Chapter 7: The Birth of an Alliance
"So be it, I Uchiha Madara and my group the Akatsuki declare war on the ninja world. Prepare yourselves for the Fourth Great Ninja War" proclaimed Madara.
"Another Ninja World War? Are you serious!?" asked the Tsuchikage.
"I'm not a fool Onoki, I'm not someone who will say something like this is jest" replied Madara, "I suggest that all of you prepare because the next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield and blood will be spilt" he continued.
Madara then looked at the five Kages in front of him one last time before he vanished with one of his portals.
Once the last of the Akatsuki were gone, Onoki sighed stressfully and muttered "Oh Kami, what now?"
"We must form an alliance; this is the only way we stand a chance of defeating Akatsuki and their Biju. We were speaking about this earlier on, and I think we could all agree that to combat Akatsuki we will need the combined efforts of the five nations" Naruto declared.
"I agree we need to form this alliance and settle this dispute with the Akatsuki as quickly as we possibly can. It seems that no harm has also come to my brother, but it will soon..." added the Raikage in a dark and sickly voice.
Mei looked at her fellow Kages with a firm resolve and declared "I refuse to have Akatsuki to have their way any longer, my nation has suffered because of them and we plan on punishing them for their actions against Kirigakure".
The bodyguards all watched the determination and resolve of the five Kages and they couldn't help but feel inspired and safe, if the five nations joined together then there was nothing that could stop them, not even the Akatsuki.
Naruto couldn't resist the smile forming on his face; this was the first step towards achieving peace. Though they had to go through war to achieve it, at least the five nations were now banding together for a common cause, this was a huge achievement in itself.
They went back to the Summit Venue and everyone began taking their seat with the last one being Naruto.
Mifune watched the Hokage finally take his seat, now the meeting could finally commence.
"Well now that everybody is here I suggest we continue where we left off, are there any objections?" he asked to which there was no reply, "I have made a final decision as to who should lead the alliance and I fully stand by my decision. I hope all of you respect and understand why I have chosen this individual to lead the alliance" he continued.
The Five Kages nodded and all have been waiting in anticipation to see who would lead this historic alliance, each of them believed that they were best suited for the position but in the end only Mifune had the final say on the matter.
Mifune glanced around the room to examine the Kages but in the end his eyes landed on Naruto, "I had many factors helping me determine my decision but in the end I've chosen the Hokage to lead this alliance" he declared.
The Five Kages all looked surprised by Mifune's choice, but none more so than Naruto himself. Onoki and A could not believe that Naruto was chosen, after seeing his ability in battle they came to respect him as a Kage despite his age, but for him to now also lead the alliance was baffling. Once again his age was a concern since he was just sixteen years old; he was not even an adult. Not only was that concerning but Naruto had just been newly appointed as the Hokage a month ago.
Mei was surprised but not to the extent of the two elder Kages, she didn't expect Mifune to choose the blonde Hokage but she didn't have any problem with Naruto's appointment either. She had seen Naruto's abilities and leadership first-hand, from that she could see Naruto's potential and why he had been chosen.
Gaara felt the same way as Mei, having known Naruto for a long time he was confident that Naruto would find a way to succeed as the leader of the alliance. It was funny how things changed over a course of a few years, it felt like yesterday that Gaara was defeated by Naruto during the Chunin Exams in Konoha and now a few years later they were the Kages of their respective villages. Not only that but Naruto took it one step further and he was now also the leader of the five nations' alliance.
Naruto was simply left speechless; he couldn't utter one word at being chosen as the leader of the alliance. He honestly didn't think he would be chosen, but now Mifune had given him the incredible responsibility of leading the alliance. This appointment in itself simply added more pressure and responsibility to Naruto, he was just getting used to being Hokage and now he had to also lead not only his village but the alliance of the five nations. At this point in time all of this was becoming too overwhelming for Naruto.
Mifune saw the shocked expressions of the Five Kages and sighed, he should have expected such a reaction from them, "Please let me explain my decision first as to why I chose you as the leader of the alliance. I honestly did take everyone into consideration but in the end I saw you as most fitting to lead the alliance" he said before staring at the Raikage.
"Raikage-sama, I decided against you because I believe you are too prone to anger. You showed it earlier during the meeting, your emotions were too quick to cloud your judgement. You also rely too heavily on your strength rather than your words to do the talking" he explained.
A sighed in defeat knowing that Mifune was correct in his judgement, he didn't want to admit it but the elder Samurai was right, his emotions did tend to get influence and alter his decisions too much.
