I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!
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First Arc: Ripples in Time
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"We had an agreed upon speech that he differed from noticeably. This is a breach of conduct on his part." A middle aged man with graying hair and a crippled arm had a stern look on his face as he stared around the half-circle of gathered shinobi.
"Come off it, Danzou. The man was speaking about his son and family there. I'm sure the Hokage had a perfectly good reason for revealing something of that nature." A black haired young man, hair pulled back in a ponytail, glowered at the other man. His chin sported a goatee and a set of scars flanked above and below his right eye.
"As much as he broke conduct by altering the speech, he was within his rights as both our Hokage and as a clan head, Danzou-san." A man wearing dark sunglasses and a trench coat assisted the younger clan head.
"Thank you Shibiki. I also would like to formally state, that I, Nara Shikaku, along with Inoichi Yamanaka and Chouza Akimichi support the Hokage's decision." The man with the ponytail nodded towards his teammates on his right and left. One was blond and skinny with blue eyes, and the other had long reddish brown hair and a heavy set build.
"Regardless, he has presented us with a troubling position as the village council. While some will see his son as the demon himself, there is also a need to preserve the image of the Hokage's lineage." A man with long black hair, and expressionless white eyes glanced between the various individuals. Long, delicate seeming hands, were drawn from within the man's fine white kimono. "On the one hand, we know now the reason why both Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki were brought to the leaf village in the first place..." A light breeze sound was heard at this point, almost imperceptible, like a bird quietly taking flight. Not one of the council members looked up at the disturbance.
"...On the other hand, we now have to deal with the public's concern about the type of secrets that are being kept from them. If the public reacts negatively to this news, there will be more questions asked about certain clan's secrets that others might find…discomforting." White eyes turned towards Fugaku Uchiha, whose brown hair covered red eyes with spinning tomoes. A breeze gusted once more in the room, this time powerful enough to rustle the various papers laid out on the tables.
Following the breeze, a tall young man stood in the center of the circle, blonde hair covering cerulean blue eyes that pierced each individual they passed over. "I was to understand that the council was set to meet tomorrow. Surely there is a good reason why the Hokage did not merit an invitation to such an event?" The voice that spoke was flippant, but there was a biting tone hidden beneath. Staring around the room, hard eyes of ice settled upon each individual only long enough to fluster the person. The only one that drew slight smile from the man was the one with the crippled arm. He managed to hold his gaze long enough to unsettle the other members of the council. The slight smirk from the Hokage though did Danzou in, causing the older gentleman to grimace slightly before casting his eyes downward.
"I know what I said up there was slightly ad libed, I do hope you'll forgive me for that. However, I have called here someone from the ANBU corps to help supplement my decision." At this, the Hokage stepped slightly to the side, revealing a young man by his side. The young teenager seemed to hold onto a brush and scroll very tightly, with a bowl cut of black hair and black eyes. "This young man's name is Sado Unishiro, and he has the ability to create ink images of anything he sees by channeling chakra into the scroll as his brush lays against it." The young man nodded at this, opening the scroll and placing his brush against it. As he did, an image began to take shape of the meeting room, right down to the deepening scowl of Danzou.
"With the help of Yamanaka-san, I will be able to create a full account for that night allowing for credibility and verification by outside sources. Yamanaka-san, along with Unishiro-san will enter my mind in the presence of the council. What memories they uncover will be painted clearly for the council to see. It is at that time that you will understand the full reason why I took the measures I did today." With that, the Hokage nodded at another one of the members of the council. The blonde that was sitting next to Shikaku Nara rose and made his way to the floor. Save for the fact that the blonde hair was slightly darker in color, the man could have been Minato's brother or cousin. The near look-alike left his seat and ventured into the circle in front of the council.
Several of the members of the council were ruffled by this turn in events, but did nothing as the three stood next to one another. The blonde council member placed one of his hands gently on the Hokage's brow, the other one set down upon the youth's head. As the images began to progress onto the scroll, the council was first drawn to the fact that the Hokage had been fearful of his wife's birth.
