Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
"Human Talking"
Human Thoughts
Jutsus
"Tailed Beast/Summoning animal Talking"
Tailed Beast/Summoning animal Thoughts
CHAPTER 28
The Forgotten Hero
After the performance of both the Hyuga heiress and Yamanaka heiress left the audience in shock at the ruthlessness they showed for each other, the skill assessment session was concluded. Shortly as the session concluded Tsunade and Shizune appeared at the Ninja academy to take Naruto back home. When they were about to exit the academy training grounds Tsunade just took a brief glance over her shoulder towards the two girls. One of them had a bruising cheek while the other had a bruising forehead, but still both girls didn't even care to look at each other and kept walking forward towards their own respective homes.
If those two can show the same dedication to become serious kunoichis, then the future generation will have two tough kunoichi to look up to. were the thoughts of Tsunade as she made a note in her mind to check the progress of Hyuga heiress and Yamanaka heiress at a later point of time.
Meanwhile Shizune's mind was busy in her own thoughts. She took a side glance at Naruto and thought May be my little brother can get a successful date soon, unlike me.
As Naruto left with his family, everybody else also started their own dash towards their homes. Tonton and Eevee just ran off to their home leaving Tsunade, Shizune and Naruto behind, as these three have decided to simply enjoy the walk back to their home. When Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune were on their way back to home, they saw the entrance for the shinobi burial grounds on the left side of the path. Naruto felt the familiar chakra signature of Kakashi in the burial grounds and felt the regret and sorrow the Jounin was feeling. Naruto stopped walking beside his mother and turned left side and entered the burial grounds. Tsunade just rose an eye brow and followed her son along with Shizune.
The blond boy stood near a tree which was 50 feet away from where Kakashi was standing. Eventually his mother and sister also joined him in observing the Jounin. All the shinobi who fell in battle field were given a respectful final resting place, a proper gravestone and also their names were respectfully carved on the Leaf Village's Memorial stone.
But Kakashi was standing before a grave which was not even given a proper gravestone, and it was away from all the shinobi graves. The grave that Kakashi kept on staring with regret, just has a normal boulder to mark the grave. Naruto kept on watching Kakashi until the Jounin released a sigh and left the burial grounds without even knowing that he was being observed by the Senju family.
After Kakashi left, Naruto approached the grave that Kakashi kept on staring at and kneeled in front of it. He tried to read the name etched on the boulder. "Sakumo Hatake…?" Naruto read the name aloud.
"Sakumo Hatake – The White Fang of The Leaf Village." Shizune answered her brother's unasked question and when she saw Naruto turn to look at her with a questioning gaze she continued again, "It was said that even The Three Legendary Sannin paled in comparison to The White Fang of The Leaf."
"Wow… He is really that badass?" Naruto asked his mom with excitement to know more about this person.
Tsunade just nodded confirming what Naruto said, "He was the reason why Sand village still fears to even think of attacking the Leaf village."
"Whoa…! He must be really coo…" Naruto stopped mid-sentence when something clicked in his mind and he turned his head back to look over his shoulder at all the other shinobi gravestones on one side and then tuned back to look at Sakumo' s grave to see its all alone and without a proper gravestone. Naruto felt like someone intentionally separated Sakumo from being buried along with other fallen shinobis.
Naruto kept on staring at the name 'Sakumo Hatake' and then started saying without looking back, "If he is really such a great shinobi like you say…" he then took a pause to stand up and turn around to face his mother, "…then why is there no proper respect given to his final resting place, which was supposed to be given to all other fallen shinobis..?" Naruto asked referring to the absence of a proper gravestone and Sakumo Hatake's grave being alone and separated from the rest of the shinobi graves.
Tsunade released a regretful sigh thinking about all the things that happened back then and decided to reveal the harsh truth to her son, "Sakumo Hatake - The White Fang of The Leaf village was given a dangerous top-secret mission to lead, deep behind the enemy lines…"
(The Hokage Cabin…)
"Can we really trust those two Uchihas...?" The war hawk Danzo questioned his longtime rival Hiruzen suspiciously.
