Our Will of Fire

by tymaxion

A world reforged by strength of Will, one child has a fateful encounter that will shake the foundations of history and change the future for himself and the world. Possible M rating for future content, Smart/strong/op naruto/pyra/mythra, Hyuga and civilian council existence and bashing, smart(er) Team 7. Back at writing, will re-write chapter 1-4 at some point.

13. Chapter 12, Our New Citizen

Our Will of Fire

Chapter 11

WE HIT 6K VIEWS!

Review Q/A: Wanderer (Guest): Please make an account for your next review as one as large as yours would best be answered via PM, I can say that I have an answer as to why a blade partnered with a Blade-Eater would return to a core crystal after the death of their driver and thank you for a number of your suggestions as they've been added to the pool. As for Nia, don't worry, I have a few ideas for our favorite flesh eater.

AN- I AM NOW ACCEPTING OC BLADE SUBMISSIONS! PLEASE PM ALL IDEAS WITHIN REASON AND DO NOT MAKE THEM TOO OP, SUBMISSIONS MUST INCLUDE A NAME, WEAPON, APPEARANCE, AND A BRIEF PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION! I WILL NOT ACCEPT SUBMISSIONS FROM THE REVIEW SECTION! All blades are on the table except Shulk and Fiora! After the release of Torna the Golden Country I may start considering any blades that may be added in that expansion. I do not own either Naruto or Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in any way shape or form and they are the property of their respective owners Masashi Kishimoto and Monolithsoft respectively. I make no money from this story. Also if I swap between English and Japanese sporadically I am sorry.

AN- I also forgot a part of the chapter I was going to do in the same day as the Tora mission but honestly forgot about, I will be putting it as a flashback in this chapter.

Warning: Naruto and others will become quite overpowered compared to most others for most of this story.

"Biju Speaking"

'Biju Thinking'

"Biju Telepathy"

"Telepathy"

'Person thinking'

Flashback Speech

PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END

xXxXx Location: Training Field Seven, 7:50 PM

The moment Kakashi's fingers touch the blue gem it's already beautifully bright blue glow intensifies before erupting into a golden hue that permeates his body. A few moments later lightning starts discharging from the gem and a second later it disappears, allowing Kakashi to move away from where the gem once sat, only for a black rod with glowing blue striping running the length, two golden handles near the middle and top of the rod where two protrusions resembling lightning bolts are appears in Kakashi's hand surprising the elite jonin. Kakashi looks over the item in his hand, still keeping his senses sharp due to his ANBU training he immediately sets himself on edge as he feels a presence in the room. Looking around he sees a blue glow taking a humanoid shape in front of the grave where the gem disappeared.

A few seconds later Kakashi, still on edge, sees a green haired woman appear. The woman has an odd appearance to Kakashi as she has green hair, a violet hat with a lightbulb on it, glasses that sit before green eyes, and pointed ears. Kakashi takes in the features of her face and commits it to memory before looking over the outfit she's wearing; a dark violet frilly top with violet stripes running its length with violet hearts that split due to her open top which has a black bra underneath and a star hanging off of the frills, short dark violet bottoms with a long tail that has a lightbulb attached to the end of it, dark violet almost knee high heels with violet hearts and stripes that also have a lightbulb on the end of each heel, shoulders that are lightbulbs which amazingly seem to still allow movement that eventually lead to hands that have frilly dark violet gloves with violet highlights. The big kicker though is the familiar type of blue crystal set in the chest region of the woman, a rectangular crystal surrounded by four more pieces which make it seem like two smaller rectangles are running through it horizontally and vertically while very short streaks of blue run across her chest before coming to a stop, almost like a circuit board. The woman takes a look around before settling her eyes on a still on edge Kakashi who now has an expression similar to a deer in headlights after realizing what this woman is, "So," the woman speaks after putting her hands on her hips, "you're my new driver?" she asks.

Kakashi still on edge and still holding the rod shakes off his shock, "I'm assuming you're a blade then?" Kakashi asks the woman.

The woman sighs before putting one finger up in front of her with a small smile on her face, "That's right, my name is Pandoria." Pandoria says before looking around the cave a bit more, "Since you're the only one here and you're holding my weapon I'm correct in assuming you're my driver." She says cutely while Kakashi looks at the rod in his hand with apprehension.

'What have I gotten myself into this time?' Kakashi thinks to himself before giving a resigned sigh, "I guess I am." Kakashi says in a rather tired tone which Pandoria notices and sees the state her driver is in, namely his semi burned arm and dirty clothes.

Though Pandoria decides to tease the man due to his comments' tone, "What, am I not good enough to be your blade?" Pandoria asks while leaning forward, giving Kakashi a decent view of her cleavage.

Kakashi chuckles nervously while trying to keep his composure, "No, no. It's not that. I'm still just getting used to this Driver and Blade thing, it's still surprising that your kind exist as until a few years ago we had never heard of your kind." Kakashi explains earning a questioning gaze from Pandoria.

Pandoria seems confused, "How can you not have heard of drivers and blades?" Pandoria asks incredulously.

Kakashi remembers some information that Hiruzen had told him, "I forgot, you blades lose your memories when your drivers die, so you wouldn't remember the last time you were awake." Kakashi says earning a chuckle from Pandoria.

