Chapter 6
Assassins in the Night
"You"
Merciless eyes the colour of blood bore down upon his azure. The small black tomoe spinning clockwise across the sclera, so fast they were just a blur of motion to him. Naruto was scared, he had never felt such a sense of foreboding descend upon him, even the cold gazes he remembered were nothing compared to this. Before these eyes he felt that his heart could stop.
A hand gripped his shoulder, and moved him back and to the side, placing him behind his moms left leg, taking his gaze away from the murderous Sharingan eyes which were starring straight at him. His protector's voice filtered through his mind, soft yet commanding "Stay behind me"
Confident Naruto was safely behind her Yugito levelled her pointed gaze upon the man who dared caste such a threatening glare upon him. Her own eyes began to glow with a slight malevolent cerulean light as she starred into the eyes of one of the most powerful Doujutsu in history. Time seemed to stop. No one moved, not the Hokage, or Jiraiya, nor herself or the Uchiha, not even Naruto.
"Jiraiya-sama" Yugito said with a slight impatience "Remember when you said I can rip anyone who threatens him limb from limb…you might want to tell him to stop or that is exactly what I will do!"
The Sharingan was a powerful Kekkei Kenkei, one of the most powerful in the elemental nations, but she was a Jinchuriki to a Biju, and that in her mind evened the odds considerably. The Uchiha scoffed "Step aside woman, what can you do against me!?"
"Come at me and find out" she replied heatedly, her eyes took on a darker shade of blue, replacing her usual almond "I promise it will be an experience you will never forget"
A hand gripped Yugito's shoulder, and the blonde turned her head to set a hard glare upon Jiraiya. The Toad Sage spoke, but his eyes were set on the Uchiha clan head "You two are done for the day, go on home"
The elder blonde looked like a retort was on the edge of her tongue, but she stopped herself when he set his own dark eyes upon her. The look he gave basically screaming that he would deal with it. So Yugito grit her teeth, exercising some hard fought restraint before hooking an arm around Naruto's shoulder to guide him out, sending a hard glare Fugaku's way as the double doors closed behind them.
Jiraiya sent a hard glare at Fugaku Uchiha, which was returned with equal intensity "Whether you like it or not Fugaku the kid is back, and it won't be like last time"
"Is that a fact" the Uchiha clan head replied mockingly "And what can you do about it?"
"Quite a bit actually" Jiraiya replied "For instance the laws protecting him are still in place, and I have given his guardian permission to kill anyone who is a threat to him, and she is very good at her job"
"I see" Fugaku replied, pushing past him to set his gaze upon the Hokage "But isn't he still legally an orphan, meaning that until he officially becomes a Shinobi he is still under the legislation of the civilian council"
"Usually yes" Sarutobi agreed, speaking for the first time "But that has been rectified"
"Explain"
"You see the one you were having a staring contest with is Nii Yugito, a former Jonin ANBU Captain of Kumogakure and A-rank Kunoichi. She was one of their best" Hiruzen explained in his usual sagely voice "She was made Naruto's guardian when he was kidnapped, and over time the two formed a strong bond. She fled Kumo with him when the council overruled the Raikage about a certain training regime they were going to put him through and came here looking for amnesty" he set Fugaku with a harsh glare "One of her conditions was that she be allowed to adopt Naruto, and by the signatures of these forms it is official"
Jiraiya allowed a smug smirk to cross his features "Meaning that he is no longer an orphan, and so is no longer under the jurisdiction of the civilian council"
"Thank you Jiraiya" the Hokage said with a smirk.
"I will be bringing this forward to the council"
"You are welcome to do so Fugaku" the Sandaime intoned "But I doubt you'll get anywhere, what with your condescending attitude as of late…and I know for a fact that I have the support of the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi and Inuzuka clans"
Fugaku grit his teeth. He could go to the civilian council, but their power was all legislative. They had no real power against the Hokage or the Council of Fire. Finally he shook his head, trying to form several new contingencies to the old problem he thought had gone away.
"Is there any other reasons why you are in my office, Fugaku-san?"
"Yes Hokage-sama" he ground out.
No one in the room noticed the little kikaichū insect perched on the far side of the offices windowsill, listening in to the entire conversation.
------
The man sat quietly upon a tatami mat, head bowed, legs crossed and hands resting on his knees. The only sounds which could be heard in the underground chamber was the water falling from a crack along the pipeline, falling in small drips exactly every two seconds.
He was an interesting individual, dressed in a black high collared jacket and pants, a red sash tied to his waist and a gas-like mask covering the top half of his head. He did not wear a Jonin vest of Konoha, but one could tell by his body language that he was of that level. His very pose screamed that he was or once was a member of the ANBU corps.
The floating kikaichū insect went by seemingly unnoticed, falling from the ceiling high above and landing silently on his shoulder. His hand flew up with blurring speed, catching the insect and bringing it close to his ear. For a couple of moments there was silence, then the man nodded and opened his hand, allowing the little creature to fly away.
