Chapter 1 - Those Left Behind

Nohara Rin looked down at the smouldering ruins of Konohagakure from the Namikaze manor atop Kinenhi-zan.

Well, maybe 'ruins of Konohagakure' was a bit of an exaggeration. The place wasn't flattened per se, but it certainly didn't look too good with smoke still rising from many of the demolished buildings despite the last of the fires supposedly being put out earlier that day. Even now, large pillars of smoke rose to the sky, and Rin was sure it could be seen from several towns over. She had certainly seen it when she'd been racing to the village.

Still, Rin took some solace in the fact that the fires had been put out and the village could finally focus on rebuilding.

The first few days since she arrived had been busy. She hadn't been part of the relief efforts, though, but had to instead take care of things at the Azuchi. The Namikaze clan's ancestral home had no staff, and with both of the adult residents dead, someone had to take care of the place and the little baby that was living there.

Thankfully, Shimura had been kind enough to provide her not only with an ANBU security detail, she'd been given one of Root's own members to help her around the house as she got settled in.

"Nohara-san," Rin turned to the door that led into the sitting room connected to the balcony she was in. Brown eyes met hers, purple hair tied into a tail and pinned upwards seemed to bounce with almost every step the girl took. "I've been informed that Hokage-sama and Shimura-sensei are on their way up the mountain now. Do you want me to go call Aikuchi-san?"

Rin sent the girl a smile and nodded. "Please. You may want to wake Saiki-sama as well. She's been resting since she arrived. It was a long ride for her from Amegakure." The younger girl agreed and turned to go. Rin stopped her. "And Anko-chan, thank you. You've been a great help the past few days since I got back."

The girl blinked at her for a moment before sending her back a grin of her own. "It's been an honor helping you, Nohara-san. Shimura-sensei speaks highly of you."

Did he, now? Rin had done part of her work as a member of Root, true, but all Danzo had really been aware of was whatever information she sent home. She and Jiraiya had kept their network rather close to the vest, and Rin had actually expected Danzo to not be overly appreciative of the fact. Maybe she'd ask the old man about it when he dropped by later, after they got everything involving little Naruto sorted.

"Well, I'm honored to get such praise from one of Konoha's most decorated ninja, even if I retired out of the force early."

"Namikaze-dono always said that just because you left the forces, didn't mean you ever stopped training."

Well that answered that question. "Really?"

Mitarashi nodded. "Yes. I would like to get the chance to see it for myself, actually."

This made Rin laugh, leaning back against her chair even as she tried to not do so too loudly. "Well, now I'm scared I'll just disappoint you, Anko-chan, but maybe once everything has been settled and if work in the house isn't too busy, why not?"

It would be good to have someone to train with. Maybe Rin could get Shimura to pull someone off her ANBU detail for her to practice on, if not someone else from Root, but she'd think about that in the future.

First, she had a meeting with the Hokage, one of his most influential councilors and the head of Konoha's biggest specialist training organization, her sensei's mother, and some of their closest friends over the fate of the little boy she held in her arms.

"Just a bit more, Naruto-chan, and this should start to quiet down."

~TtT~

Shimura Danzo had not expected Aburame Shibi to accompany him and the Hokage up Kinenhi-zan though, in retrospect, he probably should have. Danzo was also aware that both Namikaze Saiki and Aikuchi Nana were already at the place.

There wasn't anything odd about Aburame wanting to visit the old house, especially not when Saiki was in town to deal with MInato and Kushina's deaths. Shibi was one of Minato's closest friends, and had spent a lot of time working with the man both on and off the field.

Danzo was also quite sure that Shibi was coming with them to hear what Hiruzen had planned for the child. Between the boy being the son of one of Konoha's most notorious ninja since Senju Hashirama, to being the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, little Naruto was a very important child. This meant that how to handle him was going to be something of a problem.

Just being a jinchuuriki was difficult enough. It would already make him a target, and history had shown just how difficult of a life it was going to be. Being the son of Namikaze Minato wasn't going to help any.

Of course, Hiruzen had come up with a plan, and while Danzo felt it was more heavy-handed an approach than he was used to seeing from his old friend, it was somehow also not.

Proposing a law forbidding anyone from discussing the Kyuubi as well as identifying the boy as its container was a sweeping and far-reaching decision. It was bound to upset more than a few people, and it probably wouldn't allow the boy to live out the normal childhood that Hiruzen had been hoping for when the two had been talking about it in the Hokage's office earlier that day.

