A low rumble cut through the silence of the night, startling Asuma out of his sleepy journey towards the kitchen of his home. With a shake of his head, he kept going. He knew who chuckled like it came from the earth itself. He also knew that, even though his home was huge, the softest of sounds would travel among every corner of the Clan State. It never ceased to amaze him how knowledgeable were the generation of Sarutobi ninjas who built the state. Everything they did, was with a purpose in mind.
After pouring himself some tea- and say what you will about his father, but in his home, there was always tea-, he turned his head to the direction he knew his father study was located. ´Honestly' He thought. ´One would think that at his age he would get more sleep, especially now that he´s retired´. However, he knew that sleep was slightly affected by chakra quantity. And there were few beings on Earth who could even dream of matching his father in that department, even at his age. With a sigh, he finished his tea and left for his room. Even though he had inherited many things from his father, a humongous amount of chakra was not one of them. He needed his sleep.
A few rooms away, Hiruzen sat in a merry mood. His mood and his chuckles were both originated from the same thing: he had finally accomplished his lifelong dream of a self-cleaning pipe. Not exactly that though, just a space-time seal that sent the ashes of his pipe to a container in his room, if he was within a kilometer of it. An impressive feat, even for seal-masters which weren´t many in the world, just a select few which didn't include him. It also had the drawback of needing considerable amount of chakra to activate. ´But then again, if I have something to spare it would be chakra´ he thought. Now that his official occupation was advisor to the Hokage, he found himself with a lot of free time, which he devoted to another of his life-long dreams: Write a book on chakra theory. The cherry of the cake that was a ninja life of being called the professor.
Lost in his thoughts and rust in his abilities, he didn´t notice the malicious chakra that suddenly appeared in the village, until it made itself known, with a deafening roar. He had barely stood from his chair when the members of Team Iota, one of the ANBU teams tasked with protecting him at all times were all positioned defensively around him.
"Your priority will be support" Hiruzen told the masked ninjas, at the same time he was unsealing from his wrist his battle tools, "I will be taking front of the defensive for the time being. I fear Minato is the only one in the world capable of bringing it down. Ookami, coordinate with the Police the evacuation, so that they take the farthest routes they can. Good luck everyone."
Barely had his subordinates the time to nod, before the five of them disappeared, each in a swirl of leaves.
They appeared a few hundred meters in front of the beast, closer than they wanted but farther than they needed. A member of the squad behind him, one with a mask resembling a wolf, turned around and ran towards a snarling, brown haired man with a green vest and a white sash, proudly embroidered with a red and white fan.
The Fox turned towards his direction, as if sensing the threat, he was. A few hand seals later, a white haired, muscular Gorilla was standing beside him. It only widened his eyes before turning into a black and gold staff, one that Hiruzen knew was almost indestructible.
The Fox opened his mouth, his nine tails destroying everything around him while it accumulated chakra in the form of a giant, purple ball. Hiruzen could see his fellow ninjas, doing everything in their power to distract the beast, but ultimately achieving nothing. Mere flies, barely managing to annoy their target. A few seconds later no more chakra joined the massive sphere, and Hiruzen took a step forward. He had only heard about the attack the tailed beast was about to launch, and he was racking his brain for a countermeasure, until the fox´s head changed directions, towards the sculpted faces of the village leaders.
It shot the chakra ball high in the air, towards the head of the Fourth Hokage, when a huge Kanji appeared midair, stopping it for a second before swallowing the ball. It disappeared, before a second later a huge explosion coming from the mountains far behind the village was felt.
"A Space-Time Fuinjutsu. Was it Minato?" A strong voice said beside him, and Hiruzen found Shikaku Nara, the current Jōnin commander at his side.
"He´s the only one than can". Said with just a touch of bitterness the voice of the newly arrived ANBU Commander, Hebi. Hiruzen knew that his former pupil was jealous of the natural talent of Minato, which greatly surpassed his own. A response died in his throat, however, when the newly formed group had to jump to avoid being crushed by a huge paw.
