Chapter 3: A New Era
Eight years later
Many things had changed in the last eight years. The five great nations, which had once warred amongst each other had in the aftermath of the fourth great shinobi war had come together to form what was known as the Great alliance, an union of the most powerful villages in the known world dedicated to maintaining the hard won peace brought by the end of the war.
The fourth great shinobi war as it had become known, had ended five years prior and despite only lasting roughly six months had resulted in the loss of three quarters of the Allied forces as well as tens of thousands of ordinary civilians.
The war was fought between the five great villages along with the land of iron and the renegade group known as Akatsuki and it had spread along the entire continent as both sides searched for the same person.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The damage from the war was great. The Akatsuki utilised a scorched earth technique using their white zetsu army and had scoured the continent in search of the nine tails, destroying entire cities in the process. The allied forces, despite great loss, had managed to destroy the Akatsuki's army and then find and eliminate the Akatsuki's leaders.
Before the war the Akatsuki had managed to obtain eight of the nine tailed beasts but had failed in their search for the nine tails. Despite years of searching no one had been able to find any clues for the whereabouts of the missing Jinchuuriki. The last thing anyone knew was that after the boy left konoha he had travelled east, caught a boat headed for the Mizu no Kuni and that was it.
Many thought that Naruto had died in the years since his disappearance for one reason or another but no sign of the kyuubi reforming had been found. Despite this anyone could agree that if he had been found then the Akatsuki would have likely obtained the kyuubi ending the war and the shinobi world as they knew it. As such five years after the war had ended Naruto remained the most wanted person in the world.
Despite the new era of relative peace and prosperity the shinobi way still continued with secrecy and deceit being at the forefront of the five great villages.
A dark-skinned man with shaggy white hair stood on the deck of a wooden ship, leaning on its mast with his arms crossed. The man had black eyes that look bored and wore a high-collared, sleeveless uniform of kumogakure. This man was Durai, the recently promoted Head ninja of the hidden cloud.
Despite his board look the man was actually quite focused, his eyes scanning the horizon every so often. Most of the crew on the ship were below deck trying to hide from the hot midday sun but Durai was far too tense to rest.
Durai made his way to the front of the ship so he could get a better look at the other boats surrounding him. There were 5 ships sailing east carrying a contingent of 100 shinobi lead by Durai. Their mission, to investigate rumours of an unknown group having settled on the islands of Yoshimaru to the pEast of the land of lightning
Flashback
"Do you understand Durai?"
"Yes Raikage-sama"
Durai stood at attention in front of the Raikage in his office. Both men were unusually serious as they stood in the office alone.
"If there are people on the island, the Lord of the land of lightning has ordered them to be removed… one way or another." Spoke the Raikage
"Understood Raikage-sama" replied Durai
Flashback end
Despite the unprecedented piece in the aftermath on the fourth shinobi war, the five great nations still seemed to have a certain level of secrecy despite the so called great alliance.
The village hidden in the clouds had continued its trend of militarisation and expansion as a way of rebuilding its strength lost in the war. The islands of Yoshimaru represented a new way of expanding trade relations with many of the far off nations such as the land of the moon and snow.
Durai understood the purpose of his mission, eliminate anyone who stood in the hidden clouds way, without damaging the great alliance.
In the village of Konohagakure, on the top floor of the Hokage's residence in the Hokage's office do we find a women with brown eyes, straight, shoulder-length blonde hair and a purple diamond in the middle of her forehead, wearing a grass-green haori with the kanji for "gamble" (賭, kake) written on the back. This women was Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin and the Fifth Hokage.
Tsunade was currently doing what she did almost everyday, something she hated, something she tried everything to avoid and yet something she still couldn't hide from. Paperwork.
Upon her desk among the many scrolls, files and stacks of papers were four framed photographs of the people she had deemed the most important people in her life. One was of her brother, Nawaki, a young boy who died in the second shinobi war far too young. Next to it was a photo of Dan, her lover, a man in his twenties who also died in the same war as her brother right in front of Tsunade as she tried to save him. Then there was a photo of Jiraiya, her teammate and best friend, he was still alive and continued to serve the village and the alliance by traveling the continent gathering information to help maintain the peace, where or how he found such information Tsunade had no idea.
The last photograph, placed in the centre of her desk, was of a young blond boy with whisker marks, the same boy who had changed her life and her entire view of the world. Naruto Uzumaki.
Tsunade breathed a large sigh as she took a break from the multiplying paperwork and stared at the pictures of her loved ones. It was perhaps the only thing she could do to take her mind off the affairs of the village and to relax a bit, besides drinking of course.
