Moon Lit Past
Written By Matdeception
Disclaimer: ... Yeah.
Chapter 3.75: "Irony is the Best Punishment" Intermission
Arc: Setting the stage; Year 6
Black Zetsu contemplated the new piece on the field, questioned what or how the entity now known as Uzumaki Naruto, his father, would fit into his plans. He had contemplated keeping him away from Akatsuki, from Obito, and only revealing him towards the end just so they could siphon the Kyuubi out of him. Yet, why? His Father was power tempered through Compassion, but he was still Power at base. Within Akatsuki he could openly work to hasten the return of their Beloved, not to mention the very much desired side benefit of being able to watch and get in some quality father/son time, a fact he suddenly found himself amused to no end about.
'I have a father.' he murmured in his mind, turning his gaze to his 'Master', the boy so broken hearted at the loss of the girl who rejected him and died a pitiful death at the hands of his closest friend. Obito Uchiha was not what he'd call a person worthy of Compassion or Love; Just one of the many wretched souls his father or mother would have removed long before they could rise to threaten the peace. It was rather ironic Zetsu now turned to the very being least deserving of that Peace in order to Usher it forward. Still, as his father often laughed to him about, 'Irony is the best punishment.', and he could think of no greater irony then using the man least deserving of compassion to create it.
"Madara." Zetsu made a show of calling to him, already feeling the eyes of Pain glance over him, gauging him, searching him for a lie or duplicity hidden beneath the tone and gestures of his voice and body. Such distrust was common place, and the Immortal being had long since learned to reveal nothing. "The situation in Konoha has changed."
Konan, the bluette he knew trusted them not at all, her grey eyes boring into him as he spoke. Zetsu found similarities with her and Nagato, similarities between them and his father and mother. The closest this world had ever come to creating a Pillar of Power, Nagato, coupled with a Pillar of Compassion, Konan. Yet they were flawed, lacked that bit of spark that would have them truly usher peace to this broken world. Nagato saw nothing but pain, nothing but a wretched world he would force to bend knee before him in supplication. Power was never meant to judge, merely be directed after compassion could not tame the evil it would be set against. Konan took the pain of all, yet could not heal it, a helpless girl too scared to share herself to understand that Compassion required one to not just take the pain of others, but to also share it. Those reasons alone reminded Zetsu that as close as they appeared in ideology to his beloved mother and wonderful father, they were but flawed and broken humans incapable of the true peace to come.
"Has it?" The Disguised Obito didn't care in the least, "I thought all of our efforts where focused here, in ending Hanzo's tyranny and bringing peace to Ame. Why bring up Konoha?"
"It's good to keep eye on unruly neighbors, isn't it?" The White Zetsu he was merged with threw out cheekily.
"Tsunade of the Sannin has gone rogue, murdering the Third Hokage before fleeing Konoha with the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi." Black Zetsu bit out, trying to one eye glare at his White half and failing miserably. "The loss of Tsunade, of Sarutobi, and Uzumaki Naruto has considerably weakened the Villages Power Base."
"We border Konoha, a thin shield for them to hide from Iwa." Konan murmured softly. Zetsu had to admit, that girl was intelligent, sharp, and very well aware at what Konoha's instability could bring to Ame; War.
"Tch." Madara scowled, "Iwa won't press for Konoha, not with their Yondamine Hokage still in charge."
"Uzumaki Kushina has been revived." White Zetsu threw out carelessly. "And she is piiiiiiissed!" he sang childishly.
Madara twitched at that; An act Zetsu had no doubt Konan picked up on. Pain would have too, he believed, if he hadn't already latched onto certain bits of the information he revealed.
"Uzumaki." Pain intoned, "A name I have not heard in... quite some time." he turned his gaze on Madara, "Are they relevant to you, Madara?"
"Hardly." Madara defended neutrally. "One is but a child tossed away like trash by his father, burdened with power beyond his understanding or capacity to control. And the other..."
"Is a mother who has awoken to find her child tortured by the father who should have loved him." White Zetsu chuckled, "Oh boy, The Yondamine Hokage has been having a real bad time lately."
