Interlude XII: Naruto

"The council is now in session," Ebizō announced, taking his seat along with the rest of the council. Naruto recognized the old man as Chiyo's brother, though he didn't know all that much about him. Naruto hadn't known Chiyo like Sakura had, let alone her brother, so he was an unknown component to him. Naruto did know that Sasori had already defected years ago, so Chiyo herself was no longer part of Sunagakure's council. Naruto wondered if trying to get her on the council once more would benefit him in any way?

"Honorable Senior Ebizō," a man started, drawing their attention to himself. "Before we get into the true reason for this emergency meeting, I would like to bring attention to our two newest members. To my right is Tōjūrō and to my left is Yūra. They have both been nominated and accepted since our last official meeting."

"Welcome, Seniors," the council all sounded off together. Naruto twitched, marginally glad that no one was looking at him when they all spoke in unison. It wouldn't look good for the Kazekage to not welcome new members to the Sunagakure council. Naruto had to force himself not to shift uncomfortably when the attention of the entire council finally shifted to him, their gazes hawk-like as they focused intently on him.

"Kazekage-sama," Ebizō said, the older man watching him intently, "Yashamaru has informed us that you have placed a new seal upon the container?"

Naruto instantly felt anger well inside him, the burning agitation he had always felt towards those who unjustly accuse and judge. His eyes narrowed at Ebizō's specific word choice. "I have indeed placed a new seal on my son ." Several members around him raised an eyebrow at his tone, most looking disbelieving. There were only about three men around him that didn't have some type of negative reaction to his words. Naruto scowled at the rest in response to their expressions, unwavering in his new decision to put the council's ignorance to a halt. He wouldn't let the discrimination Gaara faced continue while he was in charge; the kid didn't deserve it.

"Chiyo-san reports that young Gaara has been sleeping peacefully, showing no sign of releasing the ichibi," a man informed him, his voice strong, yet far calmer than the others'. He had held a neutral expression at Naruto's pointed announcement, so Naruto supposed he was one of the few who weren't going to be dicks about Gaara and his status as a jinchūriki.

"Ryūsa brings good news," a man to Naruto's left mocked. He was older than most of the other attendants, though he was still distinctly younger than the ancient Ebizō. "Yet one incident where the container doesn't kill a loyal shinobi does not mean it is under control." Naruto twitched at his words, openly glaring at the incredibly arrogant man. The man ignored his pointed look, scowling unpleasantly at the man he identified as Ryūsa.

"What your tongue, Jōseki!" a middle-aged man snapped, his dark eyes glaring over at the older looking Jōseki.

"You would defend that monster, Ikanago? Does your obsession with the Kazekage clan know no bounds?" Jōseki shot back, a vicious sneer on his face.

"My son is not a monster," Naruto snapped, glaring at the impudent man. "He is a jinchūriki. His ability to hold Shukaku is a gift and you should be thanking him for it."

There is silence for a moment before the man referred to as Ryūsa asked, "Shukaku?"

"The ichibi's name," Naruto informed him, his glare lessening briefly at the man's genuine question. "While applying the new seal, I had a brief conversation with the bijū."

" That thing can talk? " Jōseki asked, disgust on his face.

"You continue to not watch your tongue," another man chimed in, adding a new voice to the ongoing argument. "Ikanago already gave you a warning."

"Ikanago is not the end all be all authority on this council, Sajō, and neither are you!" Jōseki snapped back, aggression clear as he glared at the younger man.

"You're right, I am ," Ebizō spoke up, swiftly causing the other council members to stop speaking, a hostile silence falling upon the whole group. "We must get back to the task at hand. I will reword my question: You have placed a new seal on Gaara, Kazekage-sama?"

"Yes," Naruto nodded, satisfied that the more obnoxious members had been successfully chastised and silenced. "I have been in contact with a seal master for a few weeks now. I had planned on bringing attention to the new seal at the next meeting, but when Gaara lost control again...I figured applying it now would be better than applying it later."

"Who gave you the seal?" young Yūra asked, finally speaking up for the first time since being introduced.

"I commissioned Jiraiya of Konohagakure for a working seal," Naruto lied, doing his best to keep a straight face at his sensei's name. Naruto had pointedly tried not to think about the man he looked up to, his godfather who is now pointedly not dead .

"You went to Konohagakure for help?" Jōseki asked, incredulous. "After what they've done? They have yet to cease taking missions from the Wind Daimyo even after we've asked them to several times! They continue to ignore the treaty between us and you ask them for help!?"

"I commissioned the only seal master that could make a working seal," Naruto growled back, eyes hard as he glared over at the still arguing Jōseki. Naruto was quickly coming to realize that he really didn't like the argumentative man. "Chiyo, who is our best seal master , made an insufficient seal that was not working. It was negatively impacting both my son and the bijū within him. I saw a problem and, unlike the rest of the council, I fixed it ."

