"Talking"

'Thinking'

Jutsu/ Bijuu/ Summons

Flashbacks, Letters, and Setting

I don't own Naruto

Chapter 15: The Founding Clans Return

At the Gates of Konoha

Shizune's heart began to flutter with excitement when she saw the tall gates of Konoha once again. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh forest air that surrounded Konoha, and began reminiscing of her time here when she was still a child. She was ready for a fresh new start.

The sight of the gates of Konoha brought mixed feelings for the Slug Sannin, as the last time she left those gates, she remembered turning around to get one last look at the village that caused her so much pain, and vowing to never return. Here she was, more than 9 years later, back at the gates, only to enter the village instead of leaving this time. The pain was still fresh in her mind, but this time, she had something she didn't have last time. She had hope for a better future.

The gate guards weren't paying attention, as gate guard duty was really a boring, if relatively safe and stable, post. They occupied themselves with chatting, board games like chess, checkers, shougi, or go, and other hobbies to pass the time.

"Oi. Izumo. Kotetsu. Are you guys gonna let us in, or are you gonna have us wait here for you to finish your game? By the way Izumo, your queen is in direct line of Kotetsu's bishop. Just saying." The two gate guards heard a familiar voice say to them.

They looked up to see a blonde teen staring at them with his arms crossed. "Well? Any time now?"

They were going to respond, but their words stopped at their throats, when they saw who was behind Naruto. A tall, buxom blonde women with a green haori, and a raven-haired woman in a black kimono who stood next to her, holding a pig. If they didn't know better, they'd think it was-

"Is that Tsunade-sama and Shizune?" Kotetsu asked Izumo, who nodded with his mouth hanging slightly open.

"I-I think so?" Izumo stuttered out.

Tsunade grinned. It was kind of nice being recognized for something other than being a notorious gambler. As long as Naruto kept his smartass mouth shut, she'd leave her shameful days and vulnerable moments behind her, and go with the Sannin image she had built up for herself in Konoha.

"Now that you've gawked at us for long enough, mind processing our papers and letting us through?" Tsunade asked.

The two gate guards broke out of their trance and began to scramble to get things processed, tripping over themselves in their haste.

'Heh. Maybe it won't be so bad in Konoha after all.' Tsunade thought to herself watching the gate guards tripping over themselves amusedly.

At the Hospital

Narumi sat on a bench with Sasuke, as he waited to hear word about his mother's condition. She had been in the ICU for over a day now, with doctors coming in and out at all hours of the day. Sasuke was getting worried, and Narumi came over to ease his mind and distract him from his worries, even if it was for just a bit, after hearing about him from Ino.

"So how are you keeping up with all the homework? I swear they're giving us extra homework to spite us for missing class or something!" Narumi whined to Sasuke.

"Homework was easy. Finished everything last night, trying to keep my mind off of things." Sasuke replied to Narumi, who was impressed.

"Sweet! Mind letting me copy a few of the answers? I swear I won't tell anyone! Pinky promise!" Narumi asked Sasuke as she stuck out her pinky in a promising gesture.

Sasuke cracked a small grin. "Pssh. As if."

"Aww man! So stingy with the answers." Narumi pouted in a joking manner.

"…As if I'd let you do it for free." Sasuke added on.

Narumi turned around to face Sasuke. A mischievous smile could be seen on her face. "Uh huh. Is that right? So, what do you want in exchange for the answers? Maybe a kiss from your fangirls? Hmmm?" she teased as she moved her eyebrows up and down.

Sasuke blanched. "Ugh! Heck no!" He quickly spat out in disgust. "Bring me some snacks. I'm sick of the offerings they have here in the hospital."

"Snacks! I know just the thing!" Narumi yelled out as she jumped onto her feet, ready to run off and get the snacks. She was about to run when Sasuke grabbed the scruff of her neck on her shirt.

"…if you're thinking ramen, don't bother. That's not a snack." Sasuke told Narumi.

"Whaaaaaat? How is ramen not a snack? It's the best snack!" Narumi defended her favorite food's honor.

"So, are you saying it's not a meal then?" Sasuke asked Narumi.

"It is! If you have one bowl, it's a snack. If you have more than 2, it's a meal!" Narumi exclaimed.

Sasuke slapped his forehead with his hand, and dragged it down his face. "Just get me some cherry tomatoes."

Narumi's hair began to flail slightly behind her. "Did you just say the "T-word"? You're messing with me aren't you! They aren't even a snack!"

