Chapter Nine: The Nidaime Kuraikage

~~Clan Council Chamber - Chikyugakure~~

The room was silent as the leaders of the four clans sat at the round table within the Clan Council Chambers. At one end of the table sat Jin Tuyin, leader of the Tuyin Clan. To the left of her sat Madoka Yantoro, leader of the Yantoro Clan. To Jin's right was Genki Rashi, leader of the Rashi Clan. Then, across from her, sat her son, the now head of the Shintami Clan, Naruto Shingami. The council was taken back from the news that Kisho chose Naruto as his heir, but not for why he chose him. They all knew what the old man's plan was all those years ago, and now, nearing Naruto's fourteenth birthday, he decided to make sure that not a single member of his own clan would protest what was now in motion.

Naruto sat silently, the Erudaken held in his hand as he sat cross legged at his chair. He was lost beyond belief, unsure what to even say or do as a clan head. Let alone a clan head of a clan he wasn't part of. However, his mother assured her that everything was going to make sense to him once this meeting happened.

"So, it seems it's finally time then huh?"

The three veteran clan leaders nodded, smirking though it was hollow. They were still dealing with the passing of Kisho and the attack on their village. Naruto raised his head, looking at the others. "What's finally time?"

The next to speak up with Madoka, who slid something across the table at Naruto. Naruto grabbed the item, seeing the ring of the Yantoro Clan now in his palm. "It's time to finally make you someone very important to the village. Someone that all clan heads have deemed worthy."

Genki nodded, smiling as he slid something towards Naruto. When he caught it, he opened his palm to see the earrings the leader of the Rashi clan wore to show his standing in their clan. "Someone to lead us. The three of us agreed to finally let you be this person after your show in the Mist Civil War, but Lord Shintami wanted to wait til he saw you act for the people. You did so yesterday. You earned the cane, and in turn his approval."

Naruto turned to his mother, who smirked and pointed to his neck. "Don't be expecting anything from me, you've had the Tuyin Clan's precious treasure around your neck since you were little."

Naruto blinked a few times before taking it all in. "So, you want me to lead all four of the clans?"

The three of them let out a soft chuckle, looking at Naruto with a small amount of joy in their eyes. "Yes, but not as our clan heads. We, the leaders of the clan, offer you these symbols of our power to show our loyalty to you…Lord Kuraikage."

Those words shocked Naruto as he stood up, the items given to him sitting on the table as he looked at all of them with widened eyes. "K-Kuraikage?! But I am nothing more than a genin in the eyes of the Elemental Nations! How can I be a kage with so little experience?!"

Jin smiled at her son, waving for him to calm down as she spoke. "You proved yourself multiple times that you are strong in the Mist Civil War, Naruto. Then you showed your worth fighting off those cloaked men in the Bell Tower Square. Not to mention that Lord Shinigami himself has chosen you long ago, and gave you the Gifts of all clans as a symbol to show you would be the one to lead us. Honestly Naruto, I am surprised you haven't thought of this sooner."

Naruto was lost for words, falling back into his seat as thought about it. In the end, it all made sense to him that this was being set up a long time ago. He remembered his sixth birthday, where all the clans worked to show his ability to use each of the Gifts. However, the Fourth Gift still didn't seem to awaken in him. At that thought, he spoke up.

"I still can't use the Life Essence manipulation of the Tuyin Clan, so wouldn't that throw a wrench in your plan?"

The three of them did think about that, and smiled at Naruto as Madoka answered him. "Technically no. Even if the Fourth Gift isn't in your possession, you still have three of the Gifts and were raised by the Tuyin Clan as one of their own since birth. Even without their Gift, they see you as the heir that Jin here raised up."

Jin smiled at her son, seeing him flustered like this was rather cute. However, she knew this needed to happen. Without the outside world now knowing of their existence they needed a single man to lead and make the hard choices. And taht man was decided many years ago during the Celebration that brought Naruto to them.

