Naruto
Naruto: Shadow Legion – Chapter 28 [ The Will of the Fallen ]
Disclaimer: I Do not own Naruto nor its Characters
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
Naruto nearly lost consciousness three or four times on their way back to the Konoha gates. Being carried by Ino, their group took a relatively slower pace, especially considering they had a now unconscious Jinchuriki in their midst.
"I… I am sorry" The words echoed in Naruto's mind as he contently watched the boy take a long-deserved rest, the Ichibi now too drained of chakra to abuse his mind according to the fox.
"Ino, we can slow down now." Kakashi informed as he slowed his ninja run to a casual walk as he landed upon a familiar path, one that Naruto knew all too well.
"Right." Ino replied as she joined the jonin on the ground, setting Naruto's feet onto the ground. "Any feeling?"
"Not really." Naruto answered sheepishly as he gave Ino a nervous giggle.
"Alright, come on." Ino stated in a playfully annoyed fashion as she hoisted Naruto onto her back, beginning to carry him the rest of the way.
"You could have just kept carrying me like you were." Naruto stated as the group began walking to the now in view gate.
"True, but I don't think carrying you in bridal style will do you any favors with the locals." Ino giggled as she readjusted Naruto on her back for a more comfortable walk.
"Well… yeah you have a point there." Naruto admitted as the pair quietly laughed to themselves.
"Who goes there?" a voice called out as they began coming closer to the gate, a few figures with weapons at the ready standing at the gate.
"This is Kakashi Hatake, I have one wounded and one prisoner!" Kakashi announced as they drew closer, the faces of Izumo and Kotetsu alongside a handful of more shinobi at their flanks.
"Another group!" Kotetsu shouted behind him as half of the shinobi disappeared behind the walls, the rest dropping their guard.
"Hey, that kid. He was one of the sand genin from the exams no?" Izumo asked as the four arrived at the gate.
"Yeah, we need to get him to wherever the emergency medical stations are so he can get a chakra blocker, and proper medical attention." Kakashi reported. "Also for my students' sake." He added, pointing a thumb back behind him to reference Naruto.
"Right." Izumo stated hesitantly, not taking his eyes off the Suna nin. "The Invasion has been repelled. Right now we're rounding up the remaining stragglers and moving them into the prisons. The only people we're bothering to aid are the higher-ranking shinobi that may have information. I wouldn't worry too much about—"
"We're taking him with us." Naruto said firmly to the gate guards.
"Listen kid." Kotetsu began softly. "I don't know if you hadn't noticed, but we're spread thin just taking care of our own, let alone the VIP's we're rounding up."
"I don't think you understand." Ino chimed in. "This kid is the son of the Kazekage, and a Jinchuriki to boot. He'sthe VIP of VIP's!"
"Wait what?!" Kotetsu said as he jumped back, drawing his kunai once more as several other shinobi began to gather around.
"Relax, he's exhausted both his and the Bijuu's chakra. He's unconscious…for now, so if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get him sealed as soon as possible." Kakashi calmed the two, throwing his rank around slightly to get them through the gate.
"Right." Izumo pronounced as he put a hand on Kotetsu's shoulder. "You have a point. The hospital staff as well as every trained medical nin have set up the emergency stations inside the shelter, I'll escort you to the closest entrance." Izumo explained as he turned to Kotetsu. "You can handle it out here for now, right?"
"Yeah." Kotetsu began to relax once more. "I got this, but get back quickly, we have a few more teams out there."
"Right." Izumo nodded as he gestured for the returning shinobi to follow him.
"So much for a hero's welcome." Ino said under her breath, causing Naruto to chuckle.
"Relax, so long as everyone's safe it doesn't matter." Naruto said quietly, causing Ino to sigh.
"You know, if you would not keep things from this village, it would save you a lot of trouble." Ino playfully scolded.
"Maybe, but what's the fun in that." Naruto replied with a sly grin, content in knowing that the invasion was over, and the threat not only pacified, but possibly turned for the better.
"IZUMO!" a nameless shinobi called out as he landed beside the gate guard, his expression steeled with dry tear marks on his face.
"Report?" Izumo questioned as the man looked up. Naruto was not prepared for what the man was about to say next.
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
"What's the patients status?" Hana asked not quite paying attention the first time as she finished wrapping Hinata's thigh following her procedure.
"The man lost an arm but most of our medics are running low on chakra. Being one of the few invaders we were wondering if you wanted us to go analog or just leave him." The nurse replied semi disappointed as despite being an enemy, her duty as a medical professional dictated she take action. Hana knew this as she gave her response.
"Have you properly applied the tourniquet?" Hana asked to a nod. "Give him some of our cheaper morphine and tell him it's the good stuff, maybe the placebo from that will help him until we can negotiate his trade back too…" Hana waited for the nurse to finish the sentence.
"The sound ma'am."
Hana sighed internally as she understood it was incredibly unlikely that the sound would do anything to help this man, understanding that his fate was inevitable either way. "Right, well you best get moving."
"R-Right!" The nurse agreed as she searched for the morphine, and leaving the tent that Hana was in.
"Chakra reserves still above half even after tending to the genin, I better get moving to some more patients." Hana thought as she looked around the ambush survivors, temporarily put under for the time being.
"You know that guy won't make it." Shikamaru stated quietly as he looked over his counterparts who drew the unlucky straw when it came to they're assignments.
"That's besides the point." Hana said calmly as she turned to leave the tent to find another injured shinobi.
"Why waste our resources then?" Shikamaru questioned, gaining Choji's attention.
"Hey, maybe we shouldn't question the prof—" Choji started before Hana turned back around, her messy bun she had adopted for operating starting to fall apart slightly due to its hasty creation.
"Because as one of the senior medical staff here, I need to show an example for all of our medical staff, not just our shinobi." Hana began. "Sure for me, killing is natural, hell I'd rather save the resources, but for her, she's a civilian who's sole purpose is to save others."
"Fair, but realistically it makes sense to focus on our own." Shikamaru countered as he looked down at his colleagues.
"Yeah, it does, but not everything we do is always 'realistic'. Sometimes we just do things despite it being… how would you put it… Illogical." Hana explained.
"Of course it had nothing to do with logic." Shikamaru sighed as he looked towards the emergency cocktail the medical staff made through the instructions within the bingo books. "I suppose that can be useful at times… although its more likely to be troublesome."
"That it is." Hana agreed as she messed with the boy's spiky hair. "Now I'm off to go find Sakura and help more injured, you stay here and—" Hana was about to turn to leave when she heard Sakura call her name.
"Hana sensei!" the girl called out as she came barreling through the crowd with a small group in tow.
"Sakura? What's the situation?" Hana asked quickly, understanding that in these emergency events hearing her name typically only meant one thing.
