Chapter Sixteen: The Month Long Trip (4)

~~Shingami Clan Compound~~

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, his eyes adjusting rather quickly since there was not a light on in the room. He groaned, feeling his blood starting to pump through his stiff flesh once again. He wanted to move, but since his body was without its soul for so long most of his muscles have gone rigged and stiff. It would take a while for his soul to completely restore his body to normal. And on top of this, his soul was forcing his body to go through the same growth spurt it went through when it was training in the Pure World, causing intense pain to the boy as he felt himself physically getting taller, his hair growing longer, and his muscles redefining themselves. All in all, it was a painful process.

He kept struggling against his frozen body, only able to wiggle his fingers and toes. When he twitched his right middle finger he felt something tugging on it. He moved his eyes to see what was on it, only to see a string running from his finger and into the dark. He wasn't too sure what that was supposed to be, or why it was there, but out of curiosity he kept flexing the finger the best he could. Every time he did he heard a ringing coming from down the hall. He took a deep breath, his lungs feeling solid as they barely expanded for him to breathe as they recovered. He held his breath as he forced a hard yank on the finger, causing the ringing sound the string was causing to grow much louder before he heard something metal hit the floor and the string grow laxed. Whatever that was attached to his finger's string must have been severed from the last tug he made. He sighed, looking around the dark room.

He took another breath, trying to think of what to do to maybe speed up the process. He knew what was happening, when his soul left the body his body was put into a stasis-like state where it would not rot, and the blood remained still. When the soul came back to his body, the soul had to force his organs back into motion. The longer he was in the stasis, the longer it would take to fully restore his body. Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of the revival the Shinigami blessed him with was this simple annoyance. He groaned and tried to turn his head, panting heavily as he was able to do so but very slowly. His eyes looked to the door, hearing footsteps coming down the hall towards his room.

The door opened, revealing none other than Haku. He tried to smile, but his facial features were still frozen. But she didn't need to see his smile, all she needed to see was him alive again. She went to him, holding Naruto closely as she let out the tears she was holding in for so long to run free.

"H-H-H…" He tried to speak, but was stopped when she brought her lips to his and kissed him gently. Haku smiled, wiping away her tears as she held close to his chest, her head pressed softly against his own when she climbed into the bed with him.

"Hush my love, do not strain yourself. I am just glad you are back with us. Your mother and Mei have been worried sick. She sent word to me when you had not woken up on the first day of your death. Zabuza and myself made the journey here to check up on you, he's in the kitchen now with your mother and two other girls."

Naruto could only nod, be it very stiffly. She pulled away enough to look him over, seeing the shirt and pajama bottoms he was put in were a bit too small for him now. She looked him over more, seeing that he had grown taller, gained more muscle, and his hair was an overflowing mess. She looked into his eyes, smiling and kissing him once again.

"And here I thought you couldn't get any more handsome."

He let out a gurgle that was meant to be a chuckle, but the strain to his throat caused him to tear it up and spit blood up as a result. Haku looked startled, using the sleeve of her kimono to wipe away the blood on his lips. "Naruto, do not strain yourself. I will go and get your mother, I am sure she will be able to restore your body. Just lay here and relax, okay?"

Naruto just nodded, though he felt completely useless at this point. Haku leaned down and kissed his forehead, a warm smile on her face as she got up to go and get Jin. Naruto watched her leave, a smile on his own face though it was weak. Not too long after did he hear several sets of feet making their way to his bedroom. When the door opened Jin, Haku, Zabuza, Kin and the girl he saved from the cloaked men came in. Jin immediately went to Naruto's side, igniting her hands into the Blessed Palms and placing them over his chest. She gave him a stern look telling him she wasn't too happy about his situation.

"Nearly a week on the dot Naruto, do you understand how much of a panic everyone was in! What took you so long to return to us?"

Naruto felt his body being mended, the Life Essence Manipulation of his mother greatly helping him recover. He felt his body grow more stable, no longer completely stiff as he could flex his muscles without pain and felt the tear in his throat heal. He took a deep breath, his lungs stretching and shrinking normally again as she kept healing him.

