Next Day Morning (Village Hidden in the Leaves) Konohagakure
The news that the village's leader, Minato Namikaze defeated the Nine-tailed beast with the help of his predecessor spread like wildfire among the citizens. The whole village was filled with gossip and rumours regarding the incident as many were unsure of what had occurred in the outskirts of the village. Thousands of lives were lost during this incident as people mourned over the loss of their loved ones. Most of buildings were destroyed during this attack and many more citizens were injured, who were being treated by the medical division.
The entire village surrounded the Hokage's tower and waited for their leader to address the village. Many of the citizens had bandages wrapped over their injuries as they waited to know the truth behind this incident from their military leader.
As Minato reached the top of the tower, he glanced at the citizens who were looking at him expectingly, holding onto the hope that the demon was finally defeated. Leaving his thoughts and personal feelings regarding the masked man aside, he looked at the crowd with the gaze of a leader and explained last night's incident.
"Yesterday we faced against one of the most terrifying battles we've ever encountered. Thousands of lives were lost so that we could live to see a better tomorrow and their sacrifice didn't go in vain. With the Third Hokage's aid, we finally managed to seal the demon fox in these chosen children. At the cost of his own life, Hiruzen used a powerful sealing technique that prevents the demon from causing anymore destruction. These children will be known as the heroes who stopped the Nine-tails from destroying our home. That will be all."
After finishing his explanation, the crowd exploded in cheers and celebrations at their victory. Many of the citizens praised the Sandaime Hokage who sacrificed his life to save them while a minority of the populace held bitter thoughts regarding the incident. These people lost their loved ones and despite knowing that the fox entity was defeated, it didn't ease their pain over the loss of their families and friends.
Minato walked towards his office before he ordered the nurses who were looking after his children to look after his children. Extracting the tailed beast from Kushina, weakened his wife. While she still held great control over her sealing chains, Minato was doubtful whether his wife would be able to return to active duty after this incident. He didn't want to pressurize her into taking missions and knew taking care of the kids would prevent her from assigning a mission anytime soon.
The moment he entered his office, he noticed certain individuals had been waiting for him. The said individuals were the elders of the village who supported the Third Hokage during his reign and the commander of the ANBU Black Ops. Upon noticing him enter his office, the three elders stood up and greeted the man.
"We noticed you've missed out some of the details that had occurred after the demon was teleported to the outskirts of the village. Could you explain the entire incident in detail?"
Minato didn't want to tell them about the masked man attacking the village after defeating his ANBU but hiding from them would only backfire in the future due to the amount of power and knowledge they held. Having no other choice, he explained everything in detail. Starting from the masked man's infiltration to his known abilities. Minato did not leave the minute details during his explanation.
"I think we should take immediate action towards Uchiha clan. To think that they were hiding someone as powerful as that masked man...! Who knows what else they might be hiding? They could be planning to overthrow the village's governing system and take control over the village."
Danzō words made everyone else understand the current situation. The thing he was most worried was the currently about was recruits of his elite Foundation. He couldn't just take any powerful shinobi to become his subordinate knowing there's a chance it could be Minato's or Jiraiya's spy. Hiruzen might've allowed some leeway but that doesn't mean his successor would do the same.
"We are not going to do anything like that Danzō. That masked man could be a rogue shinobi, who has no connection to the clan. You cannot blame the whole clan because of a single person's action."
Minato voiced out his opinion and defended against the allegation. If he forced a biased decision onto one of the founding clans of the village, the members of the said clan wouldn't simply accept it. Without any proper evidence, they would simply be punishing the clan for being suspicious threat to the village.
"You cannot deny the possibility of their involvement in this attack, there's a chance that we might be wrong about this but taking precautions beforehand would only be advantageous in the long run."
Koharu shared her own perspective regarding this matter. Having been a comrade of an Uchiha during the war, she knew how powerful the Sharingan could be and with the recent tension between the village and the clan, there could a slight chance that one of the Uchiha might've been directly or indirectly involved with this attack.
"We can put the Uchiha under the surveillance of the ANBU. That way they can report back to us in case of any suspicious activity. If any of the Uchiha was involved in this incident, then they would be instantly aware of our suspicions if we took any major precautions against the village."
