Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, with my OC only belonging to me.
A/N: Hei guys here is the new chapter, I hope you guys will enjoy this one. It took quite a long one so I hope it will be to your liking :D
I still have not received a beta reader so I apologize if my writing is not the best :(
And now to respond to reviewers!
Thedarkpokemaster: Thanks for always leaving a review and about Naruto and Sakura, well, they'll solve their issues soon.
GK the 9Tailed Reaper: Thanks mate, I do want to create a different scenario other than the Uchiha massacre. With this, I feel that the impact on Konoha will be larger.
: I don't really see how this is almost like canon. In canon, Sakura openly hates Naruto but here, while she does want to be her friend, she is not allowed to because of her parents. The difference here is that she is being forced to not be with him and another difference, she does not beat him up xD
shadow Uzumaki: Thanks for noticing! I wanted to create an OC with his own story that can be related to Naruto while still not obtaining ALL of the spotlight. I admit that in the first few chapters, Ryo seems like a Gary Stu but I believe he has been reduced greatly already in terms of power. However his role will still be important.
Twinitech 2: Thanks for the review! And I apologize about my grammatical errors, I'll try to improve more to avoid them!
Now reviews are done, on with the story!
CHAPTER 11: FREEDOM
Konoha academy was silent in the night with only the sounds of the wind whistling in the night air and the occasional creak on the wooden floors. The academy had been one of the early public buildings established by the 1st Hokage in his dream of allowing children to learn the ninja arts safely without placing them in the front lines of war at a young age. Now the academy was considered one of the oldest buildings in Konoha but its well-maintained structure would deceive many into thinking it was still new.
In the small training ground behind the academy, Uchiha Sasuke had stayed back late after class had ended to sharpen his skills in the ninja tools, practicing with his aim on tossing the shuriken. It was then that the six year old Uchiha was surprised to find his father and a Hyuuga, Sasuke assumed it to be Hizashi since he had the green seal on his forehead, behind him.
"Father…? What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, honestly surprised.
Fugaku ignored the question, "Sasuke, you have a lot of hidden potential hidden within you. I'm sure that in the future you will be much stronger than your brother."
"What… Father, why are you suddenly speaking about this? I'm confused."
"Son your mother and I… We're going to leave Konoha and join Kumo."
Sasuke's expression was shocked upon hearing that, "What…? You… You're going to switch sides?"
Fugaku honestly wanted to move out as soon as possible. Now that his first son had already escaped and knows of his plans, it was only a matter of time before the Konoha forces would know of their treachery. Before they could stop them, they needed to depart now but he Fugaku needed to slowly convince Sasuke of their intentions. Both of his sons have the potential to be powerful Uchihas but with Itachi no longer among them, he needed to at least have Sasuke.
"Yes son," Fugaku replied, deciding to go with an honest answer, "The Uchiha are no longer appreciated here in Konoha. We are eyed with suspicion and distrust among the people ever since… many years ago. Sasuke, Kumo will treat us much better than over here in Konoha. That is why I'm here son. We need to leave now in the shadows of the night."
"What about my friends?" Sasuke asked, "And what about Aniki? Aniki is in the ANBU, does he really want to leave? Is mother okay with leaving?"
Fugaku never thought he would cringe at the mention of Itachi. 'Sasuke is too attached to this village' Fugaku realized, 'then I better take him now before he stays firm in wanting to stay here.'
"I'm sorry Sasuke." Fugaku whispered
Sasuke never knew what hit him as Fugaku instantly appeared directly in front of Sasuke and landed a fist on Sasuke's gut, powerful enough to knock the air out of Sasuke's lungs. The young Uchiha wheezed in pain, losing consciousness soon after. Before his son collapsed on the soft earth, Fugaku had his right arm wrap Sasuke around his waist and lifted him up, placing him on his right shoulder.
"Alright then, let's go before they find out what we're doing." Fugaku said turning to face Hizashi.
However Hizashi made no movement and glared directly into Fugaku. It was rare for the two clans to see each eye to eye. Although it was not true, many in Konoha believed that the Hyuuga and Uchiha were rivals due to possessing powerful doujutsu techniques as their bloodline limits. The two were powerful clans indeed but they never shared a history of being rivals or were there any friendly relations.
"I wish to confirm whether this caged seal truly can be released." Hizashi stated, "I want you to remove my seal before I truly follow forth with the plan to leave Konoha."
