E/N: I just wanted to set something straight that a review asked, Kumo didn't authorize the attempt at kidnapping Hinata in the previous chapter, what occurred was a couple of idiots disregarding orders to not do that; believing that if they succeeded then they would get away with it.
A/N: So, here we are with another new chapter, no action here, its one of the two transitional chapters into the Tsunade retrieval arc. Hopefully all of you will have a good read.
CHAPTER 18: QUESTIONS, PROMOTIONS AND PASSING THE HAT
*Konoha, 5 days after the invasion*
Things were looking up for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Although there were losses due to joint invasion of the Sand and the Sound villages, Konoha had come out of it better than expected.
After finding out that the real Yondaime Kazekage had been assassinated, days before the invasion with Orochimaru disguising as him, Suna had unconditionally surrendered. Konoha did accept the surrender. As for the war reparations, Hiruzen had to resist the enthusiastic attempts of his advisors and a certain crippled and bandaged war-hawk to demand financial reparations from the Sand. Those hours-long arguments only strengthened his decision to step down. He only demanded that as a reparation, Suna send its shinobi to Konoha's aid whenever required, without asking any questions for a year and have 10% of their total shinobi force prepared for this purpose at all times.
As far as talks with Kumo were concerned, they turned out to be very successful. Although the two villages were not in an alliance, full diplomatic ties had been restored, there were agreements of joint missions as well as a non-aggression pact. The Kumo delegation (in private) made no attempt to cover up the attempted abduction of Hinata. Both sides truly wanted peace and Hiruzen was unable to deny the frustrations of having a few subordinates decide to go against orders and nearly cause a disaster. What remained of the corpses of the three would be kidnappers were left in Konoha, abandoned as traitors for one act. The Raikage and his subordinates had left Konoha 3 days after the invasion, concluding all the talks. The late Hizashi Hyuuga's body was to be returned within a month.
Except for a few confusing questions, such as Naruto managing to learn the Rasengan and also managing to put a five-point seal on Gaara to stop his Biju-transformation, everything had been resolved.
'It is really intriguing as to how did Naruto-kun manage to learn the Rasengan. Only Kakashi and Jiraiya have the idea how to do it and none of them admit of teaching it to him.' Hiruzen thought to himself looking up at the clock.
*Flashback a day ago*
"You asked for us, Hokage-sama?" the one-eyed masked Jonin, holding the orange book in his hand nonchalantly asked.
"Sensei, can it be quick? I am getting late for my research." Jiraiya said with fake-irritation.
"Everyone knows how important your 'research' is. It can definitely wait for some more time. And the thing we are here discuss is definitely important." Hiruzen replied, without looking up from a piece of paper he was signing.
"It's about Naruto-kun's match with Neji Hyuuga." Hiruzen stated, looking up. Kakashi put the book down and got into attention.
"I am sure you understand what we are talking about Kakashi as you witnessed the match."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Now Jiraiya was a little confused, his godson had won the prelims and was dominating the finals, if anything these two people should be happy with that, instead of having some serious discussion.
"From your expression, it is clear that you don't have a clear idea of the point we are discussing here, so let me be direct. Have you taught Naruto-kun the Rasengan?"
Jiraiya raised his eyebrows.
"No sensei, I didn't think he had the time to learn it before the finals started so I decided to do it after the exams were over. Why are you asking?" the Toad sage quizzically asked.
"Well, it seems you won't have to worry about teaching him the Rasengan anymore Jiraiya, he already knows it. He used it to overcome the Hyuugas' rotation and defeat Neji. Not only that, I talked to Hayate just before calling you two here, he reported that Naruto-kun used the Rasengan to dispel the summoned weasels during his fight with Baki. I hadn't asked him earlier about the specifics of Naruto's battle with the Jonin, thinking that he only relied on the Kyuubi's chakra to do it but it seems I was mistaken." Hiruzen explained. Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock, who other than him could teach it to Naruto. He glanced at the masked Jonin on his right.
"You sure you didn't teach it to him Kakashi?" the Toad Sage asked.
