Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies I don't know.
Original upload date: 24/01/2013
Last update: 27/01/2013
Chance for a Prophecy
Chapter 8. – Leaders
Toroku suddenly jerked up from his bed, facing the window in front of him. The plain moonlight leaked inside the small room, painting everything in silver. The boy slowly leaned forward to sit crossed legs and buried his head into his laps, trying to calm down his quickly beating heart. After a long minute his panting died down as he caught his breath, leaving the room in complete silence except the distance tick of the clock. The drenched shirt was sticking onto his skin like glue; a shiver ran down on his body from the disgusting feeling.
A sigh left his mouth as he peeked at the alarm clock next to the bed. 'Three in the morning. Damn.' He leaned back as he closed his eyes again in the hope that maybe his adrenaline flushed body could still settle down and fall back to sleep again. He threw out the idea. It was impossible for his alarm ready body to sink back into a dream. Maybe into another nightmare. He shook his head to ease the already slowly vanishing scenes of him struggling in a sewer in ankle deep water, the rusty door without a handle and that thing behind it, grumbling only meters from him. Another sigh left his mouth and he slowly headed towards the bathroom for a lifesaving shower.
A small group gathered in Minato's apartment as it was a direct order from him to be there exactly on time, especially underlined for Kakashi who, to everyone's surprise, showed up on time. The whole team and Kushina were sitting impatiently in the living room waiting for the one who ordered absolute punctuality.
The redhead seemed to be the most irritated, given how she was sitting on the couch and leaning against her palm while she tapped her cheek with remarkable speed.
"If he doesn't arrive soon I'm going to kill him…he will be expelled from the bedroom to sleep on this couch if he doesn't appear in the next thirty seconds." Toroku and Rin shared a low chuckle at the rambunctiousness of Kushina. The always stoic Kakashi doesn't confute his name as he just rolled his eyes, picked up a glass of water, and turned towards the group.
"Nobody knows what he is up to with this little gathering?"
"Nothing, he just gave the instructions and then disappeared without any word."
"The same for me." Toroku nodded in agreement with everyone else. A moment later Toroku smiled when the familiar chakra signature reached them from the bedroom.
"Sorry, I was detained." Minato let an apologetic smile appear on his face as he moved closer to the group.
"You know, you were only three seconds from sleeping on the couch," Toroku added cheekily and glanced toward Kushina who nodded and sent an angry look to Minato.
"So why are we here sensei?" With curiosity in her eyes, Rin looked up at the blond who started grinning from ear to ear, gathering confused looks from everybody.
"I asked you to be here because Kushina lost a bet."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kushina snorted and looked up at him with an annoyed look, but Minato stayed silence.
"We are here for an idiotic bet?" Toroku muttered giving an angry glance toward the still grinning Minato. Kakashi and Rin stayed silent while frowning. The blonde's smile became almost hysterical and Kushina stared at him with the biggest frown she could manage before she slowly asked.
"Exactly which bet are you talking about?!"
"I'm talking about THE bet." The frown slowly melted away from Kushina's face and replaced by a suspicious glance, earning confused look from everybody else in the room.
"You mean THE bet?" Minato nodded still grinning like a maniac.
"No way…" Kushina's mouth slowly opened, her eyes widened locked onto the blonde.
"Oh…Yes. The Sandaime had talked me yesterday and offered it."
Silence filled the room, leaving the still smiling Minato at the middle of the room. Within a blink of an eye in a speed which Minato could also envy, Kushina burst out toward the blond, clinging onto his neck and sending them down to the floor. Kushina and Minato were the main attraction for the rest of the team, who looked back and forth from each other's confused faces toward the other scene where Kushina was sitting on Minato's chest, laughing hysterically. Toroku cleared his throat to gain their attention with lack of success. The three teens patiently waited until the hysterical laughter were reduced into small chuckles and the two shinobi finally regained themselves from the floor.
"Soo, would you mind to tell us what the hell that was?" Toroku was the first to ask with a wondering tone toward Minato who never stopped smiling.
"The successor of the third Hokage is chosen dattebane." Kushina answered beside Minato who was holding his side because of the laughter.
"You! What I thought happened actually did?!" Kakaski throw away his stoic face, his eye now wide and he pointed a trembling finger towards the blonde's chest. Toroku moved his head around with a confused look then focused on Minato who bowed theatrically with a tawdry hand movement, still grinning.
"Let me introduce the fourth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato…Namikaze Minato."
After a second silence everyone but Minato burst out at the same time, rotating unbelief, congratulations and questions.
"Hey, hey just one at a time. I can't follow you."
"So that is why you and Orochimaru were summoned yesterday," Kakashi stated as he gathered back his stoic expression on the small visible part of his face. Minato only nodded as a reply.
"I would die to have seen the face that snake made when he realized that you are going to be elected instead of him." Minato sent a half smile toward Kushina.
"Well, he was stoic in the surface, but I bet my life that he was screaming like a girl on the inside."
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" Kushina sent an angry look toward the blond from her seat next to him.
"I wanted to announce it when you were together."
"It's already official?"
"Not yet Kakashi, the final council meeting will be the day after tomorrow, and the official announcement will still be after weeks. But Sarutobi want me to participate on the negotiation process, so it seems to be that I will be out of town a lot in the near future. He wants to hand over his paperwork as soon as possible to enjoy his retirement." The blond slowly chuckled at the thought.