Fugaku had a feeling this would happen and took a moment to answer, "I'm not the one who can remove your seal. However the 'person' had promised he can and-"
"You expect me to just trust your words? As much as I respect you Fugaku-san, I will not abandon my allegiance to Konoha until I am sure that my seal can be broken. If that's true, then I'd be more than willing to join any side as thanks for removing this cursed fate. However for that to happen, I need this to be removed; NOW!"
The Uchiha head and the twin brother of the Hyuuga head stared into one's another eyes with neither of the two moving a muscle. Fugaku's mind was processing on what he could say to appease the Hyuuga but Hizashi had made it clear that he only he wished for his seal to be removed.
Despite Fugaku trying to come up with something to appease the Hyuuga, time had only passed for only five seconds and throughout that ordeal, Fugaku kept a straight face and never revealed in his expression in his troubles. As for Hizashi, the Hyuuga twin of Hiashi said nothing else and his eyes remained fixated at Fugaku to pick out any lies he might utter from his lips.
"What's with you two?" A voice muttered from the shadows, "Can't you guys even agree on something?"
Hizashi turned to the source of the voice, his Byakugan activated instantly, "Who's there?!"
However Fugaku was not surprised by the voice, merely facing the direction where the voice was. The figure soon emerged from the shadows but Hizashi could already see with his Byakugan. The man was around Hizashi's height with a normal figure but broad shoulders. He had no hair on his head though with numerous scars across his face, one of the scars across his lips. The sight reminded Hizashi of the special Jounin Ibiki with the large number of scars that he normally hid from public view. Hizashi also found that the man had a weird combination of having a red eye on his right and blue eye on his left.
"I asked who you are!" Hizashi repeated with more force.
The man with scars raised his arms with a passive form, "Relax Hizashi-san… I'm the person who can release that accursed seal that the main branch family had placed on you."
Hizashi was stunned for a second, unable to comprehend the words that the man said. Hizashi quickly regained his composure, "You… You can release me from this fate?" The man simply smiled, not answering the question. "Fugaku, is this the man that can help me?!"
"Yes… He is…"
Hizashi was almost shaking at this point but not from fear; it was from disbelief. For too long had he endured the pain and suffering of having the seal activated on him, pain unimaginable coursed through his whole body. As much as he loved his brother, he knew this was the escape he had been looking for. With the promise of escape, Hizashi finally released the words he wanted.
"Please… Release me of this cursed seal placed on me." Hizashi pleaded, willing to drop on his knees if what the man said was true.
The bald man with scars smirked, "And what will you do in return?"
"I will serve you with my life… Not just me, but if you can help release all of us in the branch family of this seal, we will give you our allegiance!" Hizashi declared.
The bald man grinned, "Although I honestly have no interest in this but if this will help our cause… Come, let me proceed."
Hizashi quickly stood before the man and the scarred man, giving himself to whatever the man needed to be done. The mysterious stranger touched Hizashi's forehead with his index finger, exactly where the seal was placed. After a moment, the man's index finger glow bright green and then like a vacuum, began drawing in the seal. Hizashi felt no pain however and the whole procedure lasted for only half a minute.
After he was done, the man removed his finger from Hizashi's forehead and stepped back, allowing Hizashi to feel the seal. Hizashi did just that, feeling his forehead. Normally he could feel the shape of the seal, the cursed seal that kept him locked like a bird in a cage. Now he felt nothing, he felt his cage open and releasing Hizashi into the free world. A rare emotion bottled out from within him and a tear escaped his eye, letting the liquid roll down his cheek.
Hizashi was at a loss of words at this point, "This… This is unbelievable… I…"
"As much as you wish to enjoy the moment, I believe we have stayed here for too long," The man stated, "I'm sure the two of you have sensed this as well."
Fugaku nodded and Hizashi activated his Byakugan, instantly seeing who it was that was closing in. "So what do we do?"
"I'll head off first and call for my partner," The man decided, turning around and moving away, "It will not take too long. Until then, just buy some time until he arrives. Once he's here, both of you can make your escape and join your fellow… Clan members."
With his final words delivered, the man disappears out of sight, leaving Hizashi and the Uchiha head alone in the academy's training ground. Fugaku adjusted the weight of Sasuke, grunting a little and then faced the direction where Hizashi was looking at. With a clear idea of who they were, Fugaku activated his Sharingan in case a fight were to break out, something he hoped does not happen.