Minato knew there were some suspicions within the ninja forces regarding the masked man who attacked the village. By allowing some of his shinobi to keep an eye on the clan would help in changing their opinion and would also soothe the members of the board who held distrust towards the clan.
Koharu and Homura immediately agreed to this idea. While they didn't hold any personal vendetta against the Uchiha clan, if any of their members were indeed behind this incident or allied with that man, then it was better to take precautions than suffer a civil war.
"Are you really going to let them go? Even if they're innocent, it cannot be denied that the Sharingan possess the ability to manipulate the tailed beast! You are being irrational! This concerns the welfare of the village; we can't simply let this matter go!
Danzō's voice echoed throughout the room. While he partially had his suspicions, he was certain that it wasn't a shinobi from their village. The man that attacked the village was truly skilled and if there was such a shinobi in their ranks, they would've been aware of it. Moreover, he had his spies within each of the ninja clans in the village and was positive that none of the shinobi were capable enough to tame the demon fox.
It was inevitable…but the Uchiha were a force that had to be contained and tamed for the betterment of the village. There was no telling when another Madara would appear among the clan and try to attack the village.
"Actions must be taken. We cannot put the whole village security at risk just to appease one clan,"
As if an ultimatum, Danzō's cold voice echoed throughout the room. Although his opinion was cruel, Konoha has suffered simultaneous losses in the recent months. Orochimaru's betrayal was one thing and if other villages found out about the Kyuubi's destruction, he wasn't sure which village would start a war against them.
"Well...I didn't think it would come to this but since there's no other way, we have no choice on the matter. I'll be assigning few of my ANBU to monitor the activities of the clan and report us if any suspicious activity takes place."
Minato's words great frustration in them. Benevolence was scarce during these times and if Konoha had another traitor emerging, he wanted to eliminate the threat through diplomatic means rather than killing the traitor. The commander of the ANBU Black Ops nodded his head and left the chambers while everybody else started the discussion about the restoration of their village.
"It wouldn't end well, Minato. It'd be wise if we remove them from the governing body of the village. Letting them know vital information about the village would surely cause trouble soon."
Danzo wasn't going to let go of the opportunity to make sure the Uchiha's power could be controlled by the higher authority. He knew what Minato was planning when he heard his idea regarding the said clan and was no fool to ignore the implications it would have on the rest of the shinobi if it continued.
Minato narrowed his eyes in disapproval. The core purpose of assigning ninja to watch over them was to let his shinobi know that the Uchiha were completely innocent. If he made any rash actions towards the clan, there was no way that Fugaku would accept it. The man valued the members of his clan above all else and knowing his clan members would suffer as outcasts would inevitably lead to various conflicts against the village.
"Do you honestly believe that the Uchiha clan would accept whatever you throw at them? Assigning ANBU alone would raise suspicions and alarm the members of our wariness towards them. There will no further discussion regarding this and any decision made without my consent would be severely punished."
The elders of the village weren't pleased with the decisions made by the Hokage. Hiruzen was someone who would always leave room for negotiations, but it seems his successor was slightly different regarding that. They realized that anything further would only be futile, so they left his office with frustrated looks on their faces.
Somewhere in the forests of Kusagakure (Hidden Grass Village)
Orochimaru was collecting intel about the kekkei genkai that allowed manipulation of the user's bones when his spies informed about the situation Konoha was facing right now. He didn't think Sarutobi would die so soon, the sage could only pity the man who stopped believing in the future of immortality. It has been over a year since his betrayal but that didn't stop him from knowing the secrets of the village. Even though Konoha praised Jiraiya for his skills in espionage and gathering of information, Orochimaru possessed skills that far surpassed his former teammate due to him working with Danzo for a considerate period.
As much as he hated his old mentor, a part of him did mourn the loss of the old man. Another reason for him to pursue the path to attain immortality. However, he did not have time to grieve when he was so close to achieving immortality.
