Naruto and Shino walked through the town, two hooded figures being completely ignored by almost everyone in the town. Naruto had never been to this part of Konoha before.
He'd avoided the Aburame clan's rooftops when he could; the detection abilities of the shinobi within lead him to avoid the place whenever possible. Now he was being invited into it freely. It was certainly odd.
It was certainly an action he had not anticipated.
Shino opened a door like any other and held it open for Naruto. The hallway it lead into was relatively normal and warmly lit. Dark wood dominated the furniture and the decor. A sign of strength yet strangely comforting. Another figure, wearing sunglasses with a high colour covering his mouth greeted him.
"Hello. I am Aburame Shibi. Welcome to our home."
Naruto replied as best he could.
"Thank you for the invitation. I feel happy to be here. I am not sure what the word is for what I feel actually."
"Describe it to me."
"I feel that I am doing something that not many others are invited to do, and that makes me happy."
The man nodded.
"You feel pride at our invitation. You are most welcome Naruto. Shino has mentioned you in our discussions. He praises your skills."
Shino did not appear to react at all to this.
"The admiration of skills is mutual. Shino is one of the few shinobi I have encountered whom I feel a kinship with in terms of operating method."
The man shared a look with Shino. He wondered if the clan had methods of communication other than body language, the clan's style of clothing was not conducive to such means.
After a moment, the man turned to Naruto.
"Come; allow me to show you the armoury."
The man beckoned as he walked down the hallway and Naruto fell into step with Shino. A glance at Shino who gently shook his head told him it was not a moment to talk with him.
They descended down a long wooden staircase that lead under the walls. Naruto was noticing more distinctive features about the walls now.
They were all wood; there was very little stone, metal or concrete, aside from that on the outside of the compound, which gave it a cold, stoic appearance. He turned on his Byakugan and nearly stopped moving as the created vision swam into focus.
There was life moving through the entire house. Insect life seemed to work its way through the floors, the walls and everything organic there. It was beautiful. Shino saw his wonderment.
"I see you have discovered the hidden secret of our compound."
"It is...beautiful. The only reason I did not conceive of such a thing before is because I did not think about it deeply. The entire house is a hive for more insect life, a symbiosis your clan shares with nature."
Shino nodded as his father took over.
"It is. As the Nara tend to their deer, we share a deep bond with insects and other similar forms of life. You will never find a spider's web in our house, they prey upon insects. The insects know that this is our hive as well as theirs, and keep the timbers strong enough to hold the house up. If they made their home too large, it would destroy both of our homes. Instead we have homes inside our home."
"One thing I do not yet understand is the presence of concrete walls on the outside of the compound houses."
The man didn't turn, but Naruto again suspected he was smiling. His posture had shifted slightly, a little more upright.
"Konoha in general does not understand our clan, or at least makes little attempt to. If we showed the fine woods of our houses, chosen for their durability and varied for different insects, we would attract attention. No. The less attention we garner, the happier we are.
It is why we cover our faces and eyes, a reminder of our service and our part of a greater whole. Only between the most intimate couples is direct eye contact common. Not because it is forbidden, but because it is special to that pairing.
We serve the greater hive by keeping our bonds strong within ourselves. There is less glory, and sometimes that can makes us feel bitter. Yet we persevere and thrive because we know that the hive, and Konoha, is more important than individual glory."
Naruto nodded. They were a part of the machine of Konoha that worked in the dark without complaint. He felt a sense of belonging grow within him.
He realised that the staircase was quite long, but did not significantly turn. That meant it extended outside of the walls of the house and towards the centre of the compound.
"All the clan houses are connected beneath."
"Very perceptive. We are a hive, and so is our compound. In the space below we learn and train, sharing our knowledge and meeting others of our clan. It is a place of debate and sanctuary, of learning and communion.
It is our refuge. Should anyone invade the compound then we would fight them here, in the tunnels. We would extract severe payment for their gain."
Naruto felt his kinship grow a little more. This place was like the Root compound, but different. This was a place of communion and mutual friendship, the opposite of the Root idea. It was organic, the walls gently curved as if they had been naturally carved, not the square angled concrete of the Root.
The tunnel staircase widened out into a large hall. There were a few dozen hooded or jacketed Aburame around, but Naruto's eye found itself drawn to the great cloud of insects flying above them all.
Some of the clan members turned to see him, as if knowing he was not a part of the clan. Shibi nodded to them, and they turned away or nodded to Naruto.
He realised he'd never been more of an outsider than at this time, yet he didn't feel worried by this.
They entered another sub passage, and into another room. Again the wooden panelling was very present, the ceiling gently curved yet segmented. It reminded Naruto of some large beetle in shape.