"What will happen to the team Minato-sensei?" Rin was the one who finally asked the question which bothered the remaining team members. The blond shook his head slowly before he could answer.
"Actually I don't know yet. Until Sarutobi completely hands over the tasks we will be officially together. After that, it doesn't matter what will happen; we will remain team Minato."
The elder blond looked back with a soft, bittersweet smile. He also thought about this. There was no way that his referenced small team would stay together too long. Maybe they would get another jonin sensei, but that wasn't a long term option. Kakashi was already a jonin, miles away from Rin's level and Toroku…He eyed the teen in front of him, but when he started to turn his head he quickly averted his eyes to meet a pair of narrowed blue orbs: Kushina's.
"It's okay. We could meet anytime when we just want, right?" Rin answered with a soft smile, and broke the starting depression which slowly started to trail inside the others heads.
"Hey, this screams for a celebration doesn't it? Ramen?" Kushina rose from the couch and turned her big smile towards the team, receiving a wide grin from Toroku and positive nods from the others.
Toroku wandered slowly on the streets of Konoha, moving without any destination and guided only by pure instinct on the narrow streets that were far away from the city center. Toroku was bored. Minato had been with the Hokage for the last few days, so Toroku barely saw him, and today was the day for him to participate at the council meeting. Kushina and Kakashi were out on a mission and Rin barricaded herself in the Hospital. The boy kicked out a small innocent stone from his way to channel his frustration. Every training ground was already occupied. Most of them were young genins, or jounins, who he didn't know. Since he wasn't in the mood to speak with strangers to join any of them he ended up wandering back into the Village.
He reached a red bridge and a warm feeling trailed inside his thoughts. He felt happy as he leaned on the railing and started watching the small stream under his feet. 'Hokage…Minato going to be the fourth Hokage...' A strange mix of emotionsran through him when Minato announced it. Pride, as great as a mountain…and jealousy…it glared at him with his glowing green eyes like a monster under a child's bed in the night. He shook his head. He couldn't place the enormous jealousy he felt toward his brother. He let out a sigh and placed his head onto his hands on the bridge. 'I need some entertainment.'
He slowly closed his eyes and spread out his chakra in a thin, imperceptible layer to map his surroundings. A cheeky smile ran across his face when he found what he was looking for.
Minato arrived precisely at the time when Saurtobi asked. The council of Konoha gathered for the special announcement of the Third. However nobody told them the goal, but everybody had his or her own suspicion. The war was almost over and Sarutobi wasn't going to be younger. Perfect time to elect a new Hokage who could lead the Village out of the shadows of the war and gain new allies. The two men slowly approached the round meeting room where the council members had already gained their seats. Minato stayed in the background while Sarutobi moved to the highest chair placed in front of the door to the right of his two advisors and old team mate. The clan representatives, the leader of the shinobi forces sat around curved tables waiting patiently for the old man to finally settle down. Sarutobi cleared his throat before he started.
"Thank you for your attendance. I know that this is a hard time with everyone coordinating the rebuilding process." The Hokage left a small space to gather some small nods from the members before he continued.
"As you were already informed previously, the goal of the meeting is a special announcement. I felt that the time has come for me to step back from my seat." The shinobi in the room stayed calmed and silent, already prepared for this in advance.
"The goal of this meeting is to choose the fourth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato." Sarutobi let the silence fall onto the room as he eyed the members one by one, watching for any hints.
"My chosen successor is Namikaze Minato as the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha." Hiruzen moved his hand toward Minato, who started slowly approach toward the Sandaime to stand behind his seat.
"Before we continue, I have to ask if any attendees have other candidate for the position."
Sarutobi slowly eyed the members one by one again, waiting for any answers. Someone cleared his throat on his right and he slowly closed his eyes when it reached his ears. A man raised from his seat, in black and gray robe with black, shaggy hair. The half of his face was covered by bandages and an x shaped scar sat on his chin. Sarutobi let out a sigh and turned toward the aged shinobi.
"We are listening Danzo-san." The man cleared his throat again, slowly eying the members one by one.
"I nominate myself as the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato." Hiruzen nodded and turned toward the frowning but calm blond.
"I would like to give the first word to Danzo-sama, Hokage-sama." Minato bowed politely toward the standing man who nodded and slowly moved toward the center of the curved tables. His stoic expression never left his face.
"I nominated myself because Namikaze is not suitable for this position. The war isn't over yet and we should prepare our forces and straighten our position as the strongest hidden village of the elemental nations. He is the student of Jiraiya, the toad sannin who was the student of our current Hokage known as a liberal leader and unfortunately not a strong one. I'm confident that Jiraiya passed the same lecture onto his own student. The other Kages are all forceful and fearsome leaders and Konoha can't allow herself to show any weakness in times like this."
Danzo turned around to face with each council members and the stoic face of Sarutobi, carefully avoiding the emotionless face of Minato, while he let his sentences settle down before he continued.
"Konoha maybe will come out from the war on the winning side, but you already know what the price was. Dozens of young and talented shinobis died on the battlefields because Sarutobi didn't send more troops, despite the fact that Konoha's genin forces were not used."
Sarutobi frowned at the statement, but he stayed in total silence while watching the man with curiosity in his eyes. Eventually he cleared his throat.
"Danzo-sama, I would like to remind you that the purpose is this meeting is to elect our new Hokage and not to criticize my war tactics."
A half small smile appeared on a man's face at the right of Sarutobi. He was the Jonin commander, the head of the Nara clan and also the strategy advisor of the Sandaime; he had his dark hair tied up into a spiky ponytail with two long scars running across his face.
