Naruto: Dark Disciple
Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; Kishimoto does. And I thank him for coming up with the characters and world that I can use to write stories.
"I thank you all for being able to attend this summit of the Five Kage. Truly, it is an exceptional show of diplomacy in and of itself to have all of you in the same room."
"Thank you for having us Mifune" Tsunade said, with a bow, as she took a seat. "I cannot say enough how grateful I am to you for agreeing to host this Summit." The man bowed his head in response to her compliment. The fact that she had found someone willing to be the host of a Summit and that all of the Kage had actually shown up were as much a victory as she could really expect from the meeting, but she was going to certainly try her best to get the other Kage to understand the importance of working together in this matter.
"Hmmph, enough of these pleasantries. It takes some kind of gall for you to take this time out of our schedules, Tsunade." She was not particularly surprised that the Tsuchikage would be complaining about anything to do with her request; undoubtedly he thought that anyone who served less time in the office than him was unqualified to call for a Summit. That Ohnoki always has been a grumpy old man. By his side were his long-time bodyguard Akatsuchi, a man reported to be his shield and a trusted unofficial adviser, in addition to his granddaughter Kurotsuchi.
Another man growled. "Forget about that; what is the Kazekage doing here when his village has been attacked? For a Kage to be attending a meeting so soon after such an event is disgraceful!" The tall and muscular Ay, the Yondaime Raikage, was never known to be a man of particular nicety and diplomacy, that was certain.
"Hokage-sama wished to hold the meeting before she would commit Konoha to a counter-attack" Kazekage Gaara said evenly, his two siblings by his side for the meeting.
"Now now, perhaps we should listen to the reports of the Hokage and Kazekage instead of being so uncivil. I for one want to know more about these unknown attackers." Mei Terumi, the Godaime Mizukage, said with a smirk on her face. Her bodyguards were odd, with one of them wearing bandaging over his eye while the other was clearly meant to be one of the Seven Swordsmen. It seemed that Ay and Ohnoki could at least agree to wanting to know more so they settled in their seats without causing further disturbance.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama is correct. One of the five great villages has suffered a devastating defeat and occupation at the hands of an unknown enemy, and I highly doubt that Hokage-sama would have called for a meeting to be held merely one month later if it were not of utmost importance. Please, let us not waste any additional time." Mifune said, getting the assembled Kage to establish a more serious and formal atmosphere.
"The reason I have called for a Kage Summit is simple." Tsunade began, getting their attention. "As all of you are probably aware, the lands west of the Suna Desert have gone through a great change in these past few years. I would guess, however, that you do not know the extent."
"The recon teams I've sent out have been lost with no word back" said Ohnoki, to which Tsunade nodded.
"These Western lands used to be nothing more than a series of sparring clans, not very different at all from the period before our own villages formed. At some point between Orochimaru's attack on Konoha and the attack on Suna, however, this situation was made irrelevant. Just as the many clans of these lands united to form the shinobi villages, so to were the clans of the western nations with one key difference. While ours, for the most part, formed peacefully, their village was formed as a result of war and conquest. Based on our intelligence, we have reason to believe that this conquest was led by someone from the Elemental Nations, likely a missing-nin, who has titled himself as the Shikage and has constructed a village by the name of Kamigakure. Based on the reports of Kazekage-sama, I can say with absolute certainty that it is this group that attacked Suna."
"Very interesting; what more do we know of this 'Kamigakure'?" Mei asked
"Not as much as we would like. Our reports did indicate that their village sign appears to be the symbol most associated with Jashinism, and it does line up with the fact that Hidan of Yugakure had not been spotted in some years prior to our discovery of this circumstance. It is our strong belief that Hidan is associated in this in some way, as part of a group of elite ninja known as Shugoshin as reported by a recon team led by one Shikamaru Nara. Unfortunately, further reconnaissance efforts have proven to be less than successful, and we even lost Jiraiya when he tried to uncover the identity of the Shikage." It still pained her to think about.
"What do we know about the numerical strength of this new entity?" This was good, it seemed like the Tsuchikage was getting interested in the subject.
"Our reports so far are sketchy on the total numbers, due to the fact that they launched a quick and decisive surprise attack. The best guess that we can say and feel confidence in is between eighteen-thousand and twenty-four thousand." This caused a number of eyes to widen around the room, and Tsunade could understand why. That was more than any one village could afford to use in one force by several thousand, even in the low estimate it was approximately equal to Konoha. While they had more, there was a certain amount always needed to guard the village and to help maintain the economy by doing missions. "This is, of course, just the force that attacked Suna and we know nothing if they have more shinobi elsewhere. It is safe to presume there is some sort of home guard but no intel has been gathered in that regard."
