A/N - Okay, figured I'd work on this one next. Been a little while since I updated it. lol. Once again, I wasn't able to get to the time skip I wanted to get to. I wanted to skip ahead to graduation day and team placements and whatnot, but I just couldn't get there in this chapter.

Anywho, a bunch of different things happen in this chapter, including more yandere fun! lol. You'll see as you read that things get preeeeetty crazy in this chapter. As if they weren't already, right? XD

Okay, not much else to say. Been dealing with a lot of crap, I've been suffering from a sinus headache, yada yada. So I'll just let you read. Enjoy!

Chapter 4 – Choices

Hiruzen couldn't help but grumble to himself as he stared down at Sasuke Uchiha, who was currently on his knees, bound in shackles before the Hokage and the council. While he wanted to let Sasuke off with a warning and perhaps a light slap on the wrist, he had committed a very serious crime and the matter had to be addressed properly, whether he liked it or not.

His mind wasn't entirely focused on the here and now, however, as he recalled the attack on Naruto yesterday night, and then the grisly scene found in the early morning hours of today. Ami and her family were dead, strung up like warning signs to anyone that would dare to cross their executioners, or more specifically, Naruto himself. Oh, he knew Naruto had nothing to do with their demise, but all the same, he knew it involved Naruto in some way. It didn't help that there were dozens of dead bodies in an alleyway nearby.

Sighing heavily, the old man shook those thoughts off and looked down at Sasuke with a look of disappointment on his face. "Sasuke Uchiha, you have been brought here before us to face very serious charges filed against you. Yesterday, you were sparring with Naruto Uzumaki. From what I have been told, you were losing that spar fair and square. Then…you attempted to murder your opponent. You almost succeeded, too. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"That dobe had no right to torment me like that! I'm an elite goddammit! I should have won that spar easily! That idiot must have cheated somehow. There's no way I would have lost to him otherwise!" Sasuke exclaimed somewhat maniacally. "If my attack had just hit, the village would be rid of him finally and I'd be regaled as a hero of legend. I'd be a god made real! How dare everyone try to get in the way of my rise to glory?!"

At this point, even the civilians could see how deranged the boy had become. He had quite clearly lost his mind and they doubted he'd ever regain his sanity…if there was any there to begin with, that is. The clan heads were already disgusted with the Uchiha for his past actions and behavior, but they were even more disgusted with the elders and the civilians for spoiling the boy so much that he turned out this way. Meanwhile…

Danzo stepped forward and stared hard down at the young Uchiha. "Hiruzen, perhaps you should give the boy to me for 'reconditioning'. He has clearly lost his mind and needs to be reeducated before he brings harm to someone that can't handle it."

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at Danzo and shook his head. "Absolutely not. And that's Hokage-sama to you, you fossil. No, I say we make an example of him. Seeing as the aggrieved party is Naruto Uzumaki, I do believe Sasuke owes him some form of compensation. So I hereby decree that Sasuke Uchiha have his chakra sealed, he be locked away in the hospital's mental ward until they feel he's recovered enough to become a productive member of society. Should that fail and he comes of age, we'll extract his sperm and allow willing females to bear his progeny. Finally, everything currently belonging to Sasuke Uchiha will be given to Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke's money, his belongings, his clan compound, all of it is going to Naruto Uzumaki. Once Sasuke has recovered and regained at least some of his lost sanity, we'll figure out what to do then. For now…" Looking off to a corner of the room, he said, "Jiraiya, please seal the boy's chakra and ensure he cannot awaken his Sharingan until the time is right."

"What gives you the right to do this to me?!" Sasuke demanded angrily as he thrashed about. "I'm an Uchiha! I OWN this village! It's mine by right! I demand that you let me go so I can kill him! I need to kill my brother! I need to kill Naruto!" Seeing Jiraiya walking up to him, the Uchiha began to scream in raw, unbridled fury. "Stay away from me! You cannot stop me from fulfilling my mission! ONLY I CAN KILL ITACHI!"

Jiraiya sighed and motioned for the Anbu to pin Sasuke. Afterwards, he brought out an inkwell and a brush and began to paint intricate seals on Sasuke before eventually holding up a single hand seal and activating the various seals he had just drawn on the boy. When it was done, Sasuke screamed out in anger and tried to break free so he could kill the old men that had wronged him, but he couldn't muster the strength to fight back. So instead, he cried from the frustration as he was dragged away.

