Stave 5
Epilogue / One Tin Soldier Rides Away
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*Fanfare!*
Time marches backward before starting again…
[Konoha, a few days before the 10 days of Peacetime]
Naruto had just returned from a mission from a neighboring Village and shopped for a few gifts along the way, including a DIY knitting kit with scarlet-colored yarn to give to Hinata for her birthday the day before Giving Day.
He is also currently taking care of his recent nin-ken puppy companion named Aleu (a female husky/wolf hybrid) and neko-nin named Yoruichi (a female black cat and his first pet) who assisted him on his missions and/or pranks. He was planning to visit his family and cousin Karin who often stayed in the compound after Minato and Kushina managed to rescue her and her mother from Kusagakure's ill-treatment (giving the the village a big, black eye), and also see if Hinata is home in the Hyuga clan compound. He still has plenty of things in his secret hideout from one of Orochimaru's abandoned bases to live off that he also trades in for some ryo and barters with other products. Of course, he also shared some of the goods with his family.
Yoruichi and Aleu have been friendly since the latter was just a few weeks old and was given to her pet (Naruto) by Tsumé and Hana, and the former stayed in Naruto's apartment last year after she was abandoned as a kitten because of superstitious bad luck. And they don't fight or get at each other's throats that much, as natural enemies, but in the face of adversity (that is Naruto), the two animals became good friends.
A lot of things have changed after everything was straightened out from the now named, "Great Intervention".
The people in the village soon realized that they were in the wrong after they antagonized Naruto for years after Minato and Kushina were forced to be put into exile by Hiruzen and Danzo's ruling, leaving their boy behind. It took a lot of fighting, countermeasures, and a pound of medicine to get them to show the error of their ways as Naruto stayed with Tsunadé and Shizuné until he was ready for the Ninja life. His family members (plus a few siblings) soon returned after everything was straightened out.
Minato initially turned down the offer as the new Hokagé for the time being, but decided to wait until after his children and Naruto are well-behaved. Counting Naruto, Minato and Kushina had 4 children (fraternal twins - a boy and a girl, and the youngest child is a girl that looked almost like her oldest brother) and still have plans of maybe having just one more child to help rebuild the Uzumaki Clan and their reputation as family. They eventually reconciled with Naruto and explained the reasons for the farce.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was forced to step down after his actions that nearly drove the Uzumaki Clan away to a massacre of near extinction (which ultimately backfired), letting people like Danzo and Orochimaru escape justice, and caused a lot of trouble for Naruto. He soon passed away in his sleep from his 60-plus life, suffering from a stroke and a heart attack. His memorial wasn't as lively the way he intended, but he lays to rest near his wife of 40 years, Biwako. He will be posthumously known as "Konoha's 3rd Biggest Fool," next to other familiar characters.
Tsunade, who stayed in Konoha, took over as the next Hokagé, succeeding Hiruzen, after some deliberations. She decided to make her niece, Shizuné, as successor as the head doctor of the Konoha General Hospital after she was worthy to take on the responsibility. She also made sure that the old council members (that is, the elder council) be permanently retired and kicked out the unruly civilian councilmen for disrupting their meetings and making imprudent decisions. Tsunade also learned to take saké and other alcoholic drinks in moderation and how to gamble responsibly. She also straightened the ANBU and the Ninja roster as some of them were either sentenced to death for treason, some were forced to find another job, and the rest were reprimanded in their wrong judgments. (Iruka, Mizuki, and the other teachers weren't left unchallenged either.)
Hiashi and a few conspiring members of the Hyuga Clan were ousted and were charged with numerous crimes, including the attempted murders of his daughters Hinata and Hanabi, his wife Himé and even his own mother Hanako (a former ANBU member), and some of them were sentenced to death, after New Year's Day has started while a few unruly members were killed on the spot by Hanako and her twin kodachi blades. (She hasn't lost her touch.) Hizashi (Hiashi's younger twin brother) was chosen as the new head of the clan and decidedly abolished the Caged Bird Seal and stopped the dissension and fighting within the clan.
As for Toneri Hyuga and the others who were given life sentences, they had their chakra sealed and their eyes gouged out of socket and removed, as they were being sent to the Hyuga's Secret Moon Prison, to be exiled, after they tried to marry Hanabi and the other young girls as their child brides when their plans to marry Hinata off went complete south. (Let's just say that they'll never see the light of day again.)
Hanabi (Hinata's younger sister) learned the cold, hard facts of life when her father was forcing her and several of her relatives her age and younger were being married off to people like Toneri. She is currently in the custody of her uncle Hizashi, her mother, and grandmother to better herself as a future kunoichi.
As for Neji, his seal on his forehead was removed, but not before he lost his bout against Hinata in the Chunin Exams. His fate of belittling his cousin backfired on him as he lay bedridden for a while from his injuries, eating his own words. His family shamed him for his attitude and was forced to take disciplinary actions before rejoining his team.