"I would have liked to but no, Jiraiya-sama. I had to personally train Sasuke for his match with Gaara considering the risk he had on his life during that match, so regrettably I didn't have the time to train Naruto." Kakashi replied. "Now I am wondering how he managed to learn Minato-sensei's jutsu to perfection, he looked pretty good at doing it." The silver haired ninja added.
Jiraiya was shocked, there was a chance that someone had approached Naruto, who could it be? Who knew about the Rasengan apart from him and Kakashi? Was it the Kyuubi or was it Orochimaru who had somehow approached Naruto or was it that mercenary group of S-class missing-nins? These possibilities were chilling, both one of these two getting in touch with Naruto and them somehow knowing the Rasengan. If they knew that, who knows what other secret jutsus of Konoha could they know? Also, the possibility of Naruto being in touch with that group or Orochimaru would make him a traitor, a criminal. There was no way the blonde would willingly betray his village now, would he? Maybe he was tricked into it just like he was tricked by Mizuki.
"Then there is his fight with Gaara at the outskirts of the village. I checked on the Suna boy just after he and his siblings surrendered. It appears that Naruto-kun used the 'Five-Point Seal' to stop his Biju transformation which is quite intriguing I must say." Hiruzen added.
"H-He knows the five-point seal?" both Jiraiya and Kakashi asked in shock simultaneously. This was shocking, first the Rasengan and now this.
Jiraiya looked at his sensei unable to decide anything.
"I have Cat and Boar keep watch on him 24/7. So far, they haven't reported anything suspicious apart from him hanging out with young Hinata-chan, whom he has recently entered into a romantic relationship with." Hiruzen said with a smile. He was indeed happy for his surrogate grandson.
"I will be summoning him to my office tomorrow to ask these questions, I want you two to be present here and Kakashi you must be the one to bring him." Hiruzen stated.
"Understood Hokage-sama." The Jonin said with an expressionless face.
*Back to present*
Jiraiya came to the office, minutes before Naruto was supposed to come. Soon the blonde arrived with his Jonin-sensei.
"What's the matter Jiji? Is it a mission or something?" Naruto asked as soon as he entered the office. His gaze then fell on the Toad sage, who gave him a smile and then he saw the Hyuuga present in the room, Tokuma if his memory served right.
'Dad, it seems exactly like how you predicted it to be.'
"Kiddo be ready."
'don't worry Dad, I got this.'
"Don't worry Naru-chan, we're here."
'Thanks Mom.'
"It's not a mission, I just have a few questions about your battle with Gaara as well as your match with Neji." Hiruzen asked calmly. Naruto internally sighed and readied himself to answer those inevitable questions. He saw the Hyuuga activate his Byakugan and raised an eyebrow. Kakashi patted his shoulder.
"Don't think about that." The copy-nin whispered.
"Okay, so let's get straight to the point, the jutsu you used to overcome the rotation and knock Neji out, the Rasengan, who taught it to you?"
Naruto fidgeted a bit.
"Don't fear anything Naruto-kun, we are just interested to know how you managed to learn an A-rank jutsu in such a short time."
"Umm, you won't get mad if I tell you right?" Naruto said in a low voice.
"Don't worry, we won't be mad at you."
"It was…. the Kyuubi that helped me." Naruto replied, all those present in the room raised their eye-brows.
"The Kyuubi, it is talking to you?" Hiruzen asked in a serious expression.
"Umm, I told you that night too Jiji, after my first day of training with Ero-Sennin and practicing meditation, I can talk to him. He offered me some advice saying, he said and I quote, "I can't let my host be a weakling so I will help you get stronger."" All the adults internally fidgeted at the comment. They definitely didn't trust the Biju's intentions; he might trick the blonde and try to break out.
"How did the Kyuubi know about the Rasengan anyway?" Kakashi asked.
"Umm…he said it was similar to something called the tailed-beast bomb so he had an idea how to do it." Naruto replied.
'Not impossible, before inventing the Rasengan, Minato-sensei had a brief altercation with the Jinchuuriki of the Gobi during a border incident with Iwa.' The Copy-ninja thought.
"Very well, onto the next topic. How did you learn the five-point seal that you used to stop Gaara's Biju transformation?" Hiruzen asked.