Once he was gone, Hiruzen sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We should never have spoiled the boy. He's grown arrogant and selfish to the point he would never have fit in with a team of any kind. The boy seems to think he's above everyone else simply because of his clan name alone." Grumbling irritably, he shook his head before looking around the room. "You're all dismissed. I suggest those of you with daughters that were actively seeking the Uchiha's affections do something to set them straight. If you don't, they'll likely have to be dropped from the shinobi program. Inoichi, Kizashi, this means you need to get your daughters under control as well. Is that understood?"

Inoichi sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I've been trying for years now to break her out of her current mindset. I'll continue trying my hardest, Hokage-sama, but at this rate, it might be best to drop her from the academy and have her live life as a civilian. I don't know if anything can be done to correct her mindset."

Kizashi frowned deeply as well and said, "I'll try to talk some sense into my little girl. But her mother was so insistent that Sakura pursue Sasuke, mostly to get at his finances. She didn't used to be this way, but…I guess things tend to change over time."

"That's unfortunate. I'd prefer not to lose those with such potential from the shinobi program. But if Sakura and Ino are unable to take their training seriously and become the powerful kunoichi I know they can be…it would be best for everyone if they remained simple civilians. I know that's not what you want to hear, you two, but it might be for the best." Hiruzen said. With that, he called an end to the meeting and left the room with Jiraiya.

Once they were back in his office, Hiruzen walked over to the window to stare down at what he viewed as his village. Motioning for his Anbu guards to leave, he activated the silencing seals before he began to speak. "Jiraiya, please tell me you have some good news for me."

The tall, white-haired man shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not, sensei. My spies couldn't find anything, and try as I might, I couldn't figure anything out about this Muru Muru person either. All I know for sure at this point is that she's taken an interest in Naruto and that's it. Whoever she is, she's not human, that much is for sure. I'm not entirely sure what she is."

Hiruzen scowled and pounded on the window hard enough to make it quiver and nearly break, but it stood strong against his blow. "Dammit! That's not what I wanted to hear, Jiraiya." Turning around, he glared at his student and said, "What about the seal? Can you seal away her powers or something at the very least?!"

Jiraiya frowned deeply and shook his head. "If I knew more about her, I could probably come up with some way to bring her down, sure. But she's a complete enigma. She can come and go as she pleases and her powers are something else. You experienced them firsthand, so you would know what she's capable of better than I would." he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The Third pounded his fist against the glass again, causing it to crack around the point of impact. "Fine then! What about those bodies? Do you know who's responsible for killing so many people? They left a clear message to everyone that Naruto Uzumaki is off limits now, or else. I want the ones behind that attack caught and destroyed."

Jiraiya sighed and slumped over comically. "I'm afraid there's no clues on that either. My spies are generally focused on outside threats, not ones inside the village. So I'm afraid there's very little information for me to go off of. All I know for sure is that whoever is butchering people like Iruka and that Ami girl are not just pissed off, but they're VERY defensive of Naruto as well. I think you should make an announcement to the village and tell them seriously this time that Naruto is not to be harmed. Anyone that tries should be executed, no exceptions. If nothing else, it should hopefully stop the killings for a while. If you don't do something, the body count will just continue to rise and we'll soon have more corpses than living, breathing villagers."

Hiruzen scowled and shook his head. "Naruto was meant to be humbled. He was meant to be loyal to me and me alone. My plans are derailing because somebody out there actually cares about that thing's wellbeing. No, Jiraiya, I will not do as you suggest. I'll just have to think of some kind of plan. I can't have Naruto falling out of my clutches into the hands of this Muru Muru or whoever she serves. If I have to, I'll apply seals to the boy so he can never question me. Nobody can stop me and my ambitions!"

Jiraiya frowned deeply and said, "You've changed, sensei. You never used to be like this. What changed?"

The aged Hokage scoffed and turned to stare at his student. "I never wanted to take this position back, Jiraiya. I was perfectly content to leave everything to Minato, but he had to fall in love with that woman and give birth to that creature. My wife is DEAD because of that thing! Then there's the councils breathing down my neck. I'm tired of it, Jiraiya. I'd name you my successor and retire right now, but you're too much of a coward to take the position from me. You'd much rather peep on women in the hot springs than aid me. Sure, we agree on a number of things, but as far as I'm concerned, you're just another failure, just like Team 7 has always been. It's a curse, and a bad one at that. You've proven that you're just as worthless to me as you've always been. Unable to get any damn information that I asked you to dig up. Get lost."

