Chapter 27

777torn777: Thank you friend, I have planned out Itachi's development and what happens with his eyes but nothing will be happening on that front for some time, he's more considerate in the use of the Mangekyo. And yes Orochimaru exists, it's just with the amount I have going on I decided to introduce him at the same place is in canon during the Konoha Chunin Exams.

The stage is set

"You alright there?"

Naruto was jolted out of his thoughts by the question, "Hmm? You say something?"
"Yeah, I asked if you're alright, you've been spaced out for a little while now."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows as he pondered her question, he was finding it difficult to think straight following the flow of memories provided by his clone. He was struggling to fully come to terms with what he'd been told by his father. "You're doing it again," Kurotsuchi muttered as she plopped down next to him on the Futon in her hotel room.

"Sorry, it's just.."
"Something serious?"
"Hai," he replied. "Do you want to talk about it?" Naruto shook his head, "No, I've been forbidden from doing so. Or at least I have for now, I'll be able to tell you soon." That placated her interest for the moment.

Despite her upbringing which taught her to simply absorb any and all information she could like a sponge would absorb water she didn't want to? 'Why don't I want to? Even if he's forbidden from telling me I could probably still glean some details from him. Is it because I don't want to abuse his trust? Or because I value what I have with him? Whatever "It" is.'

Try as she might she couldn't deny that she greatly enjoyed the friendship she'd built with the blonde sat next to her. In him she had a friend who treated her as he would anybody else. No special treatment, in Iwagakure she was always the Tsuchikage's granddaughter first and Kurotsuchi a distant second. Perhaps it was because he understood, he'd probably encountered similar being the son of the Hokage and all.

"You're doing it now," Naruto said with a slight smirk. "So I am," she replied completely unfazed. She stood again and looked up at the clock and she stretched her arms above her head. "Well it's not exactly late but I want a shower before bed so you need to clear off." Naruto snorted at her remarks. "Unless of course, you're joining me?" she teased, this time Naruto chuckled.

"While I'm not usually one for turning down the opportunity to share a shower with a pretty lady, but I don't think your fellow Iwa Shinobi just down the hall would appreciate it very much."

Kurotsuchi let out an exacerbated sigh, "Well I suppose that's true," she replied as Naruto headed for the window. She turned as he unlocked the hinge and pushed it open wide enough to jump out. "It's good to see you again… Naruto-kun," she quietly said. He turned his head to face her and gave her a soft smile, "You too, Kuro-chan. I'll be in the hotel lobby by 8 am," he quietly replied before leaping out the window.

He landed softly on the ground following the two-story drop, he looked up to see a slender arm pull the window shut. It was only then Naruto remembered their agreement to properly talk about what exactly their 'relationship' was. He shrugged his shoulders, 'We'll have plenty of opportunities to talk it out.'

Despite his lax attitude about it Naruto spent the entire journey home mulling over what exactly he might say to her.

Kushina watched on with a smile on her face as three of her children went about their early evening, Tri and Rezano were playing rock, paper, scissors while Minusha worked on deciphering a seal array Tri had given her.

The youngest member of the household had her head tilted slightly to the side, the concentration clear on her face as she disassembled the three-part seal array in front of her. Kushina could see that she'd cracked the first two thirds and was almost finished with the final part. Her and Tri had put their heads together and had come up with something that would turn seal deciphering into something better resembling a game.

For every seal she successfully completed she earned points based on its difficulty. When she had enough points she could redeem them for a lesson in something much more 'interesting' from either herself or Tri. It made for a very motivated Minusha, she'd cracked over a dozen seals in the past week and Kushina was beginning to wonder whether to move her up to level 2 seals already.

It was then that her sole daughter happily cheered, "Finished!" she shouted. Tri turned to face her, "What is the seal?" he asked her. She held the design up in front of her in one hand and pointed at each element with her other.

"The entire design is an incomplete trigger detection seal, the first section checks whether someone had crossed the seal, the second section checks for abnormal chakra levels and the third section is supposed to be a warning mechanism but it's incomplete so it won't work," she confidently relayed.

Kushina silently chuckled as Tri kept Minusha in suspense by not responding before he finally gave her a thumbs-up. There was another loud cheer as Minusha threw her arms around her adoptive brother's neck and bowled them both over. Thanks to the commotion only Kushina heard the front door open. She quietly slid out of her chair and made her way out into the hallway.

