Chapter 12: The Aftermath
Outskirts of Konoha, 1st November
"Where the hell are Otogakure's shinobi?" Satetsu, the commanding Jōnin of the invading forces, asked. He was a bald man, with a neatly trimmed beard on his strong jaw, that was the only hair on his head. The rest was clean as the summer sun in the Land of Wind.
They were standing among the greenery of the Land of Fire. The endless trees protected them from being seen too soon. But that won't be of much use if they were not joined by their collaborators in this operation.
"Our scouts haven't spotted any of them." Otokaze said to him, coming from behind. A man with wild, and spiky dark brown hair. He was the second-in-command of the Suna forces in this invasion.
Satetsu turned his head to the other side and spat on the ground, his muscular face turning into an angry snarl. "Useless idiots." He spoke lowly, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "I knew we should not have ally ourselves with them. This whole operation is a disaster."
He was against this involvement with Orochimaru, but he did not object his displeasure to the Kazekage. It is for the greater good after all... Satetsu tried to convince himself.
Kazekage's role is to lead the village. Mine is to obey my Kage.
His biggest concern was the lack of communication they had with Otogakure in the past few weeks. Only occasional message arrived, when they should strike, and the easiest and fastest route to the village from where they should attack.
"It is too hard to cross the rival nations to deliver a message. And the messenger bird could be easily shot down." Their Kazekage reasoned. While on a few occasions some white-haired man stood behind him. His emotionless, cold, and evil eyes were something that he would never forget. One of Orochimaru's henchmen.
Satetsu did not believe for a second that it was too hard for Orochimaru to deliver a message, but he mused that Kazekage was just too cautious of being discovered by any Konoha sympathizers or spies in the village. We have never discovered a single one...
And they were too cautious to prepare the men that would participate in the invasion. Months of planning were spent on that, and only a single minute could bring all that to ruin if they were discovered.
"What are we to do now?" Otokaze asked him, uncertainty was written all over his face.
Satetsu did not answer him immediately but only looked behind them towards their men who were kneeling among the trees, concealing their position.
Gritting his teeth in anger, Satetsu answered. "We'll proceed as we planned. Hopefully, Orochimaru's forces will join us soon..."
"And if not?" Otokaze continued in a low sound. Worry was written all over his face.
"You plan to abandon Kazekage-sama now, are you?" Satetsu questioned him, but with no ill intention. Luckily, his friend did not take the offense. "Let's just wait for ten more minutes, then we'll begin the summoning. At least Orochimaru gave us that." A summoning formula for one of his giant snakes...
His friend nodded, turning towards their men and motioning for a summoning team to prepare. "I hope Gaara doesn't screw this up, somehow."
"Yeah... You never know with that kid..." He said in a distant tone, turning his gaze towards the distant walls of Konoha. They're pretty tall... But, those snakes should do their work... They were positioned far enough from the walls, where there were no patrols. Though, hose high walls could still be seen very well by his men.
Satetsu originally thought that they would simply go behind the hills. But Kazekage said that Konoha had even stronger defenses behind. With endless traps, and even more patrols that could foil their assault. Iwa learned that lesson the hard way when they thought to attack the Leaf in the Second War.
Orochimaru was apparently, very suggestive when he said that attacking the walls directly was the best path to Konoha's destruction. By killing everyone in our path. Women, children, elderly. No matter the age. All had to die.
The notion itself made a disgusting feeling to appear in his mouth. But he tried to convince himself that Konoha asked for it when they took the part in crippling Suna's military budget and economy.
"The morale of the men is not particularly high..." Otokaze commented with a frown.
"Not surprising." He replied. "When eight old geezers killed nearly fifty of our men, I'd be surprised if moral was at the top."
On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, Suna forces clashed with two Konoha teams and the long miles of their traps. Though they managed to bypass most of them, he lost at least fifty of his men in subsequent skirmishes and the traps they did not avoid.
His rage only increased when he saw it was a bunch of old bones with one leg in their graves already, that were responsible for the deaths of his men. Konoha must have placed them there because they thought that no serious invasion would pass from that direction. How wrong they were... Suna did the same for patrols on their south and west. But not in the east and the north.
"Still..." Otokaze sounded unsure.
"Don't fret about it, my friend." Satetsu said to him, patting him on the shoulder. "Once the battle starts, no fear will be present. There won't be a place for one."
His friend smirked at him. "As you say."
Minutes quickly passed, and Satetsu gave a signal to the summoning team to begin their ritual.
As they settled into their position, Satetsu ranted once again. "That useless Orochimaru..."
"Seems we'll have to start without them."
"If only we brought more men." They were still left with at least one thousand and half men. Nearly a third of Suna's total forces. They planned to rely on Gaara and Otogakure's ninjas to finish off the Leaf for good."Hopefully, Gaara will create enough chaos for us to finish the job."
"And if not..." He had to be pessimistic at this moment.
"Then we'll have to rely on our superior fighting skills to beat the Leaf." The bald commander said with a smirk, trying to lift the mood. A few men around him snickered as he said that.
...
"A large group of the enemy shinobi is approaching from the village at a fast rate, sir!" One of the sensors shouted frantically to him.
"What!?" He and Otokaze turned heads towards Konoha, only seeing a barrage of kunai flying towards them.
Satetsu pushed his friend back while he also jumped to avoid being killed. The kunai killed three of his ninjas that stood behind them.
"Stick by your teams and get into the defensive positions!" He barely managed to give the order as a sea of green uniforms swarmed the trees above them. His men scattered to do as he ordered.
Satetsu hid behind a tree, his eyes moving wildly, looking at the enemies that are overwhelming them. His mind ran wild, trying to think of the reason why did this happened. And how did this happen.
Has Orochimaru tricked us into invading Konoha? Is he still loyal to them?