Third Hokage Hiruzen and his three advisors Koharu, Homura and Danzo were present in the Hokage cabin, which was still in effect of the silencing seal that will make sure that no outside noise has a chance to enter inside the cabin and no inside noise has a chance to get out of the cabin.
"Uchihas can never be trusted…" Homura said adjusting his glasses.
"Our sensei was always right for not believing in the Uchihas…!" Koharu said shaking her head in disappointment.
"Our sensei may be right about not trusting in some Uchihas, but he also believed that not all of them are bad. Tobirama sensei himself had put his complete trust in an Uchiha and made him one of his personal team members. I don't think you three have forgotten about Kagami, have you?" Hiruzen questioned exhaling some smoke from his pipe.
"Kagami was our dear friend and he was a true Leaf shinobi…" surprisingly it was Danzo who said it. Koharu and Homura also nodded at the statement given by Danzo. All four of them still remember the fond memories of their old teammate, who was the only Uchiha ever to be acknowledged by The Second Hokage – Tobirama Senju himself.
Hiruzen then released a sigh and said, "That's why I intend to take this leap of faith and trust in these two Uchihas to sort out this Uchiha problem before it gets out of hand." He took a pause to put down his smoking pipe on the table and continued again, "I believe that I sense the same thing in those two Uchihas that Tobirama sensei also sensed in our friend Kagami…"
"And that is..?" Homura questioned.
Hiruzen turned around in his chair to watch the Hokage Monument through the window in the room and a genuine smile found its way on his lips. "The Will of Fire…." Hiruzen said answering Homura's question.
Koharu and Homura understood his reasoning and nodded their heads agreeing to Hiruzen's idea of handling the Uchiha problem.
But when Hiruzen was still looking at the Hokage stone heads, he suddenly noticed a flock of predator birds like golden eagles, bald eagles, hawks, falcons, harpies eagles and other species of large predator birds flying erratically in the sky over a certain place through the glass window in the room. Also, when he inched closer to the window and looked down, he found that the trees surrounding the village seemed like they were being bended by an unknown force of nature.
"What's happening...!?" Koharu questioned with surprise as she also noticed the strange phenomenon.
It was then that Hiruzen decided that it was best to cancel the silencing seal to know what's happening in the village. But as soon as the silencing seal was removed, all of them heard the wind howling in an ominous way. It was like the wind god himself is very angry at something.
"That place is the shinobi burial ground of the leaf village…" Homura said identifying the place from where this strange phenomenon is originating.
(A Few Moments Ago… Shinobi Burial Grounds….)
Naruto just found out the truth about what happened to The White Fang of The Leaf and his rage started boiling inside him. He unknowingly started channeling his rage and his chakra started to respond, releasing waves upon waves of potent killing intent.
Shizune was a little bit nervous at what her little brother will do now after learning what the village did to Sakumo, whereas Tsunade just seemed unfazed as she kept on looking at her son.
It seemed like Mother Nature also shared his rage as almost all the large predator birds started screeching and flying over the burial grounds demanding justice. And the wind also picked up pace and howled in an ominous way and started to flow with tremendous force bending everything in its path, originating from the shinobi burial ground.
(Across All Other Parts of The Leaf Village…)
Each and every citizen in the Leaf village noticed the strange phenomenon and soon they were forced to brace themselves as the wind hit them on full force.
Many shinobi noticed it and immediately approached the Hokage tower to report, but since Hiruzen was involved in a secret meeting with silencing seal in effect, they could not report this phenomenon to their leader.
(At Present… Hokage Cabin…)
"What kind of a disaster is this...!?" Koharu uttered as she heard the terrifying wind and the bird screeches as soon as the silencing seal was removed.
Soon a Chunin barged into the cabin and kneeled, "Pardon Hokage-sama…!" The Chunin apologized for his sudden intrusion.
"No need of an apology… But report what's going on…" Hiruzen said authoritatively.
"A sudden wind started to originate from the shinobi burial grounds and we tried find out why, but we cannot approach the burial grounds as the sheer force of the wind gets too much as we try to get close to the place."