Pandoria looks at Kakashi with a smile on her face, "Normally that's the case, total wiping of our memories, I'm a bit of a special case." Pandoria says earning a questioning look from Kakashi, "Normally a blade and driver are inseparable until one dies, in the case of my previous driver I had a part of my core crystal implanted in his body when he was close to dying, he became what's known as a blade eater in order for him to survive." She explains causing Kakashi to go wide eyed at the information, "Since a part of my core crystal was implanted in my previous driver our resonance increased to the point where he was affected by areas low in ether as much as I was despite him being human. When he finally passed from old age I didn't return to my core crystal immediately, in fact I was able to attend his funeral due to how long it took for me to return to my core crystal state, which only happened after the piece of my core crystal embedded in his chest finally dissipated and once more became a part of my core crystal. The process seems to have embedded any of the memories we shared together from the point where I became his blade within the heart of my core crystal, so I remember not only all of the time I spent with him but with all of our friends as well." Pandoria explains with a fond smile on her face while Kakashi takes in the information to report to the Hokage.

Kakashi, since he awoke Pandoria, decides that she isn't an immediate threat to himself so he walks towards her but keeps up his guard, "So I'm assuming that this grave is your previous drivers'?" Kakashi asks Pandoria who turns around and looks down at the grave.

Pandoria gains a solemn smile on her face, one filled with happiness and sorrow at the same time, "Yeah, it's his. I guess sometime after I returned to my core crystal someone placed me at his grave out of respect, maybe it was Rex because he was at the funeral with Pyra and Mythra." Pandoria says shocking him to the point of dropping the rod at the mention of the names. Pandoria looks at Kakashi in confusion, "What's wrong….. What's your name anyway? It's rude not to introduce yourself!" Pandoria asks and berates Kakashi who still has shock in his eyes.

Kakashi shakes himself out of his stupor before putting a hand on the back of his head, "I'm sorry, my name is Kakashi Hatake. But could you please repeat those two names you just mentioned?" Kakashi asks.

Pandoria looks confused again, "Pyra and Mythra, they came to Zeke's funeral with their driver Rex, though he wasn't looking too good himself." Pandoria says in a solemn tone, "Why do you ask Kakashi?" Pandoria asks.

Kakashi sighs, 'If they're the same people then it might be good to ask.' Kakashi thinks to himself, "They wouldn't happen to be a redhead and a blond both with an emerald like crystal in their chests would they?" Kakashi asks surprising Pandoria.

Pandoria slams her arms down, "Wait, you mean to tell me you know where Pyra and Mythra are?" Pandoria asks rather urgently and loudly before Kakashi puts his hand on her mouth.

Kakashi puts a finger in front of his mouth, "Please keep it down, we're still in a cavern as it is but there may be prying ears outside." Kakashi says earning a nod from Pandoria and he takes his hand off of her mouth. "I'll answer your questions in time, but for now I guess that I'm stuck as your driver right?" Kakashi asks and receives a nod from Pandoria, "Great…. It's going to be a long night. Listen, I need to go inform Hokage-sama about this but the existence of Blades is a guarded secret, at least for now as we've only known about them for around seven years. I'm going to rush to him real quick, ask him to clear the room and then bring you to him, so can you wait here for a few minutes?" Kakashi asks.

Pandoria looks unsure but eventually nods in agreement, "Sure thing Kakashi, just make sure you hurry. We blades don't like being separated from their drivers for too long, it feels weird." Pandoria says in a serious tone with a hint of mirth underneath.

Kakashi nods and leaves via leaf shushin, leaving behind a semi-startled Pandoria.

xXxXx Locaiton: Hokage Tower, 8:10 PM

Hiruzen is having a late night after catching up on some paperwork to help his clones finish faster so that he could go home for the night. As he was looking over another attempt by the civilians to evict the Uzumaki from the former Yondaime's compound he remembered their outrage during the council meeting that day.

Flashback, Council Chambers, 11:00 AM

As Hiruzen sat down at his table in front of the ninja and civilian councils he could already feel a sense of dread and hate coming from both the civilian and ninja sections, the hate coming from the civilians and dread coming from the ninja towards the civilians. "I call this meeting of the Konoha Council to order, we will start with the civilian councils' concerns, Kaede Unohana, you have the floor." Hiruzen says with a slight edge in his voice as this was one of the women who charged more than five times the usual prices for items at shops she owned whenever Naruto came by, he was also one of the women who had to pay several hundred thousand ryo for multiple violations she was fined for.

Kaede stood up and bowed in respect to the Hokage before sitting back down, "Thank you Hokage-sama. My primary concern is a joint one, namely the sale of the Yondaime Hokage's former compound." Kaede said earning shocked gasps from everyone except Itachi and Hiruzen who both knew who bought the compound.

"Hokage-sama, several of those present, including members of the ninja council, have been attempting for years to purchase the property from you after you took ownership of it upon the death of the Yondaime. Why would you choose to sell it now?" A raven haired merchant asked, this was Haruna Isako, a landlord who had been attempting to purchase the Yondaime's compound for several years.

A number of other merchants and landlords voiced their displeasure; Hiruzen clears his throat causing the council to quiet. "Indeed I have sold the compound of the Yondaime, and as for why I had decided that twelve, going on thirteen, years was a long enough time to wait to put such a landmark on the market, it's as simple as that." Hiruzen says, lying, which causes a number of the merchants to start complaining.

"Hokage-sama, due to the number of people who had approached you about being interested in purchasing the property, why would you not inform the public about the property being on the market?" Kaede asks with a hint of annoyance in her voice, hoping to catch Hiruzen off guard.