"Lord First requested I stay with him in the Pure World. He didn't like how easily I had died from something so easily avoided like Chakra Exhaustion."

Jin gave him a look, but sighed as she kept tending to her son. "I see…I am not going to question him then, but some sort of sign or warning would have been nice Naruto."

He chuckled, seeing his mother go in protective mom mode made him remember how much she loved him. She took her hands away from him when she finished, helping him sit up straight. Haku smiled and joined him, sitting at his side for him to lean on. He smiled, leaning his lips to her cheek and giving her a gentle kiss.

"So it's true then..?"

Everyone looked to the girl standing towards the back of the room next to Kin. She had long, straight, blonde hair bound in with taut bandages. He remembered saving it when she was wearing something else, but now she wore a typical kimono of pure white. A symbol of Chikyugakure of one being a clanless civilian. She looked down at Naruto, taking in the man who saved her before she continued.

"Your mother told me that you weren't truly dead, that your soul would come back to your body. I didn't believe her, nor did I believe the rumors I heard in Kumo about a shinobi whose soul the Shinigami could not claim. But now…seeing your body stiff and cold for all those days and now you live and breathe…it's all true."

Naruto smiled, standing up and struggling to stand. He would have fallen down to his knees if Zabuza hadn't moved to catch him before he fell. Naruto turned to him, giving him a thankful nod which Zabuza just shrugged off before letting Naruto stand on his own. He looked at the girl, the smile returning to his features.

"Those rumors are only half true. It's not that Lord Shinigami can not keep my soul in the Pure World, but welcomes it to come back to my body. He promised me when I was a baby that nothing outside of natural causes will keep my soul in his domain. So yeah, I'm technically an immortal in a sense."

The girl looked at him, eyes showing a bit of shock at the revelation before she returned to a mutual expression. "I see. Lord Kuraikage, I humbly thank you for saving me from the two that kidnapped me. If you did not come to my aide, I know I would have been left to rot where they wished to dispose of me. I am in your debt."

Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Nonsense, I was only acting how anyone should when seeing someone in danger. Though I need to ask, why did they take you? What happened, miss…?"

The girl blushed a bit, clearing her throat as she spoke. "My name is Yugito Nii, kunoichi of the Hidden Cloud and jinchuriki of the two tailed monster cat, Nibi…or at least, I used to be both of those things…"

Naruto could sense that something was wrong. He looked to the others, giving them a nod to leave so that he and Yugito could speak. Jin understood, taking Kin with her while Haku gave him another kiss to the cheek before leaving the room with Zabuza and closing the door. He looked back to Yugito, motioning for her to take a seat on the bed while he pulled the chair at his desk in the room to be in front of her.

"Alright, tell me everything, okay? I am not here to judge you, in fact I have a need to make sure you're okay. Don't ask me why, but I feel that Lord Shinigami put me in your path for a reason."

Yugito nodded, taking a deep breath to collect herself before talking. "The Nibi was forced onto me when I was two years old, and was then at that day moving forward put into an intense training programme to have me master the Nibi's chakra and her abilities given to be for being her jinchuriki. I finished the programme, and ended up befriending Nibi, we were close friends…however, as you likely know, the jinchuriki aren't exactly welcomed warmly in the villages. So when I became a kunoichi of the Hidden Cloud I was in the public eye more often and in turn was insulted, belittled, cheated and borderline abused for something I had no choice in. Even the Raikage despised me because despite the training they put me through, I was not the cold, heartless weapon they wanted."

She looked down to her feet, hesitating for a second about continuing. That's when she felt Naruto's hand gently rest on her own. She looked up, seeing a smile still on his face, but the eyes showed that there was sorrow, a bit of anger on her part for the story so far. She expected him to be like the others who would just see her as a demon as most villages saw jinchuriki, but he didn't see her that way. He saw her as someone that truly wasn't a weapon or a monster. He saw her as the person she was. She let a smile caress her lips, accepting the warmth and comfort she was giving her. She steeled herself to continue.

