Chapter 25
''Jiraiya-sensei, is there any particular reason you chose to sit here after leaving your people?'' Konan asked calmly, looking at the Toad Sage at the corner of her eyes: the sannin was sitting between her and the Mizukage, while his fellow Konoha representatives were sitting on the second row. The man had hurried to ensure that he was seated on this chair: she liked to believe that there was a particular reason for this choice.
''Can't I sit beside my former student without a motive?'' Jiraiya asked with a smile. No matter what, he just couldn't help himself. This was the best seat in the house: a seat between Konan and Mei Terumi. Just sitting here, he could touch both women, and ogle their chest's all he liked, in different angles.
''If you weren't a pervert, it wouldn't be a problem,'' Mei responded for Konan, with her arms folded across her chest. The glances the man was sending at her front weren't so subtle, and it wasn't amusing anymore.
She just wished that Naruto could hurry up and start proceedings. If he engages things, they would be solely focused on him to hear what he has to say. Then again, Jiraiya was a self-proclaimed super pervert; he could take advantage of the situation to ogle them as much as he pleased. It would've been even more of a disaster if he was the one standing on the podium.
The worst would be if he was in charge of security. Mei didn't even want to think what he would've been doing if he was in charge of the security of this place. It was good that Naruto kept himself in charge of security within the island.
''I may be a pervert, but this isn't the time for that now is it?'' He failed miserably to appear serious. When it became obvious, he sighed and turned to Konan, ''how are you Konan? I didn't get a chance to speak to you after my sparring session with Naruto...''
''Well,'' it was a simple response from Konan that nearly made Jiraiya frown. ''You seem good, as always,'' she noted.
''Well, you can't really keep an old dog down, can you?''
Before Konan could respond, Naruto cleared his throat while standing in the center stage. ''Can I have your attention please,'' he said. ''I'm glad that you're all able to return for this day safely. Today is that day where you will all know just what is the UN, and the UNA.
As I said them separately, they are different things; they are two different structures. The UN simply stands for United Nations, and it is the one that has gathered you into this place. The United Nations is an organization that seeks to unite nations and build upon a world that is both safe and stable for this generation and the future generation. We hope to lead the world into a peaceful era, and maintain that peace as well as justice.
I founded the UN with the purpose of ending the meaningless conflicts that have consistently bathed this world in blood. We all suffer during and after war: it doesn't matter if you're the winner of the war. The absolute truth is that we all lose something. The problem becomes when one starts thinking their pain is greater than others. Nothing but vengeance and hatred is born from such attitude.
The UN is born to put an end to it.
The United Nations Alliance is a body under the UN. Its core objective is to unite all nations and form good relations between allied nations. The alliance will be an agreement between all of us: we will agree and sign on it to work together to improve the lives of those villages you all lead, to form healthy relationships with nations near and far. In doing so, we reduce the chances of conflicts.
The alliance that will be formed will not be for the benefit of a certain village, but it will be for the benefit of all allied nations; in this alliance, we will form treaties, and share that which we can to make this world a better place. As allied nations, you will be obliged to shield each other for protection against anything that will appear harmful.
The UN will oversee the alliance: it will act like a watchdog of the UNA to ensure that everything runs smoothly. If anything goes wrong, or any nation violates the terms of the alliance, the UN will act according to the laws that will bind all nations under the UNA.
Say for example, if Sunagakure violates its alliance with Kiri, and cause a friction between the villages, depending on the seriousness of the matter, sanctions and fines will be imposed on Sunagakure. We will gather the Executive Committee of the UNA and discuss the matter. Depending on the sanctions imposed, all members are obliged to adhere to them, failure to do so violating the agreement.
An example of a sanction that can be imposed for violating the agreement will be banning the village from making any trade, or receive missions from any of the members of the UNA and any existing trade or treaty with a member of the UNA will be suspended until the time for the sanction imposed expires.
Make no mistake, the UN will ensure that none of the aforementioned occur. If you violate someone, you will have to answer for it. That time where the bigger man does wrong and gets away with it is over.''
Silence greeted the hall as all representatives digested all that Naruto had said. Though Koharu wouldn't admit it, ensuring that alliances were not broken seemed like it was going to work. Over the past years, peace treaties were formed, but they rarely meant something since villages would tear them apart once they'd recovered their exhausted armies. Another war would loom soon enough.
The main reason these peace treaties meant nothing was because there was nothing or anyone powerful enough to see that these peace treaties are followed. But now there was a powerful force that would ensure that anything agreed upon would be followed. Even if Konoha was the strongest village, if it violated any agreement, it couldn't fight against the combined forces of two great villages and more than 7 other shinobi villages.
Koharu also believed that Naruto had his own army, perhaps more like an elite army. He wouldn't be so sure to say he would enforce the laws without power. He alone couldn't do it, but if there was a more powerful army to back him up, it would surely mean that whatever sanction imposed, even a village like Konoha would be forced to follow.
The sanctions were also another matter. The rules were made so that no one allied be willing to give a hand to the sanctioned village unless one wished to face punishment. Those kinds of sanctions would only drive the economy of the sanctioned village into a corner, making things tight.
She wouldn't give Naruto a hand for it, but everything so far appeared to have been well thought.