He did research on a clan which specialized in the art of nature energy but all he did develop was an unstable curse seal that allowed him to transfer a part of his consciousness to the bearer. The only drawback was the unnecessary emotions that would hinder the shinobi's potential. He didn't ravage beasts who revelled in power, he needed skilled shinobi, capable enough to defeat his enemies.
Currently he was in Kusagakure, in search of a woman who not only possessed powerful chakra and healing capabilities but also an extremely powerful sensory ability, rumoured as the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. He did not want to draw Minato's and Jiraiya's attention as they would eventually find out about the cultivation of Hashirama Senju's cells. Finding an unused cabin in the forest near the village borders, he decided it would be better to rest for a while and strategize his next course of action.
After years of cultivation and research, he finally found a solution to his immortality, allowing him a sage transformation using one of his experiments to absorb and use natural energy without any prior training was a power he was close to completion. It might take years, but the result would be worth all the effort.
"You sure seem busy, Orochimaru..."
Light footsteps could be heard which immediately alerted the snake sage while he pulled out his sword and entered his battle stance as he turned around and tried to look at the infiltrator. Even in the darkness, his slitted golden eyes could see the physique of the person standing ahead of him.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?"
No response.
The only thing the snake sage heard from the man were deep chuckles as he slowly walked forward. Under normal circumstances, Orochimaru would've loved to fool around with his enemy, but he couldn't even sense the man until he called him out. He couldn't take the risk of his research being known to someone else like Danzo or Jiraiya.
"You pose an interesting question, but I'd rather not answer for the time being. However, I can assure you that I am not your enemy."
"Is that so?"
There was no way he believed those words. People weren't generous enough to just quickly visit to introduce themselves as friendly neighbours. As the man finally stood under the light, Orochimaru frowned as took a glance at his features.
The person had worn a black long-sleeve top that covered most of his physique and his head was completely concealed under a white enclosing that had spiral pattern on its front. Two holes were made through which he could golden eyes glowing through the dark environment.
"Is it wrong to have allies? You look like someone who could use one..."
"Kukuku...you say some interesting things. I don't think being benevolent is the reason for your appearance."
Orochimaru chuckled as he glanced at the man who seemed completely unknown existence to him. Although, he was positive that this person wasn't someone who represented Konoha or any of the other shinobi villages.
"Are you...from the Akatsuki?"
The snake sage's suspicions were confirmed when the man's golden eyes flickered for an instant when he pointed out the rogue organization. However, he couldn't simply judge based on this sole inspection.
"Why don't you tell me what you seek...perhaps we could come to an agreement?"
"Agreement, you say?"
Orochimaru wasn't foolish enough to believe this man would fulfil his demands with any sort of compensation but there were things he needed things before could finally achieve the power he sought. Even though he couldn't just infiltrate Konoha and get what he desired he could always make allies who would be willing to do his bidding.
"Can you get any Tsunade's medical ninjutsu techniques?"
Orochimaru asks as he lowers his sword. He had recently takin in an orphan who had caught Danzo's attention. The boy was young but possessed great talents in medical ninjutsu. The masked figure chuckle echoed within the large room as the man nodded and extended his arm towards the Snake Sannin.
"You'll get them in a couple of days as to how to repay me..."
As the man slowly walked until he was just at arms distance from the sage. He leaned slightly as he whispered in a voice which was audible enough only for the two of them. Orochimaru's eyes widened as his lips curled upwards in admiration.
"For you to know such a thing...it's truly astonishing. Fine, bring me what I've asked, and I'll grant you your special favour."
Orochimaru extended his arm and shook it with the man in front of him. It didn't matter if he could turn into a potential enemy in the future but as of now, this man was someone with whom the snake sage was willing to be allies with.
Miles away from Orochimaru's laboratory, specifically in the Konoha's graveyard, a lone figure watched from afar as the Professor's funeral came to a sorrowful ending. Due to the heavy rain in the village, the funeral was held only for a short period. After not sensing any presence surrounding the graveyard, the figure walked ahead until he reached Hiruzen's grave. The figure pulled out a bouquet of flowers underneath his cloak and placed on top of the grave.
"To think he would leave this world so soon…I guess you still couldn't forgive yourself for the lives lost in the war."