Is Kazekage-sama safe?
Satetsu felt his body frozen. He couldn't move either his legs or hands. His eyes managed to see a long, snake-like shadow, connecting his own with that of another Konoha shinobi, with shorth black ponytail, and a half-bored, half-serious look on his face.
A Nara!? Shit!
Then another Konoha ninja appeared in front of him. His hair was long and orange, but the tantō in his hand was pointed towards Satetsu's heart. But at the last moment, as Konoha-nin was about to kill him, Otokaze appeared, cutting the head of his attacker, and sending few exploding kunai towards the Nara-nin. Releasing Satetsu from his trap. Nara, however, evaded his attack, as two of his other men charged towards him to finish Otokaze's job.
"...Thank you..."
"What are we to do now!?" Otokaze practically shouted, ignoring his bewilderment. He may not have heard his gratitude from the sound of battle around them. The screams of the dead men. Shouts of alive men. And steel clashing with steel.
"We fight! That's what we'll do." He said with all the conviction he could muster. They had no choice. He pulled out his short battle-fan and prepared for battle. "Whether or not Oto joins us. We can't desert Kazekage-sama at this moment!"
Satetsu did not hear his friend's answer as he jumped towards the two Konoha-nins that were charging at him.
He gathered his chakra in his fingers, and the moment he got close enough to the two charging men, Satetsu delivered his attack.
Blade of Wind!
Once he killed them, he heard the sound of something crashing to the ground behind him. And the dusty cloud soon enveloped him in its hug. Some of his men gathered around him in the meantime.
Satetsu covered his head with his hands before the dust settled. Some of the trees were broken from their root. But in the distance, a gigantic light-blue and brown frog could be seen, with the dust still clearing away from it.
"Oh, for fuck sake..." He muttered, breathing heavily and fuming with rage. It couldn't be anyone else but the Toad Sage.
And once again, another foolish Konoha-nin charged at him. But Satetsu barely paid him attention. As he quickly grabbed him by his throat, crushing it with the strength he could muster. After which he threw his body to the other side. The blood from the man's mouth was splattered over his face.
There is no way we can win... He realized as he watched the carnage around him. Only sounds of steels could be heard, and occasional movements of shinobi could be seen. But the result of the ambush was visible. The men were scattered and they lost their momentum.
They planned to release Gaara's bijū in the middle of Konoha, but Konoha summon a gigantic toad in the counter-attack against them.
If we even had the chance in the first place.
There were many more of his men lying dead than those of Konoha ninjas.
A lone tear of sweat dripped down his head, as one important thought crossed his mind
"Fuck the Kazekage-sama!" One of the men that gathered around him said in fear, before jumping off, with the intention to escape. Their already low morale crumbled at this sight of the carnage around them. The words must have escaped from that man before he even realized he said them.
Fuck the Kazekage-sama, indeed...
The previous loyalty he had in that moment, was swept away by the catastrophe in front of his eyes. He did not openly object when the notion to attack the Leaf was presented on the table, but he would not let his fellow Suna-nins to die mindlessly.
Konohagakure no Sato, the Cemetery, 5th November
Losing one's biological parents could be a reason for a person to crack down and go insane. Or for a person to experience a loss so great that it would change his worldview, his personality – forever.
But losing something that he never actually had, or experienced, was not a great loss to Naruto. That is where he admired Sasuke. He admired him for remaining sane and normal despite everything he passed through. Despite everything he lost.
He still stood firm, on both of his legs.
Naruto could remember crying only three times in his life. All were for a good reason and were unavoidable to his feelings and emotions.
Despite having a hard life, either back in the orphanage, or since he became a shinobi. The interlude between those two was actually the happiest time of his life. No worries from the outside, a genuine childhood life for someone like him. Even if he was forced to become an adult back in the orphanage and skip the usual childhood that the children had.
When he was three years old, he had to learn to wipe his own ass, for no caretaker in the orphanage would do that to him. He learned how to make his own bed. And even his own food. All before the age of six. He was forced to grow up.
Sometimes, he did not know how he managed to do all that. Was it because of his blood, or the Seven Lucky gods who blessed him?
The answer did not matter at all, at the end of the day. For the past was past, and nothing would change it. Though, a little change, no matter how little, could have a far bigger impact than some larger things in this world.
His tears always signified a change. A change for him. A change in him.
The day he found out about who his parents actually were, and what he was – his life changed completely.
The day Tazuna and his family died – the second change.
But the day he learned about uncle Kosuke going on a suicide mission to protect the village – he wasn't sure if anything changed.
It wasn't anyone else's fault but his, though Naruto couldn't completely blame the man either. His surrogate uncle always sacrificed himself for the sake of the village. Naruto knew that his goal was to die to protect his comrades.
Uncle Kosuke volunteered to be part of the team that was to guard the border of the Land of Fire towards the west, from where the invasion from the Sand would come. It was his own decision, and no-one else's. Just as the other elderly men who died in that attack chose their end themselves. So a younger shinobi wouldn't have to be the victims of treachery.
As he was kneeling alone by Kosuke's gravestone, with the other villagers already leaving after mourning their dead, Naruto did not fight the tears from falling freely for the fourth time in his life.
No-one would see him, and he was free to do it. He was a human being like everyone else.
Knowing about the death of his parents was nothing compared to this. For he had no memories of them.
Seeing the dead body of the man who raised him being brought to Konoha changed something in Naruto. His prosthetic leg was not with him, only the sword in his hand and dozens of cuts over his chests and other parts of his body.
He experienced a feeling he never felt before. Even if he previously knew about his suicidal mission, and the result of the same. Knowing about his eventual death made it somewhat easier to say goodbye. And think. Think it would be easier when that moment would come.
Though his sadness was still there, it was slowly overtaken by the anger.