***Konoha night, central district***
Two figures travelled quickly through the rooftops of Konoha in the dark night with another two following them from close behind. Itachi was moving quite fast for a ninja that had sustained minor injuries earlier but his sense of duty and wanting to protect his remaining family member drove him towards his goal. Added with the fact that the Uchiha prodigy had just returned from a mission earlier without rest, what Itachi was currently doing was truly a remarkable feat.
The path they were taking was the shortest way to the academy but the route also had very few ANBU or ninja patrols that Itachi would have enlisted for help. Itachi's heart was beating wildly within his chest as if threatening to burst out of the rib cage and Itachi had to take deep breaths to try and calm the important organ down.
Of course with such a catastrophic event occurring, Itachi had already dispatched a shadow clone to report to the Hokage what was happening. Itachi preferred not to do so since it depleted a lot of his chakra but time was of the essence and he had no choice but to act quickly. Ryo had offered to report to the Hokage but Itachi required Ryo's skills and power would help a lot and Itachi refused to let Ryo go. He had no idea Naruto and Kushina was tailing them however.
'I just hope that the Hokage can come to a decision quickly,' Itachi thought, 'I doubt I can do what is necessary on my own. If I fail… Then Shisui's sacrifice…'
Itachi recalled how the moment he told his father he would not join in defecting from Konoha, Itachi was immediately attacked from all sides, shurikens thrown at him. With his quick reflexes, Itachi managed to dodge all of them unscathed and backed away. Several Uchiha emerged from the darkness, their red Sharingan eyes glaring at Itachi. His father Fugaku did not join in the attack and looked resigned to Itachi's fate whereas Mikoto had a depressed expression on her face.
The young Uchiha prodigy could feel the presence of other Uchihas outside the main household, surrounding the perimeter to not allow Itachi to escape. In his mind Itachi was already planning a way out while his eyes was darting left and right, searching for a means of escape. His father then stood up from where he sat, folding his arms before he spoke.
"If you choose not to join us son then we will be forced to end your life here." Fugaku spoke with resolve, "You're a powerful Uchiha at this age and you will definitely grow much stronger. We cannot allow you to become a threat to us. Son, I'm sorry…"
With that as the order, the other Uchiha all charged towards the young ANBU. Itachi cursed at the situation and retreated out of the house but was immediately met with a large volley of shurikens and kunais. Itachi managed to parry some away with his katana but there were still far too many for the young Uchiha's eyes to follow as some scraped him, blood pouring from the small wound.
In order to not alert the whole of Konoha of the incident here, the Uchiha were planning to assassinate Itachi without using any techniques. Itachi tried his best but he was soon overwhelmed, completely surrounded and all about to jump him and slaughter the Uchiha. As Itachi prepared for one last effort to fight to the death, several kunai attached with exploding tags landed in the vicinity.
"Itachi, get out!"
Itachi reacted on instinct, leaping into the air and the other Uchihas were too caught up to react, the exploding tags exploding, killing a few and heavily wounding the others. Itachi landed in an alley, confused at who the savior might be. It was then another figure landed next to Itachi and Itachi immediately recognized the person; the one Uchiha he trusted his life to and best friend.
"Shisui! What-"
"Itachi, you have to get out of here now!" Shisui spoke quickly, "I knew you would refuse to join in the defection so I was waiting for you to make your escape. They will definitely be looking for you but once you make it out of the Uchiha compound, you should be fine."
"What about you? If you stay…"
Itachi had not noticed due to the situation and the darkness but when Shisui took a step closer towards Itachi, the Uchiha prodigy saw his friend's resigned smile. Uchiha Shisui was blind; he no longer had eyes with dried blood around his eye sockets. Itachi could not say anything, shocked at the sight of his friend.
"They've token my eyes Itachi," Shisui explained, "Your father took my eyes… I'm sure you know why he took my eyes… I cannot do much in this state but I proved to be useful at least once more to you by helping you. Itachi, you have to do what will be the best course of action for Konoha. Please… Stop them…"
Itachi looked away, not from disgust but from determination to do what was right, "I understand…"
"Also you have to find your brother…"
"Sasuke?"
Shisui nodded, "They will try to get him, even if by force. They haven't found him yet so you have to find them before the rest does! You might be also able to convince your mother… But Sasuke is your main priority after alerting the Hokage!"
