Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.
AN: Chapter title: Another Meeting
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not looking forward to his next meeting yet it was a necessary one. He had kept the Clan Heads in the dark more than he normally did since word of the invasion had reach his ears, since the disaster it had become had fallen into his lap. His action, or rather inaction, towards them had likely stroked the ire of most in such positions as he had worked to stamp out other fires, was forced to allow others to burn to subdue others.
Naruto and his army. The invasion launched by the Hidden Sand and the new Hidden Sound. Orochimaru's presence in the village. The spy network he would still need to dismantle. The battle plans he still needed to go over and revise. The very existence of the Hidden Sand village. The Daimyo still rattled by their brief imprisonment by the Kazekage. These and more problems had drawn his attention away from them, from doing much of anything with the Clan Heads for the past few days.
Now he would need to deal with all of them at once.
'I feel I'm getting too old for this nonsense.' He allowed himself a moment in front of the doors to the meeting hall to sigh, take a moment to adjust the hat he wore, perform a last-minute inspection of his red and white robes. He had to be sure they were spotless and free of any rips or tears. It was one of many but to wear one in less than pristine condition was something unbecoming of the people's view of the Hokage.
At times like this, he needed to fit such a perception to spread an air of control through the village. If nothing else would calm the people, the knowledge that the Hokage remained calm would allow them to draw some strength.
'I suppose there's no time like the present.' He allowed himself one more moment before dealing with what would likely be another headache.
He pushed open the doors and strode towards his seat with all eyes in the room focused on him.
Of the three remaining noble clans, Hiashi represented the Hyuga, Shibi continued to lead the Aburame, and Choza for the Akimichi. The others in the room were Tsume impatiently waiting for the Inuzuka, Inoichi finding time to represent the Yamanaka during his no doubt busy schedule, Shikaku had already informed him he would be sitting in for both the Nara and serving in his role as Jonin Commander, and his son Asuma represented the Sarutobi and, nominally at least, the interest of the Fire Daimyo from his status as a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
Danzo Shimura, Ibiki Morino, the always masked ANBU Commander, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane would also be sitting in on this meeting.
Danzo silently met his eyes. The two of them would need to speak later, would need to discuss the situation with Sunagakure, Naruto, and more in greater depth. Plans still needed to be made, ideas between the two of them considered, and action still needed to be taken concerning the unprecedented assignment he had for Naruto.
He spared Homura and Koharu a glance. He had, for the most part, kept them both out of the loop partially intentionally and partially from sheer accident. Agreeing with Danzo on the danger of Naruto Uzumaki's new mindset had taken him far too long already, something that would have taken far longer if he had to listen to Koharu and Homura speak of the boy as nothing but a tool, a weapon.
The memories of the past that had already swayed him into inaction for long enough would have blinded him to the danger, been used to counter their words, would have allowed him to refuse any truth in their words.
"I'm glad to see you've all made it here." He took his seat at the head of the table, took a moment to remove his hat and place it in front of him. "Now, you've all been made aware of the purpose of this meeting." He leaned back in his seat, cast his eyes around to the Clan Heads and his advisors. "Before we begin, are there any pressing questions for me not about the repelled invasion?"
It didn't surprise him that no one had anything to say.
Neither was he surprised that silent glances were shared by most.
Danzo at least did not participate, likely saw no reason to. In this problem, he and Shimura presented a united front, held similar if not identical ideas on what to do.
"Then I will begin." Hiruzen gestured with a hand towards the map stretched across the table, one showing the current state of the Hidden Leaf after the failed invasion by the Sand and the Sound. The damage walls and gates were the most concerning, the damage to the roads and buildings that were still going through heavy reconstruction, and the lack of damage done to more critical buildings such as the hospital, the main government buildings, and most of the territory Naruto had claimed as his own. "While the damage in certain areas was substantial, key infrastructure was luckily relatively undamaged. The walls and gates suffered extensive damage but construction has been progressing steadily and is expected to be completed in the next few months. Until then, the border guard has been increased as well as the village security force. The number of sensors assigned to the Konoha Barrier Team have also been increased."
"For the second time in what, two, three months?" Asuma broke the silence of the group at the table.
"That is inaccurate. The last Barrier Team was replaced, the number of sensors was not increased as it has been now." Hiruzen corrected his son, admonished him with a glance. Although a part of him was rather relieved that he wouldn't need to drag things out any further. "Now, with that out of the way, you all may speak on your real concern."