''Did you have a hand in these?'' Jiraiya asked, eying the Mizukage beside him. As far as he was corned, there was no one other than her who was more familiar with the structure of the UN and its Alliance.
''As much as I would like to take the credit, I will have to allow this to skip me: it wasn't my doing, but it was the president's - he thought of everything,'' Mei said with a small smile. ''You haven't heard nothing though, there is still much more: he is only covering things in general...''
Jiraiya looked back at Naruto: if he actually did this on his own, then he surely has grown up. Treaties were regarded as nothing when wars were looming large. But Naruto had set things in a way that even if one thought of doing ''wrong'', there would have to think of the consequences of their actions.
''With things put like this, all nations will be ''equal''. There will be no nation that will comfort itself in its superiority. Once we're all aligned, only the Law of the UN will be superior to all nations,'' Jiraiya said.
''That is exactly what he is gunning for,'' Konan said. ''Bigger nations have the tendency of overlooking the smaller nations, and have no qualms in using us or our lands to fuel their own objectives.''
She had seen it in all her life. Amegakure was used as a battle ground when the Great Shinobi Villages were at war. It was always like that and it resulted in pain and great loses in their part. The worst thing was that these Great Villages fail to recognizes their wrong actions. Their pain is always greater, and they always get away with all injustice because the smaller nations can't pick up a fight with them.
But this journey was going to change all that. The UN would ensure that there is no injustice that is not punished, nothing wrong that is left as it is. They were going to correct all flaws and ensure that all who do injustice were brought before the jury and held accountable for their actions. There would no longer be free run for those who do evil and think they can get away with it.
Jiraiya was no stranger to any of these; he had taken part in some of the battles, after all. Even Konoha was guilty for many unjust actions. Yes, the past actions for Konoha left a bitter taste on his mouth. It was this cause that left him without a response to Konan.
''The problem with nations who are guilty of injustice is that each time they do something, they always have ''reasons'' to justify themselves. This is where hypocrisy starts because once you make ''excuses'' to justify your actions, you will never see the wrong you do and you will always be the ''victim''. The UN is there to insure that no one makes excuses for any injustice, and all will be brought to justice,'' Naruto said as he continued.
A hand from the third was raised, and Naruto permitted the woman who'd raised the hand to speak. ''Bringing those who violate the alliance depends on the willingness of the members to agree for an action to be taken, but what if a stronger nation is at fault and the smaller ones are afraid to take action because they rely too much on the stronger village, what would be the cause of action?''
''When the situation comes to that, it won't be the Unified Nations Forces that will take action, but it will be the UN that will take action. I've already told you; the UN will overlook the Alliance to insure that everything is in order. If there is proof that a village went beyond its boundaries, we will be within our rights to take action,'' Naruto gave his response.
Jiraiya could see the problem in that: Naruto didn't have an army with which he could enforce any law, and it would have to be an army that would be strong enough to repel any assault from any village. By Unified Nations Forces, Jiraiya guessed it was an army that would be formed following shinobi from members of the Alliance. If villages aren't cooperating, then there would be no army to work with.
There was also something else that Naruto wasn't saying plainly, but if one listened carefully, you would know: even though the UNA's NEC will be called to discuss what is to happen a member violated the alliance, the UN could still act, regardless of the stance of the NEC. As long as the UN could prove that laws were broken, they could do what they pleased.
As if reading Jiraiya's mind on his earlier thoughts, Tazuna spoke his thoughts. ''You have no army to speak of, so you will have to forgive me, that doesn't give me any assurance.''
Naruto smiled seeing that even Tazuna, who represented the Wave country was not willing to hold any punches. ''You don't need an army to ensure that things go your way,'' the blond said with a small smile. ''But if its power that will be needed, I have plenty.''
Before anyone could retort or scoff, Naruto released his chakra to the extreme, causing many within the hall to freeze. Cracks appearing on the wooden stage were audible to all ears. The thick flow of chakra forced into submission the atmosphere within the hall. It wasn't much of a killing intent, just pure chakra.
'If you had used much of my raw chakra, the reaction would've been worth the effort than this,' Kurama said within Naruto's head, but the blond wisely ignored the comment.
''I also have the Kazekage, the Mizukage, and an elite fighting force that includes at least four Jinchurikis.'' Naruto continued from where he left of. ''I would like all to be open. So if you have any question you'd like to ask, please ask...''
Koharu was the first to open her mouth. It was almost as if she'd been waiting for the opportunity to present itself. ''Before I ask any question, what position do you hold?''
''I lead the core body, the UN as its founder, and I am also a member of the UNA's NEC - I hold no voting power within the committee though,'' Naruto gave his response.
''I see,'' the elder said. ''You're marked as an S-rank criminal in the bingo book of Iwagakure, and you're also wanted from Konoha for questioning. Isn't it that you fled from the village?''
That was the type of thing that Mei was praying wasn't going to be said. She was certain that this was only being done just to discredit Naruto and his leadership of the UN. She didn't think that Konoha would try to usurp him for power and try to lead this organization. Though she didn't know how Naruto would answer this one, Mei held faith in him to answer in a pleasing way.