There he sat, his hand upon his wife's seal, holding back the power of the fox while his wife struggled to bring Naruto into the world. Not long after the birth though, there came the appearance of the masked man. Several of the council were surprised by the quick reactions of the Hokage, his movements rescuing the newborn from the assailants grasp. Still, his teleportation away from the masked man was unexpected. More so than this was when the Hokage returned instantly to his wife's side, albeit too late to stop the emergence of the demon fox, before disappearing back to his hideaway. Laying his wife next to their newborn son, the man left again to face the masked assailant.
They watched in awe as the two powerful ninja combated one another, space itself coming undone in order for each to gain a necessary upper hand. There however, was one audible gasp at the proclamation of the mysterious ninja's identity. Fugaku Uchiha moved to leave the chamber, but was held in place by the eyes of the rest of the council. Still, the brown haired clan head was highly disturbed to hear the infamous Madara implicated in the Demon Fox attack. The images concluded with the arrival of the Fourth in Konoha, and the subsequent plea of Sarutobi to be taken with them.
"Minato, I have not much life left in this world. The duty of a shinobi, and a hokage, are for the young. Let me use what few remaining years I have to extend the number of yours and your wife." The third's eyes seemed to plead to his replacement, and the blonde haired shinobi nodded ascension. Together, they left with the Demon Fox of Konoha. Through the interventions of Kushina and Sarutobi, the fox was restrained, both by chains of chakra and bonds of grasping earth. The council watched on as the Fourth Hokage placed a powerful sealing jutsu onto his son, the final movements marking the child as ready for the final act. As the third performed nine rapid seals, the council watched as the fox was drawn toward the sealing jutsu by the powerful chakra chains.
The fox thrashed against his restraints, but was pulled in against all odds, reaching close enough for Sarutobi to grasp onto him completely. Minato turned towards the Hokage at this point, his hand holding out a single green crystal gem. "This was left to me by Tsunade. Apparently, she decided I was worth it to risk fate on one more time. We'll seal half in Naruto, and half in this crystal, which I'll keep for now." The third nodded at this, and reached out to begin the sealing process. As quickly as the shinigami reached the fox, the demon was stripped of its power, splitting between the crystal and the blonde baby. Even through the painting, the calm quiet that descended upon the clearing was seemingly audible.
The Third panted, his eyes slowly beginning to close. "I want you to know, Minato, of my last words to the village. Let them know that these words must lead them in the years to come." Kushina struggled to sit up, and moved over beside the older man. She helped him to lie down, as Minato leaned close to his side.
"When tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fires shadow will illuminate the village, and the tree leaves will bud anew." The Fourth nodded at the proverb, and the third smiled, reaching out his hand toward that of Naruto. "This one is the one Jiraiya's prophecy spoke of, of that I am sure. He will need the power of both the fox, and his parents, if he is to assure the future." Minato nodded, and scooping up the tired old man in his arms, teleported the four of them to the hospital. The council watched as Kushina was rushed to the E.R., along with Naruto. Minato in turn left for an emergency meeting with the clan heads, and the images of the night began to fade. The ink finally ran black as the mind reading jutsu was brought to an end.
The council was silent for awhile as the last statement took hold over the council. "I believe I speak for the entirety of the council when I state that divination is hardly looked upon positively for making decisions, Lord Hokage." This was leveled by the bandaged man, looking directly towards the Hyuuga on the council. It was well known that the Hyuuga, beyond having the ability to see far into the physical distance, had developed several techniques for verifying divinations. The one given by Jiraiya though had been tested the most by the all-seeing eye. However, it was known for being impossible to verify, it's wording so vague and meaning so unclear that nothing could be determined with certainty in this claim.
"While divination is not well looked upon, the judgment of the enemy ninja's skills seem to be perfectly correct. There is not, to my knowledge, another ninja in known existence at the moment that has mastered space manipulation jutsu. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that this ninja would be someone who is possibly not known of currently." The calm voice of the Aburame clan head cut through the growing dissent of the council room. Glances were exchanged between members, before Fugaku spoke up personally.