As her gaze found it's way to the picture of Naruto Tsunade a mind wandered to the war, to the search for the blond Jinchuuriki. Many of his friends had given up hope and simply believed he was dead but Tsunade knew better, she knew what knucklehead wouldn't just disappear like he did.
'Why did you leave... Naruto?' Questioned Tsunade in her thoughts as she turned her chair around to face the village.
Unlike the other hidden villages konoha was attacked directly in the war, with only a small garrison to defend it the village was under siege for five days before reinforcements came. Much of the outer village had been destroyed with many civilians killed in the chaos. As a result the leaf wasn't as busy as it once was, with the loss of one filth of the population it had become noticeably quieter in the years after the war.
A knock on the door brought Tsunade out of her thoughts as she turned her chair back. "Enter" she spoke with a firm voice, she was Hokage after all.
As the door swung open in entered a man with spiky silver hair, a mask covered his face with his Konoha headband over his left eye. The man wore a black flak jacket over a long-sleeve back shirt, dark blue pants, and fingerless gloves.
The man walked to stand in front Tsunade's desk and gave a respectful bow. "Lady Tsunade" greeted the man.
"Kakashi" was all Tsunade said as she accepted a scroll Kalshi handed to her and began to read its contents. A few minutes passed as she read the scroll and placed it on her desk to look at the silver hair man.
"Is there any other news you have for me?" Asked Tsunade
"As a matter of fact I do" replied Kakashi "a message from lord Jiraiya, it seems that Kumo has launched a few ships three days ago to reclaim the islands of Yoshimaru"
"How many shinobi?" Asked the blond Hokage
"100" replied Kakashi
"Mmmmmm" was all Tsunade said as she thought on this new information. The islands of Yoshimaru was a fairly large island chain to the East of the land of lightning, just past the land of water and was the furthest known land in the eastern sea.
"I wonder what the sudden interest is?" Questioned Tsunade.
"I wonder as well Tsunade-sama" said Kakashi. While the islands were the easternmost territory any of the elemental nations knew of, it was known that there were lands further east of the islands that no one had bothered to explore.
"To send a hundred shinobi seems a little odd don't you think, I doubt the Raikage has gained a thirst for exploration." Said Tsunade
"There have been rumours among traders from snow country, apparently there have been people and settlements spotted on the islands. Perhaps the Raikage is just protecting his territory?" Said kakashi
"And with 100 shinobi it seems the brute isn't asking them to leave" said Tsunade as she frowned a little. Despite the alliance she still didn't like the Raikage, he was far to forceful for her liking and lacked any sense of compassion for anyone other than his own people.
Kakashi just nodded his head as his eyes were drawn to the back of the picture frame on Tsunade's desk. Even without seeing it Kakashi knew whose picture it was.
Following his gaze Tsunade came to look at the photo of her favourite blond again. "Kakashi can I ask you something?" Said Tsunade her voice lacking the usual seriousness it held before
"Of course Tsunade-sama" replied Kakashi already having a guess as to what her question would be.
"Do you know why he left?" Asked Tsunade as she looked into Kakashi's visible eye.
It was a question that had troubled the Hokage and many of the blonds friends ever since his disappearance. It was known that in the days prior to his disappearance that Naruto had become increasingly aggressive and angry, yelling at the hospital staff for the slightest irritation. Other then Lee and Kakashi none of his friends had come to see him in the hospital and even Tsunade could admit that must of been upsetting.
"I wish I knew Tsunade-sama" came Kakashi's reply. Ever since the day Naruto had told him to fuck off Kakashi had refused to accept any new students and instead focusing on doing what he could to find Naruto. During the war he had lead the search to find Naruto, his tracking skills and personal relationship to him being the main reasons and after the war, Tsunade had named him commander of the anbu forces due to his distinguished career but also to allow him the resources to help maintain the search for the blond.
Despite winning the war the allied forces were unable to reclaim any of the lost biju, it was this fact that made Naruto, the last jinchuuriki, the most wanted person in the world as he contained the last of the biju and despite the alliance Tsunade was under no impression that any of her fellow Kage, save Gaara, would return Naruto to the hidden leaf.
With nothing left to report Tsunade dismissed Kakashi. Now left alone in her office Tsunade moved the scroll Kakashi had given her into her desk draw.
It was an invitation to the next annual five Kage summit. As a condition in the treaty that established the great alliance the five Kage agreed to meet every year to exchange information and to discuss whatever was on the agenda.