"I understand… And you?"
"They will kill me once they discover that I helped you. Itachi, you have to stop them. This is the best I can do but if I had my eyes, I would have fought along your side." Shisui actually chuckled for a moment before he resumed, "Now GO! You have to warn the Hokage about what is happening! Stop them Itachi!"
Itachi clenched his fists in anger, an emotion he rarely expressed to retain his composure. However knowing his best friend would throw his life for him, to know his family had destroyed his life, Itachi could not help from feeling angered. With one last pat on Shisui's shoulder, the last feeling of contact with his best friend, Itachi sprinted across the Uchiha compound with agility and the sneakiness of a rat. A moment later, Itachi had escaped the Uchiha compound at the cost of his friend's life.
After his short flashback, Itachi realized they had arrived at the academy and as they landed on the academy rooftop, Itachi could feel eyes watching him. Itachi looked down below at the training ground and there he found two figures waiting for him. Itachi was not surprised to see Hyuuga Hizashi there; he had sensed some Hyuuga within the Uchiha compound and found it strange. Now he knew why; they were also defecting from Konoha.
Ryo Azuma along with Naruto and Kushina arrived a short moment later, landing on the rooftop of the academy behind Itachi. Normally Naruto should not be able to follow, considering he had just joined the academy and had not yet learned how to use chakra to jump across trees or rooftops.
Down below, Itachi saw his brother on the shoulder of his father. 'So they got him first.' Itachi thought, 'But they're still here. They must have thought it was too late to escape so I still have a chance to save Sasuke.'
With Itachi leading the small team, Itachi jumped down from the rooftop and landed on the training ground of the academy, with Ryo and Kushina by his sides and Naruto next to his mother. Naruto upon spotting his unconscious friend cradled on the shoulder of Fugaku, the young blonde reacted immediately.
"SASUKE!"
The voice of Naruto landed on the unconscious ears of Sasuke. Kushina was the next to react at the situation, "Hiashi-sama! Are you actually defecting from Konoha?!"
Hizashi chuckled at this, his eyes full of menace as he looked at Kushina in the eye, "I'm afraid you have mistaken me for my fool of a brother!"
Kushina was taken aback by the words of Hizashi, "Brother…? Wha… Hizashi-sama? But why?"
"Why…? The answer is simple; Someone has helped me remove the cursed seal placed upon me! The cursed seal that my own brother, my own flesh and blood, refused to release me of! If my own brother will keep me caged while another offers me freedom… Then I know where my allegiances lie."
Kushina knew of the cursed seal placed upon the branch family of the Hyuuga. She personally found the policy cruel but she had no say in the matter, it was a Hyuuga matter. However she never would have thought that the brother of the Hyuuga head, Hizashi, would actually go so far as to betray Konoha to have his seal removed. Kushina could see the look of determination in the eyes of Hizashi and the red-haired Uzumaki knew that Hizashi would not be convinced to change his mind. He would fight for his new found freedom like how a rat would fight for its life if trapped in a corner.
"Father," Itachi voiced out, "We don't have to do this. We can still resolve this peacefully."
Fugaku shook his head, "No son, for too long have the Uchiha been looked at with distrust. We are considered one of the most powerful clans in the world, the elite of Konoha. If Konoha will not appreciate our powers, then we shall go to another who will!"
"Since when did the Uchiha have to look to the others for approval?" Itachi challenged, "Because if that is the case, then the Uchiha have truly fallen."
"You…!"
Fugaku and Itachi continued to exchange words, Itachi trying to bring his father to his senses but his father had clearly made his decision. Naruto knew that it was much simpler to kill Fugaku now to stop this madness but even Itachi knew that. However Naruto knew that the Uchiha prodigy was a pacifist in nature, a person whom prefers to search peace in a conflict and only engage in battle on the defensive.
Ryo said nothing and only awaited Itachi's next move. His mission in this world was to ensure that the world was not destroyed by the Jyuubi like in the original timeline and also because of how his masters demand this world was protected. If he could, he would have chosen to act on his own but his powers had weakened greatly, the local populace was also powerful and another factor… He had grown fond of the people around him.
'What's going on?' Naruto thought within his mind, 'This isn't the Uchiha massacre but the Uchiha are still going to betray Konoha? Is returning to the past still useless? Things are repeating but through different means!'