He clenched his teeth. Damn them!
By the hatred. He clenched them harder. Hatred towards both Sunagakure and Otogakure. Even if the latter did not take part in the invasion. Only the former did.
They chickened out at the last moment.
A part of him wished that they attacked as well. Just so they could be crushed along with Konoha's former allies.
Even the thoughts of sneaking in into the ANBU headquarters and killing the Sand siblings crossed his mind. For blood had to be repaid.
But the memory of his surrogate uncle prevented those ideas from dwelling too long in his head. Uncle Kosuke would not want him to go on a vengeful streak.
The only thing he was left from him were the memories and tantō that he used.
Naruto stayed at the cemetery until the night fell completely. Reminiscing of the past, and thinking of the future.
He would not want me to mourn for too long. He smiled sadly as he traced his fingers over Kosuke's name on the tombstone.
He already cried his tears when he found out about his decision. There was no need for him to cry more.
But wishes don't always come true, and he simply stopped resisting the natural intuition.
The Hokage's Tower, 7th November
The great council meeting to discuss the aftermath of the failed invasion was to be today. Seven days after the invasion. When the dead were buried, and the enemy was fully routed from the Land of Fire.
Naruto learned that Konoha lost eighty-seven shinobi in the invasion. Eight border guards, uncle Kosuke among them, and four men in the arena who were meant to capture Baki, the right hand of the Kazekage. While the rest were killed outside the walls of the village. Sunagakure shinobi had put up a fierce resistance to their counter-ambush. And it cost them dearly.
Though the enemy has lost five hundred and sixty-six men. With an additional hundred and twelve being captured. The rest fled, along with their Kazekage.
He was allowed to flee. Naruto reminded himself. He did not know the real reason why he was allowed to do so. But, the words of the old man were firm and final. Naruto did not try to contradict them.
As the official head of the Senju clan, though only another member beside him remaining, Naruto sat on one of the futons in the large room meant for the village council meetings. He sat on the far right side of the room, in the last row by the wall, a bit away from all eyes of the other people present.
Clan heads and high-ranking Jōnin's were present, along with the dignitaries of the various military departments of the village's forces. From ANBU's and Hunter-nin Division to the Torture and Interrogation Division and Medical Corps, and many others.
Aside from them, there was a group of civilian representatives, sitting on the far left side of the room. All dressed neatly in the traditional Konoha clothes to signify their belonging to the village. The Fire Daimyō with members of his court who were at the village, were present as well. They were seated behind a large table which was used by the Hokage and the three village elders.
From one point of view, it shows that he is the lord of the Land of Fire, but Naruto doubted that he would have a final word here. And that would show who was actually the power in the village.
Naruto saw Jiraiya standing on the other side of the room and leaning against the wall. Not sitting like everyone else did. He had a half-bored, half-serious face. This should be serious. Naruto knew that his godfather hated these kinds of meetings. Some elements of seriousness should be a warrant for anyone who knew him, what the real situation was. And that the real war was far from over.
He must be annoyed that the opportunity to finish off Orochimaru for good, was missed. Naruto hasn't talked much with Jiraiya in the aftermath of the invasion. Or anyone else for that matter. Mostly secluding himself, he spent the majority of his time alone. Either at the cemetery or his home. Reading, and trying to relax his mind.
Sasuke was seated next to him, wearing his usual all-black clothes with his clan symbol on his back. Unlike him, Naruto dressed himself in a short grey male kimono, with black pants and white rope around his waist. He was grateful to Sakura for sewing his clan symbol on the back of some of his clothes when he asked her to do it.
"In addition to the regular ninjas we have captured, we also have Rasa's children in our custody." The old man said, his voice gruff and tired, while his long speech and report of everything that has transpired, stretched on. The fate of the Kazekage's children was something that everyone in the room was curious about. Including him.
Gaara can't be imprisoned forever. That much was clear to Naruto. But he did not know about the plans that the old man and his elders had, for the enemy jinchūriki.
Murmurs across the room spread like a forest fire. And even the question regarding Gaara's tailed beast crossed Naruto's ears. Unlike the rest of the pointless blabbering, that one did not exit on the other ear.
"Hokage-sama." A stern, deep and mature male voice was heard on the other side of the room. Naruto's eyes moved to the upper-left part of the room from where it came.
"Hiashi-san." Sarutobi replied, and the murmurs immediately stopped. Naruto noticed that the man in question was Hinata's father and the head of the Hyūga clan.
It seems that no one dares to speak behind the Hyūga leader's back. He mused at the general silence that was present at that moment.
"Previously we were told that the son of the Kazekage-sama is a Jinchūriki of the Ichibi, but we were not told what will happen to him once the invasion is over, and he is captured..." The low voices in the room rose once more, however, now even higher, despite the status of the man that was speaking. It was also harder to comprehend what the people were saying. Only one thing, however, passed through Naruto's ears.
"Are we going to extract his tailed beast?"
Fat fucking chance. Naruto instinctively thought, releasing a minor fume down his nostrils, his blue eyes turning to ice, but he said nothing.
In any case.
He would not allow to have another jinchūriki in the village. He would not allow for another child to carry that burden.
"Gaara-san, along with his siblings will remain in our custody for the time being, just to keep his father in line until everything is settled. All the while we focus on dealing with Orochimaru and that front." The Sandaime said after a brief pause, his eyes closed and voice carrying no place for an argument.
"Are we not going to extract his beast from him and take it as our own?" Another man, who probably did not understand it, asked. People were still wondering. Being left in the dark was not something that many enjoyed when there was a chance to switch the light with one simple step.
Naruto remained silent as he waited for the old man to reply.
"Of course. Provided I have a volunteer among some of you, or your children to become its jinchūriki." Was the sharp reply from the Hokage.