"As for you Tsuchikage-sama, you may have had the most experience and knowledge among the five Kages but your morals have been put into question. You've admitted to have used Akatsuki before and just from that alone I cannot have you lead our fight against the Akatsuki. But aside from that you have been too prideful and overconfident in some regards and this has also clouded your judgement in key moments" told Mifune to Onoki.
Onoki huffed in frustration, much like the Raikage he could see why he wasn't chosen. He had to admit that he was disappointed but he couldn't really argue with Mifune's logic, he was quite accurate with the description of his flaws and looking back at it he begins to regret having used Akatsuki as mercenaries in the past.
Then Mifune turned to the Mizukage, "I considered you as one of the front-runners for this position. You have proven yourself as a worthy individual to lead us but unfortunately you are stationed in Kirigakure. I do not mean to insult Kirigakure but you don't have relations with any village as of now. As you know this poses a risk for us if you are chosen as the leader of our alliance. I hope you understand my decision, although Kiri has been reformed with your revolution, unfortunately it is still likely plagued with the remnants of its former society" he said.
Mei nodded in understanding, she felt somewhat disappointed but she could see why it was risky for her to be chosen as the leader of the alliance. But at the same time she understood Mifune's points and reasons against her, the logic and reasoning for his explanation was more than fair.
Then Mifune's attention landed on both the Kazekage and the Hokage and a smile appeared on his face as he stared at the two young Kages, 'The future looks bright with these two at the helm' he thought to himself. He had confidence in the two young men and he firmly believed that they had what it took to be great.
"I must say, choosing between the two of you was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do, in the end I saw both of you as the prime candidates for this position. I took your ages into consideration at first but in the grand scheme of things they did not affect my decision whatsoever. The both of you have shown leadership qualities ahead of your years, but the two of you have shown those qualities in very different manners"
Both Naruto and Gaara were intrigued by Mifune's statement, they honestly both thought that Mifune would have chosen either Onoki or A because of their seniority and experience in such matters, but in the end it was apparent that age had no effect on Mifune's choice. In fact both were even flattered to learn how highly the old samurai thought of them, they felt proud in the manner they conducted themselves during this very day. The two quickly shook off the thoughts in their head as they listened intently towards Mifune's reasoning and explanation.
"Both Konoha and Suna have led the charge in fighting the Akatsuki, although Suna has a past for their involvement with Orochimaru, I saw it more as a form of trickery from the Snake Sannin. In recent years only Konoha and Suna have stood up against the Akatsuki, while unfortunately Iwa, Kiri and Kumo have been linked with the Akatsuki in one way or another. This also played a part in my final decision but this was not the only reasons I took both of you into serious consideration" said Mifune.
He breathed in a deep breath, he had many reasons as to why the decision boiled down on the two of them but he decided to simply summarize his explanation.
"Kazekage-sama, from what I have seen today I could tell that you are more of a silent leader who leads by example. You have a maturity and poise well above your years and I was very impressed by the manner in which you conducted yourself today. Frankly in my choice between you and the Hokage there was no wrong answer. Either one of you could lead this alliance, but in the end I had to make a choice for only one individual and I saw the Hokage as the best fit for this position"
Naruto glanced at his longtime friend with an apologetic look on his face and the two exchanged nods as a sign of respect. Gaara had no problem in having Naruto lead the alliance, he trusted his friend enough to know that although Naruto may be lacking in certain departments, he knew that Naruto would do his best no matter what. He knew that Mifune had chosen the right man to lead them.
The Hokage then turned all his attention to Mifune, he now awaited for the reasons he was chosen above the Kazekage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage and Raikage.
"Finally my decision ended with you Hokage-sama. When I talked about the Kazekage I mentioned that he led through example, you do the same but you also add another dimension to that. A while ago I studied everybody's actions during our confrontation with Madara. Our morale was shot down by Madara but you lifted us up, you were brave enough to stand up against Madara when no one else would, and you inspired us to fight rather than accept defeat. During your fight with Danzo we also saw your tactical ability. In the end you managed to edge out the Kazekage due to your ability to inspire people, both you and the Kazekage can lead through example but you have a more charismatic approach towards leadership and it can help rally our troops and encourage our soldiers. In times of war sometimes all we need is a little bit of inspiration, especially when things are not going our way. This is why I have chosen you as the leader of the alliance and this is my final decision, nothing can sway me to reconsider any other candidates for this position"
Naruto was left speechless once more, he didn't think that he had the qualities and traits of a true leader, to him his ability to motivate and inspire people came naturally. He had always been like that for as long as he could remember, but now it seemed that those abilities were needed in times like these. He always considered himself a charismatic individual but he never thought it would amount to something like this.