"It is essential to criticize your strategy, because if our new leader will be Namikaze, he will have inherited the same aspects. We have a powerful weapon, a great tool amongst our leaders and it wasn't used properly. We have the power of a bijuu, and the ninetail's vessel wasn't sent to direct battle during the years of the third shinobi war. We cannot allow Konoha to become weak after the war, or else she will be an easy prey to the other nations. We have to reinforce the current soft laws and straighten ourselves with a forceful and experienced leader and not someone almost out from the academy."
Danzo slowly turned around one more time before he left the center of the table and moved back to his seat. The blond felt his blood start to boil when Danzo talked about Kushina as a weapon, a mere tool of the war. He hardened himself and calmed down his increasing rage, concentrating to suppress the rising killing intent toward Danzo. Sarutobi nodded toward Minato who replaced himself in the center after he let out a long breath. He politely bowed one more time to every direction.
"It is true that the war isn't over yet. The hard part is just starting with the negotiations, which could give lifelong enemies or also new alliances. The Kages and the representatives need a well-known name and not a faceless shadow, who almost never appeared in public nor took any real part of the previous fights..."
Minato let a small silence before he continued, facing the narrow eyes of Danzo.
"The responsibilities of a Kage are to sacrifice everything for his Village and it couldn't be done from the background. I was at the battlefields, I saw the enemies and met the Kages. Maybe I am young, but I am not inexperienced in the life of the shinobi by watching it from the shadows. The strategy of the third ninja war was made to save as many lives as we just could. If we had sent out the newly formed genin teams without any real experience they would be dead. Yes, maybe some of our higher ranked shinobi would have survived, but it would have come at the cost of our next generation." He turned around again.
"Danzo-sama said that Konoha needs a forceful leader who will lead the village into a completely military state. The Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato should serve the welfare of his people and not the other way around. Shinobi are not tools of power. There are enough names on the memorial stone. Konoha needs someone who will lead the village out from the darkness of war and not deeper into it."
"You speak about yourself as the light." Danzo stated calmly without any expression.
"I am the Yellow Flash of Konoha. I am more the light which warms up the leaves than the roots growing under the shadows." Danzo's only visible eye twitched at retort.
"A real shinobi remains anonymous. Hiding in the shadows, waiting patiently; that is the true form of a ninja and not open to the word, spreading around his jutsus."
"Maybe the shinobi world needs change Danzo-sama. Changes that someone who was raised by the old world cannot afford." Danzo didn't make any comment and Minato tapped his own shoulder in his mind.
"Thank you for your time." Minato bowed once again and moved back to his original place next to Hiruzen, who by then was slowly eyeing the members again.
"If there are no more questions or comments…" Sarutobi waited for a few second, waiting for any movement. When nothing came he nodded, more to himself then to the council members.
"I hereby open the vote. I Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha and the leader of the Sarutobi clan, support Namikaze Minato as the Youndaime Hokage." The old Hokage turned to his right, waiting for the other members to vote.
"I Nara Shikaku as the representation of the Nara clan and as the Jonin Commander of Konoha shinobi forces stand for Namikaze Minato as the fourth Hokage."
"ANBU will follow Namikaze Minato." The blond let a smile spread across his face when he heard the short statement of the ANBU captain. 'An ANBU will always stay ANBU. Never out of the line.'
"As the delegate of the Uchiha clan, I Uchiha Fugaku support Shimura Danzo as the new leader of the village."
"I Shimura Danzo as the head of the council vote for myself." The old shinobi stated without even opening his eyes.
"The Akimichi clan supports Namikaze Minato as the Yondaime."
"Yamanaka Inoichi as the representative of the Yamanaka Clan supports Namikaze Minato." Inoichi sent a warm smile toward the blond.
"I, Hyuuga Hiashi as the Hyuuga clan's leader vote for Namikaze Minato-san."
"The Aburame clan of Konoha will also support Namikaze Minato as the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha."
"The Inuzuka clan also votes for Namikaze Minato."
"Mitokado Homura as the advisor of the Sandaime Hokage will vote for Namikaze Minato."
Minato surpressed a chuckle as he saw Danzo's eye twitch and his stoic expression leave his face, replaced by a frown. 'You didn't think about this, did you? That your old friends would vote for me, Heh? Old war hawk.' A smirk formed inside his mind, but he regained himself to not let it spread across his face.
"Utatane Koharu, adviser of the third Hokage will support Namikaze Minato." Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a relieved sigh and he let a small smile to spread on his face.
"Then the decision is made. The next leader of the village, the Youndaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, will be Namikaze Minato.
The young teen walked on the cobble without any noise as he passed by a high bamboo fence. Distant chuckling could be heard all over the place, echoing from the panels back and forth. The pale smell of sulfur encompassed the place around the steaming water spots around the curving cobble. Toroku moved toward the end of the passage, when he heard another giggle behind a big camellia bush. It was deeper, though still childish. A frown appeared on his face as he realized that someone was able to almost perfectly hide from his senses. He turned around and slowly approached the bush to sneak a peek behind it. A cocky smile spread on his face and he moved toward the crunching form next to the fences without any noise. The teen stopped next to the white haired man and sat down crossed legs, while he ran wind chakra onto his trigger-finger's pad and pushed it onto the bamboo to lean toward the newly made small hole.
"Anything interesting?"