Naruto didn't deny anything or act oblivious, he responded honestly but in a slight stern tone, ''I do not think it is a secret that Iwagakure has painted a bounty for my head. Yes, I did flee from Konoha, but only because I was dealing with people who didn't want reason, and I had more important matters to handle than worrying about matters that can be resolved at any time of the day,'' he said. ''Now that has been made obvious to everyone, what is your question, Koharu-san?''
''Do you think you're worthy for leadership? In fact, who is to say that Iwa won't attack any village that is allied to you just to get to you? Your actions when facing the Iwa army also don't depict that of a person preaches peace. Instead of trying to resolve things by just knocking them out, you butchered them...'' Koharu took her seat after that.
A pregnant silence settled in.
After a few seconds, Naruto finally responded. ''So you're saying because I ''butchered'' shinobi who were on the move to attack a peaceful village I am not worthy of leadership?'' Naruto's tone was very stern. ''I will admit that I could've chosen a better alternate, and it would've been the better choice.
However, if you think that disqualifies me as leader, then I must question if you really are a war veteran. Koharu-san, if you think that only pure, faultless men must lead this organization, then point he that has capable of leading the UN, and has no faults... You're not holly, Koharu, shinobi have their hands full of blood, but if you say I am wrong, correct me.''
Silence. Absolute silence.
''You all must understand that we not all perfect beings. Humans are flawed specie. This is why we have created the law that will teach us the ''just'' ways. I never said I was faultless, and I never said I couldn't make a mistake. What differentiates me from many people is that I am willing to admit my mistakes and seek to correct them,'' Naruto said to which those who knew him nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile
Wave Country
It was understandable why Orochimaru could be scowling so deeply at this time of the day: he had after all, been trying to sneak into the land hidden in whirlpools, and all attempts had resulted in ultimate failure. For someone like him, that was just unacceptable, especially since a brat created the damn dome like barrier that covered the whole island.
He didn't think that Naruto could've been so advanced in seals that he could create a barrier that even he couldn't break without his presence being found, as well as his location. Just by merely being in contact with the damn barrier, his presence was already known to whoever was controlling it.
He could get into any village and leave as he wills without anyone knowing, he was Orochimaru after all, and yet he couldn't sneak his way through to Uzu.
''While we may not have been able to get into the island, as soon as the leaders return to their nations, we will know what they were discussing,'' Kabuto offered something for his master to console in. But even he knew it wouldn't do. At this stage, Orochimaru was more disturbed by the fact that he couldn't outsmart Naruto and gain access to his island.
''I'm aware of that Kabuto,'' Orochimaru said flatly. ''Naruto uses the island as his base for all operations: this means that everything that Naruto plans and wants hidden, is buried in the island. I am also aware that he won't tell those fools everything, there are some things that he will keep hidden.''
''Everything has its own darkness...'' Kabuto said. Orochimaru guessed that Naruto had his own darkness, and the reason he went all out to protect the island is because he wants his secrets hidden.
Orochimaru nodded. ''You cannot forget that Naruto is also involved with wanted criminals. If something like that got out, it would put him at odds with those who trust him,'' the snake Sannin paused for a moment. ''If you want to work with someone in something important, what do you do first?''
The obvious thing Kabuto could think of is gathering all Intel about that person. Obviously when you gather Intel, you're bound to find many things you didn't wish to see. But that all depended on how good Naruto was when it came to collecting information. ''Are you saying that Naruto might have Intel you might need?''
''Maybe,'' it was a bet, but he wasn't betting too much on it. ''There are so many things that Naruto surely has in his possession. Village leaders trust him: it wouldn't be a surprise to me if he has blueprints of all nations allied with him.''
For their ''protection'' it was possible that Naruto may have gathered every little bit of information he could get. Aside from that, it was a wonder to Orochimaru that Naruto chose Uzushiogakure of all places. If his instincts were true, there was something hidden beneath the place. After the island was invaded during the second shinobi world war, there were no spoils of war. It was like those people destroyed everything.
Continuing, Orochimaru spoke, ''I am far more in...'' the sannin trailed off when ''Juubi'' flashed into existence in front of him and Kabuto - they were walking slowly in the coastal regions of the wave country, just a little away from the harbor.
''I didn't think that even a snake couldn't find its way into Uzu,'' Juubi spoke monotonously: some distance was between him and Orochimaru - and the snake's subordinate.
''It isn't that I ''couldn't,''' Orochimaru corrected. ''I could get inside; there is just no way of entering without my presence being detected. The fact that you're also here means that you also failed,'' he added that last part with a smile.
Kabuto merely pushed his glasses up a bit as he watched things unfold between his master and the ''weapon''.
''My failure is irrelevant,'' Juubi shrugged. ''I didn't come here for that,'' he said. ''It is good that you are still well, Orochimaru. You were on your way to join your parents in the world of the dead.''
Orochimaru snarled at the man before him. ''A simple attack like that couldn't kill me,'' he said. ''If you have trouble believing that, I can give you a free shot,'' a taunting tone was used to goad Juubi into attacking.
Juubi walked towards Orochimaru silently before halting a few inches from the snake sannin. ''Just because you stole the Sharingan and added a few upgrades to boost your power doesn't mean that you've become stronger than me, Orochimaru.'' He said so casually like it was the obvious thing. ''The only reason you're alive is because I allowed you; if I wanted, I could have killed you back then, but I allowed you to live because you will serve a purpose.''