"Well"
He looked across at the man sitting opposite him, also on a tatami mat, sipping a cup of herbal green tea "It is as you thought Danzo-sama. Uchiha Fugaku has learned of the return of Uzumaki Naruto, but there is more?"
Danzo remained silent, waiting for his subordinate to continue. Aburame Torune was one of the eldest members of Root, and was also considered one of the organisations most highly ranked Shinobi. A member of the infamous Aburame clan he was a master in the arts of controlling insects, and even played host to a rare breed of deadly kikaichū insects within his own body.
"It appears that the Uchiha clan is backing down from the confrontation" the information gave Danzo pause for a moment, before he scoffed lightly.
"It is a ploy. The Uchiha are too arrogant to back down unless they're planning to stab Hiruzen when his back is turned"
"Hokage-sama appears to think that way as well, Danzo-sama" the Aburame replied in the monotone common among his clan "But he is preparing to bring down the alert level from five to three"
Shimura Danzo sat there for a moment, as if deep in thought, then with a heavy sigh he rose from his place, turned and began to walk out of the chamber "Thank you Torune, you are dismissed"
"Hai, Danzo-sama"
------
Naruto peered studiously over the text book, his eyes darting left and right as he read the information from the pages and tried to commit it to memory. The book was given to him by Ero-Sennin, who told him that he needed to read through the first six chapters before he started the academy next week. Apparently he had missed out on the first month of the academy and needed to catch up.
The textbook, named A Basic Guide to the Shinobi Arts was apparently mandatory for all students in the first year, and explained the duties and responsibilities of being a Shinobi, as well as the hierarchy of the village, detailed explanations of the ranks from Genin to Kage, and the most basic terms of the human chakra system.
Without help an eight year old child wouldn't be able to get his head around so much information, much less in a week. Luckily he had a tutor who was considered a Jonin level Shinobi, and who knew these terms and topics like the back of her hand. Yugito was sitting on the chair next to him; a small smile gracing her features every time he told her there was something he didn't understand.
"That kind of sucks" the young blonde muttered "Genin only gets D-rank missions!?"
Yugito smirked "D-rank and the occasional C-rank when you start proving yourself. You see Naruto a Genin is considered the lowest rank within a Shinobi army, usually those fresh out of the academy. So to get you started they give you simple low level missions"
"But why"
"Well" the elder blonde started "Mostly to see if you can work together with your teammates, but also to earn money for yourselves and your village. Although the higher rank missions pay more it is the simple D-ranks that make up the majority of village earnings in peace time"
Naruto looked up at her questioningly "Did you have to do this mom?"
Her face feel for a moment, a sad smile "No. I became a Genin when I was about your age. The Third Shinobi World War was in full swing, and I was sent to the frontline" she shivered slightly at the memories of what she had seen, and what she had been forced to do to survive, but shook it off "Let's just say that D-ranks become less of a priority when there is a world war going on"
"Oh" Naruto replied, seeing the pain in her eyes and deciding to change the topic. He once again peered over the book, looking through the passages.
They went on at that for another half hour, then Jiraiya came in, saw them studying his book and grinned "Well, well, got the brat started already huh?"
"The sooner he starts the sooner he learns" Yugito replied absently.
"Hey Ero-sennin, I am not a brat!" Naruto called out indignantly.
"I tell you what" the middle aged man replied with a smirk "You stop calling me Ero-sennin, and I stop calling you brat, deal?"
"Not a chance" his remark caused Yugito to smirk.
"Then I keep calling you brat, brat" Jiraiya answered, moving into his kitchen.
Naruto harrumphed, but was quickly moving back to study the textbook. After a moment of silence Yugito decided to leave him to it, and rising to her feet followed the Toad Sannin out to the kitchen. Once she was there she saw the elder Shinobi, leaning against the far line of cupboards, arms folded and eyes serious.
"So what happened after I left" she asked as casually as she could, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of milk.
"The cats out of the bag"
"Funny guy" Yugito replied dryly, before her own expression became serious "Who was that man. I could tell he was an Uchiha by the Sharingan eyes, but why did he threaten Naruto like that?"
"His name is Fugaku Uchiha" Jiraiya answered, noticing her tense up slightly at the name "Head of the Uchiha clan and the commander in chief of the Konoha Military Police"
"Great" Yugito muttered, absently taking off the cap and downing half of the bottle.
"Relax" Jiraiya smirked "There's very little he can do to Naruto. He doesn't have any clout with the Council of Fire and the old man has already gained assurances that at least four of the major clans will side with him"
"It's not the Shinobi council I'm worried about" Yugito replied, downing the rest of the bottle and tossing it over her shoulder into the bin "It's the civilian council"
"What has Naruto told you?" Jiraiya asked seriously.