The white-haired Sannin scowled at Hiruzen before turning and leaving through the door. He was pissed at being called useless by his sensei, but he couldn't really refute it. Hiruzen was right, he couldn't do even the simplest of things right. The only thing he really had going for him were the toads and his books. He also had a few good techniques under his belt, but even he had to admit that it wasn't all that impressive. It pissed him off having to admit that fact to himself. But Hiruzen had no right to throw it all right back into his face, insulting him in such a way! Maybe it was time to start changing things in his own way…

The Next Day

Nobody knew what to think when the Hokage entered the classroom, interrupting the lecture Anko and Minene were giving to the class. Looking towards him, Anko asked, "Hokage-sama? To what do we owe the honor?"

Hiruzen waved her off before turning his attention to the class. "An announcement will be made later today, but I wanted to come and inform all of you personally about this matter. As you know well enough by now, Sasuke Uchiha attempted to murder one of your classmates: Naruto Uzumaki. When we, the council and myself, confronted him about his behavior, Sasuke revealed to us exactly how deranged and psychotic he has become."

Sighing heavily, the Hokage massaged his forehead for a time before saying, "Sasuke will no longer be participating in class alongside you. His chakra has been sealed and he has been locked away in the psych ward at the hospital. Before you question me, no. He is not allowed visitors. Sasuke is far too unstable to allow such a thing."

"Anyways, there are a few reasons I'm here telling you all this. The first problem I'd like to address is the fangirls. I'm giving you a proposition. Either take your chosen career choice seriously and work towards bettering yourselves so you can truly become the best kunoichi of your age group…or quit the damn academy. All your dieting to look pretty for Sasuke and the other boys ends NOW. The stupid catfights end NOW. Arguing with one another about who's going to win over the boy of their dreams ends NOW. From now on, you either take this seriously or you can walk out that door right fucking now. I'm not going to pass a bunch of fangirls that would rather wait for their Prince Charming to rescue them than fight. If you somehow became Genin, you wouldn't last a day out in the big, wide world. You'd be lucky if they'd just let you die. If not that, then you'd best prepare yourselves, because there's a good chance you WILL be broken and sold off as slaves to the highest bidder. And in case that wasn't clear enough: if you don't shape up, there's a good chance you'll be raped and sold to someone as a sex slave to be used, abused, and thrown away like yesterday's trash once they no longer have a use for you. Am I clear?!" Hiruzen explained, not willing to take anymore crap from these fucking fangirls.

Everyone nodded, too shocked to speak. For a short while, silence permeated the room. Nobody dared to speak. After a time, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and looked at each of the fangirls in the room. "Well? I'm waiting. Make your decision. NOW! Will you stay and take this seriously? Or will you get up and walk out that door? I'm not going to ask you again."

The majority of the fangirls hurried out of the classroom, not willing to go through with what was being asked of them, especially if they could no longer chase after their dream guy. A few others, such as Sakura and Ino, stayed, though it was debatable if they'd actually take their training seriously from here on. Just looking at them, Hiruzen, Anko, and Minene could tell that they were plotting revenge against Naruto for what happened to their precious Sasuke.

Sighing at this, Hiruzen shook his head in disappointment. "Those of you that stayed, Sasuke was in the wrong. Naruto did nothing to warrant your hatred of him. If I hear of you trying to exact some kind of revenge against him for winning a simple spar, you'll wish you had quit now while you had the chance. In the end, I'm the one that chose to punish Sasuke. Do you really think you could exact revenge upon me if I gave you the chance?"

The fangirls quickly shook their heads negatively. "Good. Now…" Looking at Naruto, Hiruzen frowned for a moment, unsure of just how he and everyone else would take the news he was about to deliver. Deciding to just get it out of the way, he said, "Everything Sasuke owned is now yours, Naruto Uzumaki. All of his money, his clan compound, his house, hell, even all the jutsu scrolls you can find there. Everything and anything he owned is yours to do with as you please. And because I don't trust certain people to leave you and your new compound alone, I'll post Anbu on guard duty to keep people out. I suggest you find some way to permanently protect your property, however. There are some who would stop at nothing to get what's in the Uchiha compound."

Naruto's eyes widened and he suddenly found it impossible to speak. His mouth opened and closed a few times, almost like a fish's would. After some time, he finally asked, "Can I see it now? I'd prefer to take a look at my new property and find some way to protect it from people as soon as possible."

Hiruzen frowned deeply and immediately went to decline, only for Minene to stand up and say, "Yes, Naruto-kun. You are excused from today's classes to go and inspect the Uchiha compound. You don't have a problem with that, do you Hokage-sama?" Minene asked with a sadistic smirk on her face. We're not about to let you rob Naruto of what's rightfully his now, you old bastard!

