Chapter 6 – Maybe I should Retire?

Previously…

She lifted her legs and gripped his waist so he could give her a piggyback. Neither said anything when the glint of a ring, the colour of a rainbow, appeared on her right index finger.

"…You're going to explain that too. Right?"

Minato huffed a laugh - things would, most certainly, be interesting going forwards

"I'm getting too old for this shit…maybe I should retire?" He said aloud to no one in particular, watching the smoke from his pipe twist languidly out of the large window of the Hokage Tower, as he took a rare moment to reflect on the happenings of late.

It had been a hectic couple of weeks since…then.

In that time; 10 public executions, 76 accounts of community shaming and over two hundred arrests were carried out. All this uncovered from the disappearance and abuse of one, 'Naruko Uzumaki-Namikaze'.

Now hadn't that just been the final notch on the training post for the populous. Chaos like you wouldn't imagine; an effect that the name 'Namikaze' no doubt tends to create had whipped the village into a frenzy. They had descended upon the guilty like wolves. All wanting their pound of flesh for the lost Namikaze heiress, whether it was for their own benefit or to curry his favour remains to be seen, but he would be keeping a very close eye on them. Yes, they were all now very quick to point the finger, which was good for him – excellent even – as it was quickly unearthing everyone involved.

Both civilians and ninja alike were sentenced equally, so as you can imagine there was quite the shit storm. After hauling the entirety of the street mob into Interrogation, he had the lot of them processed both through a Yamanaka Clan member, a Clan known for their prowess in mind-related techniques and then later, if needed, Ibiki and Anko; Head of Torture and Interrogation (T & I) and Interrogation Specialist respectively.

The results were possibly more upsetting than surprising but nonetheless, successful, not to mention ongoing.

Finding out that the majority of the Civilian Council - a Council made for the people of Konoha, by the people of Konoha - held grudges over one little spec of a girl, bigger than the entire Hokage Monument was more disgusting, than surprising. He had already known that they had their own interests at heart and Hiruzen was quite content to let them fill their pockets under his watchful eye while he built up a case file on them. One couldn't oust a member of the Council on a whim after all.

Had Hiruzen discovered that little Naruko was even thought to be a factor involved, well, his reaction would have been very different. But finding out that some of his own ninja forces had been major contributors – indirectly or not - to the abuse that said little girl had been on the receiving end of, due to said Council members filling their pockets, made him sick to the stomach.

He took another long drag from his pipe and held it, before expelling it in several ring-shaped puffs, one inside the other around the circular office. He watched as the smoke trail traversed over the old photographs on the walls, past the battered wooden double doors and over the sofa which was sat next to the bookcase in corner of the room.

He then observed the slightly swaying tower of paperwork at the side of his worn oak desk, now known as; the 'Uzumaki-Namikaze Case File' and sighed.

Names had been hauled through the mud, publicly, businesses closed overnight, and any goods had been impounded. Gold that had illegally changed hands had found its owners imprisoned and then made its way back into the village Treasury under the watchful eye of the ever-observant Nara Clan.

Like a spider's web, one trail had led to another and then another and another until, the arrests had hit triple digits. While it was enough, more than enough, to dislodge the cement that wedged the accursed individuals on their Council seats – kicking and screaming, there was much still to do.

Applications could be made for the now vacant businesses; they would be reviewed on a case by case basis, by Hiruzen and a small panel, and would be generously gifted to the honest few that passed the interview. It was for the good of the village after all to see the businesses back up and running as quickly as humanly possible and therefore could not be put off. Though, if it took a bit longer to be kick-started due to this, rather arduous process then so be it. At least then they will be run by trustworthy, candid individuals.

The Orphanages especially were no exception to the changes and are now all in the process of being renovated and refurbished, with funds that had been pilfered over the years - some of it by the very people that were originally appointed there. Using funds from the village for their own devices and not on the children they were supposed to be caring for. Albeit, none of the children were treated as she was but certainly below par. Rotten to the core. The few remaining staff were re-interviewed, (those that hadn't already been submitted to T & I anyway), to ensure maximum safety for the vulnerable children who lived there, and new staff were employed. This was something that should have been done from the very beginning but due to certain Council members running interference, the paperwork had never passed through his office. A massive oversight on his part, he understood, the cost being what it was, but right now he was doing his level best to 'clean house' and bring everything up to snuff.

