"You called me Lord Hokage?" Kushina said as she entered the office.
"Yes, go ahead and sit down." Sarutobi told her. She did as asked and he folded his hands together. "Kushina, I'll be frank. I'm too old for this job and Konoha needs a hokage that's not afraid to have a backbone at all times. I know you blame me partially for your son's treatment over the years-"
"You're damn right I do." Kushina interjected with a pointed frown. "You and everyone else who had a responsibility to care for Naruto. Sure, you claim you did what you could do, but the way I see it, you all took the easy way out. And that's something I will never forgive, for any of you."
Sarutobi nodded. "But I have a way to make it up to you, beyond what I've already done."
Kushina arched an eyebrow. "Ok, I'm listening."
A meeting of the shinobi and civilian councils was called and they met in their meeting room. The civilians that Kushina had killed not too long ago were now replaced by more Naruto-tolerant ones. The only seat empty now was the Uchiha seat.
Sarutobi sat down and cleared his throat to catch everyone's attention. "I've called you all here because there are two things I need to bring up. I'll start with the least controversial one. Because of last night's actions, the Uchiha clan has been reduced in numbers and is now without a clan head. We need to decide who would make an effective replacement for the late Fugaku and decide what the best thing to tell the public is."
"Lord Hokage, wouldn't it be simpler and more effective to let the Uchiha's themselves decide that?" Shikaku asked. "If there was none left, or even just one or two left, then I'd understand why we'd need to discuss this. But with so many still alive, wouldn't us discussing this just be outside interference?"
"Normally yes, but we are not here to make decisions for the Uchiha clan. We will let them decide who they want as their clan head, but before then I thought it would be wise for us to select the best candidates for such a position, to ensure future crimes do not occur." The hokage responded.
"You say that as if the last clan head did commit a crime." One of the civilian members stated.
"He did. Which is why no charges are going to be pressed against the one who killed him."
Another civilian gasped. "That's cruel."
"Save your judgment for after you hear the whole story." Sarutobi told them all. "Evidence was brought to me last night that Fugaku Uchiha has been for some time planning to execute a takeover of Konoha. He intended for all positions of power in this village to be filled by Uchiha's only. I can only guess at his motives, but the most likely one I can make is he felt Konoha owed him more than he was given."
"What evidence do you have of this?" Homura curiously asked.
Sarutobi passed the folder Itachi had brought him. The bespectacled old man looked thru it and Koharu managed to read over his shoulder. After a minute, Homura set it down and face the others. "It appears to be completely true. The Uchiha clan was indeed planning to usurp our village's leadership."
"How did you get ahold of this Hiruzen?" Koharu asked.
"Itachi Uchiha brought it to me. He felt torn between his duty to his clan and his duty to his village but he made a choice to inform us of what his clan was transpiring in the shadows. Not all Uchiha were involved or even informed so those left alone are innocent in this whole affair. He will be pardoned for his actions and I have sent him on a long term mission to be away from the village so lingering hostility from his own clan will not directly affect him."
"So do we tell the public about this?" Tsume asked.
"That's what I want to discuss with you all. I personally feel sharing this information will do no good. Telling the general populous that one clan planned a coup d`état will only make them suspicious of other clans and create more hostility in our village we do not need. We still have some people who blame Naruto for the previous kyuubi's actions and people who hate all the demon children for being demons. The last thing we need is to give them another thing to hate within the village."
"That is true. But will the Uchiha themselves stay silent on the matter?" Shibi asked.
"That is something that may be outside my control." Sarutobi relented. "There is a chance the Uchihas will tell others what happened in an effort to save face or settle confusion. If that happens there's nothing we can do about it. But if they don't we should plan for what to do on our end."
"I say if the Uchiha want to tell others, let them. And if they wish to remain silent on the matter, let them do that as well. You say the guilty parties are dead and only the innocent remain so it's only natural to let them decide." Hiashi commented.
"Are you certain all the guilty parties are apprehended?" A councilwoman asked. "What if a few escaped or are pretending to be ignorant?"
Sarutobi nodded. "We are aware of such a possibility. I have hunter nin scouting the surrounding areas for any potential escapees and all adult Uchiha are being examined by the T&I department. I have no reason to believe any of the children are involved in the takeover. Although according to the records here, Fugaku and the other Uchihas intended their demonized children to be their weapons for the takeover."