"Naruto, know that none of us would have made this plan without thinking you wouldn't be able to handle it. We all see what you are capable of. After all, you alone developed the Shinigami Arts, something no one in history was able to develop let alone use. You are the representation of Chikyugakure. And I know everyone will be proud to call you the Kuraikage." Genki said with a smile still adorning his face, though the hidden picture of his children he had in his hands under the desk contributed to that smile more than anything else at the moment.

The blonde sighed, looking around and knowing he wasn't going to win this one. This was something decided for him long ago, and he had no choice but to accept it. He looked down at the Erudaken in his hand, knowing that the old man wanted this for him. With a shaky breath he nodded his head, looking up at them. "Then it shall be. I will take the mantle as the Nidaime Kuraikage…as long as the three of you stay as my council. I may be strong, but I am still new to the world around me. I am new to deceit, to politics, and to lies. I need you three to act as my advisors. And in time, the Shintami will appoint a new head for their clan. Since I am Kuraikage, my first act will be establishing my own clan."

Jin raised her eyebrow at this, looking at her son with a bit of confusion. "A new clan? Why do you feel a need to do that?"

Naruto smiled, looking at his mother and speaking. "Because if I am to be the one to represent the village, to be the chosen of the Shinigami, then I want my clan to act as the protectors of Chikyugakure. To be the people that will carry one what I will create. To be my voice when I finally go to the Pure World for good. Because even if I frame the nation to be a strength in the world, my successor could very well end it without an echo of the former being there to guide them."

Madoka smirked at his idea and reasoning behind it, nodding her head in agreement. "I see merit to this proposal, and I must say that it seems rather well thought of for someone who says he has no idea for politics or leadership."

The boy chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head and smiling sheepishly. "Well, it only makes sense, Lady Madoka. Do any of you vote against this idea?"

The three Clan Heads looked at one another, smiling and shaking their heads. "No, not one of us disagrees with this proposal. Though, do you understand what you just put yourself into?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. Jin couldn't help but giggle at her son's pure ignorance at the situation he just put himself into. "Well, according to the CRA that all villages in the Elemental Nations agree upon, you're going to have to find several wives to help "start" this new clan of yours."

Those words made Naruto blush hard, his face as red as the blood in his veins as he sat back in his chair. Madoka and Genki chuckled, finding it amusing that Naruto got trapped in his own little plan for his own clan. Jin, on the other hand, had stars in her eyes as she squealed in delight.

"Yes, many wives. Which means many grandbabies for me to dote over! Oh I can see it now, little boys with those striking blue eyes of yours and my little granddaughters with that sun kissed hair! Oh I can't wait for this to happen!"

Before Jin could go on into her rant of being a grandmother, Madoka stepped in to throw Naruto a little bone. "Well, he couldn't legally marry for a few more months. He is not fourteen yet."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief at that, but Genki had to ruin it just as quickly. "True, but that doesn't mean we can't spread the news. I bet when people hear of his powers, many families from across the lands will be sending their proposals in droves."

"Genki! Whose side are you on in this!" Naruto yelled out, eyeing Genki who chuckled and raised his arms in defense.

"Sorry Lord Second, but I am just helping out with your plan. Besides, when you see the wonders of fatherhood you'll be thanking me."

Naruto scowled at the over doting father to his right, making a mental note to get his vengeance for his antics by telling his wife he was thinking about changing the clan colors to match their children's hair. Yeah, that would get him back good when she ends up chasing him through the village.

After affirming the idea in his mind, Naruto sat straight in his chair before clearing his throat. "Well…if you really think sending word to the others of the Elemental Nation is a good idea. I think I have a better idea than just sending letters of what I can do."

Madoka raised an eyebrow, nodding for him to continue his plan while the others listened. Jin was smiling at her son, proud that he was slowly slipping into the position that was thrusted into him.

"Well, have you heard about the Chunin Exams?"

~~Cavern Mouth - Chikyugakre one day later~~

Jiraiya groaned as he stretched his back, finally getting off the rather uncomfortable cart that brought himself, Tsunade, and Yuna to the entrance into Chikyugakre. He looked to the large, gaping maw of the cave before them. At either side of the entrance were two glowing torches, and at each torch was a snarling lizard as pale as ash and bone spikes coming from several parts of their body. At the middle of the entrance were two men who were checking people into the entrance.