He had big plans for the Village Council; a complete overhaul more like. He planned to take down the Civilian stronghold in its entirety. There would be objections of course, read; whining, from the remaining civilian seats, but Hiruzen would put his foot down. Enough was enough. He was putting the power back in the hands of the ninja - it was a ninja village after all, and he was the God Damned Hokage. The Civilians will be notified of any major changes, but the decision making would be strictly kept in the hands of himself and the village Clan Heads, well away from any even potentially sticky fingers.

Needless to say, the once peaceful Village of Konohagakure had become a literal beehive of activity. The phrase: Hell in a hand basket sprung to mind.

He sighed for the umpteenth time that day and pulled the hat from his head and onto the desk. Idly wondering why it was square as he ran an aged finger across the kanji for 'Hokage'.

The kicker had been the actions of his now previous advisors and former teammates: Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokada and Koharu Utatane. They had not only played the Civilian Council members like a fiddle but, were the ones to place Naruko in that terrible situation in the first place. He knew now that Danzo had planned to keep her meek and submissive in that hellhole, so that when she was old enough, it would be a simple task to break and conscript her (and her tenant) into his Root programme - a programme which Hiruzen himself had ordered be disbanded years ago under his original umbrella as Hokage. Apparently Danzo had continued unheeded and simply moved his covert operations underground. Literally. The tunnels had been flushed of the hundreds and hundreds of the almost puppet-like ninja. Bloody Danzo.

Danzo had been one of those publicly executed for Treason and the Seals that had been put on the tongues of all his Root agents to maintain their loyalty, (and silence), dissolved. From there the task of cross-examination to ensure no stone was left unturned, was a relatively simple one. Funnily enough once Danzo's Seals had liquefied there wasn't an awful lot of ninja that agreed with his ideals. The Root ninja were to undergo a complete psychiatric analysis to ensure they weren't a danger to the public…or to themselves. It was discovered that many of them were poached from the Orphanages and the registry numbers were fudged by the staff. Something which Homura and Koharu were also accomplices to. No doubt this pair used their status as his advisors to pass unlawful legislation from right under his nose. It was one of many things he found their signatures on and surely will not be the last. Other Root ninja he found, were born into the darkness. Females with potent Chakra had been bred like cattle, their children having the loyalty Seals applied before their first words had been uttered. And so grew Danzo's blackened empire. Bloody Danzo. Bloody Homura. Bloody Koharu.

Once the evaluations were complete the ninja were to be either retired and facilitated into a Civilian lifestyle or integrated into the Konoha ninja force. Many of them so far had actually opted to guard the Orphanages, so that nothing untoward could ever happen again. Apparently, they were very aware of Naruko's situation and now that they didn't constantly have to suppress their emotions, (or obey a raving tyrant), they felt sympathy for the brave little girl that had been lost. It was something that Hiruzen had actively encouraged, children were meant to be the future of the village after all, so the more protectors the better.

He took another lungful from his pipe as his mind drifted once again to the past to wonder, just how things had gotten so out of hand. He was the only one to blame; after all, the mantle of Hokage had been out of his hands for a meagre 18 months before he had to re-take the oath once again. So it wasn't like there was even chance for Minato to make many changes, though knowing him, he had already laid out plans to do just that. Who knew that one evening over four years ago would cost him so much? His retirement went up in flames, along with the village - not that he could truly retire without her, his lovely wife, Biwako - no, he would die a Hokage.

His eyes strayed to a picture of his blonde successor on the wall and sighed heavily. If he knew what became of his daughter, would there even be a village left standing? No, probably not. There would, at the very least, be a black hole where the Council room resides. His imagination ran away with him slightly, as he thought up a few more creative ways of ensuring people followed the rules laid out for them in future.

Hiruzen was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the additional presence in the room. Only when Hiruzen started to giggle maniacally, did the figure see fit to snap him out of it.

"Thinking nice thoughts, Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen froze momentarily before withdrawing all trace of killing intent and spun in his chair to face the newcomer with an innocent expression.

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean." He said blandly, knowing full well he'd been caught in the act.

"Fu, you aren't fooling anyone, especially with that sadistic glint in your eye - even my lazy-ass son could out you for it, Hokage-sama." Smirked the man who had his arms crossed.

"You know, I didn't take you on as my advisor to poke fun at me…Shikaku Nara." Hiruzen snarked back, before blowing a ring of smoke in his scarred advisor's direction. "How is little Shikamaru? He'd be nearly five now if memory serves."