Hiruzen sighs, "It's because when I had decided to put the paperwork together to put the property on the open market I was visited by someone who saw the paperwork and offered to purchase the property on the spot, since the house was going on the market anyway I decided to sell it then and there." Hiruzen says with a slight smirk on his face which causes a number of the members of the ninja council to pale slightly, a smirking Hokage during a meeting with the civilian council present promised pain and suffering to a great deal of people, at least mentally.

Kaede smirks slightly, "So that means you sold it to one Naruto Uzumaki correct?" Kaede asks which causes Hiruzen to drop his smirk into a hateful frown while the civilians were outraged that the brat was now the owner of the Yondaime's compound.

Hiruzen looks her right in the eye, "I must ask Unohana-san, where you came upon such information?" Hiruzen asks in a frosty tone that sends chills down the spines of a number of civilians and ninja.

Kaede clears her throat to attempt to ease her nervousness, "I and a number of my companions witnessed the 'Boy' and his 'siblings' moving some property we had assumed was stolen, we initially followed them to find out where they might be hiding any other suspected stolen property but when they approached the compound of the Yondaime we saw them manage to open the gate and move the items inside. Sometime after that we continued to observe them to see what building they may have been hiding anything in, however we didn't witness anything else suspicious." Kaede said and immediately regretted every word as with each word spoken Hiruzen started releasing more and more killing intent directed at her.

Hiruzen glared at her, "And for what reason did you, a civilian, have to suspect a shinobi of a crime without informing a nearby ANBU or registered chunin?" Hiruzen asked with his tone now colder than the void of space.

Kaede was now visibly sweating, "H-Hokage-sama, it was the 'Boy' moving several items to a…" Kaede was cut off by Hiruzen.

"So you have no proof and a suspicion based off of bias. Absolutely ridiculous." Hiruzen says as he puts a hand onto his face, "I will be speaking to you about this later Unohana-san, but to answer your previous question, yes. The new owner of the compound, now such named as the Uzumaki Compound, is one Naruto Uzumaki and his immediate family." Hiruzen says in a straightforward tone.

This causes the civilians to become outraged further, "Hokage-sama, we can't allow the dem…" Haruna said but was stopped by Hiruzen disappearing from his seat and appearing behind her with a kunai at her neck.

"I would choose your next words carefully councilor, my law is still in effect even in here, consider this a warning." Hiruzen said coldly before disappearing back into his seat, leaving a terrified Haruna in her seat. Hiruzen glares at Kaede, "Is there anything else councilor?" Hiruzen asks.

"H-Hai Hokage-sama. The next big issue is the jutsu scrolls and other valuables within the compound, we believe that they should be removed from the property and placed into public circulation." Kaede said earning murmurs of agreement from the civilians.

Hiruzen sighs, "I am required to inform you that any and all items on the property including the jutsu scrolls and other valuables are now the property of Uzumaki Naruto and his family as they were inside of the compound when it was purchased, making them the property of the new land owner. The scrolls will stay where they are, however with Uzumaki-san's permission I will have a few of them copied and put into circulation, this will be completely at his discretion though and if he desires to not share any of his new secrets then he will keep them to himself." Hiruzen says causing a number of civilians to look upset at this news while a few at least understand that there's a chance for a few of those scrolls to make it to ninja that 'truly' deserve it in their opinion. "Any other questions councilor?" Hiruzen asks and Kaede shakes her head. "Ok, onto our next subject of the day…."

Flashback end

Hiruzen sighs as he denies the proposition and puts it in the proper pile. A few moments later a swirl of leaves appears in the center of the room, "Kakashi, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Hiruzen asks with a small smile on his face.

Kakashi gives a small bow before standing straight once more, "Hokage-sama, we have a bit of a situation and I need to request a private audience with you, without the ANBU present." Kakashi says in a serious tone which causes Hiruzen's face to become stoic and serious.

Hiruzen nods, "ANBU, leave the room." Hiruzen orders and the two ANBU guards leave the room. "Ok Kakashi, what's the situation?" Hiruzen asks.

Kakashi sighs, "Let's just say a situation from four years ago just repeated itself…. But with me this time." Kakashi says cryptically.

Hiruzen narrows his eyes, "Where exactly?" Hiruzen asks causing Kakashi to walk over to his side to whisper the location and that he left her behind. "I see, I assume you were going to bring her here?" he asks in a low tone and Kakashi nods. "Ok, bring her here via shushin, I'll leave the window open and a privacy seal ready to go." He says and Kakashi disappears again. "ANBU!" Hiruzen yells, and his two ANBU guards and two more ANBU appear. "I will be putting this room in another state of lockdown similar to the Uzumaki visit; you are to allow no one to enter this room once the privacy barrier is up and shall make note of any visitors, GO!" Hiruzen orders and the ANBU disperse. A few minutes later a rather nervous Hiruzen sees a swirl of leaves appear in the center of the room and he immediately shuts the window and activates the privacy seal.

Kakashi is standing in the middle of the room besides a rather strange looking round woman holing a rather odd looking rod. "Whoa, that was almost as fast as Zeke and mine's Flicker Slash Max." Pandoria says. (My name for the technique he uses in the cutscene before the Leftheria fight) Pandoria looks around the room and her eyes land on the old man sitting behind the desk who is looking at her with interest, "Hey, so are you that Hokage that Kakashi mentioned?" Pandoria asks bluntly causing Hiruzen to grow a small smirk and chuckle.

"Indeed, my name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, and may I ask what your name is?" Hiruzen asks.