The Hokage scowled and shouted out, "Absolutely not! Naruto, you are ordered to stay in class and participate. I'll…"

Naruto stood up, flipped the Hokage off, and disappeared to go and inspect his new property. As soon as he was gone, Hiruzen clenched his fists tight and prepared to chase after him so he could get what he wanted before Naruto could get his hands on anything. However, one of the students, young Yuno Gasai, narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Why are you so insistent on keeping Naruto-kun from what's rightfully his? Minene-sensei already said he was free to leave. Do you have a problem with him or something, Hokage-sama?"

At this, the other students began to mutter amongst each other, each of them becoming more and more suspicious of the aged Hokage. Dammit! Damn you Naruto! I will have what's mine!

Anko looked into her girlfriend's eyes and nodded once at her. The message was read loud and clear between all four of Naruto's future wives: Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha, had to die.

Uchiha Compound

Naruto frowned when he arrived at the compound that now belonged to him. He could see a couple of Anbu guarding the entrance to the compound, but he also sensed a few people already within the compound, attempting to loot whatever they could. Raising his hands, he pointed his fingers at the Anbu and pressed his thumbs down as if he were pulling a trigger. When holes appeared in their chests, right through their hearts, he smirked wickedly and slipped on by into the compound.

Not wasting any time, he sought out each of the looters, tearing them apart one by one. Each of them were wearing blank masks that resembled those of the Anbu. Frowning at this, he picked up one of the masks and looked it over carefully. "Root? Deus showed me these people before…Danzo Shimura. Hmm…" Shrugging it off, he quickly went about killing the rest of the intruders before dragging their bodies out onto the street away from his new compound. Afterwards, he stepped back into the Uchiha compound and focused on the power Deus had bestowed upon him.

In an instant, a powerful barrier spread out, encompassing the entirety of the Uchiha compound. This happened just in time too, because the Hokage and more of his Anbu showed up and tried to enter, only to be repelled by the powerful, yet invisible barrier now shielding his property. Stepping up to the edge of the barrier, being sure to remain within its protective boundary, Naruto held up the mask he had taken off of one of the agents earlier. "I found these assholes trying to loot my new property. I don't take kindly to people trying to take what's mine, Hokage-sama. I don't care if they were under your command or not. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to explore the compound and see what I can find. Have fun with the corpses."

Hiruzen scowled at Naruto as he turned to walk away. "Naruto, you will be punished for killing my Anbu. I don't know how you did it, but…"

Naruto turned and raised a quizzical eyebrow at the Hokage. "Those Anbu you had guarding the compound? When I got here, they were already dead. All those people with the blank masks, on the other hand? I killed them. This compound is mine now and I wasn't about to let anyone steal from me. But go ahead, punish me if you feel like you absolutely have to. Good luck trying to prove my involvement, however. After all, how could a 10 year-old kill trained Anbu?"

The Hokage scowled further and tried to walk up to Naruto, only to be sent flying back by the barrier Naruto had put up. When he struggled to his feet, he glared hatefully at Naruto and shouted, "This isn't over Naruto! I'll get what's mine! Just you wait and see."

All Naruto did was flip the Hokage off before he went to explore the compound. Once he was gone, Hiruzen glared at the compound and clenched his fists tightly. Damn you brat! Damn you, your friends, those assholes defending you, and everyone else involved too! You'll all pay for this!

Two nights later

The girls would have acted on their emotions earlier, but they realized that they had to plan if they wanted to take down Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was almost always protected by the Anbu, and he was a highly skilled Kage as well in his own right. Hiruzen may be old, but he still held that spark in him, whether they liked admitting it or not. However…

Anko and Minene watched the Hokage peacefully sleeping within his room at his house. They were certain that he already knew they were there and was only feigning sleep at this point. However, that's what they were counting on. They had used their powers to change their appearances and make them look like enemy shinobi from a rival village. They were to be the bait that lured the Hokage's guardians and clansmen away.

The real plan was for good ol' Muru Muru to kill the Hokage herself. The girls had gone to Deus and Muru-chan yesterday and requested the aid of Muru to get rid of Hiruzen Sarutobi once and for all. She was powerful enough that she could easily kill the old bastard. At the same time however, they needed to find someone suitable to replace him. Chances are, the council would try to appoint Jiraiya of the Sannin as the new Hokage, but the man would bitch and moan, claiming he didn't want the position. So Deus had used his powers to locate Tsunade Senju on the request of Anko Mitarashi. Upon locating the wandering Sannin, Deus had sent Naruto to her to try and convince her to return to the village. That is where Naruto currently was, talking with Tsunade and trying to convince her to return.