"Good." Madara snapped with some anger. "Keep an eye on the situation surrounding Ame, Zetsu. I care not for Konoha; Let it stand or let it fall, Hanzo is our target, our objective, our only obstacle before we can bring peace to this land, and from here spread it to the world."
"Of course." Black Zetsu said swiftly, anything to stop his white counterpart from dragging this out. He had planted the seed in Pain's mind, riled the irritation in Obito as he had intended, now it was time to retreat and continue the mission. He began sinking into the stone floor, risking a jagged smile in response to the hard stare Konan was giving him. 'Such a keen mind, she's no doubt suspicious and will advise caution for Pain, which shouldn't do much more then water the seedling.'
Baby steps.
Jiraiya tried to calm his troubled thoughts, to put his mind on the objective he had set out to perform. Tsunade's betrayal had hurt deep, her murdering Sarutobi a blistering wound that was still raw and he doubted it would ever stop aching. Yet even with that pain, even as he had watched helplessly as the one woman he had truly loved gleefully murdered the only man he had ever considered his father, he still listened. He was known as a pervert to many, a lout to some, a hero to others... but whatever people called him, the truth was he was a sentimental old fool good for listening, but not so good for seeing the truth.
Tsunade hadn't lied. Orochimaru, the first of the Sannin to turn traitor, had filed an official complaint against sending Nawaki out into the field untested. A complaint that got swept under the rug and gleefully ignored, a complaint that had it only been heeded could have saved the young Senju and prevented the pain and misery that had consumed the Senju Princess. The question of why reverberated in his mind; Why would Sarutobi set this up? Why would he arrange such heartache for Tsunade? He had to admit the results of Nawaki's death had scarred the woman, turning her into an engine of death and destruction as she turned her grief on their enemies, but he didn't want to believe that was the cause. Sure, Tsunade had been retreating more and more from military matters, focusing her not so inconsiderable talents on the healing arts, but if killing Nawaki had been a ploy to ignite her rage and bring her back into the fold then Jiraiya was quite willing to admit Sarutobi deserved to die. Still, it just didn't feel right to him...
Dan's death was a bit more circumstantial. While Tsunade had become a butcher after Nawaki's death for a time, she had calmed down considerably when the man she ultimately fell in love with entered her life. She was being brought out of her funk, focusing herself once more on healing and nuturing and avoiding the battlefields as much as she possibly could. The information screw up had been traced to the wrong scroll with the wrong set of orders being sent out, a clerical error of all things, but given recent events Jiraiya couldn't help but see how suspicious it all came together. Dan and a few Konoha-nin had been ordered to monitor the forest path that led into Yukisaena pass, an area that according to the orders wasn't of vital importance but needed to be monitored just in case an invading force from Kumo thought to take the pass. The only problem was an invading force had ALREADY taken it, and before Dan or the Konoha-nin had realized it they were mercilessly surrounded and subsequently overwhelmed. Oh sure, they had held on long enough for reinforcements to arrive, but that just let the mortally wounded Dan die in Tsunade's arms.
Jiraiya grimaced, tossing a glance back towards the red-haired woman meandering down the street, her silvery-violet eyes taking stock of all the changes Konoha had undergone since the Kyuubi attack. The Toad Sannin put thoughts of Tsunade to the back of his mind for now as he moved purposefully towards Kushina.
"Jiraiya." Kushina intoned, not even bothering to turn her head as her eyes remained riveted on a particular home.
"Really? After all this time that's the first thing you say?" He decided to try and ease into this with some levity, "Hurts this old mans heart when one of Konoha's most beautiful women resists that overwhelming temptation to jump into my arms for a nice warm hug!"
Kushina snorted, glancing over her shoulder, "Still an ero-sennin, eh?"
"I hate that nick-name." The Toad Sannin scowled petulantly. "Why can't you call me the Gallant Jiraiya like everyone else?"
"No one calls you that." Kushina shot back with a half hearted smirk. "Just Ero-Sennin, or Pervert, or Dirty Old man, a senile fool, an impotent ole-"
"Enough! I get it!" Jiraiya sighed, "Even after six years... no respect."
