Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Honestly, I don't really get why people put that disclaimer, cause it's stupid. It's not like anyone is going to sue you for writing a fanfic about the characters he/she created. So from now on I'll stop putting in a disclaimer. Sides, it's quite obvious I don't own Naruto!
Trumpets were blowing, confetti was exploding and the villagers were cheering. A cacophony of noise that was heard all over Konoha, and Naruto was thick in it.
The day had finally come. All the waiting, the preparing, the twisting stomach, the training. It was all for this moment.
Uzumaki Naruto became Konoha's Toad Sannin on that day.
He walked alone down the streets, a nervous smile plastered on his face, the now adoring villagers cheering for him.
To think that just months ago they would be jeering at me. Now they call my name and shout for me. Being a shinobi is messed up.
He concluded privately to himself. Although Sakura had promised to be at the Hokage tower with Tsunade by the time Naruto reached the tower even with Kyubi-enhanced sight she was nowhere to be found. The tower itself was a mile away, but as Naruto blinked, yellow cat-like slits appeared in his eyes, and the tower loomed up, apparently just a foot away. The vision enhancement was thanks to a dojutsu gift from the fox, and though wary of any tricks, Naruto was thankful for it nonetheless.
Naruto turned back, and waved to the villagers, at least trying to play the part of a happy newly-promoted nin, but the grin was only an act. Though he was becoming an important part of the community, he felt a heavy tug on his heart when he thought how he was replacing Jiraiya. It felt a little disrespectful. Living and fighting in his former mentor's shadow would be tough, but Naruto had to anyways.
It was his duty.
But finally after some more blocks and more villagers (Naruto reasoned that there couldn't be anymore, but was wrong as he arrived at the tower) the Naruto's party arrived at the Hokage Tower, with Naruto in front and alone, the rest of the escort party behind him.
And suddenly the cheers and noise fell silent.
Tsunade appeared on the highest balcony in the Tower, her two most senior aides, Sakura and Shizune by her side. Her blue eyes were piercing, and she commanded such a presence as Hokage that even Naruto stopped and was respectfully silent. This was time for being serious. Simultaneously the thousands of assembled villagers and hundreds of ninjas fell silent as there leader appeared before them. As one, they all bowed down and uttered
"Hokage-sama..."
Leaving only Tsunade, her apprentices and Naruto standing. Shocked, Naruto pivoted on his heels and saw the grand multitude on their knees, no one expecting Naruto to do the same. As far as the civilians were concerned, Sannin and Hokage were on the same level. And the nins did the same, but more out of respect of Naruto's power. Even they were both for different reasons, both communities respected Naruto. Which is what he had always wanted and finally had.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto turned at the sound of his name, and craned his neck up at the balcony, where Tsunade had barked out the seven syllables of his name.
"You have been called by the Council in accordance to the previously agreed date to speak of your promotion to the title and status of the Toad Sannin of Konoha. We will speak of your duties and privileges as Sannin." Her voice was extremely meticulous and formal, "The council beckons you to enter into their presence" And as she said this, a hint of contempt for the council manged to enter her voice. She turned on her heels and left.
Sakura managed to catch the blonde's eye. Her face was stoney, yet her eyes were shining, and Naruto knew she was happy.
Naruto entered the quiet atrium in the chamber before the council's main room where he enjoyed the momentary piece before the tension in the council. He knew what was coming next, as Tsunade had drilled in in what to be prepared for. He wrung his hands nervously as he rehearsed in his head what was about to happen.
"Be ready, Naruto" Tsunade's voice echoed in his head. "What's going to happen in there has a lot to do with power plays going on in the Council already. They are going to argue that as Sannin you will have command over certain things, but will obviously try to keep you from certain rights and extremely hard from some privileges" Tsunade's gaze was unflinching and hateful as she spoke of the treacherous council. I am going to argue in your favor, and if I can't even get you some more rights, then the issue will have been concluded without a fight in favor of the council. You must remain silent, even in spite of the worst insults, which will probably come from Danzo.
Naruto remained silent and nodded to indicate his understanding.
"OK then, go get ready. The procession will begin shortly"
The short preparation talk had been extremely short and brief, said to Naruto that very morning when he had been in the Hokage's office for some brief words as friends before they had to act as a leader addressing a lower unit in the military.
At that very moment, a junior aide to the Hokage entered, her heels clacking on the floor. It was some strange new fashion in Konoha, shoes with long thin poles jutting out from the bottom called 'Pumps' and apparently popular with the civilians.
"The council will see you know" she announced crisply, and turned the other way down the hall, with a stack of administrative papers in her arms, ready to be signed by some senior aide.
Naruto stood up and tried to shake the feeling of apprehension. He should be feeling happy. He would be shouldering more responsibility, responsibility which would help him learn the skills needed to become the Hokage in the future. He would also be replacing his master at the job he had always done and loved, and Naruto, after days of reflecting on it, could not help believing that maybe he wasn't the right choice for the job.
But no time for any of that thinking He thought to himself, realizing sadly that this was the point of no return.