Orochimaru merely chuckled in response, ''says the weapon I created...''
Juubi ignore the statement in favor of his own agenda. ''I have my plans, which will need your services. I don't like you and you don't like me. After the plans plays out, you're free to pathetically attempt to kill me. But before that, if you make any attempts, I will kill you.''
Again, Orochimaru chuckled, this time a bit more madly. ''You cannot kill me, Shinji-kun. I know everything about you, more than you do. I did create you after all.''
Shinji seemed to nod before turning around. ''Yes, and I haven't made any improvements, and I have not upgraded my power.''
It was quite the opposite really. All Orochimaru had to do was remove the ''not'' and he had the true meaning of that statement. He didn't get a chance to query further because Juubi then disappeared.
Even so, Orochimaru did nothing but laugh madly before speaking to his number two, "looks like things are going to be interesting from now on Kabuto."
Uzu
'Well, that went better than I thought,' Miyuki thought looking over to a silent Naruto. She offered him a smile of reassurance. It was so much like the disgruntled elders of Konoha to pull off something like this off their asses. She really wished that nothing like this was posed again.
Naruto showed his maturity and professionalism by refraining to call Koharu by any name. Miyuki had no doubt that he'd bit his lip from saying anything that would not appear professional. Naruto liked stating his thoughts and sometimes he was inconsiderate of the feelings of those he was speaking to, but for the greater good, he'd held back and allowed things to take a good course without painting Koharu in a black color.
''While I think that Konoha may have a hidden age-''
Naruto cut off the man who'd next opened his mouth, ''I will have to cut you off Kirihara-san,'' the blond stated rather sternly. ''Please refrain from going where you're thinking of going. Koharu-san spoke her opinion, whether she had an agenda or not, it is not up for discussion for this meeting. We don't want anyone to fee alienated.''
The tone he used put no comfort in the Daimyo of the River Country. ''While I don't agree with everything Koharu-san said, I do however have a question; how are you going to deal with the Iwa issue? They are looking for your head and will not rest until they have you. Of course since you're the head of the UN, this will affect us...''
''Those who know me will believe me when I say this: I will handle the Iwa issue. Whatever happens, it will not interfere with my work. You have my word.'' Those who knew him well enough wouldn't doubt him a bit. And he was glad that the majority knew him well enough to know that he never went back on his word. Saying ''you have my word'' is like giving the royal seal of approval.
''How?'' another voiced out.
''In any peaceful way I can think of,'' Naruto said. He then appeared thoughtful as a thought occurred to him, ''I was under the impression that this is a UN conference, or a general assembly, formerly, not the Naruto conference. Are you people trying to tell me that you have no problems, no qualms with anyone? And you seem to be forgetting that I was not wrong to stop Iwa from reaching Amegakure. You all know the Sandaime Tsuchikage well enough. To tell you the truth, even if I'd just knocked them out, because I am Namikaze, he would have still gone out for my head.''
Silence reigned for a few moments.
''Yesterday I told you that we were going to elect different committees that will be responsible for different tasks within the UN. The UNA only needs one committee which is the NEC, and since the UN is the core body, it will be the one with different committees.
First off, the National Executive Committee of the UNA will be compromised of leaders of each aligned nation. If we have 10 members within the alliance, then the NEC will have 10 members. This committee will be made to manage the Alliance between the nations, make decisions regarding everything that will be included within the alliance.
It will serve as the main body that will determine how things fold within the allied nations. To put it simply, all leaders will be put in charge of this alliance, and it will be you who will make decisions on what to do and how to move on forward. Treaties and trade agreements, threats posed by criminals, it will all be discussed here by this committee. Nothing will occur to your nations without the NEC approving it.
The UN will also have its own Executive committee. This committee will only be selected by me: it will be the main body that governs all that the UN does. While the EC of the UN governs all activities of the UN and oversees UNA, it doesn't have the power to do overrule the UNA's committee, and it doesn't have the authority to over the.'' Naruto paused to catch his breath, and allow the audience to digest everything.
Though it was technically true that the UN has no control over the UNA, there were some elements of the UN's charter that gives the UN certain privileges should the UNA be going against the vision of the UN, and it times the committee can't make decisions.
Naruto had made a good deal for this people. Even though the UN's EC would be selected by him, the EC that had the final say was the UNA'S. Naruto had practically constructed a stage for a play and gave it for them to play. Not even Konoha would disagree to something like this. However, if it was Danzo who was here, he would push for Konoha to hold more say in matters since it was obviously the strongest village in all nations.
Jiraiya was at least thankful that not even Koharu or Homura would dare attempt to push for Konoha to be the controlling factor in the committee. It wasn't made based on the power of a nation, but all members held equal power. There was no bigger player, no lead actor, they all had equal roles. If they pushed for more power, it would only paint a picture of a power hungry and controlling Konoha.
Without any hand being raised, Naruto continued where he left off, ''I have selected the Chair of the UNA's NEC and her deputy: The Mizukage, and Konan-san, both will be the chair and deputy, respectively.''
Murmurs broke out after this. They were no doubt complaining about the fact that Naruto was selecting leaders for them in their committee: a committee he had said it himself that he held no power, despite being a member.
''Where is the democracy in that?''