No one suggested extracting the tailed beast again. Senju had to bite his lower lip to avoid doing something inappropriate, like laughing. That shut them up.
Naruto saw Danzō remaining oddly still. Not questioning the Hokage on his decision for even a second. His calm posture was almost unnerving.
He must have told him his decisions already.
"Hokage-sama." Another man with short, light brown hair, raised his hand, somewhere in the middle of the room.
"Onikuma-san." The Hokage gave him a nod to continue.
"Hokage-sama." He formally bowed once more, before asking the question. "Will we officially declare the war against Otogakure, since no formal declaration came from their side?"
Naruto wondered the same. If it came to the actual war, no doubt that Konoha would come out on top. And that the newly formed village would be defeated.
But... The road always had the opposite direction. No matter how far you could go.
If things went badly, by any chance, a larger war with the other nations could erupt. Greater villages like Iwa or Kumo, perhaps even Kiri – would not sit idly and watch as Konoha and the Land of Fire gained more land, power, and influence.
Smaller villages usually served as a buffer zone between Konoha on one side, and Kumo and Iwa to the north on the other.
But the Sound village was strategically worthless, in the larger scale of things, and would only bring more weight on Konoha's back should they destroy them, and annex the entire country.
"We shall send them a verbal note, first. To the clan heads of the clans that lived in the Land of Rice Paddies, or the Land of Sound as it is now known, demanding that they hand us Orochimaru. Since we do know he is behind the formation of their village. If they refuse, we shall have an all-out war. It is better to avoid deaths from both sides if it's possible, but if not..." He paused for a second or two. "I have fate in our shinobi to handle one late, minor village."
The Hokage did not give more reasoning, but the others seemingly understood what he meant by it. Or simply opted to stay silent. It was not the time to talk about it.
It was a bit strange to him that no one asked about the prisoners of war and their fate. But looking around at the faces of the people present, Naruto understood why. Many men and women here survived the Third Great Ninja War, and they most likely knew what would happen to them. They would either be executed or ransomed if something could be gained from the latter.
Naruto was not sure how he should feel about that either. The current captives would have killed every man, woman, and child of his village without reservations if they had the chance to do so, a week ago. Somehow, knowing that, made it all easier for him to accept it.
What would uncle Kosuke think about that? He knew the man very well. He opposed his decision to kidnap the Amegakure's Genins in the second round. But this was the result of the war. His opinion could go either way.
"Before we continue any further, I believe we have some promotions to take care of, first." The old man said smiling genuinely as he looked towards his and Sasuke's direction. "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun. Approach."
A promotion was the last thing on Naruto's mind. The loss, despair because of it, paranoia... All three took a heavy toll on him. Thoughts of protecting the village came first into his mind that he did not even think about a new rank and its benefit. The death of uncle Kosuke was a final blow. All of that made him forgot about the good things in life. About his dreams. And about his future.
Sasuke was the first to stand up. Not even looking back to see if Naruto was following him. The eyes of the other people in the room followed each of their steps over the wooden floor. A goodish smile from the Feudal Lord, contrary to the cold and calculative gazes of the other shinobi present. Both the clan heads and regular ninjas eyed them. But Naruto's thoughts did not dwell on them.
As he approached the table, standing firm in front of the Hokage, Naruto spared a smile as he was handed the plastic bag with the Chūnin vest in it. Smiling genuinely for the first time since the applause he got from the audience in the finals.
On the vest itself was a sheet of paper filled with a long wall of text that he did not bother reading at the moment. An instruction and introduction to our new duties most likely.
"After reviewing your record from the past months and suggestion of your Jōnin-sensei, Hatake Kakashi. But also for your deeds in the exams and the subsequent invasion. The council of elders has decided to promote you to the rank of Chūnin." The Hokage said to them. Sasuke took the bag into his hands and inspected it, thoroughly.
He did not seem too enthusiastic on the outside. But looking more closely, he could see an unfamiliar spark in the Uchiha's onyx eyes. Somehow, he was glad that his teammate found some semblance of happiness in his life. Even if he did not get the chance to shine much in the past months, Naruto knew that Sasuke deserved his promotion.
Capturing the Sand siblings with ease should be enough to earn him a promotion.
Naruto took that chance to see the reaction of the other three elders. But Koharu and Homura were as they were. Calculative, while Danzō did not bother looking at them. His one eye closed, and his head turned to the rest of the people in the room.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Both of them said in unison.
The old man nodded and bid them to go back to their seats which they did. As they settled back, the Sandaime began speaking once again, listing a short list of names of the various Chūnin's that would receive a promotion as well, due to their actions in the invasion and the career. Listing all of their accomplishments.
"So this means our time as a team is over?" Sasuke asked in a whisper, not even looking up from his vest.
"It doesn't need to." Naruto replied, equally in a low sound. "We will probably have many more joint missions. We did work well together, after all."
A faint smile appeared on Sasuke, before it turned to normal. "Speaking of Team Seven..." A ten or so seconds passed before the Uchiha spoke again. Naruto raised his eyebrow at his silence. "How are you dealing... with your caretaker's death?"
No matter when he showed it, but Naruto would always feel surprised by Sasuke's curiosity. "I don't know how I would describe it." He did not. He felt as if thousands of conflicting emotions boiled up in his body when he thought about it. And everything felt heavy because of it.
"A word of advice, Naruto." Sasuke said, while still looking towards the Sandaime and his elders. "You already knew he was going to die on that mission... It is much easier to come to terms, that way... I did not know him as well as you did, but I do think he would not want you to mourn for too long."
He lost much more than me, perhaps I should heed his advice.
"Thank you." He said to Sasuke, probably for the first time in his life. A Senju thanking the Uchiha. Where is this world going? He did not stop a smile from appearing on his face as he thought about it.