"Oh, yes the blond in the corner a second ago lost her towel and when she…" The white haired, middle aged men's head flung toward the teen, to face the profile of a head, mostly shroud with brown locks peeking into the baths by a new whole.
"I was occupied I think. I didn't sense you."
"I'm that good old man."
"I'm not old!" The brown haired teen didn't turn toward him. Instead he just shrugged, his eyes still attached to the hole.
"You are just an old pervert." The white haired man eyed the teen from head to toe carefully, waiting for him to turn around to finally face him, but he didn't move.
"Look who is speaking…" He narrowed his eyes as he felt the thin, almost insensible layer of chakra on his face and hair, the obvious sign of a henge.
"I'm just a healthy and curious teenager…while you are an old pervert." The white haired man snorted and turned back to his own hole.
"What's the henge for?" The teen shrugged still focused on the inside.
"Incognito…" The man chuckled at the statement but he stopped when he felt the approaching presence of somebody else on a distant tree, lurking behind the shadows of the leafs.
"And I thought I could be by myself a little bit more. Man, I had just arrived…" The man muttered quietly under his mouth to himself. The teen raised an eyebrow without turning around.
"What are you talking about?"
"About my masked company…"
"Oh, ANBU-chan belongs to me. She is my baby sitter. I thought I finally threw her off ten minutes ago but it seems she found me this time pretty quickly." The teen waved a hand toward the tree without turning around, earning a frustrated groan from the tree and a raised eyebrow from the white haired man. 'ANBU guard for a teenager?'
Toroku actually wanted to measure his ANBU's patience by waiting for her intervention. He was bored and he could think only about his favorite engagement. Annoying his ANBU guard in many many ways was always a good way to while away some time and it was also enjoyable. However sitting next to this stranger made his heart ache with the mix of sorrow and happiness continuously stinging his insides. But it was still a pleasant feeling. They just sat side by side for long minutes without any interruption. The only noise broke the pleasant silence between them was the small giggles from the white haired man next to him, making Toroku to smile and his heart to warm up. He focused his senses more to his companion then to the naked girls behind the fence, listening to his heartbeat, inhaling his scent of distant lands and something which reminded him of wet soil. His gentle and warm chakra signature continuously and slowly stroked his insides, forcing the boy to relax and his muscles to almost melt from the feeling. He slowly closed his eyes, completely forcing out everything else from his mind about the outer world and his surroundings. Complete peace fell upon him as the last remnants of the outside world left his senses.
Someone cleared his throat only centimeters behind them, forcing Toroku to turn around slowly. However he already knew what he would see: an angry Minato, his arms folded in front of his chest watching them with narrowed eyes.
"Eh, hi…" Toroku raised his hands behind his head to scratch the back of head in his embarrassment, but a cheeky smile still spread across his face.
"I'm not surprised by your behavior Jiraiya, but I never thought you found any company." Toroku glanced quickly towards the white haired man who didn't move from his hole, his eyes still fixed on the other side of the bamboo fence.
"Minato, you are too stiff…You should relax. Want a hole too? Just like in the good old times." The almost Hokage felt the increasing heat in his face as the blood flood into his cheeks.
"What?" Toroku snapped his head toward the white haired man with wide eyes, then glanced back and forth between the two men. 'Minato, a closet pervert!?'
"Do not crush my reputation!" Minato put his head into one of his hands, shaking it slowly, desperately trying to make the moment undone.
The white haired man softly chuckled and finally turned around and stood up from the hole to face Minato. He moved next to him and placed his hand onto his shoulders and finally had a chance to observe his peeking companion. A young teen rose up from the grass, maybe in his eighteens. The henge covered his whole body flawlessly. The teen observed him carefully, the chocolate brown orbs moved from his long white spiky hair tied together on his back, then dwelled on his forehead protector. The boy tilted his head to the side as his eyes moved toward the two red lines ran down on his face. Minato let out a sigh and waved a hand toward the teen.
"Come, I'll give you a lift…" Jiraiya felt as one of his eyebrows move up in his surprise, eyeing the teen with increased curiosity.
"It's okay, I can walk." Minato only rolled his eyes and waved his hand once more, forcing the teen to move closer after a sigh. The three males disappeared from the baths and with a second delay they were in the middle of the Hokage's office facing Sarutobi.
"Hokage-sama." Toroku bowed politely while feeling only a distant dull in his head. He turned to Minato, curious about his plans and the reasons why he even wanted him here.
"It's good to see you again old man." The white haired man moved toward the desk and the village leader, earning a raised eyebrow from the teen.
"The same for you, my old friend. I thought you wouldn't return until the next week." The white haired man just shrugged.
"I picked them up at the bathhouses. They were enjoying the sight." Sartobi moved his eyes to the teen who was scratching his cheeks. Chuckling, Hiruzen's mouth moved to a knowing smile. The white haired man raised an eyebrow and turned towards Minato.
"How do even you know I was in the town? I had just arrived."
"Actually I didn't know. I went to pick up that idiot over there." Toroku raised an eyebrow.
"And that was why you made a statement about personal privacy…What if I was, for example, with a girl?" Minato only rolled his eyes as a reply.
"Drop the henge. It's annoying."
"I won't…" Toroku frowned and turned away from him as a childish response, already sulking.
"Toroku, drop the henge. Why do you even you have that on anyway?" The blond snorted while turning toward Minato with an odd expression on his face.
"To look after your reputation."