"This information is very interesting, but it's not the only reason you wanted this meeting now is it?" Apparently the Raikage was not all muscle after all.
"No. Seeing as how this new enemy poses a threat to the stability of the entire Elemental Nations, I believe it should be a unified force of all our shinobi that rises to meet it. Konoha is willing to supply ten-thousand shinobi, among which will be many of our most elite, to this force with the purpose of ending the occupation of Sunagakure; Kazekage Gaara is willing to commit all of his active and able shinobi to this force, roughly equaling that same number. If each of you would be willing to commit a number of your own shinobi to this force then we will be able to send a message of resounding strength in the face of this sudden opponent. If you do not, then the Elemental Nations as we know it may be at an end." It was good to play on the Kage's natural love for stability in order to gain their support. Stability was safe and assuring, when you knew who your enemies were and their likely capabilities. Though none of them would ever admit it, she knew that they were not pleased to hear about Suna's occupation.
"You certainly raise an interesting point on this matter, Tsunade. How do we know, however, that this Kamigakure does not simply see Suna as their enemy? Or perhaps Konoha? Why should we put our shinobi on the line?"
"Because we cannot know that. The attack on Suna came entirely unprovoked; why should it be different for anyone else? Perhaps their next target is not Konoha; perhaps it is somewhere else. Even if there is no next target, can we be satisfied to allow this force to occupy one of the five great villages? To let such a strong opponent who has made no diplomatic outreach bide their time? There are too many unknowns in all of this and you know that, don't you Tsuchikage-sama?" There was the slightest hint of a smirk on her face despite her attempts to hide it.
"Even so, to expect for us to send our own shinobi to aid your alliance is completely out of the question!" the Raikage said, forcefully.
"It is the best possible way to deal with the situation, the one that involves the least possible risk for everyone involved. If the counter-attack should somehow fail, if it were only Konoha and Suna participating then it would be impossible to limit their continued expansion. Imagine this new opponent, with unknown resource reserves in the West in addition to complete control over the Land of Wind's resources. They would become even stronger and already they are capable of forming an invasion force with more shinobi than a single village could match at once. If we all participate, we have better chances and put less on the line."
A samurai burst through the door and, though Mifune gave him a look that could turn most human beings into stone, he did not hesitate to run straight toward his leader and whisper something into his ear.
"Hokage-sama, it would appear you have a visitor who is requesting to be admitted to this room."
"Odd. Is he one of my shinobi?" The messenger whispered once more into Mifune's ear.
"He wears no headband and bears no affiliation; he also gave no name. Apparently, he says to have information on the Shikage."
Her eyes widened immediately at the news; that was something exceptional. Besides a few people in Konoha, Suna, and the rest of the people now in the room with her, the information regarding the existence of the Shikage had been kept a tight-lipped secret in the Elemental Nations. It helped that the Shikage seemed to be ensuring that as little information left from the West as possible, of course. Could it really be possible that someone, not one of her shinobi, could have information regarding the subject? Yes, anything was possible.
"Have him detained and seal his chakra; I'll talk to him later." As interesting as it was, she could not exactly just allow this man into the meeting room of the Five Kage Summit.
"Very well." The messenger left the room.
"Right, anyway, as I was saying, a united shinobi force should be assembled to crush this new and foreign enemy. Any thoughts?"
"It is bad enough for the Kazekage to have not died defending his village, and for him to be here when it is occupied. Why should my shinobi put their lives on the line when it is clear the Kazekage has not?"
"I was defeated, Raikage-sama. My injuries prevented me from further participation. The only reasonable action was to fight again another day." There was the slightest hint of annoyance in Gaara's voice and she was unsure if anyone else in the room was familiar enough with his regular tone to note the difference. "I can assure you that I will personally be on the frontlines once the attack is launched. This time the enemy shall not have the element of surprise. All of my shinobi will know what they are fighting for; we will not lose, it is only a matter of who shall win with us."
"Hmm, high talk coming from such a young Kage" Ohnoki said with a sneer.
"I must admit that I am intrigued by this idea" Mei interrupted, catching everyone by surprise. "While Suna has never been a particular friend to us, neither have they been an enemy. Their occupation is certainly a tragedy and I am not sure I can stand to be the Mizukage who does nothing as the wheels of history drive forward." Most likely, the woman was attempting to re-establish Mizu as a competently lead fighting force following their civil war and wanted to show that they were willing to entertain the idea of a fight. There was a sudden explosion which occurred far outside the room, before a different samurai messenger came running through the door.
"Mifune-sama, the mysterious stranger has resisted arrest and is attacking our samurai." The man said, his calm voice betrayed by his frantic breathing.