Naruto took the time to look at his new vest, even if he would not wear it that often during his missions. Members of the clans had the right and liberty to wear the uniforms and gear that were approved by the high-ranking members of the Jōnin council. His ancestor wore an armor, even when he was not a Hokage. There was no reason why he couldn't, and shouldn't do the same.
"Before we end this meeting, there is one final, and important matter to discuss. " The Sandaime said after he finished the listing of the other promoted ninjas. Naruto could see his head moving in the direction where Hiashi and a few other members of the Hyūga clan sat.
That clan does have many high ranking shinobi. So much so that five of them are in this meeting.
"An hour before this meeting, the Yondaime Raikage has presented us with an offer... of a defensive alliance." Naruto could almost feel the tension that was rising in the room once those words were spoken. It was not a secret that many in Konoha disliked Kumogakure. Some with the burning passion. "That is, in case of the war we should come to each other's aid." But none dared to interrupt him. Yet.
"I have already decided to accept his offer. Our ambassador to their village will be decided in the following weeks." He finished, now looking across the room and gouging the reaction from the rest. Most importantly. The reaction of the Hyūga clan.
Even in his old age, the old man still commanded respect. So much, that no-one dared to start an all-out uproar. Not yet at least...
He exchanged eye contact with Sasuke, who, despite everything, understood that this was an unorthodox approach.
Naruto leaned his head a bit forward while resting his hands on his legs, just to see the reaction from the Hyūga group. But all he saw was the bitter frown on their faces and a sharp line of the eyebrow from Hiashi's side.
They're not happy with this...
And he wasn't sure if he should be happy about it either. He had his reasons to dislike Kumogakure. Mostly for the part they had in Uzushio's destruction. However, that was not the reason why Naruto was against this new 'alliance'.
Suna, another great village, proved itself treasonous. And Konoha had a much smaller enmity with them in the past, than they did with Kumo.
Who is to say that Kumogakure wouldn't try to do the same, even if they were a witness of the failed invasion?
Who is to say that they won't try to have another episode of the Hyūga affair?
All of that was the least of his concerns.
Naruto wanted to travel the world a bit more, and the offer Jiraiya presented him was an excellent opportunity to do so.
Because of the invasion, and the fact that Orochimaru still walked freely in this world – his plans would have to be put on hold. As well as the trip he planned to the supposed colonies of the Uzumaki clan.
Senju looked at Jiraiya, who was silent as the night. His narrowed eyes were moving from both the Hokage and the members of the Hyūga clan, back and forth.
Naruto was not the only one who shared the sentiment of the Hyūga's, as one another voice rose in a few rows in front of him, in form of a shout.
"You cannot be serious about forming the alliance with them Hokage-sama! Surely, you haven't forgot about the destruction of the Uzushio or the death of Hyūga Hizashi!?" Someone voiced his concerns. In any other village, such an outburst would get the man killed. But the old man was generally forgiving. And that was his greatest weapon.
I should not meddle here... Not that there was a chance for him, or anyone else, to influence this decision. If Hokage wanted it, the rest could only accept.
A few more shouts of support came for the man, while the Sandaime remained calm. Almost as if he was letting them vent out their anger. But, his wrinkled old face would not budge. Naruto could see that. His mouth were fused together, and his eyes were closed, while he nodded occasionally as if he was confirming all their arguments.
He did not forget... And yet, he still accepted this alliance... It was all too strange.
In the end, what better way was there to monitor someone than to have a constant, yet safe, presence among him. A shame they did not have an ambassador with Sunagakure. Perhaps all the troubles could have been avoided before it escalated to the boiling point.
And uncle Kosuke may have lived in that case. Naruto bit his lower lip, as he bitterly thought about his death. This is not a place to cry. Or to think about it. Sasuke was right. He said his goodbye to the man. There was no need to dwell in despair any longer.
The tears can't bring back the dead. And the past cannot be rewritten.
Three hours later, The ANBU headquarters
Hiruzen walked down the stairs of the ANBU headquarters, inhaling smoke from his pipe along the way. Alone, aside from Danzō who walked not far behind him. He left his bodyguards behind at the entrance to the prison section of the underground base.
Lights on the wall-bulbs flickered as he walked. But, that was their entire point. A moment of life, and a moment of death for the prisoners who walked through this hallway. And any other hallway of their prisons. Being in such a place was meant to create an atmosphere that their fate could go either way. Albeit, there was only one prisoner in this case. The rest were in a separate building. Awaiting their fate.
Each of their steps echoed through the empty hallway. The other cells were empty as well. Cleared, just because of the one prisoner. Gaara of the Sand. And they filled the space with nothing but silence. Not even a rat or a mouse could enter this part of the complex without permission. Only occasional delivery of the fresh air could. Aside from the selected group of people.
After finishing the tedious council meeting he had with the representatives of the military, Sarutobi decided to give the final blow to Rasa for his betrayal. He just hoped it would go as he planned. And that the peace and balance would one day be restored.
"'I suggest you to clear your court, Daimyō-dono. For it seems, that the leeches can thrive in the sand as well.'" Danzō repeated his words. Almost in a sarcastic tone, and Hiruzen momentarily stopped walking. Turning around, he faced his old rival with an unamused face.
"That was your greatest impression of the past few days? I must say; I'm disappointed." Sarutobi said to him in a half-sarcastic voice. "Not the two-hour argument I had with the Hyūga clan and their supporters?"
"Why should it be?" Danzō said to him, his chin rising slightly. His attempt to look at him from above. "The moment you told me before the council meeting began, of your decisions - I knew there was no place for an argument. Once you get something in your head, only death can get it out."
Danzō paused as the two of them stared at each other.
"But whose death will it be, Hiruzen? Death of a few more academy students? Or of the village itself?"