The red-head frowned, smirk twisting into a sneer, "What does the teme want now?"
'Am I really so obvious?' he sighed, but didn't bother trying to continue the pleasantries anymore. "Oh, you know, your forgiveness, your understanding, answers to why you turned against him that night."
"What?" Kushina blinked, "What the hell are you talking about? I never turned against Minato, not until I woke from my coma, and only because he turned against me when he tossed my son out like trash!"
"Minato explained it to me." Jiraiya grunted, "He was planning to use the Shiki Fujin to seal the beast, willing die so you could live, so Naruto wouldn't grow up with out his mother." He frowned slightly, "But then you attacked him and performed the sealing yourself, something that taxed your already exhausted Chakra and put you on the brink of death." he stared hard at the woman, "The question Minato asked me in those first days was 'Why?' Why did you sacrifice yourself for him? Why leave him in this cruel world with a child that did nothing but remind him the love of his life chose to end herself over a child while leaving him in misery."
Kushina just stared, "Wow, really?" she shook her head, "Seriously, you're telling me that he couldn't figure out why I stopped him? Why I sealed the Kyuubi with the last of my Chakra? Gah, that idiot!"
"If you'd just talk to him about it..."
"That big baby." the woman huffed, "I thought he was a man, not a cry baby! Sure I knew he was flaky and a bit girly, but I figured he'd gotten over all that."
"I, uh, don't really understand you." Jiraiya thought she was going to explain, not call the only SS-Ranked Shinobi in the world a big cry baby, or insult his masculinity.
"I was already dead, Jiraiya!" Kushina spat, "I know it isn't something that generally comes up, especially since the practice of creating Jinchuuriki didn't start until after the Hidden Villages were established, but when you extract a Bijuu the container dies!"
"You didn't." he riposted, honestly never having heard about all this. Jinchuuriki didn't die often, usually in battle, where the seals would retain the Bijuu for a time so they could be harvested and transferred to another. A Jinchuuriki being extracted before death only happened if they were already dying from old age, which as far as he knew only happened with Uzumaki Mito.
"My family is an exception." the redhead snorted, "Non-Uzumaki Jinchuuriki die immediately when extracted, Uzumaki don't, not immediately, but we still die just the same. Why? Because the extraction tears our very essence into shreds. The only reason Uzumaki keep breathing for a little while is because of our life force, dattebane!"
"So..." Jiraiya frowned at this new information, letting the puzzle of new information fit into the old. "... since you were already going to die, you... stopped Minato from using Shiki Fujin so he would live?"
"I didn't want Naruto growing up like we did. Like you did. An orphan with no parents to love them." Kushina snapped bitterly, "Fat lot of good it did me, though. That worthless child abusing prick did exactly what I begged him not to."
"I see." Jiraiya grimaced. If that's the way it worked... then extracting Kyuubi to heal Kushina wouldn't have worked, he'd just have killed the innocent child and Kushina, having to be exposed to real time during the procedure, would have fallen just the same. It was a chilling realization, to know the person you were trying to help would have lost not just the woman he loved, but the child he spurned in the process. "That... it's something you need to talk with Minato about, make him understand if only to close the book on this tragedy."
"Hell no." Kushina snarled, "I'm never talking to that fool again! Not while my Naruto is out there, hiding and living in misery while Mr. High and mighty Hokage sits on his throne living happily." she sneered dangerously, "Never while that fool who planned to murder my child just to try and bring me back gets off scott free."
'She knows.' the Pervert winced. "How did you find out?"
"Naruto." she shrugged, "He knew, and he made damn sure I knew everything that had happened." she chuckled sadly, "Sochi... he knows the best punishment is irony, so what better punishment for Minato then to be given what he most wished for, but then be denied it?"
"Is he punishing Minato, or you?" Jiraiya countered.
"Both of us, I think." Kushina shrugged, "Me for trusting such a broken fool, and Minato for everything he did, was planning to do to him." she smiled then, brilliantly, "The difference? He doesn't despise me, if I want to get him back all I have to do is find and tell him."