Sasuke's already pale complexion paled further. "N-no. I actually really like tomatoes. Y-you know this."

"Hmph!" Narumi said out loud as she crossed her arms and turned her face away. "Fine, I'll bring you your stupid tomatoes." She began stomping away to leave, but then stopped, and her bravado slowly dropped. "Ummm, where do you buy cherry tomatoes again?"

Sasuke sighed. "Go to the grocery store, Narumi. Or any fruit or vegetable stand. This can't be your first time buying anything that's not ramen, is it?"

"Obviously not, duh!" Narumi shouted back. "I buy dango too!"

Naruto didn't like to see the way some of the shopkeepers looked at Narumi, so he did most of the grocery shopping himself. The only places that Narumi really went to spend her own money was either at Ichiraku's or at the dango store, where she first met Anko. As such, Narumi didn't really know where to buy cherry tomatoes.

Sasuke was about to retort, when Narumi cut him off. "Don't say anything smart! I'll get your stupid cherry tomatoes, ok? See ya later!" She yelled as she ran off.

Sasuke sighed at first, 'What a troublesome girl.' He thought to himself. Then he began to chuckle. 'Heh. I'm starting to sound like Shikamaru.'

He decided to go up to the rooftop of the hospital while he waited.

Once he reached the roof, he went over to the rails, and began to look over the village. He was enjoying the village's scenery, until his eyes fell on the Uchiha compound.

He remembered all the blood that was spilt, and remembered all of the clansmen that died, leaving just a handful of mostly citizens. He then remembered it was his own brother that did it, and then finally remembered how his mother was in the intensive care unit. The mood Narumi had worked on improving suddenly soured.

Sasuke remembered how Naruto dropped by in the middle of the night a week ago, entering through the window no less, and told him that he was going to find someone who could help heal his mother. He wondered if he was having any success. "Naruto nii-san…" Sasuke quietly whispered.

"Yeah?" Sasuke heard a voice reply, much to his surprise. He backed off the rail to see who had spoken to him, and saw Naruto leaning on the railing on his arms, looking out in the same direction Sasuke had been looking at.

"Na-Naruto nii-san! When did you get here?" Sasuke asked, shocked by Naruto's surprise appearance. How long had he been there? And how had he managed to sneak up on him so quietly?

"Not too long ago. Sensed you were up here, so I ran up the walls to get here." Naruto responded.

'He's gotta teach me that sometime.' Sasuke thought. Then he remembered something more important. He grabbed onto the hem of Naruto's shirt.

"Nii-san. Were you able to find someone who can help Kaa-chan?" He asked Naruto desperately.

Naruto smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. "Mission successful. As always." He bragged in a light-hearted manner.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and began to sparkle in awe, but they also began to tear up from relief. He latched onto Naruto's waist, and hugged him with his eyes closed. "Thank you, Naruto nii-san. Thank you so much."

Naruto gave the younger a boy a soft smile and ruffled his black hair. "I told you I always keep my promises. Tsunade and Shizune should be operating on your Kaa-chan right now. Let's go wait for more news outside of the ICU, so we can hear them as soon as possible."

He didn't know who Tsunade and Shizune were, but Sasuke eagerly nodded with a smile. To most others that knew Sasuke, he was a somewhat aloof, cool person, and he acted that way somewhat purposely to give off a cool image. However, to Naruto, he acted like the young boy that he was, seeing Naruto as an older brother. That feeling of trust and comfort only got stronger when he saw Naruto save his mom and take a sword through the stomach in the process.

Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on a bench in comfortable silence, Naruto working out the details of a new seal in his notepad, while Sasuke went back and forth between studying his own school material and observing Naruto, who he began to slightly idolize, like he once did with Itachi and Shisui.

"So, there you are! I've been looking all over for you, carrying your stinkin' tomatoes!" Narumi yelled out to Sasuke, as she lifted up a bag full of snacks, including the cherry tomatoes that Sasuke has asked for.

She then noticed that her brother was there too, and he waved at her. "Hey, imouto. Been well?"

"ONII-CHAN!" Narumi yelled, and ran towards her brother, carrying the big bag of snacks. Once she got close enough, she dropped the bag somewhat gently on the floor, and jumped into her brother's open arms.

"I missed you onii-chan!" Narumi yelled out as she rubbed her face into his neck.

Naruto chuckled. He had barely been gone for a week, and she acted like he had been gone for years. It felt good to be appreciated though.