It was amusing to Naruto than anything, he held out his right hand and motioned for Mei to take the forth. The Mizukage calmly walked towards the center stage and stood on Naruto's right hand side. Silence settled in.
''I am Mei Terumi, Godaime Mizukage,'' Mei started nicely. ''I have been working with Naruto on this for some time now, and other than Naruto, there is no one who knows the laws and workings of this organization than me. The president chose me because of this. The UNA is still in its founding stages and we want someone who is more familiar with the inner workings.
Konan-san is the first member of the UN; her post was given as an honor. If you feel that you do not like either of us as leaders of the UNA, then you're free to vote for it during the UNA's Executive Committees conference. If you don't know, this is the UN's conference not an executive meeting, to be more precise, this is a general assembly.''
They couldn't vote on it now because non-executives were also in this meeting, and she had given them a good offer: vote her out and elect someone they thought more worthy to chair the committee, and she would happily relinquish her seat.
''Now that there is no problem with that, I will announce the UN's committee: the chair will be Namikaze Naruto, deputy: Subaku no Gaara, additional members will be, Konan, Kirihara, Masaki, Leader of Takigakure, and finally, whomsoever you choose as the Chair of the UNA's NEC will represent the committee in the UN's EC.
Masaki will act as General-secretary of the UN, and Kirihara will serve as the Treasure of the UN. The UNA will elect its own General-secretary during its conference.''
Mei picked up where Naruto left off, ''There are also two more committees that will have to be formed and will need your participation. These committees are the Judicial Committee, which is responsible for the judiciary system of the UN and the UNA. It will be responsible for creating laws. This committee does not fall under the control of anyone but its chair. However, they do report to the President of the UN and cannot approve of anything new law without the President's approval.
The second committee is the Disciplinary committee. It will have two bodies: the UN's Police Force and the UN's Supreme Court. This committee is an independent committee and is away from the influence of politics and even the president of the UN. This committee is to work in ensuring that all laws are followed and discipline anyone breaking them according to the law created by the Judicial Committee.
The Police Force will be a military force that will be a force that will be responsible for maintaining peace and order within allied nations. They have the power and authority to arrest anyone without consent found guilty of injustice, except for Anbu, Kages. They will need approval from a leader of which the suspect belongs to, if it is a Kage, approval from the Disciplinary committee. Anyone marked International criminal will be arrested without consent of anyone.''
After a few moments of silence, Naruto took after Mei, ''The Chair of the Judiciary and Disciplinary Committee will both earn seats in the UN's EC.'' He said. ''The supreme court will be responsible for delivering judgment to cases that are beyond the Police Force, such as members who violate the agreement, S-rank criminals, Anbu's and Leaders of villages, as well as active members within the structure of the UN. In short, anything that was S-rank will be handled by this court.
We can now begin with the voting for members of both the Judicial and Disciplinary Committees. First elect the nominees for different roles then we will begin with the voting.''
Once the nominees were made, members were given piece of paper to write who they have chosen. Once that was completed, they would put the sealed paper in a ballot. After which, Naruto and Mei would count the votes while everyone watches. The secret voting was done to reduce glares that would surely be sent to others for voting someone.
It took some time, but Naruto and Mei concluded everything else, and read out the votes. The elected candidates were presented before everyone.
All these took place smoothly without any alterations. The smooth operation was appreciated by both Mei and Naruto since it made things easy and ensured that they finished things in time. No one complained after the results.
''That went well,'' Mei said, a bit tiredly. The vote counting and shouting out people's name took more effort and energy out of her. She hadn't thought it would be this tiring. Naruto looked better though.
''Yeh,'' Naruto said with a smile. ''Thanks for your hard work, since there is only conclusions left, you can rest, I will handle the rest,'' he said.
Mei nodded and went back to her seat.
Naruto stayed silent for a few moments as he allowed the murmurs to die down. There were no surprises on those who were selected in the posts for the committees. He had already set up the Police Force's structure. He would have Shi head the department as well as the Information gathering. There was no one who was more qualified to head the Police Force than Shi. The man could operate the Force while leaving his associates to gather Intel. With Him in charge, he wouldn't have to worry about the Force going out of control.
It wouldn't be much work for Shi since there would be different divisions based on different Nations. He had so far planned to build four HQ for the Police Force; the Base Operation HQ will be situated in this island, as well as all offices of every department of the UN.
Naruto resumed after silence had settled in the hall. ''Before you all leave here, you will be given the proposed charter of the UNA. You will look at them, and offer your insight. When the UNA's NEC gathers for its first assembly, next month, you will decide whether to keep the proposed charter or make a new one. You will also be given the constitution of the UN - which will not be changed.
The UN also has its own charter, which I will offer for your knowledge.
Starting from next week, we will build an academy for the UN - for the purposes of teaching medical Ninjutsu - in the River Country. We will also build four offices of the UN in Wind country, Water, Waterfalls, and the Snow. The Supreme Court will be located in this island. Main offices of the UN will be located here. The UNA's HQ will be built in the Fire Country - when the Fire Lord gives us permission.
We will all meet in the 3rd of January for another General assembly, in this island.''
With that, Naruto held up only those selected to be in the disciplinary committee and the Judicial Committee. They would need to hold out their first meetings soon enough, and since they were a part of the UN, he needed them to sign some forms that would bind them to the laws of the organization and their respective committees.
