Author Note: Ok you already know I don't own Naruto but Natsu now. She's all mine.
PART TWO BEGINS
Once they cleared the forests of Konoha, Naruto dropped the henge and became Natsu again. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. He liked her as Naruto as well but he was more comfortable around Natsu. She was not as hyper as Naruto or as loud. She didn't wear orange, preferring softer colors, blues and greens mostly, though there was a lot of tan and grey in her wardrobe as well. Plus, there was the obvious fact that Natsu was much prettier than Naruto.
She smiled as she heard his sigh of relief. "So you like Natsu better than Naruto I take it?" she teased him.
"Much," was his one word reply.
That evening they stepped off the beaten trail to camp for one more night in the woods. Tomorrow they would cross the Great Naruto Bridge and skirt around the village there to go straight to her cabin home and begin their month of freedom. Natsu fixed dinner after Kakashi had built her a fire while he set up the tent for them. They both knew she was taking a risk appearing as herself so close to Fire Country but both were tired of hiding and, once the camp was set up, they relaxed together just sitting on a downed log eating the stew she had fixed. They didn't talk or really do much of anything. It was enough that they were there together and neither one had to pretend Natsu was anything other than herself. She dozed cuddling in his arms while staring into the fire.
He woke her a few hours later so he could bank the fire before they retired for the night. She went into the tent and prepared for sleep knowing they would do nothing so long as they were in the open and vulnerable to attack. Kakashi was too experienced of a ninja and both of them were well known enough in the ninja world for neither to willingly drop their guard that far.
Natsu had made a reputation for herself as a chamaeleon and was listed in more than one bingo book for the missions the council had sent her on. Kakashi was also listed in most bingo books for the things he had done during his lifetime as a ninja. His reputation though was no more wide-spread than hers. What was funny, however, was that she actually had a listing as Natsu and a second listing as Naruto. No one had as yet made the connection between her female form and her male persona for all that she was known as The Chamaeleon. The listings of what countries wanted the two were as different as the list of offences each had committed. Tsunade had laughed when she first saw the double listing for Naruto/Natsu. She had been laughing so hard Shizune had grown concerned for her sanity. When Iruka had seen the listing however all he could do was worry. He was afraid for the teens safety and feared the council would look more closely at the listing under Natsu's name and figure out those were the missions they had sent Naruto on. Even the teen in question could not refute the teacher had a valid concern but it was still very funny to her.
Kakashi for his part rarely ever looked at the new books for his fellow nins. He only did so when he was told to before leaving on a mission with someone who was wanted by a territory the current mission would bring them close enough to for said ninja to be at risk. Natsu pondered showing him a copy of the book now but she really didn't want him to spend the night fretting or insist that they move on and get to the cabin as fast as possible.
She fell asleep with her copy of the latest book from Water Country clasped in her hand. Kakashi came to wake her for her shift and saw it. He wondered why she had been looking at it and gently worked it free of her grasp being sure to mark the page she'd been on.
Using a spark of his chakra as a light, he looked at the page and felt his breath freeze in his chest. There on the right hand page was his mate. Looking as sweet and innocent as she did in real life. It was hard to see her face there and know for a fact that there were people out there hunting her. People who would do their level best to find her and hurt her just because she did look so very innocent. The fact that she was beautiful on top of it didn't hurt matters either. Kakashi was experienced enough in the world they lived and worked in to know it really didn't matter what crimes she had committed, the people hunting her would not be interested in her bounty as much as they would be her person. However, he couldn't quell a tinge of pride either. He'd known Natsu was a capable ninja since he'd been one of her trainers when she was Naruto.
Maybe he should try and talk her into continuing to use the henge until they were at the cabin. That idea went out the window when he was confronted with a picture of Naruto smiling up at him on the left hand page. Kuso. Naruto was wanted even more than Natsu was. Was there any place that didn't want his mate's head on a platter? Granted the list of countries searching for Naruto was different than the ones looking for Natsu and the list of offences were different also but the truth still remained the teen wasn't safe anywhere and he was sure that was the intention of the Konoha Council with the wide variety of missions they sent the teen out on. They wanted to make damn sure that no matter how well the teen managed to survive the missions that sooner or later his luck would run out and he would be found by someone stronger than he was. And that person or team would solve their problem for them.
Naruto's unassuming manner during the last few years had begun to change the hearts and minds of the people as even Naruto could not continue to play the role of the immature village fool forever. Maturity had to strike everyone at some point in their life and with maturity came a quieter presence when you weren't well liked and knew it but wished to change it.
The truth was that those who did like the loud blond were actively working to change the people's opinion of him, pointing out how none of the pranks he had ever pulled or been accused of pulling had ever caused intentional harm to another. And in those few cases where someone did get hurt the injury was their own fault due to how they had chosen to react to the prank.
Those supporters were boycotting places they'd seen turn Naruto away or heard had overcharged him for basic goods though Naruto had no idea of that. Kakashi had been asked why he didn't shop at a particular weapons shop even though they sold the best kunai in the village. He had hemmed and hawed but finally admitted the shop would not sell to Naruto. He had caught the shop owner actively trying to hurt the blond when the boy came in looking to replace his weapons. So he would not do business with them. By the time the sun came up the next morning other nin were already spreading the word not to shop at that shop and refusing to do so also. A fellow nin stood watch outside the shop but far enough away that the owner could not complain of his loitering and pulled every nin who came to the door aside for a friendly chat about the morals of the owner. If the shopper still wanted to shop there they were invited to actually watch the boy who was being discriminated against and determine for themselves if the boy deserved such treatment as he received on a daily basis. Then they were asked to think about it from a different perspective. They were asked to consider if they might feel different had the boy been their brother, son or other family member. What if the boy had been them themself? Would they still feel the same way then?
That had taken a week but the end result was the shop owner had lost the business of the majority of the Konoha nins and the ones who continued to purchase their weapons from them were the ninja loyal to the council or Danzo in particular. No ninja loyal to Tsunade would shop there anymore. The shop found itself barely able to stay in business as it's available merchandise grew shorter for lack of resources with which to pay their suppliers.
The same thing happened at restaurants and clothing stores. But Naruto wasn't aware of this. His habit of doing his best to smile and ignore the villagers as much as possible had blinded him to the changes in his home village. Tsunade had put a lot of effort into changing the hearts and minds of her village. She had done more to convince the villagers of the stupidity of their belief than the Sandaime had done.
But it was really Gamabunta's comment, upon the return of the damaged Uchiha who showed no physical injuries but a temper that was out of control, that had made the most impact. When a ten story toad tells you someone isn't as much of a demon as your favored person is you kind of have to believe them. After all, how do you argue with something that you doubt would even notice he stepped on you? For the three days Sasuke remained in his transformed state Tsunade did nothing to stop or prevent the stream of visitors coming to see for themselves if the Uchiha was truly a demon.