The elder of her two blonde sons was half way through removing his sandals when Kushina jumped on his back, thankfully his blades were already out of the holsters on his back. Despite being down on one knee he had no trouble lifting her as he stood, both swords in hand. "Home safe and sound," Kushina muttered. "Yep, all done," Naruto replied. "Good, now carry me back to the front room."
"You could just walk you know, it's what? All of ten feet."
"I could, but I don't wanna." Naruto sweat dropped, "Maa, you're so lazy sometimes Kaa-chan," he muttered to which she simply replied, "I know," as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

Sighing in resignation he carried her through to the front room where as soon he walked through the doorway he found the other female member of the family jumping at him. Using his honed skills he looked around, spotted Tri off to the side and threw both his swords at him allowing him to catch Minusha as Tri effortlessly plucked Kagizume and Kuchibashi out of the air.

"Nii-chan!" a delighted Minusha screamed as she managed to latch onto him. Rezano struggled to suppress the laughter bubbling away at the back of his throat as Naruto sighed, his mother and sister clinging to him like a tree branch. As quietly as he possibly could he slowly shuffled towards the door leading from the kitchen out into their back garden. "Nii-san, where are you going?" Rezano called after him, he didn't receive an answer.

Rezano and Tri looked at one another and shrugged before following Naruto outside. It was a cool night with no breeze as Naruto silently made his way towards the pond. Again Rezano and Tri looked at one another, both nodding with wide grins and silent understanding as Tri retrieved a small log and gently placed it on the grass. Stepping out onto the water he walked out to the middle of the water, "Nii-chan! What are you doing?" an alarmed Minusha exclaimed as Naruto switched places with the log.

*Splash*

Neither Minusha or Kushina stood much chance of reacting in time as gravity took effect. The twin squeals echoed around the nearby houses but were cut off as both plunged beneath the water's surface.

They both resurfaced to be greeted by raucous laughter. "NII-CHAN!" Minusha screamed as she scurried out of the water as fast as possible. Meanwhile Kushina was evilly glaring at Naruto with narrowed eyes. Naruto was too busy laughing to notice Tri pull Rezano and himself to the side as a jet of water struck Naruto dead in the chest.

He was thrown back into the fence, pinned down by the ceaseless stream of water as he desperately tried to get his hands in front of his face. He was left spluttering and coughing as the water stream finally ceased to reveal a rather irritated and wet through Kushina. "Ha. Ha. Ha," she sarcastically said.

A muffled snicker snapped her head to the side showed Rezano with his hands over his mouth desperately trying to stifle his laughs. Again Kushina's eyes narrowed, "You're on your own now Otouto," Tri said before getting well clear of Kushina's firing line. It was barely a second before Rezano also found himself pinned to a fence panel.

"Whatever happened to never abandoning your teammates?" Rezano bitterly asked Tri. The red/ black haired teen shrugged his shoulders, "Don't worry about it Otouto, you aren't a Shinobi y…" He was cut off as Minusha who'd snuck up behind him dumped a bucket full of water all over him.

"Thanks for that, Minusha-chan," he neutrally said, his tone of voice spread an eerie awkwardness across the family, which he also broke when he burst out laughing. He was soon joined by everyone else.

They all continued laughing together until a voice stopped them. "Hey, I'm home… Why are you all outside? Why are you all wet?" Everyone's head slowly turned to face a rather confused Minato stood in the kitchen doorway. The Yondaime Hokage, one of the most feared Shinobi in the world took a nervous step back as his entire family eyed him menacingly.

Naruto was bored, incredibly bored, despite being the liaison for their Iwa guests it didn't mean he was privy to what the talks actually entailed. It meant there were hours and hours of sitting around doing nothing and this was only the first day. 'How in the world do the ANBU who watch over Tou-san all day deal with the boredom?'

It was approaching early evening and sitting in the lobby of the Hokage tower was not quite how he envisioned spending his day. Hell gate duty with Izumo and Kotetsu would be more preferable than this.

The monotony was finally broken as the door to Tou-san's office opened, the Yondaime Hokage, Sandaime Hokage and four of the Iwa Shinobi exited, Kurotsuchi among them. Most of them stretched limbs stiffened by hours of minimal movement.