"So how can you be so certain that they were uninvolved?" Danzou asked.
"Because Fugaku's son has already proven to be completely unaware of what his father intended him for. He just thought his father was giving him personal yet difficult training. If the child of the one leading the takeover was uninformed, how likely is it any other child was informed?" Sarutobi pointed out.
"Quite unlikely." Inoichi said. "But not impossible."
Sarutobi was silent for a moment, thinking that over. "I suppose you are right. In that case, those in favor of allowing harmless interrogations of the Uchiha children?" Many were hesitant to vote in favor of this, but enough cautious people in the room both shinobi and civilian were. "Very well then, the Uchiha children will be questioned on what if anything they knew. But Kushina will be the one to do it since she would be the ideal choice for obvious reasons."
"I can do that. With luck I can finish in a day." Kushina stated.
"I'm glad that's taken care of. As for the Uchiha, how many feel we should let them handle telling others?" Sarutobi asked. Few hands went up. "So the majority feel we should decide for them?"
"It's not so much we wish to deny them their freedom Hokage-sama as protect the village's interests." Shikaku commented. "Remember, the Uchiha were about to do something rather dishonorable. If we let them handle their own admittance with complete inaction on our own ends, we'll have no way to determine what they may say. They could easily place the blame for the disaster on a convenient scapegoat or say the demons in Konoha brainwashed their leader into doing this. If they do then hostility will run amok in our population and a civil war will be inevitable."
"So what do you recommend?"
Shikaku paused to consider any drawbacks, then spoke. "I say we gather the remaining influential Uchihas and discuss this with them directly, in hopes of reaching a decision that should hopefully not give the citizens a target to vent anything on."
"Like you should have done with my son." Kushina bitterly commented. No one responded, fearful of any comeback she may add.
Danzou cleared his throat. "On a similar matter, this still leaves the Uchiha clan without a head or representative. One must be appointed soon to maintain order. I know Fugaku's wife probably comes to mind first, but with her close ties to the mastermind behind this entire conspiracy and her emotional compromise over the matter, I feel she is probably the least fit available option."
Kushina gave the warhawk a curious look. "It sounds like you already have someone in mind. Praytell who?"
Danzou tried to look wise but not imposing right then. "We need a representative for the Uchiha clan to keep their seat on the council filled and avoid conflicts in future votes and issues. But from my perspective none of the remaining Uchiha are truly trustworthy. We would need months of intensive interrogating to find any potential sleeper agents in their midst, time we do not have to spare without a representative for them. I propose we have someone from outside the Uchiha fill in the council seat for them until we can determine their trustworthiness."
"I presume you already have a list of candidates you believe are best suited?" Sarutobi asked.
Danzou shook his head. "No, I do not. I feel we should put the matter to a vote between us on this." 'I'd love to have such a list but having it right now would look suspicious and self-serving. I got to play my cards right here.'
Sarutobi thought it over. "A good choice would be someone who has connections to the clan but not just to Fugaku and those involved in the takeover. They should be informed enough about the Uchiha clan to know how they would vote on such matters so they do not vote on their own behalf and simply claim they're representing the clan. They also need to be someone who the Uchiha can trust to represent them for the time being."
"Why not you Kushina?" One of the civilians asked.
Kushina waved it off. "I would, but I've got a different responsibility to do so I'm afraid I must decline."
"How about Danzou?" Koharu asked. "He did lead his own division of Anbu so he could be a good leader of the police forces."
"I believe the task here was to replace the clan representative, not the head of police. That is still the Uchiha's domain." Kushina replied.
"And I disbanded the ROOT division when they displayed suspicious activity on missions. Having secondary missions that do not come from the hokage is just treason in disguise." Sarutobi added with a pointed look at his old rival, who shrugged the whole thing off.
"And besides, Danzou always has a spot on the council. To give him a new one means we'd have to select a whole representative to fill his vacant spot." Kushina reminded everyone.
Danzou was irritated to see everyone sway against him on this now. 'Dammit! That was supposed to be a stepping stone on my rise to power. I barely have any power with my current spot. Representing a clan like the Uchihas would have given me much more leeway in this weakening village.'