"What makes you so sure?" He didn't understand how she could believe something like that. She knew nothing of Naruto, not who he was truly at any rate. Finding out her son had been treated like a leper wouldn't be anywhere near enough to understand a person like she was suggesting.
Kushina shrugged, turning her gaze up to the moon in the night sky. "That's for me to know and for you to never find out, dattebanne!
Minato realized he was in a bit of a bind when the Council of Clans were called, an event that only happened once every three months or when something of particular importance for them, or Konoha, was brought to light. Given Tsunade turning traitor, that boy fleeing with Kyuubi, Sarutobi being brutally murdered, and the revival of his Wife and his subsequent rejection by said woman for his own actions, a Council of Clans occurring was honestly a foregone conclusion.
Seeing that old Warhawk Danzo actually attend was a bit of a surprise, the old fool being reduced to little more then a Civilian after he had slaughtered his ROOT program and dismissed him as ANBU commander following the Kyuubi attack. Despite the heartache of that particular event, he knew he had done Konoha a world of good removing that particular pest, not to mention Koharu and Homura, still for him to be here now... trouble was afoot.
"Order." the speaker of clans, an elected official - Nara clan this time if Minato remembered right - lazily slapped his gavel on the table. "Since Konoha's foundation we blah blah blah blah blah!" the Nara lazily truncated the long winded speech that always preceded the Council, a fact Minato was amused to note was the very reason the Nara clan were often voted into said position.
"Given the long list of topics we're here to discuss, I think we can start with the most irritating and be done with it." the Speaker droned, "Specifically; Tsunade of the Sannin's betrayal and her murder of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Nara Shikaku grunted, "We've already issued warning to all Shinobi villages, placed her in the Bingo book with a capture if possible, terminate if necessary bounty and warning. Her statements made during her assault on Sarutobi-sama are being investigated, but as of this moment has not been validated." he glanced towards Danzo, "Unless Shimura-sama, the then acting ANBU commander would like to make a statement?"
Danzo grunted, "Secrets are kept and lies told for a reason."
He may as well have confirmed the truth behind Tsunade's claims as far as the Council would be concerned, which wasn't particularly something Minato wanted to hear in this meeting. While Danzo could not actually admit to the truth, there was absolutely nothing to stop him from getting around it. Especially after being so thoroughly stripped of his power and position as Minato had done.
"I see." Shikaku grunted, eyes narrowing in thought. "Shame."
"Does anyone have a question or concern about the issue of Tsunade?" The Speaker pushed on, looking for all the world like he just wanted to go home. A few questions were tossed back and forth, but nothing relevant or interesting so Minato ignored it.
"Very well. On to the desertion of Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi, and his apparent aiding and abetting of the murderer and traitor Tsunade of the Sannin." the next hot topic was pushed forward.
"I'd like to know why Uzumaki-san was not being monitored as he should have been." Inoichi Yamanaka spoke up, "Given his poor upbringing and noted lack of love or loyalty for this Village, he was dubbed a flight risk, yet no one even had a clue he was involved, nor would we if he didn't so brazenly show up to essentially laugh in our Hokages face."
Minato grimaced at that. Inoichi was being polite, after all Naruto didn't so much as brazenly laugh in his face, but laughed as he cruelly hinted at the fact he was finished destroying his hopes and dreams for reuniting with Kushina. He had to admire the brat for that, when he wanted to get some payback he did it with the kind of precision that would make the likes of Danzo proud.
"ANBU Squad Tetra from Bravo company was assigned to the Jinchuuriki at the time these events began to play out." Shikaku grumbled, "They reported the boy had entered his home and did not discover he was missing until Jiraiya arrived and entered the home."
"Why exactly was Jiraiya there?" Danzo threw out the question, "After all, it's a matter of public knowledge the Jinchuuriki was kept socially isolated from nearly everyone, and that he had absolutely no prior contact with the Sannin up to this point."
Minato frowned. Danzo was aiming for something, but what? He couldn't know the truth of things, so he was digging. "I sent Jirayia to gather the boy and take him to the hospital." he decided to be honest, it's not like he had anything to fear from honesty. "Tsunade, prior to her defection, had developed a theory concerning an ongoing medical issue and it was believed, after testing, that the Jinchuuriki could be used to solve that issue."