Now, however, we find Minene and Anko under attack by a number of highly skilled shinobi. This is exactly what they wanted. Leading them away from Hiruzen's home, Minene grinned sadistically and held up a single hand seal. "Boom." she said, giggling to herself as various places throughout Konoha suddenly exploded, flames shooting into the sky. Afterwards, while their pursuers were stunned, the duo disappeared before dropping their disguises once they were safe. Looking around, the two of them went wide-eyed at all the destruction to the village.

Anko caught one of the Anbu that had been chasing them and asked, "What the hell's going on?! Are we under attack?" she questioned, making sure to play her part well.

The Anbu looked between Anko and her girlfriend and shook her head. "I don't know. We caught enemy shinobi targeting Hokage-sama, and when we left in pursuit of them, all these explosions started all over the village. And now we've lost the enemy shinobi. Damn!"

Minene stared skeptically at the woman. "Seriously? You left Hokage-sama undefended? What if they circled back to try and finish the job?" The Anbu went wide-eyed behind her mask before she quickly hurried back towards the Hokage's home, hoping dearly that everything was all right.

Once she was gone, Anko and Minene smirked sadistically at one another before they left to help search for the enemy shinobi. It's far too late for you fools to do anything now. The old man's already dead. Anko thought with a giggle. Serves you right, you old bastard!

Hiruzen

Moments before the explosions rocked the village, the aged Hokage opened his eyes and stared calmly at the ceiling. "You can come out now. I know you're there."

Out of the darkness came Muru Muru in her childlike form. Smirking at him, she said, "Your senses are as sharp as ever Mr. Hokage. I assume you know why I'm here then?"

Hiruzen nodded and said, "You're here to kill me. Most likely for my transgressions against young Naruto-kun. I won't make it easy for you, Muru Muru."

As Hiruzen sat up in bed and spewed a large fireball from his mouth at her, she simply raised a hand and caught the fire before compressing it into a tiny ball. Tossing it up and down in her left hand, she smirked sadistically at him and said, "Shame on you, Mr. Hokage. You should have given up. It would've made your death so much quicker."

The old Hokage went to attack again, only to scream when she blew a hole through his knee as she had done before. Then, she put the compressed ball of fire against his throat and said, "Burn."

In an instant, the Hokage's body was lit aflame by his own technique and he began to scream out in agony. However, she wasn't quite finished with him yet. So, with a snap of her fingers, the fire vanished and a charred Hiruzen Sarutobi sat before her on his knees, hot tears streaming down his blackened cheeks. "Just…k-kill me…"

"Soon Mr. Hokage. Soon. For now, I'm going to play with you until you're all broken inside. Let's make you into a pretzel!" Muru exclaimed as she began to 'play' with the old man. By the time she was done, Hiruzen had passed away from his injuries, unable to take it anymore.

Now that the old man was dead, Muru slipped back into the shadows and watched as Asuma came into the room to check on his father. Thanks to her magic, no one outside of that room could hear the screams, so this was the first they had realized he was under attack. When they saw the corpse that was one Hiruzen Sarutobi, they began to cry, scream in outrage, and vowed vengeance upon the one that had killed their beloved family member and Hokage. Silently giggling to herself, Muru disappeared, going to Naruto's side.

Naruto

Naruto really didn't have any idea where he was or how far he was away from Konoha. All that he knew was that he was currently staring up at a very pretty lady with blonde hair. It was his job to convince her to return to Konoha to become its new Hokage. So he had been talking with her for the past half an hour, trying to explain his situation to her and help her through her problems so she could return and take over as a proper Hokage. Not one that would be so corrupt and evil.

"…and that's my story. So you see, Tsunade-sama, we could really use your help. I was told you didn't want to go back to Konoha, but…you're the only one we can trust. The Third Hokage did some evil things and tried to use me. Jiraiya can't be trusted to have our best interests in mind. You're honestly the only one we could really depend on to lead the village back down the right path." Naruto explained, hoping dearly that his words had gotten through to her.

Tsunade frowned for a time before she asked, "You're truly the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki?" Seeing him nod, she sighed and said, "I loved Kushina like one would a daughter. I feared you had died, Naruto-kun. But…"

Naruto frowned as he looked up into her eyes. "You won't do it?"

