I Don't Own Naruto, Any Other Anime/Manga or Its Characters.

A New Beginning Part 1

All Characters Appearing In This Work Are Fictitious. Any Resemblance To Real Persons, Living Or Dead Is Purely Coincidental.

Epilogue

One Month later

Tsunade was sitting in her office going over some paperwork when a knock at the door interrupted her thought process. "Enter."

Kakashi entered the Hokage's office and after bowing respectfully took the seat Tsunade had offered him. Kakashi was mildly surprised when Tsunade asked her Anbu Agents to leave the room and to barricade the room from the outside to prevent them from being over heard.

5 minutes later

Tsunade and Kakashi were now alone in her office with the door barricaded. Tsunade noticed Kakashi's slight concern and smiled before saying "relax Kakashi, Nobody is in trouble or in danger, I called you because I wanted to discuss some things with you and I wanted to ensure we had complete privacy."

"As you are aware we have finally reached an agreement with Iwagakure and the other villages involved in the war. If the Anbu reports are accurate it would seem that life is returning to normal in the other villages besides our own as well. Iwagakure having had to pay damages and compensation to three Hidden villages has barely managed to survive by paying damages to the three villages from the seized funds of the now deceased Yagiro Hokumara and his councillors."

"Wanting peace and a new perspective Iwagakure has elected Toph Bei Fong as their leader. The clan of the Badger is one of the most powerful clans in Iwagakure and it seems that in the vacuum of power that had occurred The Bei Fong clan has gotten the support of the shinobi forces and the Earth Daimyo and elected their Matriarch as the new Tsuchikage of Iwagakure."

Kakashi smiled before saying "it would seem that Iwagakure will be the third of the five great nations to have a female kage and leader I daresay that the female leaders seem to have a majority of three to two, although if rumors are to be believed large amounts of money was given by the Beifong clan to help Iwagakure pay the war charges after the fact."

Tsunade smiled "well you know as well as I do Kakashi that money and politics go hand in hand many times. It is just the way things go." Changing the subject Tsunade said "I have sent a group of Anbu agents to Kusa and Otogakure and preliminary reports state that both villages are empty. It seems that Kabuto in his ruthlessness killed off the complete population of both Otogakure and Kusagakure. He did not even spare the women and children, the country is now a wasteland of empty houses and howling winds. The Anbu have also found evidence that Kusagakure had invaded and conquered Kawa no Kuni (The Land of Rivers.) Including Tanigakure and Ka no Kuni (The Land of That.) The Anbu have found Evidence that The Land of Rivers was also contemplating war with us."

Kakashi was stunned and sat silent for a full five minutes as he contemplated this information. When he spoke however his voice held no emotion, "I find it hard to believe that a population of people roughly half the size of Konohagakure, were slaughtered by a single man. However there is another side to this coin. It is a side I must admit that I only realised as a possibility after speaking to Naruto and Shikamaru. Let us look at the problem from a different perspective."

Tsunade raised her eyebrows in interest and said "I am listening Kakashi go on. I am very interested on what Shikamaru and Naruto have to say about this war."

Kakashi nodded his head and continued, "with the information we now possess we do know that with or without Kabuto's intervention War would have been imminent, with Konoha being surrounded by enemies on three fronts correct?"

Tsunade just nodded her head in agreement gesturing for Kakashi to go on.

"Now it is entirely possible that sooner or later we would have been involved in a three pronged war with little to no help from the outside as Otogakure and Tanigakure would have been in an excellent position to stop our allies from Kumogakure and Iwa would be in a perfect position to block Sunagakure from lending us support. With all this going on it would have been easy for the Hyuuga clan elders to possibly stage a coup or even combine forces with the enemy to create a scenario where it would have been highly plausible for them to attempt to assassinate you and Hinata, along with other key members of The Hyuuga clan, and although they might not have succeeded in killing Naruto, they might have succeeded in breaking his will, with the love of his life dead and the closest thing he had to a grandmother assassinated, it is also possible that they might have been able to take control of him and even turn him into a puppet."