"So…this is where Naruto was raised up?" Tsunade asked Jiraiya as the two slowly made their way towards the two men.

Jiraiya nodded as they got closer, Yuna behind them. "Yes, it's said that the entire village is actually built inside a massive cavern system underneath the island. Apparently there are four different sections to the caverns. The Center Cavern, where the village is built. The Southern Cavern, where a large, life flowing underground forest is thriving. The Northern Cavern, where they mine out its abundant metals such as silver, gold, iron, copper, tin and even rare gems like sapphires, rubies, diamonds, and jade. The final cavern is the cavern called the Below. It's the deepest, darkest part of the cavern system where the strongest metals can be found. However, it's very dangerous to go down there. It's said that creatures, even the Shinigami refuse to reap, call that pit home."

Yuna listened to everything her uncle said, finding the idea of a village hidden literally in the earth a rather good idea. She kept listening in as he explained more, the three of them not going in yet.

"In the Center Cavern, four smaller caves were made. The caves are caverns in their own right, and each one houses one of the Four Clans."

"So," Yuna said, "There are only four clans in this village?"

Jiraiya nodded his head once again, smiling at his goddaughter/niece. "Indeed. They are Tuyin, Rashi, Yontoro, and Santami. Each has a bloodline that is rumored to be given directly to them by the Shinigami himself."

Tsunade gawked a bit at this information, bringing her hand to her chin as she thought. "I see…if that is all true, maybe Minato was right to be worried. People having direct connections to the Shinigami can be something that can cause massive problems for any hidden village…"

Yuna frowned at her aunt, looking at her with a bit of hurt in her eyes. "Aunt Tsunade, we came here to try and make amends with Naruto. Not agree on what caused him to leave in the first place!"

The older woman turned to her goddaughter/niece and frowned. "You're right, Yuna. I am sorry. It's just…we could be in trouble if Naruto decided to hold a grudge."

"Excuse me, do you have business here?"

The three of them turned to see a guard approaching them, one of the strange lizards at his side as he stopped in front of them. Jiraiya brought himself to the front of their group, giving a friendly smile.

"Yes, actually. We came here to see Naruto Shingami. My niece met him when he visited the Land of Waves and wanted to see him again."

Yuna blushed a bit being put on the spot like that, but it wasn't exactly a full lie. She did want to see him again.

The guard looked to the three of them, looking at the forehead protector on Yuna's head and eyeing it warily. "That headband holds the symbol of the village that upset Lord Kuraikage. I will send word to him and see if he wishes to see you before I let you enter."

The three leaf shinobis' eyes popped out when the man said that. Tsunade cleared her throat, giving her own friendly smile. "I-I'm sorry. But did you say Lord Kuraikage? As in the Kage in charge of this village?"

The guard nodded, smiling with a bit of pride. "Indeed! Lord Shingami was voted in for the position by all four of the Clan Council. It's about time if you ask me, everyone in the village was eager for the day that he took the mantle."

Next to speak up was Jiraiya, who looked at the man with interest in his eyes. "And is that because of his abilities with the Gifts?"

The man nodded. "That, and the fact that Lord Shinigami himself wanted him to be the Nidaime Kuraikage. It was his will when he first brought Lord Second to us thirteen years ago."

"Wait," Yuna spoke up now, a bit shocked at hearing that. "Naruto was said to be the next Kage of your village when he was brought to you? Is that the only reason why you decided he would be the Kuraikage? Because the Shinigami told you to?

The guard shook his head, keeping a smile on his face as he tied a note to the lizard's neck and sent it to the Clan Council Chambers. "Yes and no. Some of us were skeptical when we were told this, but when we saw Naruto and that smile of his, alot of us started to warm up to the idea. Then there is the fact that he was also helping out the village with any task, be it babysitting for mothers while they tended to errands or helping the elderly with chores they needed help with. He cares for this village far more than most of us can care to admit. He even defended the village when the cloaked men attacked."