So he goes for the way I initially handled Naruto-kun before that incident at the playground... He hasn't spoken with the boy since the funeral for the dead shinobi, with Kosuke being among them. Thinking of his dead friend brought a feeling of sadness to Hiruzen's being. But he would not falter before Danzō.
"And why is my advice for the Wind Daimyō so memorable to you?" Hiruzen forced a smile on his face, ignoring Danzō's disagreement, and his arguments. Truly, he never felt better than when he argued with him. The man has been an annoying thorn in his side ever since he took the mantle of a Hokage, but also his most valuable ally. Despite the differences between them.
"It left an impression on me, that you are so foolish to think, that the Wind Daimyō will understand what you meant by it. Especially when you are quoting some literature. And that surprised me even more. I never took you for a reading type."
"Hmm." Hiruzen hummed. It was a possibility that the Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind might not understand what he meant by it, but his fat younger brother and heir certainly did. Hiruzen deduced that from their meeting after the invasion. And if not, the Sandaime could make sure he understands his message, thoroughly.
"I read plenty of fascinating books in my spare time, Danzō. It wouldn't hurt you to try it sometimes." Sarutobi said.
"I do not count Jiraiya's porn books as a fascinating piece of literature." Danzō said, his lips morphing into a thin smile. Not in a good-hearted one.
"A book is a book." Hiruzen replied in a flat tone. "And they are a beautiful piece of literature, if I can say so myself."
"Prostitutes say something similar about their profession, as well."
"I never took you for a brothel-visiting type, to know that. And for the record, that message comes directly from one of Jiraiya's books." There was a silence after that sentence, as Danzō did not insult back. Hiruzen, who was smoking from his pipe, exhaled smoke from his mouth, sending it directly into Danzō's face, but a simple flow of wind around his head, dispersed the smoke into nothingness. "I see your mastery of that element has not wavered at all, all these years."
"There was no reason for me to get rusty." He still looked at him with a half-smiling, half-disdainful eye. "The point of the message." Danzō simply said again.
A message...
A message that he should clear his court of the worthless courtiers who did nothing but sour the relationship between Suna and their government. A deed of Orochimaru, and his bribes to the corrupt people surrounding the Wind Daimyō. His rouge student planted seeds of destroying the Leaf even before the truth of his experiments was officially revealed. How blind I was...
Hiruzen sighed, before speaking in an emotionless tone, his thoughts returning to the matter at hand – the message. "We need to have the Land of Wind and Sunagakure on our side again. One day, that is. Letting the Wind Daimyō know that there is something wrong with his court is just a first step of that."
If the Fire Daimyō decided to cut Konoha's budget, Hiruzen would not hesitate to act in an instant. He would either be replaced with his supporter, talked out of that foolishness. Or simply forced to go back to the previous state. Hiruzen was lucky that their Feudal Lord never embarked on a foolishness as his counterpart of the Land of Wind did. Having a constant guard of Konoha shinobi that guarded the Daimyō, must have had an impact on anyone who tried to influence the man against his village.
"That still leaves Rasa alive." Danzō continued in his harsh tone. "He will be an obstacle to your goal in that case. So it makes me wonder why you let him flee so easily? Were you afraid of losing against a younger Kage?" He asked with a sly smile. His only eye reeked of maliciousness.
"Do you really think I will let him live the rest of his days in peace? Releasing his children in a few months, and forgetting everything that has happened between us?"
Danzō was silent for a moment, as he looked at him with his lone, calculative eye. "You are not the type of person that would execute the children, no matter who they may be. I don't see how else can you get rid of him, and keep Suna as a balancing force in the Elemental Nations, as you so desperately wish to do."
Sarutobi released a quiet croaky laugh. "Who said that I will be the one to get rid of him, Danzō?" He did not speak more, as he turned around and continued walking towards the designated prison cell.
Danzō did not move to follow right away, however, a low chuckle escaped his mouth, and his comment reached Hiruzen's ears, just as the explosions during the war would. Or the anguished cries of the dead and wounded on the battlefield. "Even now I still get surprised when your mask slips away, old friend."
Sarutobi felt no need to reply or interrupt him.
"But know this. Whatever I may be, Hiruzen... And whatever I ever was, at least I'm not a hypocrite." Danzō finished.
So, that's how it is. Sarutobi thought to himself. A small smile almost appeared on his lips. Almost.
The head of the Sarutobi clan stopped walking for a moment. Experience comes with age, and while both of them were of the same generation, they walked on different paths. And of those paths, Hiruzen's road had different directions that would always lead to the same destination. Sighing, he spoke. "You would be," He grabbed his Hokage hat and firmly rearranged it on his head. "If you wore this hat instead of me." He said nothing else as he continued walking further. Danzō did not press it any further.
At least he's not against the future elimination of Rasa... He thought as he walked further. He had someone in mind to get rid of the alliance-breaker. But it was not the time. And it won't be for a long time.
The greatest concern for Hiruzen regarding his elimination was that Suna should have a successor that would be loyal to Konoha.
However. The successor to the position of the Kazekage had to be from one of the members of his clan.
That is where Gaara comes to the picture.
Gaara's prison cell wasn't that far down the hallway. Once he took another tour to the left, Hiruzen saw two ANBU guards standing in front of the door where Gaara was located. There were six more in the next room, resting, and waiting for their shifts to start. Or to act in case something goes wrong.
"Hokage-sama." Two ANBU men said as one voice. Bird and Snake.
Hiruzen nodded to them, moving directly to the question at hand. "Has the food been prepared for the prisoner?"
Bird nodded, walking to the side by the wall, where a little locker was hanging on the side, pulling a plate with a modest amount of food on it.
"Thank you." Hiruzen only said, taking the plate, and proceeding to walk through the door which the other ANBU, Snake, opened for him. Danzō slowly followed.