'I don't think so kit,' Kurama voiced in Naruto's mind, 'I could not sense any malice from them in the six years. Yes it's true I could feel they sensed unappreciated and anger from the suspicions but it would not be enough to actually warrant this.'
'So what forced them to do this?'
'They aren't forced, they are doing this willingly. What I'm trying to say is that something must have triggered them to actually desire to defect from Konoha.'
Naruto's main priority for now was to save Sasuke. He did not wish for his friend, his brother to go to the dark once again. He wanted to save this world and also save the lives of those that was lost in the other world. The young Jinchuuriki's passion to do what he believed was right drove Naruto to almost take action but he had to be careful of his powers, to not reveal them to those who are not aware he was from the future.
"You have to reconsider, Hizashi-sama!" Kushina persuaded, "What about your son? You cannot just leave him here!"
"Neji… Neji and all of the branch members are willingly defecting from Konoha. They are only awaiting my word that the seal can be removed, and it can. I have no purpose to stay in Konoha anymore where I will be caged against my will!"
"It's useless Kushina-san," Itachi said softly, "They've already made their choices. If they truly wish to leave then I will be forced to stop you."
Itachi gripped the handle of his katana tightly in the palm of his hands now, his Sharingan eyes making contact with that of his father's. It was rare for the young Uchiha to be on the offensive but his options were limited. It was to strike now and prevent the defection or they would escape. Right before Sasuke was about to strike, a powerful shockwave blasted from the shadows towards Itachi's group.
Itachi and Naruto quickly jumped away to the right while Ryo and Kushina moved to the left, the shockwave passing through them and blasting one of the dummies that academy had installed in the training ground, obliterating the dummy into pieces. Itachi glared at the newcomer, the strange man with jet black hair.
"Tanaka!" Ryo hissed upon laying his eyes on the man.
Kushina's ears perked up as she recognized the name. It was indeed the same man that had tried to kidnap her son three years ago, the man who was said to be able to be also a Guardian and able to put anyone into his mind control. Kushina wondered if Fugaku had fallen under his spell as well, which she was not surprised.
Fugaku turned to face the man, his Sharingan eyes never deactivated, "Are you 'his' partner that will relieve us?"
Tanaka nodded, "Yes I am. The two of you should go; I shall take care of things here."
"Will you be okay on your own?" Hizashi asked.
Tanaka turned towards Hizashi with a raised eyebrow, "Don't worry about me. Our main priority is to get the Uchiha and you branch members of the Hyuuga to Kumo safely. Now get moving, I will be fine."
Fugaku had no hesitation as he jumped towards the roof of the academy and then headed towards the great walls of Konoha to make his escape. Fugaku ignored the cries of Itachi, calling him to come back but Fugaku had already made his choice. Hizashi followed a little bit later, feeling the eyes of Kushina following him as he disappeared from sight soon enough. All that was left was Tanaka the Deceiver.
Ryo had not expected to see Tanaka so soon, not after the stunt he pulled three years ago. He was almost successful, Ryo admitted, were it not for his failure to put Kushina under his control. As far as Ryo knew, Tanaka was successful in his protection of other worlds because Tanaka had control over the highest order in a hierarchy, easily establishing his influence through his 'puppets' that he had gained control of. Unfortunately for Tanaka in this world, the Rikudo Sanin's descendants prevented him to control those with a Guardian's blood.
"I see your son has grown up." Tanaka commented at Naruto with a grin.
Kushina growled in anger, her killing intent pouring out of her, "How dare you show your face again!"
"Oh, so feisty! I like that in a woman." This merely aggravated Kushina more.
Ryo drew his gigantic sword from his back, infusing it with lightning, "Tanaka! What are you doing here again?"
Tanaka focused his attention to his fellow Guardian, "Ah Ryo… I'm here to complete my objectives. In order to do so, we need the Uchiha and the Hyuuga joining us is just an icing on the cake."
"You're not going to have them," Ryo declared, "Not while we're here!"
"That's why I'm here to stop you." Tanaka responded.
Tanaka slammed both of his palms together, channeling energies into the atmosphere. From above them, a purple circle-shaped barrier appeared and was slowly descending to trap them. The barrier was moving down fast and Itachi and the others knew it was too late to try and escape out of the range of the barrier.