"Enough to make me want to find the heads of the orphanage and rip their throats out" the blonde replied.
"You won't have to do that" the Sannin replied, nudging past her to the fridge and retrieving a small bottle of Sake, throwing another to her "The old man has already sent a team of ANBU to escort them to Ibiki-kun"
She smirked "Can I sit in on the interrogation"
"Don't forget you've just started probation" Jiraiya reminded absently, opening the bottle with his teeth and spitting the cork into the bin "And they'll probably be wetting themselves before too long. Don't know about you but that would be something I wouldn't want to smell"
"Good point" the former Kumo Jonin replied, opening her Sake bottle and taking a sip "So should I be worried about Fugaku?"
"Nah" the elder replied "Fugaku may see Naruto as the fox in human clothing, but he's not stupid enough to sanction an assassination attempt. At least not with me and the old man's ANBU present"
"Why does he hate Naruto so much?"
Jiraiya looked her in the eyes, and then sighed "He lost his parents to the fox, as well as his younger sister - Kasumi – he was holding her hand when she died. From what I heard she was always his conscience"
"Oh"
"Looking at it from his point of view I can't really blame him for hating the Kyubi" Jiraiya said lowly "But this is different. Naruto is an innocent third party of the entire thing – he is so blinded by his own grief that he doesn't see Naruto as the jailer. He just see's the fox that crushed his sister underfoot"
"I suppose I understand where he's coming from"
"You don't mean-"
"Of course not" Yugito replied tightly, insulted that he would ever consider that she would ever side with that man. Losing a loved one is a hard thing to get over, but not a good enough excuse to take the life of a child "Naruto is not the Kyubi. Same way as I'm not the Nibi. Anyone who doesn't understand that is a fool"
Jiraiya nodded his head, a small smile forming on his lips. Whether Naruto knew it or not he had found someone who cared for him, and was willing to sacrifice anything to protect him "Well you can count on my support" he said with a genuine smile, giving her the thumbs up "Welcome to Konoha"
She smiled a little in response "Thank you"
They entered the living room a few minutes later to find that Naruto had fallen asleep, his face against the open pages of his textbook. With a gentle smile she lifted him up in her arms and walked into his bedroom, depositing him in his bed and pulling the covers over his still form.
She saw Jiraiya lying on the couch as she exited the bedroom, smirking "What?"
"Not a thing" he replied, rising from his resting place to look at her "Not a thing at all. You go on to bed. I think I'll stay up for a little while longer"
Yugito frowned at him for a handful of heartbeats, before shrugging and walking into her own bedroom, closing the door behind her.
He had just settled down when he felt a tingling feeling from his upper right arm. Frowning he pulled up the sleeve of his red buttoned shirt to reveal an oak tree tattoo. The individual branches each representing one of the seals he had placed around his apartment. They were all black, except the lowest right branch, which was flashing red. Someone had set off the seal. He stood, bit his finger and made a few hand signs, slamming his hand to the floor with a whispered.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu" a small black circle, inscribed with runes appeared for a moment before an explosion of white smoke encompassed the room. When it cleared Jiraiya stood, starring at a Frog half his size, a katana strapped to his back.
"Watch them" he ordered "I have a few intruders to take care of"
"Hai"
------
The silence of the night was shattered as five individuals landed on the roof with a mass of taps. All looked around, scouring the area for any sign of pursuit. Satisfied they huddled together in a crouch. Four of them were career Genin. Normal foot soldiers of Konoha's impressive Ninja army, the fifth individual wore the flak jacket of a Chunin. He looked at each of his comrades, gaining nods from them all.
"No ANBU?"
"None" one, a tubby man with his Hatai-ite hung from his neck stated "They mustn't have gotten the roster ready yet"
"Good" the Chunin looked at his unit of Shinobi "Prepare yourselves for tonight is the night we kill that damned Kyubi no Yoko once and for all"
They all nodded, determined to get the job done.
"I have waited eight years for this" one of them, a middle aged man with greying hair growled "Ever since that monster killed my son, I have waited for this"
"My daughter will be avenged tonight" another stated.
"Our opponent is Jiraiya-sama though" a sinewy bald man informed them.
"What about that Kumo Shinobi we were told to watch out for?"
"Their bound to be asleep" the Chunin waved off "We get in quick, kill quick and leave quick"
Just then an explosion of smoke filled the roof, forcing the startled Ninja to jump away to the adjacent rooftops. A silhouette could just be made out, a bulky man with long hair stood tall and proud, his arms folded.
"Do you want to know the reason there aren't any ANBU protecting the boy" the man asked. The smoke cleared to reveal the legendary Sannin himself, his expression one of deadly seriousness. "Because I'm here"
"Now" he asked calmly "Who of you wishes to die first?"
The two Genin on the next rooftop threw a handful of shuriken and kunai at the Sannin, hoping to take him out of the fight quickly. They riddled him, only to see his body explode in a puff of white smoke, replaced by a thick log.