"Still, I don´t see him anywhere" Said an airborne Hebi with a casual voice, with just a touch of glee. Hiruzen suppressed his annoyance, arrogance was something he allowed his star student if only because of his prodigious strength. Still, he was right. Minato was nowhere near close. With a start, he found a snake coiled around him and he let himself be pulled by Hebi, narrowly avoiding a gigantic claw. Hiruzen shook his head, he had been distracted ever since the start of the night. If Minato wasn´t near, he was doing something of greater importance, then it fell to him the job of leading the forces against the Nine Tailed Fox. Although, his mind did shudder at the thought of something more threatening to the village than the Kyūbi.
As soon as Hiruzen landed he placed a palm on the ground, which started to rise until he was standing in a square column taller than any building of the village. Sending a considerable amount of chakra to his feet for support, he sent chakra to his staff, which began to enlarge.
"I was beginning to think you had fallen asleep on me, Hiruzen". Said a voice in his mind. Leave it to his personal summon, Enma, to provide joyful commentary in every situation.
With a huge boom, the staff crashed against the chest of the beast, and to the amazement of everyone, started pushing the Kyūbi backwards.
"As soon as he is out of the village, attack him! Don´t give an inch before giving all your blood!" The voice of the Third Hokage resonated all over the village, lending strength to everyone to continue the fight. When the Fox was a kilometer outside the village, hundreds of Shinobi swarmed him in an attempt of defeating him. A thousand justu from all the elements crashed against the fox, but none of them made anything other than enrage him more. He knew that without the means to control him, the only option left was to seal him. He turned towards an ANBU to his right, who disappeared after a brief order from his former leader.
Sudden "Sandaime-sama!" cries alerted him, and when he turned towards the Kyūbi he saw he was intending to do a Bijuudama again. He took a step forward, gathering his chakra in what would certainly be a desperate attempt to protect his home. The ones near him couldn´t help but take a step backwards, the density and quantity of his chakra inhuman. But as the Kyūbi got ready to launch it, a sudden weight threw him down. A giant toad had appeared above the Fox, and on his head, the Fourth Hokage stood.
"Yondaime-sama!" cried everyone, notoriously relief on their voices. Minato was, after all, the strongest ninja in the village, even stronger that their legendary Sannin or the Sandaime, the pride of the leaf. Every shinobi had faith in his abilities. ´He looks troubled´, Hiruzen noticed, and his successor started gathering a huge among of chakra, almost as much as his full quantity. And just before the Kyūbi threw its attack, it disappeared in a flash, along with Minato.
"Hiraishin" Hiruzen whispered reverently, to no one in particular. It still took his breath away to watch the jutsu created by his sensei, perfected by his student. To his side, Shikaku was opening his mouth, about to voice the question everyone had in mind, when they were answered by a huge ball of light appearing on the left of the village, a few miles away.
Hiruzen took the ANBU members who were close by, and ran towards the direction of the explosion. He just hoped they would be fast enough.
Line break
Minato, the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, flashed directly to his Hokage head in the Hokage wall. He was breathing hard, still recovering from the fast paced fight he had just won.
He saw the Kyūbi getting ready to launch an attack again, the attack in which his own Rasengan was based on. He felt his mentor gather his Chakra, his sensor abilities making him feel how dense it was. A smile began to form, only to fade away quickly. The current Hokage knew it wouldn´t be enough to stop the attack.
Acting quickly, he summoned Gamabunta, toad leader and boss summon, right above the Kyūbi. Taking a breath, he remembered the words of the masked ninja. He had been strong, the strongest rival he had ever had, with a space-time technique far superior to his own and a Sharingan strong enough to enslave the strongest being on Earth. Minato had no doubt he would make everything in his power to get hold on the Kyuubi. Making his mind, he accumulated the amount of chakra he needed, and then flashed away, alongside the Kyūbi.
Both appeared in a clearing, on the outskirts of Konoha. A second later, Minato disappeared again in a yellow flash, only to come back in another one, with his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, and his newborn, Naruto Namikaze in his arms. He quickly summoned a sealing altar, where he put Naruto. Although exhausted, the Fourth Hokage made a one-hand seal and in a puff of smoke, four identical clones where beside him. They scattered through the clearing, only for a red, square barrier to erect around the nine tails.