Even though half of the Uchiha Clan are still alive after the so-called massacre, Sasuke Uchiha was eventually examined by psychiatrists after the first failed attempt in taking the Chunin Exams and was found to be incompetent after Kakashi Hataké's poor judgment and has to stay at a the juvenile insane ward for evaluation until he is deemed well enough to be back into the Ninja life or the civilian life. (Naruto and a few close associates are skeptical about it.) This made his mother, Mikoto, very sad and also very mad at her deceased husband who brainwashed her youngest son for the clan's foolish pride.
And speaking of Kakashi Hatake, he was charged for conduct unbecoming an Jonin and his poor decision by kicking Naruto out and replacing him with an incumbent squad member (who got lost in the forest and found killed - savagely mauled by a wild tiger), favoring Sasuke by focusing more on his training while leaving Sakura in the dark, and had poor choices on individual and team exercises and not including proper training. He was then court-martialed and had to be questioned for his actions; Kakashi is ashamed of having more than just a strike on his record as he will be known as the "Favoring Fool" for his mistakes. This is going to take a while for the "Scarecrow" to rebuild his reputation.
Rin Nohara was kept in secret as an ANBU member after Obito really lost his life from the Iwa ambush, vowing that she will never be used as a hostage again. She and her cousin Ringo later worked at the General Hospital, exchanging notes on medical procedures with other countries and villages, which are not like Ninja secrets, but with better medicine for everyone to share…as long as they are in the right hands.
Sakura Haruno, daughter of Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno (both council members of the Civilian Side) was also evaluated and was found to be insane after the psychiatrists found a seal on her large forehead, making her go as wild and loud as a howler monkey. She was forced to resign as a kunoichi, but not before she tried her hand at working as a hospital nurse. It took a while for her to atone for her mistakes.
Sakura's parents, however, didn't get off so lightly from their crimes, so their salary was cut, warning them not to try that sort of nonsense to people like Naruto and their daughter again.
Itachi Uchiha and Anko Mitarashi tied the knot a month before Peacetime. They helped train Naruto for years to help with gaining admittance to Genin tryouts, even after he was kicked out of the Summer Chunin Exams by Kakashi, they also accomplished some tough missions with Naruto - both trivial and urgent. Their close friends later found out that Anko is officially pregnant and planned and hoped to give the child a better future.
Kiba Inuzuka was disciplined by his mother and his older sister for his attitude towards Hinata and Naruto. When he found out that Naruto had Aleu in his company a few months prior, he accused and attacked him for reasons of dognapping. However, Yoruichi (the black cat) screeched and scratched Kiba's face badly, and Akamaru cowered at the cat's ferocity as she protected the young pup. The would-be Inuzuka heir has a long way to go about staying on the humble side and gaining his rightful place in the clan.
Shino Aburame has learned his lesson about Naruto and Hinata's relationship and not to be too secretive about his appearance.
Kurenai Yuhi realized that her approach on teaching her Genin students was wrong. Sure, her squad works best as a tracking team, but babying and coddling them like they're children in a world torn by war just isn't the way to go in the Ninja life. So she asked some experienced Jonin (excluding Kakashi) about how to become a better kunoichi teacher.
Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were awfully sorry after what they did to Naruto a few days prior and their parents took away their privileges for a month. It took awhile to regain their friend's trust, but they finally got back on the right foot and did not want to have another stripdown from one of those traps.
Asuma decided to cut his chain-smoking cold turkey and decided to take Kurenai on a date with no strings attached. He also decided to up his students' training after the previous encounter that almost got the team killed.
Nagato and Konan were married a few years prior and had a few children. Their new Akatsuki company (without Obito intervening) managed to capture the Leaf instigators and sent them back to their respective country to face their crimes. Nagato learned how to use his Rinnegan powers responsibly so that he wouldn't have to injure himself so much from its incredible powers.
-PC-
The Daimyo of Fire took over his father's position and he straightened everything out by making his mother take better care of cats instead of smothering them half to death from her "loving". The Minister of the Right's crimes and intentions came to light and he and his cohorts were subsequently arrested and were forced to take an alternative, lest they get themselves a death sentence; they were forced to wear monks' garbs and have their hair shaved off in repentance for their foolishness. It was an act of mercy, says the Daimyo.
-PC-
As for Danzo, he tried to unleash the sealing jutsu on his chest to try to eliminate Naruto and everybody else, only to get caught in a phenomenon where he goes through the sealing jutsu again and again, and so on, and so on, et cetera, etc., not realizing that the time loop actually made him disappear from existence, never to be seen again, wherever and whenever he is.
Kabuto and Orochimaru also tried to create Horcruxes by dividing and transferring their souls to other people's bodies through means of the Cursed Seal of Heaven, only to realize that their souls were damned by "divine intervention". They will never bother anybody in any village again with their twisted little games. The Sound Daimyo has to find a better leader for his village, after his errors of appointing Orochimaru in the first place.