"Ah, there you are valet," Kurotsuchi said teasingly as Naruto dragged himself to his feet, the pink-eyed Jōnin twisting and rolling her neck garnering a series of satisfying sounds clicks and cracks. She turned to her three fellow Shinobi, "You three do what you wish I'm gonna have this one show me somewhere that does good food," she indicated Naruto by hiking a thumb over her shoulder, "Because I am starving."

The three of them eyed Naruto suspiciously, "Are you sure that is wise Kurotsuchi-sama? Tsuchikage-sama would disappro…"
"My grandfather isn't here. Do you not think that if Konoha wanted to turn me into a corpse they'd have done so in Takigakure?" she snapped. There was no return comment forthcoming so she spun on the heel of her feet and walked off, Naruto following shortly behind.

"So where's good to eat around town?" she asked over her shoulder as she walked out onto the street. "Depends what you're craving," Naruto answered as he hurriedly caught up with her. "Hmm," she hummed while tapping her lips with a finger. "Dango? Barbecue? Sushi? … Ramen?" She turned her gaze on him following his final suggestion, it was the almost hopeful way he'd said it.

'Of course, how could I forget about his Ramen addiction,' she thought to herself. Turning her eyes back to in front of her she pondered the others he'd suggested. 'Dango? Nah, too sweet for my taste.'

A purple haired Kunoichi's ears bristled, she quickly looked up and around her looking for anyone daring to insult her beloved Dango in her presence. Seeing no one suspicious nearby she went back to shovelling the sweet dumplings into her mouth.

'Barbecue? Nah, it takes too long.'

Elsewhere in Konoha a young clan heir suddenly sat up straight, his pack of potato chips almost flying everywhere. "What's gotten into you?" a slender boy with a head of black hair asked as his friend distracted him from his cloud watching.

'Sushi? Hmm, actually that does sound good. It's not often we get properly fresh fish back home.'

"Alright I've made my decision, it will be Sushi!" she declared. The blonde next to her nodding while silently cursing her choice at the back of his mind. "Do you want to go to a fancier place or somewhere quick?" he next asked her. Again she pondered a few moments, 'With time tends to come quality, a mix of both? Yeah,' she decided. "Bit of both if you can manage," she replied. "Sure," Naruto said.

Naruto watched on somewhat in awe. He'd taken Kurotsuchi to a Sushi restaurant like she'd requested where she'd almost immediately ordered a huge platter for herself. It had arrived at the table and it seemed like the waitress who'd brought it out had barely turned around to leave before it was all gone.

So she ordered a second platter, that didn't last long either, now Kurotsuchi was half-way through her third platter. 'Is this what it's like watching me and the family eat Ramen?' he wondered as she continued devouring all that was in front of her. 'Being honest, that's kinda hot..' His thought process ground to a halt, 'Where the hell did that come from?' he wondered as the final piece of the third platter vanished.

"I know you said you were hungry but…" Naruto trailed off as she began gulping down a large glass of water. "Shush you," she said placing the glass back down before letting out a hum of contentment before settling back in her chair.

"Kami, I'm glad to be out of that office. I'm surprised Hokage-dono is happy with an office that small."
"The Tsuchikage's office is bigger I take it?"
"Much bigger, you'd have to combine the interior space of the Hokage tower lobby and the office and it would probably still be smaller."
"It was probably fit for purpose when it was built back in the days of the Shodaime and Nidaime but it's in a hard to develop part of Konoha so expansion and renovation is difficult." Naruto suggested. "You may be onto something there," she said in agreement.

"So, these rumours about long lost Kekkai Genkai?" she said changing the subject.

The sudden shift in subject has slightly caught him off-guard but everyone in the village already knew about it so he was hardly about to reveal classified intel. "Yes, yes, alright. I admit it, you aren't the only one at this table who possesses a Kekkai Genkai. Turns out I have Mokuton."

"So the rumours were true then. Who'd of thought it eh Naruto, the son of the Yondaime with the same ability as the legendary Shodaime. Do you actually bare any relation to the Shodaime?"
"Sort of yes, the Shodaime's wife was Uzumaki Mito which provides a clan tie, it also means me and Tsunade-sama are distant relatives but it a marriage based relation only. There are no blood ties that explain why I'm capable of using Mokuton though."

"What about your brother?" she asked referring to Tri, she'd long since figured out he was adopted, given the difference in eye and hair colours, not to mention the lack of Namikaze in his family name. "We don't know, nobody knows who his parents are. We only know that he has Uzumaki and Uchiha ancestry."