"I see…" Hiruzen muttered thinking about what to do to find out the reason for the strange phenomenon. But none of them noticed the disappearance of Danzo among them.
(Back At The Shinobi Burial Grounds….)
It seemed that the terrifying wind that shared the rage of Naruto doesn't affect his mother or his sister as they were unfazed by the wind apart from their hair flowing in the wind lightly. Seeing the lack of surprise or shock on the faces of both Tsunade and Shizune, it is now crystal clear that this is not the first time they are witnessing something like this.
Tsunade calmly kneeled in front of her son unfazed by the chakra he was emitting or his killing intent because it was not directed at her. "Don't let your anger to control you…"
Even though Tsunade said lowly, Naruto heard it loud and clear. He seemed to somewhat calm down, but the wind is still howling ominously, and the birds are still screeching angrily responding to his anger.
"But mom… What was done to him was wrong…" Naruto said with sadness and slight anger.
"Yes… But you can't do anything about it as long as your rage takes control over you…" Tsunade chided her son.
That seemed to calm him as the wind settled and the birds started calming down too and returned to their nests.
"Mom…?" Naruto said after he completely calmed down.
"Hmmm…?"
"lets go and meet grandpa Hokage… I have something to talk to him…" Naruto said turned towards the direction that leads to the Hokage tower and started walking.
Knowing what her son is gonna do now, she just laughed to herself and said, "Alright…" she then followed her son along with Shizune who is also smiling cause her brother is calmed down now.
(Hokage Cabin…)
While Hiruzen was still thinking about the reason for the strange phenomenon, the wind and the birds suddenly settled down. He seemed genuinely curious now but another Chunin barged in to the room and kneeled.
"Hokage-sama… The Senju Family is here to see you…" reported the Chunin.
That seemed like a genuine surprise for Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura as they didn't expect them to be here when there is a situation like this. "Send them in…" the aged Hokage said. Both Chunins present in the room left leaving the Hokage alone with Koharu and Homura.
Soon the door to the Hokage cabin was ripped off from its walls as Naruto pushed it and he then let the door to fall on the adjacent wall.
"Lady Tsunade… What's the meaning of this…? This is disrespectful and can be considered an attack on the…" Homura started saying but was interrupted by the Slug Sannin who said, "My son here has something to talk to you two and the Hokage…" She then turned to her son who nodded without even looking at her, so she continued again, "…and after the discussion, whatever happens will decide whether the Senju Clan will be a Leaf village clan or not…"
That statement made the Hokage and the elders to get shocked at the imminent warning hidden in it. The Aged Hokage was the first to recover from his shock and he immediately pointed to the chairs in front of his table and said, "Ok Tsunade… Have a seat and lets talk…"
Tsunade and Shizune took the seats but Naruto opted to stand instead. Tsunade got comfortable in her seat and gestured her son to carry on.
"Hokage-sama… I want to know what is 'The Will of Fire' that every Leaf shinobi is so proud about…?" Naruto questioned.
Hiruzen was initially surprised when Naruto called him Hokage-sama instead of the regular old man or grandpa and thought the discussion would be over some really nasty thing, but when Naruto said it was about 'The Will of Fire', a smile made its way on his lips and he sat down in his chair and gestured his old teammates to do the same.
"Naruto-kun… The Will of Fire is something that every Leaf shinobi has to protect their comrades, their loved ones and their next generations." Hiruzen said with pride.
"So those who protect their comrades, their loved ones and their next generations are those with 'The Will of Fire' and they will be remembered forever right…?" Naruto asked with absolute calmness.
To Hiruzen, Naruto's calmness felt like the calm before the storm. But he answered anyway, "Yes Naruto-kun…"
"Then why can't I see the name 'Sakumo Hatake – The White Fang of The Leaf Village' on the Leaf's memorial stone...?" the lack of anger in Naruto's voice made the question even more unnerving.