For all fairness, Naruto wasn't included in any of these committees. He was already president and chair of the governing body of the UN. To avoid holding more power in the UN, it was decided that he shouldn't take part in any of these committees.
Konoha
Pleasant days were rather rare for Sakura when days came out rolling one by one in recent weeks. Things were supposed to have returned back to normal when Naruto returned from his training trip. They were supposed to form Team 7 again, and be one ''big happy family'', with her, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and her beloved Sasuke-kun. But when Naruto came back, things looked bleak. Her dreams were dented just by the look on his face.
Naruto had come back a completely different person: he was no longer that loud idiot she used to continuously yell at and blame for every wrong that occurred. The blond had returned as an impassive teenager who cared little for smiling and hanging out with his friends as he once often did back in the days. He'd even refused to have lunch with her. Back in the days, he would have jumped to take the offer and even say it was a date.
Sasuke was also another matter entirely: she couldn't even hold a good conversation with him. He would always brush her aside or just outright ignore her. Since his little defection was halted by Naruto's efforts, the Uchiha had come to truly embrace the dark side - in him - that was always lurking in the deep shelves of his heart. He had even become much colder and never gave anyone a second thought.
Even so, Sakura had hoped that when Naruto returned, he would lighten things up. His huge grins and loud voice as well as his obnoxious proclamations always made one feel something in the heart. She'd thought the charm would work on Sasuke and return him to normal. But it didn't happen.
Sakura sighed, looking over to her friends: they'd gathered again, as they often did to discuss matters relating their group. It was often after or before these kinds of meetings that she had even thought of stealing one of Tsunade's bottles and drown herself in the bitter taste of sake. Emotionally, it was draining just as her job at the hospital drained her physical energy.
''Things are never the same without him,'' Ino said with a sigh. ''Even though he was no longer the loud mouth we all used to love and hate, he was still Naruto and his absence is quite noticeable...''
She may not have been a big fan of the blond during those genin days, those younger and foolish days, but she could never deny that he always had a certain touch and charm about him. He was just the type of person you'd look at and feel better for no reason. Regardless of what, he was always their blond friend and more recently, the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi and the only child of the Yondaime Hokage.
The two people who were hit the most by all that was happening around Naruto were Hinata and Sakura. The latter still had a Team 7 fantasies and wished for the team to get back together. Even she knew that was a lost cause - it was never going to happen, not with Sasuke and Naruto the way they are. Hinata's reasons were obvious to anyone, even a blind man. Ino could understand that the girl was hurting since she never got to say those words to him. What a pity.
''And the mood suddenly drops below 0,'' Kiba mumbled silently. Well, it wasn't like there was any lively mood to work with in the first place. Things had never been the same since Naruto returned from his training trip cold. In more ways than one, Kiba preferred the idiot blond who would be making him mad and grumble all the time.
Shikamaru sighed: since everything that has been happening recently, he couldn't blame anyone for being down. It didn't make much more difference to him how Naruto became after he returned, at least he wasn't troublesome. Still, a part of him really did appreciate the troublesome situation the blond brought - his mind would have something to work on.
''I wonder if Naruto will return,'' Ino suddenly said, all eyes turned to her for explanation, except for Shikamaru's who already guessed her reason. Ino wasn't the smartest, but she was quite perceptive of her surrounding: it did offer her a lot of gossip about after all.
''Don't tell me you guys haven't noticed... I mean aside from us, Tsunade-sama and Kakashi-sensei, Naruto has no real connection with anyone in Konoha. To make matters worse, he wasn't making any effort to be connected with anyone. All he was focused on was his work.''
It was all true. Moreover, the blond stayed away from Konoha more often than not. It was not every day that you saw him within the walls of the village. He was always out, doing his work, or missions. If he was in the village, it was either he was with Lee, and Guy, his ''students', home or at the office. He didn't spend much time at any other places than he used to.
Ever since his return, he'd cut off a lonely figure. It shouldn't have been like that. Naruto was the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha's greatest hero, and Hokage. If Minato had been alive, the blond would have been treated like a prince within Konoha, he would have been loved, and he would have grown to be a fine shinobi who thought of nothing but protecting Konoha.
But things didn't turn out that way. Shikamaru had always noted that the villagers hated Naruto's existence. The reasons being now clear to anyone: he was a Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. What was even more baffling was the fact that Naruto didn't even attempt to explain things to them in a simple way so that they couldn't see him as the villagers did.
It was almost like he didn't care what they would make of him with the knowledge that he was a Jinchuriki.
Sakura knew too well what Ino was saying, but she didn't want to believe it, for her own happiness. ''I don't think that alone is enough,'' she said. ''It didn't happen recently, and if he really wanted to leave the village, he would have done so when the villagers could still glare at him without shame.''
Shikamaru nodded in acceptance of Sakura's statement. ''I will have to agree with Sakura on this one,'' he said. It didn't mean that Ino was by any means wrong. No, both she and Sakura were correct. ''The only reason ''fled'' is because they wanted to tie him down. For someone in his position being tied down was out of the question. Regardless of how you look at it, Naruto had no choice in the matter.''