Mifune saw Naruto's stunned expression, "Hokage-sama could you please stand?" he ordered. Naruto nodded and stood up from his seat.
"Hokage-sama, do you accept the position of leader for the Allied Shinobi Forces?"
Naruto's eyes widened fractionally for a second as he realized that it all now came to this, he breathed in deeply and closed his eyes to adopt a contemplative expression, he quickly thought of the pros and cons in his mind. At this point in time he could still barely believe that he was leading his village as the Hokage, and now he was being chosen to lead the five villages to war against a terrorist group. The pressure of being Hokage in itself was insurmountable, and now he had to add the pressure of being the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Naruto felt intimidated by holding such a responsibility, but at the same time a voice in the back of his head told him that this was something he had to do.
Naruto thought back and wondered what his father would have done if he was placed in the same situation, he knew that his father would have manned up and accepted, hell he knew that all the past Hokages would have done the same. Naruto now came to the conclusion that if he wanted to be remembered as Konoha's greatest Hokage he had to do this, if he wanted to achieve and endorse peace then he had to do this, and if he wanted to stop the Akatsuki then he had to do this. Being the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces was not going to be an easy task, but then again Naruto was never known for taking the easy road.
With a steeled resolve, Naruto opened his eyes and stared at Mifune with a fire brightly burning in his eyes. Naruto suddenly stood tall with an air of confidence surrounding him, "I accept" he answered.
Mifune smiled as he quickly saw a new Naruto form right in front of him, he walked over to the Hokage's desk and offered to shake his hands. Naruto smiled in return and firmly shook the samurai's hands; this was symbolic because that handshake in a way represented Mifune's trust in Naruto.
Naruto looked around to see the reactions of the other Kages, from what he could tell both A and Onoki still seemed a bit skeptical about his appointment, this only served to inspire him further, he knew that he managed to gain some of their respect after they witnessed his fight with Sasuke and Danzo but now he needed to gain their full respect and trust. This was something Naruto looked forward to, his career had practically been based around him proving people wrong, and this was no different. The young Hokage was adamant in gaining the full respect and trust of his compatriots.
Once all the commotion was over, everyone returned to their previous stations, the meeting was coming close to an end.
"Now that we have resolved this appointment, are there any other concerns?" Mifune asked.
Surprisingly no Kage spoke but instead it was one of the Raikage's bodyguards, "I'm sorry for this intrusion but there is one matter I believe we must speak about" C declared.
"Very well then, please continue"
C bowed as a sign of respect, "Arigato Mifune-sama. I believe that we must make arrangements to track down Killer B, if the Akatsuki are still targeting the Hachibi and the Kyuubi then it's clear that they will continue to target Killer B".
A nodded in agreement, "Quite! C select a party at once and contact the village for them to begin the search" ordered A.
"Hai Raikage-sama"
"We should also inform Samui and her team, I'm sure the three of those would like to know about all this" advised Darui.
Naruto interjected "Raikage-dono, I will provide my ninjas Hyuga Neji and Inuzuka Kiba, if you are willing, their tracking skills are invaluable."
The Raikage thought about that for a minute and nodded.
Gaara then said "Now, Naruto, I believe we want answers."
Naruto looked around the room and saw that each Kage wanted answers from him; he sighed and said "My full name is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."
Every eye except Kakashi widened when they heard this, behind the Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi was raging as this was the son of 'that' man but was shut up by a glare from Onoki.
The Raikage then said "It explains why you have that blade, your mother humiliated and massacred us just like you father did with Iwa."
Suddenly the room grew colder, the Kages were sweating and their bodyguards were struggling to keep themselves on their feet, Naruto then said in a low voice "And who had the brilliant idea of slaughtering my clan because they were a potential threat."
Everyone was quite, Onoki and A knew they can't say anything to Naruto as they were wrong in the first place, Naruto then released his Killing Intent and said with a smile "I hope this clears any confusion, right Tsuchikage and Raikage."
Everyone just had one thought except Temari, Kurotsuchi and Mei 'Just like women, one moment Dangerous another moment Good.'
Everyone nodded and Gaara again said "Wait, so you are not a Senju."
Naruto shook his head as Gaara again said "So how you were able to do Mokuton and Suiton like that."
Everyone gasped, if Naruto had Mokuton, then it made him even harder to battle and it was no regular Kekkei Genkai.