Ryo however recognized the barrier and the strength of it. Thinking quickly, Ryo plunged his blade into the earth, quickly gathering enough chakra into his blade and then pulling the blade out and aiming the tip of his sword at the center of Tanaka's barrier. From the tip of Ryo's blade a beam of lightning blue in color shot out towards the center of the barrier. The beam of lightning blasted against the center of the barrier, easily destroying it and also the beam of lightning then shot out several more streams of lightning, creating a cage-like barrier of lightning, the same barrier Ryo had used when Tanaka attacked three years ago.
"You guys stop them!" Ryo ordered, "I'll take care of this guy!"
Itachi and Kushina were about to protest but Ryo shouted at this point, "GO! Before my barrier traps you all as well!" Naruto was fast and had already moved out of the lightning barrier's range.
Itachi and Kushina nodded, the two chakra sprinting away before the barrier could reach the ground and trap whoever was inside and keep outsiders from entering. However Tanaka reacted quickly, throwing another shockwave towards Itachi and Kushina but Ryo appeared before the shockwave and with his blade infused with lightning, Ryo sliced the shockwave in half, protecting Itachi and Kushina. The two Konoha shinobi made it out of the lightning barrier on time, the lightning bars locking down on the ground, trapping those inside and keeping outsiders from entering.
"Hurry up!" Ryo barked without taking his eyes away from Tanaka, "Don't worry about me! After I'm done with him, I'll catch up!"
Naruto stared into the back of Ryo, "You promise, spiky Ryo?"
"Yes, now hurry up and go!"
Kushina watched on from behind the lightning bars, the sound of lightning chirping loudly. For six years she had known Ryo as a good man, a person who watched over her son and herself to honor Minato. While he was sworn to his duty as a Guardian of this world, Kushina felt that the man also wished for something that he lacked; something that he never had in a very long time.
With one last glance at the back of the blue-haired Guardian that Kushina saw like a protective brother, she moved on with her son next to her. Itachi led the group and even the red-haired Uzumaki could see that Itachi was worried for a comrade and a friend. However Kushina felt that Ryo should be able to handle himself until reinforcements arrived.
Inside the lightning barrier, Tanaka smirked confidently, "Ah Ryo, the Blade of Lightning… It's good to see you're still doing well after the past three years."
Ryo remained silent for a moment before he responded, "You never planned to stop them, were you?"
Tanaka grinned, "You're annoying to our plans. You're already a failure of a Guardian among our kin so it is best to rid of trash like you."
At this point, Ryo charged towards Tanaka and threw a lightning bolt at the man. Tanaka easily dissolved the lightning bolt with his shield and when Ryo was within range, activated a shield around himself. Ryo's blade barely caused a dent as it smashed against Tanaka's shield, but it was like a hammer hitting against solid steel. Tanaka then opened the palm of his right hand and then threw a shockwave at the blue-haired Guardian, forcing Ryo to roll to his right. The two then ceased fighting once more, the two staring at one another.
"That is of the past, it does not concern us here! And if you actually think you can defeat me then-"
"Oh I'm going to kill you Ryo," Tanaka said with glee, "You don't have to put up a brave front, you know it's true. You still haven't got your full powers yet and you will be easily disposed of here."
Ryo ended the conversation with a battle cry, dashing towards Tanaka with his lightning infused blade. The two Guardians thus began their duel of death within the lightning cage of the blue-haired Guardian. This would be considered the first time in history since Guardians would be fighting with one another to the death. The training grounds of the academy would suffer major damage and while Ryo had hoped to end this fight as soon as possible with him as the victor, he knew it was almost impossible. His powers had not yet fully recovered and even then…
Ryo knew that Tanaka was right; He was going to die here.
***Hokage Tower***
The Sandaime Hokage had called for a quick emergency meeting with the council that he deemed was necessary which included the head of each clan and his advisors. Danzo had somehow heard of the incident and was also present. While the Hokage was fond of his old friend, he reviled the extreme methods Danzo would expend to achieve his goals.
After being awakened and receiving the short but detailed report from Itachi's shadow clone regarding the defection of not only the Uchiha clan but also the branch members of the Hyuuga clan, Sarutobi instantaneously had a massive headache. He was preparing himself about the Uchiha massacre that Naruto had warned him about but it seems that once more, it had taken another turn.
Within the council room, the Hokage was located in the center of the meeting table with his advisors by his side. On his left occupied the head of the Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka heads while on the right were the Aburame, Hyuuga and Inuzuka heads that he had called. Danzo was sited on the opposite end of the Hokage, as if that position was silently challenging the Hokage.