On the bright side, it may allow the boy the chance to befriend children his own age since they wouldn't know what was inside him and all the baggage that that implied. Besides, he'd known Kushina personally, and he knew that the seal for the bijuu was well-made enough that there wouldn't be any bleeding of the fox into the boy's personality.

No, what concerned him was the other thing that Hiruzen had thought of, and why he'd pushed to have his friend come to the Namikaze estate and explain his plan to the relevant parties himself. It was also the reason why the old man was being scolded by boy's grandmother.

"What do you mean 'have him setup in some apartment in the village?'" Namikaze Saiki's eyes flashed with a barely-contained fury that would have had most lesser men take a step back. Hiruzen certainly flinched, and Danzo was quietly glad that the woman's anger was not directed at him. "Naruto's home is here. This house has been around since this village was being built. Fundo grew up here, Minato grew up here, and so shall he."

"Saiki-san, Minato has enemies-"

"Anyone that matters has enemies." Saiki's bob-cut hair seemed to bounce as she leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms.

"Not everyone's made themselves public enemy number one in one of the bloodiest wars we've seen in the past century."

"You're worried that they're going to try and hurt my grandson for what his father did during the last war?" A brown eyebrow rose. The silence that followed was enough of an answer for her to press on. "You're not confident you can protect him." It wasn't a question.

"There is safety in anonymity." Hiruzen replied.

"Namikaze men have a tendency to look alike." Aikuchi Nana spoke up from the other end of the table. She was one of Kushina's oldest friends, and had been brought in by Nohara Rin when Nana's family returned from a business trip to find their family home destroyed. She was Naruto's godmother.

Aikuchi gestured to three portraits on the wall from which three sets of ultramarine eyes stared back. The styles changed of course. Gendo wore his hair long and favored a beard while Fundo preferred it tied and wore a mustache. Minato was clean-shaven.

The hair color, eyes, and face all looked very similar, and that was very hard to deny.

"Family resemblance is very strong with the Namikaze, Hokage-sama. Someone will notice."

On this Danzo had to agree. Even as a child, Minato was always easily recognizable as Fundo's son. While they could have been mistaken for part of the Yamanaka clan to the untrained eye, locals would notice the difference in shade of hair and eye color.

That wasn't even counting on the fact that many of the people that dealt in or made use of goods brought in from outside the village knew the Namikaze men on-sight. The Namikaze clan, small as it was, was responsible for much of the import and export of goods in and out of the Land of Fire. It's what made them the most wealthy family in the village.

Maybe that would change with time and those people forgot what Gendo and Fundo looked like. Or maybe that was a hollow hope considering one of their descendants had his face carved onto the largest piece of art in the entirety of the country. Danzo could have chuckled at the thought.

No, the plan to give the boy anonymity wasn't going to work unless they decided to raise the boy outside of the village, and that was its own security risk. At least in Konoha, they could provide him with a security detail and help was close at hand.

"Rin will stay." Saiki interjected, turning to look at the younger girl. Nohara nodded without any hesitation. "She's well-trained and experienced. She's also a very good medic-nin. I'm sure that Shimura-sama can vouch for her, too. She's done the odd job for him while she was traveling on assignments for us. What was the phrasing again? 'Help keep Konoha in the loop with what's going on in the outside world?'"

"Nohara-san would also be able to work with any ANBU security detail you'd be able to spare." Aburame chimed in with a wave of his hand. "Worst case scenario, she can buy time in the rare event someone actually decides to attack Konoha's wealthiest district, or even escape with the boy to a safer location."

This addition actually made Aikuchi frown. "These suggestions actually sound very reasonable, Hokage-sama. I know I'm a civilian, and not exactly an expert on these matters, but is there a particular reason why you feel Azuchi is not a safe enough place for him?"

It was a good question, and it had an equally good answer. The crux of the matter was whether or not Hiruzen was keen on informing them.

Admittedly, Danzo had every intention of informing at least Nohara of the truth of the matter. She certainly deserved to know, and the girl ─ dutiful as she was ─ was likely to inform Saiki anyway. All the same, it would have been better to hear it from Hiruzen, himself.

"The Kyuubi did not escape from Kushina on its own. It was forced out of her." Hiruzen's eyes were locked to the centerpiece that sat atop the marble table, a lovely little flower arrangement that must have been purchased from the Yamanaka Flower Shop, likely to celebrate the birth of their first child. "Minato and Kushina were attacked, and while the seal was weakened after Naruto was born, it was released. They had to sacrifice themselves to reseal the beast. We only arrived in time to see them finish the sealing."