The big-breasted woman frowned sadly and said, "I…I wouldn't make a very good Hokage. I'm afraid of blood. If I can't even handle the mere sight of blood, how can I possibly keep an entire village safe? How can I lead when I have such a stupid fear? I can't even help people anymore, I'm so afraid of it. As a medic, I should be able to handle it, but…"

The blonde nodded his head in understanding. "I see. Well, I can help you through your fear. You're a medic, right?" Seeing her nod in confirmation, he smiled and said, "Then you'll simply have to get over your fear the quick way."

Before Tsunade could ask him what he meant, Naruto pulled out a kunai he kept hidden on his person and proceeded to cut into his forearm, all the way up to his elbow. Wincing in pain, he soon proceeded to stab himself in the stomach with his good hand. Afterwards, he dropped the bloody kunai and smiled up at her. "Might…wanna hurry…" he said before collapsing to the ground, soon falling unconscious from the amount of pain he was now in.

Tsunade's eyes widened in horror at what she had just borne witness too. As she began to tremble and cry, closing in on herself, Muru Muru appeared in the room. Looking down at her favorite person in the world, the immortal being's eyes widened in horror. Looking at Tsunade, she shouted, "What the hell are you waiting for?! Heal him already! If you don't snap to it, I'll take care of it! He's giving you this opportunity to prove yourself."

Tears still streaming down her face, Tsunade quickly dropped to her knees and, with trembling hands, started trying to heal Naruto. However, with how much she panicking, she was having a difficult time of it. Her assistant, Shizune, went to help her master, only for Muru Muru to stop her. "She has to overcome this on her own or she won't learn and get past her fears. If she can't do it, then I will."

Shizune nodded slowly in understanding. However, that didn't mean she couldn't give words of encouragement to her master. "Tsunade-sama, you can do this. Just calm down, take a breath, and get to work. Hurry!"

Tsunade shook for a while longer before she finally took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Afterwards, she proceeded to start healing Naruto's self-inflicted injuries. Once she had finished healing him, she sat down on her bed and began taking slow, deep breaths in an effort to calm her nerves. "Dammit. Why would he do that to himself?! That was way too dangerous!"

"Because he trusted you to do the right thing." Muru said. "He had a feeling that you wouldn't just let him die."

Shizune frowned deeply and shook her head. "There had to have been better ways to go about it, though!"

Muru simply shrugged and said, "The slow and steady way was, unfortunately, not the way to go this time. We need Tsunade to return to Konoha, whether she likes it or not. We need a Hokage we can trust. I just came here from killing the Third for his transgressions against Naruto-kun. He had become corrupt and even evil to an extent. Something had to be done."

Tsunade's eyes widened and she asked, "Y-You killed sensei? What the hell did he do to warrant such a thing?!"

Sighing softly, Muru took the time to explain everything to Tsunade. Once she had finished, she looked hard into the blonde's eyes and asked, "So will you return? If I have to, I can drag you kicking and screaming back to the village. But I won't do that. I want you to return by your own choice. If you don't, well, we'll simply have to figure out what to do then."

Tsunade frowned deeply and asked, "Who do you think would take over if I were to refuse?"

Muru simply shrugged and said, "They would try to get Jiraiya to take up the mantle of Hokage. But you know how he is. He'd rather stick to his vices, and having to sit behind a desk all day would ruin his 'research' opportunities. He has no interest in being the Hokage. So you tell me, who's left that could take the position? I'll give you a hint: he's a really bad guy that's done a lot of bad things."

Shizune was the one to answer. "Danzo Shimura. He'd ruin Konoha! It would never be the same again! You have to go back Tsunade-sama! You can't let Danzo take the village your grandfather built and destroy it from within!"

Tsunade scowled and said, "I don't really have much of a choice in the matter. If Danzo were left to his own devices, he'd wage war on every other nation until either he and Konoha were destroyed, or worse yet, every other village was crushed and serving him. We cannot allow him to become Hokage. Miss? How fast can you get us to Konoha?"

Muru shrugged and said, "I'm Muru Muru, or Muru-chan for short. And I can get us there instantly if you want? But don't you want to talk to the Fire Daimyo first?"

Tsunade shook her head and said, "Danzo will try to use his influence to shift things in his favor now that sensei is dead. It's best if we don't give him the opportunity to sway people to his side. The faster we act, the better. As for the daimyo, I'll talk with him and his wife later."

"Alrighty then! One Muru Ride to Konoha in progress! Choo choo!" she exclaimed before teleporting away with everyone back to Konohagakure.

