The room was dark and contained only the spartan throne that he sat upon.

He'd long waited for this moment. Ever since he had given his successor over to Hiruzen he had known that it was going to happen.

The light changes people. He'd seen it with agents he'd placed into the regular forces. After a year they had to be withdrawn or they adapted to become like those they were infiltrating. They gained emotional understanding so fast it was almost like an infection that couldn't be treated.

Naruto had been in the light for less than that time but he'd known the instant that he had been given up that it would be too late. Something about him radiated humanity that he couldn't suppress. He'd tried, partially succeeded. But it hadn't worked. Maybe even in Root he would have formed relationships with people.

He mused that it might well have been him.

And now his lost child was well and truly coming home.

He only had one last part yet to play.

The heavy door swung open and he saw him silhouetted in the portal and the dim light from outside.

His wayward child stepped in and the door slammed shut, leaving them both in the darkness.

"Welcome Naruto."

"Danzo."

"You have come to overthrow me, have you not?"

"Yes."

"What reason have I to yield to you, acolyte? I could cast genjutsu upon you and turn your will inside out. I could summon all of my forces and have them crush you to dust. I could defeat you in open combat. Tell me, why I should yield to you here?"

"Try."

Danzo slipped the bandages off his eye and his Sharingan eye met Naruto's Byakugan. Naruto watched the eye spin.

"Turn away Naruto."

"No."

There were more figures surrounding the throne now in an arc. Four more Naruto had stepped out of the darkness.

He tried to work out which was the real one as his eye spun furiously. He focused on the far left and forced his way into its will. Just as he was about to break it the clone vanished. His eye stopped.

The remaining four Naruto vanished as well and another stepped out from the shadows.

"Very good. Misdirection and stealth I could not see to disarm me of my genjutsu. Guards."

The voice was so calm and collected. He knew there were at least two guards outside his chambers at all times who were proficient and unbreakably loyal.

"Guards."

Yet still they did not come.

"They do not recognise you Danzo. Much as I do not recognise you. A genjutsu clouds their minds and blocks your calls."

Danzo rose from the chair and his posture became that of a crouching tiger, ready to strike at any moment.

"And should I use direct force?"

"Everyone loses, but I have a countermeasure prepared which you will not expect or be able to counter."

There was a tense stillness before Danzo sat back upon his throne.

"Very good. Yet now we reach a stalemate with you still at a disadvantage. I am still in charge of Root and you are surrounded and out of your depth. I am not Orochimaru, arrogant and blinded by desire. You cannot stay in this base for years to kill me."

"I have reason to see you gone. From that perspective, I have the advantage."

"True. Yet motivation is nothing without means."

"I could kill you if I wanted to. I desire answers. I would rather you stepped into the light and retired than have to do so."

"You could kill me? An interesting boast. Wishing me to live sounds like sentiment to me."

"Hypocrisy."

There was a tense silence as Danzo mulled the word over.

"Explain how you know this to be the truth."

"When you attempted to bring me back into the Root your operatives were not efficient or powerful. I believe they were newer recruits. This means that you recently lost a good portion of your better shinobi. How many?"

"5 squads in Orochimaru's base after you escaped. Akatsuki did most of it."

"The Danzo I knew from before I came into the light would never have allowed such a loss to happen. It was a sloppy move prompted by something he would not have paid attention to. Yet this was a symptom and not a cause.

When the Third Hokage died was when it stopped working. You need to work with the Hokage and yet when Tsunade-sama rejected you you kept going. You know that the Root needs to work with the main forces but you did not. Now that war comes I know you will not step in to win it. With a well commanded Root Iwa would not have the capability to fully attack. Yet they burn our borders."

Danzo was silent as Naruto continued.

"You are not operating Root so much as holding on because you have nothing to move on to and you think you are doing the right thing. Yet things have changed. Suna is gone and there is no balance amongst the nations."

"I know that. I foresaw the consequences."

"Foresaw but do not act upon. You wait for Iwa to attack us and yet do not prepare. It is as if you want Konoha to be weakened so you can take over. That is your plan is it not?"

"It is. Konoha is weak under Lady Tsunade. Hiruzen would understand."