"It is just one man; why must I be informed?" Mifune said, starting to wonder if hosting this Kage Summit was his best idea. He had thought it would be a good way to get in the good graces of all the great ninja villages but if his own men kept interrupting the meeting for no reason then he was bound to be getting on their nerves.
"We've already had one-hundred men incapacitated; thankfully, of those we've checked there are zero deaths. Even fighting like that the stranger has not been scratched."
"Swan, I want you to aid the samurai" Tsunade said to one of her two ANBU guards. While the other Kage seemed to have their personal favorites as bodyguards at this meeting, she used the tried-and-true ANBU Hokage guard unit. Two of them were here with her and two of them were in the temporary lodging alongside Shizune. They were more than a match for the vast majority of any opponent and she wanted to try to restore order as soon as possible or else the entire outcome of the Summit could be in jeopardy. The ANBU guard left the room and the five village leaders returned to their discussion.
"I understand that there does seem sufficient reason to be worried about this so-called 'Kamigakure;' however, participating in a large-scale attack would be quite an expensive outing. If we were to be compensated then I could see the benefit." Of course Ohnoki would want something aside from eliminating a major threat to all of them.
"Konoha is already spending more than it would like to in order to accommodate the Suna refugees; I do not think there is financial compensation that we can pay."
"Of course; Suna, on the other hand..."
"You would dare try to use the suffering of my people to benefit your own?" Gaara said, anger resonating quite clearly in his voice.
"Well I must admit, when you put it that way, it sounds like I'm nothing but a cruel man. What if we were to term it as paying for the usage of my shinobi? Isn't that reasonable? It's what happens every day in all of our villages anyway."
"I'm afraid that is out of the question. Suna will need all of its resources for the battle ahead and to rebuild whatever is damaged in the city in addition to restoring its shinobi." She did not want to say anything too forthcoming, but a part of her was very worried that Suna would no longer even be a top five shinobi village after the upcoming battle, especially if it were just Suna and Konoha in the fight.
"Then you can consider my aid out of the question."
There was a sudden thundering sound and then a force shook the room as someone was thrown through the door, breaking it open entirely with their body. As the dust cleared, shock overcome her upon seeing the mask of the very ANBU she had sent to deal with the intruder. She could immediately tell that he was alive but his breathing was obviously labored. Apparently the intruder had been strong enough to deal with one of her personal bodyguard; that meant he could be very dangerous indeed. She rushed over to the downed man, immediately rushing to heal his most critical wounds to at least make sure he was stabilized.
"My apologies Hokage-sama. Believe me, I did want to meet with everyone under better circumstances." That voice sounded so eerily familiar; certainly she heard it somewhere before. That's when she looked outside the door and, though no one had been in her periphery, there was suddenly a man standing there. A man, with blond hair, blue eyes, and unmistakable birthmarks on his face.
"N-Naruto? Wha-how-why… it's you? Why didn't you just say so?" The force of the surprise was so great that it felt like the breath had been knocked out of her. When she had last seen him, Naruto had been that troubled young boy who seemed to get past everything and continue driving himself forward despite it all. He had inspired her to try to get over her own troubled past, the way that the child never backed down and took a beating but was always willing to keep fighting no matter the odds. She could still vividly remember the last time they talked.
"Ready for your little trip, brat?" she asked, sitting comfortably behind her desk talking to Naruto on the morning Jiraiya had arranged to take him on a training trip. The man was convinced that getting outside the village could do nothing but help Naruto's growth and get his mind off of more negative things. Additionally it would be much safer to delve into the Kyuubi's chakra further away from Konoha where it would be less familiar.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"I thought you'd be more excited to leave for a bit."
"It's not that. It's just… I think about what I'm leaving behind and I guess it sours the mood, ya know?"
"Oh, and what are you leaving behind?" she said, curious to know what exactly the kid valued highly besides his own training.
He sat in silence, head in his hands looking down for a moment, before he answered. "Nothing."
"Hmph, always so over-dramatic Naruto. Seems you're learning a lot from Jiraiya already."
"It's been a long time, Tsunade."
"Hokage-sama, you mean to say that you actually know this assailant?" Mifune looked rather furiously toward Naruto, hand on the hilt of his sword ready to draw it. As Naruto walked through the broken door and stepped into the room for all to see, all the Kage's bodyguards were visibly tensed and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice while all the Kage appeared to be perfectly calm though undoubtedly also prepared should they need to engage in combat.
"Such a harsh word. I intended to make a peaceful appearance here at this Kage summit and there was an attempt to arrest me. Am I to presume that there were similar arrests for your other guests?"