"Were you able to find the Tsunade lady?" Narumi asked. Naruto nodded in response, as he picked up the bag of snacks to rummage through its contents. He handed the tomatoes to Sasuke, who eagerly accepted his favorite food.

"Ooooh, you brought some dango too! Hey! Why does this one have a bite missing?" Naruto asked Narumi as he held up the stick of dango in question.

"You're lucky I brought any back nii-chan. I had to fight Anko-nee to bring these. She told me to consider it her dango tax." Narumi responded.

The three shared a laugh and began to eat their snacks as they waited for more news on Mikoto.

They were enjoying each other's company, when the door to the ICU operating room opened up, and Tsunade and Shizune walked out in their hospital scrubs. Tsunade flipped through some sheets on her clipboard, checking all the charts twice.

Shizune had a big smile on her face. It had been a while since they helped anyone, and she felt good. Really good. She never thought she'd be back in Konoha helping people, and it felt good to know that she was really good at something. Tsunade complimented her skill and attitude during the procedure, and she felt like all the time and effort she spent on honing them, sometimes by herself, was paying off.

Naruto stood up and faced the two medics, and asked them if everything went alright. Sasuke had his hands clasped, hoping to hear good news, and Narumi had her hand on Sasuke's shoulder in support.

"The procedure went perfectly as planned. Those stabilization seals you came up with really helped. I'd go as far as to say they'll help revolutionize our medical system. She should be up in a few hours, and she'll be ready to walk around a couple hours after that. She's been in a coma for a couple weeks though, so she might need some help getting used to walking again." Tsunade informed Naruto and Sasuke, reading off of the notes she had written down.

Sasuke let out a breath of relief and collapsed into his seat. His hands were shaking from the nerves. Narumi sat next to him and patted his back.

"Told you everything was gonna be alright! Onii-chan said he was gonna bring the best doctor in the world, and he did!" Narumi told Sasuke.

Tsunade heard a new voice, and looked up from her charts, to see a mop of familiar red hair. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Ku-Kushina…" She gasped out. In Narumi's place she saw the image of her younger cousin, Uzumaki Kushina, imposed over her. She looked exactly the same as Kushina did when Tsunade first met her, when Kushina had come over from Uzushiogakure (Hidden Whirlpool Village).

"Thanks doctor-san!" Narumi yelled out with a wide smile. Both her voice, attitude, and smile were identical to Kushina at that age.

Tsunade looked like she saw a ghost, and she was wondering if she was actually seeing one.

"Ne, doctor-san, are you alright? You look a little pale?" Narumi asked as she tilted her head to one side.

"Kushina? Is that you?" Tsunade softly asked, slowly reaching for Narumi's cheek, as if she wasn't sure what she was seeing was real.

"You know my kaa-chan?" Narumi questioned, and Tsunade froze. So, this was her cousin's daughter. That would make her Naruto's sister, and that meant that both of them were her only surviving relatives.

"This is Narumi, Tsunade-sama. She's my little sister." Naruto introduced, as he pulled Narumi over and placed his hands on her shoulders from behind.

Shizune squealed when she saw Narumi with her round cheeks and big violet eyes, looking up at them as she bowed to greet them. It was a cuteness overload.

Shizune looked at cute little Narumi, and cold Naruto, and had trouble believing the two were related. Her view on Naruto changed a little after he had saved her and Tsunade, but he was still a cold bastard a lot of the time. He spoke very little to them on the way back to Konoha, and he showed he had no problem with killing people in cruel ways. His little sister was cute, polite, and had such an innocent and exuberant energy about her, that it was hard to see them as siblings.

Shizune had a soft spot for cute things, so she couldn't help but to squeeze the girl in a hug. "Oh, you are so cute! Are you really Naruto-san's sister?" She asked as she held Narumi by the shoulders and looked all over her to see if they had any similarities.

Narumi didn't get much positive attention from many adults, so she liked the way Shizune was doting over her at their first meeting. "Yup! Naruto-nii is my Nii-chan! Sure, he's a little stingy sometimes, but he's the best!" She declared proudly.

"Now, now, Narumi. You don't need to expose me like that. And how am I stingy? Don't I always get you as much ramen as you want?" Naruto asked Narumi with a fake hurt look.

"Yeah, but you gripe about it the whole time, and you make me beg for it." Narumi responded back as she rolled her eyes.