"They're back! They're back!" She exclaimed excited, some tear stains beneath her eyes as she watched Asuma and Zabuza follow behind her, each of them carrying an injured individual.
"Natsu! Get me three open cots!" Hana called out as she hastily fixed her hair into a bun, moving her equipment to an open space where three new cots were gathered. "What are their injuries?"
"Satsuki is suffering from plenty of internal damage, mainly broken bones, lacerations, and bruising. Her Chakra isn't critical, but its low. She's the most critical friendly" Sakura started, the last word in particular hanging in the air for a moment, Shikamaru holding onto it as she moved on. "Sasuke is only suffering from Chakra exhaustion, and his curse mark." Sakura paused before quickly shaking herself out of it. "He has minor cuts and bruises, but otherwise he'll survive. I'd recommend waiting for the other half of the recovery team to return with Kakashi so he can take a proper look at him." Sakura surmised quickly.
"Right, Natsu, you start healing the surface level of Sasuke, Sakura, we're going to get working On Satsuki ASAP!"
"There's still one more that we have special orders to treat." Zabuza chimed in as he laid the third boy down, the smudged but familiar purple warpaint on full display.
"You captured the other sibling?" Hana questioned as she looked over to a pair of idle medics, signaling for them to come over and handle the boy.
"Something like that." Zabuza replied cryptically.
"I'll ask him more about it later." Hana resolved as she looked at Sakura to give her the run down.
"He's in a worse state internally than Satsuki, crushed in an eerily similar manner but for much longer. He doesn't have the same lacerations, but if we don't act, he could die." Sakura explained as the new medics arrived to begin operating.
Hana briefly looked over to Shikamaru, internally smiling at the fact that he seemingly had no objections, instead watching the boy intently as the medics began their operation. "Alright then Sakura, get over here so we can start with Satsuki." Hana ordered as she began relieving Satsuki of any unnecessary layers, of course leaving the under suit she wore beneath her normal gear. "Shikamaru, get us a mobile covering!"
Snapping out of his concentration he left all his lazy tendencies to the side momentarily. "Right." He acknowledged as he ran of to find a covering for Satsuki so no wandering eyes could catch a glimpse of her operation.
"Until he gets back work on the legs while I take the hands and arms." Hana stated as she began slowly repairing the structural damage in Satsuki's shoulder. "Zabuza, what's the Status on the others?"
"Kakashi and Ino stayed behind once Naruto engaged the Bijuu. We hadn't gotten out of sight of the battle before we watched the beast fall. My guess is they'll arrive any minute now with Naruto and possibly the Jinchuriki in tow."
"Wait, Bijuu? As in the tailed beast itself?" Choji questioned in a mild panic.
"Yes and no." Asuma began to explain. "The Bijuu wasn't released but using the boy's body as a conduit for its power. Naruto was seemingly able to defeat it, but we're unsure how." Asuma explained as Hana briefly lost focus for a moment before focusing on the task at hand.
"Based on the state he was in when we got there and based on the summoning jutsu he preformed with his own demonic chakra, I'd say that he's going to be in critical levels of chakra exhaustion with mild injuries otherwise." Zabuza speculated. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check up on my team."
"They were moved into tent C with the other prisoners." Natsu pointed out as she finished up on Sasuke's minor wounds.
"What do you mean other prisoners?" Zabuza questioned with a hint of malicious intent.
"Well one of your team members refused to leave the side of one of the redesignated prisoners. Thus they decided to locate patients Meizu and Haku to the tent for simplicity's sake. I apologize for my poor choice of words." Natsu elaborated.
"Redesignated? You can't be talking about Kin, can you?"
As Hana finished Satsuki's arm, she turned to Zabuza. "For the time being, yes. As a shinobi of the sound she is being temporarily detained. But—"
"Didn't we make it pretty clear she wasn't a sound shinobi after the raid on the compound? Or did you forget that little exercise." Zabuza questioned in an accusatory tone.
"Mind yourself Momochi. She knows all to well what happened." Asuma jumped in, having been briefed on the situation, and more importantly the casualties.
"Relax Asuma." Hana explained, knowing the rest of the information. "Like I said it's temporary. I already have her word for full cooperation. Once she's been interviewed by Anko and Ibiki she will be released into my care as her doctor, and subsequently returned back to her previous status."
"Right." Zabuza stated skeptically as he turned to find his team.
"Well he seemed as irritable as ever." Asuma commented, not really enjoying the man's company or temperament.
"On the contrary, I think we're making progress." Hana admitted.
"How so?"
"Well he seems to have taken concern with another long-lost shinobi in our midst. A little uncharacteristic for the demon, no?" Hana stated as she swiftly made quick work of Satsuki's other arm.
Asuma thought for a moment as the realization hit him. "I don't know if it's gonna be that easy." Asuma said skeptically as he caught a glimpse of a familiar face. "Kakashi!" He exclaimed in relief, causing the doctor's attention to shift.
"What happened?" She asked herself as she saw what she expected to be light-hearted faces stoned in expression, Kakashi wincing at the sound of Asuma's voice.
"I have the curtain." Shikamaru expressed as he began to cover Satsuki from public view.
"Sakura, begin preparations for her treatment. Shikamaru, Choji, come with me." Hana expressed carefully as she left the curtain walls, leading the confused boys over to their sensei. "Kakashi? What happened?" Hana questioned, taking Asuma off guard.
"Weird right? I expected a lot more cheers because of the successful mission." Asuma stated as he scratched his head.
"H-Hana sensei…" Ino stammered out.
"Something is very wrong." Hana thought as she moved towards Ino.
"Could you take Naruto and Gaara to the tent? They need medical…" she forced out as she let Naruto down, transferring the boy to her as she signaled for another medic to take the boy Gaara first.
Hana quickly felt Naruto's grip tighten around her shoulders. "You should stay… this is important." He said as she felt a teardrop land on her shoulder.
"What's going on?" Asuma questioned, becoming much more concerned.
"Asuma, this is going to be difficult…" Kakashi started, his tone of voice solemn as Ino quickly ran forward, embracing her mentor in a tight hug as tears began to stream down her face.
"Ino? What's wrong?" Choji asked in a panic as he and Shikamaru came to her side.
"We only found out on the way here but…" Kakashi continued. "It's lord third. He…" Kakashi stopped again, the normally collected nin losing the words in his mind.
"He what?" Asuma asked, seemingly thinking the worst in his mind as he grabbed Kakashi's shoulders, almost frantically.
"He fell in combat, fighting Orochimaru…" Kakashi answered, anyone involved in the conversation, or those who were simply paying attention stopping in silence.
