Long Awaited Revelations

Naruto was almost bouncing in his bed. Today he would be getting the casts off his legs. He could hardly wait to get moving again. He tried not to dwell on the fact that he had nearly been taken away the previous week and slept through the whole incident. At least his teachers had managed to save him.

His teachers. Naruto shook his head and tried to wrap his brain around Jiraiya-sensei of all people being Hokage. But looking at it another way, Jiraiya-sensei HAD scared off two S-class missing nins with only a small fight. He could still hear the nurses talking about how Uchiha Itachi had just walked into the hospital and walked out with Naruto. Someone that powerful was scared of his teacher. Now the man was Hokage.

Naruto smiled as Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura entered the room. "Well gaki, all set to get those things off your legs?" Tsunade asked him.

"You bet. I can't wait to get out of here and go to Ichiraku's and all the ramen I can eat," Naruto replied with a grin.

"Unless you stop bouncing Naruto, I am not going to be able to take those casts off," Shizune chided the boy. Naruto tried to sit still as Shizune quickly did the work.

Once his legs were free and Tsunade had run one last scan with her Mystic Palm jutsu, Naruto pulled his knees up to his chest and started scratching his ankles vigorously. His moans of relief brought chuckles to both Tsunade and Shizune but Sakura just made a face and said "Gross" at the sight of the built up dead skin cells flaking off Naruto's legs.

Tsunade looked sternly at Naruto, "Now, just because you are free from those casts doesn't mean you are out of here yet. You will be in here for at least a couple more days to make sure there is not any permanent damage."

Naruto was not listening to Tsunade as he felt an urge. "Bathroom," he said as he wanted to not use any more bedpans. Before any of the women could stop him, he swung his legs off the bed and hopped to his feet. At least he tried to. Before he could take a step, his legs gave out and he crashed to the floor.

"Why is the floor so hard today?" Naruto muttered while rubbing his head.

The three medics all looked at Naruto with varying degrees of annoyance.

"Baka!" Sakura yelled at him. "You need to get used to using your legs again. It might only be a month but you had a major trauma and your legs are nowhere near recovered."

Shizune and Sakura took hold of his arms and hoisted the blonde back to his feet and held him until he could balance himself. Then with the grace of a toddler, he made his way into the adjoining bathroom..

Tsunade looked at the clock and wondered if it was too early for sake.

Jiraiya glared at the stacks of paperwork waiting in his office. It was like the piles increased each time he blinked. This was beyond out of hand. He could deal with mission reports and debriefs when needed, but why the heck were requisitions for toilet paper on a building that no longer existed waiting on his desk. 'Sensei had to be the most anal-retentive control freak in the history of ninja,' Jiraiya thought darkly. 'Two thirds of this crap does not need the attention of a Hokage, only a stamp by a simple functionary to get it done.'

'I'll need a good assistant to help me sort through all of this to find the important items.' Jiraiya sighed and made the seal to create a shadow clone. The clone immediately helped him sort the numerous folders into new piles. By the time he was done, he found a disturbing pattern. More than half of the items in his office were just reports of completing D-ranked missions. Another quarter of the files were supply requests just like the one that had set him off. Several important files had been hidden amid the mass of paper; intelligence reports, staffing reports and high level mission requests.

Taking only the smallest pile of items that actually needed his attention, he set to work. Ibiki's report on the prisoners was interesting. Of all the captured genin, twenty three were favorable to keep on as genin of Konoha with small amounts of retraining. The rest were handed over to the Daimyo as criminals. No chunin or jonin level ninja captured would serve Konoha and Jiraiya was not sure he would take them anyhow. The listing of bounties and rewards offered for a large portion of them was enough to cover nearly a third of the repair costs to Konoha. It was just a matter of collecting that money. Village finances were going to be tight for months to come and he made a few notes to get those captured turned over quickly.