Tsunade and Shizune saw the siblings interact, and were shocked by how different Naruto was with his sister. Was that a gentle, loving look on his face? He knew how to joke with people without being a condescending asshole? They looked at each other to make sure they weren't the only ones seeing this. This was going to take some time to get used to.

Uchiha Compound

"Why do we have to move? We've lived in that house for years! We're fine where we are right now!" an old Uchiha couple stubbornly protested moving into the center of the compound, where they could be watched over more easily, and could live in closer proximity to the other survivors.

"It's for our own good, Jii-san." Izumi tried explaining as she moved their things. "We'll all live closer to each other so the compound feels more populated, and we can interact with each other more. Weren't you saying you were feeling lonely anyway?"

The old man grumbled but reluctantly accepted the explanation. Izumi sighed. It was difficult trying to get people to move. She had been busy for the last few days, designating the right houses for the right people, and trying to convince the people to move to their new homes.

Being the only shinobi in the clan, she was also helping them move their belongings, and it was tiring. She was a 14-year-old girl, who relied more on her skill than strength and stamina. She wasn't a porter!

She had finally moved the last of their furniture to the new house, and now she had to move them inside to their right locations. She saw the mountain of belongings piled just inside the gates, and sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Kami must have heard her prayers she thought, when she saw a blonde boy coming over.

"Hey, Izumi. Heard you were busy helping people move. Need a hand?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, did I ever. Mind helping me move these things inside?" Izumi asked.

Naruto gave her a grin. "Tajuu kage bunshin no jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!" He shouted out as he crossed his fingers into a cross shape. 20 Naruto clones appeared and began moving all of the stuff inside.

"Did I ever tell you how useful that jutsu is?" Izumi asked, slightly jealous at Naruto's ability to spam shadow clones.

Naruto gave her a smirk. "Heh, you don't need to tell me. I know. Trust me, I know."

In just a few minutes, the clones finished moving everything inside and began to go to the other houses with Izumi to help them as well. Every Uchiha survivor only survived due to Naruto's intervention, so they were immensely grateful to him, and were elated to see him in their compound again.

"Naruto-san! Great to see you again! We just wanted to thank you again for saving us!" many of the Uchiha thanked Naruto as he helped move them in. They seemed to forget about their complaints, and let their savior move their things.

"Of course. I consider this clan as a friend to me and my sister. She's actually the one who sensed that something was wrong, and convinced me to come and help." Naruto directed some of the praise to Narumi.

Previously, some of the Uchiha weren't big fans of Narumi, but after the incident, and hearing about her involvement in saving them, they immediately opened their hearts to her, and accepted her as a friend of the clan, just like they had for Naruto.

"We must thank Narumi-san as well. As soon as we settle in our new living conditions, please drop by to the compound and let us treat you to dinner. It would be our honor." An Uchiha couple who owned a small eatery offered.

"We'd be delighted to come over. I'll let Narumi know." Naruto replied as his clones placed the last of their belongings in their new house.

Narumi and Izumi only had a couple more houses to move in, when they saw the Uchiha Clan Matriarch walking home, supported by her son, Sasuke, and a cane.

"Mikoto-sama!" Izumi yelled out as she ran over to help her as well. "You're alright! Thank Kami!"

Mikoto gave Izumi a warm smile. "Thank you for your concern, Izumi-chan. You've done a great job holding the clan together in my place."

Izumi's blushed a little at the praise, "Thank you Mikoto-sama. It wasn't easy though."

Mikoto gave a small chuckle. "Of course. I wouldn't imagine it being so." She then turned to Naruto, who she saw for the first time since the massacre.

"Hello Naruto-kun." She greeted him.

"Hello Mikoto oba-chan. Good to see you in good health again." Naruto told Mikoto.

"Thank you. I owe it all to you after all. You saved me from death, and you also brought back Tsunade to heal me. Looks like I owe my life to you, Naruto-kun." She said with her warm smile.

"Nonsense. You don't owe me anything. You've done so much for me and Narumi over the years, and you're my oba-chan. Of course, I'd do everything I can to help." Naruto responded.

The 4 of them were catching up, when an ANBU member appeared in front of them in a swirl of leaves.

"Naruto-taichou!" The ANBU member saluted the blonde. He saluted him back. "What is that you need?" Naruto asked.

"I was sent to escort the Uchiha Clan head, Izumi-san, but seeing Mikoto-sama, I'm not sure who I should escort. It's for a council meeting, taichou." The ANBU told Naruto.