Hana herself was frozen in place, unable to move as she watched Asuma's team collapse onto him, Shikamaru and Choji not sure what to think, blindsided by the revelation. Hana turned to leave the group as she quickly sped off with Naruto back to the medical tent, the haunting cries of Asuma piercing her ears behind her as she forced herself to continue forward towards a frozen Natsu, her hand covering her mouth as tears calmly streamed down her eyes.
"G…Get two more cots ready…" Hana got out quietly as Natsu turned to her, tears still rolling down her face as she slowly nodded, moving to do as she was told. Causing Hana to clench her teeth in anger as tears began streaming down her own face "Damnit!"
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
Kagami sat in a chair that was perched next to the main window of the council chambers. Looking out he had a view of a large portion of Konoha. On any other day it would be a great view. This was not one of those days. As rain lightly battered the glass, falling from the grey skies, Kagami looked down on a solemn and depressing scene. "Hiruzen… if only I had been there sooner." Kagami thought to himself as he stared down at the mass funeral.
Many in the village had already paid their respects and have left the ceremony, allowing family and loved ones have time with their fallen kin. Kagami noticed quite a few familiar faces from when he had lived in the village. A young woman with a purple hair grieved for a man that while he hadn't died during the invasion, his death was one of the earliest in the dastardly plot that had been soundly defeated.
Shifting his gaze he saw the son of his fallen friend, kneeling at his father's memorial with a supportive woman sat beside him, and a crying child beside her. "You now bear the torch of the flickering light of the Sarutobi young Asuma. Do not waste the will of fire that has been bestowed upon you." Kagami thought as his vision soon drifted to a silver-haired boy he had yet to talk to following his return only yesterday, finally leaving after being pulled away by a young blonde kunoichi. "I am glad that there are others for you in my stead." Kagami said aloud as he heard muffled voices approaching from down the hall, moving his chair so that he sat where he once did all those years ago.
"We need a full report of—" a voice was in the midst of stating as he opened the door to see Kagami sitting at the table. "Kagami."
"It's been some time Danzo." Kagami replied with a genuine smile, glad to see his comrades once more.
"I see we now share something in common." Danzo said with a smirk as Kagami touched his black bandages that covered his now dead eye.
"A battle scar I received during the invasion." Kagami replied with a chuckle.
"Kagami, what brings you here?" Homura questioned as he entered the room with a mix of joy, confusion, and interest.
"You fought during the invasion? Why were we not informed of this?" Koharu questioned in a worried tone.
"I decided that it would be better if you didn't know about it until we had a chance to talk more privately due to a sensitive matter that resulted from my fight." Kagami explained as he gestured to the seats. "It is of paramount importance."
"With respect, we're currently discussing—" Homura started before Danzo cut him off., raising a hand to silence his fellow elder.
"A matter that the Elder council must discuss in private. Seeing as you are no longer a member…" Danzo said, leaving what was supposed to be an obvious cue for Kagami to exit the room.
"There is no need for your bureaucratic hints my friend, it is obvious that you intend to call a meeting to discuss the appointment of the next hokage." Kagami continued as he held up a hand once more as he stood, walking over to a pot he had pre brewed. "Tea?"
"I do not believe—"
"I would love some." Koharu interrupted Danzo as she sat down in her seat, allowing Kagami to pour her a cup.
"I haven't indulged in it for some time, I see no reason to reject the offer." Homura agreed as he too took a seat with a cup. "Come Danzo, surely a moment with a colleague that has been away for far to long couldn't hurt."
"I will have to decline." Danzo stated in mild irritation as he remained standing. "Regardless, these sensitive matters must be discussed immediately, and I would prefer we get this meeting underway."
"Meeting? You mean you three or…" Kagami asked as he poured himself some tea.
"The entire council." Danzo clarified, causing Kagami's mood to sour as he nodded.
"You want to hold a meeting mere moments after the Hokage's funeral? A day after he fell? And with several members in such a distraught and… vulnerable state?" Kagami asked, piquing the interest of his colleagues, Danzo in particular.
"An interesting way of putting it." Danzo offered. "There is much that needs to be discussed. Wasting time at a time like this would be a political nightmare." Danzo explained further.
"Never change huh." Kagami stated under his breath. "And what of you two?"
"I agree to an extent, I would suggest we hold a meeting in a few hours, allow those most affected some time to mourn before we—"
"Give him a moment for pity's sake!" Koharu chimed in, her almost grandmotherly instincts taking over as she referred to Asuma. Kagami knew that this would be the case. Ever since they were all young Koharu treated young Asuma like he was her own, despite her usual difficult and rigid personality.
"I can see you lot are at an impasse." Kagami giggled, "I suppose some things never change."
"I would have to disagree." Danzo began walking towards Kagami, who simply sipped his tea. "You seem much less… energetic to say the least." Danzo stated, reminding Kagami of his more rambunctious nature from before. "Less eccentric."
"I suppose your right." Kagami agreed. "Although I have retained my ideals and what I stand for, I've simply… how you say… lost the patience I once had for political maneuvering and schemes." Kagami stated coldly as he took a long sip of his tea.
Danzo began to furrow his brow, not quite pleased with the sudden return of Kagami, but now immensely curious as to what his former teammate was up to. "So, what exactly brings you here? Surely it doesn't have anything to do with our current discussions." Homura questioned as he too enjoyed the taste of this long-awaited tea.
"Initially I came to watch my grandson compete in the chunin exams, however I was caught up in some business along the way. As it turned out the village was on fire when I returned so I joined the fray. I was met with a truly interesting experience." He said as he stood, walking towards the window. "What I'm about to inform you must stay between us, and us alone. Only I, lord Jiraiya, and the Lord Raikage are aware of this." Kagami stated firmly as he watched the reflections of his comrades in the window's reflection, distorted by rain droplets.
"That's quite a bold request from a civilian." Danzo stated as he failed to get a rise out of the Uchiha.
"You have my word." Koharu agreed, causing a slight twitch in Danzo's eye.
"Mine as well. You may have been to soft, but you were never unreliable or untrustworthy." Homura stated calmly as he took another sip of tea.
"Lord Danzo?" Kagami asked, specifically choosing to include his honorific.
"If it is this important, I would be remised if I refused an old friend." Danzo surrendered as he too took a seat at the table.
Kagami turned with a slight warm smile. "Good, this is something that I feel each of you will take great pleasure in." This quick change of attitudes confused Danzo as he listened intently. "When I arrived, I was accompanied by Lord Jiraiya who had planned on watching his student in the exams. We both made a beeline for the arena to make sure young Naruto was safe, however we quickly found it as a battleground with no genin in sight."
"How is any of this relevant?" Danzo questioned.
"Well I suppose it's not. Just getting caught up in things again I suppose." Kagami laughed off to Danzo's behest.
"Please, continue." Homura agreed.