"It is stronger, and will be stronger when the Hokage and the Root combine as opposed to being at each other's throats. She would have destroyed you with force had I not convinced her otherwise."

"I anticipated you would prevent my destruction because you too have some weakness."

There was more silence.

"You do what you do for the love of Konoha yet are blind to the damage you will do to it. You must be stopped because you will not let go. Hiruzen would not want you to cause deaths just to carry out his way. He believed in the Will of Fire."

"And you do?"

"No. Yet I see a similar principle in this. Call it the Will of the Shadow. The ideal of Konoha above all else, of Konoha surviving and moving on. It is my purpose. Now that we conflict it means that one of us has strayed. How many deaths do you allow for your plan? How many shinobi and civilians?"

Danzo was silent as he calculated.

"I need only lose one and as many in battles until I force Iwa to its knees from the dark. You would risk the lives of many more and the death of the Hokage herself before intervention. How is that better?"

There was a silence. Danzo shut his eye and Naruto saw just how old he looked in the shadows. How deep the wrinkles under his eyes and how pale he looked.

"It is not. Your plan is superior. Yet in the long term my plan..."

"Fails. You cannot be Hokage and maintain the Root. There must be two for balance, light and darkness. You see this and yet you willingly deny it."

There was silence.

"And if I refuse?"

"You cannot. You will not allow yourself to refuse it."

The man nodded.

"You still have problems to overcome, yet I suspect you have solutions for them. If you kill me you must do it quickly so that my Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique does not catch you. That will destroy you immediately and damage the Root base."

"You will deactivate it to assure this does not happen."

The man nodded and opened his robes. Naruto could not see the action but he knew that the seal had been altered and deactivated.

"And the Root?"

"I will command them, train them. I will do as you did all those years ago and form Konoha's outer reach, its final shield and its source of safety."

The man nodded and stood.

"I have but a few things to say before you end this Naruto. I hope you will give me a chance to embrace my sentimental side before my life ends, as we know it must. I cannot leave this place. I will not burden the Hokage with holding me trial."

"I know. I do not wish to kill you but will as I must."

"You were like a son to me Naruto. There is something special about you. Not in your skills. Certainly you are the best stealth expert in the nations, yet that is not your defining feature. Nor your Jinchuriki status, for there were others. No. There is a life in you that will not be denied, that cannot be stopped. It could only be suppressed. Do you know the average time a Root operative can remain in the light for before they lose efficacy?

It is usually three years. You on the other hand never lost that humanity. Your regrets over the death of the maid were something I could not remove. I gave you an option and you refused it. When something made you do so you rejected it in such a short time. Others have not refused it and gone to their graves locking away secrets. Others broke it after many years and died in the process. You forced it open once again and faced all the fears.

You then opened up and made friends, gained influence. If I had not taken you, you would be so different I imagine. Yet you are still like a son to me. I trained you and was told to let you go. I did not willingly give you up, but trusted you to a friend against my judgement. Even though we differed, we had a lot of respect for one another. In this, he was right, and I was right. It is rare our opinions could be both correct.

You are a leader Naruto. Lead the Root as best you can.

Now do it. With the crossbow and not the technique you have gained to counter me. I know which one it is, and you are the only one who could use it now.

May you make Konoha strong."

He turned his back to Naruto and stood tall.

There was no noise as the crossbow bolt left the bow and made its way across the chamber. Well moulded chakra let it slip through the air without noise or interference, treasuring its path towards the man's head. Caressing it onwards silently.

He saw the bolt impact and end the man's life.

He let a single tear fall down his face as the body fell to the floor. He had to be strong. His voice did not waver.

"Guards."

The Root members entered, four of the elite.

"Lord Danzo has passed command of the Root to me. Assemble all the members in the main training hall. The time for action has come."

"Yes Lord Naruto."

They left him alone in the room and he made his way to the desk. On it there was a small light source, positions so nobody could see the light, and a letter beneath.

He opened the paper softly and read the note.

'Naruto.

I had known this day would come, and know our conversation will have covered everything I wish to say but this.

No-one within Root will question your command, as they had known you would succeed me since the day you entered.

I needed you to learn emotion and suffer loss and understand how people function, illogical and foolish as they are.