The room was filled with pin drop silence at the question. Eventually Koharu was the one who broke the silence by saying, "He was given a top-secret mission which he abandoned…." She couldn't complete her sentence as Naruto interrupted her by saying, "To save his comrades, his loved ones and his next generations…"
There was no answer from Hiruzen or the two elders to that statement. "He chose to save his comrades, his loved ones and his next generations by abandoning the mission… He rescued each and every one of them stuck in that life and death situation…" Naruto took a pause to calm his rage that started to raise again and continued, "Instead of giving him the proper respect for his efforts the entire village started blaming him, totally forgetting about this 'Will of Fire' that the Leaf village boasts about, and even those who were saved by him started to scorn him… So basically, a person who cannot even be defeated by The Three Legendary Sannin themselves was eventually defeated by his own comrades, his own loved ones and his own village."
The tension in the room's atmosphere became too much as everyone in the room knew whatever Naruto was saying was actually the harsh truth.
"So, I ask again… I want to know what is 'The Will of Fire' that every Leaf shinobi is so proud about…?" Naruto's question cut through the silence in the room like how a hot knife cuts through the butter.
"Naruto-san… You need to understand that a mission for the Leaf village is top prio…" Homura started saying but was interrupted by Tsunade who said, "A village is not a place… A village is its people… Save its people, you save the village… and if I'm not wrong that's what Sakumo Hatake did…" Homura had no answer for that statement.
"Why you people preach the younger generations about this 'Will of Fire' that you yourself can't accept…? Why boast about 'The Will of Fire' and then extinguish that fire by pouring salt water on it…?" with each and every word that Naruto kept on saying, his rage slowly started to build inside him, which triggered the sky predators once again as they are now flying on top of the Hokage tower with loud and angry screeches demanding answers causing the shinobi to be on high alert.
After a few very silent and tense moments later, Hiruzen just released a resigned sigh and said, "I know what you're trying to say Naruto-kun, but I don't have the power to determine everything…"
"You're the Hokage… And if the Leaf Village's Hokage cannot properly respect a Fallen Hero… Then I don't want to be a part of this village."
"You can't do that…!" Koharu shouted standing up throwing all her dignity out the window.
"Mom…?"
"Yes Naruto-kun...?"
"If Sakumo Hatake was not given the proper respect he deserves within the next 7 days, can I quit the Ninja Academy, and can we go back to Wave…?"
"That's not possible…!" Koharu shouted again.
"Yes, you can quit any time and we can return to Wave Naruto-kun..." Tsunade replied completely ignoring the outburst of Koharu.
"Naruto-kun wait… A Hokage does not have the autho…." Hokage started to say but was interrupted by Tsunade who said, "Then who does...? The Fire Daimyo...?"
I was about to say that the Civilian Council must agree to it first… Hiruzen thought but didn't say out loud.
As if she knew what was on her master's mind Shizune took out a small and empty scroll from her sleeves and handed it to Tsunade who started to write something in the scroll.
"What are you doing Lady Tsunade…?" Homura asked adjusting his glasses. But Tsunade ignored him and continued to write. After a few moments Tsunade finally finished writing and took out the Senju Clan seal and stamped the scroll with it.
When Tsunade still didn't answer "Lady Tsunade...?" Homura asked again.
"A message to The Fire Daimyo…" She finally replied which left the three others in the room apart from the Senju Family to be shocked. "Depending on his reply, The Senju Clan will decide whether to be a part of the Leaf village or to leave it…"
She then turned to her son and said, "Naruto-kun… This scroll needs to be delivered to The Fire Daimyo by this evening…"
That's all Naruto needed to hear as he replied, "I'm on it mom…" He approached the window and opened it. He then started whistling lightly and soon a Peregrine Falcon came through the window and landed gently on his extended forearm.
"Isn't that the fastest bird on the planet...?" Koharu asked dumbfounded.
"It is…" Hiruzen and Homura both replied at the same time wide eyed.
"Buddy…, Can you deliver this to The Fire Daimyo in the Fire Nation's capital city…?" Naruto asked the bird. The falcon gently opened its wings and made some light screeching noises. "Thank you…" Naruto said and attached the scroll to the bird's legs and let it go. The bird took flight and gone through the window in the direction of capital city of the Fire Nation.