"The fox said that we have to work together to have a chance at winning against Gaara and that he wouldn't want us to be killed by him." Naruto replied fidgeting. Hiruzen sighed, Naruto talking with the Biju was a risky affair.
The Hokage looked at Jiraiya.
"Check on his seal, will you?" he asked and the toad sage nodded.
"Lift your shirt up, brat." He asked and Naruto nodded.
Soon the spiraling eight-tetragram seal appeared on Naruto's abdomen. Jiraiya examined it closely.
*In Naruto's mindscape*
"Honey, you were right, they not only had a Hyuuga check if Naru-chan is lying, but they also had your perverted sensei check on the seal. You were right to put it back for the time being." Kushina happily said.
Minato nodded and looked at the mighty nine-tailed fox behind the cage.
"And we are also lucky that Kurama can continue supplying us chakra, even from behind the seal." The Yellow Flash commented.
"The seal was indeed designed to leak my chakra into the boy's system anyways." Kurama commented.
"Thanks for cooperating with us Kurama and I am sorry for putting you back into the cage." Minato said.
"Think nothing of it. Just get rid of this annoying cage once we are out of here, it is suffocating me. And don't even get me started on what it does to my naps!"
Kushina snickered at that while Minato smiled at the Fox's griping.
"Of course."
*Back in the real world*
"The seal is in perfect condition, there is no risk of the Kyuubi breaking out, nothing to be concerned about sensei." Jiraiya said after examining the seal in close detail.
Hiruzen then glanced to Tokuma who still had his Byakugan active. The Hyuuga nodded, confirming that there was no lie in what Naruto had said.
*In the mindscape*
"And the training with Hinata-chan to lie under the Byakugan's gaze worked like a charm. I just love that girl, Dattebane." Kushina commented.
"Yes dear, she is really an amazing person, though she did remind me a bit of you when she said what she said yesterday after completing the training." Minato said as he rubbed the back of his head.
*Flashback a day before, training ground 7*
Hinata had been training Naruto to get away with lying under the Byakugan's gaze, since the last three days. She was happy that her boyfriend was doing really well. Also, it was not just the training, she would make them lunch or they would just go to Ichiraku's, both of them had no words to describe how amazing these small dates were.
"Naruto-kun, we are done. The Byakugan will not detect the lie if when you're lying you are giving the partial truth so the answers that Minato tou-san prepared for you will definitely get you past the Byakugan without getting caught. You did great, I'm glad." The former Hyuuga heiress stated as she pecked her boyfriend on his cheek to congratulate him.
"Thanks, my Hime, you really are the best." Naruto replied with a true smile.
"No need to thank me Naruto-kun, I can do anything for you." She replied.
"Yeah, same for me."
Then suddenly Hinata wrapped her arm around his neck and put her face close to his left ear, the aura around her changed and for the blonde boy, the temperature of the surroundings went down by quite a few degrees, making him gulp.
"But there is one thing you must remember." She calmly stated, her calm voice sent a chill down Naruto's spine. "Never ever try using this training to fool me, since I don't need the Byakugan to tell if you are lying or trying to hide something so if you try using this trick on me, I promise it won't end well for you." She said in a very calm whisper. Naruto shivered and the fact that she had a scarily sweet smile pasted on her lips when she made the warning made it even more dreadful. Finally, it was her hand on his shoulder and her cheerful, cute smile that calmed him again. (…it's always the quiet ones who can be the scariest…)
"Don't worry Naruto-kun, you won't have anything to fear from me as long as you don't do anything worthy of a punishment and I know that you're a good boy." She cheerfully stated. (well, that was a sudden tone shift)
"Yeah, I am a… good boy." Naruto stated in a low voice with red cheeks, he usually didn't like showing his childish side to anyone, but Hinata just made his guard go down completely with how calm and protected she made him feel.
"Okay Hinata-chan, shall we walk to Ichiraku's, I'm really hungry. Might be close to actually starving." he said and a growl from his stomach attested to the fact. Hinata giggled as Naruto took her hand in his.
"Sure Naruto-kun, I am hungry too."
*End of flashback*
"Oh that, I am really proud of her for it, we women need to keep our men under control after all. Dattebane!" Kushina chirped in a sing-song voice, making Minato sweat-drop.