All arrangements for the UN had already been made, and leaders of nations were already waiting in anticipation for the event to begin. Konoha wanted to tie him down, and that meant he wouldn't be able to keep true to his responsibilities. If anything, and Tsunade should've known this - Naruto took all his responsibilities seriously, regardless of how trivial.
If Naruto had allowed Tsunade to put him in a cell, he wouldn't have been able to fulfill his responsibilities as host and founder of the UN. Ultimately, all leaders he had spoken to, wouldn't have been pleased with him. To them, it would seem he was making a mockery out of them.
Shikamaru saw what Tsunade didn't see: the UN was bigger than Konoha. It wasn't just in Naruto's eyes, but everything about the organization spelled it was bigger than Konoha, than any other village or country. He had seen its membership list, and knowing how Naruto had become since his return, it wasn't anything small.
The simple fact was that Naruto chose the UN over Konoha. Yet at the same time, he offered Konoha a hand to follow him if it wishes to be part of the legacy he was building. The blond had already retired his duties as a shinobi of Konoha; officially, he was just a normal civilian. That meant that Tsunade had no authority to order him to do what she wanted. If he refused to follow Tsunade's orders, it wouldn't be insubordination because he wasn't her subordinate to begin with.
''I wonder how things are going on that island though,'' Tenten said, appearing thoughtful.
It was already the second day of the UN's conference, and she was really curious about how things were going there. No word was coming from the island. This only meant that one of the biggest events in the shinobi history was happening unwatched by the eyes of the world.
''We'll know when those sent return,'' Neji said calmly.
''I wonder why Tsunade-sama didn't go though,'' Ino said. ''I mean, Gaara, and the Mizukage are all there, as well as all leaders of other nations.''
''It's possibly for protection and the unresolved issues with Naruto,'' Knowing her temper, she wouldn't have been able to hold it down during the conference. Things tended to become nasty when she turned into one of her emotional outbursts. With the Naruto of late, he wouldn't accept any of that, and that would only fuel the Godaime further.
Shikamaru decided to explain after Neji had spoken. ''Iwagakure and Kumo are not participating in the event. With how things are going in the moment, it would be dangerous for her and Jiraiya-sama to leave the village. A symbol of power has to stay behind to insure that the village doesn't appear vulnerable to attack.''
''What about Suna and Kiri?''
A few moments of silence settled in before Neji responded. ''There could be another reason behind Tsunade-sama's choice,'' he simple said, but chose not to indulge the idea any further than he'd said.
''In any case,'' Shikamaru's tone was a little hurried, as he chose not continue with the current flow as it wouldn't them anywhere good, ''Naruto will return to talk things over once things cool down. When things are calm, the Hokage will be rational...'' he said the last words in a whisper more than anything. His voice picked up again as he continued. ''I can't say the same words about Sasuke though...''
It wasn't a secret that Sasuke has disappeared from the village, and nothing much was known about it. Looking at his track record, the conclusion was one: he may he defected.
''He can go,'' Kiba said casually. ''I don't really care about him and he's more of an ass than anything.''
The predictable glare from Sakura was sent straight at the Inuzuka, who did not cower, but held his head high in defiance.
Naruto's quarters
The more things worked for Naruto, the more he smiled, and the more he had reasons to be happy. The more he was smiling; he returned to his former self. But that could all change in a matter of a second if the situation was calling for a more serious expression. That didn't concern Gaara though: he was just happy that Naruto was smiling again; he was happy that the old Naruto would resurface again. It just needed some time and those around him to offer him a chance of happiness.
It was just him, Naruto and Mei. Konan had been here not so long ago. In fact, she was with Naruto for some time before he and the Mizukage made it here. If the stone face of the former Akatsuki woman was any indication, Gaara could guess that they were discussing some serious matters.
The room they were in wasn't that big, but it was big enough. Once you entered from the entrance, this was the room that greeted you: on the wall on the right side, there was a shelve, sporting a number of scrolls - there were no books. In the center, there was a wooden table surrounded by three couches. On the left side of the room, there was another door, going towards other rooms.
Gaara was sitting on the ''center'' couch, which was faced with the large TV that didn't work since there was no signal around the island. Mei was at the right side and the left was vacated as Naruto had excused himself not too long ago.
His brow furrowed when Naruto returned with a small bottle, possibly sake, and three saucers. Naruto had always stated that he wasn't a fan of drinking, even when celebrating.
Naruto placed the saucers on the table before pouring the sake, ''this is some of the finest sake you'll ever drink. It is from the Hidden Village of the Toads,'' the blond said a bit happily. He then pushed the saucers to each side before taking his seat.
''So your summonses live like us,'' Mei commented as she sipped in the sake. The moment bitter taste touched her insides; she felt small tremors throughout her body. The taste was just intoxicating - it was unlike anything she'd ever tasted before. ''This is really good - much better than the sake from Kumo.'' The village in the Lightning country was known for its finest sakes, and there probably wasn't any land that produced better sake than them.
''I haven't tasted sake from Kumo. In these rare moments, I only drink this sake,'' Naruto said before downing everything inside his saucer before placing it on the table. He didn't look he was going to pour himself another round.
Gaara had even yet to touch his. The Kazekage shook his head trying to kill off some thoughts, but before he could speak, Mei beat him to it.