Kushina painfully raised her head to see directly into Minato's eyes. She had the Kyuubi extracted not even an hour ago, and it is known that a Jinchuriki dies when their Bijū is extracted. She was only alive due to her heritage, the strong life force within everyone of Uzumaki blood. Her eyes asked Minato the questions she couldn't, of what did he intended to do and why was their son in a dangerously place like that, after having saved him from his first life-or-death situation not even an hour ago.
"That enemy is the strongest ninja I've ever fought, Kushina. If he gets hold of the Kyūbi again it will be dangerous, to the village and the world. I'm going to do the Shiki Fūjin and seal half of the Kyuubi with me. Then I'll seal the remaining into you, as you will die soon if I do not. Hopefully, with the Kyūbi influence reduced, you will be able to harness its chakra. That's the only way to defeat that masked ninja. And Naruto is here because...I wanted to say goodbye. Don't worry, I used some clones to trap the Kyūbi using the Shisekiojin, but they won't hold for long. I'll just say goodbye and fulfill my plan. First, Naruto." And with that, Minato held his newborn. Just looking at him made him want to cry, he looked just like him, with hair similar in form but the color of Kushina. He has some whiskers, due to the Kyūbi's influence in Kushina, but that just made him more precious to Minato. He was his son, and if he had to give his life in order to protect him and give him and everybody a chance of surviving against the masked man, it wasn't even a choice. As he was opening his mouth to say his last words to him, two words stopped him cold, and made a feeling of panic rise through his chest.
"Shiki Fūjin" Kushina said, with more determination that Minato had ever heard from her. She knew Minato's plan was doomed to fail, since she would be dead by the hour, Kyūbi sealed back inside her or not, leaving Naruto an orphan. So, she "improved" it a bit. She was sad to leave the man he loved and the offspring of that love behind but, it was that love the reason she was doing it. Minato had turned her life from miserable to extremely joyous. She had turned her from the hated, ridiculed outsider into the respected, loved wife of the Hokage. He had helped her became who she was and achieve her full potential, both as a Kunoichi and as a person. She had been loved by him, and for that she was extremely grateful. He had made her love the hair she had and which she had thoroughly hated. She couldn't have had a better life even in her dreams. And she would honor that, even with her life. Just when she felt that she had half of Kyūbi's chakra, she sealed into her. "Fūin". As soon as she said that, Minato was on her side, holding her gently with a panicked expression on his face.
"Why Kushina? Why the Shiki Fūjin?!" Minato, half screamed, half cried. The normally cool headed Hokage was hysterical. Tears were starting to drop from his eyes as, his mind had finally caught up of what was happening.
"I would have died anyway, Minato. And this way Naruto won't become an orphan" Kushina said, trying for a smile but realizing afterwards that in was extremely painful. Tears started dropping from her eyes as well, both at what was happening and what would happen.
"He will still become an orphan... sealing the Kyūbi in me will kill me."
"You won't seal the Kyubi in yourself, Minato. Really, for all your intellect you can be quite slow sometimes". She tried for a smile, but could only grimace. "You'll seal it in Naruto. Oh, come on, don't give me that look." Kushina said tenderly, as Minato was about to protest. "His last name may be Namikaze but you know he's an Uzumaki, like me. Just look at his hair. He can handle the Kyūbi. And one day, he will harness its power. Remember Jiraiya sensei's prophecy. I think the masked man will someday bring destruction to this world, and our son will be the only one capable of saving us. Now, my time is almost up, and I would like to see my son for the last time." Minato was still shocked about Kushina's actions. She had been, for once, the fastest of the two of them.
As time went by in a heartfelt goodbye, neither of them noticed Minato's Kage Bunshin disappearing. He acted on a split of second as one of the Kyūbi's claws tried to kill Naruto, having figured Kushina's plan. Minato jumped in front of it to stop it, forcing as much chakra as he could to his feet and barely managed to stop the paw in time. Kushina then used her famously chakra-chains to subdue the Kyūbi one last time, and as she felt her time coming, she urged Minato to whisper two words, at the time she put Naruto down in the sealing altar again.