Naruto then told them about his fight with Nagato and how he gave him Mokuton as for Suiton, he said "Nidaime-sama left some scrolls for anyone wanting to master Perfect Suiton Manipulation and being the Hokage, I got access to them, as for how I mastered it in such a small time, it's a secret."
Shikamaru then said "Hokage-sama, Sai gave me these scrolls and told me it's for you only" he then handed Naruto two scrolls.
He read the first one and then burned it with a Katon Jutsu, when he read the second one, he widened his eyes and said "In one month, the Shinobi alliance will meet at the new Headquarters in Konoha to discuss the further plans, I will give you your copy of this scroll and the directions of what you have to do in a few days, this is vital information and should be kept between you and your bodyguards only, not even the council should know about this. I don't want the Akatsuki on our tails now."
Everyone was surprised but nodded as they understood but were surprised once again as Naruto banged his head on the table and muttered "Baka, baka, baka" He said "Sensei, Shika, we have one more location to go before we return back to Konoha"
He then looked to the Raikage and said "Raikage-dono, I want to master my biju's power, after you find Bee-san, tell him everything; it will take me only a few months if I am sure."
A nodded and said "I assume you and Kyuubi have a great releationship as only then you can master your biju's power in a few months, otherwise, it could take years."
Naruto nodded and motioned for Mifune to end the meeting, after a few more seconds Mifune grabbed his gavel and banged it onto his table, "If that is all then I declare this Summit Meeting over" he said.
Naruto walked back over to Kakashi and Shikamaru while Onoki and his two bodyguards exited the summit. As Naruto approached his two bodyguards he noticed them chatting with Sand Siblings, Naruto walked closer and greeted the three once more.
For one final time Naruto shook hands with a Kage, this time it was his longtime friend the Kazekage. Gaara congratulated Naruto on his appointment and soon the group of friends continue to chat and catch up before they had to leave for Konoha and Suna respectively.
He looked over to Shikamaru and told him to tell Neji and Kiba about their new mission while also tell the girls about his 'situation'. Shikamaru nodded and left Naruto alone with Kakashi who then departed towards Ame as Naruto said that he would explain everything on the way.
With Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Karin and Sai
After Shikamaru told Neji and Kiba about their new mission, they went with the Raikage and now the team were returning back to Konoha at a steady pace, they stopped in one of Tetsu no Kuni's towns to rest as they were exhausted.
Shikamaru then told Sakura and Ino about Naruto's heritage and both were shocked, Sai was painting outside and Karin was given a drug to force sleep. He then said "Now as to why I am telling you this, well 3 words- C.R.A"
Sakura was confused but Ino gasped and said "That's why he wanted a relationship with me, I thought that how could he give up on Sakura so easily."
Sakura seemed lost and said "Can you explain what's going on, Ino-pig?"
Shikamaru interjected "Nidaime-sama made a law that if a person is the last of their clan, then they would have to marry before the age of 20 and if they are the last of 2 clans, then they will have to take 2 wives minimum and marry before 20. So you understand now, Naruto will have to marry 2 girls minimum and there's nothing he could do about it. You should have seen his face when he learnt about this."
Both seemed confused but Shikamaru just handed them a letter from Naruto.
They opened and read the letter
Dear Sakura-chan and Ino-chan
You already know my situation and also know that I was not at all happy when I learnt about this, because then your friendship would be broken again because of me because you will fight for my attention but I promise to give you my whole and undivided attention.
I chose both of you because you are simply the best and in my opinion, there is no girl better than you, but I would understand if you don't want this type of releationship, not many people have this kind of releationship.
With Love
Naruto
Both Sakura and Ino were once again stunned and thinking the same thing 'You always think of yourself as the burden baka.'
Sakura looked towards Ino and said "Ino, we ruined our releationship over a traitor, I don't want to do that again."
Ino nodded and said "Yeah, we have to show Naruto that we care for him and he is not a burden."
Sakura continued "When we return, I am sure Tsunade-sama will give us advice on what to do"
Ino nodded "Yes, she will definitely help us"
Meanwhile Shikamaru had only one thought in mind 'They are bossy, get angry quickly and are strong, Naruto, your situation is double Troublesome'
With Naruto and Kakashi
Both were going through high speeds towards Ame and decided to rest for a few minutes. Kakashi used this opportunity and asked "Naruto, why are e going towards Ame?"
Naruto just said three words which sent shivers and dread down Kakashi's spine.
"Rinnegan and Madara"
Kakashi quickly understood what Naruto meant and continued their journey towards Ame not hoping to be late.