Part of her wanted to stand up and to hug Naruto, elated to see him after all these years of worry and assuming the worst. The fact that he had wounded one of her own personal bodyguard meant nothing in the instance of looking upon his face once more. She was stopped, however, by the look in his eyes. Those eyes were not the clouded and confused pair that she had grown accustomed to seeing in his youth; no, now they were more determined and calculating. It even seemed that the very blue within them was darker than it once had been.
"Of course not; my other guests are the Five Kage and their guards."
"You dare to put yourself on the level of the Kage, boy?" Ohnoki said, not liking some young stranger appearing out of nowhere and equating himself to the leader of the great village of Iwagakure.
"A silly question. Me, on the same level as the five of you? I would never stoop so low." Ay's hands clenched onto the table and it seemed like the man was poised to leap into action. "Now now, there is no need for a fight. As I said, I've come here on a peaceful diplomatic mission representing my village."
"What do you mean 'your village'?" Tsunade managed to ask, standing up after finishing the initial treatment of Swan. For Naruto to show up after all these years and presume to be an ambassador of Konoha was outrageous, even for him. Was it possible, then, that he had defected? Yes, yes, of course it was possible, he'd been gone for almost nine years. She needed to try to start thinking clearly again; she'd been blindsided by his appearance but she still had a job as Hokage to do and if she looked weak in front of the other Kage now it could be disastrous later.
"I have come here, as the Shodaime Shikage of Kamigakure, to request a seat at this Kage Summit." He had a smirk on his face as all the energy was sucked out of the room. Tsunade felt like she had been sucker-punched in the stomach once again. It wasn't really possible, was it?
"And I suppose you have evidence that you are, in-fact, the so-called Shikage?" Mei asked, giving voice to what the rest of them were thinking. He reached into a pouch on his side and pulled out a mask, causing Tsunade to go wide-eyed at the sight.
"T-that's the mask Shikamaru identified. It's true." There could be no mistake; every feature that Shikamaru had made sure to explain in detail was there clearly. She was having a hard time making sense of this situation.
"Now, am I permitted a seat?"
"Are we actually supposed to believe that the mysterious Shikage, whom has never been seen and whom should have no knowledge of this meeting, would come here and reveal his identity? Outrageous." Ohnoki said, bring back a semblance of calm and normalcy to the meeting as the other Kage thought about his words.
Naruto sighed, still having a slight smirk on his face that was beginning to irritate the gathered leaders. "I suppose you raise a fair point. I am sure your words will be seen as a beacon of hope to all the beleaguered citizens of Suna living under my control, even to their last breaths." The threat rang clear throughout the room, not a single person missing the implication.
"Naruto Uzumaki, if you think you can use my citizens as hostages then let us make one thing clear: They may die, but in return, I will kill you."
"My my, so much hostility in those words Gaara. I would hate to have to fight you; though, as I recall, I'm two-for-two against you. Maybe the third time's a charm?" Gaara, though he was known for his ability to avoid facial expressions, ticked his eye in obvious anger at the way he was being talked to. "I am the one who allowed the Yamanaka to return to Konoha with a report on Kamigakure, I captured Hinata Hyuuga and allowed Shikamaru and Ino to return, and I am the one who used the jutsu that defeated Gaara's Shukaku form. Is this information satisfactory to prove my identity?"
How else could it be possible that Naruto knew all these things if he were not telling the truth? The doubts were starting to clear from her mind but it still felt surreal. Everyone was looking at her, as if for some confirmation of the first two claims, and she nodded her head despite still being in a daze.
"You will not be allowed an official seat at this summit due to the unprovoked attack of Suna; however, if you have something you wish to discuss then I shall raise no objections." Mifune said, to which the Kage reluctantly agreed. Naruto's smirk on his face grew ever so slightly, as if everything was going according to some plan that he had envisioned.
A/N: Of course I would post an update on the 1-year anniversary of the story! I'm sentimental that way. This is the 1st half of the Kage Summit meeting and I hope you'll find it a mostly believable transaction among the Kage. Naruto, of course, had to make his entrance in dramatic fashion as he is keen to do. Another quick glance into his childhood that I hope you enjoyed (I can practically see the Anime-style flashbacks in my head when I'm writing them). The next chapter will be posted very shortly.
Why has Naruto shown up at this meeting? What could he possibly hope to gain? Why would he reveal his identity to the Kage?
As always, thank you for reading. Thanks for all the support I've gotten over the past year; it's been incredible. Over 50,000 words already and who knows how much longer it will go? Personally, I've been thinking that probably 150k or so seems to be about reasonable (then again, we're only at 50k and there's so much left to tell!). But, who knows, maybe when this story ends a new one begins? Please feel free to follow, favorite, review, or just continuing to read!