"Hakke Fūin" barely above a whisper, but it still worked. A bright light appeared in the clearing for a few seconds, before it went out. The spiraling symbol could be seen immediately on Naruto's belly, signaling a tough life for him from now on. Kushina then said her goodbyes to Minato and Naruto, feeling even more chakra drained than she should have. Then, after a minute or two, Kushina Uzumaki died in the arms of the Fourth Hokage.
Minato wanted to cry, but found out he couldn't. He was extremely weak, with a huge hole on his chest, and on the brink of death himself. "Seems like I will be joining you too soon, Kushina. I'm sorry."And with that he closed his eyes, accepting darkness to take him over.
Line break
Hiruzen knew by his first look at the clearing, that it had been too late. The Kyūbi was gone, but there were two bloodied bodies on the ground, a red-haired one and a blond. There was also a red-haired baby in a sealing altar. Hiruzen checked Kushina's pulse, which he never found. Despair filled his chest, only to reduce a little when one of the ANBU he took reported that Yondaime was in a very bad form, but still alive. Relief etched in Hiruzen's face, but it was short lived as he looked at his successor. Minato had a massive hole in his chest, result of jumping in front of the nine tails' last attempt to remain free. As they were about to pick him up to take him to the hospital, he woke up. Minato knew he was really close to dying, so he wanted to make sure the Third knew some things before he passed away.
"Sandaime...this attack was the doing of a masked man. He called himself Madara Uchiha. He has a powerful Sharingan, one which he used to enslave the beast. He is cunning and powerful and... Will do anything in his power to control the world. I believe this is part of the prophecy...Jiraiya-sensei received, and I also believe my son is the prophecy child, and Kushina believed so as well." With this, Minato took a pause to look at his child, his own son. Naruto was sleeping so quiet, so peaceful. The image filled Minato with despair, but also hope of what was about to come. He, as Kushina, had decided to trust this little baby. He was their son, after all.
"His name is Naruto" He continued, looking at Hiruzen's eyes again. As blue met brown, the eyes of Konoha's war hero began to water. "Kushina and I... we picked the name from one of Jiraiya-sensei's novels. Not the erotic ones, though". Minato said as he tried for a laugh, but it came out as a cough more than anything. His time left in the world of living was almost up. "Please, Hiruzen. Take care of him. Make sure he is alright. Train him." With each word, Minato's voice was close to break, as tears were now openly falling in his face. He knew he would see his son again, he did make sure of it, but it would be a long time from now.
"Tell him we're sorry of what he will have to endure. Tell him we're sorry... for not being able to see him grow, or to be there for him. Tell him we're so sorry of not being able to give him our love, and please don't let him forget that we love him, with all our heart." With each word, Minato's voice lost strength, and his eyes lost shine. His body lost grip and when he finished his speech Hiruzen knew that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had just given their lives to protect Konoha.
He then took his attention towards the now, crying baby. It was as if he could sense that both of his parents were gone now. A seal could be seen in his belly. ´Gods Minato, you sealed the Kyūbi in Naruto? What were you thinking? ´ Hiruzen wondered, as he knew Minato loved his son infinitely and wouldn't put such a burden on him unless it was extremely necessary.
A minute later, a three-man squad appeared out of thin air right a few meters away from him, right beside a three pronged kunai, holding hands. Hiruzen recognized Genma Shiranui and his teammates, the Yondaime special guard. Even though they were supposed to be in lock down with the other shinobi around their age, He knew they admired Minato too much as to not do anything in the battle against the Kyūbi. They had a shocked looked on his faces, their eyes filled with guilt. Hiruzen felt the same guilt, too, as he had been the one to told them that his personal ANBU would take care of everything concerning security, so they didn't need to be in the birth. That thought intrigued Hiruzen, 'What happened with Biwako and the others?'