"All of our concerns are about Naruto Uzumaki." He glanced to Homura when the old man spoke. "You've allowed the Jinchuriki far too many liberties in the past and it's caused this mess we're in now. If you had listened to myself or Koharu years ago we would be able to control the boy, could actually use that army of clones to strengthen the Hidden Leaf." His once teammate's war hawk ideology wasn't something he could stand on a good day.
It was hard to remember when he had last had a good day.
"A wonderful fantasy." Hiruzen wouldn't normally outright mock the two advisors but his patience had long run out. His meeting with the Kazekage had done nothing to better his mood in truth, seeing the actual results of such a mindset had only blackened it further. "I'm sure the technique that even I fail to fully understand could be replicated by an emotionless near unthinking shell." He cast his gaze to the other Clan Heads as he spoke.
Tsume seemed more amused than anything at what was going on. Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza had presented a united and unreadable front, Shibi was simply unreadable partially thanks to his choice of clothing and from his general non-reactive personality, ad Hiashi seemed to be grinding his teeth in his silence. The calm façade or appearance of indifference usually projected by the Clan Head had been lost ever since the altercation with Naruto during the Chunin Exams.
'I've ignored this problem for too long to fix it now.' Hiruzen privately cursed himself for such a thing. After the disaster that had taken the life of such a promising Shinobi, he had made the mistake of distancing himself from the situation, doing what he believed was right for one trapped in grief. He had thought he had been giving the clan time to mourn, time to grieve and remember. It had been the wrong decision. So very wrong. 'I'll only have to hope his daughters are closer in personality to their late mother than their father. However unlikely that is to be.'
"Treating the boy as he was, a boy, is not going to be something I will regret. Not in the present nor in the future. It is also something far in the past, something that is a waste to spend any of our time or energy on. What matters more is understanding more of his new mindset and how exactly he intends to use an army we still do not know the exact size of nor of its full capabilities. The number of his deployed forces vary, the skills we've observed have been rather basic but widespread, and their ability for growth, if his clones even possess such a thing, is still unknown. Neither is the ability of the Kyubi no Kitsune to effect Naruto or his army completely understood. Jiraiya was able to provide little information once he examined the Fourth Hokage's seal. Thought neither he nor I fully understand it's construction, we have been able to confirm that the seal is still working and remains active. We have been unable to discover anything from Kakashi's report of Naruto's expected growth of his forces from Cohorts to Legions, something we still don't know whether it was an empty boast or not. We don't fully understand the differences between his Legionnaires and those who follow him as guards, his Praetorians."
"Those are only some of the many reasons on why I have decided to assign such a unique mission in the Hidden Sand to Naruto. He will be responsible for not only preventing the Hidden Sand from attempting another attack and maintaining control during a restructuring period but the village will also be serving as a testing ground for his army. He will be given a level of authority surpassed only by my own when it concerns his actions within the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand." Hiruzen briefly caught Danzo's eye, the minute shifts in his face that told him his old friend was shocked by something only he could make out.
Or perhaps it was a sudden realization. Another thing for the two of them to discuss later today.
"This in mind, I have also decided to begin the process of turning over many of the prisoners we do have to Naruto once he sets out to the Hidden Sand. Most have already been deemed low risk or non-factors by the Torture and Interrogation Force. If they are to die, they will not be missed."
"So that's why we've been run ragged hunting down all those new prisoners for Morino? You just want to send them all off to the kid to see what he'll do?" Tsume outright laughed, the Head of the Inuzuka simply enjoying the mess the village as a whole could topple into. "I should've known something was up but I didn't expect some occupying force deal." Her grin became almost bloodthirsty. "Do you think the Inuzuku could tag along when he heads out? Running a mission like that sounds right up our alley. We can see what those clones of his can really do under pressure too."
"That is not a possibility at the moment. Unless Naruto requests it, I will not be sending any additional Shinobi as support for this mission. He will be left to his own forces for the majority of it. This is to establish a pattern of baseline behavior for his army while serving as an occupying force. Other similar missions will be assigned to him in the coming few years in order to build up a playbook of both his offensive and defensive strategies."
"What makes you think we've got years to pin him down?" Ibiki asked the only question on his mind. After his report from his meeting with the soon to be Chunin, he had been too busy to look into him any further.