Their finding was that he was as much if not more of a demon than Naruto was since it seemed to them Sasuke was comfortable in his new form where Naruto had always screamed out in pain when he'd transformed and done his level best to dismiss the transformation as quickly as he could. In fact, most had never seen Naruto transform. They had merely heard his screams of undeniable pain and agony.
Sasuke ended up getting a much closer look at what life had been like for Naruto than he had ever intended to, as the villagers let him know in no uncertain terms they didn't like demons.
The villagers found out a new bit of information as well. They found out that a true demon will not merely stand by and let mere mortals beat the hell out of them. A true demon will fight back and they, the mortals, will get hurt. But they discovered sheer numbers could turn the tide in their favor.
Many of the people who waylaid Sasuke were the same people who had beat up Naruto in his younger days. They remembered how he would run but when they caught him he always took everything they dished out and simply graced them with a smile the next time he saw them. He never punished any of them or rewarded them with their own set of bruises or cuts. He also healed within a couple of days no matter how severely they'd hurt him.
This new demon that lived in their village was a demon of a different stripe and everyone of them walked away believing Sasuke was the true demon. They began to subject Sasuke to the same treatment they had previously reserved only for Naruto and when the children questioned them about it they told the truth. There was no law that protected Sasuke from the whole village knowing why he was unliked and the villagers did not see any reason why they should not tell their youngsters. The council had tried to pass the same kind of law that protected Naruto but Tsunade said it wasn't the same thing. Naruto had never put anyone into the ICU because they didn't like him. Sasuke had and therefore she refused to pass that bill. Besides she had pointed out that one who chose to become like a demon of his own free will was more of a demon than one who'd never had a choice at all.
The Council had not been happy about it but there was nothing they could do as they were not all in agreement on the issue, with those who were ninja or former ninja saw the issue much the same way Tsunade did. They pointed out Sasuke was not without the ability or skill to defend himself from the village and it was the Council that had denied Naruto that right. Naruto, they pointed out had been an infant when the law that protected him had been passed and only an academy student when the additions were added that prevented him from striking back. Those who saw a difference, between the two boys, moved to protect the villagers from Sasuke instead of protecting Sasuke from the villagers.
But those who were still believing in the superiority of the Uchiha and believed the curse seal itself was in control of the boy would not hear of leaving him defenseless like that. They didn't just want to give him special rights and leeway to use his curse seal as he saw fit though. They also wanted to punish Naruto for Sasuke even receiving the curse seal in the first place, saying that if he'd been a proper teammate it never would have occurred.
Even Sakura had pointed out that Naruto had tried to the point of blowing up one of the huge summon snakes Orochimaru controlled. It wasn't until Orochimaru had messed with his seal itself that Orochimaru had been able to place the mark on Sasuke because it wasn't until he had knocked Naruto out that he'd been able to spare a thought for either herself or Sasuke. In her opinion the stupid council had no one but Sasuke to blame for his current plight. After all, she had said, if he'd done what Naruto told him, which was run while Naruto kept the Snake Sennin busy, they could have avoided the Snake. But he hadn't because the council had fed his arrogant belief that he was anbu quality already and it was mere formalities holding him back. Suske in his arrognace couldn't stand the idea of Naruto taking on the strongest opponent he'd ever seen and wouldn't run. He knew none of them were strong enough to defeat the opponent but his arrogance wouldn't let him be shown up by Naruto. The Uchiha Council supporters had smirked and claimed that was as it should be. Of course the Demon Boy wasn't stronger than thier precious Uchiha.
The villagers, however, would not have listened to the council even if they had been able to force their will through on Tsunade. They clearly understood Sasuke made a choice to use the seal or not and he chose to use it far too often for their liking. They began to make an effort to be nicer to Naruto, finally understanding the gentle boy had never hated them or wished them harm in any way. He truly wished to protect them all. This brought about many changes in the way business was conducted in Konoha. The vendors offered him better merchandise than he had money to pay for, which they were thrilled to see him turn down, and better quality foods than was their custom. If it was accepted they would receive an ananomous donation. This led to them greeting him warmly whenever they saw him and if they hired him for a task, they paid him in full with a decent sized tip for his work.
The ninja who spent the most time in the village now smiled more at their fellows, seeing the people they'd sworn to protect with their last breath regaining the will of fire the Sandaime had thought was going out. They also shadowed Sasuke everywhere he went and made sure that if he did give in to his seal the action did not go unpunished. They took the job of protecting the villagers from him very seriously.
The final change was that Sasuke was not allowed to leave the village proper unless he was on a mission with at least three others who had proven themselves able of beating him in his curse two stage. That was a very small pool of people he could go on missions with since really the only people who could beat him at that stage were the two Sennin, Naruto and Kakashi. Maybe Gai could but the Green Beast wanted nothing to do with the boy, seeing him as a bigger threat than either Gaara or Naruto ever had been and Gaara had at one time been a very real threat to the village.
But looking through the book by the dying light of the campfire and his small spark of chakra Kakashi almost laughed outloud. Sasuke had striven to prove he was the better ninja between him and Naruto and yet it was Naruto who had made the Bingo Book of a foreign country first. The fact that he'd done so as a male and then again as a female said as much about his skill as the fact that Sasuke was not listed did about his. Sighing, and coming to the conclusion that there was nothing he could do about this mess he decided to just try and keep her as safe as possible as was his duty and his honor. She was his mate and it was his job to keep her safe no matter the cost to himself. He tried to tuck the book back into her hands but found her awake.
"Did you find what you were looking for, Kashi?" she asked sitting up in the sleeping bag.
"I wondered why you had it so I decided to see if there was someone we needed to watch for. I found you instead. Both of you."
"And your decision?"
"We keep going and I do my best to keep you safe. Now that you have decided to let me be near you I don't want to lose you. I want to show you all I have held inside and love you everyday Kami gives us, openly and with no regrets. And that means making sure it is safe for you to be you. I am your mate as you are mine. Always, now and forever. Even if we both die tomorrow when we are both born into a new life I will still belong only to you."
She tilted her head to the side and a small slim finger made it's way to the corner of her mouth. Reaching out instinctively he tugged it back down as he had always done when she was a genin. She smiled at the action. "You always do that. But do you truly believe Kami will give us new lives once we are done with this one?" There was so much hope in that question Kakashi felt like crying. He knew just how hard it had been for her and yet no one could ever really know her pain since only she knew what it was like to live as a boy when you were really a girl because it was the only way to be even slightly safe.
"Hai. I do, Natsu. Kami is a benevolent God. He would not subject you to a life like this one without the possibility of a second chance if you lead this life well. And you have. For all of the lonely hours spent wishing you could be the girl you are or wishing for a friend you could truly talk to. For all the times you nearly died trying to appease the anger of the villagers and yet keep the demon locked away. For all that you have been through, he will not deny you another life. And since my soul is tied to yours I will always follow where you lead. Just as I have always done."