And Jiraiya? His cahoots with Sarutobi and Danzo on eliminating the Uzumaki Clan years prior angered not only the original Akatsuki and made enemies of the said clan who managed to survive the war. He tried weakening Naruto in his training to a point of sheer helplessness as his planned "Meshia*. Well, that plan backfired when the Toad Clan members found out their summoner's real intent, so they immediately blackballed him out from Myobokuyama and the current Hokagé (that is, Tsunade) arrested him with no way of escaping. In other words, the former sage is a dead duck. If that weren't enough, his Icha Icha novels authorship was taken over by none other than Kushina and a few men and women of Konoha who came up with better romantic novel ideas, as well as putting up a warning system for unwary readers. Jiraiya later died in prison from the STD's and burned in a funeral pyre and his ashes were scattered in a potter's field as a memory, for he is known as the "World's Biggest Fool." Nobody would miss him.
-PC-
In Sunagakure, Rasa realized that forcing his family just to gain reputation from their respective Daimyo was a big blunder, including forcing his youngest son Gaara to be born prematurely, and Karura almost died from childbirth pains. The Wind Daimyo was ousted, while a new, respectable, and responsible Warlord put Sunagakure back the way it was supposed to be, focusing more on family. Gaara and his siblings get along with Naruto after the latter helps the village when they're in a crisis.
In Kirigakure, Yagura decided to step down as their Mizukagé after he realized his omissions of trusting Zetsu and his lies. He chose Mei Terumi as the next Kagé before he amended his actions towards his people. Mei and Zabuza Momochi eventually got married and planned to have a family, along with having Haku as their adopted brother. Of course, there's still Ao (a former ANBU member) who bragged too much and never shut up, to which Mei replied to him with a sickly-sweet smile and a barely visible tic mark, "Shut up or you're dead meat!"
In Iwagakure, old man Ōnoki stubbornly refuses to admit his crimes of driving many people, including the Uzumaki clan, to near extinction all for the sake of power, so he was thrown out for the sake of posterity and was forced to stay at a retirement home where he'll spend the rest of the rest of his days in there.
His son-in-law, Kitsuchi, took over as their new Tsuchikagé, with the help of his wife and daughter to mend the relationships of their neighboring lands. They know that what's done is done, so the new Tsuchikagé called for an intervention at Iron Island to settle some important matters.
In Kumogakure, A' decided to take some Hyuga prisoners not for the village's sake of power, but to use the bloodline to help see through the thick fog and clouds that occasionally cover the region and bring some diversity with their genetics. Killer Bee and Yugito later got along with Naruto and Gaara during the meeting on Iron Island.
And Ryuk? He and his fellow Shinigami brethren (as the embodiment of Death) have their own vices while they were guiding the souls of the deceased before they were judged by God as they were being sent to their rightful places in the afterlife.
-PC-
In the meantime, Naruto takes Hinata on a date as he gave her her birthday present before he had to leave for a few years for training as Konoha's new Sannin and had to mend and rebuild the other village's relationships (including fixing Kusa's very stupid faults). But he promised to visit her once a few times before he comes back home. He knows that Hinata has the road ahead of her in the meantime.
Hinata had been through a lot of changes after her family's scandals (Hiashi and the Elders' plans and the Child Bride Fiasco) and the failed kidnapping by Kumo. She can be sweet (if they treat her right) and she can be mean (if people push or rub her the wrong way), they (including Naruto) say - unlike Sakura's behavior. She is working to become the next ANBU Raven by her grandmother's teachings, as well as did the honor of surgically gouging Toneri's eyes for his treasonous acts against the clan and Konoha. Hinata and Hanabi are working hard to live the life as sisters should - through kind and rough times.
Hinata opened the present and it was a finished crimson scarf and a book about family-friendly haunted Peacetime stories that she appreciated and she gave her close friend and lover a surprise of her own:
*Kapchuu!💋*
It was the real beginning of true love as Aleu and Yoruichi watched the event as the sun was setting over Konohagakure, as well as some certain eavesdroppers who tried to keep quiet about the sudden romance, not ruining the moment.
Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men
-PC-
Happy Holidays!
The End… of a Story.
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*- "Meshia" means "Messiah" in Japanese.
A/N: I finally got this out of the way. This story has some elements from other fanfics, movies, and TV.
It took me all night to finish up this idea. The main purpose is a story based on the song "One Tin Soldier - The Legend of Billy Jack", and Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", Dr. Seuss' "The Grinch", with elements from Koei Tecmo's "Deception" series thrown in, and a few touches of "James Bond", "Kekkaishi", and "Death Note".
Hanako Hyuga (OC guest appearance) is based on Thayerblue1's "Curse of the Ryugan" X-Over fanfic. If you like Tenjō Tenge, then you'll probably like that story.
Aleu is based on Balto: Wolf Quest and Yoruichi is based on Bleach, but is mainly focused on the "cat" part.
Even though I intentionally left some characters out (such as Rock Lee's team, Might Guy, and the Bijuu (indirectly)), they don't get much screen time in this story, no sirree. Maybe in other fanfics, perhaps; just not in this one.
Another thing, the moral about this story is that hardships that build and temper virtues, keeping the faith under fire, and knowing that evil shall fail and love will prevail in the end.
And the heat will be on!
-blukmage19