"Lord Hokage, there is something I must report to the council at this time. On the night of the attack of the nine tailed fox, my wife and I were positioned to intercept a non-confirmed missing-nin outside of the village. On the night of the attack, we were completely overpowered during the moment we met with the target." Fugaku looked down at this moment, his pride causing him to falter. "During the attack, we noticed only the color of the mask of the assailant. It was the same as the one that attacked you later that night. We were both overcome though through the use of a terribly powerful genjutsu, one only accessible to those highly skilled in the use of the Sharingan. In fact, Madara is the last person we believe to have achieved this level of skill." Fugaku had his fists balled at his sides as he said this, his voice tight and his eyes squinting shut. There had been many lives lost that night, many of them from the Uchiha. It was hard to admit that the clan founder was the cause for this destruction.
The Hokage nodded his head at this, before turning to look Danzou in the eyes. Everyone in the room could sense the tension at this moment; the bickering between the Third Hokage and the warbird were well known already. To make matters worse, the tradition had passed down a generation to be continued by the Yondaime. "Danzou, though the divination possibly concerning Naruto's future will probably never be verified, the actions of Madara seem to hint that it would be wise to prepare him as well as possible. There will be need for Konoha to have a more powerful jinchuuriki than prior in the years to come." At this, the Hokage turned toward a shadowed corner of the council, out of which Jiraiya appeared.
"There have been rumors of new Jinchuuriki being formed in the last few years." The white haired man stepped forward, documents pulled from inside his red outer robe. "These are the info packets on four elder Jinchuuriki, two in Kumo and two in Iwa. In addition, I managed to gather information on the newest formed one in Suna." At this, the large man frowned, seemingly distraught by the last file. "They used a slightly less-secure seal with the Ichibi, though it has managed to create a demon container that will have a far closer relationship with its Bijuu."
The council quieted at this, looking over the papers presented. The details presented showed that at least the two in Iwa were not being treated properly. The reports told of the ninja being faced with death threats constantly, and being given dangerous suicide missions. Dangerous suicide missions they were handily completing. "With these accounts, we know of the location of the one, two, four, five, eight, and nine tailed beasts. We can assume then that Kirigakure has the three tail, and possibly also the six tail." Jiraiya paused as he looked the council squarely in the eyes. "The last known jinchuuriki then is the seven tail, which we know to be contained by our ally Takigakure. I don't need to inform you all how dangerous it is that I could easily get information about the different Bijuu, especially if someone like Madara is hunting them." Jiraiya made a very careful attempt to stare down the entire council, before moving forward and pocketing the reports. He made a motion to make for the door, before a cry came out from Danzou.
"Jiraiya, if there is indeed this much information available, what are you suggesting we do about Naruto?" Jiraiya paused at this. He knew the response he wished to give, but also knew that Minato would not like it if he spoke his mind. Grimacing, the old sage turned to face the council.
"My recommendation would be to train Naruto as powerfully as possible. If the prophecy I was given comes to pass, he will need all the power he can get. At the same time, he is going to need to be able to communicate and interact positively with his village." The towering man sighed, seeming as if a mountain had settled on his shoulder. "He needs to become a living weapon and symbol for our village."
A pin could have dropped in the pervading silence, the entire council wrapped in thought. Danzou could be seen smirking behind his desk, his smile reminiscent of a snake eying cornered prey.
"I couldn't agree more with that assessment, Jiraiya-sama." Minato looked over towards the door, causing Jiraiya's eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. The older man was not alone in this, as many of the council's stoic features registered notable shock. 'I think I might be hanging around Kushina too much, that was kind of fun…' Minato turned to look at the rest of the council. "That is in fact the reason I made the proclamations that I did. If the village is to have a symbol, it is best he be announced at a time when he will generate the most response from the populace." Minato smirked as he saw the gears turning behind Danzou's mind, the smile on his face growing as the warhawk's withered. "As for the chakra crystal, that will be kept in the possession of each of the following Kage's, and will be kept as an S-Class Secret from now on. It will be our trump card in the face of invasion, allowing a Kage to access a terribly powerful amount of chakra within a moment's notice." Minato pulled a necklace from within his shirt; on it hung a single gem, completely blood red in color, with seals placed on every side of it and on the chain upon which it was hanging. It pulsed with a dark red hue, the color of recently dried blood painting the room. The feeling of murderous intent hung ominously in the air.