'Uchiha ancestry? That would explain the talk of a Sharingan.' Then she had a thought, "Wait so are all your former and present Kage related to one another in some way, all the Tsuchikage's except for Nidaime-sama Mū are related. Although there are only three of them."

Naruto thought a moment, "Only half properly are for us. The Shodaime and Nidaime were brothers, both of the Senju clan. The Sandaime is from the Sarutobi clan and bears no relation that I'm aware of, although I do know the Sandaime was the student of the Nidaime so there is a connection of sorts. And while Tou-san is technically related to the Senju, it's only by his marriage to Kaa-chan, making the link tenuous at best."

"You know it still weirds me out to be in the same room as the Yellow Flash," Kurotsuchi admitted. "Growing up we were taught to fear the Hiraishin above anything else, he's still the only Shinobi we've ever had a universal flee on sight order for."
"And yet here you are, holding diplomatic discussions with that same man," Naruto provided. "The Hiraishin is almost trivial to me, Tou-san never walks home he just Hiraishins into the downstairs hall."

It took a moment for Kurotsuchi to process that but when she had she burst out laughing. "Tou-san is too laid back for his own good. Not that assertiveness is lacking in the family, Kaa-chan more than makes up for it but Tou-san does have his moments when his temper and stern side emerges."
"Oh?" an interested Kurotsuchi uttered. Naruto relayed the events of Tri's fight against Jiraiya, his subsequent suspension and Minato's anger, he neglected to mention Tri's arm injury.

The topics for conversation ended there and a hush settled over the two of them broken only by the waitress handing them the bill and before long they were again walking through the dirt streets of Konoha.

Naruto was anxious about revealing recent events regarding the Uchiha clan to Kurotsuchi but he had said he'd tell her and he intended to keep his word. "Are you alright to go somewhere a bit more private?" he asked her, she gave him a weird look that quickly changed as she understood, she gave him a quick nod.

"Ok, but first we need to ditch our uninvited guests," he said under his breath. His words had Kurotsuchi on guard instantly. "Don't react," Naruto warned, "I don't want to tip them off."
"Who are they?"
"I'll explain when we've lost them, the two matters are related. We're going to take the left turn up ahead so we break line of sight. Then I'm going to create two shadow clones and have one Henge into you, they'll take our place while we Shunshin away." Kurotsuchi didn't argue with him, she was too on edge. Despite how cryptic Naruto had been, she could sense there was something going on under the surface in Konoha.

They took the left turn which took them down a narrow side-street devoid of any shop fronts or people for that matter. For Kurotsuchi the switch happened almost quicker than she could process. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then she wasn't in the street anymore.

It took her a few moments to recognise she was in a darkened alcove atop a two-storey building, the clones of her and Naruto were below them some 20ft away. They were both knelt in absolute silence, Naruto's reassuring hand still rested on her shoulder. It seemed to be helping as she felt more at ease thanks to the physical contact.

It took nearly a minute before their stalkers appeared, there were two of them, they were keeping their distance. Naruto's grip on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly as they watched them follow the clones. They bided their time, neither making a sound until they were well in the clear. "Come on, let's move," Naruto whispered to her.

"Alright, I'll save my words and cut straight to the chase. We were being followed, or more specifically I was being followed by two members of the Uchiha clan." She already had questions but she kept quiet for now and allowed him to continue speaking. "At some point during your stay here in Konoha a large portion of the Uchiha clan intends to launch a Coup to overthrow the current administration and likely intend to install themselves as the new rulers."

"…"

Kurotsuchi was stunned into silence, the questions she's had in her mind evaporated away.

"Yo-you're taking the piss, right?" she finally asked, Naruto slowly shook his head. The serious look on his face was doing a good job of convincing her of his sincerity. "I-I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to say a word, you and your entourages personal safety will be seen to. Tomorrow night we're holding a meeting with senior village figures to decide our response, Hokage-sama has invited you to attend."
"Why?" she asked in a surprised voice. "Hokage-sama felt it prudent to keep you in the loop. If this escalates then you need to be informed so we can better safeguard you."

"Is this going to escalate?"
"We do not intend to allow it do so."
"So you know what you're going to do already?"
"The basis, then again what do you do if you have gangrene in one of your limbs?"
"You.. remove the limb," she replied, understanding his meaning. "Exactly."