"How about Kakashi Hatake? He should work?" Shikaku suggested.
"Yeah, I can see that." Chouza added.
Sarutobi nodded. "Alright, the matter will be brought to him but he will decide if he wants it and if he does we'll approach the Uchihas about it." He received many nods. "Okay, with that out of the way, I have one last announcement. I've decided to step down as hokage and have already selected my replacement."
Danzou worked overtime to hide his grimace. 'Damn, we can't force that matter to a vote since legally he's allowed to pick his own replacement. Maybe if I slander his the candidate well enough the council will vote against their selection and force the matter to a vote.'
"I've chosen Kushina Namikaze to be Godaime Hokage, effective today." Sarutobi told everyone.
'This day can not get any worse for me.' Danzou bitterly thought. 'If I slander her, I lose any chance of acquiring the Namikaze jutsus from her with minimal struggle. Damned if I do, damned if I don't.'
"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" A civilian councilwoman asked.
Sarutobi nodded. "She has all the skills she had before her death, now has the power equivalent to a nine-tailed demon, as knowledge vital to our village's future, and can enforce the law in ways I cannot so easily do anymore. The way I see it, she's perfect for the job."
"But won't that conflict with her other duties?" Another civilian asked.
"Ah the miracle of shadow clones." Kushina casually stated. "With them, I can raise the kids, keep a direct eye on the town, handle the paper work, and even relax all at once. It won't be a problem for me one bit."
"I see one problem however." Shibi proclaimed. "As far as outside villages are considered, Kushina Uzumaki and the Namikaze name died about six years ago. How would you explain your sudden reappearance?"
Kushina smirked. "I've got that covered. We don't actually tell anyone that I'm Hokage, even our own citizens. What I do is create a henge shadow clone to work as a stand-in for when other ninja come here for business so no one knows I'm the actual Hokage. The only reason I say the citizens of Konoha should be kept in the dark is to reinforce the illusion so they don't accidentally tell the truth to someone not from Konoha."
"In theory that could work. But wouldn't that also create a lot of mental stress for you over time?" Shikaku asked.
Kushina shrugged. "Maybe, but it's worth a shot. If the need ever does come I reveal my true identity, I'll handle that when the time comes."
"I'll be announced my retirement tomorrow and will introduce Kushina's created person as the Godaime Hokage, but only those of us in this room will know who the true hokage is. If anyone outside this room finds out, that will be considered an act of treason and careless spreading of classified information not meant for public ears." Sarutobi told everyone, who nodded. "Good. Anything else?" No one had anything to bring up. "Then we are adjourned."
The next day Sarutobi gathered everyone in front of the Hokage tower that could be pulled away from their job. "Everyone, I'd like to announce that effective today a new Hokage will be taking my place. Allow me to introduce the Godaime Hokage." He told everyone then stepped aside.
Everyone saw a young woman approach where Sarutobi had been standing. She looked to be about thirty years old with long brown hair that had yellow bangs covering her forehead. She wore what looked like a blue version of Ibiki's trench coat with yellow stripes up and down the sleeves, over a red mesh shirt, grey belt, and a pair of off-white pants. Up close one could see she had pink eyes and orange ear rings.
"Hello people of Konoha, I am Mito Kajotenpi, your new Hokage." She said. This was the disguised clone Kushina had worked on, using the late Mito Senju-Uzumaki as a model for it and giving her a surname that originated from Uzushio. The voice sounded warm and maternal, much like how Kushina remembered the originalMito's voice.
"A woman? Hokage?" Some random man in the crowd asked, like he didn't think such a thing would work.
Before any kunoichi nearby could remind him of a woman's strength, Mito did it for them. She formed a small ball of bright red chakra over her hand and fired it at the chauvinist. Upon contact he exploded like he was in a microwave.
Mito leaned forward and now frowned. "Let this be a lesson to you all. I do not take crap and I am no pushover. This goes for everyone who lives here in Konoha, be they ninja or civilian."
"But... only the ninja fall under the hokage's jurisdiction." One frightened civilian claimed.