Tsunade spoke sharply and said "This is all conjecture Kakashi, I find it highly implausible that even if all this happened I doubt Naruto's will would be broken, he is a shinobi of the finest order and I find it odd that you the man he once called sensei would doubt his abilities as such."

Kakashi smiled and said "these are not my words Hokage-sama these are his, however let us say that for the sake of the argument that if the scenario that Shikamaru had described would have come to pass it can be said without a doubt that Konoha would not have fared well correct?"

Tsunade had a pensive look on her face as she replied "Your correct Kakashi, it would have indeed been a very bloody battle and we would have lost many fine shinobi even if we would have won we would be severely weakened in terms of military strength, but how does Kabuto factor into all this?"

Kakashi smiled and said "This is where Shikamaru said that it is a remote possibility and that it might be wrong but it is a possible angle. Kabuto factors into all this in two possible ways.

"One: is that Kabuto wanted to carry on his master's work by destroying Konoha on his own without support from anyone else, i.e. to say that he alone wanted to be responsible for Konoha's downfall and would consider any sort of help in his main goal as unacceptable. That is the reason he assassinated the Grass village and The Land of rivers. "

"It is also possible however that like Orochimaru with Otogakure, Kabuto took over and gained control of the Land of rivers and joined it with Kusagakure and Otogakure to create a major Hidden village which he could then use as his personal experiment lab to continue his experiments and create his own personal army."

"Two: This is the part that I find is near Impossible, but is a point Nonetheless. There is an extremely remote possibility that Kabuto circumvented the events in such a way to make sure that Konoha gained victory with as little collateral damage as possible."

Tsunade was silent for a few seconds as she contemplated and understood what Kakashi was trying to say. "Do you mean to tell me Kakashi that Kabuto intentionally manipulated the events in such a way to make sure that Konoha would be able to emerge victorious from this war and be able to be rid of its enemies both from within and without, by why would he do such a thing?"

Kakashi smiled ruefully and said "That unfortunately Tsunade-sama is a question nobody but Kabuto knows and unfortunately he is dead, however if I were to hazard a guess I would say that it is possible that in his last moments he repented for his crimes and sought to balance the scales before he met Kami-sama. Thus the reason he organized and created the circumstances as such. If you look at the consequences you will see that what I have to say has all Didn't Itachi do something similar all those years back when he killed his whole clan."

"In the past few years Konoha has been faced with a problem of shrinking space, thanks to the post war business boom we have no shortage of wealth but have faced a shortage of land for development, and now as a result of this war, We have now acquired land that is about half the size of Konoha, and we can now increase our strength and become an even stronger nation."

Tsunade smiled and said "You make a compelling argument Kakashi, It makes my decision easier knowing that you will always have the best interests of this village at heart. As I am sure you know I have now served as the leader for the past 7 years and I have also seen this village through two wars, like my grandfather grand-uncle and my sensei before me I have dedicated my life to this village, however despite my vanity and pride, I am not foolish enough to think I am immortal and still at the peak of my strength."

"The time shall soon come that I will step aside as Hokage, and when that time comes it is my fondest wish that you succeed me. However by my calculations I still have 3 more years in this seat before I shall abdicate it for you. I have been Hokage for 7 years now and I have undoubtedly made many mistakes, however for better or worse I have guided this village to the best of my ability, and I believe now that you are ready for the role of Hokage, indeed you have been ready for many years now, however like many of those who sat in this seat before me, I have let the power of this seat affect me, I sometimes forgot that as Hokage I am not a Leader of the people but a servant of the people and my sole responsibility is to their well-being and happiness."

Kakashi smiled and said "To err is human, Hokage-sama, we are imperfect beings who try hard to be perfect, while forgetting that only Kami-sama is perfect. You are too humble Milady Hokage, you are renowned in the world over as the greatest medic on earth, in your words and deeds you have always sought to make sure the best interests of the people, if you believe that your tenure as Hokage is no longer required, then you are mistaken, however I cannot fault you Milady, I saw what effect this seat had on Minato sensei, and although I am not eager to accept this seat of power I will do so only when and if The village Shinobi and the Daimyo agree that I am the best choice. Not before."