"You're asking if he'll betray the village before then?" Hiruzen shook his head at the idea. "No, it's unlikely and perhaps even impossible. Before the attack I would have possibly considered it, would have informed all of you of your roles if such a thing was to come to pass. But, as I said, that is in the past. After I saw his actions during the invasion, I've reconsidered that belief. There is no chance of a betrayal like you think. He is after glory and, to him, there is no glory to be gained by betrayal, of attacking a foe already weakened beforehand, of attacking someone who wouldn't be expecting it. If, or likely when, he does decide to leave the village, he'll loudly announce he intends to do so to anyone who'll listen. He'll no doubt look for a moment that best indulges his new taste for theatrics."
If the situation wasn't, at least possibly, so dire, Hiruzen would have dared to laugh at it all.
"I've come to the same conclusion from my own reports." Danzo's agreement with Hiruzen drew blatant stares from the rest of the room. It was unbecoming of Shinobi but such a shock had broken their normal composure. "Naruto Uzumaki will not betray the village in the night nor will we have to fear a dagger in the back from his army. At best, he views the Hidden Leaf as a force to surpass with his own on the battlefield. Nothing more and nothing less."
"Isn't that reassuring." Asuma's face bore a humorless smile. "We can rest easy knowing he'll give us the decency of dying on our feet."
"It's one of the few positives to this situation actually." Hiruzen looked to his son. "There are numerous ways he could have killed us all by now. During the invasion itself he could have unleashed his army upon us all, he could have joined the invaders to crush us, or he could order it any day." He cast his eyes across the rest of the Clan Heads. "I would be remiss in my duties if I did not inform you all that this is an opportunity to prepare for a worst-case scenario. While he has gone through a radical change, there is still a chance Naruto's behavior will return to what it was in the past. That, given time, the former loyalty he held towards the village will return and this bout of strange ambition will be forgotten. The chances are admittedly far from high but it is not insignificant."
"Talking about the kid is important but what about his second in command, the Uchiha?" Shikaku spoke up, brought up a concern he had normally seen overshadowed by the rightful concerns surrounding Naruto himself. "It would be foolish not to address the fact that Naruto Uzumaki turned Sasuke Uchiha from a self-centered loner into whatever he is now. From their little talk I heard during the invasion, he's got him willing to die for whatever his ideals or his dream with this Empire is. He did that in, what, a few months?" Shikaku looked to Inoichi. "The kid was slated as a future problematic Jonin before he left the Academy, right?" At his nod, he continued. "And now he's been identified as fanatically loyal to Naruto Uzumaki. We've been assured the change in personality wasn't caused by Genjutsu or any other form of manipulation so the kid did it himself. And we've still got a frankly concerning number of reports coming in about the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momoichi, and his allies working with his forces that have remained in the Land of Waves. A force facing little to no hostility from the populace despite the additional reports we've been receiving about his brutality and his clones standing as an occupying force."
"I believe with the way we've been going on about his army, we're ignoring a much bigger threat. His force of personality. That is quite possibly more dangerous than his army. No matter how large it becomes, soldiers can be killed, supply trains disrupted, buildings destroyed, and everything else that comes with war. The village has been involved in enough of it with the other four to know how to fight and how to win something as simple as a war. If the worse does come to pass, his army can be destroyed in battle but, if we fail to deal with the root cause, we'll continue a battle we can't win. In the same way the Will of Fire of this village can be passed on to the next generation of Shinobi, his idea can continue long after he's dead. And that's if we can actually defeat him. Otherwise, we'll fight a battle while never knowing how many on our side agree with him, believe he's right. If we let this fester, we'll never see the end of it."
"If we're not careful, we risk unleashing a threat to not only the Hidden Leaf but to the entire balance of power we've worked hard to maintain with the other four Hidden Villages. Naruto Uzumaki is a wild card we can't afford to let loose on the rest of the world, not without having an idea on what he is going to do and, more importantly, why he's doing it."
Hiruzen allowed himself to laugh. Such a thing drew eyes.
He didn't know if it was more surprising to most that he laughed or that Danzo joined in himself.
"I imagine that's rather close to your reasoning?" Danzo posed the question to him.
"That is my reasoning exactly. Across the coming years, I hope to discover the why behind many of Naruto's actions. Past, present, and future."
AN: Shorter update to Orange Legion. Likely for reasons. Just as likely for no reason at all.
Peace.