Jōseki huffed at his words, glare still present, but he thankfully chose not to speak up, his arms crossing over his chest in clear disapproval. Yūra and the still silent Tōjūrō both looked slightly sour, like they disagreed with what Naruto was telling them, but as the newest members of the council, they kept their opinions to themselves.

"Getting outside help aside, the seal works? The ichibi is now under Gaara's control?" Ryūsa asked after a long pause, breaking through the tension that was steadily building.

"He's a chakra construct," Naruto informed them, rolling his eyes slightly at their stupidity. "You can't control something like that. What we can do is work towards a partnership."

"Partnership?" Ebizō inquired, asking the question before any of the others could.

"I believe it would be in our best interest to work with Shukaku, rather than control him," Naruto confirmed.

"What in the world for?" the final previously silent man asked, his tone exasperated.

"The working seal isn't the only thing I learned from Jiraiya," Naruto revealed to them, his mind at work. "I have recently been informed that there is a mercenary group known as the Akatsuki, whose mission it is to collect the bijū and use them to further their organization's agenda."

"Collect them?" Ebizō asked, the old man looking slightly alarmed. "What is their agenda?"

"We don't know," Naruto responded, shaking his head. Of course, Naruto was well aware of both the Akatsuki's agenda, and the hidden agenda that Zetsu and Obito were peddling. It would look suspicious, however, if Naruto just started rambling on about the Akatsuki's mission. Especially since, as of yet, no one had really heard of the mercenary group. "For that very reason, I have made a decision that I wish to share with the council."

"What decision have you made, Kazekage-sama?" Tōjūrō spoke up, hesitantly watching Naruto, clearly weary.

"We need to visit every shinobi village that holds a jinchūriki and warn them of the threat we are all facing. After that, I'm going to try and establish a new treaty with each of them."

Silence followed his announcement. Naruto kept his face impassive, unwilling to show how nervous he truly was. Naruto wasn't completely confident that his idea would actually work how he was hoping it would, especially since the raw power of the Akatsuki had not yet been experienced by the villages, but he had to at least try and warn his comrades. He couldn't let Kurama's siblings continue to be unknowingly hunted.

"You've gone mad," Jōseki accused, disbelief showing across his face. "We have no treaties planned. It takes months for even a draft of a treaty to be formed; and you want us to create multiple templates, deliver them to the other villages, and then negotiate terms? This will take decades!"

If Naruto went about seeking peace the usual way, it would take decades. Decades of stuffy politicians sneering at each other over the negotiation table. Decades of uncertainty and suspicion. Naruto hated the very thought of it; he didn't have the patience for decades of ground work. What he needed , he thought, was a foundation . He didn't need an entire tower built in a day, or even a week! He simply needed the material said tower was going to be built on. If he laid out a foundation for the villages, a possibility more than a solid idea, time could be spent on reaching everyone instead of a select few.

"We don't need a complete agreement," Naruto replied, mind racing. "What we need is to meet with each individual Kage, tell them of the Akatsuki, and then offer a drafted alliance before we take our leave. Allow them to look over what we are offering. Let them make the decision whether or not they wish to be involved. It cuts down time. Any who do wish to continue negotiations can get in contact and a negotiator will be put in place to further us along. We can work on multiple treaties at one time that way."

"That's so much work," Ikanago whispered, his face paling slightly at the mountain of work Naruto had just laid at their feet.

Ikanago was right and several other council members were muttering in horrified agreement. The time it would take to set up so many drafts was ridiculous. That was the exact reason why they simply needed rough drafts and not full alliance agreements. A rough draft could be edited dozens, even hundreds of times. They could present the draft along with the danger the Akatsuki present and then they could go on their way, leaving behind a path for the other villages to follow.

"Take our leave?" Ryūsa hesitantly asked, his face already wincing as he realized what Naruto was getting at.

"I will head out with a delegation to convene with each Kage," Naruto answered simply, shrugging at the incredulous looks he received.

"And your children?" Jōseki asked, scorn in his voice. "You seem to be concerned for them; what do you plan on doing with them while you're gone?"

"They'll come with me," Naruto responded, making the decision at that exact moment. It wouldn't be totally safe for them to be traveling with him out of the village, but Naruto couldn't trust anyone enough to leave them in their hands. Yashamaru might pass muster simply because of Gaara's affection for the man, but he didn't hold authority over the council. If Naruto left, Rasa's kids would fall under their jurisdiction. Naruto realized that he couldn't allow that to happen, especially now that he had finally been acquainted with some of the more—worrisome members. The three siblings needed each other. They weren't close, not yet, but Naruto looked forward to seeing them band together as they did in the original future.

"I will agree to this venture on one condition," Ebizō piped up, waiting patiently for Naruto to nod his head in acknowledgment. "Tell me why Sunagakure should take the responsibility of informant?"

"Because one of the shinobi connected with the Akatsuki is Akasuna no Sasori."