She was quiet for several minutes before she asked, "Kashi, when did you know? And why didn't you ever come to me? When you knew I was safe, I mean."
"I knew when your Father placed you in my arms while he was finishing the drawing of the seal that would protect you during the summoning of the Shinigami needed to seal Kyuubi. That's the way it is with the Hatake clan. We know our mate as soon as our eyes meet theirs no matter what age we are at the time. So even though I was only fourteen at the time I knew you were my mate as soon as you were born." He smiled at her wide eyed look. "As for not coming to you when you were safe in the woods I thought you would freak out. As far as you knew I only knew you as Naruto. I didn't want to scare you. Just protect you."
He held her close and silence filled the tent as she absorbed his words. Neither of them really slept any more that night. Kakashi was enjoying holding Natsu too much to want to waste the time by sleeping and as a jounin he could go days without sleep. For Natsu, her mind was too busy surveying the woods around their small camp and making sure no one found them. Plus she was enjoying the feel of being held by someone who didn't want her dead too much too lose herself in sleeping.
Morning light filtered through the leafy canopy over their camp and she stirred in his arms. He let her go and watched as she gathered a few things to make them breakfast. Once she went to the fire and stirred the embers to life before adding more fuel, he began to pack up the tent. While she cooked he took down the tent and packed it away.
They ate and then he doused the fire with a pail of water he had left sitting near it for just that reason. Once it was out she handed him the used dishes to clean while she went through a string of hand signs before slapping her hand into the spot their fire had been glowing cheerfully a few minutes earlier. The ground was still hot enough to burn most people but, being the container of the Kyuubi, Natsu didn't feel the heat the way most people would.
Kakashi watched as all traces of their presence was washed away. The area where the fire had been, something all hunters were trained to look for, disappeared. The stones that had formed a ring around the fire were once again returned to random spots and all the blackened soot from their use erased, cooling them in the process. The remaining pieces of wood that had not burnt up were either completely broken down to their atoms or returned to the state they had been in before landing in the fire. They were also scattered back under the trees. The ground itself, which had blackened from having a fire burning on it, was restored to a cheerful green grassy area.
Next the jutsu spread out to cover the area where their tent had been. Natsu's jutsu erased the little marks where the pegs had dug into the ground encouraging grass to once again grow in the holes. The rope marks of the steadying ties for the roof of the tent were erased from the trunks of the trees. And last but not least the jutsu erased all traces of their footprints in the clearing and their chakra from the plants of the area. Contrary to what most people believed, plants as well as animals did record chakra sources near enough to them. A person who was adept enough at nature jutsu, like Natsu was, could read those signatures just as most people could read a book. So Natsu had designed her camp clearing jutsu to erase her chakra signature as well as any physical evidence of her passing. This time she also erased Kakashi's signature and footsteps, knowing that anyone looking for them from Konoha would know to look for his in order to locate them both.
"How did you learn this jutsu?" asked Kakashi.
"I designed it when I first saw myself in the bingo book. Jiraiya uses a similar technique to hide his presence when he goes peeping so I just took it and modified it for hiding my presence when I need to rest and am not in a safe place to do so. It's been active all night actually. What you saw me do now was really nothing more than wrapping things up and polishing it off I guess."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, while you were getting water and refilling our canteens I activated the jutsu. It would have alerted me immediately if another person entered the area. It also set the shape and form of everything in the clearing and the nearby surroundings. Then no matter what we did last night everything could be returned to it's original state as if we were never here at all."
"That's so cool. But why did you come up with this jutsu? Most wouldn't think of even attempting something like this or really even see the need."
"I'm not most people though. I've grown up hated with people wishing me dead over something I had no control or choice over. So I guess I look for things that could grant them their wish and automatically seek to foil that. Besides I like nature and if everyone goes around leaving the little marks of their resting places sooner or later nature is going to wither. It might be a small thing but all those campfire spots add up." She shrugged. "Plus it's how I track people who are supposed to be impossible to find when I'm given a mission to find and elimate them."
Kakashi had to admit she had a point. Her life would have taught her to look for situations where she could be tracked to a point where she was vulnerable. He knew she liked nature but he also knew, nature played a very small secondary role in why she'd created or adapted this jutsu for her own safety.
They reached the home of Tazuna at about nine in the morning and were immediately shown inside. Tazuna himself was overjoyed to see Natsu but wary of Kakashi being with her. Inari and Tsunami were smiling and asking about her exploits since she'd last seen them, effectively separating her from Kakashi so Tazuna could find out his intentions towards Natsu. As far as the bridge builder, and his family were concerned, Natsu was more than a hero of their community. She was family. A very special member of their family.
"Ok so I am assuming you know we help her whenever she needs a hand. What I want to know is what your intentions are? I will not stand by while you hurt her for your village council. I know they want her dead. Everyone in Wave knows they want her dead."
"Those aren't my orders and even if they were I wouldn't follow them. The council cannot order me to kill my mate."
"Your MATE!" Tazuna wished he was drinking something stronger than coffee at the moment but Tsunami had hidden all his sake bottles the last time he had drank for twenty-four hours straight. And she wouldn't tell him where they were. She allowed him one bottle a day and no more much to his disgust.
"Hai. Natsu has been my mate since the day she was born. I have always known her identity."
"You knew she was a girl when you came to help me build the bridge?" Tazuna asked. "If you knew, why did you give that dark haired boy all your attention? I mean, I saw you watching Naruto but you didn't teach him the way you did the other boy. How do you explain that?"
"Hai, I knew she was a girl when we came here. I was under orders to make sure the Uchiha was properly trained to activate his bloodline. Also, I figured the sooner the Brat got it the sooner I could get him off my hands. I hate the way he treats others but especially my mate. I have been aiding her all of her life helping to hold the henge transformation she uses in place when her own chakra and/or will weakens. It is not only what I promised her father I would do but also the least I could do to protect her from those who wished her harm in any way they could. She is my mate and anyone who hurts her will face me." His eye flashed silver for a minute. "I will kill anyone who hurts her in her true form. As Naruto, I can, and did, suppress the need to kill her opponents if they hurt her, though that Brat pushed it to the limit sometimes. However, when she is in her true form, that is unavoidable."
"Wow. That's a pretty strong bond then," was all Tazuna could think of to say.
"Hai. It is indeed but it has it's reasons. It's hard to explain but true nonetheless. Suffice it to say, if the village had not taken it upon themselves to deal with Sasuke I would have killed him already for what he did to her. Actually it was only the fact that he thought he was dealing with Naruto, who is not my mate, that he has to thank for his continued existence today. If he'd known he was fighting Natsu he'd already be dead."
"Kashi. Enough. You can't kill Sasuke. The council would never forgive you and then where would I be? I wouldn't have you trailing me everywhere anymore and sooner or later I would miss something vital. So leave him alone."