Shibi approached a rack of weapons and took one gently in his hands. He spun the chain gently, moving through a practised routine of swings and sudden slashes with the wicked sickle blade.
He eventually stopped the weapon and gently inspected each link of the chain.
"Naruto, I would like you take this weapon as a token of friendship from our clan to you. I would request to see you face, if you will accept the hypocrisy of this request."
Naruto removed his hood, the warm lighting catching his face. His hair, slightly grown was showing the beginnings of spiky untameability, and his lone blue met Shibi's gaze. Naruto felt sure the man was smiling from the visible parts of his face he could see.
"Indeed, I suspect there are multiple reasons for me to offer you this gift of friendship. You remind me of an old comrade who was like you."
Naruto considered the man's words.
"Was this comrade Minato Namikaze?"
Shino looked round at him quickly, and Shibi chuckled. The sound was surprisingly warm to the ear.
"Father, may I interject?"
"Of course Shino. I take it you have come to a conclusion?"
"Minato Namikaze was the Fourth Hokage, slain on the night of the Nine-Tails attack. Your words imply that Naruto is somehow related to him. However I was not aware of him having any relatives of children of any note. Also Naruto's age would imply that he was born close to the night of the attack."
Shibi nodded.
"Naruto, I will leave it up to you to confirm any of this, but know that the bond I offer with this weapon is stronger than steel and more reliable than the passage of day and night. Our hive will not yield your secrets without your permission."
He trusted the man completely. Everything about the clan made sense. The sense of community and oneness was total.
"Shino, I am indeed the son of Minato Namikaze, but I do not follow his footsteps. He was meant to be in the light, whilst I am a ghost in the dark."
Shino nodded his agreement.
"Yet you are a leader Naruto-san. Yet your aversion to the light means you cannot be a Hokage. You are a mystery in that way. Yet I feel you hold a deeper secret."
"You are correct. I am the Junchuuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox, although it is locked away deep within me, where it can do no harm."
Shino seemed troubled, until his father placed a hand on his back. The boy straightened a little at this.
"Do not be disheartened my son. Naruto performs a great task without complaint, and he should not cause you to feel any lesser. No. Hold him as an ideal of service and of duty. Be inspired."
"I shall."
The man turned to Naruto and held out the weapon, as well as a band. Understanding its purpose, Naruto fastened the strap about his chest in the same direction as his tanto blade, and placed the weapon within it.
He nodded to Shibi, who returned the nod.
"If you wish for training, I would recommend Maito Gai or Kakashi as fine users of this weapon. Our clan cannot offer you its training, as our techniques are secret and must remain within the clan. For that, I apologise."
"It is understood. I thank you for the weapon and offer of a bond of friendship."
Shibi nodded to him.
"I invite you to eat with us if you desire."
Naruto paused. It was like when he had been invited to train with team 8. Whilst he had not necessarily needed to train with the squad, he had wanted to. He could eat at home but the kinship with the clan made him wish to stay.
"I would like to accept that offer."
"Excellent. Come, let us eat."
They ascended back towards the house, but Naruto remained silent. He was too busy watching the insects move in the walls with his Byakugan like streams of green chakra in some colossal dance.
Danzo sat in his shadowy throne and surveyed the small gathering he had summoned.
They were his elite, for lack of a better word, lieutenants. Yet they were not. They were not the successor he wished for. That successor was undergoing additional training but was not yet ready.
No. They were his elite, strong enough to face any other foe and aware enough to retain creativity. They were the ones he could send on missions for months and expect to return victorious. The ones he could rely upon.
They also acted as his council in times of need or for a special mission.
Root was not in position as it stood. He had lost five teams in a debacle. Five. Nearly a fifth of his strength, fifteen jonin level shinobi had fallen. Their mission had been a success, but not in the way he had planned or envisioned.
Uchiha Itachi...the man was a thorn in his side that he could not remove. A rouge piece in his otherwise perfect game. The Akatsuki all were, yet Itachi was the one he feared. Feared. Nothing scared him except a man with more knowledge and secrets.
Knowledge and secrets that Hiruzen had condemned but turned a blind eye to in terms of punishment. Secrets that would see Tsunade throw him into prison for. Or likely worse.
Itachi could bring him and Root down, and that meant the man had to die. Or Tsunade had to.
Konoha was not prepared for the Akatsuki. Jiraiya was too often absent, and the Hokage was not the strongest warrior, despite her victory over the puppeteer.
No. There were greater dangers out there. There were men who could slaughter platoons of his elite with ease. If they attacked.
They had to be strong. They had to make plans that nobody else would dare create.
"We plan to overthrow the Hokage."