Shikaku waved away the smoke as his narrow-eyed expression softened. "He's…amazing. His IQ is off the charts…even for a Nara. Proof no doubt that he's a Nara of Naras, a future Hokage's advisor in the making. If I don't say so myself." He said, chest puffing out proudly, though it deflated quickly after his next admission. "But he's… Just. So. Lazy." He punctuated, releasing a long-suffering sigh and scratched the back of his head – A well-known Nara trait.

He shook his head in exasperation, his spiky black ponytail barely moving, but smiled good naturedly. "He'll be five in two weeks, though you'd think he was an old man already. Cloud watching indeed," he snorted. "Same age as she would be actually."

Shikaku noted the solemn expression that suddenly lined his Hokage's face and sighed as his hands slipped into his pockets.

"I take it Inu – no, Kakashi hasn't returned?"

Hiruzen took his time answering as he rooted around for some fresh tobacco. He filled the pipe and struck a match to light it, puffing on it slightly before taking a long draw.

"…No. I haven't seen him since that day. But he has kept me up to date. I don't think even he knows what he's searching for, she was gone without a trace after all, only the scorch marks on the inside of that alley was all that was left. I've recalled him this morning via messenger bird. I expect we'll see him later this evening – he was skirting the borders of Fire Country yesterday."

"I see, and will you be informing him of our deductions regarding her disappearance?"

"I don't think he will take it well. At all. But yes, I will be…I have made a lot of bad decisions when it came to Naruko's care, but we can safely add that Kakashi sees his absence in her life as my fault onto that list as well…"

"You did what you thought was best…"

"Yes, but best for who? As I age, I realise that it isn't enough. I didn't want Minato's enemies to find her and I hate to say it but as things were, she wouldn't have been safe in our own village had they known who her Father was. I was so focused on keeping that a secret, along with the fact that she was Jinchuuriki to the Kyuubi that I failed to see what was really going on in her life, as opposed to what could happen. What kind of a life did I sentence her to?" he stressed, clenching his fist on his knee.

"…I don't suppose you feel like becoming Hokage, Shikaku?" Hiruzen added on mildly.

Shikaku choked on his saliva. "You can't be serious. You're not dumping me with all these problems and then sailing off into the sunset! Besides, you're the only one Kakashi actually listens to." He croaked.

"Bah, I'm not hearing a no?"

"It's hell no, Hiruzen! I will stand by you as your advisor, but you can keep the hat!" he gestured to the large square hat on the desk.

"A shame…I think you'd do a great job." Hiruzen said rocking back into his chair.

"You know as well as I do that us Naras aren't built for that sort of position. We have smarts, yes, but not the charisma that people would be willing to actually get behind. No, we were meant to be the shadows."

Hiruzen gave a noncommittal hum as he gazed at the ceiling, fingertips touching on his chest.

"Besides the hat suits you better."

"Oh Bollocks! The hat doesn't suit anyone, Shikaku…why the heck is it square?!"

Shikaku shrugged and let his tall figure slump into the chair opposite and they fell into a comfortable silence. The only sounds were from the chirping birdsong outside the window and a small breeze that circled round the office. Both sets of eyes came to rest on the photo of Minato as a sudden gust of wind rattled the frame on the wall.

"I think you'll need to speak with him separately…Kakashi that is. If he takes it half as badly as you think he will, you're going to have to have him cool off in lock down." Shikaku said, breaking the stillness.

Hiruzen groaned and mulled over the memory of the meeting from a week ago.

He had gathered an elite squad made up of the best minds Konoha had to offer. The Sealing Division heads, Clan leaders, along with Elders from the Research Division. He'd had them all scope out the alley where it occurred, and the meeting was to reveal their findings. The Inuzuka Clan Head was the first to announce that they had followed Naruko's scent trail from the Orphanage to that very spot. Their heightened sense of smell, not to mention their training Ninja Dogs, provided Konoha with the finest of trackers. The Aburame's had taken samples of the Chakra surrounding the area and had their Clan's insects comb through the village and surrounding areas for clues as to where Naruko had disappeared. They worked in tandem with the Inuzuka Clan in order to cover all the bases. The Akimichi Clan, which specialised in power techniques rather than stealth or tracking, aided the other Clans however they could in the search. The Hyuuga Clan used their Byakugan - a bloodline which allowed them to see Chakra in all things – to confirm that the Chakra could still be seen embedded in the walls of the alley, so much so that to them the dark jetty glowed in their eyes. The Uchiha's had a few interesting points to make on the matter, a few of their more legendary Sharingan (bloodline) techniques could be factored into the theories – that someone could be potentially using their famed eye techniques or something similar, had them all suitably ruffled. The Naras formulated theories based on the findings of the other Clans as well as coming to their own deductions from the facts.