"Oh? What medical issue would require the Jinchuuriki?" Hiashi frowned, "Or perhaps, what could Uzumaki Naruto have that couldn't have been gotten from some where else? I ask, because right now I can only surmise the Kyuubi was to be used to solve this medical issue."
"And using the Jinchuuriki, or the Kyuubi, is prohibited with out the majority vote from the Shinobi council, which I can assure you no such motion was brought forward, seeing that I'm on it..." Fugaku Uchiha frowned, backing up the Hyuuga despite the irritation he no doubt felt at it, "... which makes me leery as to what was intended for the boy."
"Ah." Minato shrugged, "While it's true I'd need the Shinobi council to approve using the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi in a matter of state security, the issue was minor and well within my rights as Hokage to enact so long as the situation had proper oversight, which it did and the reason for Jiraiya-san's presence."
"Oh?" Danzo hmmed, "And what exactly was this situation?"
"As this council is very well aware, Uzumaki Kushina, the previous Jinchuuriki and my wife, was being held in a near death state due to wounds and Chakra related issues gathered on the night of the Kyuubi attack." Minato explained slowly, "Tsunade had stipulated, and Jiraiya had tested, a procedure that would transfer just enough Kyuubi chakra into Kushina in order to balance the Dissonance that was killing her."
"Isn't that rather foolish?" Hiashi was blunt. "Kushina-sama, while a dear friend to many of us on this council, would certainly not want to risk this village so brazenly."
"I agree." Fugaku reeled mentally at backing up Hiashi for a second time, "You should have removed your wife to a safe and isolated location in order to perform this procedure."
"Still..." Chouza spoke up with a smile, "... it worked, Kushina is awake and was already released from the hospital, I'm told."
Danzo blinked, "Ah, Akamichi-dono, the procedure never took place."
"Oh?" the rotund man blinked, "If that's true, then how is Kushina awake now?"
"I can answer that." Inochi sighed, leaning forward on the table with his hands steepled over his nose. "It would appear Naruto himself fixed the issue while we were all distracted by events taking place between Tsunade and Sarutobi. He infiltrated the hospital undetected with the assistance of an as of yet unknown entity named Zetsu, the video surveillance recorded as the Uzumaki drained and removed the Stasis Fuinjutsu keeping Kushina in a near death state. From reports he seemed to flood the woman with his own Chakra, and not Kyuubi's. The effects of this seemed to heal the woman, but also transferred the boys memories as well as allowed him to construct some... rather damning traps within the woman's mind to deter anyone from ever removing them."
"Why did you enter her mind in the first place?" Shikaku frowned slightly.
"By order of the Hokage, I was to enter her mind and remove all memory of the boy, from his existence to her pregnancy." Inoichi dropped the bomb.
Minato sighed at the glares he got at that, but it wasn't anything he wasn't already expecting. He had given the order, and while unbalanced at being so thoroughly rejected that fact certainly wasn't an excuse that would fly with anyone in the council. "I'm aware I over-reacted considering the situation, and have already docked myself half a years pay, and before anyone argues more sanctions let it be known I've already consulted with Shikaku and we've agreed to an over-sight committee to monitor my behavior and actions for a period of one year. If further restraints are necessary during the period of oversight then the council will be informed and harsher punishments assigned."
"Meh." Tsume scowled angrily, but turned her gaze back to Inoichi, "So you're basically saying Naruto healed Kushina, forced the memories of his rotten life on her, then made her mind some kind of fortress so no one could remove em?"
"Ah, I'll quote Kushina's thought on the matter." Inoichi smiled weakly, "My son seems to have a 'Irony is the best punishment' mindset. He had, quite correctly, assumed the Hokage would attempt to remove or circumvent the truth and left behind defenses to stop him."
"Which raises another point of interest." Danzo bulled in, not at all interested in hearing how the Jinchuuriki had punished his father, "The boy is six years old, six. How was he able to do all this? Draining chakra isn't unheard of, but doing so while breaking seals? Not to mention healing a woman who until the moment he showed up we had no clue he even knew existed?"