"Ah right, I'm Pandoria, the former blade of the King of Tantal Zeke Von Genbu and now the blade of Kakashi Hatake of I don't know where the hell this is." Pandoria says causing Kakashi and Hiruzen to look at her in both shock and awe.

Hiruzen coughs, "I thought blades lost their memories when they returned to their core crystals, is that not the case?" Hiruzen asks.

Pandoria nods, "Normally yes, however I had a unique bond with my last driver that allowed me to retain my memories of our time together. He nearly died and a man named Amalthus removed a part of my core crystal and implanted it in Zeke's chest, allowing him to live, becoming what's known as a Blade eater. When Zeke died I didn't return to my core crystal immediately, but after some time passed the part of my core crystal that was embedded in Zeke dissipated and became one with my core crystal once again, causing me to return to my core crystal state. I'm guessing one of our friends put my core crystal atop his grave out of respect, and then the next thing I know I'm awake in a small cavern with the cyclops over here." Pandoria says causing Kakashi's arms to fall down in front of him and start crying anime tears at being called cyclops by someone else now.

Hiruzen rubs his chin at this new information, "So that's how it is huh? Rather interesting I must say." Hiruzen says. "So Pandoria-san, as I'm sure Kakashi has told you, we haven't had knowledge of the existence of your kind until a few years ago when one of our citizens came across a location that had two of your kind inside of it and then bonded with them. Due to your kind's amazing power and abilities we have decided to keep your existence a secret for the time being, though a few have learned of it and another managed to bond with a blade as well. We must keep your existence a secret as well, at least for now." Hiruzen says, hopeful that the woman in front of him would understand.

Pandoria puts her hand on her chin and starts humming slightly, after a few seconds she takes her hand off of her chin and looks towards Kakashi, "Well…. Personally I don't mind, we blades can return to our core state and still be by the side of our driver, but would it be possible to find a way for me to not have to do that for an extended period?" Pandoria asks the aging Hokage.

Hiruzen smiles, "Indeed, two of our citizens have found blades that they've bonded with, these blades are using a technique we call the Henge no Jutsu, a sort of transformation technique, in order to blend in with the populace when they manage to learn the technique." Hiruzen says while looking at the now smiling woman.

"A transformation technique you say? If you don't mind, can you give a quick demonstration so I can see it in action?" Pandoria asks and Kakashi nods, forming a handsign he turns into a perfect replica of Hiruzen before turning back. "That's pretty awesome, the detail was spot on as well, seems I've got a few things to learn, but for now I've got a few questions." Pandoria says in a now serious voice. "Kakashi, you said you'd answer a few of my questions I had, namely involving Mythra and Pyra, two of my friends." She says catching the attention of Hiruzen and Kakashi nods, "If it's possible I'd like to meet them, they probably won't expect to see Pandoria Von Genbu!" Pandoria says excitedly while Kakashi and Hiruzen chuckle at the enthusiasm this woman is showing. "But, I would like to know, who is their driver?" Pandoria asks.

Hiruzen sighs for a moment before gaining a small smile, "Seeing as how you were recently awakened and had no prior knowledge of events involving the young man I see no problem in informing you of their driver. His name is Naruto Uzumaki, and funnily enough, he, Pyra, and Mythra are all members of Kakashi's team. You should know however that Pyra and Mythra have both taken Naruto's last name due to their stance on being his older sisters, though you did refer to yourself as Pandoria Von Genbu, am I to assume that you faced a similar situation?" Hiruzen asks after explaining who Pyra and Mythra's driver was while also genuinely curious as to the strange name of the blade in front of his desk.

Pandoria starts laughing, "O-oh that's rich. No I just added that onto my name as a way of honoring my last driver Zeke Von Genbu, the unluckiest man in Alrest, the Chaoitic Bringer of Chaos, and not to mention King of the Tantalise Kingdom." Pandoria says while chuckling through the entire sentence while Hiruzen and Kakashi sweatdrop at the information Pandoria just shared. "But anyway, that's all I really needed to know for right now, though I would like to meet them sometime soon, it'd be nice to catch up." She says happily before turning to Kakashi, "Oh yeah Kakashi, here." She says while handing him the metal rod he had dropped earlier, "This is my weapon, go ahead and activate it." She says, Kakashi looks at the long rod before pointing it away from himself and from everyone else and he feels an energy pouring into the weapon as he concentrates on it, a moment later a large sword is in his hands, a black body with blue streaks and gold gilding with a razor sharp blue edge while parts of the center of the blade are hollow.

Kakashi whistles at the sight of the weapon and feels its weight, "It's lighter than I expected but not too light as to where it wouldn't deliver a good amount of crushing force when it met another blade." Kakashi says as he takes a couple of practice swings and some electricity arcs off of the blade harmlessly.

"I should mention that my element is lightning, I hope that compliments your skills there Kakashi." Pandoria says with a smile on her face.

Kakashi deactivates the sword and attaches the weapon to his back, "That's perfect in fact, my own natural affinity is for lightning as well." Kakashi says with an eye smile.

Hiruzen coughs, getting the attention of the newly christened driver and blade combo, "Alright you two, Pandoria will be living with you Kakashi but when you aren't in private or among only those who know of this secret I would prefer you to stay in your core crystal form until you manage learn the Henge no Jutsu or the secret is revealed, whichever comes first." Hiruzen says getting understanding nods from Kakashi and Pandoria. "I will have a jeweler create an appropriate piece to place your core crystal inside of while you're traveling alongside Kakashi in that form. Any preferences you two?" he asks.