The Following Night

Itachi was nervous, tonight would be the night that decided the fate of the majority of his clan, including members of his immediate family. He was leant up against the wall in the Hokage's office, it was beginning to fill up now.

Next to him was Tri with Naruto and Kurotsuchi beyond him. Against the opposite wall were Tsunade, Hiruzen and Kakashi. The door opened again and Minato entered, followed by the three members of the Konoha Council, Koharu, Homura and Danzō. Itachi could hear the very low growl from next to him.

"Are we all here? Kushina-chan's staying at home so she won't be attending and Jiraiya's still away from the village," Minato said. "Hokage-sama, I question why the Iwa representative needs to be present. This is a matter that does not concern her."
"Kurotsuchi-san is here at Hokage-sama's request," Tri poisonously spat. Danzō glared at him but Minato stepped in to settle the ruffled feathers, "She is here at my request, while they are here the Iwa delegation's well-being are my and this villages concern." The look on the elder's bandage-clad face returned to neutral, "Very well then."

"We are all here, Minato-kun," Hiruzen said answering his earlier question. "Alright then, everyone grab on to one another." The only one loyal to another village had a confused look on her face as everyone began placing hands on one another's shoulders or arms. She noticed that they all linked back in one way or another to Minato.

It was only at the last moment that Naruto saw Kurotsuchi wasn't attached to anyone, he quickly took her hand in his as they all vanished in a flash of yellow.

They reappeared in a large square room with coarse stone walls devoid of decoration, the floor was stone tile and there didn't seem to be a single door to allow entrance or exit. The room was lit by multiple flame torches and a three-tier candle chandelier. The centre of the room was occupied by a large circular wooden table with ten chairs.

"You alright?" Naruto asked a shaken-looking Kurotsuchi. "Sorry about that, Kurotsuchi-san," Minato said sheepishly, "I should have warned you we'd be travelling by Hiraishin."
"Thank you Hokage-dono, I'll admit it caught me completely by surprise, it's kind of surreal to be honest," she replied.

All moved to take a chair except Naruto who offered to let Kurotsuchi take the final one, she gave him a warm smile as he moved to stand behind her. With everyone at the table Minato spoke, "Let's not waste any time. Itachi, are there any new developments?"
"Nothing that would raise more alarms than it already has, equipment continues to be stockpiled, kunai, shuriken etc."

"Have you learnt anymore in regards to a date they intend to strike?" Itachi frustratingly shook his head, "Unfortunately no, Hokage-sama. My father is being very tight-lipped about actual dates. I am unsure if it's because he doesn't trust me or because even he doesn't even know yet. But I did manage to overhear one thing which will be cause for concern."

"And what might that be Itachi-kun?" Hiruzen asked, his trademark pipe in hand. "My father and the clan elders seem to know who the Kyūbi Jinchuriki is."
"Where did you come by this?" asked an alarmed Koharu, "The identity of the Kyūbi Jinchuriki is a secret known to less than a dozen people and most of them are in this room."

"I managed to eavesdrop on a discussion between my father and several of the clan elders where they implied they knew the identity and were intending to release it. Either my father is an utter fool or he genuinely believes his visual prowess is strong enough to control it as he intends to try."

"Control a Bijū?" a sceptical Kurotsuchi said. "Such tales are not without precedence Kurotsuchi-san," Hiruzen said, "While we are unsure whether it is in fact true it is said Uchiha Madara possessed Sharingan powerful enough to control the Kyūbi." Only he, Minato and Kushina knew that the Kyūbi was being manipulated the night Rezano was born and the three of them intended to keep it that way.

"Itachi, do you actually believe your father has the ability to pull off such a feat?" Tsunade asked him. "No Tsunade-sama, I do not. While my father may have been in the running for the position of Yondaime Hokage I've never him display anything suggesting him worthy of the role much less have eyes strong enough to control a demon."

"Which brings us to why we are here, our response," Hiruzen said. "We must strike first, we cannot allow them to make the first move," Danzo declared as he brought his hand down on the table with a slam. "Well, well Danzō, we find ourselves in agreement for perhaps the one and only time," Tri retorted. "There is no going back for them Hokage-sama," Itachi said, "But please, not all are guilty, there are those who have nothing to do with the coup and there are those who are simply too young."
"How many fall into this category, Itachi?"
"Perhaps two, three dozen Hokage-sama."
"Hokage-sama, this would represent an unnecessary risk," Danzō interjected. "No, I think not Danzō," Minato said, "The next in line of inheritance is Itachi himself. As the arguably strongest member of the clan I believe he would maintain the loyalty of those who remain."