Tsunade smiled and said "spoken like a true warrior Kakashi-san, a true warrior looks not for glory or for applause of his bravery, he only wishes to die in the service of his country. Very well I shall accede to your request Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement and fell silent again as Tsunade spoke to him about the Hyuuga clan and how The Anbu were handling that part of the equation.

Elsewhere in Konoha

Naruto was in his apartment with Sakura and Ino trying on different clothes in the mirror while he waited for the two best friends to pass judgement on his attire. Naruto for once in his life was a nervous wreck, he was way out of his depth and had no idea what to do. As he saw Chouji and Shikamaru sitting on the couch with drinks in their hands and laughing softly he just shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe it some friends you are, here I am a nervous wreck trying to figure out how exactly to ask Hiashi for Hinata's hand in marriage, and you two are there sipping my sake and laughing at my expense, whatever happened to being there for each other."

Sakura just slapped him upside the head and said "stand still Naruto, can't you see I am trying to help you tie your kimono properly." Shikamaru and Chouji broke into laughter again as Naruto grumbled softly and stood still allowing Sakura to tie his Kimono properly.

Chouji finally spoke between laughs and said "hey Naruto that promise you're referring to is only valid when in battle and when you have a problem you can't solve on your own. Besides doesn't the fact we are sipping sake and providing these two beautiful girls with encouragement on how to best get you dressed mean something to you?"

Shikamaru laughed loud and said "yea, Naruto I thought we were your friends, besides despite my keen intellect I don't see how exactly you wants us to help you tell Hiashi that you plan on marrying his favorite daughter, because you got her pregnant."

Naruto's ears turned red as he screamed out in frustration "God damn it Shikamaru, Hinata is not pregnant and you know it, I am marrying her because I finally completed the two tasks given to me by Hiashi."

Ino who had been discussing Naruto's wardrobe while Naruto was talking to his friends finally said "It's hopeless you have nothing in your wardrobe that will do you justice, we need to go shopping, maybe we will find something good at Kokomo's Kimono shop."

Naruto was shocked and said "what do you mean it's not good enough, this is the finest Kimono I own, when I bought it last Year the salesperson said it was the height of fashion."

Ino looked at Naruto with an expression of trying to teach a toddler one plus one and said "Yes, but that was last year, you need something new and fresh now if you plan on proposing to Hinata later this week and if you plan on going to Shino's wedding later this afternoon then you will need some nice clothes so stop arguing with the experts and lets go."

Naruto grumbled all the way as he put on a pair of pants and a shirt as he collected his wallet and followed Ino out the door. As he was leaving Shikamaru could not resist one last shot at his friend as he said "enjoy your shopping trip Naruto be sure to have fun." With that said Chouji and Shikamaru once again fell into gobs of laughter as Naruto threatened to disembowel them by killing them in their sleep.

Meanwhile with Hinata

Tenten and Temari were helping Hinata get ready for a ceremony at the Hyuuga manor later that evening. Unlike her lover, Hinata showed no outward signs of Nervousness unless you counted looking in the mirror every few minutes, and wondering aloud if Naruto would like what she selected.

Tenten sighed aloud as she fixed Hinata's jewellery while Temari fixed her hair and aid "Oh just calm down Hinata, Naruto will like you no matter dress you chose, in fact you could show up dressed in a cardboard box and a plastic bag and Naruto would like it just fine."

Temari smirked and said "Tenten is right Hinata, in fact I'm sure he would like you just fine because he won't have to waste his time trying to get your dress off, he would just rip off the cardboard box and plastic bag and ravish you where you stood."

Hinata blushed crimson and said "Temari-Chan! That is not the proper thing to say about my Naruto-kun, He doesn't rip off my clothes, no, in fact most of the times he is very sensual and loving and..."

Temari made a face and said "Don't try and fool me Hinata, you think I don't see the looks Naruto is always giving you when he is with you?"