"This is indeed very troubling for Konoha…" Nara Shikaku said softly, "What are your plans Hokage-sama?"
Before Sarutobi could speak his thoughts, Danzo banged his fist on the meeting tabletop, "We don't have time for pointless debates! The Uchiha clan is one of the prized military powers of Konoha and that goes the same for the branch line of the Hyuuga! We CANNOT sit here and discuss what we should do! We MUST act NOW!"
"And what do you propose, Danzo-san?" Aburame Shibi inquired.
"As much as I value the abilities of the Uchiha, we will have to eliminate them all before they join Kumo!"
Sarutobi was honestly surprised that almost none of the clan heads actually proposed the proposal, silence greeting the small council room. The only ones against the idea were Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Chouza, demanding the reason for such actions. Sarutobi too was against the idea but he had to consider the option. His advisors were clearly supporting the idea as the only time they would speak would be if they refused an idea.
"You are asking we kill every one of the Uchiha?" Chouza cried in anger, "We need to consider such an action before-"
"Before what, Chouza-san?!" Danzo exclaimed, "You should already know we are at war against Kumo and while indeed battles are scarce, the Uchiha joining the enemy side is not going to be on our favor. I'd rather the Uchiha clan be exterminated than allow them to work against us!"
"There has to be some other way…!" Shikaku cried.
"If you can propose a plan that will benefit Konoha, then I am willing to listen," Danzo challenged but Chouza nor could Shikaku say anything, "There is no point in capturing the Uchiha when their intentions are already to betray Konoha. If their loyalty lies elsewhere, they are considered an enemy; an enemy that will threaten Konoha."
"We still have Uchiha Itachi however," Danzo added in, "A prodigy among the Uchiha and loyal to Konoha. Not all hope is lost then but we cannot allow the others to live!"
Sarutobi remained silent, considering the situation. As a man who preferred a peaceful resolution, he would hope to not prioritize on killing all of the Uchiha and the branch family of the Hyuuga. Sarutobi glanced at Hyuuga Hiashi who had been quiet throughout the whole ordeal, maintaining a neutral expression. Sarutobi wondered how the man felt to have his own brother betray his clan and also Konoha.
Danzo then spoke to Sarutobi, "Time is running out, old friend… Are you still considering the situation when the answer is already obvious? Perhaps your mind has already slowed with old age and not suitable to be Hokage… This was exactly what Senju Tobirama had feared and under his rule, he would have…"
"Fine!" Sarutobi interjected, "Give out the orders to all available ANBU. The Uchiha that has betrayed us…. Including the branch family of the Hyuuga… They are to be considered traitors and… to be killed."
Thus the order had been given, much to Danzo's delight. Not because of giving the order of terminating the Uchiha as Danzo believed it to be a waste. After all the Uchiha was indeed one of the most powerful ninja clans in the world. No, Danzo was delighted because even Sarutobi, his old friend who normally was against his ideas, had to admit that Danzo's action would be for the best.
As for Sarutobi, the moment Danzo had mentioned the name of their old teacher, the late 2nd Hokage was more than enough to convince Sarutobi. Tobirama was a man that had fought against the Uchiha clan for many years, even Uchiha Madara himself. In his reign, Tobirama kept a close eye on the Uchiha and if something like this had occurred during his reign, Tobirama would not have hesitated to order a kill-on-sight.
The Sandaime Hokage sighed, wondering when the days of killing would come to an end.
***Outside Konoha walls, Forest, With Itachi***
Uzumaki Naruto and Kushina were jumping from tree branch to tree branch together as mother and son while Itachi led the group. The Uchiha prodigy found it hard to believe that a six year old, who had just started in the academy could actually keep up with the group. Even if Kushina, Ryo and Kakashi had been personally training Naruto, it would be nearly impossible for the young boy to have caught up so much. Itachi knew that something was up, a reason for Naruto's sudden growth but he could not tell what it was.
The trio had been moving quickly and had concluded if the Fugaku and Hizashi wanted to move to Kumo, this would be shortest path. There was no other way except through this so Itachi increased more chakra to his feet, increasing his speed. The injuries on Itachi were still present and Itachi suppressed his groans, not wanting to worry the others. He had to catch up to his father and retrieve his brother no matter the cost.
"Naruto, I think you should head back…" Kushina said, looking down at her son.