The doors closed once the two of them entered. And a single light from the only bulb in the room created a circle in the center where Gaara sat. Better said, a chair on which he was tied. A few seals could be seen on his hands and body, just to be sure. While a series of bandages covered his right shoulder and the wound that Naruto-kun gave him. There was another chair in front of the boy, placed there for any warden that would come to feed him, until now.
Gaara lifted his head and looked at him with an empty look in his eyes, before they scrunched a bit, looking at him with disdain. "Have you finally come to end me? I must say I'm honored that the Hokage himself has come to do the deed." His voice was empty and hoarse. The boy couldn't complain say that he was abused, while in Konoha custody. Certain repercussions had to be made, however.
The sheer emptiness and apathy on the other hand amazed Hiruzen, no matter how vile the notion itself seemed to him. You messed up this one to no end, Rasa...
"Fear not, my boy." Sarutobi said to him, in a voice he uses when talking to either Naruto, or his grandson, Konohamaru. "No harm shall come to you."
His eyes were filled with suspicion, and his feelings were no different. "Then I see no reason why you're here. Leave. I'm sure you have a village to run." The boy ordered him, and Hiruzen had to snort.
"I'm afraid I can't do so." Hiruzen said, proceeding to sit on the chair in front of the boy.
Gaara released a tiered and hard sigh. His breathing was slow but heavy. "Then speak, so we could end this already."
"We can't remove your bindings yet, for obvious reason..." Hiruzen began but did not finish his thought, as Gaara spoke once more.
"I think that this humiliation is actually the greatest thing that has happened to me in my life..." His voice really was tired. As if each word he spoke could take away any energy he had.
That can happen when you can barely feel your chakra flowing through your body. Hiruzen thought as he watched the auburn-haired boy in front of him. And when you can't feel the presence of your tailed beast. Even if he's still there. Suppressed.
"I can't hear the voice in my head..." He slowly said. "And I got to sleep for the first time since I can remember..."
"Yes. I was told that you slept for four days without waking up". Hiruzen commented as he looked at him. "Open your mouth, child. You need to eat." He took a rice with the chopsticks and moved it towards Gaara's mouth. Just like he did to his own children when they were young.
The jinchūriki of the One-Tail obliged, and the next few minutes were spent in silence as the Sandaime Hokage fed him. The food was not the primary means of digestion, however.
"Tell me about yourself a bit while I'm here." Hiruzen began. "Tell me, who is Gaara of the Sand, in reality?"
"May I know the purpose of all this, as I'm pretty sure that Kage has more important businesses to take care of..." He said something else, again. "And that your village is rather developed when it comes to extracting information from their captives."
"Perhaps I am doing it right now." Hiruzen said with a laugh. "And I won't have anyone invade your privacy if that is a concern of yours. You have my word."
"Heh." Gaara exclaimed, while his gaze fell to the ground, changing the view between a single spot on the plate, and Hiruzen's eyes. Sarutobi did not push him to speak any further.
He took that moment to turn back and look at Danzō, who was holding onto his cane while standing back in the darkness as he always preferred. The black pupil of his narrowed eye did not waver from Hiruzen for even a moment. But, that was something that Sarutobi wanted.
I may really be a hypocrite, Danzō, but be happy that I am one for the sake of the village.
He was sure that his rival understood what he was doing here. And why he brought him with here with him.
Konoha had to be stable on both the inside and the outside. Just as their allies had to be if they were to be useful.
Rasa is the enemy. Sarutobi could see in the boy's eyes that he would open up eventually. Only if someone would listen to him.
But his son can be our greatest ally if we play this right...
Mabui sat on the chair by the window of the room in the hotel, reading a book about the flowery of the Land of Fire that she bought in one of the stores, a few weeks back. While she trained Yugito, Omoi, and Karui for the finals, in her spare time, she decided to expand her knowledge on her favorite subject – the flowers. And the Land of Fire was much richer in that knowledge than her own homeland.
However, the finals were nothing but a farce for the other two great villages to take care of each other, in their own respective way.
Mabui sighed as she closed her book. She did not know what to think of it. Betrayal and dishonor was something she loathed. Even in her profession, there had to be some boundary between what was right and what was wrong. But Suna ignored all of that. They rightly suffered because of it.
She was happy that Naruto beat Gaara without much problems, and hoped that her help has been of use to him. Raikage-sama might have given her a mission of getting close to the boy, and learning as much as she could about him.
But the information she gave him about Gaara was by her own volition. At least that way she repaid the debt she owed to his father.
She sighed once more, moving her hand to her forehead and slowly rubbing it. Hoping to ease the headache that appeared due to unknown reasons. Anxiety was there because of the worry that her village will be involved somehow in this entire mess. Or create a future mess from the ashes of the current one. Her uncle certainly knew to stick his nose where it did not belong... And the village elders rarely contradicted him in those endeavors.
The day was pretty pleasant, for early November. Unlike in Konoha, the early snows must have already appeared in her village. Samui told her that there was a chance for her village to be already covered in snow by the time they get back.
It was while she was thinking of home, that her best friend, Samui, decided to enter the room, the two of them have been sharing together.
"Samui-chan." Mabui barely said, closing her book down, as her friend got to the point right away.
"The meeting with the Sandaime Hokage is over." Her blonde friend went straight to the bathroom after going straight to the point, first, returning back to the room after a minute or so – proceeding to sit down on her bed.
Mabui said nothing else. She's not happy. She could see that much from the aura Samui carried around herself. It was not a secret in her village that her best friend hated Konoha with passion.
From one point of view, she was right to do so. Her father was killed by the Hyūga clan when he tried to kidnap their heiress... But from the moral perspective, Mabui thought of it as a petty grudge, because she knew very well that her father was not innocent when he died. She never said that to her friend, though. But she was sure that Samui knew that very well. Even if she chose to ignore it.