Kakashi looks at Pandoria, "What do you think?" Kakashi asks his new partner, 'We're stuck together regardless, may as well make the most of it.' Kakashi thinks while Pandoria puts her hand on her chin again.

A few seconds later she thinks of an idea, "How about a pocket watch, it'd be a useful too as it is and a good place to keep a lightning attribute blade, fitting if I say so myself." She suggests causing Hiruzen and Kakashi to think.

Kakashi decides to nod in agreement, "It is a good idea, combining utility and the ability to hide in plain sight on the back of it would be a good move. Is this suggestion satisfactory for you Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asks causing Pandoria to smile widely.

Hiruzen nods, "It's a good idea Pandoria-san, I approve and will have a watch made over the next couple of days, please turn into your core crystal so I can describe the general shape to the smith and clock maker." Hiruzen says.

Pandoria nods, "Alright Kakashi, make sure you catch me." Pandoria says in a teasing tone before glowing blue, leaving behind a core crystal shaped differently than the one in her chest, a small blue rectangle is now sitting in Kakashi's right hand.

Hiruzen studies the core crystal intently for a moment before nodding, "Thank you Kakashi, Pandoria, I'll have your watch made in a couple of days." Hiruzen says causing Kakashi to nod and somewhat freak out at the telepathic giggle coming from Pandoria.

"Thank you Hokage-sama, I will head home for the night with Pandoria and explain a few more things there, may I take my leave?" Kakashi asks and receives a nod in response from Hiruzen who deactivates the privacy seals allowing Kakashi to leave via shushin.

Hiruzen sighs, "Maybe having a constant presence around him will help him deal with some of his issues, I just hope she doesn't kill him for all of the porn he reads." Hiruzen mumbles to himself with a hand on his face. "ANBU!" Hiruzen calls and his guard reappear in the room, "You may resume your duties." He says and the two guards get into position before fading. A few minutes later an ANBU wearing a cat mask appears in the center of the room on one knee, "Report Neko." Hiruzen orders the cat masked ANBU.

"Hai Hokage-sama. We've investigated the tower and various surrounding structures as per your orders and we've discovered a number of tunnels that have been collapsed underneath the locations we've searched. We've placed a large number of detection seals on the tower and its surrounding area so we have a higher chance of detecting potential threats and spies." Neko says at which point Hiruzen sighs.

"Anything else to report Neko?" Hiruzen asks to which Neko nods.

"Hai, we haven't found any proof but upon an autopsy of the man you eliminated we discovered he was a former member of the Yamanaka clan who was reported missing over 12 years ago during the Kyubbi attack. Due to his attire however and the recovered mask, we believe the man to have been sent by Danzo Shimura." Neko says causing a large amount of KI (Going to say this instead of Killing Intent every time) to be released from Hiruzen.

Hiruzen manages to calm himself, "I want the elders in here at 9:00 PM, if they refuse inform them that they will be arrested if they should do so and you are allowed to use lethal force on them should they resist, though I would prefer that they live for now. You will not inform them of any of this information, I will handle that myself." Hiruzen says in a cold voice and Neko nods in response before bowing and leaving via a smokeless shushin. 'It seems my warning a few years ago wasn't enough….' Hiruzen thinks to himself darkly before pulling out some sealing scrolls from a blood seal inside of his desk and unsealing them, each containing files marked 'Confidential'. 'You want war Danzo, then I'll give you war. You say your actions will benefit and protect the village but they eventually bring harm to too many including our own children, I will put a stop to this today.' Hiruzen thinks to himself with a dark look in his eyes.

xXxXx Location: Shimura Residence, 8:40 PM

Elders Koharu and Homura were sitting at a table with their long time accomplice and fellow civilian council member, Danzo Shimura, and enjoying a few cups of tea with the old war hawk. "So the demon brat managed to not only become a ninja but also got his hands on the Yondaime's residence, meaning he has ownership of all of the items on the property including the scrolls for the Yondaime's original jutsu." Homura says causing the other to nod in acknowledgement, "We must find a way to remove the brat from the property and gain control of its secrets for the sake of the village." He says causing Koharu to sigh.

"The boy has been garnering attention from a number of people, some even like Kagura have stopped treating him like trash, which is surprising considering she had as much of a deep seated hatred of the boy as most of the village did. Though the boy stopping his pranks seems to have been a big contributor, it seems those two girls who showed up a few years ago have been helping to improve his image by helping some people around the village while bearing his last name." Koharu says as she puts down her tea.

Danzo sighs, "He's a weapon and should be treated as such. Hiruzen is too soft to see the necessity of having the boy learn to control his Biju so we can use its power to crush our enemies." Danzo says before taking another sip of his tea and then sets it down. "We must remove the boy from the property or gain control of the boy so we can obtain what is inside the property. We must also get rid of those two girls that have been living with the boy for the last seven years, as for my investigation regarding their origins I have found absolutely nothing about the two of them. Their clothing, names, and mannerisms all say foreigner but not a single contact I have in the elemental nations have come forward about any girls matching their details, it's as if they came out of thin air." He says before narrowing his eyes, showing emotion he has tried to bury, "The lack of information on those two is concerning."

Homura nods, "Our agents have reported the boy carrying around two swords on his back, the coloring and style of the blades doesn't match any known country in existence either, furthermore they seem to almost match the energy signature of the two girls when they're in close proximity to the girls according to our sensory shinobi." Homura explains causing Koharu and Danzo to start thinking before a blank mask ANBU appears in the room in a kneeling fashion.