The teen sent a cheeky and knowing smile toward the blond, underlining the word reputation in reference to the previous comment of the white haired man at the baths, before he moved his hands to release the jutsu. Minato again only rolled his eyes in response and a soft chuckle came from the third Hokage.
Jiraiya's right eye twitched as Toroku's henge disappeared. He turned to face the blond boy, realizing that he had the same azure blue eyes as his old student. His eyes ran over the whisker marks on Toroku's cheeks, observing the familiar features of his face: the line of his jugular, his nose, his bright hair. Everything screamed at him that this was Minato's relative.
"Toroku, I would like to introduce my sensei."
"Odoroki Toroku." The young boy, bowed politely watching the white haired man with curious eyes. 'Sensei? Minato was trained by a pervert?' Before he could continue his thoughts, the man jumped into a theatrical pose, moving his hands like he was in a kabuki performance. Toroku raised his right eyebrow until his hairline and his brain black out by the sight.
"I am the toad sannin of Mount Myoboku, the great sage Jiraiya, mugger of lonely woman hearts, savior of the vulnerable…"Toroku rolled his eyes and folded his arms in front of his chest.
"You are still just an old pervert…" The sage's eyes narrowed at the statement.
"I'm not old! And you had also peeked brat!"
"I'm a healthy teenager with rampaging hormones, and you didn't even deny that you are a pervert dattebayo!" Toroku shouted back at the man, pointing a finger toward him.
"No…I'm not a pervert! I'm a…Super Pervert!" The teen turned to Minato with a raised questioning eyebrow, who was by then holding his head in his hands, slowly shaking it in disbelief.
"And you told me that I could be an idiot sometimes…"
"Cocky little brat…" Jiraiya muttered and folded his arms in front of his chest. The yellow flash of Konoha let out a long, weary sigh and another chuckle could be heard from the leader of the village.
"Hey, how was the meeting?" Toroku turned toward Minato when he suddenly realized why he was even looking for him.
"We will talk later Toroku." Minato didn't directly answer the question but sent a wide grin toward him. The teen nodded and grinned back in understanding, than bowed to the others before he left the room. He was followed by a gaze from Jiraiya, who turned immediately toward Minato when the doors closed.
"Explain! Who is this boy?"
The almost Hokage moved toward a chair in front of the desk, sat down, and turned towards his sensei resting his chin on his hands, gathering his thoughts while Sarutobi stoically puffing from his pipe, filling the room with the sweet scent of herbs. Meanwhile Jiraiya moved to the other chair, removing the large scroll from his back and sat down facing the two men waiting curiously for the explanation of what he saw minutes before.
"A little more than five weeks ago my team found him on a training ground, wounded, appearing from nowhere. He was unconscious for almost a week, and when he finally woke up he knocked out seven well trained shinobi with a chakra burst to dismiss a non-existing genjutsu." Minato stopped and narrowed his eyes before he continued.
"When Sarutobi and I arrived at the hospital he blacked out again when he saw us…"
"…Well, that is a quite understandable reaction, you are fearsome opponents." Minato shook his head.
"No…he wasn't afraid of us." Sarutobi didn't interfere only nodded and exhaled another puff of smoke while observing the raised eyebrow of the sannin.
"When he had woken up again on the same day, he didn't remember anything. He lost his memories and he is now one of the shinobi of Konoha since two and a half weeks." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and frowned. He knew very well what that could mean.
"Any suspicious movement?"
"No, he gets a checkup once a week with Inoichi Yamanaka, but until now we found nothing. Actually so much so that there is neither sign of head trauma, nor any sign of a jutsu that could cause his memory loss."
"Our little friend until now showed only remarkable abilities and nothing suspicious. However some special circumstances are pointing towards something bigger than just a mere accidental appearance from nowhere." Sarutobi stated calmly, eying Minato carefully. The sage leaned forward to his knees, closer to his old student.
"Based on the blood tests, he is my brother…or most likely my half-brother…" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes watching the blond with wondering eyes.
"Precautions are prepared I guess?" Minato nodded.
"Continuous ANBU surveillance and he was joined to my own team and also accommodated next to my house to be near if something happens."
"ANBU? That doesn't bother him too much, as I saw."
"Indeed. Toroku-kun has a remarkable sensing ability and a habit to annoy his ANBU guards with his skills. Or anyone near him…" Sarutobi moved his mouth into a small smile, chewing his pipe with a wondering look on his face.
"I saw that. Cheeky little brat." Jiraiya snorted and laughed loudly.
"Still, if there is a chance that he is after your life, why did you place him near you?"
"Because we have doubts that anyone else can handle him easily." Jiraiya burrowed his eyebrows in a continuous thin line.
"We made an assessment and he achieved the rank of chuunin, but most of his true abilities are still hidden. However, everything points towards the fact that he was an 'S' class shinobi before he lost his memories."
"Bullshit. He is still just a kid."
"His chakra coils are as well developed as yours, mine or Sarutobi's, he has more chakra than the three of us combined, and he could handle at least three chakra elements easily. At least, we have already seen three and I'm not ruling out that it could be more. Also, he completed one of my barrier seals in less than half an hour. A barrier I've been working on for more than a month…he completed it and then also increased its effectiveness after another twenty five minutes." The sannin felt as his jaw dropped and his eyes widened after Minato finished.
"You are just joking aren't you?" The two men stayed completely calm, forcing the sage to lean back in his chair.
"Shit…So Konoha gained a genius…or a ticking bomb..." Minato only nodded without any word and Jiraiya started to scratch his chin as he lost in his thoughts.