Council Meeting Room

The council was in an uproar with the death of the Third Hokage and all those caught in the various explosions throughout the village. Certain businesses had been destroyed, and orphanage had caught fire, the Third's face on the Hokage Monument was destroyed, and things had generally gone straight to Hell. Now here they were, arguing about what to do and who should take charge now. The civilians, in all their greed, had been trying to take control and take power for themselves in a variety of ways, but Homura, Koharu, and the clan heads were blocking them every step of the way. Danzo, on the other hand, was simply standing back with a wicked smirk on his face.

The old war hawk knew that this was his best chance at finally claiming the seat of Hokage for himself. All he had to do was influence the Fire Daimyo with Shisui's Sharingan and he would be named the new Hokage! Finally! Finally everything seemed to be going his way! Then…she appeared.

Muru Muru appeared in the center of the room with a now conscious Naruto Uzumaki, Tsunade Senju, Shizune, and their pet pig, Tonton. Looking right at Danzo, Muru grinned and pointed a finger at him. "Boom Mr. Bad Guy!"

Confused by her actions and words, Danzo was about to say something when he felt Shisui's implanted Sharingan explode inside his head. Screaming out in agony, he clutched at his now bleeding face and glared down at the girl with his one remaining eye. Before he could stop her, she appeared before him and ripped off his bandages, revealing to everyone exactly what he had been hiding. "Someone's been a very naughty boy. Naughty boys should be punished." Muru said before giggling madly as she systematically destroyed Danzo's malformed arm and all the Sharingan it possessed. Once she was done, she looked quizzically at Danzo before saying, "You've done lots of bad, bad things Mr. Danzobutt. You need to go bye-bye now." Before he could stop her, Muru had taken his life, not even giving him time to counter in any way.

Tsunade grinned at everyone and said, "Well, now that he's been taken care of, I think it's time we all had a nice, long chat. First I'd like to say this: I'm going to be the new Hokage. It's only fitting that I take the title, after all. If you have a problem with it, you can kiss my great ass. I won't tolerate anymore shit from ANY of you. Hiruzen, my old sensei, was an asshole and got what he deserved. Danzo could never have been allowed to become Hokage, as his ideas were too radical, too extreme to be put into practice. Jiraiya would rather write his smut than take over as your new Hokage. So here I am. You're going to do as I say from now on. And for my first order of business, I'm declaring Naruto-kun off limits to all of you. From now on, I'm putting a new law into practice and I'll enforce it without hesitation. Naruto Uzumaki is not to be harmed, harassed, threatened, or generally just treated like dirt from now on. Anyone going against this order will suffer the consequences. Unlike Hiruzen, I'll actually enforce the law, and that means you and anyone else involved…will die."

One of the civilians stood up and shouted, "You can't do that! What the hell gives you the right to make up such a ridiculous law?!"

The blonde simply smirked sadistically at him and asked, "What gives you the right to question me, you little ant? What gives you the right to try and kill a little boy? Do tell me if you have a good reason for it."

"Can't you see it for what it is? It's the goddamn demon given flesh and bone! Fourth-sama would have wanted us to adhere to his wishes and to kill the damn thing!" the same man exclaimed.

Tsunade scowled at the man and said venomously, "I see. So you're a fool then. Anbu! Take his head and mount it on a pole in the village somewhere. I want everyone to be reminded of what it means to cross me and Naruto-kun. Is that understood?" An Anbu quickly appeared before Tsunade before doing as he was instructed, much to the shock of the majority of the council.

Now that that was done with, Tsunade smiled sweetly at everyone and said, "We'll contact the Fire Daimyo and get everything squared away tomorrow. In the meantime, go home and get some sleep. We've got a busy time ahead of us."

Everyone simply nodded and left to return to their homes. They sincerely hoped that nothing else would go wrong after the mess the village had been lately. They thought they had enough of it when Sasuke attempted to kill Naruto. But things just kept escalating from there! They were tired and dammit, they were going to get some rest!

Once they were gone, Tsunade looked down at Naruto and pulled him into a hug. "Don't scare me like that again, Naruto-kun. From now on, I'll always be here for you. You won't have to suffer anymore. That's a promise."

Snuggling into her embrace, he mumbled, "Thanks Tsunade-chan."

Giggling at the affectionate suffix, the blonde gently patted him atop his head and said, "You're welcome, Naruto-kun." And with that, she took his hand and walked him back to his home. "Good night, Naruto-kun. Make sure to get plenty of sleep."

"Okay. Bye-bye Tsunade-chan!" he exclaimed before he yawned tiredly and entered his home.