Minato frowned, "As far as breaking seals, it could be a sign of his Uzumaki blood." he sighed tiredly, "The Uzumaki were generally known to be good at Fuinjutsu and all it's sub-schools. A Seal breaker in Uzumaki culture was considered something like Nobility for their ability to break down any seal they saw, by pass locks and restrictions with the greatest of ease until the seals themselves were left bare before their eye."
"Correct me if I'm wrong." Hiashi frowned, "But wouldn't that mean he could break his own seal? The one holding Kyuubi from rampaging?"
"Couldn't say." Minato shrugged uncomfortably, "Until he destroyed my Fuinjutsu I didn't even know if he had a gift for it, as it's not something we teach to children in any way shape or form."
"Could this... Seal Breaker in Uzumaki culture... could they see chakra?" Danzo intoned softly, a look of concentration about him.
"I have no idea." The Hokage shrugged, "But you're asking the wrong person. As much as I know about the Uzumaki, Kushina knows infinitely more."
"Why ask about their ability to see Chakra specifically, Danzo?" Shikaku threw out the question.
"I ran into the Jinchuuriki during the Kyuubi festival." The Shimura shrugged lightly, "He caught sight of me running a puppet show, and asked how I made the Chakra strings, and alluded to the fact he could see them."
"If he told you that, why didn't you report it?" Minato snapped.
"It wasn't my business." Danzo shrugged, "I'm retired, remember? And it was the responsibility of the Hokage to keep an eye on the boy, so I figured with that ever so vigilant and wise gaze of yours you'd already know."
'Lying sack of filth.' Minato scowled inwardly. His attempt to make him look incompetent aside, which worked beautifully he had to admit, Danzo was still fishing for something and for the life of Minato he just could not figure it out.
"Regardless." Fugaku interjected, "The issue of Uzumaki Naruto remains despite all the unknown factors, such as his ability to create mind traps or whatever he did. The boy is still the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and now he is out of the village with a woman who betrayed us all. If any village finds out about this, and let's not kid ourselves some probably already know, then the Uzumaki is going to be hunted in order to provide a weapon for a potential enemy. Given his stated lack of love or loyalty to this village, and given the atrocious way he was raised, anyone would find it easy to turn his hatred of us to their benefit."
Minato grunted, "Agreed."
"Indeed." Shikaku frowned thoughtfully, "Yet let's hold off on actually putting him in the Bingo book. While Fugaku is likely correct, only some villages may know about our missing Jinchuuriki. Release this information to the public and suddenly everyone will know and be on the hunt."
"For the time being we should attempt to find the boy ourselves, and if we fail only then should we release the information, maybe we get lucky and a good samaritan will return him." Fugaku droned neutrally, even if everyone could tell he was being sarcastic as hell.
"Very well." The Speaker droned, "Any more questions concerning the issue of Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Yes." Danzo grunted, turning his one eye to Minato purposefully. "Tell me something, Hokage-sama, what was Kushina's dream as a child?"
"I... don't see how that has any relevance." The Fourth returned slowly, mind a whirl at just where this was going. He wasn't blind, Danzo was revving up for something, and you didn't need to be a Hyuuga to see it coming from a mile away.
"Humor me." the Warhawk grinned, "It is actually very relevant to the matter."
"Fine. She wished to become Hokage." Minato returned calmly.
"And when you married, when you were elected for Hokage, what happened to Kushina's dream then?" Danzo pressed.
"She told me that her dream was now mine, and I should live it for both of us."
"I see." The Old Man chuckled, "I do believe you are right Inoichi, that boy really does have a 'Irony is the best punishment' mindset."
"Oh?" Inoichi frowned, "And where are you going with this?"
"During the event where Sarutobi was murdered I received several... how shall I say it... incriminating parcels." Danzo slowly revealed, "One was from Tsunade, and while I hold her word with about as much weight as we would any traitor, the information contained was very interesting. If it wasn't for the second parcel I wouldn't have believed it myself."