Hinata smiled sill blushing hotly and said "oh you mean the way Shikamaru-kun is always touching you and staring at your chest when he gets a chance, you forget Temari-Chan I have the Byakugan and I can see through walls, just like the time when you guys had disappeared for an hour, last week when you were at Sakura Chan's house and you almost broke her bathroom sink when you two were going at it like animals in her bathroom."

Temari had a heavy blush of her own as she said "I will say this for Shika-kun, when it comes to satisfying me, he is a subject matter expert and is always more than eager to please me…"

Ok girls enough of this I can't take it anymore, Naruto and Shikamaru are like my brothers and I really don't want to hear about their sexual exploits any more than I want to get my teeth pulled out so can we please give it a rest and get back to the task at hand.

The girls quickly agreed and got back to the task of getting ready for the evening's festivities.

Later that afternoon at The Aburame Clan Compound:

Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Kurenai and Zuko along with The Konoha 12 and many other guests were greeted by Shibi as he guided the guests to their seats. The guests eagerly waited for the start of the wedding ceremony. The Konoha 12 were happy that Shino had finally decided to settle down and get married, although they were surprised to learn later that the wedding had been organised quickly for both political and Pragmatic reasons. Chief of the reasons being to make sure Peace and Unity within the Aburame clan. The wedding was a quiet and simple affair with not too much pomp and circumstance, and The Hokage was asked to bless the bride and groom. A task Tsunade performed with great pleasure.

Tsunade also made an announcement saying that When Shino returned from his Honeymoon with Shima, he would be rotated out of The Anbu and become a Jonin sensei to the newest batch of Genin graduating the academy.

Later that evening At the Hyuuga Compound

Hiashi was feeling very nervous, but despite his nervousness he showed no outward signs of it. If nothing else Hiashi was a superb politician and he knew how to take advantage of an opportunity. Hiashi knew in his heart that he was doing the right thing, however years of useless traditions and misplaced pride that Hiashi still carried somewhere in a small corner of his heart asked him whether he was making the correct decision or not.

As he stood frozen for a moment in time deep in his thoughts, the answer he was looking for appeared in front of his vision when he saw His eldest daughter Hinata dressed in a sky blue kimono wearing her mother's jewellery. For a split second Hiashi mistook Hinata for her mother. As he recovered from his momentary shock Hiashi was awed at the fact at how much Hinata resembled her mother and in that instant Hiashi was finally able to extinguish that faint whisper of doubt and false pride that existed in his heart.

A few minutes later

Hiashi arrived at the Hyuuga Courtyard where both branches of the Hyuuga clan were gathered. Also Gathered was the Hokage along with Ibiki Morino, Anko Mitarashi and 3 squads of Anbu Agents as her personal guard. Hiashi nodded his head towards the Hokage and her personal guard before turning towards his clan that had gathered in front of him to hear his words.

Hiashi walked upon the small Dias that had been constructed for the occasion and spoke "My fellow Hyuuga, we have been through a very testing and difficult period, both as a clan and as shinobi. We have faced enemies from without and from within. However The Hokage has been kind enough to realize that the Hyuuga clan's loyalty lies with the Leaf Village and the Hokage Fire Nation. Our white clothes have been tarnished with the stains of treason and duplicity. To wash our clothes of these heinous stains I submitted a request for every single member for the Hyuuga clan member to undergo harsh questioning and invasive mind probing to make sure there are no more traitors within our midst."

The Hyuuga clan stood silently with many of their faces downcast, all of them had been through the interrogation and although they understood the reason they detested the fact that someone would cast doubts upon their loyalty for their motherland.

Hiashi looked upon his clan with a blank face and said "The Hokage has informed me that all of my clan members have been interrogated and been thoroughly verified, I am happy to say that every one of you has been found innocent of Treason."