He can talk to birds...? was the thought running though the heads of both Koharu and Homura.
Tsunade stood up once the falcon is gone and said, "The message will reach The Fire Daimyo by this evening, The Senju Clan will wait for his reply…"
With that the three Senju family members left the Hokage cabin, leaving behind the three shell shocked and aged people. As soon as the Senju Family left the Hokage tower the birds still screeching and flying over the Hokage tower had also calmed down and returned.
"The Uchiha Clan mess was not even sorted yet and now we have to worry about this Senju Clan issue too...?" Koharu almost shouted.
"No matter what the Era, Senju and Uchiha will always bring issues…" Homura stated rubbing his temples.
Despite the situation, Hiruzen can't help but laugh at how his old teammates just pointed out the funniest truth about the Senju and Uchiha causing issues always. Koharu and Homura looked at Hiruzen like he grew a second head when he started to laugh slightly.
(3 Days Later… The Leaf Village…)
Word had already spread throughout the village about how the Senju Clan stood up for the respect that was denied for Sakumo Hatake and all those shinobi who valued what Sakumo did have started to nod their heads in respect to the Senju family whenever they crossed paths with any member of the Senju family.
Danzo was getting nervous day by day as he heard that a message from the Senju Clan Head had been sent out for The Fire Daimyo, but he buried that deep inside his poker face very well.
A day after the fastest bird on the planet took flight towards the capital city, Hiruzen received a word from the capital city that one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas will be coming after two days to make security arrangements for The Fire Daimyo's stay in the village, as he is all set to visit The Leaf Village to overview the issue of Sakumo Hatake and The Senju Clan. Today is the day when one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas was supposed to arrive.
(Hokage Cabin…)
"You sure have become a man behind the desk old man…"
Hearing the familiar voice, Hiruzen lifted his head to see his son Asuma standing before him. He let a genuine smile to grace his face and asked, "So you are the Guardian Ninja that is supposed to make arrangements for the stay of Daimyo here...?"
"Yes, I am…" Asuma said and fished out a cigarette from his pocket and started smoking.
"I didn't expect that the Daimyo himself would visit to solve the issue though…" Hiruzen muttered out loud as he picked up a note and started writing something on it.
"Well that's because he is furious…"
That made Hiruzen to pause in his writing as he looked at his son and asked, "Furious…? Why...?"
Asuma took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled some smoke and then answered, "It's not my place to say… You'll know when he arrives…"
That made Hiruzen to raise an eyebrow, but nevertheless he finished writing in the note and handed it his son and said, "It has the hotel details where the Daimyo will stay… You can proceed with the security arrangements as you were instructed by the Twelve Guardian Ninjas."
Asuma took the note and turned around to walk away, but before exiting he looked over his shoulder and said, "Later old man…" and then he left, which caused the Hokage to smile and then go back to his paper work.
(2 Days After The Arrival of One of The Twelve Guardian Ninjas… The Leaf Village Gates...)
The Aged Third Hokage was waiting at the village gates to receive The Fire Daimyo cause today is the day of his arrival. Soon he spotted a Royal Horse Drawn Carriage being pulled by two pure white horses. The carriage was surrounded by nearly 50 samurai and the remaining 11 of The Twelve Guardian Ninjas were following the carriage with extreme caution from the tree tops.
The Carriage then stopped beside Hiruzen and The Fire Daimyo stepped out of the vehicle. The Fire Daimyo has small, circular eyes and dark pupils. He was also wearing the standard daimyo headpiece with the symbol of fire etched on to it. He was also holding a costly hand fan which he uses to fan himself.
"It's been a long time Daimyo-sama…" Hiruzen said extending a hand.
"Indeed, it is Hokage-sama…" Daimyo replied and took the offered hand and shook the Hokage's hand.
"Shall we proceed to your stay…?" Hiruzen offered.