"If I may, Hokage-sama. While I might be the appointed heir to the Uchiha clan I would prefer my mother become clan matriarch." His comments drew several looks of surprise from around the table. "Would the Uchiha clan even accept a woman as clan head?" Koharu said. "They wouldn't have much choice in the matter, " Homura replied, "With Itachi being as young as he is they would likely accept it willingly if he remained clan heir to take over when he has reached a more mature age."

"Wise words Homura-kun," I agree. The clan hardliners by this point are gone while more open-minded individuals remain. And given the Senju and Inuzuka clans both have female leaders it's hardly setting a precedent. But Itachi-kun, your mother has been ill recently, has a diagnosis yet been made?"
"Hai, Hiruzen-sama. She's pregnant." The entire room hushed immediately, no one was really sure what to say. Minato eventually dragged the discussion back.

"Alright, we're veering slightly off-topic."
"Hokage-sama, I request that ANBU Team Ro be given this assignment." Itachi's suddenly said, his request stunned Minato, "Itachi.. That's your own ANBU squad."
"I know Hokage-sama, but it's my clan who've lost their way and forgotten that loyalty to the village comes first. Therefore I wish to be the one to exact their punishment." Itachi's voice which normally carried little emotion sounded even more neutral than usual. Minato stared down the Uchiha prodigy and Itachi did not waver at all.

Minato relented, "Very well Itachi, Team Ro will lead the mission to purge the Uchiha clan but you won't be doing this alone. Kakashi, I want you and Yamato to put together your own four-man squads, ANBU personnel only. I want this infection cut out in one go." The Yondaime turned towards his two present sons. "Now as Itachi's former teammates I have no doubt that'd you'd agree to help in an instant but neither of you will do so."

Both looked unhappy at Minato's declaration but kept quiet. "Naruto-kun, your duty is to ensure the safety of the woman in front of you and her entourage. While you Tri-kun are still suspended." Naruto just nodded while Tri momentarily clenched his fist tightly before relenting with a nod of his own.

Tri could see the smugly satisfied look in Danzō's eye before he had an idea to wipe it off his face. "I understand Hokage-sama but I recommend that something is done to ensure all Sharingan are accounted for by purges end. The Sharingan is too powerful a Dojutsu to be allowed to reach the black market or other hidden villages."

That look in Danzō's eye was soon replaced by annoyance as Minato immediately agreed. "Yes the eyes are too be destroyed immediately or the corpse sealed into an encrypted storage scroll. Such scrolls will be provided to the three ANBU teams if we have any or they can be made. I assume you are able to create them Tri-kun?"
"Hai," he immediately replied.

"How complex are these scrolls?" Homura asked. "Relatively so elder, why?" Tri inquired. "I was thinking in regard to how long they would take to manufacture."
"Not very long, I estimate half an hour to create one scroll but I can just use Kage Bunshin to make dozens at a time," he reassured him. "Then can I requisition you to make 60 scrolls, 20 for each team."
"Of course, Hokage-sama. They'll be done by midday tomorrow."

"Hiruzen-sama, are you and the other elders ok to pen the follow-up announcement to the village. We are going to have to explain to them exactly what has happened." Hiruzen nodded, as did Homura and Koharu.

"What about a date? When is this going to take place?" Tsunade asked the table. Everyone was quiet as they all individually mulled over when exactly the best opportunity would be. It was a minute or two before someone spoke, they were followed by another as they kept building on one another's ideas.

"It needs to be soon, the longer we wait the more we risk them attacking first." That was the general consensus they all agreed on but whether to strike tomorrow night or the night after divided opinions. "Hokage-sama," Tri said cutting through the multiple conversations that had broken out and seeing he had Minato's attention he continued. "Kaa-chan's next attempt to establish the Uzumaki's as a clan is the day after tomorrow, is it not?"
"It is," an interested Minato replied. "It is a full council meeting, all clan heads are required to attend, are they not?"
"They are."
"Well if that's the case then Fugaku-san will be present and while he is you can begin making your final preparations in the background. You can begin extracting those Uchiha who play no part and securing them in safe locations throughout the day and when night falls, strike."