"So, what seemed like out of the blue, the Raikage decided to banish me with the support of his council. They branded me a threat to the village and its security. That didn't hurt me too much, because I knew that most of the village hated me anyway. But I did make a friend or two there. The other jinchuriki of the Hidden Cloud, Killer B, was fully against his brother, the Raikage, banishing me. But in the end, it mattered little because A and Killer B were not equals when it came to political power. That's when I discovered the real reason for my banishment. I was meant to be kidnapped and taken back to have Nibi extracted from me and placed into a new body, one that could be easily manipulated since I refused to be heartless like they wanted."

"I ran for my life, avoiding the ninja that were sent after me. I had little doubt that I could take them out but Nibi warned me to keep going. That she felt something terrible coming to her and she needed to run as far as I could. I of course, being the stubborn and prideful bitch I am, decided to stay and fight. I killed the Hidden Cloud shinobi that were sent after me, but in turn I gave the presence Nibi warned me about enough time to get to me. That presence was the two men in those red cloud cloaks that you fought. They called themselves Pain, people from a group called the Akatsuki. They used jutsu I had never seen before, and the one was able to absorb the chakra I used to attack with. I was defeated and taken away to some cave where they…they…"

She felt her tears running down her cheeks, her hands balling into fists as she felt the empty void within her that those bastards left her with. "They look Nibi away. My one true friend was ripped from me…I had almost nothing left in me, I knew I was dying now that she was taken from me, but I didn't want to die there. When they were distracted talking to projections of other people in those cloaks I made my move and ran. I didn't get far before they got to me, and that's when you stepped in. You stopped them from killing me, and you stopped me from dying without her by bringing me here. You gave me a second chance."

She looked at him, and he in turn wiped the tears from her cheeks. He saw she was a bit shocked at the gesture, but he just wanted her to know she was safe now. "I did what anyone in my position would have done, and I'd gladly do it again if I needed to. I am sorry you lost Nibi, Yugito. And I promise you I will find a way to reunite you two. Until then, I just need you to believe in me when I say you will have your friend back."

Yugito felt his thumbs wiping away her tears, and she just looked at him like he was something more than just a young kage. He was truly a good soul, someone who cared so much for someone he had just met and didn't even talk to til now. He had so much compassion for those around him, be it friends or a complete stranger. And when he said he would bring Nibi back to her, she couldn't help her heart flutter a bit. She knew, deep down, that he would keep that promise to her. The look of fire and determination in his eyes promised it to her.

He took his hands away, which Yugito inwardly pouted about since she was enjoying the new sensation. He stood up, offering her his hand to help her off the bed. She did so, standing up. She could have sworn that before he was shorter than her, if not an inch taller. But now she had to truly look up to see him. He opened the door, hearing the others talking and the smell of food cooking.

"Come on, let's go eat. Then we can figure out what we can do for you until I bring Nibi back."

Yugito could only nod, blushing a bit as she looked at him. She followed after him, helping him a bit when he stumbled forward. He was still trying to get used to walking again in a physical body.

~~Two hours later~~

Naruto went out to the porch of his new clan compound, sitting down and looking up at the dimly lit crystals of the cavern that represented the night sky. He had about six days til the finals, which meant five more days of training before he would go on that date with Anko the day before. He let himself get lost in his thoughts again, trying to think of the warning Akio gave him from Lord Shinigami. He gave the order to the clans to prepare all able-bodied members to head to Konohagakure in the morning. He also sent a letter to the Hokage via his messenger lizards, warning him of the Shinigami's prediction of a tragedy to happen during the Chunin Exams and his forces coming to Konohagakure to help if the vision is to come true. He was waiting for the reply, hoping that it wasn't too late in the night and Minato was asleep.

He also was thinking about his role as a Shinigami Sage. He knew he was the second one to be this type of sage, so he would still have to pioneer this new role like his sensei Akio had done before his death. He sighed, closing his eyes as he focused on the souls around him. He felt them all, the hundreds of civilians in the village below the compound he had built into the cavern walls behind the Council Chambers. He felt their hope, their love, their pride and their wills. He saw a few entering this world, the birth of children that were in their mothers wombs. He felt the end of others, the elderly drawing their last breaths before letting the Shinigami take their souls into his paradise. The sensation to see this all made Naruto realize just how fragile the human soul was in the grand scheme of things. So fragile, so easy to be snuffed out, but also so powerful. A force as strong as any of nature. It humbled him, knowing full well that he may be the Shinigami's Chosen, he was still only human. A mortal. A soul in the grand scheme of life and death.