"Right. We ended up checking out the kage viewing box only to find the Raikage engaged with a long dead opponent. It would seem that Orochimaru used the Edo tensei to bring back three extremely powerful shinobi. The two that fought Hiruzen and were sealed within the reaper were Lord Hashirama and… Fugaku Uchiha." Kagami said with heavy heart, knowing that while flawed, Fugaku was still family. "The Raikage was tasked with fighting sensei."
"Sensei?" Koharu questioned. "How on earth would he have found the materials to revive Tobirama sensei? Or Lord First for that matter?"
"I suppose it's not impossible that he found old armor or traces of him on the sacred scrolls before he defected." Homura speculated before Danzo held up a silencing hand, his interest fully on Kagami.
"Please, go on."
Kagami nodded softly before continuing. "While the Raikage fought, I joined to blunt the jutsu's that he used against us. The interesting part is what we had lord Jiraiya do. While we stalled, he managed to create a seal that we only managed to get on him with the help of Hiruzen using the reaper death seal." Kagami explained finally as he allowed time for the three to contemplate the ramifications.
"Wait, so your telling me you have Lord Second sealed away as an edo tensei?" Danzo asked skeptically.
"Exactly. We have him hidden away in a safehouse that we cannot reveal to anyone." Kagami explained. "I am informing you so when you decide the time is right to bring it up with the new Hokage and council, we can come to provide the details to everyone."
"Why not just let us know now?" Homura questioned, his skepticism returning.
"Because there is something that must happen on our end before we can explain it to the council." Kagami said simply as his mind flashed to Naruto. "Me telling you now is simply a courtesy. He was a mentor to all of us, and I didn't want to keep this a secret from you. Hiruzen wouldn't have wanted that." Kagami smiled further as he pictured his full team together once more.
"I see." Koharu admitted as she too returned to her more stoic nature, however with more energy than before.
"What do you mean by something on your end… you couldn't possibly mean…" Danzo once again stated with a sense that Kagami would finish.
"Unfortunately I must leave you to speculate." Kagami said, not giving them a even a small taste of the plan as he began to walk towards the door. "For what it's worth, I believe you should postpone your meeting until tomorrow morning. It would be better for everyone in the end if clearer minds were at work." Kagami said as he left with the final statement before the room behind him was full of muffled discussion once more, only much livelier than before.
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
Naruto climbed the stairs to the council chambers as he began to feel mildly anxious. With the Hokage's funeral just yesterday, and the invasion the day before, it was miraculous that Naruto had the emotional fortitude to continue into what he knew was about to be a very long and nerve-racking meeting.
"Naruto, you need to relax." Ino said in a calming voice as she walked beside him. "You wouldn't want to look all wimpy in front of my dad, would you?" Ino asked in an attempt to lighten the mood, causing Naruto to lightly chuckle.
"You have a point; I'd rather not disappoint." Naruto and Ino shared a laugh as they made it up the final step. "I'm really just nervous about the other clan heads is all. I'm not to worried about your dad." Naruto explained.
"This is because you revealed who you really are, isn't it?" Ino questioned, not waiting for a response as she continued. "What can they do? Call you a liar? We have plenty of proof for them."
"It's not that, what if they did something drastic… I dunno like try and use me as political leverage amongst themselves." Naruto explained. "I can already picture someone like Lord Danzo being all 'For the sake of the clans we must ensure the survival of one of our fellow dying clans. I propose each clan capable appoint a member to aid in repopulation.'" Naruto suggested in his best impression.
"While I could see that too, I highly doubt my dad, or anyone of his friends that know about us would even consider allowing that to go through." Ino assured as she softly slipped her hand into Naruto's. "Besides, even if they do try to use you, you could use that to your advantage. With your lineage you certainly outrank a lot of other clans in terms of stature alone. Uchiha, Namikaze, Senju. You're like a melting pot of ancient royalty!"
"You know, you make a lot of good points." Naruto began to set himself at ease as the pair continued walking casually towards the door to the council chamber where they spotted Zabuza, anbu flanking him on either side.
"Zabuza? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked confused as he and Ino stopped at the door.
"Well, these two woke me up bright and early because there was 'a chance' that I would be needed in the meeting today. Since I'm a foreign nin they insist on keeping these guards on me." Zabuza explained. "Now if you could get in there, I'd rather get this meeting underway so I'm not just sitting here for an hour." Zabuza said with a sense of aggravation as he motioned to the door.
"Right, guess I'll see you in there." Naruto said as he waved back, some confusion still lingering in his tone as he walked through the door with Ino in tow.
"Welcome young Naruto, lady Yamanaka, glad you could join us." The elder Naruto knew to be Homura greeted.
Surveying the room quickly, all the clan heads were sat at their designated spots, Sasuke and Satsuki sharing a spot as Satsuki was sat down at the chair while Sasuke stood behind holding what appeared to be crutches for Satsuki. Aside from the council: Jiraiya, Kakashi, Anko, and Hana were in attendance. All the jonin stood beside the pair of them as they awaited the meeting to begin. "Thank you for requesting me, I hope I can be of assistance." Naruto responded politely with a bow, making sure that at the very least he looked presentable during the meeting.
"Right, now that everyone has arrived, there is much to discuss, and much more to do. Shall we begin?" Danzo began as he looked around seeing no objections. "Seeing as the Hokage has passed, the elders and I have put together a selection of topics we must discuss." Danzo continued as he tapped a set of papers, likely containing various reports and a list of topics.
"Let us start off with the simple matters before delving into the more…sensitive matters." Koharu suggested, causing Danzo to nod in agreement.
"First on the agenda will be the damage reports. As we are all very busy, you will find a packet of all the combined reports of interest supplied by the various clans and divisions throughout the village. If anyone has questions or concerns, they will be discussed after the dismissal of non-counsel personnel as to not waste their time with trivial talks." Homura explained as he gestured to the packets that laid before the clan heads, a few of which picked up the packets and scanned through them including Satsuki and Sasuke who each received a copy.
"Now onto the ongoing matter of the Uchiha seat, Lord Shikaku, Lord Hiashi." Homura continued as he gestured towards the two.
Lord Hiashi was the first to speak. "Satsuki's progress is quite steady. Her paperwork and overall skill in managerial matters are improving, although they are lacking enough to where she would not be prepared for the workload would she be appointed now. On the other hand she is quite eloquent with her points, and while naïve, she has much potential when it comes to diplomacy and other political facets." Hiashi reported looking towards his pupil with a small bow before returning to his seat.
Naruto looked towards Satsuki as she gauged her reaction. Ironically, she seemed rather elated by the report, despite the fact that she was considered to not be ready. "What is he teaching her? Is she not used to this much praise from him? I guess that's a Hyuuga for you." Naruto thought before Shikaku cleared his throat.