"Yes…" The Daimyo replied and then they started their walk towards the hotel along with the samurai and the guardian ninjas who are now following the Daimyo from the roof tops and the group fell into a comfortable silence. The Daimyo was the first to break the silence and said, "Oh, and Hokage-sama… While I settle down at my stay here, I would like you to arrange a meeting with only the shinobi council within the next hour and tell me…" That request made Hiruzen to get a little surprised, but he didn't let it show on his face and he replied, "It will be done Daimyo-sama…"
After dropping The Fire Daimyo at his hotel Hiruzen summoned all shinobi clan heads for the meeting. Hiashi, Tsume, Shibi, Shikaku, Choza and Inoichi were among them and Tsunade also attended as she is now the Senju Clan Head. Every one noted the absence of the village elders and almost all of them knew why they were summoned because word travels fast and it's been already 5 days since The Senju clan called justice for Sakumo Hatake.
Murmurs started among the clan heads like Why only now, why not earlier...? What does the Daimyo has to say now...? Will Sakumo finally get the respect he deserves...?
"I know you all need answers but lets wait patiently for The Daimyo to arrive…" Hiruzen said out loud causing the murmurs to stop.
As if on que, the Daimyo arrived inside the council chamber with all 12 of his Guardian Ninjas. He took the seat reserved for him beside the Hokage and his Guardian ninjas took all sides of the room to ensure the safety of the Daimyo.
"Daimyo-sama… Now that you're here… Let us discuss whether you intend to agree or not to the condition set by The Senju Clan Head demanding the proper respect for Sakumo Hatake – The White Fang of The Leaf, with their clan's allegiance to the leaf village being at stake...?" Hiruzen asked respectfully referring to Tsunade's message to the Daimyo.
"I'm not here to say whether I agree to Senju Clan's condition or not…" Daimyo started saying while fanning himself which made Tsunade to get furious but before she can lash out, he continued again, "I'm here to discuss why I was not informed all those years back that Sakumo Hatake was wronged… Why was this hidden from me..?"
That one statement left the entire Council Chamber apart from the Daimyo and his 12 guardian ninjas to be shocked to their core.
"What are you saying Daimyo-sama…? I wrote a personal letter to you when Sakumo was denied the proper respect after his death… I plead to you in that letter that during the war time civilian council had the funds that the village needed, and they denied the proper respect for him as they considered him the cause for major losses of The Leaf Village and they said they would cancel funding needed for the war if we give him a place in the memorial stone. I plead to you in that letter to lend some help from the capital city, so we can cancel the Civilian Council as we would no longer need their funds to win the war and we will be able to give proper respect for each and every shinobi who fell in battle."
This time it was the Daimyo who got wide eyed and he said, "Hokage-sama… In the letter I received from you, you said that you have all the funds needed to win the war and don't need any additional funding from the capital…"
The room was filled with murmurs again and Tsunade started suspecting that someone must have been intercepting the messages between Hokage and the Daimyo.
Hiruzen couldn't believe it, If the Daimyo was to be believed then someone intercepted the messages between him and the Daimyo and the Daimyo didn't even know about Sakumo until now.
"With all due respect, can I see the message that was delivered to you Daimyo-sama..?" Tsunade asked to which the daimyo nodded and Asuma approached Tsunade and handed her a very worn and old looking scroll that has the Hokage seal on it.
Tsunade unfurled the scroll and started reading through the contents of the scroll. After a few moments she closed it and said, "It seems that Daimyo-sama is indeed saying the truth, this scroll says that the Leaf village has enough funds to carry out war for 5 more years and does not need any additional funding. There is no mention of Sakumo Hatake anywhere in this scroll. And also, this is not Hokage-sama's hand writing. No offence for suspecting that you could be lying Daimyo-sama." She then handed the scroll to her sensei.
"None taken…" Daimyo replied fanning himself. When Hiruzen started inspecting the scroll, he found out that even though the hand writing is not his, the Hokage seal was genuine which means someone within the higher ranks of the village had intercepted the message sent by him to the Daimyo. He had a suspicion who might have done it.
"Sorry for this mistake Daimyo-sama… I think our messages were being intercepted…" aged Hokage said with a regretful sigh thinking that for all these years Sakumo could have gotten the respect he deserved.