The report on overall damage to Konoha was also in his pile of reports. Several options were outlined in it and he agreed with a few. The idea of condemning the destroyed Uchiha district and it becoming property of Konoha by eminent domain; approved. Constructing a new gate in the wall breech; approved. He did not like the Uchiha boy but he deleted the idea of paying below market price for the Uchiha lands. Full market value would be given to the boy along with keeping enough property intact for a small compound centered on the Uchiha shrine and main clan vaults. One boy did not need enough land to accommodate the hundreds of people a major clan could accumulate. Even the retained compound would be large enough to prevent over crowding for several generations of new Uchiha.

Hours passed as Jiraiya put the affairs of running Konoha in order. He pulled out one last report to go over before heading home for the evening; the Chunin Exams recommendations. He chuckled that even in the middle of a fight; most of the judges had made recommendations on what they had seen. The judges recommended only two for immediate promotion, Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino. He glanced further down the report for Naruto's name but found it marked as 'Denied, with cause'. Jiraiya growled to himself as he closed the folder to save for the morning. He needed to have a small discussion with the elders who made up the committee.

Anko stood looking at the pair of Sand genin. Temari and Kankuro were wearing their own clothes instead of those horrid pink jumpsuits.

"It has been decided that the pair of you will be exchanged for some prisoners your village took in the beginning of the Invasion. It seems your village was only willing to do a one for one prisoner exchange with the standard cash ransom payments for each ninja after that. Your brother threatened the entire elder council of your village to get the pair of you back, no matter the possible financial benefit to your village. The pair of you are going home tomorrow. Your weapons will be returned to you at the border."

"Why would Gaara tell them to get us back? He never would do something like that," Temari mused out loud.

Anko shrugged, "You'll have to ask him that when you see him again." Then Anko turned and left the room.

She headed back to the main holding area with folder in hand, "Tsuchi Kin and Fuma Sasame, sound off!" she called out. Two voices replied "Here." Anko gestured to the matron who let the pair of girls out of the cells they were in. "Come with me," Anko instructed both girls.

Once in a room, Anko gestured to the pair of girls to sit. She stood opposite them and glared at both.

"Tsuchi Kin, you were a registered genin of the Sound village and no longer wish to be associated with that hellhole, is this correct?" the dark haired girl nodded in silence.

"Fuma Sasame, you were pressed into service of the Sound along with a majority of your clan. You have stated that you did not wish to have anything to do with the Sound village, is that correct?" The orange haired girl also nodded and stammered out a quiet "Yes."

Anko nodded. "Well, you both have a choice to make. The new Hokage and the Daimyo have come to an agreement. Since neither of you hurt any civilians in the recent invasion and in depth interrogation has confirmed your desire to have noting further to do with the Sound village, I am authorized to make you both an offer. You may become genin of Konoha. If you do not wish to accept the offer, you will be turned over to the Daimyo to be incarcerated for a period of not more than one year."

Kin was shocked. "But, I was helping to hurt and kill people in the Chunin Exams."

Anko nodded, "I know that. However, you were doing so in an authorized manner. That is a military issue and it will not win you many friends among the genin here. The important point is that you were also victims of Orochimaru, just like all the civilians killed. You are not accountable for the actions that Orochimaru ordered but in turn you did not commit the acts he wanted. The Daimyo would have you imprisoned for lesser charges than those who hurt civilians. A lot nicer place as well. Once your time is served in a prison, you would be free to go."

Sasame looked up, "We could become ninja here? Would we have to fight against the Sound?"

Anko smirked, "Nothing is certain but this is not a war; at least not in the near future. You would not have to fight against Sound ninja unless you came across them on a mission and they attacked you. Genin teams rarely get missions where they would get into combat with other ninja outside of a war."

Sasame nodded, "Some of my relatives still support Orochimaru even after he killed most of the clan, and I don't want to have to fight against them."

"Understandable," Anko replied. "I will not guarantee it won't but it still might happen that you run into them at some point in the future. We would hope you make the best choice possible then."

"We were His," Kin whispered. "We belonged to him. How can you people forgive us of that?"

Anko stared at Kin for a minute. "It will not be easy, and some will not forgive you, Kin. But if you give it time, you will find that many people here will accept you. As I said, we do not blame the victim for the crimes of the criminal." Anko pulled aside the chain mail covering her neck to show her curse mark. "I was his victim once as well. It was not easy and some still get on my case about it. But my life here is a lot better than it would have been if I had stayed with him."

