation. "The jinchuriki has gone through a very mentally taxing experience," Danzo said. "If he is not worked with extensively, he could easily turn against the village or even attack us. We must not let this happen. I feel there is no one better than me to take over his training and education at this point. I will turn him into the perfect weapon for Konoha. I will make him what he should have been from the beginning."

"There is some logic to what you say," Shibi said after a moment, "but the boy is no weapon, he is a person, you must remember this."

"Are we as ninja not all simply weapons of our masters?" Danzo responded. "We are all people, yes, this is true, but we ninja are all meant to be weapons in the hands of our superiors. It is what we train for and what we are meant to be."

Hiashi Hyuga, Hinata's father, spoke from his position. "Even though that may be the case," he said, "should we not first concern ourselves with the boy's mental condition and with making sure he is not going to align himself with the demon within him?"

"Of course we should," Danzo answered. "And my training facilities are the best place for this to be accomplished."

Shibi adjusted his glasses in thought. "It may be that that is true. Your facilities are isolated and well-guarded. We could all keep an eye on him more easily in such an environment. All the same, your training methods have often been called into question," he said.

"That may be true, but no one here can question my loyalty to this village," Danzo said back. Several heads nodded, granting that that much, at least, was true. "If anyone can cultivate loyalty to Konoha in the boy, I believe I can."

"Let us put it to a vote," Shibi said. Everyone agreed to that. "All those in favor of sending Naruto to Danzo for special training and rehabilitation, raise your hands." A large portion of the room did so. Shibi sent a certain type of his bugs to those, then recollected them. "All those opposed, raise your hands." The remainder of the people in the room did so. A different type of bugs flew to them, then back to Shibi, who would count the number of each type later. He knew the numbers would be close, but he had the feeling that he knew which side was going to win...and he wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it.

A/N: Dun dun dun! Yeah, another cliffhanger, I know, I'm mean. But really, this chapter has taken so much out of me to write it that I just had to end it like that. Hope you all enjoyed and will stick with me until next chapter.