"So long as he leaves you alone that isn't a problem. But I can not agree to letting him get away with hurting you and I wouldn't even if I could."
Natsu sighed. "I can see we're gonna have to work on this issue. You can't go around beating up everyone who might hurt me."
"Wanna bet?" Tazuna chuckled.
"Ok I approve. It's about time you had someone who cares more about you and your safety than you appear to," he said.
Natsu grinned. "Oh goodie," she declared impishly. Then her expression turned serious as she added, "I love it that you guys care so much about me, Tazuna-Ojisan, but this would have happened even if you did not approve. Even my tenant says it is meant to be."
"Kyuubi said . . ." questioned Kakashi.
"Hai. Why do you think I spoke to Tsunade and requested this time off? I could have easily spent the remainder of my years ignoring your signature everywhere I go but ignoring Kyuubi is a lot harder. Damn demon is . . . insistent." she grimaced.
That hurt Kakashi's feelings a little but he understood what she meant as well. She could have spent the rest of her life ignoring their connection in order to shield him from what she perceived as being persecuted by the people of their village. For the first time he felt he owed the Kyuubi a thank you for getting her to accept the connection. Of course, he also acknowledged the fact that if it hadn't been for the Kyuubi in the first place, then there would have been no need for her to ignore the connection or even for Naruto to have ever existed in the first place.
He thought over the request Tsunade had made of him when she had met them at the gate as they were leaving. The guards hadn't believed Naruto had a mission from her with only Kakashi as her back-up and sent a request for confirmation to the tower. Tsunade herself had come down to chew the guards out and also because she wanted a few additional words with Kakashi before the pair disappeared for a month. She wanted him to spend the month trying to get Natsu to drop the Naruto henge and convincing the girl of the villages change of heart where she was concerned. Both knew it was unlikely to work but he would try because he wanted to be with his mate everyday and not just when they could slip away from the village alone. They stayed with Tazuna for another hour before they set off for the cabin.
Back in Konoha, Tsunade called for a village wide announcement. She knew it was time to let the village know who was the true Hero of the Leaf and it was time for all the lies to be put to rest. From her office window, she and Shizune watched as the crowd of people gathered in the courtyard below. The council members were grousing about being dragged out and made to stand on the podium facing the tower as if they were just peons but Tsunade had decided it was time they understood their place was at her feet. If they could not abide by her wishes and honor those she honored then none deserved to stand at her back.
Directly behind the councillors and one step down from the stage stood all Naruto's friends and the only other person who knew Natsu. Iruka was standing directly behind Danzo and glaring a hole into the man's back. He knew how many times the old war horse had tried to get Naruto's training assigned to him just so he could treat the child like an animal to give himself the illusion of being the one in control of the demon the boy housed. It was safe to say Iruka hated Danzo with a passion he felt for no one else.
Next to him stood Sakura directly behind her own Mother. Iruka knew she would not hesitate to knock her Mother out if the woman said one wrong word about her blond haired ex-teammate and friend. On his other side was Hinata standing behind her father and Iruka had no doubt she would also knock her father for a loop if he did not show his support of her Naruto-kun today. The friends of Naruto knew exactly what this announcement was all about and why they had each been visited the night before and told where to stand during the speech the Hokage would give. Sakura, Hinata and Iruka were in position to take down the biggest spots of trouble should the trio attempt to refute her words. Neji stood beside Sakura but he faced the crowd instead of the podium as did Shikamaru on Hinata's side. Next to Shikamaru was Chouji also facing the podium and directly behind Koharu. He knew he was to silence the old woman if she did anything untoward once Tsunade began her speech.
On Neji's side was Kiba. The Inuzuka boy was told to silence Homaru if he got out of line. Lee stood next to him and like Neji he faced the crowd. Next to Chouji was Tenten and she glared at the crowd silently daring anyone to mouth off and give her an excuse to use her favorite toys. Next to her was Ayame, who had learned from Naruto over the years how to protect herself so she would not be vulnerable to the low lifes every society seemed to breed no matter how lawful and peaceful the community appeared to be on the surface. Naruto had understood that being a friend, an open friend, of his made her far more vulnerable than most civilian girls would be. He had insisted on training her when both she and her father had made it clear they would never deny their friendship of him regardless of the consequences. Teuchi had accepted his request to train Ayame and made sure the girl had the time off for the training whenever Naruto was free to give it to her. She had also received training from Kakashi when the Jounin had learned why Naruto was training her. Between the two she had grown far stronger than anyone knew and could not only defend herself from attack but she could also defend her father, though she was not, and never would be, considered a ninja.
Off to one side of the crowd was Sasuke. He tried to look as if this was by his own choice but the truth was no one wanted to be seen standing near the dark haired demon. Surrounding him on all sides were the upper rank jounins who considered themselves friends and defenders of Naruto. Anko, Ibiki, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Kotetsu, Izumo, Yuugao, Genma, and Raidou were prepared to lay the Uchiha brat low if he even so much as twitched.
The rest of Naruto's friends and supports were scattered throughout the crowd for best coverage to keep the gathering from rioting. Shino and Ino and the Konohamaru Corp were eager for the speech to begin. They really wanted to see how the crowd would react when they learned whatever it was Tsunade-sama had said they didn't know but needed to.
Tsunade deemed it was time to get the speech started and so with Shizune at her heels she walked forth onto the balcony outside the windows of her personal quarters. She smirked as she noticed who had not managed to make the gathering.
Jiraiya was in too much pain to attend the gathering as Tsunade decided to let him know just how displeased she was with the things she had learned from both Natsu and Kakashi. He wasn't going to die but she was equally sure he was wishing he had. However, for the crap he had put Natsu through and for all the torment of having to spend years guarding herself from someone she should have been able to trust whole heartedly, Tsunade felt no guilt over having messed up his insides so drastically. Everything still worked the way it should and the damage wasn't permanent but it was painful and she was sure he thought nothing was working correctly.
"Greetings, my fellow citizens. I come before you today to lay to rest old rumors and destroy lies that have been allowed to fester in your minds for too long now. Recently I have seen a great change in our village and all I can say is It's About Freaking Time."
The crowd chittered and a nervous giggle rippled through the gathering of red faced people. They shuffled their feet and tried to avoid each other's gaze but no one said anything.
"Fifteen years ago a Demon came to our village. I know everyone has heard at least one version of this story and some of you were actually here when it came through our gates. The misconceptions began with why the demon was here. Those who survived the battle assumed the Demon was here because it wanted to be here. This is not true. It was here because it was summoned here. Now who would summon a destructive force to a peaceful village full of civilians? Well the answer to that leads to another lie the village was told. But before I answer that I have to delve into the second lie the village was told."