May you bring glory to Konoha. Good luck my son.

Shimura Danzo.'

He smiled. His old master had known and planned this from the start. He had known and tested him one final time.

Now all that he needed to do was commune with the Hokage and do the best for Konoha.

He walked towards the training chambers to see what forces he had and what his next move would be.

The politics of the world were immediately altered as the war began.

The daimyo's of Lightning and Water country immediately cautioned their respective Kage that any aggressive behaviour on their part should only be in response to aggression on their borders. Strict neutrality was to be observed along with assiduous border control.

In doing so they isolated their forces from the combat to avoid being weakened by the war that was to come. It remained to be seen who the winner of such a war was going to be. Konoha had fewer forces but they were undeniably better.

The Fire daimyo had spoken out to his colleagues, those who would listen at least, about the unprovoked nature of the military action, to which the politicians did as they do and talked a lot without anything happening.

The Earth daimyo was very silent, communicating with no one.

Then the minor nations began to react to the news. Kusa and Taki were directly on the border of the two nations, and Ame possibly so. Even Ishi and Tani might become battlegrounds if the weak and ignorable Suna and the Wind lands became a military route.

Kusa and Taki immediately fled their lands, seeking refuge in Fire and Earth country as fast as they could. Any shinobi forces stayed in the villages, creating impassable routes where any trespasser could be attacked. It would take some time and be politically poor to merely steamroll such forces anyway.

Ame was still leaderless and the people there panicked and tried fleeing as best they could. The leaderless Ame forces soon melted away into the land.

Ishi and Tani appealed to Suna to little avail. Practically defenceless, with only small forces suitable for holding up bandits, they withdrew as best they could. Both lands were difficult to traverse, and they prayed that their enemies would not move through them.

In Konoha, Tsunade had taken full command of the forces, appointing leaders and preparing all active Konoha shinobi for service. With Jiraiya still missing, and hope of his return diminishing daily, she coped as best she could.

In Iwa, confused earth shinobi set up bulwarks on the front with the Konoha border, and prepared for the counter assault until their next orders came.

In Iwa, Oonoki gave orders as if nothing was wrong. In the shadows, the masked man laughed under his breath at the chance for revenge against Konoha, and the capture of the Nine-tails.

On the border, vast lines of trenches and trap fields littered the burnt edges of the Konoha forests. Blacked tree trunks and ash were trampled by shinobi and used to conceal all manner of death.

Everyone was waiting for Konoha to strike back or for a weakness to be found. It was a matter of where and when.

The war council in Konoha was extremely quiet and tense.

Tsunade headed the table, grim faced but strong. She had her senior Jonin and commanders with her. A team of the most deadly and strategic shinobi Konoha could place together.

Shikaku Nara was going through the possible strategies and situations that had been predicted and run through. It wasn't nice viewing. There were very few ways that Konoha could get out of this one without seriou casualties, and even those didn't make good reading.

On the upside, if it could be called that, it was that Iwa wouldn't come away unscathed. It too would take a mauling.

If that was an upside, she wasn't happy with it.

Shikaku was outlining strategic divisions, their platoon structure and possible attacks Iwa could make and the counter attacks that Konoha could pursue.

She hated the war. Looking around she saw that those with more field experience were leading and planning and thinking. Her gaze idly found the window and she saw a bird floating gently in the breeze.

What would she really fear in a war? What would drive her into making mistakes?

Certainly killing those she cared about or damage to Konoha. She would hate for them to unleash their fury on the civilians though. She would never do it.

To attack citizens was the work of a coward and knife in the darkness.

She tried to focus but knew it not that important what she said or did. She wasn't a fighter and neither was Oonoki. If anything she was surprised that he had been the one to start it all. It didn't seem right.

Shikaku wrapped up his speaking and nodded to her. She realised she had to give the final, formal agreement to the plan.

"Although it pains me, we are at war with Iwa. Kumo and Kiri will not get involved, and it is likely this war will be bloody and long. I did not wish for this, nor do I understand why Onoki has declared this war. Do your best for the will of fire and for Konoha. Given Shikaku's plans we will not engage unless we have to and maintain as much peace and necessary."

The assembled nodded and went out to prepare the shinobi of Konoha. Tsunade sat awhile longer looking out of the window.