The conclusion and consensus were that Naruko had drawn upon the Kyuubi's power in order to protect herself; a defence mechanism, if you will. There was, quite frankly, no way a four year could have so much power no matter who their parents were – right?

Miserably, it was also determined that the output power was simply too much for her body to handle and made her very cells disintegrate and disperse. There was no else involved, that they could see, no other land had that kind of power and although similar techniques had been used before in the past –a form of teleportation - none of them had the need or the sheer force of Natural Energy from that day.

Conclusively inconclusive he thought.

The Barrier Division were to monitor for any fluctuations across – well, anywhere across the Elemental Nations and they would be alerted to anything with that Chakra signature, which had been stored and replicated - enough for monitoring purposes only.

It was the Barrier Division that detected zero traces of the Kyuubi's Chakra. At all. It was just…gone. Even the relatively small amount that was previously being monitored in Kumogakure. That too, was gone. A crime, that she would finally be hailed as the heroine Minato envisioned. Albeit begrudgingly by some but them and their ilk are now few and far between. The true crime was that it was only after her passing and only for ridding the village of the Kyuubi.

Now how to explain all that to Kakashi.

Naruko had always been a point of contention between Kakashi and himself. While Kakashi trusted him as his Hokage, when it came to Naruko's care he wasn't nearly as trusting in her earlier year's. Turns out it was well founded.

Kakashi had wanted to raise her and Hiruzen had denied him time and time again. He'd pleaded with Hiruzen every chance he got and gave him the most God-awful puppy eyes – that had no place on a grown man he might add (something he suspected he'd picked up from Minato) - whenever they were with company.

Kakashi Hatake; known also as the Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, son of the White Fang of the Leaf – Sakumo Hatake and lastly known to have been in the Genin team under Jonin sensei Minato Namikaze no less.

There was just no way he could safely leave Naruko with him. Should anyone have noticed the correlation between Minato's death and his famous one-eyed apprentice suddenly adopting a very blonde-haired orphan, not only Minato's enemies would make themselves known – but Kakashi's as well. Kakashi had worked very hard to create such a reputation for himself over the years. He'd worked himself to the bone to become one of the elites. And he had. But in this case, it had done him no favours. He was now one of the most renowned ninjas within the Elemental Nations, his 'Dead or Alive' bounty notwithstanding. So yes, Hiruzen had denied him custody and rightly so.

Ultimately, he had decided it was best for Naruko's safety that she stay at the orphanage and Kakashi had to be ordered to stay away. Whether or not that was the safer decision, who knew, but at this point that is neither here nor there. Regardless, it was a decision he would forever regret.

Kakashi had acquiesced after the order from his Hokage and had stopped badgering him, but there was a steely glint that shone in his eyes that Hiruzen couldn't put his finger on at the time. Now though, Hiruzen was beginning to wonder if there was more than stubbornness behind that half mask of his, a hidden motive perhaps. Maybe during the confrontation with his he'd finally get some answers.

Hiruzen found himself remembering, yet again, the quiet, meaningful smile she wore in her last moments vividly.

What was hidden behind that smile? What did she know? Or was she simply at peace with what was to come? So many questions and too few answers. There was no pain in her gaze, that alone gave him a small semblance of peace.

"I think if we can get away with him only damaging this office, we will have gotten off lightly. You know as well as I do how close him and Minato were. That boy looked up to him and Kushina like parents and was there for every step of the pregnancy." Hiruzen said warily.

"Yes, I think you may have to relocate some of this –" Shikaku gestured to the mound of paperwork scattered around the room. "- Administration, before it becomes ammunition. You've basically got to tell one of the most volatile shinobi in Konoha, to give up looking for his would-be sibling after all."

"That's all you can suggest, to move my paperwork?!" Hiruzen said affronted. "You're my advisor, advise me!"

The Nara shrugged and linked his hands behind his head. "It's now or never and I won't let you lead him around by the nose. There's only one thing to be done, Hiruzen. Tell him the truth and explain your reasoning to him, otherwise he's a loose cannon."

He scrubbed his goatee, dragging a hand over his face and looked tiredly over the busy desk at his advisor.

"I really am getting too old for this shit…maybe I should retire?"