"Young Sasuke is actually a bit of a foil to that of what Lord Hyuuga explained. While his skills in the menial tasks of being a clan head, be it documentation, clan management, even his economic skills are at a level that could rival our own, his temperament and lack of speaking skills put him at a very low tier in terms of political navigation. He is making progress, but slowly. I do not think he is ready, but that seems to be an opinion that both myself and Hiashi share." Shikaku finished as he sat, his focus solely on the meeting.
Naruto similarly glanced over towards Sasuke, however unlike Satsuki, he didn't seem to radiate any signs of positive or negative emotions, simply bowing and accepting the results. "Since when could Sasuke be so agreeable?" Naruto thought as he suspected the Uchiha was holding his annoyance in quite well.
"If there is no consensus or solid choice then I suppose we will have to discuss this matter at a later date." Koharu acknowledged as she turned to Danzo.
"Very well, if that is the case then let us move onto the joint report from Hana and Anko regarding a list of prisoners and other foreign nin that have a unique importance from what I have heard." Danzo stated as he gestured for the two of them to speak.
Anko spoke first as she cleared her throat. "There are six prisoners of particular interest that I have nailed down." Anko stated in a much more professional tone than Naruto was used too.
"I guess everybody's gotta be proper in front of the counsel." Naruto thought as Ino held in a giggle, seeing this side of her sensei to be hilarious.
"Of course you are all aware that the three children of the Kazekage, along with their jonin sensei were captured by us during the invasion. Their significance is obvious. The more compelling prisoners are that of Kin Tsuchi, a sound nin that has been under leaf jurisdiction for a little over a month now, and a sound jonin who has refused to talk to any one of our interrogators. We could have pressed further with our methods, but a… unique option had opened itself up."
"Interesting." Danzo began. "In regard to the sand nin we have an interesting situation now." He explained as he held out a scroll, passing it around the table. "The Suna council has discovered that Orochimaru did not simply pose as the Kazekage for the plan, but murdered him and took his place, using the sand as a puppet in his plan. Suna has sued for immediate peace and requests our terms and forgiveness for their foolishness."
"That is quite and interesting position." Choza spoke up. "Not only can we use the invasion as leverage, but the kids too."
"I would suggest patience." Inoichi chimed in. "We must consider that they were fooled by Orochimaru. We should negotiate these terms to be less harsh then what we would had it been an outright betrayal. We may yet preserve this alliance."
"But it was an outright betrayal." Tsume disagreed. "Just because they were dumb enough to go along with it, doesn't mean they should be let off easy."
"I do not think he means to let them off easy, but rather make a show of good faith by merely taking what is needed, with only a few additional caveats. If I were to guess, our previous and unfair trading treaty is one of the likely causes for this invasion." Shibi Aburame countered in the stoic tone of the clan.
"This can be discussed at length at a later date before negotiations, for now I am interested in these other two prisoners." Danzo silenced the council, his prestige amongst them clearly laid out as while most disagreed with him on many things, they all knew that he along with the other elders were temporarily in charge.
"Firstly, as promised, due to the kindness that the youngest of our village showed her, miss Tsuchi cooperated to the fullest, even detailing a handful of remnant bases in our borders that we have sent teams to investigate. One in particular that she emphasized as the closest and most important." Anko reported to many of the council's favor. "Furthermore I assert that we reinstate her protected status as a refugee rather than a prisoner. She would return to the village under surveillance and be under our protection until she either assimilated to life here or chose to leave."
Putting it to a vote, the council nearly unanimously decided in favor of the proposal, the holdouts being the elders, who Naruto picked up likely had a very old view on the world, never typically agreeing with others unless they proposed more traditional ideas.
"And this other prisoner, you said you did not use any enhanced techniques, why?"
"That's where I come in sir." Hana spoke up. "As you know, the mist nin that were recovered from the waves mission under Kakashi's jurisdiction have been adjusting to life in the leaf. I and many others can testify towards both their ability, and willingness to contribute to our efforts. As such I requested, we allow Zabuza Momochi and his team be redesignated as allied shinobi if not citizens." Hana began as an eruption of murmurs hit the table, causing the woman to grow mildly irritated as she spoke through the chatter. "Furthermore, Zabuza suspects that this sound nin may have been a former Kiri nin." She stated, causing the murmuring to stop. "As such, with this new status, it would allow him to question the girl, perhaps even gaining more than information, but cooperation."
"That is a bold request indeed." Hiashi stated skeptically. "And why would we grant such a request to the four mist nin?"
"Well aside from their heroics during the invasion which myself, several jonin in this room, and many survivors can attest too, Zabuza has taken to not only training young Naruto here in metal working, but also teaching my brother to better control himself. Haku, without instruction, attempted to defend Kin from the traitor Kabuto after my own kin fell at his hand, failing only after attempting to save her from an attack. The twins have also been helping around the village where needed, even completing a handful of D-rank missions that nobody else would do to kill time." Hana explained as she made her case to the council, turning to one of the Anbu at the door. "Could you bring in Zabuza?"
In the midst of his entrance, Satsuki spoke. "I can personally attest to Haku's credibility. She personally trained me for the finals of the chunin exams. I trust her with my life." The revelation seemed well received, several of the clan heads discussing with their neighbors and seeming to have a positive tone.
In a few moments the anbu left, before quickly returning with the mist nin in tow. "So this is the council." Zabuza stated as he crossed his arms. "What is it you wanted Hana?"
"Could you explain the situation with that sound jonin?" Hana asked.
To most of the council's shock, the Demon of the Mist obliged the Inuzuka. "Right, her. While I didn't recognize her in her gear, after she was captured and searched, I could tell that she had traits found often in the mist. On top of that she had training in how to counteract the hidden mist technique taught to nearly all mist shinobi. I'd like to see at the very least her position on the Kiri situation before having your interrogation team turn her into a vegetable. If she is what I think she is, she could be very useful." Zabuza explained casually, almost as if he were addressing a fellow jonin rather than a council that ran an entire village.
"I must say, I did not expect you to be very forthcoming." Homura noted as he turned to Koharu.
"Neither did I. Not to mention the information and Hana provided seems to corelate." Koharu agreed.
"Very well, allow us to put this topic to a vote as well." Danzo stated coldly as he stared down Zabuza, who simply stared right back. The result of the vote was much slimmer than the previous. The decision was split down the middle with Homura, Inoichi, Shibi, Tsume, and Shikaku voting for the proposal, and Danzo, Koharu, Choza, Hiashi, and Asuma voting against. Being as a tiebreaker was needed, Sasuke and Satsuki made the joint decision to allow the proposal to pass.
"Now that that is settled." Homura began as he dismissed Zabuza and Anko. "I believe you had one more matter to report on?"