"Substitution" one yelled before a shadow fell on them.
Looking up they saw the Toad Sage descend upon them like a bird of prey, his fist reeled back for a punch. As he landed his hand slammed into the face of the tubby Ninja, his left cheekbone shattering under the force of the impact. For a moment nothing happened, then the power behind the blow was released and the Genin flew several feet back, landing hard on the roof edge. The other drew a kunai and in a panic tried to stab him, but the sage ducked the blade and brought his fist up for a perfect uppercut to the chin, the man flew back like a ragdoll.
Another wave of shuriken was thrown at him, this time from the two other Genin who had landed on the street below. Jiraiya jumped from his perch, the shuriken imbedding the area where he once stood. Making hand signs with such speed that it was a blur to the low level Ninja on the ground.
"Doton: Yomi Numa"
He slammed his hands into the road and without warning the ground at their feet changed, turning from tough hard concrete to a swampy mud. Before they realised it the Ninja's own weight was used against them, and they found themselves sunk to their knees.
"Best not to move" the sage instructed "The more you struggle, the deeper you'll sink"
He was forced to jump to the side, narrowly avoiding the kunai imbedded in the concrete, attached to the ring at the end of its handle was a small sealed slip of paper, which lit up and started burning like a fuse.
A paper bomb
The bomb exploded, its aftershock sending Jiraiya barrelling into a lamppost. The post cracked under his weight, and the fire lamp hanging from the top fell to the ground in a small explosion of flame. The Chunin appeared, face set in a snarl as he approached the downed form of Jiraiya.
"Great and Legendary Sannin huh" the man mocked, taking off his bandana to reveal a head of spiked brown hair.
"What have you done Kurou?" one of the trapped Ninja asked in shock.
"I got rid of an obstacle" The Chunin shrugged, a kunai flew into his hand "And now I'm going to remove it permanently"
"By kami, do you know who that is?"
"Doesn't matter" Kurou replied "All that matters is that we kill the Kyubi" he rolled the unconscious Sannin over and held his kunai to the man's neck "Sayonara"
He slashed his throat and watched as the body vanished in a puff of smoke. He stumbled back with a yelp "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
"Yeah" a voice said from behind him "You shouldn't have done that"
He turned to be met with a swirling ball of pure blue chakra impacting against his sternum. The sage held it in one hand, a grim smile on his face as the Rasengan ripped through the Chunin like a knife through warm butter. The ball seemed to explode, the force sending Kurou spinning through the air, slamming into a far wall with a bone crushing thud.
The man coughed and hacked as Jiraiya approached, spitting out a gob of blood as he came up on his hands and knees. Ruthlessly a hand grabbed his collar, hauled him to his feet and slammed him hard against the wall he just put a crater through.
"Now you're going to give me some answers" the Spy Master said in an emotionless tone "Who sent you, were you acting alone or with help?"
"Why" the man rasped "Why are you protecting that monster?"
"He is not a monster" the older man replied "He is the host to a monster"
"Same difference" the man croaked; then cried out as he was slammed against the wall again.
"No, it's not" Jiraiya spat vehemently "There's as much difference as a jailer and a criminal. The kid was forced to bare the curse of sealing up that monster to protect this village. He was the sacrifice. He is the hero!"
"Hero" the man repeated mockingly.
"Yes, hero" the Sannin replied "Would you blame the jailer for the actions of the criminal? Then you are the monster!"
"It makes no difference" Kurou coughed "We will not be the last, there will be others. Sooner or later the monster will die"
"Well" the old man replied, free hand creating another Rasengan "You won't be here to see it" he slammed the swirling chakra ball into the man's abdomen, a kill shot this time. Kurou screamed his last scream and his body went limp, calmly Jiraiya pulled his bloody hand from the hole he made in the Ninja's chest "Sayonara. Go to whatever hell awaits child murderers!"
He dropped the body like rubbish he found on the street and turned to the two Ninja trapped in his swamp technique. It was then, with a blur of motion that a full tactical squad of ANBU appeared at the scene, their animal masks hiding their faces. One, a man with a dog mask came forward "You've made quite a mess, Jiraiya-sama"
"Ah Kakashi" the Sannin greeted "Long time no see, you've grown a few inches"
"Well what do you expect" the ANBU asked lightly, taking off his mask "It has been eight years since you visited this village"
"True"
"We'll be taking them from here Jiraiya-sama"
"I take it they will be punished"
"The penalty for such a crime is capital punishment, execution by hanging" Kakashi replied, ignoring the anguished howls from the Genin.
"How can you do this" one screamed "How can you protect that thing?"
"My daughter died because of that monster!"