"However I am also greatly saddened that this was necessary in the first place. We Hyuuga who have been blessed with piercing vision were unable to pierce through our own prejudice and false pride. Part of this has been due to our refusal to abandon our traditions and rules that have long become obsolete. It is now time to abolish those old rules and free ourselves of those old traditions that are no longer fit. In order to prevent a similar situation that occurred here a few days ago and to prevent the Hyuuga clan following in the steps of the Uchiha clan.

Therefore I have made the following decisions: as Lord of the Hyuuga clan I hereby Abolish the curse mark that the Branch Family of the Hyuuga clan is forces to wear; for it was by using an advanced version of this very curse mark that the former elders of this clan managed to control and influence the actions of two rogue shinobi to attack the Hokage. As Clan lord I will personally hand over all documents pertaining to the Caged Bird Seal to the Hokage and ask her to keep it in the Hokage vault among the other forbidden and highly classified jutsu and documents.

As clan Lord I announce my second decision which is an executive Order from the Hokage herself which will apply to all 6 clans of Konoha; By Executive Orders any Hyuuga clan Genin wishing to become a Chunin must show Chunin level skill in at least two other Martial arts besides their Family or Clan specific jutsu, Additionally any Hyuuga clan member wishing to apply for the post of Jonin must show Jonin level expertise in three different martial arts besides their Family or Clan specific jutsu."

Even Shinobi as stoic and disciplined as the Hyuuga were shocked by the news that the Hyuuga lord had given them. Both by the fact that the Hyuuga elders had betrayed the village and the clan, however they were even more shocked by the two new laws that the Hyuuga lord had introduced.

As The Hyuuga Lord finished his speech he turned towards the Hokage and knelt deeply to her before facing her with tears in his eyes said "just like a parent is responsible for the misdeeds of their children, I am responsible for the misdeeds of my Brethren, therefore I beg of you Hokage-sama do not punish the many for the mistakes of the few."

Tsunade smiled widely and said "Fear not Hiashi. I lay no blame on your shoulders or the shoulders of your clan. This clan was infected by a malignant tumor and while it might have been painful and difficult to remove, with your help we were able to remove it before it could spread so if anything you should be rewarded for your bravery. Now Hiashi if I may I would like to say a few words to your clansmen if I may?

"Of course Lady Hokage, I would be honored."

Tsunade stepped up to the Dias and using a jutsu to amplify her voice using a kind tone like a friend offering advice said "Shinobi of the Hyuuga clan I stand before you as both your Leader and a fellow shinobi. What I have to say is not much but I believe it to be extremely important. I speak to you now not as your leader but a fellow shinobi and comrade in arms. My Grand Uncle the Nidaime Hokage once told me that for those shinobi who possess the three Great Dōjutsu because of their superior and piercing vision, many of these shinobi suffer from the same fatal flaw: The flaw of Hubris or excessive pride."

To take pride in one's skill and abilities is a good thing for it helps our confidence and our helps us be victorious on the battlefield and earns us respect from both friend and foe, Indeed some of you might say to be proud of one's abilities builds confidence of our abilities. Pride and confidence are two sides of the same coin, however remember my friends there is a very thin line between pride and hubris. We must always be aware when to draw the line."

As Tsunade finished her sentence she took a breath and suddenly her voice became more authoritarian, like a general addressing her troops. "What I have to say to you now I say to as your leader. I as Hokage and leader of this village hold no ill will towards the Hyuuga clan, those who bore me ill will and I them are now dead. However this happened because 4 old men who were not able to embrace change thought to destroy it and keep things from changing, but they forgot one important thing: the nature of time is to change, and just like one cannot stop the seasons from coming and leaving or the sun and moon from rising and setting thus no one can stop change.

In case any of you are still not sure of things let me make them clear for every one of you shinobi who bear the leaf Hitai-ate and for to those of you who wish to bear it in the future. before you are members of a powerful clan. Before you are the sons and daughters of your parents. You are shinobi of the Konohagakure No Sato. Remember when you wear the Hitai-ate of your village you make a promise: that your first duty shall be to your country and your village, for you owe a debt to this motherland of yours, for you were born on her soil and you have eater her salt. Therefore your first loyalty must be to your village and country, second to your comrade in arms for you rely on them when on missions to keep you safe from harm. Finally after that your loyalty lies to your family and clan. The Hitai-ate that you wear upon your friends is a symbol of that promise. The life of a shinobi is not an easy one, despite its advantages. Therefore you of the members of the Hyuuga clan have come at a fork in the road. Will you choose the path that the Uchiha clan chose before you, or will you choose the path of loyalty and courage."