"How can you be so sure Fugaku will actually attend the council meeting?" Tsunade asked, it was Itachi who replied. "Arrogance, Tsunade-sama. It's no secret that my father has an extreme dislike for Kushina-sama and will not miss the opportunity to quash her dreams of making the Uzumaki name into a clan one more time."
"It's true, he's not going to let the chance to lord it over Kushina-sama one last time," Kakashi admitted. "Does anyone have any reservations what so ever about following through with this plan?"

No one responded.

"Very well, then the decision is made. Tri I expect those scrolls by midday tomorrow. Kakashi I want your squad chosen by the same time, I'll brief Yamato tomorrow morning. Naruto, on the day we strike, in the afternoon you and a squad of your choice will extract and ensure the safety of our Iwagakure guests. Throughout the day ANBU will also extract those Uchiha who can be saved, Itachi I will need a detailed list of them."

"Hiruzen-sama, Koharu-san, Homura-san, I want that statement penned and finalised by midday of the day after tomorrow. Tsunade, I want you to prep a medical facility that you can keep private in case of serious injury to any of the twelve ANBU."
"At 10 pm in two days' time, the three ANBU squads will report to me in my office for a final debriefing. They will have until sunrise to complete their assigned task."

And that was it, the meeting ended with everyone receiving their orders from their leader. After Hiraishining everyone back to the Hokage's office, people began to disperse. Danzō was gone before anyone even noticed

Minato joined a small conversation between Naruto, Kurotsuchi and Tri. It was only brief as Naruto and his charge soon left leaving Minato and his adopted son as the only ones left in the room. They both walked over to the window and looked out over the village.

"While I know you are more than capable of assisting Itachi in the purge itself I want you with the family, do you understand?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama, you want me to watch over the Kyūbi Jinchuriki."
"Correct, I'll inform Kushina-chan as well."
"I will admit Tou-san, I'm frustrated I'm not going to be there with Itachi-kun. B-but it's my own fault," he said with a sigh.

Both were silent for a few moments, "Tri-kun, why did you ask to be present at the forthcoming Council meeting?" The teenager next to him's frown was replaced by a grin, "What you mean besides being there to support Kaa-chan?"
"Yes."
"Because I have the means to metaphorically slap the smug look of off Fugaku's face?"

"How?" asked an intrigued Minato. Tri held out his right hand and Minato watched as an object appeared in his hand. "Where did you get that?" Minato couldn't believe what he was looking at, something long thought lost, that he'd only . "Exactly where you'd have expected it to be."
"By why haven't you already given it to her?"
"Because I want you to be the one to give it to her. As for when, you'll know when it's the right time," he said cryptically.

Minato was cryptic in return, "That idea you and Itachi brought to me. I'm activating it, you will report to me and me alone on the matter."
"I understand."

He threw himself down in his chair, and threw his cane onto his desk as two figures appeared in front of him on one knee. Neither said a word and instead waited.

Shimura Danzō put his head in his hand, he was frustrated. Frustrated at how quickly any serious chance to retrieve any Sharingan was snuffed out. He had been biding his time for years now, he had already amassed several of the red coloured eyes but still sought the collection of more.

He turned his gaze upon his two subordinates, on his left was Yamanaka Fū. A promising member of the Yamanaka clan from a young age, he could recall how gutted Yamanaka Inoichi was when he'd managed to get him into Root.

And on the right was Aburame Torune, a member of the Aburame clan who's lack of decisive control over the insects residing in his body meant he was unable to attend the Academy. Danzō was only too happy to take him in and see to his training.

And over the years both had become valuable assets to him, they were his right-hand men so to speak. "The plan to deal with the Uchiha clan has been set in motion, the plan isn't exactly what I'd like it to be but in two nights time they're to be slaughtered. It means we won't be able to secure any Sharingan. So we'll just have to make do with what's left." He informed them both, allowing himself the briefest of grins.

"Then what are your orders to be Danzō-sama?" Fū asked. "If we can't secure any Sharingan then we'll make a move on securing another military tool. Fū, on the night of the massacre you will use a combination of your clan's techniques and my cursed seal to bring the Kyūbi Jinchuriki under my control."

End Chapter