Minato lowered the gem down back into his cloaks. The feeling quickly passed as the dread totem passed from sight. "With that being said I need to ask that several guards from each clan be selected to watch over my family while I am serving as the Hokage. I will be expecting the guards to report to my house in three days to begin watching the house." A cough was heard from a corner of the room that had not spoken up yet.
A woman with spiky brown hair, slitted eyes, and red fang-like marking on her cheeks drew the attention of the council. "Lord Hokage, I am not sure if we have been formerly introduced. My name is Tsume Inuzuka, and I am the wife of Toboe Inuzuka. I am representing him on the council today. In light of the foxes attack, I think we might need more time to be with our families." The woman looked fiercely down at the Hokage, her gaze unwavering.
"I understand your desire to be with your family Tsume. However, when the Kyuubi was extracted from Kushina, it left her chakra coils permanently damaged. She will thus not be up to active duty ability for approximately four years, at the least. Even then, she will never be stronger than a chuunin at this rate." The words unsettled the fierce woman, causing her to look down at her papers. Kushina had been known as a powerful kunoichi, fearsome in her own right. A sigh escaped her, and she nodded her head in consignment. Similar motions were mimicked around the table, ending with the pushing back of several council chairs. "I will expect your choices at the estates in three days. I am sorry for placing this burden on the entire village." The clan heads all shook their heads again, this time with a rueful smile. Danzou surprised them all to be the one to speak up with a light tone in his voice.
"While I may not agree with some of your policies, Yondaime, it is no secret that you have the support of this village. It will be interesting to see what your reign will bring to Konoha." The others nodded at this, before turning and leaving from the room.
Minato sighed, and turned to look at Jiraiya. "I'm surprised you sent a clone to a meeting with the council. Is being with your godson that important to you, sensei?" The doppelganger smirked at this, before shaking his head.
"You've still got a lot to learn, Minato, about what it means to have a family. Yes, Naruto is that important right now. So hurry up and get home, so you can see your son." A puff of smoke later left the blonde alone in an empty council room. He smirked as he left, realizing how despite all the years since he completed his training, Jiraiya still seemed to be so much wiser. 'I hope Naruto can grow up like that, I want him to be as perceptive as my teacher'. Minato smiled ruefully, pulling out his trustworthy kunai.
As the Hokage teleported to his office, he reached over and picked up the documents on the table. The details of destruction had already been assembled, but reconstruction plans for Konoha were not presented to him yet, though he knew a few changes he would make to the overall layout of the village. A message however had been delivered while he was with the council. It bore the marks of an official diplomatic letter from Sunagakure. Sighing, Minato reached out and opened the scroll.
Glancing quickly over the document, Minato brought a hand to his forehead and sighed. 'So, the Kazekage wants to establish a political marriage with Konoha. Guess that day was bound to happen sooner or later. Oh well, there are years yet to think on this, the treaty renewal isn't due for six more years or so.' Minato rolled up the scroll, tucking it into his coat. There was time yet to think on that, and the office seemed to be too much of a painful reminder at the moment. Pulling his trusty kunai out once more, Minato began to focus his chakra on the seal encrusted item.
"Time to go see my favorite people" In a flash of yellow, the Fourth Hokage left his office. A single wooden pipe rested on the desk, a memento to the predecessor's legacy.
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Well, there it is, chapter two. The next chapter will wrap up the events concerning the time immediately after the demon fox attack. After that, there will be a bit of a time skip, namely seven or eight years. The time jump will occur right around the kidnapping at the Hyuuga estate, and will probably be split into a bit of a story arc. I'm taking some aggressive liberties with the timeline for the next couple of events, though it will skip around such that the Uchiha massacre, the Hyuuga incident, and a couple other noteworthy moments all happen within the same year. Hopefully this will get us the last little distance we need before I jump again to the time after the academy years. Here's to good holiday weather for everyone! Catch you next time! As always, read and review!