Jiraiya's eyes widened at this, but calmed himself to control his cool. "Cloaked men? What kind of cloaks were they wearing?"

"Oh, they were wearing black cloaks with red clouds. Lord Second has their cloaks hanging up as trophies in the Clan Council Chambers."

Again Jiraiya had to fight to keep his composure. He turned his eyes to Tsunadea, who nodded. She knew exactly who those people were. And the fact that Naruto was able to defeat them made it all the more clearer that he was far stronger than they originally imagined.

"So he killed those people by himself? That's impressive!" Yuna said, snapping her aunt and uncle out of their thoughts.

The guard chuckled, shaking his head as he smiled. "No, it was not just him. It was also Lord Kisho that fought alongside Lord Second. Lord Second fought the man named Hidan and defeated him by tearing his soul out of his body and destroying the soul into nothingness. He truly showed that crazed priest who the real God of Death was!"

Yuna blinked at that, looking to her uncle for an explanation for a jutsu that can literally rip someone's soul out of their body. Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders, admitting he never heard of such a jutsu before.

Yuna turned back to the guard, smiling as she wanted to hear more. "And what of this Lord Kisho? How did he beat the other man?"

The smile on the guard's face soured as it turned to a frown, looking at the curious girl with some pain in his eyes. "Lord Kisho was a true master of the Bleak Blade technique, and even though he was able to land a good enough strike to start to decay the man named Kakuzu's body, the man was able to land a fatal blow against him. Lord Kisho was very old, you see, the oldest of the village, and when the blow made him slam hard into the ground several meters away it caused his fragile bones to finally give in. He suffered his lungs being skewered by his ribs. He died not too long after the fight had ended."

Yuna frowned, looking at the guard. "I see…forgive me. I am truly sorry for the loss of Lord Kisho. But may I ask something?"

The guard nodded, looking at the girl before him.

"I heard stories that Naruto is able to return the souls to those who died, restoring their bodies in the process. It's well known he did that several times in Mist when he fought in their civil war. Why didn't he do it for Lord Kisho?"

The man scoffed, about to yell at her before he remembered that the outside world doesn't understand their customs. He took a deep breath, collecting himself before he spoke. "Well, that is simple to answer. We care little for who lives or dies outside our own village. Hence why we have no care that Naruto revied those who died in the civl war. However, to the people of Chikyugakure, we do not want to be revived. We look forward to the day we are allowed to come to the Pure World, where Lord Shinigami will let us live eternally with our ancestors."

Yuna smiled, nodding along with his explanation. She actually found the customs of this village rather interesting, and it made her forget that she got the news that her twin brother was now a Kage. However, that only lasted so long before the lizard came back to it's partner. The guard saw the note on his companion's neck, taking it off and reading over it before nodding to the group.

"Lord Second has agreed to see you. Please, follow me to the Clan Council Chambers."

The trio nodded, and soon followed the guard into the depths of the tunnel leading to Chikyugakure.

When the three of them arrived inside the massive, vast cavern that held Chikyugakure, they were at a loss for words. Even Jiraiya, the man who had traveled the Elemental Nations and saw its many wonders, couldn't help but find beauty in the subterrain village. All around it seemed that the buildings were built out of the very stones that the cavern held, the walls smooth as a baby's bottom and at the ceiling large crystals were dug into the ground to simulate a light source to illuminate the village below.

The trio kept walking through the village, seeing many shops lining up the main street they were walking down. The smell of so many new dishes ran through their noses, and the sight of the villagers communicating with one another with bright smiles made Tsunade and Jiraiya how happy this village was. However, they both knew that one of the many reasons this village was so happy and prosperous was because they never felt the weight of war brought down on their shoulders.

Yuna looked around, in awe at everything they saw. She loved the sight of those strange lizards adorning the roofs of many buildings or walking beside their companions like their escort. The smell of the food made the girl's mouth water, and the elegant kimonos that all of the villagers wore made her a bit jealous.