Kin's eyes went wide, "A Curse Mark!"

Anko smirked to hide her anxiety. "It doesn't work, Kin. I was the very first person he tested one on. He almost killed me with his experiments. I was betrayed like you were. I know asking you both to switch sides is a hard choice but as I said, you have options."

Kin looked back to Anko's face, "Would I get to help stop his plans?"

"Eventually, or your working with us would free up someone else who would."

Anko let the girls think for a few more minutes before speaking again. "I know this is a hard decision but I will need an answer. No answer is the same as making the choice to go to prison."

Sasame bit her lip before nodding her head. "I'll join. To have a chance at a place to call home again and not have to live as a criminal forever."

Kin nodded as well. "I want to hurt him, even if it is just helping in some small way. I'll join as well."

Anko grinned, "Good choice. We already figured you both would take the offer." Anko went to a phone on the wall and dialed a number. "Genma, get your mangy butt in here. Your genin are waiting for you."

Within a minute, the door opened. A plain faced jonin with a senbon in his mouth entered followed by a teen with long dark hair. "Good afternoon, ladies. I'm Shiranui Genma. This is Haku. Welcome to Team Senbon."

The judges from the Chunin Exam withered under the glare of Jiraiya. "But, Hokage-sama, the recommendations from the Chunin Exams were already passed to the Daimyo and he signed off on them. There is nothing else we can do to change that."

Jiraiya growled before speaking, "You do realize that your recommendations only apply to the Exams themselves, not to any genin in Konoha. I can still promote any genin to chunin if their skills warrant. Most ninja who reach the rank of chunin do so outside of the Exams."

One judge nodded, "Yes, Hokage-sama. We understand that. But the original recommendation of this panel was that Uzumaki Naruto should be promoted to chunin. He showed great skill and composure in the face of a legendary dojutsu, nearly defeating it. The Sandaime's teammates changed the final recommendation on him."

Uchiha Sasuke was having another bad day. This time he was sent to gate guard duty. This time he was assigned to a pair of chunin he did not even know. They seemed to get along well with the routine traffic but were also quite alert for anyone they did not know. Sasuke mainly sat in the guardhouse and sulked. This was such a waste of his talents. He could be training and getting stronger but instead they had him getting weaker with these tasks that menials should be assigned.

Izumo called Sasuke out of the guardhouse while he dealt with paperwork on a large wagon of building supplies. Sasuke was told to clear the foot traffic. Several construction workers all had their passes ready but one man made a comment to Sasuke.

"Oh, aren't you the boy from the Chunin Exams? You looked good in them pigtails and boobs." The man and a few of his friends all laughed.

Sasuke went red with anger and his eyes narrowed at the laughing man. His Sharingan eyes activated and he backhanded the man who made the comment to the ground. His other hand pulled out a kunai and he was about to stab the man when both Kotetsu and Izumo tackled him to the ground.

The pair told Sasuke to get back to the dorms and that he was going on report for his actions. Sasuke left without another word.

Hinata and Sakura waved goodbye to Ayame and carried the take out toward the hospital. Hinata was sure that Naruto would enjoy ramen after having mainly hospital food. His watchslug would not let him leave the room after Tsunade caught him trying to sneak out of the hospital once since having his casts removed. Once the pair arrived at the door to Naruto's room, they heard shouting.

"Oh please, I'm begging you, I need to get out of here!"

A strange voice responded, "Once Tsunade-sama has informed me that you are allowed to leave, I will let you pass; not before."

The girls opened the door to see Naruto standing near the window arguing with a slug. That would have been fine except for one small problem. His patient smock had an opening in the back and Naruto had on no underwear. Sakura's eyebrow twitched as both girls saw Naruto's butt in its full glory as he moved side to side trying to get past the slug. Sakura gently reached over and took the ramen from Hinata just as the heiress passed out with a smile and a severe blush on her face.

The slight noise of Hinata passing out made Naruto spin around to see his teammates. "I think Hinata likes your butt, Naruto," said Sakura with a smirk. Naruto paled for a moment before turning as red as Hinata while pulling the gown closed behind him. He slunk into the bed and pulled the blankets up to his neck

"Heh, sorry. All those weeks in the bed I was going commando and go used to it. The bedpans and all. Um, I think I'll shut up now." Naruto ducked his head under the blankets.