"What was the talk about, anyway?" Mabui asked, placing the book on the nearby table, and moving to sit on the bed opposite of Samui's. She was not told that there would be a meeting with the Hokage.
Samui stared at the ceiling of their room with her emotionless look, before rising up in a sitting position. Massaging her shoulders, she answered. "Raikage-sama made an alliance offer to Konoha."
Mabui blinked a few times. Just to make sure she heard it right. She had not expected that. And knew not why her village was abandoning their proud isolationism that they enjoyed since the Third War. "And what the Hokage-sama's reply?"
The aged Hokage must have refused them outright.
Mabui could see traces of bitterness in Samui's blue eyes as she spoke the following. "He accepted."
Or not. "Just like that?" Mabui asked back, crossing her hands, and her legs. Granted, she did not even know that her village wanted an alliance with Konoha. She mused that the improved relations were enough.
Samui sighed. "He did say he will have to calm any men that are against it... The Hyūga clan most likely..." She muttered. "But he said that the alliance will be formalized, eventually. Though, I think that Raikage-sama will have to make an apology to the Hyūga clan at the end of the day."
Somehow, I find it hard to believe that A-sama would apologize to anyone. The man's pride was bigger than his muscles. Samui must have hated the notion of apologizing to them, as well.
"And both of them agreed that the one ambassador will be chosen for each village." Samui said to her.
As she looked into Samui's eyes, something strange started gathering in her body. An unfamiliar sense of fear. Only one more look into Samui's compassionate blue was enough to understand from where that fear came from.
"And I will be that ambassador..." She said, almost in a whisper.
"I'm sorry, Mabui." Her friend said, moving to sit beside her. Her eyes were filled with pity.
"Did you know about it?" Mabui furrowed her eyebrows together. "Before you came to Konoha, I mean."
Placing her hand on her shoulder, as a sign of support, Samui spoke. "I did. Raikage-sama told me and Darui of his plans before we left Kumogakure. He wanted for you to stay in Konoha no matter what..."
No...
"Apparently, the village elders were very supportive when it came to this decision." Samui continued.
And it was probably Raikage-sama's idea in the first place! Just like the idea for Kumogakure's involvement in these exams in the first place came from him. It almost looked as if Samui was making an excuse for their Kage. He is not innocent in this!
Mabui was silent as she digested these news. Being away from her village was not the most terrible position for a person to be in, but. There was always the 'but'.
She knew very well what the true purpose of her presence in the Leaf would be. What it would have to develop into.
And she hated it so much that she barely managed to stop herself from screaming.
The silent tears, however, were not stopped. They freely fell down her cheeks to her skirt, getting it soaked. Samui came closer to her, enveloping her into a hug. "You do know what this means, Mabui?"
Mabui gave her a quiet nod. Her tears were getting Samui's clothes wet as well. "I had my suspicions why my uncle sent me here in the first place..." She confessed, remembering his order for her to get familiar with Senju Naruto. "But now I am certain why he did it."
"I hoped that the Raikage-sama would not go with it, in the end..." Samui said slowly. "But I guess that he is too adamant in getting what he wants."
Mabui released a small chuckle, still enveloped in Samui's hug. "That does sound like him." She said with a bitter smile.
"The sooner you are done, the sooner you'll be back home. Remember that." Samui told her, lifting her chin and giving her a kind smile. It was not a common sight for one to see. But Mabui was happy for it nonetheless, even if the realization that came to her slowly crushed every single happy thought that was running in her head, at that moment.
She would break her moral code, and walk over her own beliefs. No matter how much she wanted to stick by them.
Author's Note:
"Itachi was grateful to the Hokage's powers of insight, as sharp as the Sharingan. On the other hand, he also hated them. If Hiruzen was so gifted at reading the minds of others, then why couldn't he have managed to find a way to cooperate with the Uchiha clan? Itachi did have the urge to press the older man about the issue, but he knew it would do no good thinking about that now." - Uchiha Itachi.
A little line from the Itachi novel that I really liked when I was reading it. It shaped my view of Hiruzen as a Hokage, in combination with his portrayal in Part 1 of Naruto. I would call him, a true humble manipulator.
And speaking of the novel, I would just like to add another one to a guest review – Rudra, that was very rude by cursing me because of the decisions I made regarding the Uchiha's and Kushina.
"The target's father and mother, and then his wife. When the boy, old enough to have just started at the academy, stopped moving, he heard a shriek behind him. The voice was familiar." - Itachi during the Uchiha massacre. Also the quote from the novel.
And I will also say that Kushina was never said to be a "princess of the Uzumaki" or whatever. Only that she was born with special chakra. So, why in the world would a village give their princess to another country to be a vessel for a tailed beast. - That's my answer to another one of his reviews, complaining about how I wrote that Kushina was from a branch family.
Now, onto the actual notes.
I initially intended to have Samui have a bigger role in the Konoha-Kumogakure relationship, and I wrote her as daughter of the Head Ninja of Kumogakure. But somewhere along the line, Mabui came to my mind, and she is much easier to write. Samui may, or may not have a more prominent role later on. I won't promise anything. As I said, this is not a romance.
Next. Regarding Kosuke's 'sudden' death, I did write three foreshadowing lines in the last two chapters about his death. Just as I wrote something regarding Mabui, although, more subtle. Maybe. This chapter reveals too much already. At first, I did wrote his death scene and the fight at the border, along with the flashback with Naruto, But I decided to move it to some other chapter and to have it in a similar way like I did with that flashback of Tobirama in chapter #8. And I felt the need to have someone important to Naruto, to die in the invasion. So there it is.
And that would be it. Thank you all for reading it. Hope you have a nice day!
~HyperboreanRealist