Mito leaned down slightly and smiled in a frightening way. "How wrong you are. The Hokage has jurisdiction over all of Konoha. And everyone who lives in it. Haven't you ever noticed there is no civilian equivalent for Hokage? And no the civilian council is not that. They are only there to ensure the needs of the civilians and the maintenance of the city's utilities are not ignored; they are not meant to have power over anything, especially the ninja."
Several civilians didn't look happy to hear this, but few actually looked angry.
Sarutobi addressed the crowd. "I am retiring because it is time for young blood to lead this village again. I am getting tired of leading a village that discriminates it's own residents so easily. What is needed is a leader who is not afraid to remind the people of the consequences of their actions and the ability to reinforce the law themselves if need be. That is why I've chosen this woman."
"How do you plan to deal with the demon infestation new Hokage?" A civilian woman with pink hair asked.
"There is no 'infestation' as you so callously put it." Mito replied. "They're just innocent children that happened to be a victim of circumstance. Don't speak of them like you would rats or cockroaches."
"Great, we've got another demon lover in charge. Somebody should revolt." The same woman said to those around her, certain the Hokage couldn't hear.
Mito appeared before this woman so fast people didn't even notice the shushin trail. "Care to say that to my face?"
"Uh... please forgive me?"
"Good, because I'd hate have to execute someone for conspiring treason and revolt on my first day in office."Mito replied in a way that would have made Mei Terumi proud before reappearing back to the balcony.
While the new hokage was being sworn in, Naruto was starting his first day at the Academy. He walked in with Sakura and Hinata going alongside him. Hinata wanted to stay close to him because he was carrying a spare lollipop for her in case she for some reason lost the one she currently had, and Sakura was with him in case her parents happened to see her. Tagging along all three of them were Kushina and more kids in the demon orphanage.
Because of the change in species for many children, Konoha now had two orphanages, the original and the one Kushina turned the Namikaze Estate into. The only difference between the two was that all the demon children lived at the Namikaze one and the kids that stayed human stayed at the original one. This was done primarily for the sake of the demon children who could be proper treatment in the new home, as well as keep them safe from any demon haters in the original.
They stopped when they reached the gates. Kushina spoke to them all. "Okay you kids, behave yourselves and no using your abilities. I don't even want you to lose your human forms unless your lives are in danger. Is that clear?" They all obediently nodded. "Good. Remember, pay attention to your teachers and learn as much as you can. I'll see you all later when you get back home." The kids went into the school waving goodbye to her which she returned before walking away.
Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura got their room assignments and went inside when they found it. It was an ordinary classroom, with the desks built on levels to make it easier for students to view the teacher and vice versa. Hinata went towards the side of the room furthest from the window to avoid being in the sun all day long, and seeing no reason not to, Naruto and Sakura decided to sit beside her.
More students came in and randomly chose their seats. The first one to sit next to them was a dark-haired boy who didn't look too happy and sat right in front of them. "Hey, your name is Sasuke, right?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke turned around. "Yeah. You're Miss Kushina's son right?"
Naruto nodded. "How ya been?"
Sasuke looked away. "Better."
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.
"Nothing you can do anything about. I just... got some disturbing news."
"You haven't been cast out by your family too have you?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shook his head. "No, but I did lose a bit of it. I'd rather not say more about it."
Naruto nodded. "That's fine. We're all trying to make adjustments now. Just don't forget you don't have to be alone. None of us do."
Sasuke didn't show it, but he was actually glad to hear that.
In no time the classroom was filled with students waiting for their instructor to show up. Most of them Naruto now recognized thanks to Kushina introducing him when she told the parents what their children had become. From what he could tell, not one of them was a human. Only the students two years older would be.
In walked two men, one had brown hair in a pineapple style and had a scar across his face, while the other had blueish white hair and no obvious markings. Both stood in front of them room and looked over the students, who were uncomfortably quiet. "Hello, and welcome to your first day at Konoha's ninja academy. I am Iruka Umino and next to me is Mizuki Touji. From now on, we will be your homeroom teachers for the next few years. We hope to see you learn you're hardest and become fine ninja when you graduate."
"Speaking of graduation, there is something you all should know." Mizuki added. "Normally you attend these classes for about six years, using that time to learn how fight and how to think, as well as knowing the history and general knowledge of the ninja world. Occasionally, we allow some students to try and take the graduation test early, if they show promise and/or the Hokage requests it. However, due to changes outside our control, I'm afraid that will not be an option for any of you."