Silence fell over the group at that. Danzo had already heard it from Hiruzen a few days ago right after the incidents, and he'd needed some time to let it sink in, himself. Eventually, though, someone was going to ask questions.

"Someone managed to get past all of the protections in the village." It was Nohara, her voice flat. That didn't sound like a question. "The shields, the seals, the guards." She sighed. "Did they control the Kyuubi?"

When neither Danzo nor Hiruzen answered, Nohara scowled. "Was it an Uchiha?"

Her words came out as a whisper, but it seemed to sound so loud to Danzo. Her wide brown eyes went from the Hokage to him, something accusatory in the way they looked, angry.

Nohara Rin considered Namikaze Minato and Kushina as her family, the closest thing to parents she'd had since she'd never known hers, and whoever was responsible for this took that away from her.

"Very likely." Danzo eventually told her, and then to everyone as he turned from Saiki to Aburame to Aikuchi. All of them had conflicted looks on their faces. "We're unsure if they're affiliated with the village, but considering everything we know so far, we have very little reason to doubt that they're an Uchicha."

"You'll be conducting an investigation, I imagine." Saiki chimed in, her arms crossed again while she leaned back into her chair. It wasn't a question.

"Of course." Hiruzen replied with a nod as he steepled his fingers. "We'll have to be discreet, and we'll need to do it after we've managed to recover from the attack. We're not in a state to start any kind of infighting, and a civil war at this point could destroy what's left of the village."

The others nodded, understanding, which relieved Danzo. Everyone in the room had a stake in the deaths of Minato and Kushina. This was a personal matter, but some of these people were also responsible for the leadership of the village, and they couldn't afford to let their emotions dictate their actions.

Aikuchi then asked: "Is there a risk of whoever started the attack coming back?"

Danzo, this time, answered the question citing that the attacker probably came knowing the birth of Naruto would weaken the seal, and that was unlikely to be an issue with the boy so long as he wasn't kidnapped and that had been the main concern.

The discussion continued in this vein, with more questions being asked, and Hiruzen or Danzo doing their best to answer.

Eventually, it was agreed that Naruto would keep the Namikaze name and stay in Azuchi. Nohara would be staying with him and would be in charge of both his upbringing. Hiruzen would be providing them with an ANBU security detail and would be the nominal head of security.

"And make sure Hatake isn't part of it. I don't even want him to know I'm in the village." Nohara added.

Aburame also said he'd have the woodlands in the area populated with Kikaichu as an additional security measure.

Should anything happen, the plan was for Nohara to head to the Hokage Tower or to Root headquarters to call in for reinforcements while the ANBU detail would try to buy them time.

Danzo wasn't sure how good it would actually be in practice if whoever it was that attacked Minato and Kushina came back, but it was as solid a plan as they could come up with outside of Nohara having access to Hiraishin.

With everything settled, and people in better spirits, Nohara and Anko refilled everyone's cups with tea and served some snacks.

"So where is the boy now, anyway?" Hiruzen asked as he sipped on a cup of honeyed black tea. Danzo, himself, was enjoying the biscuits that Saiki had brought with her.

"Naruto's been put to bed, if you'd like to check on him." Aikuchi replied as Nohara returned to her own seat, Anko leaving the room to stand guard in the antechamber. "I have Kaoru keeping an eye on him and Tenten both." She moved to get up. "Actually, I think it's about time I checked on them. Kaoru's been watching both of them since lunch. I think I should let my poor husband get some rest before we all settle in for a late dinner"

Nohara turned to both of the older men. "Will you be staying for dinner, Hokage-sama, Shimura-sama?"

To which Hiruzen waved off. "I'm needed back at the office. There's still much work to be done in the village." And then turning to Danzo, he added, "And I believe Danzo has plans for dinner."

Danzo suppressed a sigh as both he and the Hokage got up. "I'm just checking in on the Haruno family."

He could feel the flat look he was getting from Saiki without even looking at her. "Kaguya-dono always wondered why you never married that woman, Danzo-sama."

~TtT~

The sun was setting as Danzo made the trek from Azuchi to the Haruno family house, which neither his old friend nor her late husband had ever really concerned themselves with naming. Danzo could never really be sure if it spoke of the unpretentiousness of the Haruno as a budding clan, or if it was just a matter of time before they took to the habit, too.