"Shut up" Kakashi growled, his killing intent radiating from him in waves "You weren't going to kill a monster. You were going to kill an eight year old boy who had been forced to be the catalyst to seal that demon away. I would kill you here and now if the Hokage decreed it"
"I'm sorry for the loss of your daughter" Jiraiya spoke up "But you are not killing the demon. You were just going to hurt an innocent child, and for that crime there is no reprieve"
The man seemed quiet, and then he chuckled weakly "It makes no difference. You were so busy with us that you never thought that we had a sixth person"
To their surprise Jiraiya smirked "You seemed to forget that I have backup"
"Who, the Toad summon"
"Oh no" Jiraiya replied with a shake of his head "Someone much worse"
Before the man could ask who there was a crash as something heavy was sent flying through glass and landed hard on the floor with a bone crushing crack. Jiraiya himself flinched when he heard the sound of the man colliding with the ground from a drop of at least three stories "The boys guardian isn't the most forgiving individual"
He turned to see Yugito landing elegantly beside the Genin she had sent flying through the window, looking down at him for a second before walking over to Jiraiya and Kakashi. She smirked "What? Did you think such a weak fool would be a match against me?"
Jiraiya smirked, and then turning to the ANBU nodded his head. He watched as the ANBU each grabbed a Genin, immobilising them with a few well timed chops, and carried them away to the ANBU torture and interrogation department. Kakashi remained.
"So how is Naruto" the man asked.
"Looking more like his father every day" Jiraiya replied "Want a drink? I've got a full bottle open"
The ANBU captain thought about it, then shrugged "Why not, my shift's over anyway"
"I take it you two know each other" Jiraiya asked.
Yugito nodded "We know each other in passing"
"Indeed we do" Kakashi replied, then bowed slightly in apology "Forgive me for the jab I made at the Nibi during our spar, I was mad that I wasn't able to protect Naruto like I should have"
"So a Konoha-nin doesn't rely on his or her own strength?" she asked teasingly, to which Kakashi shrugged.
"This eye isn't mine" he replied, pointing to the eye hidden by the headband "I just wanted to see how good of a fighter you were without the Nibi's chakra"
Yugito smirked, leaning in until their noses were barely a few millimetres apart "And how was my performance, Kakashi-senpai?"
To his credit the Copy-nin managed to keep a slight blush off his cheeks at the close proximity, even more so when he picked up a slight scent of jasmine "I reported to the Hokage that you were Jonin level at least, so he will probably hand you a flak jacket when you become an honorary Shinobi"
The blonde smiled, leaned back and then made a motion with her hand "Drink? I don't know about you two but this little incident has left me wishing for something strong"
She turned and walked into the apartment block. Both males followed, but Kakashi saw the perverted smirk on Jiraiya's face "What?"
"Nothing"
------
Hiruzen Sarutobi signed off another consent form, placing it on his rapidly building pile of finished paperwork and reached for another only to find that there was nothing left to sign or stamp. He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't noticed the rapidly declining number of papers.
The reason behind this was the thoughts swirling around the elderly Hokage's head. News of the failed assassination attempt had spread like wildfire throughout the village. The clans and elders were in an uproar, and were demanding an explanation for the skirmish that took place outside of Jiraiya's apartment.
He had no choice, any cover story he would try to implement would fail, and he had no doubt that either Fugaku Uchiha or Danzo would use this whole ordeal to try and get to Naruto. So he decided to surprise them. He sent out messages to each of the clan heads and elders of the Konoha Council of Fire, explaining the assassins target and asking for an emergency meeting to discuss the issue.
Naturally the replies were quick and crisp. The meeting was going to take place later that day. The door at the other side of his office creaked open, and the old man looked up wearily to see his former student walk right in. Besides the situation he smiled "I swear this is the most times you've visited me in years"
"Plenty of work to be done" the Spy Master replied, taking a chair at the other side of the Hokage's desk "I take it you heard of the assassination attempt last night?"
"The whole village knows about last night" Hiruzen replied, rubbing his temple "And I had no choice but to call an emergency meeting of the council. I can't keep their existence a secret from them any longer"
Jiraiya nodded "So you want me to be there?"
"You do have a hereditary seat" Hiruzen replied with a nod "And I could use your support"
"You have it" the Sannin nodded "What news have you been able to get from those wannabe child murderers?"
"Ibiki sent me a file of the interrogations" The Sandaime replied "The four Genin had suspicions that Kurou was being ordered from a higher up to kill Naruto. But they didn't ask nor care who. They just wanted to hurt the boy, and from what the on duty Yamanaka was able to gleam from their minds they were going to make his death as slow and painful as possible"
"Well they won't be alive much longer"
Hiruzen nodded his head, saddened that six Ninja who had served their village with honour for years would just willingly go against his orders like they did. It was saddening that the fear and hatred for the Nine Tails could breed such dissolution. Hatred for the Kyubi had dimed through the years, but if this wasn't handled right that hatred could shoot right back up again.