"Believed what, exactly?" Minato questioned guardedly.
Danzo looked him straight in the eye fearlessly, "I wouldn't have believed that you, Hokage-sama, had been involved in a Conspiracy to murder an innocent child for your own gain." he reached below the table, ignoring the incredulous or suspicious looks from the Council as he pulled out two scrolls and set them on the table. "Do you deny it, Hokage-sama?"
Minato frowned at the sight of those scrolls, wishing to God he knew what was in them. Was this his plan? Was this what he had been preparing for the entire meeting? "I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss for what you're suggesting. Maybe if you could illuminate it for me?"
"Hmph." Danzo snorted, "Oh, I most certainly will. Just one question, for verification purposes, before I do. This procedure to heal Kushina, prior to the events that led Uzumaki Naruto to do it, were you truthfully prepared to go through with it?"
"I..." Minato knew he couldn't lie, he had all but outright stated it was going to happen earlier in the meeting. "... yes, a Dr. Yakushi was to perform it since Tsunade had refused prior to going traitor."
"Did she now?" Danzo nodded slowly, gesturing to the left most scroll, "This scroll contains a written confession and all research materials concerning the procedure to revive Uzumaki Kushina, written and signed by Tsunade of the Sannin. In this confession..." he idly tossed the scroll to Shikaku, letting him get a gander at the information therein, "... she states she refused to perform the treatment due to the very high possibility it would require the complete transfer of the Kyuubi from Uzumaki Naruto to Uzumaki Kushina, and that such a procedure would most likely result in the death of the child and likely the woman as well."
Minato froze in horror. This was something he had kept as close to his chest as possible, something he knew would bury him politically if it got out, and right now, right in front of him that was exactly what was happening.
"Of course, she is a traitor." Danzo allowed, rolling the last scroll in his hand. "This next scroll came with a price, one I thought silly but in light of recent revelations I can't help but admire that boy's viciousness."
"Naruto." Minato breathed in despair.
"Yes, you see, he believes in irony." the Warhawk grinned, "And since you decided to live Kushina's dream for her, and his choice of revenge for your actions against him was to completely cut you away from the woman, he viewed your position as Hokage as just something he couldn't let remain." he chuckled, opening the scroll. "In here are medical reports of the procedure, information you can confirm through Jiraiya and a Dr. Yakushi concerning the expected lethality of the procedure in question."
"Jiraiya gave you this information?!" Minato wouldn't believe that, couldn't. That man treated him like a son! Would do anything to help him!
"No, he did not." Danzo shrugged, "Not directly, at any rate. Apparently young Naruto was quite the master of stealth, planting audio recording devices within the Hokage tower. It is quite fascinating material to listen too, I assure you. Especially the part where Jiraiya informs you the probability this procedure of yours would take all of Kyuubi's chakra to complete."
"Minato!" Tsume snarled, "Tell us this isn't true! You know removing a Bijuu can kill the container, you know that!"
Shikaku closed his eyes, letting the scroll continue down the table as he concentrated on his thoughts.
"It's not... I didn't..." the Hokage stumbled over his words, "... we didn't know how much it would take! He could of... I mean we had hoped..."
Shikaku grunted, "As ANBU Commander, I'm invoking Article 237.34 of the Konoha Military Discipline charter and relieving you of your command and position until these charges can be investigated and innocence or guilt determined." he waved his hand, a squad of ANBU flickering into view on either side of the Hokage. "Take him to 'The place of forgetting'."
Minato was dumbstruck as they gripped his arms and began dragging him off. He wasn't going to run, he wasn't going to fight his way out. In the end Konoha was his village and he loved it, even if he perhaps should have chosen to love his son instead of wallowing in misery. What the hell was going to happen now?
Danzo smirked as the Hokage was chained and removed, taking his seat and monitoring the Clan leaders reviewing the evidence that had practically been handed to him on a silver platter. He had no idea why Tsunade and Naruto had given him the means he had been looking for to oust that fool of a Fourth Hokage, but now he was glad for it. With Sarutobi dead, with Minato incarcerated, the list of potential Hokages was looking mighty thin indeed.