"Genma, take your team to the place where Kushina was supposed to give birth. Minato mentioned an enemy and we have to find out what happened there." Hiruzen said, addressing them. With a nod, Genma and his teammates went there, using the shunshin jutsu. He was a little worried, but these were some of the best shinobi in their generation. Genma was a talented shinobi, even more so than his own son, and not that far in strength from Kakashi Hatake, currently the youngest ANBU captain in history and the most talented shinobi of his generation.
'Kakashi...' Hiruzen train of thought went to the white-haired ninja. He had lost his father, his teammates, and now his sensei. He would have to force him to undergo another psychological evaluation after all this was done with.
As he took a last look on the corpses, he silently prayed to whoever was listening, so that they would be together again in the afterlife.
Line break (October 11)
The sky was dark as rain poured down. 'Fitting weather for a funeral, I suppose.' A young, white-haired ANBU captain thought. His face was stoic as he was getting awfully close with funerals, more so, if he was close to the person. He even had the theory that being close to him was the cause of their deaths, one way or another. A curse perhaps.
He looked behind him, noticing that the whole village was there, even the civilians. Understandable, though, as they were burying the most loved man in the village since the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, along with a hundred of ninjas and unfortunately, a handful of shinobi. As the Sandaime said his speech about bravery of ninjas, and sacrifices never to be forgotten, Kakashi could only think in the newborn baby his sensei had. He had yet to see him, but he heard from Genma that the kid had whiskers and red hair, although he believed the baby would be the splitting image of Minato. 'Minato sensei...'. Kakashi was angry with the village, and more importantly, angry with the man giving the speech. If he had allowed Kakashi to support the birth efforts... or allowed him to help in the fight against the Kyūbi...no, it wouldn't had mattered. Kakashi was a good ninja, one of the best, but against a Bijū or someone who killed eight ANBU and then managed to steal the Kyūbi from his sensei, and giving him a challenging enough fight to ignore a rampaging Kyūbi in the village, he had no chance. Not even the Yondaime Raikage teamed up with his brother, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had given his sensei so much trouble. He let out a sigh, he would have to move on. He would endure. He always did.
A few hours after the funeral, all the Jōnin in the village were in the same chamber together, called by Sandaime Hokage and his advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. There was also an old man, with bandages in his head and his right arm. He was Danzō Shimura, one of the political enemies of the Sandaime and the Yondaime. The Fourth Hokage had just died, but the Fifth had to be chosen fast. The third great ninja war had ended a few years back, but the sour feelings among villages remained, and not choosing a Hokage would be like an open invitation for the other villages to attack. And if there was something other villages wanted with Konoha, was to destroy it.
"Why don't we choose someone of the generation below Minato?" Shikaku Nara proposed. He attended the council meetings both as Head Jōnin and Head of the Nara clan. He was labeled as the best strategist in Konoha, as well as its brightest mind.
"While we have fine Jōnin in those generations...they are still too young. I would prefer someone with more maturity... one of the Sannin perhaps?" Koharu Utatane said. She was close to the Hokage and knew the Sannin were now the strongest shinobi in Konoha, perhaps only behind the Sandaime himself. And only a couple of them.
"That won't do. Orochimaru isn't fit to lead a village, Tsunade still grieves his lost lover and brother even after all this years. Jiraiya is the only one capable for the job right now, but he has already turned down the position before. And now that his apprentice has died, I don't think he will be coming back to the village anytime soon."Hiruzen said, with a sigh. He too would like for one of his students to take the position. The one he had trained the least, actually.
"What about Fugaku Uchiha?" A blond man, Inoicihi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan said. "He was also feared in the war. Not as much as Minato, but well, even you Sandaime-sama weren't feared as much. I think he would be a great Hokage." Inoicihi concluded, earning a surprised look from said Fugaku Uchiha, Head of the Uchiha clan and Head of the Konoha Military Police department. Things had been tense between the village and the Uchiha clan, so he was surprised his name would even come out. Hiruzen also thought he would be a great Hokage, but neither his advisors nor Danzō would allow it. And their opinions carried a lot of weight with the Daimyō. But if he could manage to mend the rift between the Uchiha and Konoha...