Honestly, there was something romantic about naming a place, all things considered, and as far as cementing a legacy, it certainly seemed to go a long way.

Between referring to a clan compound as simply the clan name's compound and a place like Azuchi, it was very much clear to Danzo what would be preferable. It made the place seem like it had a legacy all its own.

Which, in the case of the Namikaze ancestral home in Konoha, it did, and one Danzo was familiar with.

The Haruno house was the opposite of Azuchi in many cases. One didn't have a name while the other did. One was built in the traditional way while the other wasn't. The Haruno house was also much closer to the street while Azuchi had a long path and was much deeper into the woods that made up most of the property.

A stone pathway led him from the low-rise fence to the main entrance. He knocked.

Danzo could hear the cries from inside from a familiar voice before the wooden door slid open.

Haruno Kizashi's eyes met the councilman's and the former's widened.

"Shimura-sama?"

Ah, Nabiki probably didn't inform her family that he was coming. Danzo suppressed a smirk, not unexpected.

"Good evening, Kizashi-kun. How are all of you?"

The young man with the unusual hair style stepped aside to allow the councilman in. The main hall was newly-cleaned and without clutter. On the first night after the attack, it had been filled with emergency supplies that the Haruno had been sorting into what they needed and what they could supply to others. Now it looks like they'd managed to get everything distributed and had cleaned up.

Haruno Kizashi and his immediate family had been unhurt by the attack, but the part of Konoha they lived in had been damaged enough that their home wasn't safe to stay in, so they had come to stay with his mother while the village was being repaired. Fortunately, Kizashi's older brother, Ichiro, and his own family weren't based in the village anymore, and weren't put in any danger.

As they walked down the hall, Danzo inquired on how the three were settling into the house and if there was any news.

"Well enough, Shimura-sama." Kizashi sent him a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. The entrance hall opened into a sizable courtyard that they crossed on the way to the dining room. "I'm still surprised at how peaceful the Monument district is. It's almost like the attack never happened. Nothing's changed up here." He shook his head.

On that, Danzo agreed. It was part of the appeal of the place, and part of why property in this area cost so much.

"Still, I think mom needs to have help here, but she's still being stubborn about it. Says she can handle everything herself." Kizashi added as he sighed. Opting to not add anymore as they stepped up into the dining hall and risked being heard by the sharp ears of the young man's mother.

Danzo gave the man a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Let's see if we can do anything about that, alright?" He stepped past him and moved to greet those at the table.

Even now, decades after he'd met her, the woman that was once Mitsuko Nabiki still wore her hair in a shoulder-length bob with little to no styling. The one time he'd seen her tie it in a ribbon was on her wedding day, and while her hair had started to grey with age, it almost seemed like the shade of pink had just gotten lighter over time.

The woman sat at the head of the table as head of the family, with her daughter-in-law Mebuki to her left.

"Danzo-kun!" One of his oldest friends lifted her head and raised her eyebrows in greeting. "Glad you could make it. I was wondering if that Hokage of ours was ever going to let you rest." She gestured to the empty seat directly to her right. "Sit. You made it just in time for dinner."

Danzo took the offered seat, holding his hands up in surrender. "If I'm not there to help the Hokage, who will? Besides, I think I can be forgiven for being busy right now, considering the circumstances."

Nabiki shook her head before turning to Mebuki. "You better hope Kizashi doesn't turn into such a workaholic. This man's spent so much time picking up after the village, he's let his life pass him by." And then back to Danzo. "And councilman or no, you need some rest, especially at your age."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

A perfectly-plucked brow rose. "I suppose you are."

Dinner was an enjoyable affair as far as Danzo was concerned. He was once again introduced to his goddaughter, Sakura, who Mebuki brought out when she woke up while they ate. He learned that the supplies that Kizashi had been sorting a few days ago were sent to the staff of the Izakaya and their families who were falling short with the destruction of some of the village's storehouses.

Eventually, dessert was served and Nabiki retired to one of the sitting rooms in her personal apartments. She asked Danzo to come with her.

A plate full of red bean taiyaki sat between the two of them along with a pot of green tea to one side.

Nabiki poured them both a cup each.

"So what happened with the Namikaze? I remember Minato-chan and Kushina-chan were expecting."

"The child survived, thankfully." Danzo took a sip of his tea, enjoying the soothing warmth down his throat before picking up one of the small fish-shaped pastries and taking a bite. "Nohara Rin is back, though, and she'll be taking care of him from now on."