Sakura laughed because she was somewhat used to what bedridden patients had to deal with. That the look on Naruto's face was priceless did not hurt either. Sakura put the ramen container on the rolling table next to the bed and lifted Hinata into the nearby chair. Then another evil idea rose in her head. She bent low to whisper in the heiress' ear, "Hinata, Naruto is dancing naked on the bed."

Hinata was awake and looking around in an instant.

Sakura was now laughing so hard she leaned on the wall and slid down it to sit. Tears came from her eyes and she gasped for breath as it continued. "First you faint … then him ... hiding under the covers … then you perk up like ooo where I wanna see … " Sakura finally just stopped trying to talk and laughed for a few more minute while Naruto and Hinata both blushed more and laughed a little bit.

When Sakura had calmed down some, the girls presented Naruto with the ramen and got caught up on current events.

Jiraiya finally found the pair of people he was looking for, the teammates of Sarutobi; Homura and Koharu. He glared at the elders and asked the question that was eating him up.

"Why did the pair of you deny Uzumaki Naruto's promotion to chunin in the Exams?"

Koharu spoke up first. "It was not a decision we made lightly, Jiraiya," she said. "We recognize his strength and abilities but we made the decision because it is in his and Konoha's best interest."

"Explain to me exactly HOW it is the best interest to deny promotion to someone who even you acknowledge is capable of higher rank," Jiraiya said coldly.

Homura spoke up now, "We have prepared for your questions. First, we are all aware of his heritage and of his burden. That he is the son of the Yondaime is a badly kept secret. Anyone old enough to recall Minato as a boy can see the resemblance immediately. Most of the village has not put that together yet but if he becomes more widely known, the secret WILL get out. This is for his own protection."

Koharu picked up next, "Second, he is the jailor of the Kyuubi. Just a few weeks ago, you were needed to rescue him from that group you gained information on. The fact they are after jinchuuriki is an ominous portent, Jiraiya. What if that group just wanted to release those monsters upon the world once more? By keeping him as a genin, he will be limited in the scope of his mission to where there will be stronger ninja with him at all times. The decision we made was to protect him, not to punish him. It will allow him time to become better and more able to defend himself against those mercenaries."

Homura picked up the thread once more, "We did put down in the paperwork a solid reason for denying him a promotion at this point. You did read that, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya was frowning. He had not read further down. He had stopped only at the summary, not going to the detailed analysis. He opened the folder up once more and flipped back several pages.

'Uzumaki Naruto, genin, showed great ability and skill in his interrupted fight with Uchiha Sasuke. Judges recommend promotion to chunin.'

'Addendum: Internal Use Only. Promotion denied at this time. We agree that Uzumaki Naruto shows great promise and ability. However, internal analysis of applicant shows a lack of needed leadership and interpersonal skills that chunin rank requires. Once this deficiency is corrected, applicant will be recommended for promotion.'

Jiraiya growled once more. They had covered themselves well. He could over rule them but it would be seen as favoritism and not that Naruto actually earned his rank. But he had one more card to play. "Fine, I will let your recommendation stand on one condition. I want your agreement that Uchiha Sasuke be turned over to the Interrogation Department for a full battery of mental testing. That boy is a danger to everyone around him. You saw how he acted in the Exams. He lost it. This morning he attacked a civilian. His mental state is not adequate for a ninja of Konoha. We have sat back and let him sink too far because of sympathy."

Homura looked over at Koharu who nodded back. "We will agree and add our recommendation on this, Hokage-sama."

Jiraiya strode out of the meeting with a sour taste in his mouth, 'I hate politics.'

Naruto trudged back to his apartment after being released from the hospital. He was still not 100 percent but he was as good as the hospital could get him. The rest would return with training and exercise. He was mildly surprised at the reactions he was getting on the street. More people were greeting him as he walked. Smiles were greater than glares. He was smiling slightly when he decided to stop in at Ichiraku Ramen for a light snack.