"Can I see his personal file, or you do want to me to be involved this much?"
"Actually I would like to ask you much more." The yellow flash sent a smile back at him and nodded toward Hiruzen.
"I have chosen my next successor…"
"Oh, so you finally brought yourself to retire old man." Jiraiya chuckled.
"So, who is the next victim of the village council?" Sarutobi smiled and pointed a finger toward the blond.
"Can I congratulate you already Minato-chan?" The blond chuckled and waved a hand.
"You can count on the clan leaders and mostly every shinobi, the only problem could be is Danzo." Sarutobi stated calmly and Minato sighed and closed his fingers together to lean on them.
"I know…Danzo; he definitely could be a big problem... "Minato lost in his thoughts for a moment then blinked and turned toward Jiraiya.
"I need your support in Toroku's case. If…If something goes wrong, I need someone who can handle him since I won't be always there next to him in the future."
"You can count on my help my friend." They shared a warm smile.
"I'm glad. We have to discuss a lot of things now..." Jiraiya raised a finger before Minato could say anything more.
"But first I want to lay down one very important thing. I won't take over team Minato. I don't have any problem with the small girl, but Kakashi annoys me to hell with his rule fanaticism, and I won't be the sitting target of Obito's idiocy… plus that cheeky Toroku kid. I'm sure the two brats hit it off together and I won't play the babysitter role for four teenagers." The sage folded his arms together in front of his chest, but he reversed the motion and frowned when he saw as Minato's face froze and his eyes darkened.
"…Minato?"
"Uchiha Obito was killed in our mission at the Kannabi Bridge…not a week before Toroku appeared." Jiraiya looked back at his one-time student with worry on his face.
"Gaki…Sorry. I didn't know about that."
"It's okay. You were out of town for two months." Minato let out a sigh and ran his hands through his blond hair, gathering his feelings and his thoughts.
"I'll need your help in two things. First, we have a very feasible theory about Toroku's sudden appearance and we will need your spy network. The evidence points towards a wandering Uchiha with an active sharingan. We need every information on who could it be and every available help to find out his identity. We have an unknown rogue Uchiha, or someone stole a Kekkei genkai from an unknown corpse without our and the clan's knowledge..."
"You mean someone got his hands on a sharingan and had it implanted?" Minato only nodded.
"I see. And the other thing would be to have an eye on Toroku, isn't it?"
"Indeed. I know the team won't stay together and it also won't be too healthy since the power levels are now too spread open, but I would like to ask you to replace me as the jonin sensei of team Minato for a while. It would be the easiest way to inspect him continuously."
Jiraiya let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead.
"I told you, they will finish me off."
"They changed a lot…Kakashi lost his fanaticism and Rin, well she is the same kind girl. Toroku is a loud mouthed brat like Obito was, but he is also a very interesting young shinobi with honorable goals." Jiraiya only snorted.
"What honorable goals could a teenage boy have?" Minato let a knowing smile on his face, earning a raised eyebrow from Jiraiya.
"Read his file. I'll wait for your reply of course. And this is not an order, this is a request."
"Hey Gaki, you aren't already wearing that hat you know; don't be so full of yourself." Minato only chuckled and waved a hand in response to his old sensei and disappeared from the room leaving the two men alone.
"Blonds are always problematic…" Jiraiya sighed and Sarutobi chuckled at the statement knowingly.
Minato and his late sensei were sitting together at a small stand, two small cups in front of them and a bottle of fine sake on the counter between them. The Sun's last beams still burned their back in a comfortable way, creating long shadows on the counter.
"So, it's time for a proper celebration I think." Jiraiya raised his hands with the cup, waiting for Minato to mimic the movement.
"To our fearless, wise, and flaxen new leader."
Minato rolled his eyes in his annoyance but raised his hands with a soft smile on his face and drank his drink in one fast shot. A shudder ran across his spine as the alcohol flew down and reached his stomach. He snorted at the feeling, but still enjoyed the aftereffects when a minute later a pleasant warm feeling started to spread from his inside toward his weary brain.
"I needed that one."
"I'm always aware of what is good for you, Gaki." Minato leaned his head to the side, waiting for the crapping voice as the joints snapped.
"Did you read the file?" Minato filled another round without looking or asking his companion, knowing that he wouldn't reject the fine liquid. Jiraiya slowly raised his cup and slurped a small amount of sake before he answered.
"I did…" Minato looked back at the sage, waiting for more, but nothing came out from the old sannin's mouth.
"And?"
"How are you handling him?" Minato sipped from his own cup before he answered.
"In the beginning it was easy. He was a teen who suddenly appeared from nowhere, with a very charming personality and resemblance. After Sarutobi revealed our connection…It…It changed…I tried to deny my attachment to him and make distance…but…"
"But you couldn't…" Jiraiya finished his sentence and Minato nodded.
"I still don't know what I should do with him…"
"I see…" Jiraiya drank his remaining sake and turned toward the blond.
"I found something strange in his file." Minato snorted and laughed.
"Only one thing? That boy is an enigma, a living and walking surprise. He really deserves his given surname."
"It is about his memory fragment." Minato raised an eyebrow and turned toward his sensei with a serious look on his face, who is now feel for something in his bag.
"I didn't show it to anyone yet, and I wanted you to be the first one who got it."
"Got what?" Minato asked.
Jiraiya finally found what he was looking for and he pulled out a small angled object, wrapped in soft brown canvas. He slowly put it down onto the counter and started to free it from the textile, to review a small brown book.