Once again, her perfect eyebrow rose in question. "I'm surprised Saiki isn't stepping in, or the boy's uncle."

"Naruto can't leave the village yet, and neither Saiki nor Minato's brother are really in Konoha anymore. The family business won't let them stay here."

"So it falls to Minato's only competent student to take care of his son."

"Hatake Kakashi is hardly incompetent, Nabiki."

"As a ninja, maybe, but I've spoken with Minato enough times to hear him complain about how Hatake's spent the past few years mourning and little else." She said snippily, giving him a pointed look. "That's not someone you want raising a child and you know it. Nohara's an orphan, but she's more well-adjusted than he is by a mile."

"Fair enough." He answered quietly.

"You're worried."

Danzo's eyes snapped up to meet hers. Nabiki's eyes had softened and she put on a small smile. It still surprised him how she could read him so well, whether it had been a lonely and confused boy contemplating his future and the direction he wanted the village to take, or the overworked councilman and special forces director that just couldn't afford to take any time off lest the burdens of the office that his best friend occupied overwhelm him.

He'd been enjoying the past few years since Minato had stepped up, the man's energy and good rapport with some very competent candidates for councilors set both his and Hiruzen's minds at ease knowing the next generation was in good hands. Danzo had been looking forward to focusing on Root as he slowly prepared for a full retirement. Mitarashi Anko was a brilliant girl, seemed to derive a lot of satisfaction in passing on her knowledge, which was very good in an organization like Root that focused on specialized training. He had been considering her as his possible successor as director.

And then this happened, and he and Hiruzen were turned to once again to lead the village. He could already feel his old bones ache at the thought of doing this for another decade.

So he told her. Told her of his worries for the village's future, of his planned successor not yet being ready, and the worries he held over whether or not he'd be able to adequately prepare Anko for directorship of Root. He told her of his worries over the little boy that lived next door that was burdened with so much so soon and had his parents taken from him so suddenly.

He cut out anything classified of course. Danzo didn't mention that someone had been responsible for the attack and it wasn't just an unfortunate case of happenstance, or that the person in question was more likely than not an Uchiha, and that there would likely be an investigation into one of the most isolated clans in the village as a result.

"Oh Danzo." Her hand reached across the table to give his a squeeze. He could still feel the calluses from her years carrying trays, working a kitchen, and eventually handling the housework in the very house he sat in. Nabiki's active lifestyle had helped keep her very healthy looking despite being a civilian.

Danzo squeezed back and looked up to meet her gaze. "Get more help with your work, Danzo. Minato didn't need you and Sarutobi-san, right? Didn't he have his own councilors?"

He nodded. "Aburame Shibi was someone usually consulted with. He was also considering Nara Shikaku."

"Then why not have them take on some of the work? If Minato could trust them, surely they're capable enough to be able to continue where they left-off. Their Hokage might be gone, but I'm sure those two are still as dedicated to the village as they were a week ago."

If not more so, actually. She raised a good point. Perhaps it was arrogance, perhaps it was because he was old and too set in his ways to really see anything different. He'd been so used to working with Hiruzen that he couldn't think of ever changing that status quo.

"And if it'll make you feel better, I can keep an eye on Nohara Rin, too. The girl is good, but I doubt she's had any practice child-rearing. " She shrugged, smirking at him. "Besides, it'll get lonely here once Kizashi, Mebuki, and Sakura move back into the village proper after all of this dies down."

"I'd appreciate that, Nabiki. And maybe Nohara can help you with some of the housework." It was his turn to smirk at her.

"Hush you." Nabiki playfully slapped the arm she held hostage with her free hand. "I'll have you know taking care of the house and the grounds is part of why I'm still so good looking at my age." She practically preened in front of him, running a hand through her hair. It was hard to disagree with her. "But I see Kizashi continues to fret and has gotten you to do something about it." She sighed. "Fine, but on condition that you drop by more frequently. I won't have you disappear for weeks on end like you used to when we were younger."

Nodding he mumbled agreements as he picked up another one of the Taiyaki, enjoying the dry sweetness of the red bean paste as she lectured him in the way she'd done for decades now. He remembered Namikaze Kaguya teasing him when he'd been a young man, asking him when he'd get around to marrying that Mitsuko girl he was seeing at the izakaya all the time.

Times like these, he wondered why he never got around to it.