Once he was out of sight, Tsunade turned to Muru and said, "You have a LOT to tell me about what's been going on since I've been gone. I need to know everything, including what the hell you are exactly."

Muru Muru shrugged and said, "Okay. But you're going to be confused at first. Buuut, I think Deus-sama can help you out. If you really want to, I can take you to see him after we've finished talking. He's really big and nice!"

Tsunade simply nodded and said, "Uh-huh. Ah well, let's go have that chat at my old home." And with that, the trio walked off to the Senju compound so they could speak in private.

The Next Afternoon

Tsunade couldn't help but blink as she stared up at the massive thing before her. When Muru had told her about Deus Ex Machina, she hadn't know quite what to expect. Now that she was seeing him in person, she realized that she could never have imagined something like this even in her wildest dreams. "Okay…you're huge. What exactly am I doing here though?"

Deus simply smiled down at her and said, "I simply want to ask you to do a favor for me. If you are going to take the role of Hokage, then I want you to look after the wellbeing of my friend, Naruto Uzumaki. Protect him. Make him happy. He deserves to feel loved and appreciated. I don't care if it's familial love, romantic love, or even just the love one feels for their friends. Just be there for the youngling. If you agree to do that, I can grant you a boon, of sorts."

The busty blonde looked skeptically up at him and asked, "What exactly did you have in mind? I already planned to look after Naruto-kun anyways, but I'll hear you out."

The mighty god simply chuckled and said, "I can restore your youth to you. You will be at your prime once more, and you will never age again. My gift to you will make you immortal, just as it has for Naruto-kun and his loved ones. More than that, in order to aid you, I will grant you your own version of a gift called Future Sight. You'll be able to view the future in some way, just like all of those dearest to little Naruto-kun. I warn you though that if you accept this gift, you may very well outlive those you cherish, such as Shizune and Tonton."

Tsunade frowned and asked, "Couldn't you do the same thing for Shizune, at the very least?"

"I could, but the question is: why should I? You are soon to be one of Naruto-kun's guardians, whereas she is strictly loyal to you. I need those that will care for Naruto-kun to look out for him above all others. I value loyalty and compassion. In the end, it is up to her if she proves herself worthy of my gifts. For now, I will give you the time you need to come up with an answer. Just don't take too long. When you're ready to give me an answer, speak with Naruto-kun and he will bring you to me."

Tsunade frowned, but nodded her head in understanding. "Of course, Deus-sama. Thank you." she said before she allowed Muru Muru to return her to Konohagakure.

As soon as she was gone, Deus looked down at the shadows covering one corner of the room. "What do you think? Will she accept the deal as it has been presented to her? Or will she decline?" he questioned.

Out of the shadows stepped a rather beautiful woman with long red hair, violet eyes, and a mischievous glint in her eyes. "She might try to persuade you into adding Shizune and Tonton to the deal. I know you're simply testing her resolve, but I can't see you excluding them, Deus-sama." Giggling to herself, the woman said, "Tsunade-chan is going to be ecstatic when you change her. She'll finally be able to marry and have the kids she's always wanted. With whom, however, remains to be seen."

"I still want to see if Shizune can show the same level of dedication to young Naruto-kun as she does to Tsunade. If she cannot, then I may not bestow upon her my gifts." Looking down at the woman, Deus asked, "So when will you be ready to reveal yourself to him?"

The woman shook her head and said, "Not for a while yet, I'm afraid. There are still too many issues to take care of throughout the world that would seek to harm my baby boy. Once I feel we're both ready…I'll talk to him. I just hope he won't be too upset."

"Only time will tell, Kushina Uzumaki. I just hope you don't keep him waiting for too much longer. He may have the others in his life right now, but he could still use his mother's love. Don't deny him that much…"

All the now-named Kushina could do was nod in understanding. "Very well, Deus-sama. If that is all, I'll be leaving now."

Deus simply nodded and watched as she disappeared into the shadows once more. As soon as she was gone, the god waved his hand and brought up a screen so he could watch young Naruto. Everything will be all right, Naruto-kun. I promise you that much, at the very least.

A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you all enjoyed it. I had fun writing it, even though I've been suffering from sinus pressure and whatnot almost the entire time I was trying to write this blasted chapter. lol.

Anywho, as you can see, a looooot happened in this chapter. I'm sure some of you will be plenty shocked and have some rather, erm...vocal opinions on certain events in this chapter. Still, hopefully you enjoyed it.

Not sure what I'll work on next, so I hope you're looking forward to whatever it is! lol.