"Yes." Hana began as Naruto paid close attention, already knowing what was coming next. "I wish to inform the clans involved about the status of their injured shinobi and children alike." Hana exclaimed as she flipped through her own paperwork. "Hinata Hyuuga has made a full recovery, although is suggested she refrain from training for an additional day. Neji Hyuuga is resting in the hospital to be discharged in two days. Kiba Inuzuka has fully recovered but has been instructed to not train until tomorrow. His Nin hound Akamaru is currently undergoing constant medical procedures in the Inuzuka veterinarian building as we speak. Shino Aburame…" Hana hesitated before continuing. "Is currently in a comatose like state due to prolonged exposure to a deadly toxin. As of right now an Aburame specialist is keeping his chakra levels and hive stable, however we are unsure as to how long he will remain unconscious." Hana finished as she looked at the silent crowd. "Now I should return to my patients, I bid you good day." Hana said politely as she quickly exited the room, leaving the information to sink in.
After a few moments of silence, Danzo quickly made a move to continue the meeting as Naruto held in his anxiety as best he could as he learned of his friends condition, squeezing his fists hard as he tried to compose himself, looking over to Ino and seeing a similar reaction.
"As you've heard me state several times throughout this meeting, we will be holding much of these discussions until a further date due to the next topic for discussion. The next Hokage must be selected." Danzo expressed as he paused for a moment before continuing to speak. "The promoted genin to chunin, the treaty with the sand, the Uchiha seat, and even young Naruto here will need to be discussed when we have a proper figurehead installed. As such, three candidates have been suggested to us." He finished as he turned to Koharu.
"Jiraiya the toad sage has declined his nomination. Citing his spy network as his reason for doing so." Koharu explained as Jiraiya shrugged nearby. "Lord Danzo has also been nominated by both myself and Homura due to his wisdom and experience."
"I'm gonna go with no." Tsume said out loud to nobody's surprise. "Go ahead, hold a vote. You're not gonna get any of us on board."
"As expected,." Danzo said with a surprisingly calm tone. "If that is the case, then that leaves us with only one left. The final nominee and only other worthy candidate in the eyes of the council is lady Tsunade Senju. Should she refuse or be unable to be located, then the position will be passed on to—"
"Are you kidding me?!" Tsume exploded as she slammed her hands onto the table. "Ridiculous, saying 'I get to be hokage if we can't find Tsunade, the last likely person to accept the job even if we could find her.' What bullshit!"
"While I don't agree with her tone, I have to agree with the sentiment." Shikaku agreed.
"What would you suggest?" Homura questioned. "Do you have another candidate in mind?"
"Don't worry!" Jiraiya spoke up "I'm going to go find her myself and drag her back if I have too. If my network is correct, I might have a lead on her whereabouts."
"Thank you, lord Jiraiya." Danzo expressed coldly in annoyance. "If that is what you wish, bring her back in a months' time and we can consider this matter put to rest until our next scheduled meeting. Until then we will divide up the responsibilities of the hokage among us."
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Jiraiya claimed with a bellowing laugh.
"I guess you never change." Naruto said out loud as he grinned at the spiky haired man. "But seriously, why exactly are we here? I'm not so sure we've had much of a purpose yet." Naruto asked in an attempt to get things over with, gesturing to himself and Ino.
"Well young man, lucky for you, you are the next order of business." Homura replied as he looked down at his stack of papers.
"Oh…well…okay then." Naruto replied, not expecting his timing to be so on point as the elder continued.
"You in particular have a very interesting record. Convincing not only blood mist nin, but a sound nin to join the village and cooperate through these dire times. Take on and defeat not only a squad of six chunin and one jonin level sand nin. Defeat the Ichibi Jinchuriki in combat before and after he transformed into it's Bijuu form. Not to mention graduating near the top of your class and your progress in the various forms of Kenjutsu, Fujinjutsu, Ninjutsu, and even blacksmithing. Furthermore, your defeat of the Nibi Jinchuriki during the chunin exams was quite the spectacle" Homura stated as he read off a list of all of Naruto's accomplishments thus far
"And that brings us to the most important aspect that you demonstrated during the exams." Danzo continued for his counterpart. "The other elders and I were well aware of this since the day of your birth, but you made your heritage public for all to see. Friend and foe alike." Danzo stated with a tone on grave seriousness.
"I wasn't at these exams, what happened exactly?" Choza asked, likely too busy with clan matters to attend without Choji participating.
"Naruto revealed his true clan name of Namikaze following his bout with Yugito Nii. He also demonstrated great skill with the Flying Raijin, all chakra natures that both the Uchiha and Namikaze utilized to great effect aside from wind chakra and revealed his sharingan to the world." Shikaku explained to his old comrade. "The only others on the council that knew prior were myself and Inoichi."
"How could you keep this from me?!" Choza asked in distress.
"It was the Hokage's decree my friend." Inoichi interrupted in an attempt to calm his companion. "Rest assured it was not something that we wished to do."
Naruto stood for a moment as he analyzed the reactions of the council. He noticed that aside from those who knew, the council seemed to have rather negative expressions on their faces. "So what is it that you wished to talk about exactly?" Naruto asked in an attempt to get to the bottom of this meeting.
"We merely wish to explain to you the various things expected of you, as well as get the proper paperwork started to have you transition into your proper name. It would also be wise for you to address the citizens once everything begins to calm once more. While the Hokage had files premade for you with your real name he did not have any of the reports…" Naruto drowned out the rest of the menial information about 'official statuses' and whatnot before Danzo returned to the meat of the matter. "Now, as you may know, similar to the Uchiha siblings there is a seat on the council that was created in honor of your father before he became the hokage. As such you will assume the role of the clan head officially with the requirement that you too will train under another clan head until they deems you prepared to assume your role completely."
"Wait, so I'm going to be on the council? How will that effect my career as a shinobi? I'll still be going on missions and such right?" Naruto questioned.
"Of course you will." Shikaku answered. "We may expect a lot more book work out of you, but you still need to be capable enough as a fighter should we need to lead the village like we did only a few days ago." Shikaku eased the boys nerve as he signaled for Danzo to continue.
"With your name revealed and both Suna and Kumo aware of it, it is only a matter of time before Kiri and Iwa also learn of this development. You will likely be targeted by those whom your father made enemies with. As such I would propose I assign some of my personal Anbu to look after and train the boy while he comes into his role." Danzo continued, beginning what Naruto saw as his first political moves targeting him.
"Actually." Naruto spoke up gaining the councils attention. "I already have a multitude of shinobi guarding my compound at all times. Not to mention I already have an anbu watching over me." Naruto explained as he gestured to Kakashi.
"That very well may be, but my anbu are—"
"Are under your direct command serving your interests. How do I know that yours and my interests align?" Naruto questioned, causing the elder to lightly scowl at the boy.
"Already calling Danzo on his shit?" Tsume chuckled deeply. "This might be more fun than I first thought!"