"Hopefully the fate of those responsible will serve as a deterrent"
"Hopefully, but not likely"
------
The meeting was already in full swing by the time Sarutobi and Jiraiya arrived, and unlike last time every clan was represented. Fugaku once again sat on his clan's seat, smirking to himself as the Hokage entered the chamber. The entire cavern was full of low murmurings and whispers as he walked to his own chair, Jiraiya taking his place to the elderly Kages right hand side.
This did not go unnoticed by the Uchiha "Jiraiya, what are you doing here?"
The Sannin looked over at Fugaku with a smirk "Taking my seat, Fugaku-san"
All of the clans rose from their seats and bowed in respect as Hiruzen took his chair, even the Uchiha albeit hesitantly, and each took their seat when the old man himself took his. The Sandaime leaned forward, hands stapled together as he surveyed the faces of all in attendance.
"Thank you all for coming" he began "I am sure all of you are aware of the skirmish which took place last night in the Shinobi district. Five Genin and one Chunin tried to infiltrate an apartment owned by Jiraiya, attempting to assassinate one of his guests. Those Shinobi have paid for it with their lives. But I know you are all wondering why this has happened, and I will tell you. The reason was-"
"Spare your lies Hokage-sama" Fugaku spoke up from his chair "We all know why the Shinobi were sent there"
"I was not going to, as you say, lie, Fugaku-san" Hiruzen replied, untouched by the man's blatant disrespect "In fact I come before you with nothing but the truth. A week ago Jiraiya stumbled upon a skirmish taking place within our borders between a unit of Kumo ANBU and a recently made Nukenin. He saw them off and escorted the Kunoichi to Konoha to receive medical treatment. In her care was none other than Uzumaki Naruto"
There were hushed whispers among several clan heads, which were silenced by a raised hand from the Hokage "While she was receiving first aide she asked that she and Naruto be given sanctuary from Kumogakure in exchange for her becoming a member of our Shinobi ranks"
"And why should we accept some second rate Shinobi who is willing to betray her Kage for the sake of that – boy" Fugaku sneered, causing Sarutobi to smirk. He had already asked Yugito for permission to let her secret be known, and she agreed.
"The reason why I am considering it Fugaku-san is because the Kunoichi is none other than Nii Yugito, the Azure Cat of Kumogakure" the name creating some whisperings among the council. Almost everyone knew that name from the border skirmishes.
"A most powerful Kunoichi indeed" Shikaku whispered "But what are her terms for remaining in Konoha?"
"Surprisingly few" the elder Hokage replied, knowing he was doing well in convincing the council to join his side in the matter, if not for Naruto then for the knowledge that they would gain a powerful Shinobi if they accepted "In exchange for her loyalty she wishes that Naruto remains with her, and she be able to adopt him"
"That is absurd" Fugaku almost roared "Allow her to take care of the boy. What if she tries to poison him against us? What if this whole thing is an elaborate trap so Kumo can strike?"
"As to poisoning him against us I believe this villages behaviour to him would have done that quite well, Fugaku-san" Hiruzen replied evenly "And your accusations to her motives are quite unfounded, I have already asked a Yamanaka to probe her mind for any such deceit"
"Then he wasn't good enough!"
"Are you questioning Inoichi-sans ability?" Hiruzen asked, noticing the tensing of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio "Because I asked for him to glean her mind personally"
"Well what of the boys seal" Danzo asked, stopping the bomb before it exploded "Has it been checked to see if it has been tampered with by Kumo?"
"I have personally gone over the seal a half dozen times to make sure" Jiraiya spoke up with a smile "Minato's seal work was truly amazing, I don't think I would have come up with something so intricate on my own. The seal is still firmly in place, and is as strong as it was when it was first put on. The Kyubi isn't going anywhere"
"Be that as it may perhaps it would be best to place a security detail around the boy and his guardian" Danzo continued. He briefly cast his gaze upon Fugaku, as if insinuating something, but the fuming Uchiha barely noticed ""Protection against any other assassination attempts"
"It is already being done Danzo-san" Hiruzen answered "I have already chosen a half dozen trustworthy ANBU for the task, plus Jiraiya and his guardian"
"Of course, Hokage-sama" Danzo replied with a nod, it was time for him to put his plan into action "But perhaps it would also be prudent for the boy's training into controlling the Kyubi to begin sooner than later. Whether we like it or not he has the ability to become a powerful asset to this village under the right supervision"
Murmurings of agreement rose from all across the council table, and Danzo knew he had struck at exactly the right time. The council would never side with Fugaku, not with his cavalier actions as of late, and he also knew he couldn't completely take over Naruto's training himself. But if he could even hold some influence over the boy he could perhaps still mould him into the weapon he required.
"Oh I agree" Hiruzen replied, surprising everyone in attendance, even Danzo.
"You do" the one eyed elder replied, recovering quickly.
"Yes" the Sandaime smiled "I have already handpicked a teacher who I think is just right for the job"
"And that would be?"