"I leave it up to you to decide but for those who choose the path of the Uchiha before you embark on that path, do not forget the consequences that occurred as a result of choosing that path." Tsunade had a serious look on her face as she made eye contact with each Hyuuga clan member before her. The Hyuuga were many things but stupid they were not, every single Hyuuga in the assembly understood the thoughts behind the Hokage's last words.

After a few seconds Tsunade spoke again and said "With all that being said, I do not mean to imply that I or my comrades are always right, no we might be wrong in some decisions that we make, however if you disagree with my decisions as leader of your village or if you believe the decisions that Hiashi-sama takes about the clan are wrong. Please feel free to approach us, be it Genin or jonin we promise to listen your concerns and will consider your counsel wisely. For a leader can only become wise and just if they listen and consider the opinions of those whom they lead. "

"I now have one last thing to say to members of the Hyuuga clan, you may consider it a request from a friend or advice from a senpai. But I do not wish for any of you to consider it an order from your Hokage. During the aftermath of the war many of you shinobi from the Hyuuga clan helped the medical team in treating patients."

"I have received feedback from many of my medics that it was thanks to your expert chakra control and the Byakugan that many of our shinobi were saved from death. So I ask those of you who are interested in medicine to seriously consider a career in it. There are many branches of medicine besides healing patients that your talents can come into play."

I also received much feedback from my Anbu captains that many of you who were assigned as scouting and supporting troops did an excellent job in helping them perform their duties and were able to quickly adapt to the Anbu style of working and with help of your Byakugan and Gentle fist you were able to kill and pinpoint enemies with even more accuracy and silence than even some of my most experienced Anbu agents. Therefore I also invite the members of the Hyuuga clan who are interested in being the most elite of soldiers to join the Anbu, however you must have completed at least two years as a Chunin or one year as a Jonin."

Hiashi despite his loyalty for the village was a still a politician and when he saw a golden opportunity to help his clan regain some of their lost honor he would not let it pass, so he quickly spoke up and said: "Hokage-sama, if my clansmen were to master the science of medicine and become medical nin would you consider that as a secondary martial art independent of the Byakugan and Gentle Fist techniques, if my clansmen were to apply for the rank of Chunin or Jonin?"

Tsunade considered the question for a few minutes before replying; "you raise a valid point Hiashi I see no problem counting the use of medical jutsu as a martial art independent of the Byakugan; However there is condition to this as well Hiashi, while I have no problem with a Hyuuga clan member using their piercing vision to aid them during the Chunin and Jonin exams."

However when using medical jutsu in the exams there will be two underlying conditions: One: They Must be able to use their skill of medical expertise in Medical jutsu independent of their Use of the Byakugan.

The second condition is this: whatever branch of medicine your Clansmen decide to master, they must be able to show their branch of medicine can be effectively used in battle. Is that reasonable to you Hiashi?"

Hiashi nodded his head and said "That is completely acceptable Hokage-sama However I have one more question if I may ask it?" when Tsunade nodded her head Hiashi continued, "If my clansmen were to master the art of Leaf style Taijutsu would you or the proctors overseeing the exam consider it as an independent skill to the Gentle Fist?" Tsunade smiled and said "nice try Hiashi but no, The Leaf style Martial art is something that every martial art is supposed to master regardless of social standing." Hiashi looked disheartened as he heard the Hokage's decision.

Kakashi who was present and had also heard the conversation suddenly had an idea on how to help Hiashi with his dilemma and thus he turned to the Hokage and said "Permission to speak Hokage-sama."