The figure removed his straw hat as the man silently mourned for the deceased while revealing messy crimson hair. Emerald eyes glanced at the picture of the man who was his grandfather's student. Although he held no love for the village, he respected the man and wished that it hadn't come to this.
"It's strange to see you come here, especially after all these years."
The man turned around and noticed the source of the sound. The man seemed frail and used a cone as support. He had black, shaggy hair, and his right eye was bandaged and an x-shaped scar on his chin. Behind him were of the elite shinobi who wore identical masks and tied a sword to their hips.
"When compared to me, you are the stranger one. You hated Hiruzen ever since the day he was chosen as Hokage yet here you are attending his funeral."
"Despite our rivalry, we still worked together in serving the village…"
The only sound heard in the cemetery was that of the cold wind engulfing them in the night. Tapping his cane on the ground, his lone eye gazed the crimson haired man ahead of him.
"He did what was necessary of him…he died for the sake of his village, just like your grandfather."
The man was silent as he listened to Danzo's words while he stared at the picture before turning his gaze to the old man standing behind him. He possessed many secrets and knew Danzo was itching to get it out of him, any means necessary. He could understand why his grandfather chose Hiruzen as his successor rather than Danzo. Someone who viewed the Hokage's position as the supreme dictator and believed his every action justifiable.
What an annoying person…
"I know you had a hand in the destruction of Uzushiogakure. When my village sought the help of Konoha, we were told that Konoha didn't have enough shinobi to deploy for aid. Hiruzen was unaware of such a thing happening during the war. When he did find out about this, it was too late and the only person remaining was the wife of the current Hokage."
"Is that so? I don't know what you're talking about."
Emerald eyes met the lone eye of the war hawk. Assuming the man ahead of them was a threat, the two shinobi who were assigned to protect the elder unsheathed their blades and entered their stance, prepared to kill the man if necessary.
"Do you honestly believe I'll be down by just two of your shinobi?"
Danzo glared at the man but soon understood his current situation, having no choice but ordering his men to stand down. He could summon a squad to hold him down for a while but even Danzo knew that not a single shinobi in the village could defeat the man in front of him.
Even if he managed to subdue him for a temporary period, the Damiyo of the Land of Fire wouldn't exactly be pleased with Mito's relative being attacked on a day such as this. Danzo was aware that he would lose the power he had just attained after Hiruzen's death instantly.
"I've completed the purpose of my arrival, there isn't any reason for me to stay any longer."
With that said, the crimson haired shinobi passed by the old war hawk and seemingly vanished instantaneously. Danzo's eyes narrowed as he looked at the technique that was once used by his sensei and currently being used by Minato Namikaze. Unlike the users of the Flying Thunder God technique in Konoha, the brat mastered his grandfather's invention to perfection. One of the few reasons he always failed to capture that man.
"T-That was the Yondaime's technique, wasn't it?"
"So, it would seem."
The two shinobi of the foundation were shocked upon seeing the Yondaime's technique used by someone who wasn't a shinobi of their village. Danzo didn't bother them correcting that the technique used was his legacy. However, to what extent the boy has taken the technique is something even he was currently unsure of.
"Let's go. Our job here is finished…don't ever speak of today's incidents to anyone."
"Understood."
"Yes, Danzo-sama"
He knew he couldn't let other nations get a hold on him and Hiruzen's way of leaving the kid alone is something he could not let happen. The boy was a threat, someone who killed his Foundation's elite when he tried to hunt him down all those years ago.
The man was the grandchild of his sensei, Tobirama Senju and he was going to make sure that he would serve this village. The boy couldn't simply be left alone…not when he could still be useful to the village.
Away from tense atmosphere in the Konoha cemetery, Minato was fighting against the dreaded bundles of paper that was laid in front of him which significantly increased in numbers due to the recent attack of the beast. Dark circles underneath his eyes displayed the sleepless nights he endured so her could finish the work at the earliest.
A small smile marred his face when he pictured his wife and their beautiful children. But then he remembered that his wife was currently furious at him for his attempted self-sacrifice, and he shivered as the image of his enraged wife came to mind. Letting aside his thoughts for another time, he dedicated all his time so he could finish his work before they further increase in numbers.