Naruto chuckled, "Don't worry about me mom. I may be small but I've got the experience of a fifteen year old!"
"…That's not a lot."
"Yeah but I'm like, really strong," Naruto responded with a wide grin, "I can handle things on my own!"
"You have the mentality and experience from your original world, that's true," Kushina agreed, "But you're still in the body of a six-year old child. Your body might not be able to respond to what your mind tells you."
Naruto looked at her mom, his cerulean blue eyes reminding her of Minato, "Mom… Trust me; I know what I'm doing."
Kushina would prefer her son to be out of harm's way but somehow, his words and the confident look he had like his father, Kushina believed in it, "Fine… But you better stick with me."
"WATCH OUT!"
The screams of Itachi reached the ears of Kushina and Naruto, both reacting quickly and hiding behind a tree bark as a large volley shurikens and kunais flew past and some of them hitting the bark of the tree they were hiding behind. Itachi however was the prime target, still out in the open and another wave of shurikens thrown at the Uchiha prodigy. However his Sharingan allowed Itachi to easily dodge them before finally finding cover behind a tree.
Kushina and Itachi could not locate the location of their hidden enemies so Kushina chose to take action, forming a seal. There she began channeling chakra around her body before she release them, forming four ethereal black chains, similar to the ones she used when battling Tanaka.
'So that is one of the powers of the Uzumaki clan.' Itachi thought, his first time seeing Kushina in action.
Kushina revealed herself from her hiding spot, throwing her chains at the trees in front of her, whacking the trees off its roots and some breaking in half. In retaliation, the enemy threw another wave of shurikens at Kushina but none of the shurikens reached Kushina, Itachi throwing a set of his own weapons to counter the shurikens.
After a moment, Kushina had already created a clearing, a large number of trees had broken in half, others taken off its roots but finally Kushina could see her unknown assailants. There were several of them and they quickly surrounded both Kushina and Itachi. Itachi and Kushina backed into each other, relying on the other to cover one another.
"Kumo shinobi, huh…?" Kushina muttered.
"Don't underestimate them," A Kumo ninja cautioned his team, apparently the leader of the group "One of them is among the ANBU ranks and the woman is Kushina Uzumaki, the last of the Uzumaki clan and the wife of their precious 4th Hokage."
"What do we do about the boy?" Another Kumo asked.
"Send two of us after him. The rest remain here and take care of these Konoha scum!"
At this point Kushina realized her son had sneakily avoided not only the Kumo Jounins but also Kushina and Itachi herself. Instinct took over and she was about to charge past them to follow her son but she was met with a volley of shurikens thrown at her, forcing Kushina to deflect them with her chains.
"Naruto… Damn it, what are you thinking?!" Kushina muttered.
"Alright, make sure these two do not escape here alive!" The Kumo leader ordered, "We have to make sure the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans make it safely to Kumo!"
***With Naruto***
'Forgive me mom…' Naruto thought as he continued chakra sprinting, following the trail of Fugaku and Hizashi.
The young boy could already hear the sound of metal clashing against metal and while he was worried about his mother, he knew she was too skilled to actually lose to a bunch of Kumo ninjas. Naruto continued on running away until he felt two chakra presence behind him, the Kumo Jounins that were sent to hunt him down.
"Alright kit you know what to do," Kurama said, "I'll lend you my chakra."
With a nod of thanks to the legendary beast, Naruto activated the nine-tails chakra mode, the young boy's body shrouded in chakra with six magatama around his neck with a swirl design on his body that resembled that of the Rikudo Sanin. Any sensor ninja would have been wary if they sensed the sudden change in Naruto's chakra but the two Kumo Jounin sensed nothing, assuming the boy covered in a bright light.
"Hei Kurama, how about we try something different?" Naruto asked with a grin.
At first Kurama had a confused expression but then it realized what it meant, "You mean…?"
Naruto nodded, looking back at the two Kumo Jounin chasing him, "It's time we try out the new mode ever since we got it when we turned back time!"
***CHAPTER END***
A/N: This brings the chapter to an end! So what could this new power be? How did Naruto and Kurama obtain this power? And what of Sasuke's fate? Will he be forced with his father or can he still be saved? Will Ryo fall in his battle against the Deceiver? Will the Uchiha clan all be exterminated on that night? Find out in the next chapter!
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Update:
9/06/2013 - Just small changes to a paragraph