"Danzo-sama, I have a report." ANBU says before Danzo gives an unspoken command to continue speaking, "As of 15 minutes ago a number of ANBU have left the Hokage tower and have gone to the residences of Elders Koharu-sama and Homura-sama to request their presence in front of the Hokage immediately, in addition there are a number of them moving on the location of the Shimura compound. We have reason to believe that the Hokage wishes to meet with you and the elders Danzo-sama." ANBU says causing the three council members to wonder why Hiruzen would send a large number of ANBU to request their presence.

"I understand, should they arrive at the compound you are not to interfere with their entry unless they decide to attack, in which case you are to initiate contingency plan 19." Danzo says and the ANBU bows lower before leaving in a smokeless shushin. He looks at the somewhat concerned elders, "It seems like Hiruzen is growing a backbone." He says with an impassive look on his face.

A few moments pass before Neko and a squad of ANBU arrive in the room, "Elders Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, your presence is required by the Hokage and we have orders to take you there." Neko says to a semi-fuming Koharu and Homura while Danzo looks at the ANBU curiously.

Homura stands up with an angry look on his face, "And why pray-tell did Hiruzen send his attack dogs to take us to him." Homura asks in an angry tone.

"Hokage-sama ordered us to bring you to him, this is non-negotiable and all three of you are required to be in his presence by 9:00 PM, now please come with us." Neko says causing Koharu and Danzo to stand, the latter using a cane to support himself.

"Seeing as how he's requested the presence of the council, we request to know exactly why we're being summoned in the middle of the night." Koharu says with venom in her voice.

"He's not summoning the council; Hokage-sama's requesting your presence before him at Hokage tower. Those are the only details you are allowed to know." Neko says before the ANBU surround the elders and they begin their trek to Hokage tower.

xXxXx Location: Hokage tower, 9:00 PM

Hiruzen has been looking over the files he unsealed to get all of the information fresh in his mind, looking over at the clock and seeing the time he closes the files he's read so far and a moment later a knock is heard, "ENTER!" Hiruzen yells in a cold voice that doesn't befit the grandfatherly old man. Seeing the people that enter Hiruzen attempts to keep his KI from erupting and keep a stoic face, yet falters slightly with the latter. Hiruzen turns to Neko, "Thank you Neko, your unit is to go onto standby surrounding the tower and you're to remain here until I dismiss you." Hiruzen says causing the cat masked ANBU to bow in acknowledgement before Hiruzen turns to his summoned peers. "Koharu, Homura, Danzo…. It seems you three are doing well, I guess my ANBU didn't have to resort to force to get you here on time." Hiruzen says in a cold tone that they haven't heard since the Uchiha massacre.

Homura decides to question Hiruzen's wording, "Hiruzen, what exactly did you mean when you said that the ANBU didn't have to resort to force?" he asks causing his compatriots to nod in agreement at the question.

Hiruzen looks at Homura with an icy glare, "I will make this clear only once councilor, though for how long you remain as such is up in the air at the moment, you will all refer to me as Hokage-sama or you will keep your mouth shut, am I clear?" Hiruzen asks in a continuingly cold tone that even makes Neko shudder slightly, and the three elders nod. "Good, now as for that question I ordered them to use force if necessary to bring you here tonight, and if you resisted to use up to lethal force if they needed to." Hiruzen's words shock the three elders, even Danzo is slightly put off by the rather casual, yet cold, way Hiruzen talked about possibly ending their lives just to answer a summons. "Now for the heart of the matter of why I called you here tonight, it seems as though we've had a few too many prying eyes in the vicinity of the Hokage tower as of late, one of which was discovered in the ceiling above us. I managed to kill the spy and the autopsy had found him to have been a Yamanaka who disappeared during the Kyubbi attack twelve years ago, furthermore the mast he was wearing had the kanji for 'Ne' carved under the eyehole…. Care to explain Danzo?" Hiruzen says.

Danzo still keeping his stoic and unemotional expression outwardly is trying to reign in all of his emotions internally, "Hiruzen, you should know that…" he started saying but was cut off by a katana at his throat.

"Show some respect, elder or no it's Hokage-sama to you, consider this your last warning." Neko says to Danzo who is looking at the cat masked ANBU.

"My apologies Hokage-sama." Danzo says while Koharu and Homura are trying to process the now angry Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama, I have not kept root officially active in recent years as you know, any actions that my former subordinates have taken or take are not my responsibility." Danzo says believing his words will be enough to get the pacifistic old man to stand down.

Hiruzen sighs and looks at Danzo angrily, "I wish I could believe that Danzo, however your actions after the death of Minato when several of your members disguised themselves as foreign ninja to make an attempt on my life speak volumes on the lengths you will go to in order to obtain power." Hiruzen says before pushing a series of files across his desk which Neko takes and hands to Danzo who begins looking over them, semi dropping his emotionless façade to one of shock. "That's right Danzo, we have several testimonies about those events including the word of two of your former members, enough to at least suspect you of sedition, and considering the seriousness of the crimes to suspect that the events from back then and now are possibly related. Maybe that wasn't a simple spy in my midst but an assassin waiting to strike." Hiruzen says in a cold tone while Danzo looks at Hiruzen's desk and sees a number of other files.