Tsunade turned to Kakashi and said "I am always interested in what you have to say Kakashi, Permission Granted you may speak freely without any consequences."

Kakashi nodded his head in thanks and said "I believe you are correct in your decision Hokage-sama that each Shinobi who is part of large clan should have skill in multiple martial arts besides their own Clan based martial arts. However I believe that each clan should follow the same guidelines that you have set for the Hyuuga clan using medical jutsu in an exam, i.e. to say if a shinobi from a clan or large family is using a martial art besides their clan based art, they must be able to show Chunin or Jonin level expertise in using that martial art independent of their clan based abilities. For example a member of the Aburame clan mastering the art of poison must be able to use their poison bases techniques and abilities without the use or help of their insects.

Tsunade looked thoughtful and said "you have a fair point Kakashi I believe that will be a great way to test the true abilities of the participant and close any loopholes."

Hiashi Looked intrigues and said what skills or martial arts do you believe my clansmen would be able to master or be proficient in besides medical jutsu Hatake-san?"

Kakashi smiled his trademark one eye and said "that is an easy question, Hiashi san, because of their superb chakra control and the Byakugan that many of your clansmen would be expert in mastering Elemental chakra and Elemental techniques, because mastering elemental techniques requires understanding the flow and shape transformation of chakra, which is something that comes as second Nature."

A few minutes later

Tsunade and her armed guard had just left the Hyuuga compound after Tsunade had thanked The Hyuuga clan for their loyalty but also warned them that they were in store for stormy seas in the near future because once the village at large heard about the Hyuuga clan's troubles. The Hyuuga clan members were astute politicians in addition to elite shinobi and were able to read underneath the underneath of the Hokage's and Hiashi's words.

While The Branch family was pleased at Hiashi's decision to remove the Caged Bird Seal. Few of the Main Branch members were unhappy with Hiashi's decision to remove the Caged Bird Seal, but they would not cross Hiashi at this moment of time. Because despite appearances Hiashi's Political power had not decreased as a result of the Traitors but had increased, for he had the complete support of the Hokage and her shinobi as well as the Branch Family members.

They were also able to decipher the true intent behind the Hokage's wish for the Hyuuga clan members to learn Medical Jutsu and join the Anbu Elite. It was all a ruse to keep a closer eye on the Hyuuga clan because while the Hokage was in charge of the Anbu. She had appointed her disciple Shizune as head of the Medical Corps. With Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka as her lieutenants, both the Anbu Black Ops and the Konoha Medical Corps were under the thumb of the Hokage. Although they hated to admit it but they realised that they had been outmanoeuvred and gotten caught in a three way attack, they had been forced into a corner unable to move forward, neither would they be able to raise any objections lest they be branded as traitors as well. Little did Hiashi's opponents know that in a few hours' time they would be boxed in completely.

A/N: Due to the length of the Epilogue I have decided to split the epilogue into three parts. This was the most difficult part I had to write. Being 10 pages long in MS Word. I apologize in advance if it seems to run on for a long while, however there was a lot I wanted to put into this chapter and only so much time. I also tried to make the actions of the characters multidimensional.

That is to say that they have made their decisions for many reasons on many levels. I believe I have explained it sufficiently enough in the chapter. However if your still not sure about some of the reasons Please feel free to leave a review asking why or Pm me and I will be happy to answer your questions. I have intentionally left a few things unanswered in this chapter. Because the next chapter will pick up where this one left off.

Now that I have passed this point I will now be able to write the other two parts more quickly. I have already written half of the second part as well, so once I have finished I will upload it for my fans.

I would like to once again thank every single person who read and favourite and followed this story. I would also like you guys to leave more reviews. I work hard on my chapters and I am always eager to hear what you guys thought of it in a review, whether good or bad. Watch this space I will most likely have the second part of the epilogue out by next week or by week after next.

P.S. I used a word Called Malignant Tumor, here is the definition: Its a medical term for cancerous cells that grow out of control. These tumours can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. So in context Tsunade is referring to the hate and prejudice of the Hyuuga clan Elders spreading to the entire clan.