"I finally found a publisher for my first book. This is the first copy and the real print will be started next week." Minato, confused, slowly raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner.
"And how is it connected with the memory fragment?"
"I wanted you to be the first one to read it and give an honest opinion about it. So I would like to ask you to read it."
Minato grasped the small book and examined the jacket. Then he slowly opened it and saw his sensei's picture on the first page. He was younger in it. His face was smoother. His hair was shorter and not so shaggy, and the two red lines which now ran through his whole face were only touching his cheeks. A small smile appeared on his face as he ran his fingers along the picture while the scent of fresh paper and the fine ink gently stroked his nose.
"I still don't get it."
"Just read the book and you will understand."
"Why don't you just tell me?"
"Sorry Gaki, no spoilers…"
"Jiraiya, this is serious." The sannin just shrugged and slipped another from his sake.
"Now, start reading. We haven't got that much time you know."
Minato let out a defeated moan and a sigh before thumbing to the first page; he was silent for the remaining hour. Only low snorts and moans left his mouth when he read one or two scene. He moved only to slip some sake from his cup, which, to his surprise, was always full. It didn't matter how much he had already drunk thanks to Jiraiya's hard work and vigilant eyes. After a long hour, he finally leaned back and shut the small book to turn toward his sensei.
"So?" Minato turned his head upwards, thinking for a minute before he answered with a smirk.
"It's great! And some of the scenes are familiar. I'm sure it is based on your own life."
"Well, you think so? Thank you." Jiraiya scratched his cheek in embarrassment and he felt his cheeks turned to a reddish color.
"I like how the protagonist refused to give up at the end." Minato scratched his chin and turned toward Jiraiya, flipping the book back to the last pages.
"However…"
"So, you also noticed…"
"It's weird. Like he quoted word to word from this book."
"Those are Nagato's words…" Minato raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"I wrote this book during the Second Great Shinobi war. I made two scripts and nobody knows about this. I left one at the publisher and the other one at Amegakure…with Nagato when I left." Jiraiya sipped once more from his sake before he refilled his own and also Minato's cup.
"And this means that he is probably from Amegakure, what is more he knew Nagato at some point."
"I thought they died…" Minato frowned.
"Indeed, and it could explain why he talked about a legacy."
"So you think he was his student?" Jiraiya shrugged.
"Comrade is a more possible option. They would be now, how old? Around twenty? It would also explain a lot of other things. Even I am not receiving much information from there. I only know that currently it is led by Hanzo. Ame had been isolated completely since the second shinobi war ended. That could explain why we had never heard of him if he is as capable as the file said. An 'S' class shinobi never stay out of battles for very long, especially not in wartime like this." Minato gently stroked his chin, wondering about the possibility.
"What if he works for Hanzo?"
"I doubt that, Gaki. With that legacy…moreover Hanzo is a man of power, and by the last reports about him, he gained quite the paranoia, constantly fearing being assassinated. I doubt that he would allow for anybody near him to become powerful enough to threaten his life, or his seat as a leader. Nagato has the rinnegan, he was able to use every chakra nature. He could teach him how use more than one or two."
"Toroku said that he felt like he doesn't have a family…" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at the statement not finding any connections with the theme.
"When we know about our relationship, he told me that every time he needs something, the information would just pop up from his basic knowledge, but he found nothing about family. During the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha and the other nations left a lot of refugees and orphans for Ame…" Jiraiya nodded as he realized the connections.
"From the elemental countries I would absolutely rule out Iwa. With that face of his, he would be killed in his early years. You gained too many enemies in Stone….however…" Jiraiya made a wondering face before he continued his thoughts.
"I have one option in my mind for Stone: demonstration. They know that we are able to realize the blood relation, and killing one of your relatives before sending his bloodied body to Konoha…it could greatly affect the morale of our troops. They somehow found the boy and they had sent him here to demonstrate that they could kill a Namikaze…"
"That could be an option, however if that was the case it was an absolute failure. First, he is alive. Second they send him to one of our training grounds, not to the middle of the town where it is crowded with people. Furthermore, gaining a new and strong shinobi is just raising the morale. So, if it was them, we should be grateful."
"Maybe it wasn't willful, just something went wrong. Maybe they didn't count on his healing ability and misjudged our security seals." Jiraiya shrugged, while Minato lost in his thoughts before he continued after a minute of silence.
"Kumo is definitely out. When we fought with Killer Bee, they didn't recognize him and I doubt the brother of the Raikage would not know a powerful shinobi and a seal master like him especially since Bee is a jinchuriki. His abilities with wind chakra could still point toward Suna and we should also count with Kiri." Minato stated with a wondering look on his face.
"A seal master from the bloody mist? That sounds like some science fiction." Jiraiya shook his head and Minato chuckled softly before it died down and the blond let out a weary sigh.
"We are still just poking in the dark…" Minato stated with soft weary tone, hovering his fingers around his small cup of sake on the desk.
"That is true. However if he is a part of a well-defined assassination plan from any of the elemental countries…They somehow put their hands on your lost relative, trained him, wounded him, sent him here with a stolen sharingan, evaded all of our top level security, only to insinuate him into your favor, and were aware about your upcoming election as Hokage; that is just too…complicated. The small countries wouldn't make a profit from your assassination, Suna has its own financial problems to concentrate on, the Raikage has also just taken over his seat, Kiri is too unstable to perform this complex plan, and I doubt the old Onoki of Stone would bother himself this much only to get rid of you, despite your reputation."