"No." Hiruzen said calmly, standing up. "Desperate times calls desperate solutions. I'll be returning as the Hokage. We need continuity right now and I'm the best one to have that. Are there any objections?" No one dared to say anything. Most of them because they too thought it was the best course of actions, but the few who didn't think that were too afraid of the Sandaime Hokage to say anything. "Good. Then I'll be assuming office right now. Meeting adjourned." And with that, everybody except his advisors left.
"Are you sure about this, Hiruzen?" Koharu asked him. She knew, as well as Homura, that their old teammate was already tired of leading. Surprisingly, he smiled in return.
"I'll be fine. It's just for a few years until I find a good, strong successor. Now let us get to work, advisors, as we have much to do."
Line break
"You asked for my presence, Hokage-sama?" A brown-haired man said. The head of the Uchiha clan had arrived as soon as he could, but now, he was wondering about what the Hokage would want to talk to him.
"Ah, Fugaku. Yes, yes. Please, take a sit. First, how have you and your family been? I know your wife was really close to Kushina, and that you and Minato were good friends. How is it going?"
"Well, Hokage-sama"Fugaku seemed reluctant to answer, but answered none less. "We're better now. Mikoto had been coming to terms about Kushina, as well as I have about Minato. She even visited Naruto in the hospital. By the way, what are you going to do to him? Mikoto asked me to offer you about bringing him to our house and raise him, clan be damned, but I know how delicate the situation is with him." Fugaku ended.
"I appreciate the offer. Unfortunately, word about the Kyūbi being sealed in Naruto has already leaked. And as you know, many people are suspicious of the Uchiha clan, since your Sharingan could control a Bijū. If you take Naruto to your house, it will seem suspicious and give all these people more reasons to be suspicious, and you know how delicate your position is now". Hiruzen said sternly. He too wished for Naruto's welfare, he even wished he could take him to his own home, but that couldn't happen. "But that's exactly what I want to talk about with you. I'm not going to lie; I too think you would be a fine Hokage. In fact, I would have supported you, if I wasn't sure you would fail. But right now, you would be voted against by my advisors, as well as Danzō. But, if we could manage to restore the trust in the Uchiha clan, and get Koharu and Homura to support you, you could have a chance. It's going to be difficult, but right now you are the most capable one of leading the village. A great mind you have, as well as great power. Are you willing to take the chance? I know for a fact that Minato would be pleased to have you as Hokage".
Fugaku took a deep breath, and then another. That would certainly be a cause to get the Uchiha to work with the village, and his clansmen would try to make an effort, if only to see the head of the clan as Hokage. It could finally mend the rift between the Uchiha and the village.
"I'm in, Hokage-sama."
"Good, we will discuss this further. For now, start trying to get your clan to have better attitude towards the village. I'll do arrangements to change your clan compound closer to the village, as it was destroyed by the Kyūbi. You can go now." Hiruzen pondered about telling him about the masked man, something only he and a handful of ANBU knew, but he opted against it. He had classified it as an S-ranked secret for a reason. He would try to investigate things on his own and tell everyone when he had solid leads, especially the Uchiha clan. There was no need to worry them about a rogue Uchiha, or a stolen Sharingan yet.
Fugaku stood and walked towards the door. As his hand grabbed the handle, he turned, and looked at the Third Hokage. "What are you going to do to protect him? You know what the villager's reaction towards him will be".
Hiruzen sighed. He too had been thinking about this. "I'll change his last name to Uzumaki, at least for the time being. That should throw off his father enemies outside the village. As for inside of the village... I'll make a law regarding him. It will be prohibited, under death sentence, to talk about his parents or the Kyuubi. He will be left in the dark until he can take care of himself. Not many knew about him, and most of them are trusted. I´m wary of Danzō trying to make a move for him, but I will be watching him strictly. One of the things I always chastised Minato was the enormous liberty he gave him".