Ayame smiled and greeted him as always. "Hello Naruto," she said with her normal bubbly personality. "What can I get for you today?"

"Um, just a couple of bowls of miso, please," he replied.

Ayame nodded and a few minutes later brought him his meal. He ate the first bowl quickly but decided to savor the second. He had nearly finished it when Teuchi peeked out of the kitchen.

"Oi, Naruto. I heard they announced the promotions from the Chunin Exams. Sorry to hear you did not make it this time."

"Well, the Exams are overrated anyhow. Most people get promoted outside of them anyhow," he said glumly.

"You know, I bet if your fight had not been interrupted by the Invasion, you would have made it. You showed a lot of people how good you really are with pure skill."

Naruto nodded, "I know, its just … its just that getting promoted there means something. It shows that you are good enough to get promoted early and that you are someone to be noticed."

Ayame spoke up, "Naruto, you are a person to be noticed. Trust me on this, many people in the village saw how you handed the Uchiha his butt. You are good but maybe what you are good at is not what the judges were looking for. You should find out. Maybe you teachers might be able to help."

Naruto perked up some, "Gee, you're right Ayame. I'll go find them and ask them." The teen paid and headed off to see what he could learn.

Teuchi and Ayame smiled as the blonde vanished. "Jiraiya-sama was right. A nudge in the right direction was all the boy needs to get him moving again. Oh, Ayame, where did you put the book he gave me?"

Ayame smiled sweetly, "In the stove, it made a pretty fire when I burnt it."

Sasuke looked over the announcement of Chunin Exam promotions and frowned. They had passed him over. The lazy Nara and his bug infested teammate got promotions but not an Uchiha. The people here were all after him. They were denying him the skills and tools he needed to get his revenge on his brother. Well, if he could not get them here, he would just have to go find them somewhere else.

He returned to his temporary dorm and packed the few items he had left. He had a smirk on his face as he opened the door. He stopped and saw a pair of ANBU waiting there.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you will come with us. You are to be taken to the Interrogation Unit for mental evaluation."

Sasuke growled at their lousy timing.

Kakashi watched as the ANBU took his former student off to a holding area. It had been a near thing. The boy had his gear packed and was about to defect when the order for his evaluation came down. He was saddened that the last member of Obito's family had fallen so far but he hoped they could do something for the boy.

He was not sure what he would be doing now. Sasuke removed from active status and remanded to a mental ward. Shino was promoted to chunin and would be assigned new duties. Kiba would be transferred to the tracking unit to fill a hole left by so many of the dead Hyuuga. He was a teacher without students. Going back to ANBU right now was not really what he wanted. He would just have to make do.

Jiraiya sat listening in the staffing meeting. The various platoon and company leaders were making recommendations on promotions now that things had settled down some. This is where most chunin promotions happened anyhow. True, some people got noticed and promoted through the Chunin Exams but that was merely a showcase for the best and the brightest the various villages had to offer. Maybe one in one hundred that made chunin got their promotions via the Exams. Jonin needed to recommend their students and two others would need to agree with the evaluation. Sure, some made it through the process based on who they knew but not many. A jonin could be reduced in rank if a bad genin made chunin.

"Hokage-sama, are there any recommendations from First Platoon for consideration?" one jonin asked. First Platoon, also call the Hokage's Platoon was unique. It got its missions directly from the Hokage. It also contained what was referred to as the 'Hokage Line'. All the Hokages had come from First Platoon and had been a student of a Hokage at one time or another. To be included in First Platoon was seen as a sign that you were going to be noticed. Children of clan heads and Academy graduates tended to be the ones assigned there. Students of extraordinary promise were found there as well. It was the training ground for future leaders. The platoon also received the least military discipline of any other unit in Konoha.

The downside of it was also the fact that the few who fell, fell hard; Orochimaru, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Itachi and now Uchiha Sasuke. The mental review of Sasuke listed him as clinically insane and separated from reality. His brother had truly done a number on his mind years before and only the Uchuha name had kept people from noticing until the boy had snapped.