"Take Izumi. Mikoto oba-chan is still recovering from her injuries." Naruto told the ANBU, but Mikoto raised her hand to cut them off.

"I'm quite fine. I'll be able to manage. I want to see how things are right now anyway." Mikoto assured them.

"Are you sure, Mikoto-sama?" Izumi asked. "It's fine if I go. You should get some rest." She offered.

Mikoto smiled. "It's fine Izumi-chan. Please continue helping the others. I'll be back soon."

The ANBU looked at Naruto for permission, and he nodded to give him permission. Mikoto and the ANBU disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Why don't you go home and clean up your room? Luckily, you don't have to move, since your house was close to the center of our compound anyway." Izumi told Sasuke, who nodded and went towards his house.

It had been weeks since he had last been there. The blood had been cleaned off, but he wasn't sure how he'd feel living there. Maybe he'd convince his mom to move to a different house.

Now that she sent off Sasuke, the two of them were alone again, and Izumi decided it was time to ask Naruto something that had been on her mind for some time now.

"Naruto?" she asked.

"Hmm? What is it Izumi-chan?" He responded.

"What happened between you and Itachi-kun during that night?" Izumi asked him.

Council Meeting Room

All the seats in the council room were filled, except for the Senju and Uchiha seats.

"When is Izumi-san coming?" an impatient Tsume asked. It had been well over 15 minutes since everyone else arrived.

"Leave it to a teen to not be on time." Hiashi commented.

There were murmurs, as the council members talked to each other as they waited, until the door opened, and two unexpected people walked in together.

"Tsunade-sama!" "Mikoto-sama!" numerous people gasped out in shock, as they stood from their seats.

"I'm back. Hope you guys kept my seat clean in my absence." Tsunade commented as she walked over to the Senju seat.

"Mikoto-sama. We had heard you were unwell. It is good to see you've recovered." Shikaku said to Mikoto, who nodded back politely.

"Thank you. I owe it to Tsunade-sama. Her skills are still as sharp as ever." Mikoto replied.

Even Hiashi was glad to see someone much more politically aware than Izumi come to the council meeting. It had been strange having a child present. "Welcome to the council, Mikoto-sama. I'm glad to see you well. The Hyuuga will send you a congratulatory gift to your compound to celebrate your recovery."

She thanked the man who had been her husband's greatest political rival, and took her seat.

"Now that everyone is present, the session will now begin." Koharu announced, and the meeting began.

"First thing on the agenda, is to welcome Tsunade's return to the village, and congratulate Mikoto-san on her recovery. We welcome both Mikoto-san and Tsunade to the village council." Hiruzen stated. The council members all welcomed the two women.

A couple minutes later, Hiruzen brought up the next issue to discuss. "Now that Tsunade is back in Konoha, I think it's time to put the hospital under proper management. The elders will be able to focus on their other duties, since Tsunade will be the new director of the hospital. The other council members agreed to the new arrangement. It only made sense, having a legendary medic as the chief of your hospital.

Koharu and Homura also agreed with it, since they wanted what was best for the village, and having a robust medical system was just what they needed.

Danzo was a little miffed however, this meant the elder's influence would decrease ever so slightly. This meant the policies they had set up would change, and they had no say over it anymore. It didn't matter too much though, as the medical system was a less important part of their influence.

"While I was operating on Mikoto-san, I had help from a new seal produced by one of our shinobi. It proved to be very useful. It made me realize we could improve on many aspects of our healthcare system, and I would like some increased funding for our research and development." Tsunade asked immediately.

"We'll see if we can allocate more funds for the hospital. We could increase the survival rates of our patients, and perhaps even increase our village's revenue by treating foreign patients who come here for treatment, once they hear about our improved medical system." Hiruzen suggested, and the civilian council nodded, seeing a lot of potential in that venture.

"Good. This will prove very beneficial for Konoha in the long run." The Third commented. "Next I'd like to once again welcome Mikoto-san to our council. Now, it has always been the Uchiha's honor to run the police forces of Konoha, but due to the recent tragedy, ANBU had been taking up the duty. I'd like to hand over the seat of Chief of the Police Force back to Mikoto-san to honor the agreement between the Nidaime and the Uchiha Clan."