His assembled nodded. They were not shocked. They were trained not to be shocked. They were trained to be minds able to conceive of anything. They would plan to kill the unkillable, break the unbreakable, and do the undoable.
He liked the irony of that last statement.
"I gave you all this brief and asked you to meditate upon it. Tell me your thoughts."
One of the figures kneeling before him rose.
"I conceived of a plan. It involves isolating the Hokage from her guards, and destroying her there."
Danzo nodded.
"We sneak diplomatic messages to her from the Land of Earth. They will call for negotiation and diplomacy. The Fence-Sitter will himself be there."
Danzo raised a hand to silence the man.
"What of the Daimyo's? How are they kept from involvement?"
"We stage a number of attacks near their castles. This will not only draw away elite shinobi from Konoha, but also keep them within their walls."
"I reject this plan. It not only invites collateral damage, but also would draw home figures like Jiraiya."
The man sat and a second man rose.
"I conceived a plan.
The leadership of the Hokage is the key to their acceptance. I propose to undermine that leadership and force her to stand down."
Danzo nodded. It was this kind of thinking that he liked to see.
"The confidence of the Daimyo is key, and so I propose that we kill the current Daimyo. Whilst he is a moderate and suggestible man, his successor would be young and naive. Far more easy to manipulate."
The hand was raised.
"That would show us as extremely weak, to let our Daimyo die to other forces."
"Who would dare own up to such an attack? Such an admission would be politically suicidal for any nation, no matter how strong. The lack of trust in them would lead to a decrease in their power. The killing of the daimyo need not be from the hand of an assassin, but rather from the hand of uncooked fish or otherwise."
"Continue."
"With the Daimyo slain, we convince his successor to remove Tsunade by political force. An ultimatum of refusing missions until she leaves her seat of power."
Danzo considered.
"I reject this plan also. Such a move would lead to another removal of the daimyo. In addition, it again risks collateral and invites attack from other nations."
The man knelt once more and the third rose.
"I considered the problem deeply, but could not come to a conclusion that made sense of the problem."
"That is unfortunate. Surely you must have had some conclusions to draw from the analysis?"
"None that did not end in excessive damage and death. Only an untimely heart attack of a suspiciously fast acting toxin could remove her safely enough."
"Your input is welcomed but lacking, I expect more."
"I will serve more fruitfully in future my Lord."
Danzo nodded. It was not the worst outcome. At least the man had come to conclusion. That much he expected from one of his elite.
The fourth figure was still awhile longer before he stood.
"My Lord, in the view of the other answers I have more questions."
"Name them."
"What level of damage is allowed to occur?"
"A level 3 event's worth. Although this is not a set limit provided it elevates us above all other nations."
The man nodded.
"Then I have conceived of an answer."
"An answer?"
The kneeling elite nodded.
"My Lord, all actions we could take would naturally lead to attacking our own. We turn our attentions inwards and we forget the outwards."
"Your wisdom is laudable acolyte. Tell me where this leads your answer."
"We require the threat to come from outside. There must be a force to attack and remove the Hokage from power. Anything else would be a lesser result."
"What threat do you envision?"
"Akatsuki. Any other nation would lead to another disruption of the fragile balance we find ourselves in. The Akatsuki must come for the Nine-Tails."
Danzo nodded.
"I came to the same conclusion myself. You have all done well this day, and are dismissed."
The figures rose, bowed, and left the chamber, leaving Danzo on his spartan throne very much alone.
It had come to this moment. A leader who would not understand him, an organisation robbed by fate, and a title that he needed to take for the good of Konoha.
He was the Lord in the Shadows, yet he needed to bring the light closer. He needed to keep going until...it was time.
When would that time be? Could his successor that he had planned for and guided towards his path be trusted to follow him? He needed to reach out and contact his chosen.
He bowed his head with a slight smile at the power of his own introspection.
His chosen. There had been many options for his replacement, but he knew that he would need to train a successor from birth. He had narrowed it down to two options by the time the candidates were barely able to hold a kunai.
Both skilled. Both with a past that could inspire.
Yet only one was truly going to. If he failed then there were backup options, but they would not be as pure, would not be as good as his first choice.
He rose from his throne and walked towards the exit. He would need to advise the Hokage, and talk to his lost son. He would be quiet. He would be secretive.
He prepared to leave when a lesser minion came into the room, barely panting.
"Speak."
"My Lord, the Three-Tailed beast is beginning to reform in a lake close to the coast near Kiri."
"You are dismissed."
He pondered this. Whilst it had been known since the fall of Yagura that the Three-Tailed beast would one day return, it was something he could not plan for. Such an event would be known by now within Konoha itself, and by Akatsuki.
He could not risk mobilising now, there was more at stake.
He turned into the darkness and strode onwards.