"O-of course." He stuttered out with red-cheeks.
'Old Man help me, I'm surrounded by these completely love-struck couples!' Kurama mentally groaned.
*Back in the real world*
Now having all the doubts cleared, Hiruzen smiled at the blonde.
"That will be all the questions, Naruto-kun. I am glad that you answered them all truthfully."
"No problem Jiji! So, I should be leaving then. See ya later!" Naruto said with a grin before turning back.
"Wait Naruto-kun. I didn't just summon you here for the questioning." Hiruzen stated as he got two envelopes out. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"As promised, these are yours and Hinata-chan's rewards for successfully executing two A-ranked missions, the capture of Baki and stopping Gaara to be precise. You did admirably in both of these unsanctioned missions and displayed that the Will of Fire burns strong in you, also Hinata-chan gets an equal share in the rewards due to her invaluable assistance in both the situations which displayed her strong Will of Fire as well. I am very proud of the both of you." Hiruzen said with a smile. Naruto grinned as Kakashi and Jiraiya patted his shoulders.
"Thanks, Jiji, you are the best." Naruto said as he accepted the envelopes from the Hokage. "I can't wait to give these to Hinata-chan, she will be really happy." He added.
"Of course." Hiruzen stated as he got another package along with a letter and offered it to the blonde.
"And last but not the least, me, the judges of the Chunin exams as well as the Raikage and his delegation, all were of the opinion that you are worthy of a promotion so congratulations on making Chunin, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen stated smiling proudly. Naruto immediately accepted the package and raised his fist in air.
"Yippee! Thanks a lot Jiji."
"Congratulations gaki, you deserved it." Jiraiya said as he patted the blonde's shoulders.
"Thank you Ero-Sennin."
"Hey! How many times have I told to not call me by that nickname?" Jiraiya complained with a pout.
"Congratulations Naruto, you will be getting a treat at Ichiraku's for this tonight." Kakashi said with an eye-smile as he patted the blonde on the shoulder as well.
"Thanks a lot, Kakashi-sensei. Will you mind if Hinata-chan joins us as well?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi couldn't stop the urge to chuckle.
"Of course, I won't mind your cute little girlfriend joining us for dinner." The silver haired jonin replied, unaware of the upcoming grave danger on his wallet, totally unaware of the fact that Hinata had a bigger appetite for ramen than Naruto's and that Naruto was inevitably going to suggest having 'a few' cinnamon rolls at the bakery after the ramen treat, as a dessert.
"Great, thanks a lot sensei." Naruto responded with a foxy grin.
'Why is he making that face, he makes just before he pranks someone?' The copy-ninja thought but then set those thoughts aside for the time being. (Poor Kakashi)
"Uzumaki-san?" Tokuma spoke for the first time, getting the blonde's attention.
"First of all, congratulations on your promotion. It seems that Hinata-sama really chose a worthy partner. However, I would like to advise you to get ready to have a chat with Hiashi-sama sometime soon, I am sure he will be interested in meeting you in person." The Hyuuga stoically stated.
"Umm…thanks…I guess…" Naruto replied as he gulped for reason at the thought of the talk, he would be having with Hiashi.
"It will be alright Naru-chan, Hiashi is a good person, he might sound a bit intimidating but he is quite well meaning, it's just the 'Ingrained into their blood stoic Hyuuga personality.'" Kushina reassured.
"And it is natural for a girl's father to be a bit intimidating before the future husband of her daughter, he would want to ensure that his daughter is in good hands. You just have to reassure him that you will take good care of Hinata-chan." Minato explained.
"That goes without saying, I will always and forever take care of her!" Naruto declared.
"And kiddo, congratulations on the promotion we are proud of you." Minato said as he ruffled his son's hair and Kushina kissed him on the forehead.
"Thanks Mom, Dad." Naruto as he wiped a tear. Finally, his parents were there to congratulate him for something after all these years.
"Jiji, is there anyone else getting promoted?" Naruto asked, back in the real world.
"Yes, your friend Shikamaru is slated to be promoted as well, he will be arriving with Asuma shortly to receive his promotion and reward for assisting in stopping Gaara. He also did admirably well during that mission." Hiruzen explained and Naruto nodded.