A small cough caused her to turn.

And there he was. It had been barely two days since he had gone and now he had returned. He looked exactly the same until she saw his eye and examined how he stood. He just looked taller and more in command of himself. Steely. Determined.

"Tsunade-sama."

"Naruto. I take it Danzo let go peacefully?"

"Yes. We have prepared his body to look like a peaceful death in his sleep. There will be no suspicion of any wrongdoing."

She sighed.

"It sounds so callous and cold hearted Naruto."

"It is what must be done."

She looked further out of the window.

"How would you do it Naruto? How would you bring down a shinobi village?"

He joined her by the window, standing in her shadow. He was little more than a shadow himself in his black cloak.

"I would find a weakness and exploit it to the full. I have reviewed all the information about Earth country and Iwa's defences."

"Then how would you destroy them? I assume it isn't direct force."

"No."

Naruto paused as he looked out.

"I considered what brings strength to a nation. Certainly its shinobi are one of the things. They are the strong arms that reach out to perform actions. Then there is the Kage. A strong Kage is a good head for the village. Yet what of the body?"

She knew where he was going.

"The body are its people, the traders and merchantmen. Konoha is strong not only from its shinobi forces but because it is well situated for trade and well placed to perform missions everywhere. It is well defended and has a large population. They are treated well and treat the shinobi well."

"You intend to attack the citizenry of Iwa?"

Shd didn't bother to hide the disgust and surprise, even if she could have expected something so loathsome.

"Yes. With the majority of the medical corps at the front lines with the shinobi, there is a good chance that the Hidden Village is not well defended or equipped. Whilst their medical corps are likely efficient, they are not the equal of ours. We have the two greatest medics in the world here."

"I'm flattered and I'm sure Shizune would be. Given time Sakura might surpass us both."

He remained still as she continued to stare out at the village she had once spurned and now cared for.

"What would you do if a new plague, never seen before, attacked the citizens of Konoha?"

"I would quarantine, isolate and find a cure."

"How would they react though?"

Tsunade considered.

"They know we are at war, even if I have not officially declared martial law yet. Some have seen war before and would think it some attack of the enemy."

"I agree. There would be panic but it would be quelled swiftly. We are defending Konoha not striking at Iwa. We expect attacks. However, Iwa is the aggressor. How would their citizens react to it?"

Tsunade saw the horrifying logic. Iwa had never produced a medical prodigy and unless they had secretly, was not in possession of one. The people...

"They will panic and the disease will spread. You would sign their death sentence Naruto."

"Consider what will happen with the population of the city depleted. The shinobi are unharmed whilst the citizens suffer. Our defensive tactics and stonewalling will force no decisive engagements. The unrest will eventually reach the soldiery. The plague might also. They will be angry. Frustrated. Then they will make mistakes."

"But the cost?"

"Will be significantly lower for Konoha. With their people broken their shinobi can be picked off and weakened. They may surrender then you may dictate terms favourable in the extreme. The war will end without significant losses to our forces and decisively so. The lands of Iwa would not be devastated by a ground war as well and they could rebuild for the civilians."

She knew he was right. Konoha would keep its citizens safe and if they could pull the rug of support out from under Iwa...but the cost.

"If the fact you save lives was the only thing I'd consider then I would agree. I would have to demand that you provide a plague sample for me to make an antidote just in case."

"It will be done. Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

Fitch appeared with a small vial in his hands. It was made of fine glass and held an even smaller vial within. The fluid contained in that vessel was black as night. He stood at knee height next to Naruto with it outstretched towards Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama. Take care of this sample; the secrets of our clan are not easily given away."

He bowed and nodded to Naruto before disappearing. She cradled the vial gently before nodding to Naruto.

"Do it, but do it yourself. I want you to take the weight of what you are about to do."

"Hai. I would do so anyway. For Konoha."

He turned to go and got to the door before he turned.

"Please pass my regards to Hinata-chan."

She didn't hear him go but he went. She stared out of the window and stared at the vial on her desk. It was certainly something useful for her to do.

She took it up and made her way towards the hospital building.

A/N- 200k words up, and I still appreciate critical reviews on just about anything!