"Most of the adults know that the Yondaime did not succeed in ridding us of the demon and it's rage by himself. He had a special little helper in getting rid of it. For years, our young have asked why this little helper was hated and mistreated, never receiving an answer to their questions but the reason is simple really. This helper was hated for the role he played in securing our homes and lives, for it is an undeniable truth that without the presence of Uzumaki Naruto upon the battlefield that day, this village would not be standing and I would not be giving this speech. The Yondaime willingly gave his life to seal the Kyuubi's spirit into the subconscious of his own child and thereby condemned the child to a life of torment and hell on earth."
The council on the podium growled in anger and started mouthing off at the declaration of Naruto being the Yondaime's own child but while those of Naruto's friend moved to do their duty, Shizune unrolled the scroll on the wall to Tsunade's left. The scroll turned out to be a life-size image of the Yondaime with his wife, Kushina. Hiashi and Kiku, both knowing their daughters stood behind them, gulped but kept their mouths shut, suspecting what would happen if they didn't. Once the friends had moved back to their positions with the unconscious forms of the mouthy councillors, Danzo, Koharu and Homura, slumped on the floor of the podium stand, Tsunade began to speak again.
"As you can see this portrait is of the Yondaime. The woman with him was his wife, Uzumaki Kushina." Shizune moved to her other side and again unrolled a scroll hanging on the wall. "And this scroll shows a picture of Naruto. You have no idea how hard it was to get him out of that stupid orange jumpsuit for this."
All Naruto's friends laughed outright at the mental image of the fight that had to have occurred for the portrait. But looking between the two pictures there was absolutely no doubt the boy was the child of the Yondaime.
"As you can see, if the physical similarities make it clear, Uzumaki Naruto is indeed the Yondaime's heir. And why it took me showing you these portraits for you all to figure that out is one of the mysteries forever deemed to be unsolved. His last name should have told you to look closer. Uzumaki is not now, nor has it ever been, a common surname. The fact that the Yondaime's wife also had that as her last name should have told you this child was her child. But perhaps the Yondaime understood you better than I believed he did, because he played one more trick on you all."
Almost to herself she said, "And then there's the fact that Naruto is and always has been just as big of a prankster as Minato ever was. Sheesh, those two couldn't have been any more alike if they'd been the same person."
Continuing at her normal volume she said, "Anyway, it seems Yondaime knew this village well enough to know that you would not honor his request of how to treat his helper in the sealing of our nightmare. So he hid his helper under a very unique combination of a henge and a transformation. One thing the Uzumaki clan could always do was transform their shape. They do not do a mere henge as the rest of us do. They actually transform themselves into the image they wish to be. The Yondaime chose the image for his child. The image this child would be seen as by all of us for however long it took for his heir to feel safe enough here in her own home to let us see her true self. Yes that is correct. I said her. I know who Yondaime's child was because I am the one who delivered her into this world. I was the first to hold her and I was the one who handed her to her mother for suckling. So yes the child you have all seen as Uzumaki Naruto was only an illusion. In truth, that child has always been and always will be Namikaze Natsu Sukai."
Shizune unrolled the last scroll which was hung over the image of Naruto and there for everyone to see was the image of Natsu in a forest green and tan kunoichi outfit. Her golden hair fell to her waist and seemed to spit fire into the air from the red highlights. Her eyes were the same blue as in her male form but green flecks sparkled like emeralds in the sapphire depths. The full length picture showed her to be slightly smaller than Naruto but otherwise the same. The major difference between the two other than the sex however was the fact that Natsu did not bear the whisker marks on her face as Naruto did.
Several whispers of "she's beautiful," worked their way through the crowd. A few of the males puffed up wondering if they had what it took to attract her girls just sighed. More competion for their guys attention did not make them happy but if Natsu was anything like Naruto maybe they didn't have much to worry about, they thought. Everyone knew Naruto had been clueless when it came to the opposite sex. The girls frowned. But maybe that was because he was really a girl and simply couldn't be interested in Hinata like she had been in him. The guys had reached the same conclusion and each one was wondering if Naruto had been attracted to them and it had slipped their notice because they weren't gay. Chests puffed out farther causing the girls to roll their eyes.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes angrily. The thoughts in his mind were very different from what everyone else was thinking. He didn't want to attract her as a possible mate. He wanted to hurt her and then kill her. He felt betrayed by her. All those years she had lied to him about being his eternal rival and a deadlast idiot when clearly she was neither. He could not accept that any girl was capable of being his equal let alone his rival. Nor would he ever believe a deadlast loser could keep up such a pretense for as long as she had. He dismissed the evidence of her being the daughter of the Yondaime and his wife, the Red Devil of Konoha. He was growling and the Jounins around him focused their attention on him to the exclusion of everyone else.
Anko muttered just loud enough for him to hear her, "Touch her and you are dead. I will kill you myself, Uchiha."
Sasuke gave her a scathing look and let his curse seal flare. He controlled it enough that, though the jounins tensed, they did not attack. "You and what army Snake Bitch? I will kill you if you so much as touch me," he muttered. "I am an Uchiha and you are unworthy to so much as wash my feet as is that Demon Filth."
"And you say you aren't a demon," muttered Genma.
On the balcony, Tsunade got ready to speak some more. "Now you know the secret the Yondaime decided you were not honorable enough in your grief to know. I must make it clear to you though that just because you have seen her portrait does not mean you will ever see her. She is very good at her unique transformation henge combination. If she doesn't wish it to fall you will not be able to make it do so. And given how this village has treated her as Naruto, can any of you honestly say she is being unreasonable to hide from you?"
"She grows food in small patches in the forest because you would only sell her rubbish. She lays traps in the forest to catch the meat our diet requires because what you would give her was rancid. She even has a cow or two she uses for milk and cheese because she could not trust you to sell her good milk or cheese. The hides of her kills she learned to make patches and other necessities out of because you would overcharge to such an extent she could never afford what she needed. So, looking back, do you deserve to see her as she really is?"
The crowd looked crestfallen at her words. She was right. They had done all of that to the girl and more. They had no right to expect her to trust them. No right to expect her to just accept their apologies and be comfortable around them.
"Now on to the other secret I alluded to earlier. Someone grab ahold of The Uchiha." She waited while Anko and Ibiki each grabbed one of Sasuke's arms, each giving the teen a sadistic grin promising pain should he misbehave. A lot of pain. "The Kyuubi did not come here of it's own free will. And even if it had it would not have been bent on our destruction. The Kyuubi has long been the leader of a clan of foxes that protects the Land of Fire from attack by other demon clans. It's job was not to interfere with human messes or trouble but only to protect this land from the damage that could be done by others of it's type. Each tailed demon has it's own natural element. The area they protect is the area that most corresponds to it's own natural environment and, so long as they are protecting their own areas, a balance in the world is maintained. But once we discovered their existence things changed. We found a way to enslave them so that we could harness their power. Power we saw as our divine right to possess."