Fugaku nodded, remembering how Minato was one of the few who actually trusted Danzō. "I know my Shishou" The blond would say. "He is a true son of Konohagakure". The Sandaime plan was rough on Naruto, with not knowing his parents identity or having his inheritance, but if he was anything like his old man, he could take it Fugaku thought fondly. Although it would do nothing about the villager's mistreatment he would most certainly suffer, but there was no way to control that. They just had to hope Naruto would be strong enough to overcome it.
Fugaku nodded to his leader, and turned. "One more thing" He said, standing in the doorway. "I know about the enemy controlling the Kyūbi".
As second after the Uchiha said that, four sharp looking Kunai were located dangerously near his throat.
"Who else knows?" replied Hiruzen while sending his chakra towards the various seals in the room, ensuring no one could possibly spy on them.
"Only myself, Hokage-sama". Fugaku answered, his voice a touch colder than before. With a nod from their leader, the four ANBU members went back to their positions, hidden in the room.
"How did you figure it out?" Hiruzen asked, astonished. Without Minato´s intel he never would have known. Fugaku just turned around slowly, raising his head. His Sharingan, which had activated the moment the ANBU members surrounded him, started spinning. Hiruzen watched astonished as the three tomoe slowly fused into a three-pronged, circular patterned shuriken like design.
"I tried to influence the mind of the Kyūbi, in order to stop its attack… only to find myself thrown back. To have a mind control so strong over it… I can only think of a superior Dōjutsu, which could only mean the Rinnegan, or perhaps even a new one. A stronger Sharingan than mine could also withstand me, but currently there´s no one with the Mangenkyō Sharingan, other than me and my nephew Shisui. And I´m still stronger than him, although not for much longer. So…"
Hiruzen remained stoic, watching his subordinate with narrowed eyes. After a few seconds, his expression turned into one of concern, and letting out a sigh he answered. "Minato mentioned, before he died, fighting a masked enemy….one who possessed the Sharingan. He also mentioned he was extremely strong". Both men contemplated the words of the Hokage in silence, until Hiruzen addressed the Uchiha clan head again. "Having you knowing the truth will facilitate things. I want you to discreetly investigate until you discover the identity of this enemy. Take how much time you need, undoubtedly, he will be laying low for the time being. Once you have found him, come to me and report. And after that we will make him pay for his crimes".
"I won´t fail Minato nor the village, Hokage-Sama". And with that, the two men considered the strongest in their clans begun planning the covert mission of one of them.
A few hours after Fugaku had left, Hiruzen turned to one of his ANBU guards. "Bring me Genma Shiranui, Raidō Namiashi, Iwashi Tatami and Kakashi Hatake." ´And perhaps I can bring him into the investigation. He would be nothing but an asset´. The battle-hardened ninja thought. He was intent of discovering the identity of the mysterious attacker, revenge for his wife driving him.
A few minutes later, a knock on the door was heard. "Come in" Hiruzen said, figuring it would be the people he asked for. His intuition was correct as he saw the faces of Genma with his custom senbon in his mouth, Raidō, Iwashi and Kakashi.
"You wanted to see us, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked after a long silence, having a feeling about what the meeting would be. He discreetly glances towards Genma, watching his face scrunched up in a frown, an uncharacteristically expression for him.
"Ah, yes. I have something to tell you all. As you know, Minato had a lot of enemies. If word leaks out, about Naruto being his son, he would be in danger. That's why we have decided to change his last name to Uzumaki, like Kushina. His red hair will be a support for that. That way, it's less probable for enemies to discover who he is. Still, some in the village knew Minato's wife, so we will have to make sure there are no leads from Minato to Naruto. That's why...that's why I forbid you to have any contact with the child, until I let you so. I know several people will undoubtedly make the connection, but I´ll try to reduce it as most as I can. And if people see the favorited students of the Fourth Hokage, the ones he considered family, rumors would spread. It´s for the best".
Silence permeated the air. Raidō and Iwashi had a neutral facial expression, like they didn't really care. Kakashi had almost a relief look, like he was most certainly looking for an excuse to avoid contact with his sensei's son. But as for Genma...