He let his mind wonder as he felt the souls around him, not tethering to a single one. However, something caught his attention. He focused on Haku's, seeing it filled with the love he felt she gave off to him. Though, something was different. He saw a small, smaller than a mouse, soul within her stomach. He had to focus harder, thinking it was a pet in her hands or something else. He sighed, getting up as he went into the house to figure out what this was.

He opened the door, seeing Haku smiling softly as she was talking to Kin and Yugito while Jin was in town with Zabuza getting a few things. It was decided that he and Haku would travel with them to the Chunin Exams and meet Mei there with Ao and Chojuru to watch Naruto's debut to the nations. Naruto closed the door, seeing no animal in Haku's lap. She smiled, looking up at him as she stood up to hold him. But for once, he stopped her. He put his hand to her stomach, making the other girls look confused before they started putting the pieces together.

Naruto closed his eyes again, feeling the beat of the small soul in Haku's stomach. It was similar, so very familiar, to Haku and yet, his own. That's when his eyes shot open, looking at Haku as his eyes were a flurry of emotions.

"My love, when is the last time you bled…?"

Haku blushed, finding the question a bit personal and embarrassing. She was about to smack him for asking such a thing, but that's when it clicked in her head. She hadn't had her period this month, it should have come a week or so ago. She thought it was just late, but when she felt his hand on her stomach and his eyes looking at him she understood.

"Naruto…do you think…"

He smiled, getting down on his knees as he put his forehead to her stomach. "I do not think, I know. I can see the soul of our child growing in you, my love…our child…"

He started to cry, joy in his heart at the revelation of his first child to come so early in his life making his heart flutter with pure bliss. Haku held his head as he rested it against her stomach, her own tears running down her cheeks as she struggled to stand before falling to her knees and embracing him. The two cried, the knowledge that their union bore fruit the first time they made love only confirmed in each of their minds that this was meant to be. That she was meant to be with him, and to be there to rebuild his clan.

The embrace was soon interrupted by the clapping and joyous cheers from Yugito and Kin. The two pulled away from each other, the two smiling down at the loving couple. Yugito smiled down at Naruto, offering her hand to him and Haku to pull them up. She looked at the two, seeing the love in their eyes.

"May I be the first to congratulate you both. I can tell the love you have for this child before it is even born."

Kin was next, pulling Naruto into a hug and soon after Haku. "Yeah! It's incredible! But I didn't even know you too, well…you know." She blushed a bit, pushing her finger tips together in a shy motion just like a certain Hyuga was known for in Konoha.

This made Naruto and Haku blush too, but he spoke up rather quickly. "It was the same night we agreed to be together, about three weeks ago now."

Yugito and Kin nodded, looking at them. That's when Yugito decided on something. She looked at Naruto with a look of determination blazing in her eyes. "Lord Kuraikage, I wish to formally request to join your village and act as Lady Haku's personal bodyguard during the pregnancy."

Naruto smirked, knowing full well that Yugito might have asked for something like this. He already turned her down as being his personal guardian during dinner, telling her that her life is her own and he saw no debt in saving her. This of course insulted the prideful woman a bit, but accepted anyway. Naruto turned to Haku, looking at her to answer for him.

Haku blushed, chuckling a bit as her hand never left her stomach. She looked at Yugito, nodding to her. "I accept on behalf of Lord Kuraikage. I am eager to have you by my side, Yugito. And I will make sure the Kuraikage here will get to work on the paperwork to make you an official ninja of the clan right away. Isn't that right my love?"

Naruto was currently rubbing Haku's tummy when she spoke up to him, making him groan before going to the door and preparing to leave. He wouldn't tell her no. Then Kin spoke up before he could leave. "Uhm, Lord Kuraikage, I would wish to act as her guardian as well. Like Yugito, I owe my life to you. And I'll happily pay that debt by protecting your child."