Danzo looks at his fellow elders for a moment before looking back at Hiruzen, "Even so, without physical evidence to support that theory Hokage-sama you can't outright arrest Danzo." Homura says causing Hiruzen to release some heavy KI.

"While I can't arrest him I will be revoking his status as an elder due to the events of the attempted assassination twelve years ago and for having been the driving force behind the Uchiha massacre as Itachi did inform us that you had ordered him to execute his entire family sans Sasuke or you would have his family killed anyway, Sasuke included." Hiruzen says shocking the three elders. "In addition, all three of you will be placed under heavy security and 24 hour ANBU surveillance. Danzo, any and all attempts by to circumvent this or remove yourself from the proximity of the ANBU will be treated as treason and you will be apprehended if possible or if necessary executed on the spot." He says causing Danzo to narrow his eyes while Homura and Koharu look at Hiruzen with pale faces.

"Hokage-sama, what is your reasoning for placing us under surveillance?" Koharu asks angrily.

Hiruzen narrows his eyes at Koharu, "It's simple really, you have been associating with Danzo quite closely for quite a while and while I won't be removing you from your positions as my advisors like I did Danzo I will be keeping an eye on you just in case you turn out to be a part of his ministrations." Hiruzen explains causing the two elders to look as if they're about to explode in anger. "Consider this a chance I'm giving you all. Danzo, if I find out that you've contacted root in any way then your life is forfeit. I am not sorry for this my friends but for the good of the village I must put a stop to anything that will bring harm to my family." Hiruzen says in a solemn tone. "ANBU, bring these people home and get their surveillance details in place, you have your orders." Hiruzen says as the ANBU squad that brought the elders to the tower appeared in the room in a kneeling position, after hearing their orders Neko and the ANBU escort the now scowling elders out of the building leaving behind a yawning Hiruzen who is sporting a small smile on his tired face.

xXxXx Location: Hatake Residence, 8:45 PM

Kakashi enters his family home and sighs as he starts to relax very slightly while remaining on guard like a former ANBU should do, "Jeez Kakashi, learn to take a chill pill once in awhile, I can feel your stress from inside my core crystal, though that might be due to our bond." Pandoria says with a small laugh.

Kakashi sighs, remembering that blades could use telepathy to talk to their drivers when in close proximity, "I'm a shinobi; I'm always on guard even when I'm relaxing. You never know when the next enemy will appear right next to you, so letting your guard down even for a moment is tantamount to suicide." Kakashi says to his new partner.

Pandoria sighs, "Listen Kakashi, I'm no stranger to reading people, Mythra and Pyra taught me a couple of things. You can't always be on guard and never relax; it isn't healthy and will get you killed faster than fighting someone stronger than you. Relax a bit and let me be your eyes and ears, I'll keep an eye on you while you get some rest." Pandoria says with a bit of pleading in her voice.

Kakashi sighs, "It's not that easy Pandoria, being trained as a shinobi and even more so as an ANBU drills into your soul the meaning of keeping your guard up." Kakashi says to Pandoria who pouts mentally.

"Well we're partners; you should be able to trust me enough to watch your back whenever you need it. That includes making sure you get a good night's sleep." Pandoria says hoping Kakashi would at least listen to her proposition.

Kakashi sighs again, "Again it isn't that simple, sleeping isn't just a way for enemies to get close with your guard down, it's also a way for some bad memories to dig their way further into your head, reminding you of your failures even more." He says.

Pandoria sobers her tone a bit, "So you don't relax because you don't want to relive the bad memories, is that it?" Pandoria asks, receiving silence in return, "I see, well whatever it is it must've been bad." she says causing Kakashi to nod, "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks and receives a firm shake of the head as Kakashi begins to lay down in his bed. "Mind if I tell you a story about Pyra and Mythra?" she asks Kakashi.

Intrigued by the possible information he could gleam about the pasts of his pseudo brother's older siblings he decides to listen to the story, "Go ahead Pandoria, I'm actually rather interested about the two that Naruto considers his older sisters." Kakashi says causing Pandoria to snicker and then fall into a somber silence before speaking again.

"Pyra and Mythra were once a single person, one granted with the power to sunder the entirety of Alrest if they willed it. 500 years before I met them a war erupted between humanity and a man named Malos, a blade known as an Aegis. Aegis' were blades of unimaginable power and had control of weapons that could sink the land we lived on, Malos declared war on the whole of creation on Alrest and if not for Mythra, another Aegis, and her driver, Malos would've succeeded in destroying the world." Pandoria says shocking Kakashi. "They fought, over and over across the Aegis war, scarring the landscape and reshaping it in unimaginable ways. By the time the war finished… Three of the great continents were sunk by their conflict. Mythra, even though she saved so many lives believed that her power was one of destruction and created a second self, Pyra to be the one to live on in her place while she sealed herself away in her own subconscious. 500 years later Pyra and Mythra awoke and wound up journeying with their new driver Rex, and eventually wound up joining up with us, though a group was after her. Among them was Jin, a blade who fought at her side in the Aegis war, and Malos, the very Aegis she fought centuries ago. During their journey their group Torna made several attempts to capture Pyra before it was revealed to us that she had a second self, Mythra was released and things went downhill from there. Eventually me and Zeke joined up with the group and it was fun, but there was always a silent tension coming from Pyra and Mythra no matter what. It took them being kidnapped and us going after them for us to realize why they wanted to go to the world tree, the place where a paradise called Elysium was rumored to be." Pandoria says in a sad tone which Kakashi notices.