"Amegakure still is the most possible option with its complete isolation, which could also hide someone with a sharingan. It is more possible than any of others and it gives us answers, while the others give only more questions. The correct one is usually the most plausible one…"
They stayed in silence for several long minutes while slowly drinking their sake. Each dived inside their own thoughts, racing through the options of their small brainstorming in their minds.
"You know, that boy reminds me of you when you were at his age…" Minato raised an eyebrow, and looked back with a curious look on his face.
"Powerful, cheeky and reckless. Just like you a decade ago." The blond rolled his eyes and diverse the conversation.
"Will you accept my request?" Jiraiya smiled back at his old student.
"Of course. You could announce Team Gaki's birth… But!" He raised one of his fingers and Minato sighed, fearing in advance what he would demand.
"No lame missions. I am one of the sannin, the fearsome toad sage of mountain Myoboku, and I will definitely not chase stupid cats, or do groceries, or anything below A level." Minato frowned.
"I will consider…a C level limit." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, watching Minato in silence for a minute, but in the end just shrugged.
"Escorting is fine, but no lame missions." Minato only smiled and nodded with a smile on his face.
"I need to know the shrimp's current level, so a small spar would be necessary. Especially in Toroku's case. I want to see him in action. The reports were detailed enough, but I trust only in my own eyes."
"Don't be afraid, I think he is eager for a little exercise." Minato chuckled, thinking about the grin Toroku had when he asked for a spar. Jiraiya nodded and got his pack and fixed his giant scroll to his back while placing some money on the counter.
"I'm going. I also need to visit the snake's nest…and I doubt I will find him in a good mood." Minato nodded and waved a hand toward his sensei.
"Then tomorrow at training ground twenty, at ten." The sannin only raised a hand in understanding and stepped out into the dark night, leaving the blond alone with the remaining sake.
The low sound of blunt footsteps echoed faintly in a long, dark passageway as a dark figure slowly walked toward a great door with carved intarsia. The doors slowly opened without any noise as the man almost reached them, but he didn't have to change the flow of his steps. He stepped into a round office like room with a big mahogany table in the center of it. The figure moved towards it and sat down without a noise and slowly closed his eyes.
"Report." A form appeared in front of the table, crouching, facing the pale floor.
"Jiraiya-sama returned to town and has already contacted him." The dark figure only nodded, but didn't move, nor opened his eyes.
"Keep up the observation and continuously report every move. Dismissed." The figure straightened himself and bowed to the figure.
"As you wish Danzo-sama." The masked man disappeared from the room, and Danzo finally opened his one visible eye and fixed it on the empty room in front of him, without a word, lost in his thoughts.
Toroku jumped out from his wondering thoughts when he felt a snap on his back wobbling on the street and a moment later he could feel a familiar chakra signature at his back when he gained back his balance.
"Don't do this, idiot." The teen murmured sweeping some non-existing dirt from his shirt.
"I thought you were a sensing genius." Minato grinned back when he moved next to him.
"I wasn't counting on an ambush in the middle of the village…" He moved his hands into his pockets, glancing curiously at his older companion on his side while they slowly walked down the empty street. Minato languidly rolled his shoulders and glanced at the teen.
"What are you doing out this late Toroku?"
"Nothing. Just wandering around…and I'm old enough to be up this late." Toroku shrugged. Minato chuckled and placed his hands into his blue pants, mimicking the teen who continuously watched him from the corner of his eyes with a wondering face.
"You are drunk…"
"I'm also a grown man." Minato shrugged and Toroku rolled his eyes.
"So? How was it? The council meeting?"
"Done. It was a pain in the ass, but it was successful. It's official from today." Minato grinned at the blond.
"So, Hokage-sama…What will be your first order?" Toroku smirked at Minato, who snorted as he answered.
"Don't call me that. I will get enough teasing from Kushina."
"Ho-ka-ge-sa-ma…"Toroku replied with a singing crippling voice, earning another, this time quite painful snap on his back.
"Hey, that hurt. Don't hit the citizens, it's rude you know. What kind of Hokage will you be? Bullying the innocent people…"
Minato let out a soft chuckle and dropped behind a few steps, watching the murmuring and cursing teen from behind. He let a small, warm smile spread across his face as he stopped for a moment and closed his eyes. 'Thanks Kushina.'
"Hey, are you coming, or you will stay there, daydreaming about your fancy hat?"
Minato chuckled and caught up with Toroku, clasping his left arm around his shoulders.
"You are still an idiot…Oto…" Toroku rolled his eyes, but on the inside he couldn't fill with the warm feeling on his shoulders. He sent a kind smile toward Minato as they walked toward the almost empty streets.
Author's Note:
Leaders and perverts. ;) Long live Jiraiya!
Did you like the reunion and the combined peeking jutsu?
I would like to ask a big applause for Falcon777 who helped in this and some previous chapters. I want to thank him one more time his patience and his hard work.
Updates on the 21th of January:
I made some changes in the first and fourth chapters, namely in the first chapter I went back and modified some thoughts about the timeline and the scene when Kurama speak with Naruto. In chapter four I deleted the extreme wind ability.
Story recommendation:
If you got ten minutes, read Lady Mirror's Empty room.
Update on this chapter:
Minor spelling mistakes and you know what? I missed the Hyuuga clan and the Inuzuka from the vote scene. :)