That succeeded in shutting everyone up. Ebizō looked rattled, his once calm demeanor shaken at the mention of his great-nephew. From what Sakura had mentioned off-hand, Chiyo had been the heartbroken one when Sasori had turned missing nin. Naruto had just been guessing, but it looked like his guess that Ebizō was not unaffected by the walking puppet man was correct.

"We have a responsibility to capture him and bring him home," Naruto continued, satisfaction rolling through him as the council looked uncomfortable. No one would look straight at Ebizō, too hesitant to see what was showing on his ancient face.

"Agreed," Ebizō eventually grunted, standing abruptly. The other members scrambled to stand with him, all of them looking in different states of weary. Naruto stood at a much more sedate pace, face blank as he met Ebizō's dark gaze. "We will do as our Kazekage bids," was the man's final announcement before he turned and left the room, not wasting any time as he stormed out.

Naruto, knowing when he was ahead, made a quick exit as well. He didn't feel up to discussing anything with the other council members, not when he was mostly flying by the seat of his pants. It was his tried and true strategy, but sometimes even he needed a break to get his head on straight.

Naruto let out a tired sigh once he reached Rasa's office, closing the door with a soft click. He collapsed on the chair behind the desk, leaning his head back to stare at the smooth sandstone ceiling. He had successfully taken a hammer to the past and changed things beyond repair. Gaara would be able to grow up relatively mentally healthy. The sand siblings would be able to grow closer so much sooner, forming a bond strong enough to face anything.

Naruto had also convinced the council to embark on a political campaign that would, if it works , change the way the shinobi nations interacted for generations to come. Coming together to cut the Akatsuki off at the knees would be just what they needed to make sure Zetsu couldn't get his grubby hands on any of the jinchūriki.

Naruto , Kurama's voice grumbled in his mind, the kyūbi's chakra shifting slightly as he struggled to stay awake. I can feel the others.

"The others?" Naruto muttered slightly confused.

Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke are all grouped together , Kurama lowly growled, his voice starting to fade once more as he grew more tired. To the east.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat, excitement racing through his veins even as Kurama shifted into sleep once more. If they were to the east than that meant—

His family could very well be safely tucked away in Konoha.

Naruto let himself softly smile, his worrying finally coming to an end. He hadn't seen them yet, probably wouldn't get to see them for months yet, but he finally knew for sure that his team had followed him into the past. It was with relief that Naruto finally closed his eyes, muscles relaxing as he quietly sat in the quickly darkening office.

Naruto let his thoughts wander for a few moments before he inevitably landed on a topic that he had been avoiding lingering on.

Jiraiya.

It hadn't been that long ago that Naruto had learned of his godfather's death in the original past. Naruto remembered it fairly well, the numbness that had overcome him as soon as he understood what he was being told. He remembered seeing in technicolor one moment and then everything becoming swathed in gray the next. How closed off he had become while he had tried to comprehend what he was being told. How cold he had felt when he realized there were tears tracking down his flushed cheeks. His body knew something awful had happened long before his brain encompassed the full situation.

It was an afterthought to use Jiraiya as an alibi, always knowing in the back of his mind that the man would support him no matter what. It was different now, though, wasn't it? Jiraiya wouldn't just trust what he was told, especially from the man he would rightfully assume was the Kazekage. Naruto couldn't just go up to the man and hug him. He couldn't smile at him and expect affection back.

Jiraiya wouldn't support his claim of helping, though Naruto knew he might just play along if he saw the seal Naruto put on Gaara. The seal wasn't Naruto's specific seal, though there was a certain flare to it that would undoubtedly match the signature style that Jiraiya and all his students boasted. It would grab the Sannin's attention long enough that if Naruto wanted to, he could probably get Jiraiya to listen to whatever he wanted to say.

The problem was, Naruto didn't really think it was a good idea to go anywhere near the Toad Sage.

Naruto missed him. Naruto missed his dumb perverted ways and his ridiculously loud laugh. Naruto missed his kind eyes and somber gaze. Naruto missed him so much it hurt . Naruto missed him, but Jiraiya didn't miss Naruto. The man hadn't yet run into Naruto's younger self, was currently traveling around the nations, most likely trying to find word on the Akatsuki. He wouldn't have a predisposition to feel affection towards Rasa. It didn't matter that Rasa was currently Naruto.

For the first time since he met him, Naruto realized he couldn't count Jiraiya as an ally and it shook him to his very core. Naruto had not had many figures he could rely on; Iruka and his steadfast mother-henning came to mind, as well as the Sandaime's genuine, if a bit standoffish, affection. Naruto had never loved with someone before Jiraiya. Sure, they didn't so much live together as they traveled together and happened to sleep in the same room, but it had felt like home in a way he had never before experienced. The thought that that feeling was being taken away, that he would no longer have that comfort to support him, it was a jarring thought.