Naruto quickly pivoted to take attention away from his own political maneuvers. "What? I was just trying to play it safe to make sure I could trust what my elder was suggesting." Naruto redirected.
"And welcome to the council. That seems to be a very common theme around here." Inoichi stated with a smile. "Although I am concerned as to why my daughter was brought here as well. Would you care to explain Lord Danzo?"
Danzo sighed as he began to speak "For the same reason that I asked for Kakashi to be here. He, her, Lord Sarutobi, and the mist nin Zabuza were all present during Naruto and the Ichibi's battle. I wished to confirm what had transpired during said confrontation.
"Looks like you're gonna be here awhile."
"Yeah. If this is what it's like being on the council, I better master the art of looking like I'm paying attention, but not really paying attention.
"Are you sure that is wise? These are very important matters that must be discussed." The Kyuubi stated in his most hammed up elder voice.
"You may have a point there…" Naruto agreed as he watched Ino begin giving her account of his battle to the council, strapping in for the remainder of the meeting.
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
So you just told them about all the old, abandoned bases? Why would that matter to me?" an uncaring woman laying on her cot questioned as Kin sat in minor shock.
"Not just the abandoned ones, but the ones still operational. I'm surprised you're not trying to accuse me of being a traitor or anything." Kin replied cautiously as she sat up from her own bed. "Plus didn't you not break during questioning before?"
"Well those bases you think are operational likely just became vacant for one thing. It's not likely anyone will stick around'em for too long outside of grabbing their shit and getting out. And as for why I'm not trashing you like some of the other sound nin would." The woman paused as she sat up, turning towards the young kunoichi. "Is because I don't really give a shit. Now that I'm here I might as well be dead to the sound. You really think that Orochimaru would risk trying to get out a bunch of failures? I wasn't exactly on board with worshipping him either. And to your point about not breaking, I guess I just wanted to see if I could beat their tests and torture. Guess it wasn't as gruesome as its reputation suggests."
"Weren't you like, a black ops shinobi? I find it hard to believe Orochimaru would have put someone like you in such a high position." Kin questioned, seemingly understanding that she wasn't dealing with one of Orochimaru's dedicated thralls.
"Are you serious? Most of my team were high chunin at best. The captain was the only one that had high jonin levels of ability, but that didn't save him from Zabuza's blade. They never knew what hit'em." The woman explained further as she began showing a bit more of herself. "Listen, their were only three kinds of people under Orochimaru. Devoted idiots, down bad mercs and bandits willing to join up for the cash, or the smarter people using the whole thing to their own advantage. It was always just a hodge podge of bodies to throw at the leaf village."
"Could you shut up over there? I'd rather not listen to you two go on and on about this shit." A harsh voice called, causing Kin and her cellmate to look across the way towards the three prisoners held in the cell across from them.
"My bad princess would you prefer it if I fetched you something to eat? Surely that would be enough to pay for my transgression." The woman said in a sarcastic in demeaning tone, causing said princess to nearly blow a gasket.
"Now you listen here bitch, just shut up so we can wait out the negotiations. Unlike you, I have a father that wouldn't let his men sit in jail idly without taking action to free them with a treaty." The angry Temari yelled, causing both of her siblings to jump back momentarily. Kin noted the sudden change in Gaara's overall demeanor, but couldn't focus on it long as she was drawn into what the black op nin said next.
"Your father?" She asked confused as she seemingly knew something the rest didn't know. "Hate to break it to you kid, but—"
"Prisoner 1239 and 1240, step away from the door and keep your hands on the wall." The woman was cut off by a leaf guard announcing their presence, stepping in between the feuding cells.
Doing as she was told, Kin complied as the cell door swung open, two anbu flanking the prison guard. "Bind prisoner 1239's arms and transport her to interrogation." One of the anbu ordered as the guard followed instructions.
As the woman was being put in binds, she simply said. "Guess it's my turn again." As she was soon escorted out of the cellblock, giving Temari a final nasty look before she and the leaf nin had left as soon as they arrived.
"Dumb bitch." Temari snapped as she sat back on one of the beds she claimed.
"No kidding, you'd think a shinobi of her status would have some common sense." Kankuro agreed before he quickly made a dire mistake. "Never question princess Temari."
"What was that?" Temari asked with a deadly glare as she rolled up her sleeve.
"That was unwise brother." Gaara said solemnly as Kankuro instinctively hid behind Gaara, believing that his presence alone would dissuade Temari from acting, which it had initially, causing Temari to pause for a moment before Gaara simply stepped aside, looking down at a cowering Kankuro. "I would much appreciate for you to stop using me as a face for terror. I do not wish to be like that any longer."
While Temari was about to follow through with her asserted threat, she instead looked at Gaara with a surprised look in her eyes that was mirrored by Kankuro. "What happened to you during your fight?" Kankuro asked in a shocked tone, but wanting to get to the bottom of Gaara's shift.
Kin had noticed Gaara acting quite differently than when she had last saw him during the chunin exams. "What DID happen to him?" Kin thought as she watched on, the siblings still quite unsure of how to deal with the revelation, also noticing minor changes in the boy's behavior.
"I…" Gaara started as he looked down to his feet, seemingly afraid of foreseen consequences to what he was about to say. Gaara then knelt onto his knees before assuming a full bowing position, looking towards both his siblings. "I am sorry, for all that I have done to the both of you. I only hope that you could forgive me.
This revelation further shocked these siblings, causing them to freeze up at the bowing brother before them. "I think I might have an idea." Kin thought as Gaara looked up expectantly. "You might want to answer him." She said allowed as she sat cross legged on her bed.
"Huh?" Temari asked, being the first to snap out of her shock, questioning the ex-sound nin.
"If he lost to the same person I'm thinking about, I'd say that he's being genuine."
"And who might that be? I find it hard to believe that anyone could simply make Gaara turn around in a matter of hours." Kankuro replied in an accusatory tone.
"It was Naruto, wasn't it?" Kin stated already knowing before Gaara nodded his head yes.
"All I want is to make amends for my past… Through him I have seen the error in my thinking. The error in following moth— In following the one tail's words." Gaara explained as he rose from his position.
Temari and Kankuro both looked at each other completely stunned at their brother's admission, and the fact that he had, for the first time, referred to the Ichibi as what it actually was. It was at this point that Temari fell to her knees, hugging her little brother with tears streaming down her face. "I do… I do forgive you…"
Kin then looked to Kankuro who had similarly began to tear up. "Come on man…" he complained as he too got down on his knees, hugging the youngest. "You can't go making your big bro cry like that."
As Gaara looked past the two towards Kin, he eventually maneuvered his arms in such a way that he could hug them back.
"All's well that ends—" Kin began to think as she once again heard an interrupting voice, this one not being as commanding as the first.