Since he officially controlled First Platoon, he was needed here at this meeting. Jiraiya looked down at his notes and the list of possible promotions he could recommend. Team 10, Team Guy, and Team Apprentice all stood out. Three other teams he was not too familiar with yet from older years but they would not really need consideration until the next meeting. His eyes fell on his apprentice's name and he closed his eyes for a moment.

Looking up he said, "No recommendations at this time."

Hinata sat in her father's office as he went over her actions of the past month as pro tem leader of the clan. He approved of nearly all of her decisions, but he could live with light blue walls in his office for a few months. The smells of fresh wood work and paint still filled his office as it had taken some damage in the Invasion.

"Father, I did have a question," she asked once he was through.

"What question is that, Hinata?"

"As I was organizing your scattered files, I noticed a picture of your genin team. I was not aware that you trained under Jiraiya-sensei."

Hiashi smiled, "Yes, I was. It was a strange time and he has great skills as a ninja but as a man he leaves much to be desired. I am sure you have noticed that. Is that your question?"

Hinata blushed slightly and shook her head no. "No, Father. My question was, who is the blonde boy in the picture with you?"

Hiashi smiled and looked lost in memories for a moment. "He was Namikaze Minato. He became the Yondaime later on in life. Strange that one meaning of his name was suitable for those times, Port in the Storm."

Hinata barely heard the end of what her father was saying as she recalled hearing that name before.

Flashback 1

Jiraiya pointed to Hinata. "First, we have Hyuuga Hinata. Hiashi's firstborn and Heir to the Hyuuga clan. Next to her is Haruno Sakura, student of Tsunade. The blonde is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uzumaki?" The Daimyo motioned Jiraiya closer and spoke to him in a whisper. A few words could be heard by the team but nothing could be understood.

" … son … ka … ato … " Jiraiya nodded and spoke in similar tones.

"He … sn't kn … secr …"

Hinata noticed the look on the Daimyo's face as it betrayed his thoughts via body language to her Byakugan eyes. She was nowhere close to the level of the adults of the clan but she could pick up general mood and emotional state. The leader was confused by Naruto's name somehow, apparently expecting it to be different somehow. All she could get beyond his acceptance of Jiraiya's explanation was a single name read from the Daimyo's lips.

Namikaze

Flashback 2

Sarutobi chuckled at Naruto's comment. "I think you just might make it with that attitude, Naruto." A muffled squeak sounded from the hallway. Sarutobi looked and smiled again. "Come in Hinata." The dark haired girl rolled into the room in a wheelchair, her leg wrapped in a cast. "Naruto, you have met Hinata already but let me introduce you officially. Naruto, meet Hyuuga Hinata, heir to the Hyuuga clan. Hinata meet Uzumaki Naruto, legacy of the Fourth and aspirant to the title of Hokage."

Hinata whispered, "Legacy of the Fourth. Oh Kami."

Hiashi looked worried as Hinata grew paler than normal. "What is wrong, Hinata?" he asked.

Hinata looked back up at her father, "I just realized, Naruto is the son of the Yondaime."

Next Chapter: Back to Missions.

Review Notes:

I realized after it was posted and many people got confused on it that I had not stated in specific words that Naruto was rescued. During my own proof reading of it seemed clear enough but perhaps that was due to my knowing the story well past that point. As with my previous mistake regarding Naruto's healing in my own notes, I will admit them.

Reactions to my making Jiraiya the Hokage were generally positive which I am glad for. My story is diverging further off canon with each chapter so expect the unexpected. I figure me having crazy boy locked up finally will generate a few comments. He is not gone mind you, just put aside for a bit. He got stopped before he could go Anakin in the Jedi Temple on everyone.

Parting Shot:

I know my ideas surrounding the Chunin Exam and chunin promotions will make some controversy but I felt it needed to be said in a story.

The idea that the exams were the only peacetime path to chunin is plain dumb. If that was followed there would only be a dozen or so chunin in each village. My view is that the Chunin Exams are similar in nature to the military below the zone promotions. The battle parts showcase the village's genin but the genin get promoted individually on their own merits. A majority would get promoted based on time in service and recommendations of their superiors. Really lousy genin would never make chunin of course but also be subtly pushed into leaving the service or pushed into non critical positions.