As he stood, he he quickly bolted down the Kyuubi inside with his mental strength, otherwise, a 4-tailed Naruto might erupt at the sound of the arrogant insults that would be thrown at him inside.
He stepped through the dark corridor and was rewarded with chaos.
The council itself was a group of elders that had been handpicked by someone at some point in Konoha's history. No one really knew who or when. From then on, the council had been self-sustaining, each generation of councilors appointing the next one. Because of this system, the batches of elders usually were different from one another, or chillingly the same in rare cases. The current Council replaced the previous one on several suspicious accounts. Danzo, the warhawk for example replaced the previous Elder who died mysteriously. And not surprisingly each council member was each in the Council for their own reasons for power. One Elder was constantly trying to undermine the other, hoping to take his position. (For there were never any female council members. It was too precarious a position to become an Elder in an environment as sexist as the Council was)
And amongst these power-plays Naruto was being promoted to Sannin, was could potentially cause a major political disaster in Konoha. As each Council member had his own reasons for giving or taking away power from Naruto, Tsunade would have trouble trying a compromise that would give Naruto as much power as possible, while pleasing the most possible Elders, and displeasing the least.
On the bright side Naruto reflected Is that at least I'm going to be Sannin, regardless on what they agree on for me.
That was already a given, as all the Elders agreed that a new Sannin was needed to replace Jiraiya as soon as possible. But that was something that chilled Naruto. The fact that he was a replacement
"The Council will now receive you! Uzumaki Naruto! Rise and address the Council!" The centermost and senior Elder commanded.
From his position in a Court-like seat, Naruto rose and introduced himself unnecessarily. All of the Council members knew who he was, but formalities had to be kept.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto, former Apprentice to Jiraiya. I am a ninja loyal and faithful to Konoha who holds the rank of Jounin and is looking to earn the right to become the Toad Sannin in the name of Konoha. I thank the Grand Council"
He stuttered on the last part, slightly doubting the truthfulness of those words. Tsunade had told Naruto to say exactly that, but he didn't quite understand what he was thanking the Council for.
"Honored Hokage, would you rise to begin reading what you propose as rights for Uzumaki-san as Toad Sannin"
It was hard to read any of the council members, as the room was dark and they were sitting on a high dais, but Naruto knew that the Elders were probably seething quietly to themselves how a demon could possibly hold one of the highest ranks for a Konoha ninja. He felt his own anger flare, but suppressed it, and he kept his head bowed.
"I propose for Naruto," Tsunade began, purposefully using Naruto's first name to indicate that she was on said ninja's side, "To have full rights as any high ranking general in Konoha's army. Specifically, command over at least two platoons of troops, and in the case of war, three platoons,"
Several gasps of surprise and disdain were heard around the room as the council members each digested the raw power that Naruto would have in the Military. A platoon in Konoha was worth at least 300 men. And Konoha itself only had 10 platoons. Even Naruto was in awe of the audacity of such a proposition.
"I must object, Honored Hokage,"
Everyone turned to the voice, which unsurprisingly came from Danzo, who himself only had command of 1 platoon. Tsunade's eyebrow shot straight up as she sized up Danzo as an opponent in a head-to-head political battle. She concluded that she could at least aim for two platoons with Danzo. He wasn't exactly a push-over, but would certainly keel from the direct pressure of the Hokage.
"What are your objections, Honored Council Elder Danzo? I see no problem with that amount of power for such a high-ranking Ninja as Sannin"
"Problems? There are no problems, simply inconveniences. First of all, such amazing power should be held by no one except an Elder or a Hokage!"
There he made his first mistake. He implied that the Hokage could have that alluring power, power that Tsunade already held.
"Secondly, it would be a tactical mistake to give such numbers to just a Jounin, who while may have experience in leading small teams would have in no way the ability necessary to command large numbers"
Second mistake. Danzo implied that Naruto would have a lack of skill to do anything of importance.
"And finally that power would be in much better hands to someone with much more experience and ability, someone possibly with much seniority, like perhaps someone in the council," Final mistake, he implied that the power should be his own.
Tsunade's nostrils flared while she considered everything said. At this point, Naruto himself was already just a spectator, as he had no idea how to deal with such insubordination. Although politically savvy to recognize insults behinds those 'inconveniences' he would have no idea how to deal with them.
Better to watch Tsunade and learn how, then to rush in now, and make everything worse he though uncharacteristically. It seemed like ever since Jiraiya's death he became more sullen and patient.
"Thank you for your suggestions Honored Council Member Danzo, but I believe that your objections in this case can be considered moot. All of us may have started green, but quickly learned how to be effective leaders. I believe that this will be the case with Naruto. He has proven himself several times in the past to have considerable skills in leading, and has been taught many skills by Jiraiya, among them tactical and strategic ones that are used when leading multitudes. And besides, don't you already command a platoon, Elder Danzo?"
She finished off on that final thrust that squarely caught the warhawk's petition and then ripped it apart. Tactful yet not so delicate as to leave any doubt on whether or not the petition would be heeded.