"But the truth is we could never be as powerful as they are because we do not protect as they do. We are of the universe but not to the extent that they are. However, when Kyuubi was called here by the council of the Uchiha clan through the use of their sharingan it enraged the demon fox and he came to destroy rather than protect. It was because of his rage that Yondaime was able to call on the aid of the Shinigami to bind the Kyuubi and his daughter together for all eternity. Before the Shinigami disappeared with Minato's soul, Minato requested the truth of the attack be told to those who could see to it that the guilty were punished. The Shinigami granted that request, even though he didn't have to, and the information of the guilt of the Uchiha clan was planted into the minds of the Council of Konoha and into Sarutobi's own mind. In the chaos that followed the end of the battle, Fugaku was given the chance to deal with his clan and hand over the traitors for punishment. He hemmed and hawed and in the end refused to hand them over saying they had not done anything wrong and there was no evidence to show they had. He was correct about that. There was no paper trail or recorded evidence because the Uchiha clan made it all disappear and, since they ran the police of this village, they had also made any potential witnesses to their treachery disappear as well. By the time Sarutobi realized Fugaku was not a loyal member of the council anymore, Fugaku had dismissed every non-Uchiha from the police force and had most of his clan who were ninja either worked into positions of authority over non-Uchiha or he had them retired and working in the police force. But it wasn't until he, Sarutobi, discovered a plot to take the Kyuubi out of Naruto and transfer it into his second son, Sasuke, that Sarutobi knew he had to act. Sarutobi knew the head of the Uchiha clan had become unbalanced to the point where human life held no real value to him."
She looked out over the crowd. Sasuke was struggling against those who held him and the black marks on his skin showed he was angry as he'd given in to the power of his curse seal's first level. She ignored him and continued to speak to the silent crowd which included the now fully awake council. "Now just in case you think that would have been good, as it would have given you back your heir of the Yondaime let me say it would not have worked. Instead, it would have resulted in both childrens deaths. At that time Naruto was six and Sasuke was seven. Fugaku would have killed both children trying to effect the transfer but he was not a seal master and he did not know there was no way to pull the demon's spirit out of Naruto without KILLING him first. Nor did he know the seal that was used required a deal with the Shinigami as only the Shinigami or Kami are strong enough to actually compel a demon to go anywhere other than where it wishes to go. Third, he did not know two identical copies of the seal were needed just to move the demon into Naruto. To transfer it from Naruto into Sasuke would have required a third seal. Actually two additional seals as each child would have required both seals. All Sasuke had was a copy of Naruto's belly seal. I know. I was the one to tend to Sasuke after the massacre. Fourth, Fugaku was a really stupid man. He did not charge the seal on Sasuke in the correct manner and did not seem to understand how it worked. It was not tied to Sasuke's chakra and not charged correctly to allow it to grow as Sasuke grew. Nor did the copy of the seal protect Sasuke's mind from the influence of the Demon. Therefore, Kyuubi would have taken over Sasuke in a matter of minutes if he had even agreed to enter the boy at all which is highly doubtful. After all, who would agree to be imprisoned if they could be free?"
"So Sarutobi-Sensei, called in Itachi. Itachi had grown concerned for the safety of his mother and his brother. His father had told him his best friend held an unnatural and unhealthy interest in his little brother in order to compel Itachi to kill the young man. Fugaku wanted Itachi to gain the highest level of his sharingan to help in the transfer of the Kyuubi into Sasuke figuring that a fully matured Sharingan would ensure the success of the maneuver. But that is not why Itachi did agree to kill his friend. Itachi killed Shisui because he found out that Shisui was ordered to kidnap Sasuke before the ritual and take him to a secret chamber where the transfer was set to be done. Though, he was too late to stop the kidnaping, Itachi really only did it to protect his little brother. Itachi spent three days looking for Sasuke. He could not find him because Shisui had already delivered the boy to Fugaku for the ceremony. Itachi went to Sarutobi-Sensei when he could not find his little brother. All of you seem to forget that Sasuke was missing for three days prior to the massacre. I do not."
She glared out at the crowd paying special attention to the council members who were shifting their feet nervously. Each of them who had been on the council at the time were remembering the events of that time and how troubled they had been by the arrogance of the Uchiha clan as a whole. Tsunade continued her tale. "Sarutobi-Sensei set a plan in motion to end the threat of the Uchiha clan to the village. There was no way he wanted an angry Kyuubi released upon the village again during his lifetime. So a few days later Itachi attacked his clan. For many years you have believed he acted alone when he destroyed his clan. He did not. Jiraiya, myself and Sarutobi-Sensei fought alongside of him and we too are responsible for their demise. But we did it to protect all of you and two little kids we did not believe deserved the fate Fugaku would have subjected them to. I do not regret my part in that night's events."
"Sarutobi-Sensei set up a cover story for all of us and we made sure that both children were safe from any rumor of guilt related to that night. Itachi had been lost in the grief of having watched his father slice his mother's throat after stabbing her through the heart."
Once again she turned her attention on Sasuke. She spoke directly to him as she said, "That's right, Sasuke. Your father killed your mother. Not your brother. If you'd ever really paid attention to what he showed you that night, you would have noticed the man standing in front of your mother was too big to be your brother. Your brother was only thirteen. He was not fully grown and the man who killed your mother was. But you have never been as smart as Itachi and you did not get the message he gave you at all. You assumed your brother killed everyone and did not even notice the rest of us who were there. But truthfully your mother's death was the only thing your brother showed you that night. He erased from your mind what your father had planned to do to you and hoped the budding friendship he'd seen developing between you and Naruto would pull you through the darkness but you cut Naruto off. You shut him out. You blamed him for the loss of your clan. Him and Itachi."
She tried to keep herself from sneering at the arrogant young man below but had to turn her attention back to the crowd to stop herself. "Anyway, Itachi chose to leave here rather than face all of you. I didn't count on him joining Akatsuki but I am sure he had his reasons for doing so. Jiraiya and I disappeared from the village just as secretly as we'd come back and I have to say again I do not regret defending the people of this village that night. It was an honor to fight alongside my Sensei again knowing that what I was doing protected people who could not defend themselves. Nor do I believe Jiraiya or Itachi regret their actions that night either."
"As for Sarutobi-Sensei, I believe the decision to have the clan killed was one of the most difficult he'd ever been required to make and I believe he spent many a night agonizing over it before ordering it done. Sarutobi-Sensei buried the paper trail about the massacre after the event was finished before turning his attention back to you. He did try to stop all of you from fawning all over Sasuke but you would not listen to him regarding Sasuke any more than you would about how to treat Naruto. You had already decided he didn't know his head from his rear end and you ignored his advice and warnings. All I can say is you reap what you sow. You spoilt Sasuke with the approval of the council to the point where he truly believes himself superior to everyone else and my equal making him vulnerable to anyone who offered him power he did not have. You scorned Naruto and made Natsu hide herself from you but never once did you see how she protected you and now it may be too late for both children."