Again Naruto groaned, waving for Haku to decide what to do as he went to file not one, but two stacks of forms to formally integrate Kin and Yugito into Chikyugakure kunoichi.

When he left the girls chuckled, going and sitting on the couch as they started to talk about the future for her and their child. Of course Haku knew Naruto would push to marry her a lot faster now since she was with his child, and as much as she wanted others to know she needed to remember that doing so may cause more issues than joy. She told Yugito and Kin to keep themselves to themselves, at least until she and Naruto were formally engaged. The two agreed, knowing her reasons and understood her before they kept gossiping and talking about whether she wants a boy or girl, what they would take after from their parents, and so on.

~~Council Chambers the next day~~

Naruto was the first to be in the chambers since he was still awake and filing the last of the forms needed to approve of Kin and Yugito's instatement into the Chikyugakure Ninja Core. He marked them down as clanless, but noted that they are in the protection of the Shingami Clan, and in turn, the other four by default. When the other clan heads walked in and saw Naruto, they saw the exhaustion in his face when he looked up and smiled at them weakly.

"Good morning my friends. Have the clans prepared?"

Madoka, followed by Jin and Genki, took their seats as they looked at their exhausted Kuraikage. Genki chuckled, looking at Naruto. "What, your little girlfriend keep you up all night?"

He was quickly met with a boot seemingly produced from nowhere to the head. He fell backwards, groaning as he stood back up and looked to Jin, who was just sitting there innocently as she looked at Naruto.

"No, Lord Second has been hard at work making sure preparations are ready for Konohagakure. We were tasked by Shinigami and Lord First to do so. And yes, Naruto, we are prepared to move as soon as you order it."

Naruto nodded, sinking back into his chair as he relaxed. "Good, I will have Lady Tuyin and Lord Rashi go with the clans to act as their leaders. We are not to engage in any Konohagakure affairs unless it is needed. I have yet to hear from the Hokage, but I doubt he will deny my warning and my offer of assistance."

The three clan heads nodded. Naruto looked at Madoka and continued. "Until a leader is chosen for Clan Shintami, you are the sole operator of the day to day operations of the Council. I apologize, I leave you alone to deal with all of this, but I know you are better suited to stay here then go."

Madoka nodded, taking no offense to his words in the slightest. "As you wish, Lord Second. And I am afraid the Shintami matter of succession is still being sorted out by the clan. Kisho as you know had no children, so it's the lesser families trying to convince the others to see them be the next clan head family."

That did annoy Naruto a little bit, but sighed in defeat. He would not step into clan matters unless absolutely needed. It was bad enough he held the Elder Cane from them, despite them constantly refusing to take it back from him. He looked at the necklace around his neck, the ring on his finger, and felt the earrings in his ears. He was the clans, and the clans were him. But that didn't mean he needed to be in every little aspect of their lives did it? Maybe if the situation was not settled by the time he came back home he'd settle it. He just hoped his clan would never have such an issue. And then it was brought back to his thoughts. His clan.

"Lord and Ladies of the council, I have news that I ask not to leave the chambers."

The clan heads looked to him, then to each other before nodding their agreement. Naruto smiled softly as he looked at Jin, a smirk on his lips as he wondered how she would react. "Mother, I hope you are prepared for the title of grandmother."

This made Jin give Naruto a questioning look before her eyes went wide. Madoka just smiled at her leader, knowing full well what he meant while Genki got up and brought Naruto into a hug from behind.

"Yes! Now you will experience the wonders of fatherhood! Oh, I can't wait to meet the little one! I am so eager-"

Again, another boot met Genki's face as Jin stood up, holding another in her hand as she looked down at Rashi clan head. "Hey! If anyone is gonna dote over that baby it's gonna be me, you got it!"

Genki chuckled nervously, raising his hands up defensively to avoid another boot to the face. Jin smirked, turning to Naruto and bringing him into her embrace. She held him close, and he held her too. "I am so happy for you, Naruto. You are growing up so fast…"

She sniffled, pulling away and looking him in the eyes. Madoka got up from her chair, standing behind Jin as she looked at her Kuraikage and once a student. "I am happy to hear this as well, though it seems you skipped a few years in your plans to build up your clan."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as Genki got up and stood next to the others. "Yeah, I didn't think it would happen so fast, let alone before I married Haku. But, with her baring my child, I plan on wedding her as soon as I can. So when we get back home, we will prepare everything."

