"Naruto." Minato said slowly shaking his son awake. Instantly Naruto brought a kunai up placing it at his father's neck. Who stopped it from piercing his throat.
"I see that you have lived a hard life my son." Minato whispered holding his rasengan over Naruto's stomach until Naruto put his weapon back in his kunai holster.
"It seems like you have to." Naruto said.
Minato realized Naruto's hand had no kunai so eased his rasengan to a stop. "Well it is hard to sleep in the belly of Shinigami. You see strange things in there. Let's go, we have about an hour until it's Sarutobi's funeral."
Minato walked back to his desk letting Naruto up from the couch. "Naruto you will be coming with me to the old man's funeral. That is when I will tell the people that I'm the Hokage I won't tell them about me being your father just yet though?" Minato asked.
"Where is she?" Naruto's face turned into a frown. His mask hiding his emotions as he spoke. "She died after giving birth to me right."
Minato nodded receiving a depressed sigh from his son slowly leaning back into his chair depressed. "Well Naruto I think you should know something."
Naruto's ears slightly perked up in anticipation. "I won't be here forever either. The Shinigami doesn't take it lightly when someone escapes his grasp."
Naruto frowned. He didn't like what the old man was saying. "So your saying you're gonna die? Or return back to its stomach?"
Minato nodded the uncomfortable silence annoyed Naruto.
"Well does the council know?" he asked.
"No. I made sure to hide the jutsu information the second Hokage made... But you see, there won't be a Hokage if I disappear."
Naruto's green eyes widened slightly under his mask.
"Who will be the Hokage?" He already knew the answer.
"You will?"
Naruto's cold laughter escaped from his mouth surprising the man. "Well since the truth is all out I guess I should tell you my master plan."
Kakashi was in a training ground with Gai. They both stood in front of each other panting hard from the spar they just finished. Kakashi had a good strategy for Gai sensei, he kept throwing water jutsu at the man but Gai effectively dodged them trying to find a way to get close to kakashi. The once dirt and sandy surface was now thick with mud slowing down Gai's monstrous speed.
"Ahh! My amazing rival! You and your tactics equal my speed and strength! Let's call it a quits! I need to tell my dear boy lee this exciting event."
Kakashi was quiet for a moment before pulling out his book. "Fine. But I don't want you bothering me for a month about these challenges Gai. I do need to rest from your antics you know?"
Gai's laughter almost rocked the little training ground arena making Kakashi's ears throb. "Ah don't worry! I have something that's more important than our rivalry!"
"Oh?" kakashi said flipping a page.
"Yes. Me and lee are gonna rebuild this village in a week!" he yelled pumping his fist.
"Well I would love to chat but I need to have a discussion with a student of mine because of his snooping." Kakashi shunshined right behind Sasuke who was kneeling on a tree branch having a perfect view of the fight.
"Explain yourself Sasuke." Kakashi's voice led no room for Sasuke to lie and make up an excuse. Sasuke slowly turned around revealing to kakashi he had a third tome in each eye.
"I wanted to activate the third level of my Sharingan... I have to get stronger because of Naruto." Sasuke trailed off reminiscing the battle that Naruto had with Garaa.
"I was useless! Because of this curse mark I'm always limited to a certain amount of chakra I can use. That's the price of not using it. But what if I can master kakashi sensei! What-"
Sasuke stopped when he heard the sharp snap of Kakashi's book closing. "Sasuke...that curse seal that Orochimaru gave you was so he can control you. For you to be able to control the curse mark you will have to be strong enough to overpower him mentally at all times. No. I won't let you use it."
Sasuke eyebrows furrowed and his teeth clenched. "How did the blond get so strong then hm? Is it that thing that inside him!" Kakashi was instantly behind him placing a kunai at his throat.
"How do you know this" He asked. He slightly eased up on him sensing Sasuke shivering from fear.
"A-all of the uchiha clan knew back then it's no secret. But now that I fully activated my Sharingan I won't let him use it against me." Sasuke stepped away from kakashi waiting for the man's reply.
'What makes him think that Naruto will attack him? Does he know something that I don't?' as Kakashi thought of this he also thought of the next course of action. "I don't like how you think Sasuke. To think that power is everything is a dangerous path."
Sasuke chuckled making the older man concern for his student. "We are shinobi kakashi. We need strength to survive... we will never understand each other, I will see you at the funeral Kakashi sensei and thanks for the jutsus."