They kept walking through the streets til they were walking past a large bell tower that loomed over the square it sat in. The guard noticed their interest, and decided to stop and explain it a bit. "That is the Shinigami Bell Tower. One every ten years on October 10th we have a festival called the Celebration. It's a festival to honor the Shinigami and all it has done for us over the years. That Bell Tower is very important for the Celebration because when all four Clan Heads place their bloody palms at certain points under the bell, we can summon the Shinigami forth. It's at that time we listen to him and see what he wishes for us."

Jiraiya looked to their guide, nodding in understanding before speaking up. "So you just summon him with their blood? No sacrifice of the soul or anything?"

The guard chuckled, shaking his head. "No, Lord Shinigami never requires a price so steep from us when we summon him. He makes the exception since we are his chosen people, and we only summon him once every ten years. In fact, I believe only outsiders have to pay such a deep cost for his services."

The guard turned and started to walk towards a large building behind the Shinigami Bell Tower. The two older Leaf shinobi followed, but they and the guard stopped when they realized that Yuna was looking intently at the Bell Tower.

"Excuse me miss, but we must be going. Lord Second is very busy and is only making so much time to meet you three."

Yuna blushed, nodding as she got behind her godparents and kept following, turning to look at the bell once more before she turned to keep looking at the rest of the village.

Once they got to their destination, they were a bit shocked to see the entrance to the building was a door engraved with gold, silver, diamonds and jade. The engraving of the door was that of a scene between four people kneeling down before the Shinigami. When the door opened they were greeted to the sight of polished marble surrounding a circular table currently sat by four people.

The guard bowed his head, looking at the figure wearing the Kage robe and hat that sat at the northern end of the circle. "Lord Second, the envoy from the Leaf has come to see you."

Naruto, wearing the while robes with black covering the entire hat except for the white kanji that read "Great" at it's center, waved his hand at the guard. The guard bowed once more before going back to the doors and closing them. Leaving Jiraiya, Tsunade and Yuna before the Clan Council.

There was silence in the room, neither party making a sound. However, Yuna couldn't stand it anymore and spoke out. "N-Naruto, we came, I came to-"

"That is Lord Kuraikage, outsider." Madoka spoke, looking at Yuna with a glare in her eyes. She is well aware of the turmoil that the Hidden Leaf's Hokage had done to their Kuraikage, and it stemmed from that girl inviting Naruto to the Leaf in the first place. "Lord Second may have given you the audience out of curiosity and understanding, but we three of the Clan Council will not forgive the pain your leader caused to him."

Before another word could be spoken Naruto raised up his hand, silencing everyone in the chamber before he stood up. He made his way to the trio, standing before Yuna as he looked at her eyes under the shadow of his kage hat.

"When I came to the Hidden Leaf, you asked me to come as an act of kindness to rekindle a connection to a family I didn't know I had. Instead, I was met with worry and mistrust to my village from your Hokage, our father. I will ask this once, and I hope you tell me the truth dear sister."

Yuna steeled her nerves, looking her brother in the eye as she waited for his question. He looked at her stare, inwardly finding her action rather cute. "Did you invite me to assess the threat my village could be to your own?"

Yuna didn't even hesitate. "No. What the Hokage did was solely out of his design, not mine. I had no intention of ever questioning you or your village, brother."

Naruto kept his eyes peering into her own, their blue eyes locked into a trance as he tried to sense any sort of lie she would say in hopes of bettering her standing with him and in turn his village. They kept their eyes locked for what seemed like hours, not a single person speaking til Naruto made his verdict. After a little longer he blinked, smiling to her and bringing her in for a hug.

Yuna blinked, but quickly wrapped her arms around him as she embraced him. She held him close, tears threatening to leave her eyes but she held strong. He pulled away, nodding to the others who nodded back and clapped their hands. The doors to the building opened again, and from them came three servants that each held a chair. They brought the chairs to the table, but kept them far enough to not let the visitors touch it. Naruto turned around and went back to his seat, waving his hand for them to sit. When they did, he smiled and nodded his head.

"I, the Nidaime Kuraikage, welcome you to Chikyugakure. Now, what is it you wished to speak to me about?"