"It doesn't matter anyway… Now, will The White Fang of The Leaf – Sakumo Hatake be given the proper respect he deserves and be treated as a hero he is, or should the Senju Family start packing their bags and leave the Leaf village forever...?" Tsunade asked.
"He will absolutely be given the respect he deserves and if the Leaf village denies him that respect this time too, then Fire Nation will withdraw all of its funding to the Leaf village and I will then erect a monument myself in respect for Sakumo Hatake in the Capital City to honor his great deeds." Daimyo made his point clear by giving an underlined threat.
"I don't think it will come to that Daimyo-sama… We can finally show the respect to our own fallen comrade, without the fear of lack of funding from Leaf's civilian council…" Shikaku Nara asked trying to find out if the Daimyo will help or not if the Civilian Council decides to pull back their funding to the village.
Daimyo caught on to what Shikaku is trying to ask and laughed, "Nara clan members are geniuses indeed. No need of worrying about the funding, as long as The Leaf Village walks on the path set by The First Hokage – Hashirama Senju, funding will be given from the Fire Nation capital whenever it is needed."
"Then it is settled… We will give the proper respect for Sakumo Hatake's final resting place and etch his name on Leaf village's memorial stone and erect a monument in his honor in the training ground 44 to show our acknowledgement for all the great deeds he did for the village." Hiruzen said feeling genuinely happy and the entire council chamber was filled with joy at the long-awaited acknowledgement being given to their fallen comrade.
A spiky silver haired anbu hidden in one of the corners of the room, who was stationed there for the security of the Hokage, let some happy tears to fall from his eyes and he was thankful to his anbu mask, cause his image would be damaged if someone saw him crying. Father... Your Will of Fire is finally being acknowledged… "Thank you Tsunade-sama, Thank you Shizune-san and Thank you Naruto-kun…" He said lowly, which Tsunade heard even among all the cheers in the room and she nodded in his direction letting him know that she heard him which made him smile genuinely behind his mask after so many years.
(That Night… Unknown Underground Base…)
Danzo was sitting in his darkly lit throne room in the under-ground Root base, thinking about all the heroic respect that Sakumo Hatake will receive from now on.
If he gets this much heroic and historic respect by the Daimyo himself then each and every Leaf Shinobi will start walking in his footsteps and thrive to protect their comrades instead of trying to complete the missions, which will be the downfall of The Leaf Village. All that careful message interceptions all those years back have all gone to waste. Now, how to manipulate things to be in the Leaf village's favor...? were the thoughts running rampant in the mind of the war hawk Danzo.
Soon another person came inside the room which made Danzo to get shocked, but he hid it very well and asked, "How did you know about this place...?"
"I know each and every Root base you have… In fact, I can kill you where you stand right now for what you did…" The other person said.
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Danzo said trying to act innocent.
"Even though I knew you are essentially an evil person, I've let you run free with your Root anbu division only because I thought you were a necessary evil needed for the safety of the village." Then the person came into light revealing that it was Hiruzen Sarutobi - The Third Hokage. He then continued again, "But if you ever go behind my back again, then I will fertilize The Leaf Village with your body parts and then I will merge all your Root agents into the regular shinobi forces once your seal on them gets destroyed as soon as you die." He made his point clear.
Danzo can tell that it was not an empty threat, he knew that Hiruzen can actually kill him where he stood right here and right now. A few tense moments later Danzo finally replied, "Fine…"
Without even saying a word Hiruzen disappeared back into the shadows leaving Danzo to rethink his strategy about how he can get away without coming under the radar of Hiruzen for what he planned for the Uchiha clan.
Author's Notes:
The Forgotten Hero has finally been acknowledged… The very first achievement for our hero Naruto Senju in his journey to create a better world…
Sorry for the late update… I was really busy with my job and could not concentrate on writing... But thanks for waiting patiently…
Since this is my fanfiction, I will be making some major and minor changes to the original story as I see fit for my fanfiction to evolve… Hopefully you all will like the changes I am gonna do in future…
Thanks in advance for all my readers for giving your support…
This was my first ever fanfiction. Please leave your valuable opinions in reviews. Next chapter will be coming soon, Dattebayo.