"Right now Natsu is on a month long vacation with her mate and when she comes home I hope you will show her the love the Leaf is known for. I hope you will use this time to think about your behavior and decide Natsu is worth the trouble of knowing. Because when she comes home, if she comes home, I know I want to see her as she truly is. Naruto is a great guy but I want to see the Yondaime's daughter."
Below her the people of Konoha were in shock. The council, who had tried for years to get Naruto killed off, were outraged. And Sasuke was ready to kill. Naruto's friends and allies were tensed and ready to spring in any direction they deemed necessary even though they were mostly surprised as well. No one seemed to know quite what to think. First they were told the child who harbored the demon wasn't who they thought he was. That he wasn't a he at all but rather he was a she. Then they were told the demon wasn't as evil as they had always believed it was either. Then they were told the man who had massacred an entire clan of people wasn't the deranged murderer they thought he was or the traitor the council had labeled him to be. And to top it all off they had treated the only child of their acknowledged hero as if he were the scum of the earth and a nobody worth knowing.
Tsunade looked at her council and said directly to them, "I will no longer allow you to send Naruto/Natsu into areas of immense danger where in he could die easily. She is the child of the Yondaime and the mate of Hatake Kakashi. If you wish to see your life end, go ahead and threaten her again. I'm sure Kakashi would be happy to show you why that is a bad idea. A very bad idea. My point is from this day forth I will not allow you to send Natsu outside this village without her mate to protect her and what I consider to be an adequate guard to keep her safe. She is the heir to the Yondaime and my heir to the Hokage's seat as well as being the only person who will be able to give Kakashi an heir as well. As you may or may not realize, Hatake's only have one mate per lifetime. So go ahead and kill his mate. You will end all the bloodlines she represents. In her veins, runs not only the blood of the Namikaze line but also the Uzumaki line. And being the mate of Kakashi she holds the continuation of the Hatake line in her hands."
Then she turned and reentered her chambers followed by Shizune who was in just as much shock as the rest of the populace. "Why did you never tell me any of this? I mean for years I have followed you and never once did you even hint to me that Naruto might not be as I thought. Did I disappoint you in some way?"
"Iie, Shizune. I didn't tell you about Natsu because it was not my secret to tell. I know a secret is only a secret so long as there aren't a lot of people who know it. Before today only four people have ever known Natsu existed. Sarutobi-Sensei knew because there were times he needed to help power the transformation henge. Iruka knew because someone had to teach her how to be a kunoichi and about the difference she could expect to undergo as a female from the things boys go through. And Kakashi knew because, like me, he was there when she was born and Minato insisted he be allowed to hold her before she was hidden from the eyes of the village. But other than that no one knew. And it was meant to stay that way until we deemed the village to have come out of the darkness far enough to wish to protect her above everything. The only reason I revealed it today is because I believe the village is ready to do that and the council needs to understand who they were putting at risk. They also need to know they do not have the support of the people the way they believe they do."
Shizune thought about it. "Do you think they will get the point? They can be incredibly stubborn."
"Probably not until they get their old bones knocked around some by the younger generation a few times. I expect them to come barging through that door in a few minutes to demand to know Natsu's whereabouts under the guise of sending bodyguards to protect her from harm."
Shizune snickered as sure enough the council filed into the office beyond the private quarters where she and Shizune were talking. "Tsunade, get out here," demanded Danzo.
"Mind yourself, twerp." To Shizune she said in a more quiet tone, "Although Kyuubi may have disabled some of his equipment, including his brain, she missed his balls." Shizune covered her mouth as she snickered and flushed red at the implication.
"We are the council and we demand your presence right now," Danzo said obviously angry.
"I don't care if you are the Fire Lord himself's council members. I am changing and I will come out only when I am ready to. You serve me, Asshole. I don't serve you and, if you want to keep your balls hanging between your legs then, you will shut up and wait until I am finished."
Several of the council backed away from Danzo just in case Tsunade really did want to hurt the brash man. Danzo himself gulped. He had allowed himself to get worked up over being duped and had forgotten the new Hokage was known for her fearsome temper. He decided to say nothing else until she came out herself to face the wrath of the council. He had no doubt the whole council felt the same way he did but knew that most of them were not as brave as he was when it came to standing up to the pretensions of the Hokage.
Tsunade and Shizune finished their tea in her personal chambers. They talked of Natsu and Naruto and the difference between the two personalities of the child. To Tsunade, Natsu was a child because, even though in the ninja world she was an adult and had been since she'd become a genin, she was only fifteen. In the back of her mind she acknowledged the fact that by approving this trip she had in fact given her consent to a union between Natsu and Kakashi but she left that knowledge sitting undisturbed where it was. She definitely didn't want to think about the semi-sheltered little girl she had brought into this world lying in a man's arms. Finally there was no more tea in the pot and she sighed before standing up and squaring her shoulders.
She entered the office with Shizune on her heels. Danzo greeted her with, "I thought you said you were changing. That's the same clothes you were wearing when you gave your speech of lies."
"I lied. So sue me. But I did not lie during my speech. Naruto is Natsu and she is the Yondaime's only child. She does hold the three bloodlines I mentioned in the palm of her hands and what's more, as the holder of the strongest of the known tailed demons, she holds in her subconscious the ability to increase this villages fighting strength. All dojutsu and bloodline traits come from demons or did you all forget that too? She herself could have asked Kyuubi at any time to grant her a dojutsu and the demon probably would have jumped at the chance. But she didn't. She never wanted one. She saw how arrogant and abusive most of those who have them are and decided it was not for her. She decided she gets enough grief from you idiots to have to deal with that crap also. And hai I do know what I am talking about because I asked her why she hadn't asked Kyuubi for one yet. Unlike you idiots, I actually talk to Natsu instead of simply ordering her around like she's a mindless drone."
"We do not treat her as anything more than she is," snarled Danzo. "She is nothing more or less than a beast in human skin. I refuse to accept that she is someone important to this village or anyone the villagers would ever accept as one of them. She is a blight upon this village but so long as she lives she can be made useful to us. Now you will tell us where she is so we may go bring her back. There is something she needs to do and it can not wait until she is done playing around as if she were human."
He had barely finished speaking before he was struck from three directions at once. Hiashi struck him in the back with a chakra loaded palm to the spine. Shizune shot a load of senbon into sensitive areas of his body and Tsunade used her massive strength to punch him in the gut. By the time the attackers had backed off Danzo was a crumpled heap on the ground.
"Never speak of Yondaime's child like that again in my presence," declared Hiashi.
"You wanted to know where the brat was also Hiashi," said Koharu.
"Hai I did and I do, but not to send her on another pointless mission in a feeble attempt to get her killed. I want to know where she is to send my clan for added security until they return home." He gulped. "Hinata may not seem to be a strong girl but I guarantee you she knows quite well how to make my life miserable if I do not do as she would like. Though she is my daughter and the clan council thinks she is unfit to run the clan she has run the household for the last several years and that includes planning the menu and even lending a hand in fixing the meals." It was a long speech for him but explained a lot. Everyone knew of Hinata's devotion to Naruto and they had no doubt that if she was indeed in charge of the household as Hiashi said she could indeed make life miserable for the Hyuuga clan.