"I would have promoted Hinata-chan and young Shino as well but Shino's fight during the finals was too short to make a judgement and although Hinata-chan did admirably well during the two A-rank missions with you, she was eliminated from the preliminaries which makes it impossible to promote her without flouting the rules." The old Hokage reasoned, Naruto slumped a bit, he wanted Hinata to be promoted along with him as well, but he knew he couldn't bend the rules for that.
"Don't worry Naruto-kun, the way she is improving, I am certain she will get the promotion in the next Chunin exam." Hiruzen reassured.
"Thanks, jiji, and I will make sure of that." Naruto replied. "All right then, I should be off, thanks again Jiji, see ya." The blonde said with a smile. Hiruzen excused the latest chunin of Konoha for the day.
Soon afterwards, Shikamaru received his promotion as well. The Nara mumbled about troublesome ranks and troublesome missions as he accepted the promotional letter, a soft smack on the head from Asuma made him stop mumbling and thank the Hokage.
After Tokuma and Kakashi were excused for the day as well, Hiruzen gave a totally serious look to his student.
"Jiraiya, there is another important matter I have to discuss with you." The Old Hokage stated.
Jiraiya could feel himself begin inexplicably sweating: 'Oh shit, what is this gonna be?'
"The thing is I am getting tired Jiraiya, tired of the politics and all these wars and skirmishes. I am an old man now and I have remained Hokage for longer than all the other Hokage combined and longer than any other Kage save for Onoki. But unlike him, I do have a worthy successor." Hiruzen stated making Jiraiya stiffen, the toad sage didn't really need to guess what was coming next. "I want you to take the mantle Jiraiya and let this old man have some rest."
Jiraiya stiffened, he had a feeling that this was coming, and being the Hokage meant no research, no more Icha-Icha (not literally, but far less than he'd like), no more roaming the world and seeing…*ahem peeping ahem*…all those hot chicks and more importantly it would be very difficult to manage the spy network, while handling all the responsibilities that came with the hat, the very hat his favourite student had worn some years ago, becoming the greatest hero of the village since the First Hokage.
"Are you sure of this sensei? You know well that I have a spy network to manage and can you manage without my books since I won't be able to do much research and writing." Jiraiya teased, hoping it would enough to dissuade his teacher from giving him the hat.
"Oh, don't fool around Jiraiya, I know very well that you will find a way to do all those researches even after being Hokage, all I hope is that you will keep the respect of this post intact, besides I am just too tired to be tempted to stay Hokage by your books." Hiruzen retorted sharply. "As for the spy network, I understand that it will be difficult for you to manage it but someday you will have to pass that responsibility to someone as well. We are Shinobi, reassignment of duties is natural and I am sure Kakashi, Inoichi or Anko can handle your network with your proper guidance so that's out of the way as well."
"But what about Tsunade? She is also a member of the Sannin and can be just as great a Hokage as me, maybe even more, I will somehow convince her to come back, just give me three weeks." Jiraiya questioned, making Hiruzen contemplate for a moment.
"I understand the point Jiraiya, but I know both you and Tsunade as your teacher, it is a different prospective for me than the one you have of her, I know who of you can be the better leader. However, I do need Tsunade to return, so that she starts managing the hospital again and start a medic-nin program, this invasion really exposed that we don't have capable medics, many of those who died, did so for not receiving proper and timely medical assistance. The health infrastructure of the village is crumbling and we need Tsunade to stop it from collapsing under a pressure situation." Hiruzen explained making Jiraiya sigh, the Toad Sage raised his hands in surrender.
"All right sensei, you really leave me no choice. Very well, I accept." Jiraiya said with a groan.
"Thanks, Jiraiya, I will arrange for the ceremony to happen in a week. From tomorrow start familiarizing yourself with the work you will be having and all the affairs that you will soon be taking care of.
'So, I get today to do as much research as I want, cause from tomorrow onwards, the scope will be very limited. I just hope that the gaki's girlfriend doesn't go to the bathhouse today otherwise the Gaki did warn me he would kick me in the balls if I peeped on her. Some protective idiot he is and doesn't understand that even if I am a super pervert, I will always be a gentleman to my goddaughter-in-law, DAMMIT!' Jiraiya thought to himself before excusing himself for the day to indulge in his research without any bounds for the last time.