"Why did you sound so sad when you said that? They were searching for a paradise, why would that be a sad thing?" Kakashi asks and Pandoria chuckles sadly at that question.

"It was WHY they were searching for Elysium alongside Rex and us. When we caught up to Malos and Jin and started to fight them off, they told Rex the reason why they wanted to go to Elysium, they wanted to go there to beg their father, the Architect, to let them die." She said causing Kakashi to shoot up in his bed in shock. "They believed their power was a curse, that being around anyone would bring nothing but pain and suffering to those around them, and that they would rather die than make Rex suffer any more than he had in his life." She says in a sad tone.

"But they're still here, meaning they didn't die. What happened?" Kakashi asks a now grinning Pandoria.

"Rex did what Rex did best, he fought for those he loved, gave them hope and a reason to live. He made them see that he didn't view them as a burden or as a source of pain, but rather a source of immense love and trust. He managed to reach them and showed them the way to live their lives and shouldered their pain alongside them, never relenting. It's because he put his trust in his friends that we succeeded in stopping Malos." Pandoria says before her core crystal glows blue, a moment later she appears in the room. "They suffered immense pain due to what happened in their lives yet were able to overcome it because they weren't alone anymore, there's only so much pain one can deal with alone before they start to break down. Kakashi, I'll be the one to help you shoulder that pain you feel when you feel comfortable doing so because from now on you aren't alone." Pandoria says getting a sad eye smile from Kakashi.

Kakashi looks at the smiling woman in front of him before tossing her their sword, "Make sure you get some rest yourself, we'll have a bit of a chat tomorrow, ok?" Kakashi says earning a large smile from Pandoria who leans up against a wall.

"You're darn tooting we will, now get some sleep partner." Pandoria says, earning a shocked look from Kakashi. 'Partners huh?' Kakashi thinks before laying down and falling into unconsciousness faster than he usually does.

xXxXx Location: Hokage Tower Mission Room, 8:30 AM, 3 months later

Kakashi, Naruto, Pyra, Mythra, Sakura, and Sasuke are standing in the middle of the mission room where Hiruzen is giving out the missions today, "Hey Jiji, you think we can get a break from the D-rank missions? It's really below our skill level." Naruto says in a bored tone to which everyone nods in response, amazingly including Kakashi.

Hiruzen chuckles at their reactions and looks to Kakashi, "What do you think Kakashi, you think that they're ready for the responsibility of a C-rank mission?" Hiruzen asks and Kakashi responds with an eye smile.

Kakashi walks forward, "Hokage-sama, the teamwork and skills of team seven have improved considerably, I would like to request a C-rank mission for team seven." Kakashi says, earning a large smirk from Hiruzen.

Hiruzen pulls out a scroll and hands it to Kakashi, "Your mission is to escort a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna back to his homeland of Nami no Kuni and guard him from all threats until the bridge is complete. Prepare for a month long mission." Hiruzen says and the members of team seven nods in acknowledgement as Hiruzen presses his intercom "Send in Tazuna, we have his guards." Hiruzen says into the intercom.

A few moments later a dark skinned man with grey hair and glasses wearing a sleeveless V-neck shirt with an obi and towel around his neck and a pointed hat atop his head enters the room, he proceeds to look at the group of six gathered in front of him, "I thought I hired Shinobi, not a bunch of brats." Tazuna says after looking over the group before settling his eyes on Naruto. "The blonde haired brat at least has a good sense of style at least." He says causing Naruto, Pyra, and Mythra to beam in pride.

Kakashi steps forward, "No need to worry Tazuna-san, we'll get you to your destination, and anything my cute little genin can't handle I can handle in their stead as I am a jonin." Kakashi says causing Tazuna to flinch slightly, something that doesn't go unnoticed by Kakashi, Pyra, Mythra, or Pandoria.

"R-right. My name is Tazuna, your job is to protect me so I can finish my bridge back in Nami no Kuni, even if it costs you your lives." Tazuna says in a rather somber tone of voice.

Kakashi and the genin nod, "Alright everyone, meet at the gate in two hours, prepare everything you will need for a month long trip outside the country." Kakashi says and the members of team seven nod before leaving while Kakashi stays behind with Tazuna. "You got a bad feeling about this too Pandoria?" Kakashi asks his partner.

"Yeah, he's not telling us something, but we'll find out exactly what, for now let's play along." Pandoria says earning a grunt of agreement from Kakashi who leaves the building via shushin. "Think it's time to let loose if needed?" she asks Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckles, "Yup, I'll keep your sword handy and you get ready to hop into action if I call for you, I won't let anyone die here." Kakashi says earning a mental smile from Pandoria, who seems ready to finally cut loose as they head to their home to prepare for the mission.

END

AN- I'm sorry this chapter was so late and that it isn't the length I wanted it to originally be, but I think it came out ok. I hope you all understand why I wanted Pandoria as Kakashi's blade and how she's here even after Zekes death. I also wanted to give the civilian council a chance to get pissy with Hiruzen over Naruto and the others moving into the Yondaime compound but have that lead nowhere, but where this leads in the future has yet to be seen. I also wanted to punish Danzo for his actions, the assassination was anime only I believe but I included it here, and for his actions during the Uchiha massacre. And now Pandoria is trying to mend the painful wounds of Kakashi by telling him of someone who has suffered probably as badly as him. It's the start of the Wave Arc next chapter, and that will last for quite a few chapters. I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter and I hope you all enjoy the journey onwards, REVIEW. Ja ne!