"What? Are you nuts?" Genma said towards the Hokage, his words harsh and rude, his chakra spiking despite his clear effort in keeping it under control. "He has no family left. No one to take care. The Uzumaki clan stands no more and he has no close relatives. And you think of cutting us from him? We´re the only family he has left! He will be all alone!" The Tokubetsu Jōnin ranted, nearly screaming at his Hokage at the end. It was clear for the Hokage that Genma wouldn't accept this so easily.
"Silence! Remember your station" Hiruzen replied harshly, his chakra spiking too and dwarfing the other chakras in the room.
"Genma, you have to understand...we can't let anyone figure out his origins. He would be in danger! Surely you wouldn't want that?" The Hokage said, his tone soft. Manipulation was one of Hiruzen´s areas of expertise, and if he could use that to his advantage he would.
"So what? You'll just leave him on his own? How will he learn the things supposed to be learned at home? Or better yet, how will he fare against the villagers reject he will surely face? If he's all alone!"Genma replied heatedly, although in a more subdued tone. It was clear that Hiruzen´s attempt to touch Genma's heart was working. The Third Hokage knew that Genma would feel a debt towards Naruto, due to his father´s actions towards Genma, and that above all he would seek to protect him.
"Genma... I know Minato's family took you in when you were left all alone, as well. And that he taught you many things. But you must understand, you will only put the child in danger."
"Yeah, because God's forbid the villagers found out he was the son of the man they all loved and treated him like royalty, instead of how they will treat him like garbage for being a Jinchuriki. You know we could protect him of all foreign dangers, and he would have no intern dangers. At least, no more than he already has, as I am sure Danzō and Orochimaru already know about him." Genma replied. He turned towards his teammates, asking for their support, but he was met with stoic faces and the shaking of several heads. In that moment his chakra spiked even further, starting to become visible to everyone in the room. "You don't really care" he accused them angrily, his voice laced with disgust. And when none of them replied he spat at the ground in their feet.
"It will be as you say, Hiruzen, for the time being. But you won't keep me away from him forever. He is my family". And with that, Genma disappeared with a loud crack, and overpowered shunshin leaving a slight trail of destruction.
The Hokage sighed, he had never seen Genma so pissed. He should have expected it, though. Genma loved Minato like an older brother. "If no one has anything to say, you are dismissed. Except Kakashi". Hiruzen waited for the other two shinobi to leave, before he turned to Kakashi, who was looking him with an expecting expression. He raised an eyebrow at the ANBU, who clearly was uncomfortable.
"Genma was…quite vocal. You were silent. I expected it from the other two, but not from you. Why? Don't you want to know Naruto too? Be a part of his life?" Hiruzen asked softly. He knew Naruto would be a sore spot for Kakashi, having been the ANBU commissioned to watch over Kushina throughout her pregnancy, but also a reminder of his latest loss. The White-haired shinobi just shrugged awkwardly.
"Sensei would understand if I wanted to keep my distance from him". Hiruzen just nodded, although he had a feeling that Minato wouldn't understand. You didn't keep your distance from family, after all. And family was something his successor, now predecessor appreciated almost reverently. Seeing Kakashi watching him expectantly, the Sandaime Hokage just sighed.
"You served Minato as an ANBU directly under command of the Hokage. Will you serve me as well? Minato intended for you to become his right hand in the ANBU. Now I ask you to become my right hand".
"Yes, Hokage-sama". Kakashi answered, almost immediately, his face devoid of emotion. Hiruzen frowned on the inside, but on the outside just nodded. He knew that all shinobi had struggles, and Kakashi, although one of his favorite subordinates, was nothing but struggles. Í will have to send him to Inoichi one of these days´ he thought.
"Very well. Dismissed." Hiruzen said, and Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving a tired man in a desk. ´Forgive me Minato´.
A little sooner than expected, but don´t you dare to expect updates earlier than mondays. I´m having a lot of fun rewriting this, and I do hope you have fun reading. Review please!
I don´t know why but FF changed into Italic a lot of my Chapter when I uploaded the draft, and I noticed until this morning. Italic writing is something I will reduce a lot in comparison to the original story, so I had to change that.