Danzo was feeling unsettled. The elders had been working with ANBU, taking charge of the security of Konoha. He had maneuvered things that way on purpose, as whoever was in charge of security had a lot of power, as they held the power to arrest, interrogate, imprison, had access to valuable intel, and had command of armed forces that were inside the village. Damn. If only he was able to wipe out the Uchiha Clan properly as planned. Now there were too many eyes on them to try anything.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will do my utmost to uphold the peace and safety of our village." Mikoto responded with a small bow. "I too, have a proposal to make before the council regarding the police force. If I may? Hokage-sama?" Mikoto asked the Third, who nodded to give her permission to address the council.

"The Uchiha Clan had been members, the sole members, of the Military Police Force, due to our Sharingan's unparalleled ability to analyze details, and also due to our fighting prowess. However, active pairs of Sharingan are in short supply, and we too were not perfect. As such, I'd like to extend an invitation to all clans, if you would do me the honor, of sending some of your clan members to join the police force." Mikoto proposed to the other shinobi clans.

The other members weren't quite expecting anything like this. It was true that the Uchiha shinobi were practically wiped out, but policing duties usually fell to the ANBU as well, and they assumed she would just employ their services.

Mikoto continued, "The Hyuuga's powerful doujutsu, Aburame's Kikaichu and the Inuzuka's tracking abilities and unmatched sense of smell will prove immensely helpful in patrolling and all searching or investigation duties. The Yamanaka's mind techniques will send our force's interrogation capacity to new heights, and the Nara's intellect will help us tremendously with investigations and strategizing, while their shadow techniques will prove their worth in capture and arrests. Clans like the Akimichi and Sarutobi will be helpful for guarding or combat roles in our forces. Together, we can reform our police forces to be more effective than ever before."

The Clans were all pleased at the compliments to their clan's skills, and could see the logic behind Mikoto's proposal. It made sense, and almost made them think why the Uchiha didn't employ them before.

Hiashi stood up. "The Hyuuga will play their part in our village's security. I'll send over some of our shinobi as soon as the forces are set up and ready."

The other clan heads were shocked that Hiashi was the first to pledge his support. They were sure he hated the Uchiha. In truth, Hiashi hated their arrogance in thinking they had the most superior ability in Konoha, and he had a personal rivalry with Fugaku. However, seeing the only other doujutsu bearing clan, and one of the few clans he thought matched the Hyuuga's prestige get massacred, he felt empathetic. Mikoto's humble, yet dignified attitude made her much more approachable as well.

One by one the other clans stood up to pledge their support as well. Mikoto thanked them all sincerely, and Hiruzen smiled while seeing all of this. He saw the Uchiha finally break down their walls and integrating into the village more deeply. He could also see the political move that it also was. Mikoto was making allies from the beginning, while the Uchiha Clan's position was still one of respect. If only Mikoto had been clan head earlier, perhaps they could have avoided the massacre he thought to himself.

"It is decided then. The New Konoha Military Police Force will have members from all clans, and Mikoto will be the Chief of Police. It will be a new era for the police force of Konoha." Hiruzen finalized.

Danzo was not a happy camper. With the police force led by the Uchiha but now supported by all of the clans, its position was strong. It would be difficult to act against it, now having to go through multiple layers of clan specialties to infiltrate the police force, rather than exploiting a single clan's weakness. Having all the clan's support made it difficult for Danzo to make any political moves against Mikoto or the police force.

Both of the propositions that were made were actually orchestrated by the Sandaime himself, having discussed this with Mikoto and Tsunade shortly before the meeting was called. He was making moves to cut down the power held by the elders and the council. The new security measures that were now being discussed were hidden behind the excuse of protecting Konoha better to prevent another tragedy like the Uchiha Massacre, but in truth, Hiruzen was setting up better surveillance against Danzo and ROOT. He was casting his rope around Danzo.

Danzo's face didn't show it, but inside, he was growing angrier and angrier as the meeting went on and new policies were introduced.

Hokage's Office, Hours Later

"You summoned me, Hokage-sama?" A blonde teen asked the Sandaime as he shunshined into the room.

"Thank you for coming at this late hour. I summoned you to ask you for a favor." Hiruzen told Naruto.

The young ANBU captain didn't show much on his face, but a single eyebrow was raised.

"A favor?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. I suspect Danzo may have played a part in many of the more unsavory events that has happened in our village, and I've decided it was time to keep a closer eye on him. Being the greatest seal master in our village, I was wondering if it was possible for you to create some seals we can use to spy on him and his activities." The Third explained.

"It's possible. I'll need to know what kind of things you had in mind though, and I'll need some time to do some research and experimentations." Naruto answered back.