"Which cell are they in again?" a familiar voice questioned.
"Just a few more down. You sure you want to be the one to tell them?" an older voice asked in a more solemn tone.
"We have to pick up Kin regardless. It's better that they hear it from someone they know rather than just some guard." Another familiar female voice replied as both Naruto and Satsuki came into vision, a long white-haired man tailing behind them.
"Woah, what happened here?" Naruto asked as he turned to Kin.
"Gaara just apologized to his siblings for all the wrongs he had committed in his past. I'd give them a moment." Kin replied as she stood up.
"Right." Naruto said in a downtrodden manner as one of the nearby guards came over to unlock her door, allowing her to walk out and join the group. "You are hereby returned to your protected status under Hana and I's protection." Naruto then said in a faulty uplifting tone still weighed down by something that was lingering in his thoughts.
"Is something wrong?" Kin asked.
"Well… I've got good news and bad news for them…" Naruto explained as he turned, waiting as Gaara opened his eyes, seeing the silver-haired boy for the first time since his defeat, also noticing Satsuki sporting a pair of crutches.
"Naruto." Gaara said aloud, causing the siblings to turn from their brother to face the group. "What brings you here?"
"I have come to deliver news. Both good and bad. What would you rather hear first?"
"We've already had plenty of bad, start with that." Kankuro replied as he crossed his arms, his war paint smeared on his face without him knowing.
"Well, it sounds like negotiating terms are going to be rather harsh…" Naruto started, drawing out what he was about to say next. "As it turns out, your father seemingly wanted nothing to do with this attack."
"What? That doesn't make any sense." Temari exclaimed as she stood up. "He was the one who assigned us to our roles."
"No, he wasn't. Orochimaru gave you the orders disguised as your father. Your father was found dead far outside Suna's sightlines. By the report your council gave us, he was likely dead before the planning for the attack had even began."
Naruto allowed this to sink in, but instead was met with a unique reaction. "Serve's him right. If it weren't for him, Gaara could have had a normal childhood." Kankuro said in a very distasteful tone.
"How could you say that?! Regardless of his mistakes he was still our father! I despise his decision as much as you, but that was heartless!" Temari shot back angrily, with Kankuro surprisingly standing his ground against her.
"I believe this news is both good and bad." Gaara said calmly, catching the rooms attention. "While I did detest him for what he has done to me, I also believe that forgiveness is something that I must accept if I am to properly walk this path." He began as he looked towards Naruto. "With this revelation, it would mean that our father's integrity and honor still remain from his time before his death, even if it still bears the stain of my treatment."
Naruto was shocked as for a moment he felt pride at how he managed to turn such a troubled kid like he was and plant the seeds for his recovery. "Onto the good news then." Naruto said with a small smile. "My sensei here is a seal master. He's going to improve your seal so that you won't have to deal with that Tanuki like before. From the way he explains it, you'll be able to sleep again, and it would even give the Ichibi a more comfortable space, making him less mad than he has been. On top of that, it will basically make it easier for you to block out his influence overall."
Gaara sat for a moment in shock before he quickly answered. "That…That would be nice."
"Alright then. Guard, unlock the cage so we can escort him to the sealing room." The older man ordered as the leaf nin obeyed.
"I think I'm beginning to understand why the leaf village is so powerful." Kin thought to herself as the group began making their way out of the prison with a bound but smiling Gaara.
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
"Inari, I need you to repeat the message back to me. I know your just gonna teleport over there and say it, but I need to make sure you got it down." Naruto expressed tiredly as he continued his walk to the now official Namikaze compound with a backpack full of scrolls containing his valuables from his apartment.
"Right!" the small fox sitting atop Naruto's head said excitedly as he cleared his throat. "Naruto would like to know if you wanted to stay in the leaf for a while to clean up his house!"
"Noooooo!" Naruto groaned as he took out a sheet of chakra paper, using a normal ink pen to write on it. "Their not coming to clean, I need a builder willing to help me renovate and start construction!" Naruto explained for what was possibly the eighth time before pushing chakra into the paper to dry the ink and rolling it up with a string. "Just take this too them. You're not ready for this complicated a message yet."
"Sorry, you used big words I don't understand…" Inari stated as he let his ears droop in sadness.
"It's okay, you just need more practice. Now get going, I need to know their answer before I put in the escort request." Naruto said trying to reassure the energetic fox who disappeared into smoke. "I really need to get better acquainted with my summons." Naruto thought as he approached the main gate, walking through his cleaned courtyard and into the door where he was hit with both a delicious and familiar aroma. "Jiji?!" he called out in shock as he looked towards the common area where Jiraiya and his grandfather were sitting, enjoying a laugh and a pot of one of Naruto's favorite teas.
"It's about time you got here." Jiraiya replied with a chuckle as he sipped at his still steaming cup.
"wha…how… how did you even get in here?" Naruto asked as he quickly sat down his bag, allowing a few scrolls to roll out as he gave his grandfather a hug.
"Well my daughter did use to live here. I'd be surprised if she took my blood out of the seal." Kagami said with a chuckle as Naruto broke their embrace.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked finally as he held a wide smile on his face. "And what happened to your eye?"
"Well aside from wanting to see my grandson, Jiraiya and I have a proposition for you." Kagami said with a smile. "We can discuss my eye later, but first, let Jiraiya speak."
"Right." Jiraiya spoke up, Naruto's attention now on him. "Remember how the council told us we had to go find lady Tsunade?"
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
Authors Notes: Another nice and long chapter to thank you guys for your patience. This one may have had a ton of exposition, but I made sure not to skip out on any emotional moments that the characters would be going through right now. Without further delay, the notes.
The biggest thing that needs addressed is the council meeting. It was long, it took up most of the chapter, and hopefully it not only shared the aftermath in a fitting way, but also served as a nice break in the action of the entire chunin exams and invasion arcs respectively. It's been awhile since my last slow chapter. Since the sand siblings didn't have their chance to have their moment like in the show, I decided to show it through Kin's eyes, while also explaining how Gaara managed to keep control over the one tail despite it not really being explained in the show or manga to my knowledge (If I'm wrong let me know). In terms of this mysterious woman that's been in this story, I could really use some name suggestions. I have two in mind, but if anyone has something interesting, please suggest it! I'd really like to have some interaction with yall! With these notes I will be leaving you until the next chapter. Since I've come back, I've been pumping these out in about eight days or so. I'd expect a similar schedule to continue for the time being until I can get back into the groove I once had. It may be quicker, but if its slower, be sure to call me on it, I could really use the encouragement XD. Feel free to ask any questions that I did not answer in the story or notes, I'll be sure to respond quickly, before my next release at the latest.
Until the next chapter!
[Prelude to a Long Journey]