Unbeknownst to the retiring and the soon to be named Hokage, a shadow had begun to stir among the foundation of Konoha.
It had already begun to stir regarding one Naruto Uzumaki.
Danzo was internally fuming. Hiruzen had foolishly allowed not one but two Jinchuriki to escape Konoha's grasp. Such negligence would be the village's downfall. Never mind Hiruzen's obstinate refusal to use the Jinchuriki as he should or allow him to be put in ROOT.
And that was before Kumo itself. The blunder involving those Rogue Kumo Nin defying the Raikage's orders could have been used to crush the village and absorb its Jinchuriki and bloodlines into Konoha.
'Hiruzen will ensure that Konoha will never rise to greatness, he would have peace with the other villages rather than Konoha ruling supremely over them all!'
Though Danzo had his own plan in place.
*thunk* a loud tapping of his cane to the floor and a woman wearing the ROOT uniform appeared and knelt wordlessly.
'Best investment I made, even if it failed to yield all that I had hoped for. You have my gratitude, Kagami Uchiha, I never would have been able to gain this pawn or your grandson Shisui's eye without your Mangekyo. Sealing away this girl's memories selectively gave me such an excellent tool.'
"It's been a month since your last report Sogeki. I understood that your movements could draw unwanted attention from certain parties. Now, why did you fail to attempt capture of either the Ichibi Jinchuriki or the Kyuubi Jinchuriki?" Danzo asked pointedly.
"I knew that if I attempted to grab either, Yugito would have detected me and interfered." The ROOT, Sogeki, replied.
"You hold the elemental advantage over Yugito, just because her flames are blue doesn't mean a sufficient amount of water cannot douse them." Danzo retorted.
"Yugito is battle hardened and she has fought off better ROOTs than myself. She would see me coming the moment I stopped suppressing my signature. Though I can confirm that the new seal in the mask can fool the Byakugan." Sogeki droned.
"Noted but it doesn't answer the question. You had a moment of opportunity to capture both the Ichibi and Kyuubi and you failed to capitalize."
"The Ichibi Jinchuriki's defenses functioned despite the seal that had been placed on him. Whatever controls the sand that protects the Jinchuriki is neither Gaara nor the Ichibi. No clone I could make would have the power necessary to thin his defenses properly." Sogeki responded to the accusation. "Furthermore, Yugito was toying with each and every single one of her opponents. If she detected me and realized my intentions she would attack with full power and intent."
"Very well, I suppose it can be forgiven." Danzo decided, "Now, what is your report on a capture mission to bring Naruto into our number?"
Sogeki spoke carefully: "Had we attempted to pull him in before the end of the first week of the interlude, I would have reported that we could have convinced him to join easily."
Danzo spoke eerily calm: "What happened?"
Sogeki kept steady: "I do not know. One day he was acting as he always had and then suddenly, he started acting differently, started knowing things I had confirmed he didn't know previously and had seen no evidence of him learning, among other things. Even began using the Kyuubi's power competently. And it all started after Jiraiya taught him how to summon and threw the boy off a cliff."
Danzo's expression didn't change but he was suspicious: "Have a full report on my desk before you resume your post. It would appear this affair has become quite complicated. Luring him here to join willingly may no longer be an option."
"Yessir."
And thus the corrupted ROOTs of Konoha continued to conspire to spread their self-righteous corruption to the very heart of the village they claimed to serve.
A/N: And done. Yes, I am making Jiraiya the Godaime here. I kinda believe that he would have made a better Hokage than Tsunade, while Tsunade would have been an excellent support and advisor, while taking care of the health infrastructure of the village. It would also give her more time to train multiple shinobi in medic arts personally rather than just Sakura like canon, so yeah, we are going with that. And since Jiraiya is going to be Hokage, it is obvious that the two and half years long training trip is no longer viable. But that means, instead of a time-skip, we will have some more action and thrill during those years, stay tuned for that.
Before signing off, I would like to again express my sincere gratitude to you for your continued love and support for my work. Thank you all and see you all in the next chapter. Stay safe and happy.