"What do you mean?" A random student asked.
"I mean that because of the changes you all were sadly forced to undergo, we have to modify the curriculum to better suit your new needs. Because of that, to make things fair for the unaffected students, we have to forbid you all the right to an early graduation. Unless Lord Hokage requests it, none of you will be able to try and graduate early." Mizuki explained.
None of the students complained. Iruka smiled. "With that said, today we'll just get you prepared for what to expect in the next few years. This is probably going to be the only easy day you'll have here."
Now some of the kids looked apprehensive.
At the end of the day everyone went home. Like before, Sakura and Hinata walked with Naruto back to the Namikaze estate. Sasuke walked home alone.
When Sasuke got home, he saw no sign of his mother. 'She must still be upset. She's probably visiting Miss Kushina or something.' He though at he walked into his room. He set down his recently acquired school supplies on his desk, next to a letter atop an opened envelope. For no particular reason, he looked over it again.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry to have to tell you this way, but I have to leave the village for a long time. Something's going on that may be a gigantic threat to Konoha, and Lord Hokage wants me to investigate. I don't know when I can come back or when I can see you again, but I promise that only death will stop me from doing so.
Grow strong and train well while I'm gone, so I can give you that spar you want when I return. All I ask of you are three things. Help our mother, for she will need it. Don't try to find me, I'm away to keep you safe. And remember that Uchiha's are not the only ones in the village or world with strength so don't be afraid to ask for help, but always keep in mind where that help comes from. Also, if it's not too much to ask for, please don't hate me for what I did. I needed to leave and I needed to punish our clan members. They wanted nothing but bad things for Konoha and were willing to use your blood and sweat to get it. Even Father. If I had not killed them, someone else would have, or they may have endangered you and our cousins. I hope you understand I did only what I thought was best for you.
I wish you the best and look forward to when I can see you again little brother. Itachi."
Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm still not sure what to say. Onii-chan killed Father but to help me. Was that really what Father wanted for me? To be his tool? I thought he was just angry at Onii-chan when he said that. Did he really mean it? Did I mean nothing to him?"
He sat down on the closed lid of his coffin. "I think I need to talk to Mom about this." Sasuke closed his closed his eyes and soon fell asleep, but he did not dream.
Mikoto meanwhile was at Kushina's house having some coffee in the kitchen. She looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Kushina sat across from her drinking some water.
"Everything will be okay Mikoto." Kushina said to start things off.
The dark-haired woman wiped her eyes of a few tears. "I'm not sure I can believe that. My husband was going to betray the village and get my sons involved in it. Most of my family is dead and Itachi has to leave for who-knows-how-long. All I have left is my Sasuke."
"Then you know you can't just give up." Kushina replied. "Mikoto, I lost my husband and family too. My Naruto is all I have left in the world. That alone is what gives me the strength to get out of bed each morning and keep living. You don't have the luxury of just giving up now that your world's been turned around."
"I know, but you have it easier. You two share a bond I can't have with Sasuke now."
Kushina shook her head. "You're wrong. Well, you're right about the bond me and Naruto share now, given our changes. But you still have a bond with your son. He still needs his mother to keep him on the right track and help him deal with the loss of his father and brother. He needs you too, Mikoto. If you give up, you're leaving him on his own. The Mikoto I knew wasn't selfish enough to not care about how hurt her son would be."
Mikoto's tears looked liek they stopped falling. "You're right. I'm not the only one hurt by this. I need to be strong for my son. Thanks Kushina."
The redhead nodded. "No problem. Besides, you have a bond with your son I can't compete with either."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? I was gone for six years. I never got a chance to hold him as a baby, nurse him from my breast, sing him a lullaby to put him to sleep, watch his first steps, hear his first word..." As she spoke she sounded increasingly sadder. "You have no idea what I'd give up to have those experiences."
Mikoto reached over and gently placed her hand on top of her friend's hand. "At least you're here now, so you can be there for him in the future. And the other kids you've taken in need you too, so like me you don't like the luxury of giving up."
"Who said I was giving up? I haven't changed that much Mikoto."
"Yeah, that's why you still make a lousy cup of coffee." Mikoto joked with a smile.