"I can't wait" Tsunade said sarcastically to herself as she returned to her paperwork.
'I wish you were here….. so I could hand the hat over to you, like you always wanted…. Naruto'
Flashback
The sky was pouring down upon them, the winds battered them from all directions, waves as tall as a house battered their nearly broken ship.
An army of blonds was running around tieing ropes, clearing debris and trying to help steer the ship from the larger waves.
A old man with a grey beard and bandana around his head stood at the helm of the ship, yelling orders at the blonds but the winds drowned out his voice. They wouldn't last much longer.
A young teen with blonde hair, blue eyes and whisker marks upon his cheeks was trying his best to hold on to the railing as his clones raced around him. His black cloak was torn to shreds and his orange jumpsuit seemed to barely hold onto his body.
In between the gale winds one of the clones managed to yell out and point towards the port side to a monster wave heading right for them. Everyone on the ship just stared at the wall of water as it raced towards the ship, there was nothing they could do.
In the short moments before the wave hit, the old man threw something at the boy. The whiskered teen was only able to look in shock at the old man as he gave the teen a smile. Then the wave hit.
All the clones dispelled instantly as the wave crushed the wooden ship, the mast fell as the ship went under and both the old man and the blond teen disappeared under the waves.
The blond held onto whatever the man had threw at him with all his strength as he felt the crushed debris from the ship sink beneath him into the depths of the ocean. He tried to look for the old man but he couldn't see anything below the waves.
As he was pulled to the surface the boy realised what the man had given him, it was a small circular buoy. All the boy could do was cry into the night as the storm continued. The waves battered his weak body as the cold water tried to pull him under.
He just held on as the storm carried him away to god knows where. He wouldn't die here, he had far too to much to live for.
Flashback end
His body shot up instantly, his deep blue eyes scanning the rooming panic. His body tense as sweat ran down his bare chest.
Realising where he was the young man sat up in his bed wearing nothing but orange boxer shorts. Pulling the red silk sheets off his body and moving the many purple silk pillows out of the way the young man arose to begin his morning routine.
'Just a dream' he thought to himself
The light of the morning sun peeked through the curtains into the room revealing long spiky blonde hair that hung to his waist and bold lines reminiscent of whiskers adorned his face. His tan, lean and chiseled body stretching to work out the kinks in his joints before he put a red silk robe on to cover his half naked body
Twenty minutes later the man stepped out of his room wearing a long dark red gown that went past his feet with gold trimming and long sleeves that covered his hands. His gown opened at the front revealing a black buttoned top and a large golden medallion that hung from his neck.
The man proceeded to walk the many corridors of the palace passing servants that stood to the side and bowed as he passed them.
Finally the man found himself in front of two massive wooden doors with two guards dressed in shining steel plate armour. The guards bowed low to the man as the proceeded to open the doors.
The doors revealed a great hall with large arched windows and seven stone columns surrounding what appeared to be a map painted unto the floor. Each pillar had a purple throne in front of it with the centre pillar, the one opposite the doors, having a much larger red throne that sat higher than the rest atop a short staircase.
The man was created by a large crowd that immediately bowed upon his entry, he proceeded to walk towards the red throne as he greeted the people assembled before him. As he sat upon his throne six more men appeared from the crowd and sat upon the remaining thrones in the room.
"Welcome everyone to this joyous occasion as we celebrate another year of peace and prosperity for our Empire, I have invited you all here today to celebrate the annual Dōngzhì Festival marking the official end of the war and to renew the bonds of friendship and unity shared by all regions of the Empire" the blond received loud applause from the crowd as he finished his short speech.
"Now shall we get down to business" he said to the men whom sat upon the other thrones. A servent walked from behind the blonde and began to read from a scroll announcing the days announcing the days proceedings.
As he leaned back into his throne the blond man gave a quiet sigh knowing he was in for a long day full of court politics, petty disputes and annoying nobles kissing his ass. An older man wearing a grey gown and black headdress who stood beside the blondes throne heard his sigh.
"Your majesty please, people are watching you" he whispered as quietly as he could.
The blond simply rolled his eyes as he pretended to listen to some man complaining about heavy taxes
'Hehehe' came a voice inside the blondes mind, 'don't start thinking of abdicating again'
'Fuck of Kurama I'm not in the mood for you right now' though the blonde, not the least bit worried about hearing voices in his head.
'Oh don't get snappy with me meatbag, your the one who wanted to become Emperor… Naruto'