''You should bring some of this to our date,'' she said smiling.
Gaara's brow quirked at that: he thought there was something going on between Naruto and Miyuki. No, it wasn't just his thought, even Temari thought as much. Given their recent interactions and the fact that Naruto had been staying in her palace over the past days, he could say that indeed something was going on. So if it was so, why a date with Mei?
''I wouldn't want you to be drunk on our date, Mei,'' Naruto said with a small smile. ''It wouldn't do well with my conscious if something happens while you're drunk. I'd think that I took advantage of your state...''
''I'm a big ''girl'', and I've been drinking for too long to get drunk on a good night. Besides, what could the President do to his Chair that she wouldn't like?'' A sly smile found its way on to her blue lips.
''I've hanged around people who can do many things to drunk people, and I've picked some of those habits. I assure, I am quite able to replicate the pattern,'' those people would be none other than ''Anko''. The snake mistress was a lot of things, and she certainly knew how to enjoy herself: drunk or not.
''Well, do bring the sake so I can see this. We won't know if you truly can replicate ''the pattern'' unless we give you the stage, now won't we?''
Before Naruto could respond, Gaara cleared his throat. ''As much as I would like to watch this scene,'' well that was an understatement: he certainly didn't wish to be a part of this kind of train, ''I believe you called us here for a reason, Naruto. If you haven't noticed, your guests are already starting to leave.''
Naruto sighed before adopting a neutral look. ''I wish to inform you that I will establish a special unit which will be called, United Covert Corps, in short UCC. They will answer directly to me and will be responsible for ''covert'' missions as well as keeping an ''eye'' on ''things.'''
A moment of silence passed before Gaara broke it, ''are you thinking of having the UN having its own darkness? While I will admit every village has its own darkness, but we can't run the risk of getting out because it could be disastrous.''
Naruto shook his head. ''If I wanted the dark side, I wouldn't have told you about this,'' he said, ever so simply. ''We're living in a world that is cruel, Gaara. Evil is always lurking, vultures are always parading in the heavens, searching for prey. Children and women are being torment everyday by perverted vermin. You cannot rid of all this without dirtying your hands. I am prepared to dirty my hands. I will however not do anything that will jeopardize our mission.''
''So what is the purpose of the UCC?''
''Like I said; covert missions. Anbu do highly ranked missions away from the public eye. But that doesn't mean that their missions are ''dark'', it only means the way of operation is more much efficient and it attracts little or no attention. The UCC will work on those silent missions, amongst other things. But I assure you, I will not have them do anything corrupted,'' Naruto said. He wasn't forming another ROOT. ''They will work with your Anbus. I wish for your nations to work well together.''
''Will you by any chance request that we send you the troops for this unit?'' Gaara asked.
Naruto shook his head. ''The security forces in this island will be part of the UCC, and Konan has offered me more than enough,'' he said. ''That said, I have another matter I am going to tell you: I will turn Uzu into a village once more.''
''Are you serious?''
''I am quite serious, Mizukage-dono,'' Naruto stated. ''I wanted to preserve the ruins as part of history, or something of sentimental value. But I have discovered that there are many who do not have a place to call home. As such, I will rebuild 2/3 of the island and keep some ruins around.
If I can have more people surrounding these UN buildings, it will make things lively. Even when the next general assembly comes, this place will not be dead silent. There are people who we're going to hire to be UN's staff. They will have to stay within this island for their work. It will be good for them to have other people around.
Should the Fire Lord deny us permission to build the UN's academy in his country, I will build it within this island. This way, it offers us the opportunity to keep our training secret from unwanted eyes. Should the parents of the children wish to be closer to their children, they will be welcome to move into the island.''
Gaara understood well enough: he understood that Naruto would be offering a home to those who didn't have a home. He understood it perfectly. But, ''do you know what this will mean Naruto?''
The blond nodded. ''I will have to remain here and oversee things. Even if it is only a little, the people will need a leader. Naturally, that will cause problems with Konoha, but I am prepared to tackle them,'' he said.
''Easier said than done,'' Mei said. He looked quite serious about the matter, and she could guess that he wasn't going to back down. Well, his reasons made sense and she would support him. ''But if there is anything you need, come to me.''
''Thank you, Mei,'' Naruto said sincerely.
Gaara sighed. He was forced to say those words Shikamaru loved, ''this is going to be troublesome,'' he said. ''But I have nothing against it. You will be offering the world a better service than you'd be staying in Konoha. Your choice is what is expected from the leader of a peace organization.''
''But this will open doors for more threats,'' Naruto sighed. ''This will be where I will need your support the most...'' he suddenly stopped and frowned noticeably.
''Something wrong?''
''No,'' Naruto said. ''I just have some guests,'' he said.
It didn't need a smart person to guess who these guests were. No doubt it was the Konoha group. ''I guess we will take our leave then,'' Gaara said.
''My clones will send you home after you finish packing your things'' Naruto said facing Gaara, he then turned to Mei. ''Expect my presence in the next few days. I will need to settle things here before thinking of other matters.''
Mei nodded. ''Just don't keep me waiting.''
Naruto smiled. ''I won't - that's a promise.''
This is a bit late, the chapter I mean. Not much to say but thanks to ya all who reviewed.
The Omnipresent Sage