"Good. Here's a scroll on what kind of seals I'll need." Hiruzen told Naruto as he passed him a scroll.

"There's a second part to this favor." Hiruzen continued. "Once these seals are created, we'll need to hide these seals in his secret base. I know it's probably located under Konoha, but I'm not aware of where all the entrances are, to my shame."

Naruto connected the dots. "So, you want me to locate and infiltrate his base, and plant the seals?"

The Sandaime nodded. "I can't trust anyone but you to handle the job. Your track record with infiltration or any stealth related missions are impeccable. You're also the only one I know who will be able to escape if you were to be caught."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I accept. Will that be all, Hokage-sama?" He asked.

"Yes. That will be all. Thank you in advance, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen replied.

Naruto made the hand seals for a shunshin to leave. "By the way, it isn't just my infiltration and stealth missions that are impeccable. My mission record for all missions is perfect. Just saying." Naruto left with that parting message.

Hiruzen chuckled. It was true. He turned around to look outside the window, as he rested his hands behind his back. It looked like all of the pieces were starting to fall in place.

ROOT HQ, Underneath Konoha

Danzo sat in his throne-like seat, seething at the thought of what went on at the council meeting today. Hiruzen was able to cleverly disguise his moves as an effort to prevent future tragedies from happening, as well a slight restructuring of roles, and redistributing of duties and responsibilities, but Danzo saw it for what it was. It was a move to clip Danzo's wings. Much of the power he had maneuvered to put in his hands were now put in less competent hands.

Hiruzen, that clever monkey. He had put all of the key roles in the hands of his lapdogs. He had effectively reduced the elder council into mere advisors for the Hokage. As if he would take Danzo's advice and do what was needed for the village. As angry as Danzo was, he was not one to let emotions control him. He knew there was too much heat on him right now for him to try anything.

No. Danzo could play patiently. He would bide his time, playing a weak hand to lull the old monkey into a false state of security. Then he would make his move when the time was right. That would be his strategy moving onwards, much like how a snake would act.

It was time to reach out to one of his old contacts.

'Let's see what you can do with these, Orochimaru…' Danzo mused to himself as he looked at several vials holding Sharingan.

*Author's Note*

And that's the last chapter of the Academy portion of the prologue!

Man, I'm on a roll with 3 chapters on consecutive days! It'll be a few days before I can update again though.

Next will be a time skip until Narumi is a Genin. I was getting close to reaching 100k words before even getting to the real start of the story lol. It's finally time to begin Narumi's journey as a kunoichi.

I've decided I'm going to let the pairing poll go on until around the Wave Arc, as the opening and opportunity for one of the candidates to be paired with Naruto is going to come and go in a future arc just before the Chunin Exam Arc. It'll be hard to pair her after that, so we need to decide by then.

Also, why are you guys hating on my girl Shizune? Lol. Sure, she's not the most fun or interesting character in the series, but neither was Hinata. Actually, now that I mention it, I didn't like Hinata's pairing for the same reason. But it's different this time! I promise! Naruto is a lot more jaded and colder, and a warm, caring person might be just the thing he needs to heal from his emotional scars! Maybe. Lol. Anyway, that was my initial thought process.

I liked the idea of having an older woman fill a role in Naruto's life that's been missing since he was 7. She won't necessarily be a mom to him since that's creepy, but having some motherly or older sistery aspects would be nice for someone who was forced to grow up at an early age. The man could use a little pampering. That's why my initial candidates were Shizune and Mei, who are going to be older and more emotionally mature than him.

I also like the whole concept of hurt people healing each other through their love, which is why I like Pakura and Anko as a candidate, and also chose Samui, who I'm going to give more of a backstory to explain why she is so cold and aloof (other than the meaning of her name).

I'm sorry to all the NaruIzumi fans, but I'm starting to think I should just remove her from the list as to not give you false hope of them getting together. I don't want to do Itachi like that. I like his character, and damn it he deserves something good in his life for once too.

Anyway, here are the votes so far:

Shizune 155

Samui 94

Izumi 78

Mei 81

Anko 80

Pakura(?) 83(Average of 4 excluding Shizune)? Might leave her out

Hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter! Let me know what you guys think in a comment or a review, and thanks to everyone who leave them! It helps me consider new perspectives, and maybe consider some things that might become plot holes if I left them unchecked.

Hope you guys have a great day! Until next time!