"Jiraiya" Hiruzen answered, placing a hand on his apprentices broad shoulder "He knows the seal better than anyone, and his track record with training powerful Shinobi is second to none"
More whispers were heard as the council conversed, and it was obvious they were fairly positive. Jiraiya trained the Yondaime Hokage, the legendary Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō. There was no one else with such a track record, not even Danzo, and the old war hawk admitted that.
"So let us take this to a vote" Hiruzen said, raising to his feet "All those in favour of Uzumaki Naruto and Nii Yugito joining the village of Konohagakure no Sato"
A mass of hands came up, almost three quarters of the council, followed by a few more hesitant ones a few moments later. Only Fugaku Uchiha's hand remained down, and the man looked like he wanted to destroy something because of it. The Council of Fire did not hate Naruto. Some resented him for the beast he held. Most were uncaring. But throw something sweet into the deal, say an A-rank Shinobi, and the vote was decided.
"Thank you all for attending" Hiruzen smirked "I call this meeting to an end"
As the council began to form ranks and leave a shadow fell upon the elderly Hokage, who looked up to see Danzo towering over him. The old war hawk hesitated for a moment, then sighed and patted his shoulder as he passed.
"Well played Sarutobi" his old friend turned bitter rival conceded "Well played"
"That was easy" Jiraiya whispered lowly.
"Yes" the Hokage agreed "Almost too easy"
------
The four figures rushed from branch to branch deep within the forests of Hi no Kuni, chakra enhanced leaps making them nothing more than blurs to the surrounding wildlife. Finally after what seemed like an eternity a small clearing came up before them, and without hesitation the lead figure jumped, landing in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by his three comrades.
All four wore light gray cloaks, their heads hidden within the shadows of their hoods. The leader, characterised by his towering, muscular form even with the cloak, and the large sword strapped to his back turned to look at his three compatriots and nodded. As one they pulled back their hoods and looked around. Zabuza Momochi sighed as he looked around, noticing the lack of animal calls. The forest was quiet, almost too quiet. His comrades seemed to notice this as well.
Two others pulled back their hoods, revealing heads of spiky black hair. Kiri Shinobi hitai-ites worn to their foreheads, the plates modified with two metal horns. Each man wore gunmetal gray breathers, hiding the bottom half of their faces, yet their hard eyes were eyes of a Shinobi who had seen the horrors of war. Meizu and Gōzu were twin brothers, Chunin level Shinobi of Kiri before they joined Zabuza in his little rebellion
The fourth member was the smallest of the group, face covered by the white porcelain mask of an Oi-nin with slanted eye holes, swirling symbols around the cheeks and the Kiri symbol etched into the forehead. Hair was better kept than the twins, tied back in a bun with two long strands on either side of the face. Haku was by far the youngest at ten, but was already a capable Shinobi under the former ANBU Captain's tutelage.
For the hundredth time Zabuza went over the events which put them all in this situation. Kirigakure was falling apart at the hinges thanks to a civil war between the forces loyal to the Mizukage, and the Bloodline rebels led by Mei Terumi. The assassination of the Mizu Daimyo by his fellow swordsman Hoshigaki Kisame destabilised the nation even further.
Zabuza could tell that something was wrong with the Mizukage, and had made plans to try and overthrow him and take the title of Kage for himself. He had gathered a small but elite force for that purpose. The Kiri swordsman had hoped to initiate a quick and bloodless coup d'état, and then try and negotiate with Mei for a ceasefire. Gain her loyalty by returning clan status to the bloodline families and making her his successor. The woman may be stubborn, but she was also intelligent enough to see a good deal.
The Mizukage had been tipped off. Zabuza and his small taskforce had been lead into a trap set by half the ANBU corps. He gained a small satisfaction that he killed the traitor himself, but it was a hollow victory compared to the loss of sixteen fellow Shinobi whom he considered friends. In the end he was forced to withdraw, and run from Kirigakure with half of the villages Oi-nin corps mercilessly on their tail. They had lost them after entering Kaminari no Kuni.
"How far away are we from Konoha?" he asked.
"Roughly three days at normal pace, Zabuza-sama" Haku replied.
The former Swordsman nodded, then looked up past the canopy at the setting sun "We'll make camp here for now, normal watch pattern. We leave at first light"
His subordinates all nodded their heads, and began making up camp, the twins disappearing into the forest to search for wood and food while Haku began rummaging through the packs for sealing scrolls containing their equipment. Zabuza sat down in the centre of the clearing. A small roll of cleaning utensils out and his sword held firmly. He looked down at the blade, noticing the chips along the edges and the dried blood. The failed coup had only taken place a week ago, and during the commotion afterward he found no time to clean his blade.
None of the Ninja were aware of another figure hiding well within the shadows of the surrounding trees. A Shinobi wearing body hugging black light armour, her head mostly hidden within a cowl and mask. Only the eyes were visible, a light blue in comparison to the darkness.