"Minato always liked it." Kushina replied with a smile too.
"Name one time he badmouthed something you made for him." The dark-haired woman responded.
"You got me there, but it's still not lousy." The redhead replied, grateful the good mood had been restored.
She heard the door open. "Mom?" Naruto called out.
"In here son." She called back, before facing Mikoto again. "I'm glad he doesn't sound so nervous anymore when he does that. At first he almost never called out or sounded like he was afraid I was gone when he did. I guess that comes from six years of living alone."
Naruto and the two girls walked into the kitchen. "Hi Mom."
"Hi Miss Kushina." Sakura and Hinata greeted.
"Hi kids. Did you enjoy your first day?"
"It was okay I guess. But I think a few of the teachers don't like me." Naruto said.
"Why's that?" Kushina and Mikoto asked.
"We went outside before lunch to see the training areas and one class were using one of them, and their teacher 'accidentally' threw a kunai towards me when we left." Naruto told her. "He missed though, but I'm sure he wasn't trying to."
Kushina didn't know what sickened her more, the fact this happened or how Naruto's voice and body language gave her reason to believe this had happened before. "Don't worry, I'll have a talk about this with the headmaster. I'm not letting anyone in town thinking they can get away with mistreating you any longer." She then looked over towards Sakura and Hinata. "And that includes all of you now."
"Calm down Kushina." Mikoto carefully said. "I know your heart's in the right place, but you can't protect them 24/7."
Kushina leaned back in her chair. "Sorry, I guess my new demon instincts are amplifying my maternal side. But still if someone does anything to harm the people I love… well, then they won't live to regret it."
In his office at ROOT Headquarters Danzou paced back and forth, while his ever loyal lieutenant still dressed in an Anbu uniform and a mask covering his face stood there, not moving or speaking.
"Once again my destiny has been denied to me." Danzou muttered under his breath as he gripped his cane.
"You are still an important member of the village vouncil sir, and with Fugaku gone you can in time acquire direct control over the Police Force." The Lt. offered his master
"But when compared with the title of Hokage it is nothing. And I have no way to gain influence over this… Mito Kajotenpi." Danzou muttered. 'If I were to use some sort of mind control over the henged clone, it would dispell and alert Kushina, which would lead to my downfall. Not only that, it would be incredibly suspicious is 'Mito' and Kushina disagreed on something/ But if I were to target Kushina directly, she could break free of any control by having her clone destroyed and the flux in knowledge disrupting any mental-affecting jutsu. Targeting both at the same time is risky and likely to fail, and even if it succeeded there's aways the chance more clones are around to free them. This woman is completely uncontrollable by me.'
"Perhaps there is something in her past or flaw in her techniques we can exploit. What do we know of her?" The lieutenant asked, ignorant of the true hokage's identity.
"Nothing, we have no record or file on her, she is an enigma." The crippled warhawk replied. 'At least for now. If Kushina's smart she'll create one in case any of our allies get curious about our hokage's background, even though she'd keep it secret and only tell harmless information.'
"Every target has a weakness Sir. You yourself make that a clear point in training." The ROOT nin replied.
Danzou rubbed his chin as he thought aloud. "Hmmm... Sarutobi must know something that we do not. He wouldn't simply pick anyone to lead this village unless he absolutely trusted them, a trust he has yet to grant to me." He said bitterly. He was of course referring to Kushina then.
At the moment Danzou was conflicted on whether or not to share information about Mito's true identity with the rest of his ROOT or even with part of it. He knew without a doubt he could force them all to keep silent, but modifying the tongue seals to include that might risk compromising the original purpose, and though he hadn't to admit flaw, Danzou was no seal expert and had none under his control. At the same time, if any of the new recruits overheard and happened to give that information out before their training completed, it would put him and his organization at risk under the new authority Konoha had.
'For now, it's best that everyone in ROOT believes what they already believe about this Mito Kajotenpi.' He ultimately relented.
"Sarutobi is a fool Sir, his only wise decision was admitting the Leaf was better off without him in charge right now. What do you wish to be done with the new Lady Hokage?"
"For now, nothing, we shall wait and see what she does. I will work to gain her favor and trust, and see what I can take from her. When she eventually makes a wrong move… we will crush her."