The three of them nodded, smiling warmly before they continued on with their meeting. It lasted a few hours, and by the time that it ended the leaders of Chikyugakure were leaving the Council Chambers. Naruto did ask them to keep the pregnancy a secret til he decided to make it public knowledge. They agreed of course, and wanted to assign the best of their clans to act as Haku's protectors, but he already informed them he has two of the best kunoichi in the Hidden Earth already on it.

~~Konohagakure - Council Chambers~~

Minato sat at the front of the large, U-Shaped table that was the seat of the Clan part of the council of Konoha. Behind the center table were the desks of a dozen or so civilian council members, all taking their seats while the clan leaders took their own. To Minato's right was a woman named Koharu Utatane, an elder that served as his advisor on the request of his predecessor, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. To his left was another that served on Hiruzen's advisory council, Homura Mitokado, who was there for the same reason as Koharu. Though he didn't like their motives half the time, he did recognize that they wished for nothing more than for Konohagakure to grow.

On the right of the table was the leader of the Sarutobi clan, Asuma Sarutobi, who was the eldest of the two remaining of their clan. Beside him was Tsume Inuzuka, the matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan. Then to her side was Hiashi Hyuga, leader of the esteemed and pompous Hyuga.

To the left of the table was the leader of the Nara Clan, Shikaku Nara. He was credited to be one of, if not the most, intelligent minds of Konoha. Beside him was his long time friend, Inoichi Yamanaka, who leads the Yamanaka Clan. Lastly at the end of the table was Chouza Akimichi of the Akimichi Clan. The three of them were close friends going all the way back to their days as a genin team together.

The rest of the civilian council made their way in, taking the seats at the desks along the walls. One said civilian member was Danzo Shimura, the leading voice of the civilian council. Minato kept an eye on the old warmonger, knowing his influence in the council was not as strong as it used to be when Hiruzen was in charge. The Namikaze knew better than to let the council remain how it was, where the Hokage was nothing more than just a title for strongest in the village. He worked hard to reform the council through the years, but he couldn't wrestle enough of the influence and power of the Civilian Council away from them. As it stood, if both sides of this council voted against one another, the Civilian Council would win.

Minato took a deep breath, standing up as he got everyone's attention. "Listen up, I have received word from a credible source that there is something going to happen at the Chunin Exams. Now, the source does not detail what, but given their standing and their status I have called this council together to discuss what to do. I propose that we raise all patrols that circle out village's territory to be conducted every hour instead of every other. In addition, I propose we have our shinobi hidden in the crowds in the village during the Chunin Exams."

Before he could call a vote, the voice of his biggest annoyance spoke up as he stood. "Lord Fourth, who is this credible source? Are they an ally?"

Minato sighed, shaking his head before he looked at Danzo. "Not in the traditional sense. This comes from the lips of the Shinigami, who asked the current Kuraikage to send the warning to us as they prepare to amass their own ninja and medics to rally to our aid."

The council murmured, most of the civilian council skeptical of Chikyugakure and their intentions since the village openly admits to be worshippers of the Shinigami. The Clan side of the council seemed to be talking between themselves, thinking of what sort of threat could it be that the Shinigami himself wanted to intervene. Danzo mentally smirked at the murmurs he could hear, knowing he had an advantage to this and could in turn further his own goals.

"I have no reason to believe the words of their Kuraikage, nor their precious Shinigami. You ask us to trust the worlds of death worshiping cultists that have just recently started showing their faces to the world. That is preposterous to even consider. Now I know you have a soft spot for them since they raised your son, but we should not just open our gates for an army of ninja that have no true reason to help us out beside the words of their lord."