Danzo looked stricken and was left with his mouth open at such a relative straight-on rebuke. Intelligently, however, he let the matter be.
The rest of the negotiations took all afternoon, and it looked like it would never stop. Naruto had not spoken a word all day, at least after his own brief introduction. Tsunade herself was getting tired of the stubbornness that the Council pointedly displayed all day, and her annoyance was etched onto her face in a clear scowl. Naruto's butt had also fallen asleep, and he was getting impatient as well. The Elders continued rattling on, 'explaining' the political deadfalls that could happen if some generic right was given to Naruto, or the military defeats that could happen if certain commands were given to him.
It was never ending and boring, but it didn't last forever. Finally after hours of negotiations, it ended nobody happy with the results and everybody unsatisfied. Except for some small victories, Tsunade came it with only three-quarters of the powers for Naruto than what she originally had planned.
As they walked out of the tower together both blondes discussed what had the afternoons processions awarded them with.
"Well, to begin with, I got you the full command of the platoons I originally had proposed" Tsunade said, beginning their own informal meeting.
"However, it's not as good as it sounds. The platoons will only be under you full command in case of a war. Otherwise, you can only have a company for yourself as a small task-force. You know, in case of any large-man non-war mission. In the case of storming some outpost, the mission will be considered non-war, however in storming say, the Sound Village, it would be a war mission."
"That doesn't said too bad" Naruto commented, "Those Council Elders are dumb-asses though. They would probably send me out to storm a Village with only a Company and call it non-war. Damn people wouldn't even care if I died" he finished sadly. And though it hurt to say so it was true enough.
"That's not all though Naruto. You'll have full security clearances, meaning you will be able to access top-secret and above-top-secret information meant usually only for me. So that's a win. Oh, and you'll be allowed to be abroad without any communication for at least three years. Any more than that, and you'll be considered a missin-nin. But you won't get a hunter-nin for at least another year at that point, in case you are in a dangerous position and can't send any communications. So you have the full trust of Konoha, and of course you will be given the title of Sannin. And finally, you will be guaranteed the position of Hokage when I retire"
Naruto froze.
"I'll be guaranteed what?!" He exploded suddenly. Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Normally, he'd be against any guarantee of any kind, preferring to earn the position on his own. But Naruto would be the Toad Sannin, definitely earning the position. He was just surprised that he would be given the job so easily.
"Yup!" Tsunade grinned "You'll be given the rank of and job of Hokage. Of course, after at least five years of being Sannin. You need some experience from somewhere. Besides, I still want this job for some more years. I need some things to sort out before I leave" She jerked her thumb back towards the Hokage Tower where the Council Elder Chamber was.
Naruto was ecstatic, he let out a shout of glee and happiness and literally leapt into a tree nearby. From there he could see over the whole Village. It was so peaceful at this time of the night, right before the sunrise. The houses looked sleepy, like they themselves were tired and groggy. The trees were dancing and whispering amongst themselves to the music of the wind, chimes around them singing out to the world. He looked down at the park where Tsunade was looking up at him and smiling. The land was a sea of green, with sprinkles of purple here and there where the heather was springing up. The night was almost over and the day was beginning. Tomorrow would be a new day, and the village would spring up with life. The merchants would crowd the streets hawking their wares to curious customers. People would be among the streets each having their own life and story to tell. Childen would run amuk playing their games and sining their songs. The mischievousness of youth would live on daily, similar to Naruto himself in his childish years. And at 15, he could say he had a future here with his village. He looked out at his village again.
His village.
And finally, Naruto looked up to where the faces of all the Hokage's were etched into rock. He saw his father's face (He had been told about his heritage a year before the fateful Pein mission) carved into the rock, his featured seemingly smiling at his son. Naruto chest swelled with pride. Soon, he would be up there with his father, side by side. Suddenly, the first tendrils of sunlight began to creep over the darkness and began to color Konoha. The sun's rays were beautiful, and she painted a masterpiece of beauty and color for the blonde.
The sun rose, and with it a new day and new era for Naruto.
Naruto awoke, the strands of the sun's golden hair caressing his face, urging him to awake. He opened his eyes, and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Everything seemed the same, yet somehow the world had become poetic and artistic, in a matter of a few hours. Suddenly, everything was far away from him. As he lay there in his bed, he forgot everything and everyone. Tsunade, being a Sannin, even Sakura melted away from his world for a few seconds. And for a moment, he thought he saw a gray headed man, with a smiled plastered on his face. And beside him, on the ceiling was a blonde haired man, strong and tall that seemed to have a grin that came from pride and happiness.
Then, after a moment they disappeared, and Naruto fell back to sleep. He would have to wake up and train of course, but all that could wait for a while.
It was the first day of the rest of his life, and he wanted to sleep in.
A/N: Ok, HUUUUUUUUUUGE sorry for not updating earlier. I honestly had no reason why I didn't update earlier, but to atone, I made a long(er) chapter so you just enjoy that. Read, Review, Thanks.