Omake: Thunderstorm
If there was one thing Kaminari no Kuni was more famous for than anything else it was always thunderstorms. It was a natural and common occurrence within the valley riddled country. Every autumn cold fronts from the sea to the east would congregate with a warm current from the west over the country, forming storms of drenching rain, flashing lightning and rumbling thunder which could last for days, and on the rare occasion weeks.
Now most children from this country were so used to thunderstorms that they wouldn't even flinch. Sadly for a five year old Naruto this was a different case, being as he was born in Hi no Kuni, and thanks to his less than happy childhood there he had gained an unhealthy fear of thunderstorms.
He was sitting upright, holding on tightly to a small stuffed fox, looking out the window of his room to see the rain beating mercilessly against the glass. His quilt wrapped around him like a cocoon. The storm had been going on for two days straight, and he had been too afraid to even go outside. His big sister Samui had noticed this, and kept him company until a C-rank mission came up.
A stab of lightning caught his attention, making him flinch, and then a loud growl of thunder made him burry his face into his fluffy red fox with a yelp. He buried himself in his quilt as another roar of thunder assaulted his senses. It was night, almost past midnight, and he had tried to ignore it, but he couldn't.
Cautiously he summoned his courage, dwindling as it was, and with only his trusty fox as company he got up from his bed and made his way to the door of his room, his little hand tracing along the wall to his door.
In the next room Yugito creaked open an almond eye, and groaned as another growl of thunder battered her ears. She wasn't afraid of a thunderstorm, that was just silly, but her sensitive ears hated the sounds. Grabbing a pillow the seventeen year old covered her face with it, trying to filter out the continuous noise.
A creak of a door opening was just noticed, and a voice, small and scared filtered into her ears "Mom, can I stay with you for a while?"
She raised the pillow from her head, and looked up to see Naruto by the door, tightly holding onto that little stuffed fox she bought him during the festival last month. She was about to tell him to go back to bed, but then almond eyes met sapphire. She saw the fear in them, the desperate need of someone to be there. His voice, small and pitiful shattered her resolve as he clutched onto his little toy even tighter, as if afraid of being rejected.
"I'm scared"
She sat up and smiling at him patted the side of the bed. His little face lit up for a moment, before another roar of thunder made him flinch. Without any further coaxing the little blonde rushed forward, sliding in under the covers at the bottom of her bed and crawling up beside her. Yugito lay down, put an arm around him and tried to fall asleep.
"Is that okay" she asked, gaining a small nod from the scared child.
Naruto was still scared, but as his mom wrapped her arms around him, and he copied the motion he felt something he had never felt before during the thunderstorms back in Konoha. He felt safe. He felt that in this woman's arms he would be protected. Suddenly the thunderstorm outside wasn't so frightening anymore. He was sound asleep within minutes, and looking down at him the older blonde smiled, feeling more relaxed, and was herself sound asleep a few moments later.
Samui returned early the next day, confused as to why her elder sister wasn't up at the break of dawn like she usually did. The blonde decided to check in her sister's room. She opened the door, her older siblings name on the tip of her tongue, but stopped herself at what she saw.
Yugito lay on her side, Naruto held securely in her arms. Both blondes were fast asleep, and looked happy and relaxed if the small smiles were any indication. Samui smiled slightly, before silently closing the door behind her to go and make breakfast.
Maybe she could give them a few more minutes.
Glossary
Shinobi - Ninja
Genin – Low Ninja
Chunin – Middle Ninja
Jonin – High Ninja
Sannin – Three Ninja
Nukenin – Missing Ninja
Oinin – Hunter Ninja
Doujutsu – Eye Techniques
Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire
Kaminari no Kuni – Land of Lightning
Mizu no Kuni – Land of Water
Kirigakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Mist
Konohagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Leaves
Kumogakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Clouds
Hokage – Fire Shadow
Mizukage – Water Shadow
Sandaime – Third
Yondaime – Fourth
Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō – Konoha's Yellow Flash
Jinchuriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice
Biju – Tailed Beast
Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat
Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox
Kekkei Kenkei – Bloodline Limit
Sharingan – Pinwheel Eye
Doton: Yomi Numa – Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique
Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning Technique
Rasengan – Spiralling Sphere
It's amazing what you can find in stories you tried to write but either gave up on or forgot about. This whole assassination thing was cannibalised from another story I tried to write but gave up on. It was about what would have happened if Jiraiya took Naruto away from Konoha after he was born to train him.
If anyone is wondering what Fugaku is planning then my advice is to be patient, a lot of people would think that he would jump the gun if he found out about Naruto but I don't believe that the head of a powerful clan is that stupid.
As for the Omake, it was just a silly little idea I had and decided to write about, really sappy but that was what I was looking for. Had my sister read it so I believe I got the whole thing down right.