Minato looked to Danzo, about to refute what he had said but was beaten by Shikaku Nara. The lazy, always tired man stood up, looking at Danzo before looking at Minato. "I'm sorry, Minato, but I have to agree with Danzo on this one. We know very little about the Chikyugakure people or their ways. All we know is that they worship the Shinigami. Our information is scarce, and this could very well be a trap by their Kuraikage to make an example to the world of how strong they are. This could truly be a troublesome setup."

Inoichi and Chouza nodded along with their friend's point in this, aswell as the rest of the clan council. Minato looked to those around him, seeing them agreeing to fear the village wanting to warn and help them instead of accepting their aide. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to control himself before he sat down. "All in favor of accepting their aid, raise your hands."

His hand was the only one to be raised.

"...all opposed."

All but his hand was raised up. He silently was kicking himself in the ass for calling this council together. This was a military matter in the end, and didn't need to hear the civilians out but the stupid clause that Hiruzen allowed to pass during his time made the civilians involved in all voting that would affect the village as a whole. He was about to end the meeting, but again Danzo spoke up.

"Now that leaves us with the fact that they are sending their forces here."

Everyone looked to Danzo, who only pulled a scroll from his sleeve covering his bandage hand. "I sent a spy of my own into Chikyugakure at the same time that Yuna Namikaze and her godparents made their way to amend the mistakes that Lord Fourth made in regards to potentially making the Hidden Earth an enemy. Thankfully that was amended, but from what my spy tells me the forces of Chikyugakure are already on their way. Before them will be their genin participating, Naruto Shingami. Now, I believe a swift military action should be made to prevent them from crossing into our borders."

Minato shot up from his seat, looking at him with pure anger. "You sent a spy to their village?! Are you that hungry for bloodshed that you'd betray their trust, Danzo?!"

Danzo simply nodded his head, agreeing with every Minato accused him of. "Yes, I am willing to break the trust of a no name village if it means protecting Konoha and its interests."

The Hokage had to calm himself as he knew all of the council were looking at him. He sighed, taking a deep breath before he continued his rebuttal to Danzo's call to action. "If you have had your spy there for that long, then you know fully well that their clans are not the typical ninja we have fought before. We should work to establish friendly ties to them and nothing more."

Danzo nodded in agreement once more, but spoke his mind quickly. "Indeed, their clans are unique and powerful. However, that makes them all the more a threat. They have made no attempt to truly integrate into the way of the world around them. They acted on the words of their Shinigami and ended the Bloody Mist Civil War, which in itself can be seen as a good thing, but what happens when their Shinigami calls for your death, Hokage? What will you do when we let them act freely and know how our village works and the Shinigami calls for the destruction of our village? We can not trust people who worship a god of death, nor will we attempt to make an alliance with them on that same principle."

"Danzo, you are letting your paranoia and resentment to anyone outside of Konoha show. You are proposing radical what if scenarios that you have no real proof could happen." Minato growled through his teeth

"No," Shikaku spoke up again. "Again, this is a drag to admit but Danzo makes a good point. The proof is the fact that you yourself said they were coming here on the words of their patron, who said nothing more then he felt something to come. They follow his words like gospell, Minato. We can't trust that sort of thing. All it takes is a flick of the Shinigami's tongue to turn them against us. Though, I do disagree with Danzo wanting a military response to them. Starting a war would be foolish right about now."

Danzo narrowed his eyes at Shikaku, loving that he was on his side to the end of his little speech. "And will it be foolish when we didn't act while we had the chance and they came for us? We must act now before it's too late."

The council started to fight, and Minato could only sit back and listen as he knew his voice mattered little now that Danzo had stirred up their fears. He could offer them the fact that he could easily decimate their forces like he had done to Kuma before, but that would mean betraying his son. He was stuck between being a father and the Hokage once again.

Eventually the vote was called, and to Minato's relief it was fourteen in favor of simply keeping distance from Chikyugakure and three for acting preemptively.

The council ended, and Minato let out a sigh of relief, he needed to write to Naruto quickly before his troops made way into Wave and then Fire. However, as he went to his office to write the letter, Danzo was whispering into a shadow.

"Yes, inform the others that the plan is still to go on ahead without interruption. Inform Orochimaru and the Kazekage that they are good to attack both villages."