Kakashi watched as Sasuke shunshined away as he muttered curses under his breath. This was going to be a long day
Everyone was there at the funeral dressed in black kimonos. They stood in the streets ending all the way up to the Hokage tower, the only thing you can hear from the people were the shuffling of their feet and the every now and then wail the travelled up and down the streets. They waited quietly looking up at the Hokage's balcony for their new leader. When one of the Hokage's passed the civilians or ninja were never told about their new Hokage until the funeral of the one that died.
The curtains moved slightly as the figure moved through them. Everyone that was able to see the man froze suddenly looking at the ghost that stood before them. The whole village was quiet waiting for the man before them to speak. They had to hear his voice to classify him of being real.
"We lost a lot of good people yesterday. Good men and women that gave their lives to fight and protect you from the bad people like Orochimaru. This funeral is not just the third Hokage but for everyone. We need to learn from this and make our village stronger and by doing that we need to be one. We need to be the strongest dam that can withstand these waves that will come. As your leader I will make this place stronger." Minato finished his speech waiting for the reply of everyone below him.
They all stood quiet for a minute absorbing everything that he just said. "I knew you weren't dead!" someone screamed. Slowly causing more small shouts of excitement from people until it grew into an uproar of delighted screams and shouts.
"Let's rebuild our home!" Minato yelled making the people before him grow louder in there shouts. He walked back into his office enjoying the vibration under his feet from the people outside.
"You have two months before my body fully corrodes Naruto. I will teach you everything I knew so you can be a better leader than me. You're gonna have to if you're planning to control the whole elemental nation."
Kabuto was back in Otogakure. He began looking through Orochimaru's reports on bloodlines and how to obtain them. He was truly impressed by the snake's insights of things. "We have all of these people locked up here?" He wondered to himself. There were only twenty men that he now had because of their failed attempt of invading Konoah. Kabuto turned around to three people that were strapped in bed with chains looking at their skinny forms.
"I'm glad you had the courage today help me with something great." He pulled out three needles that were filled to the brim with blood cradling it like it was a baby.
"You did agree to this right?"
"We will do anything to bring our lord Orochimaru back to his greatness." the replied. Kabuto smiled at them making them even more comfortable to the situation that they were in.
"All of you three are in the best of shape out of everyone else in this village. Raien you will have a body that will give you strength when this is all over. Tenken you will receive the Sharingan. And last but not least is Shinjiko who will have the same power of a kaguya. When we are finished with this I have a mission for you."
Shinjiko eyes were filled with excitement. "What's our mission?"
"Hehehehe slow your horses Shinjiko I was gonna tell you... I want you to bring uchiha Sasuke to Oto. Well that's all I'm gonna say as of now I need your full concentration on this operation."
Kabuto began to do handseals. Lighting up the dark room with the blue chakra that was emitting from his hands. He walked to each one of them putting them to sleep by simply touching them.
"So we finally made it Itachi!" A pale blue man said. His face resembling a shark.
"When we enter into konoahgakure I don't won't you throwing jutsu around ok? We need to silently take him and leave."
The two men with their black cloaks and straw like hats stood on the huge great wall looking over the city.
"Yeah but now that the third Hokage is dead we won't don't need to worry as much." Kisame whined twiddling the handle of his sword.
"Let's go!" like a ghost they both disappeared.
Sakura laid in her bed looking up at the ceiling thinking of what the blonde said to. Maybe you need to be hurt to feel the same thing that I'm feeling. She replayed what he said again and again. She's been hurt before. When her father died during a mission that's when she was the lowest. He made her sound like a selfish brat! But something crept into her mind that horrified her. Naruto had no parents he's been alone since he was a baby probably. A-and Sasuke! He lost both of his parents!
"They don't like me because I don't understand them." she muttered.
'I see what I have to do. For them to trust in me I need to get stronger...I won't let my boys travel their paths alone. I will help them like a real teammate.'
Sakura jumped out of her bed running to put her shoes but was stopped by her mom.
"Where are you going Sakura? You're not trying to find a way to get past doing the dishes are you?"
Sakura shook her head the negative. " I need to find Kurenia sensei to help with something. Part of my training."
"Okay Sakura, I don't want you chasing that boy Sasuke. It's unhealthy."
"Okay! Okay!" Sakura whined running out the door leaving her mom laughing.