Tsume, the head of the Inuzuka clan, stepped forward. "My clan has known for a long time now about the child. We have taken it upon ourselves to watch over her from the shadows. Every member of the clan has been told upon threat of being expelled from the clan and the loss of their canine companion to keep her secret. Even Kiba, who is our youngest member to actually know her, knew better than to expose her secret. We did this because we serve the Hokage. We do not serve the council or the village. Our pack leader is the Hokage and we serve the person who holds that role. Both Sarutobi-sama and Tsunade-sama made their support of Natsu clear and it was their wish that she be protected from harm. That was good enough for me and for my clan."
Shibi, the head of the Aburame clan stepped forward. "My clan knew as well. We did not speak of it for the simple reason that we understood why she would not wish anyone to know. Her life as a boy was hard enough within this village. If they had known they were dealing with a little girl instead. . ." he trailed off leaving the rest of his sentence as a given.
Shikato, Chouza and Inoichi just shrugged. They hadn't known Naruto was anything other than what he appeared to be but then they had never really cared one way or the other. None of them had ever tried to harm the kid. Nor did they allow anyone else to do so in their presence but they had never gone out of their way to protect him either. Truth was, they were far more concerned with their own kids than they were with anyone else's.
"Anyway," said Tsunade. "I will not tell you where they went. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I don't know. Natsu is having the first vacation of her life and she is perfectly safe in the arms of her husband. I will not interrupt their time alone by telling you where she is. Kakashi has been given the task of trying to talk her into dropping her alter-ego form when they come home again but given the way this council has treated her I can't even guarantee she will come back once she sees what it is to live as a regular person with someone who loves her."
"Wait a minute," screamed Koharu. "Are you trying to say she may become a missing nin and you don't even know where to begin looking for her?"
"Hai but if she does it's your own fault. You are the one that got her listed in the bingo books by sending her out on missions you hoped would get her killed."
Tsume paled, "Which side of her is listed in the bingo books? Maybe it isn't that bad."
"Oh it's that bad alright. Both Naruto and Natsu have their own listings." Tsunade took a bunch of copies of different country's bingo books and set them on her desk. She indicated the council should take them and see for themselves. All those who feared for the Yondaime's heir's safety paled as they saw again the face of the young person they had been risking for years in the books. Both her female form and her male form were shown under their own headings. The only good thing that could be said was that apparently none of the countries seemed to have realized the two were one and the same person. But now that the council knew there was no way they would sleep easy that night or any other until Kakashi brought his wife home.
Homaru nearly had a heart attack and Koharu did have a slight stroke upon seeing the double faces. Hiashi almost whimpered when he realized he would have to tell Hinata he could not send branch members to protect her friend. Tsume and Shibi however were plotting.
"Ok," said Tsume. "This is what we do then. I will call upon my clan to find her trail and a selected group of trusted individuals which will not include any of the Ne will follow her trail. As the child of the Yondaime she is too important to be risked this way even if it is her honeymoon. Nor will I risk the village losing it's next Hokage, since you have named the girl as your successor."
"My clan will aide this effort. Natsu/Naruto is an expert when it comes to hiding her signature. Kakashi is no slouch at it as well and I am sure both of them considered they might be trailed."
"Oh she would have hidden her trail for certain if she knows of her dual listings in the bingo books and chances are, she does," said Shikato. Everyone looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "What? Shika told me once that Naruto had everyone fooled into thinking he was an idiot. He said and I quote, "I've never met a smarter idiot than Naruto", unquote. I dismissed it at the time as not being worth the trouble of thinking about but ever since Tsunade began speaking to us I have been reviewing everything I know about the kid. I find my son was right. A smarter idiot has never been born."
"Well, I understand that you wish to protect her now but it isn't going to happen. I promised her a month off to just be a normal human person and that is what I am going to give her. She will come home with Kakashi when the month is up if he is successful in convincing her to return. I know she is very tired and she needs this break far more than any of you will ever know. Besides I have my own reasons for wanting to make sure she has some alone time with her mate."
"What do you mean?" asked Haruno Kiku.
"I am hoping she comes home pregnant with Kakashi's child. I want to see what kind of bloodline Kyuubi will grant their child." Tsunade smirked as the council paled even more. Now her comment about the birth of every bloodline and dojutsu made sense. Of course, the holder of a demon would have special children.
Danzo, from his position on the floor, was wheezing and frowning. He didn't care one way or the other about children that did not yet exist. Weapons that hadn't yet been designed or made were of no use. He cared more for the weapons he knew to be real and effective than he did any so called upgrades on the drawing board. And so he was determined to bring the girl back in chains if he had to. No way was he letting Konoha lose it's best weapon simply because this foolish Hokage saw a real girl instead of the weapon she actually was. If she died in combat he would deal with it. After all it was expected that weapons would break after a certain number of uses. But damned if he was just going to shelve such a damn good weapon without a fight about it. Tsunade's next words made his blood run cold.
"If I find out any one of you has ordered her retrieval or sent someone to find her and interrupt her honeymoon I will not hesitate to order your execution. Your head will be mounted on my office wall and used for target practice every time I get angry and we all know my fists are my weapons of choice. If you are lucky that will be after your execution date and not before. Am I clear?" She was looking Danzo straight in the eye.
Some of them were audibly gulping in fear but they all nodded to indicate they got the message. "Now I want you to get out of here and into the streets. I think it's about time you actually heard what your fellow villagers think of the way things are in the Leaf. I believe those of you who have been bending over backwards to rid the people of Naruto while dancing on the head of pin to amuse Sasuke have a lot to learn about the view of your compatriots. I want you to listen to the people. Do not talk. Just listen. Anyone I do not see in the streets listening to the people will lose their seat on my council. I do not need fools serving me. Anyone I see doing more talking than listening will also lose their seat. You can not say you represent the people if you have to tell them what they think and feel. Now get out of here." She pointed at the door and they shuffled out.
While the council was learning what they'd long since forgotten about their position as council members, Kakashi and Natsu settled into her cabin on the shore of a large lake in Wave Country.
End of Part Two
Author Note: Ok I know this is the longest thing I have ever loaded as a single thing. . . I think. But there was just so much that needed to be covered and the more correcting and proof-reading of it that I did the more I found needed to be said so. . . ummm. I just decided I'd better quit proofing it before it becomes the whole story. After all there's still Part Three to go. But the good news is, there are only three parts. And for those of you who are stressed out over this blame my kids. They're home for Xmas break and I'm typing in order to stay sane. Arguments over who had the better Xmas present or who's turn to watch a show or be on their comp . . . Ahhhh. It's time to tune out.