"Minato! We got a major problem!"
Minato almost spilled the ink all over his desk when the door was suddenly opened with a familiar voice reaching his ears. Looking over, he saw his sensei with an expression that seemed as if the man had lost his purpose in this world.
"What is it, sensei?"
"Due to the demon fox's attack, all the village's hot springs were destroyed. How could this happen?!"
The Hokage's mouth twitched in annoyance as he watched his sensei's antics. Jiraiya stopped his childishness the expression on his face turned completely serious which made Minato a little uncomfortable. His mentor was always found with a grin on his face, what could make this man turn completely serious?
"I've heard about what happened to Sarutobi-sensei."
Jiraiya's words brought deep anguish within the young Kage. During his training with his mentor, he had tales of Hiruzen's greatness and knew how much the man in front of him adored the village's former leader.
Had he been more careful, the old man would've still been alive.
He didn't notice a palm landing on his shoulder as he looked up and noticed his sensei smiling at him. He could see the pain his sensei was going through but was unable to do anything.
"It's alright, Minato. Sensei did what he had to do for the sake of this village. You were about to do the same until he stopped you. How is being a father coming along?"
"With all this work piled up, I hardly get enough time to see them. Whenever I look at Menma and Airi, I remember the words that man spoke before he vanished and Kushina being weak due after the extraction of the fox only increases my worries."
"Do you have any idea who could that person be?"
Jiraiya was someone who took every detail into account and he was positive that there was not a single Uchiha or anyone else alive who was skilled enough to put the fox in a genjutsu.
"I…don't know, right now. I have my suspicions that he could be Madara Uchiha, but that man died a long time ago."
"It'd be best if you could allocate one of your ANBU to watch over Kushina and the kids. Something tells me that wouldn't be the last of that man's appearance."
Minato nodded his head as he was already planning on doing something similar. Since Kakashi was already assigned to watch Kushina during her pregnancy, it'd be best for him to continue his role of watching over them.
"One more thing, Minato…"
Jiraiya paused, wondering whether the conversation might be problematic later.
"I think it's best for you to prepare Menma and Airi to be able to control the fox's chakra. This was the first time in this village's history that the Jinchuriki's seal was designed to harness the beast's power."
Minato nodded his head as he understood his sensei's implications. Both sealing formula on Kushina and Mito were designed to completely seal its chakra and make sure that the fox's presence never leaked. Although he understood Sandaime's intentions, it doesn't mean he was happy from it. He didn't want any of his children to be targeted for being a Jinchuriki or be treated as a weapon to the village.
"The purpose of the seal on Naruto is identical to Kushina's. So, there wouldn't be any chance of the fox's presence leaking from him even if the demon fox is stripped of its chakra. This narrows down the masked man's target to Menma and Airi, who possess tremendous amounts of its chakra. Just make sure that Menma and Airi are ready for what's to come."
With that said, Jiraiya exited the room as he leapt out of the window leaving the Hokage to continue with his work. The conversation left deep imprints on both the mentor and student.
Author Notes:
There's chapter two hope you like it. I plan on writing a few chapters on the village's politics and other aspects of the village, something that the canon left out due to majority of the plot focusing on Naruto. There will also be minority of the village that would oppose Minato's ruling as the leader (Uchiha, Danzo's men and the elders) who would play important roles in the future chapters. To narrow down the power balance between the villages, you will notice many OC's being revealed as the story continues. I also didn't like the way Karin and his mother suffered in the original so I've chosen to make Orochimaru as their mentor/guardian who would use them for the sensory skills rather than their medical abilities. You will also notice Kushina being severely weakened in this story rather than the canon where she would've died due to the extraction later if it hadn't been for saving Naruto from Kurama. (Obito praised Kushina would not die instantly due to her powerful life force)
My plans for the military strength of the villages (before Kurama's attack):
Kumogakure Konohagakure Iwagakure Kirigakure Sunagakure
Although this isn't accurate as compared to the canon, I'm intending on following this ranking for my story since I've always felt Kumo to have exceptional shinobi who weren't mentioned due to the story focusing on Naruto and Konoha. Valuable criticism would be appreciated.