'Ah yes.' Danzo thought in amusement, 'Irony really is the best form of punishment.'
"Stop running you little monsters!" Shizune screeched, slapping the kunai out of the air while glaring at the little devils she had been put in charge of. Honestly, she knew why Tsunade had sent her away from Konoha, sent her to this mad man, but she had expected to be put to work on something intelligently stimulating! Here she was, the former apprentice to Tsunade the Sannin and she had been reduced to taking care of a bunch of unruly brats!
"Kukuku." his hair raising laugh echoed in the chamber. It was enough to send the little devils into submission, the willow Kimmimaro bowing low while Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, Jirobou, and that foul mouthed BITCH lined up and pretended to be the absolute little Angels she knew they were anything but. "Why so mean, Shizune-kun? They're just so excited to be receiving your instruction."
"Orochimaru." Shizune scowled, offhandedly contemplating just packing her bags and getting lost some where in the Elemental Nations. She couldn't go back to Konoha, Tsunade's plan made it very clear that if she did she'd be arrested, likely tortured and possibly executed when they discovered she knew about her Masters plan to kill the Third. Not that she cared about that, especially after finding out just how much that blasted Old Man had done to ruin Tsunade's life, and even her own with Dan's death. "Would you mind terribly if I accidentally dissected these brats?" she glared pointedly at the red-head, "Especially that foul mouthed girl!"
"Now now, no need to be angry." The Snake Sannin chuckled lightly, "I bring glad tidings for my newest subordinate."
"Oh?"
"Tsunade did it." Orochimaru smiled sadly, "Sarutobi is dead... which I will admit, disappoints me. I was so looking forward to ending him myself."
"First come first serve." Shizune sneered nastily, "Tsunade wouldn't have ever forgiven you if you had."
"Yes, well, as you say - First come first serve." He shrugged lightly, "But that's not the best part. It seems our dear Slug Princess managed to escape!"
Shizune blinked, "What? But how? We both know her plan would have left her trapped in Konoha."
"Apparently the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki took offense to his daddy." The Snake Sannin shrugged, "And what better way to spite him then to brazenly escape Konoha with the woman who had butchered the late great Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
"Huh." Shizune tried to think of what she knew about the Jinchuuriki, about the ostracized child kept in relative isolation and ignored by everyone. "I bet there is a story there, he's just six year old, I don't really see how he could have helped."
"There seems to be quite the mystery surrounding Naruto-kun." Orochimaru smiled thinly, "I do hope she brings him here, he would be an excellent case study for me and my researchers."
"You think she'll come here then?" The Mousy Girl grunted, nodding the more she thought about it. "Of course she will, I'm here."
"Indeed you are." the older man allowed, stepping in circles around the girl with golden eyes narrowed in thought. "Tell me, how... susceptible would she be to the idea of crushing Konoha once and for all?"
"Don't think she'd care." Shizune allowed, "She's a missing-nin, all villages are technically her enemy now. Konoha just has the bad luck of being the village everything she loved was killed for." she paused thoughtfully, "Frankly I imagine she'd just stick around and work with you until you get fed up with the amount of Sake you'll have to give her."
"That's... amusing to hear." Orochimaru laughed. Ah yes, Tsunade and her love of drink, he had almost forgotten about that little trait. "Well then, hop to it my little subordinate, these children won't train themselves."
Tayuya grinned as Orochimaru left, "Little miss prissy bitch? Train us? Fucked up joke."
Shizune grinned maniacally as she pulled senbon from her sleeves, "I may not be able to kill you, but trust me, I know enough about the human body to make you WISH you were dead you little bitch!
AN: And done. This chapter touched on various issues that leave quite a bit open to interpretation as to their outcomes. Will Danzo be Hokage? Will Kushina skip town to find Naruto despite not having any idea where he is? Fuck is up with the moon? Will Minato spend the rest of his life in Jail? Will Tsunade return to Shizune and stick with Orochimaru for the time being?
What the fuck is Naruto doing anyway? Most of these questions will be answered next chapter, or the start of the next mini-arc called 'Joining the Stage: Year 9!' Huzzah!