OK chapter 2. Again, I'm going to try to move the pace along a little bit, but the set up is too important to skimp on.
-pp
Recap: The nine tailed fox demon has been defeated, sealed by the 4th Hokage into his newborn son at the cost of his life. Hiruzen Sarutobi has taken the child into his custody as the village mourns, and the 3rd plans to honor the fallen hero's last wishes.
It was hour five of the council meeting, and Sarutobi was doing his best to maintain his composure. They civilian and shinobi joint counsel had gone over most of the reconstruction efforts, but it was no easy task. Every project they had discussed had been thoroughly debated, and the civilians were wearing the collected shinobis' patience. The shinobi hadn't even had a chance to go home before the meeting convened, and all had participated in the battle. It seemed as if every major rebuilding plan, every recovery item, and every structural change was up for debate. Even more troubling was the absence of a representative from the Uchiha clan. Fugaku would be busy as the chief of the Police force- invasions brought out looters and vandals, but surely they would have sent someone! Regardless, Sarutobi knew that this meeting was far from over, but at least the civilians had not gotten to the subject of the demon fox's sealing. It was only a matter of time before the floodgates broke.
Just prior to the 3rd had sent messages via hawk to his students, urging their return, but even if they responded, they would not make it back in time to help him here. Surely Jiraiya would return, if only to pay his respects to Minato and to check in on his godson. Tsunade was a different animal altogether. After she lost Dan in the second war, she had fled, still angry with her sensei for not including medic-nin on every team like she had asked. Sarutobi had passed it by the counsel and the elders, but they felt the expense of implementing the program could not be justified in the middle of the war. She ran, taking Dan's niece, and left, probably forever. Sarutobi sighed, and turned his attention back to the counsel meeting.
The 3rd looked at the shinobi on the council. Each face was outwardly impassive, but having years of experience in judging the fitness of his warriors, Sarutobi could tell they were all strained. The civilians on the counsel were using every proposal to try to shift funding away from the shinobi with varying success, and it was clear that it would not take much to set them off. He needed to stop this before the fuse was lit.
Clearing his throat and flaring his chakra, the 3rd spoke: "I think we have covered enough matters for the night, dawn is breaking, and the clan heads need to rest. We can continue this tomorrow." With that he stood.
"But what about the demon?" All the heads in the room turned to the back to see a short man, pushing glasses up his nose. "I haven't said anything this entire meeting. I have been waiting while you ninja and self important fools discuss tariffs while ignoring the most important topic! I went out to the battlefield, there was no body! What happened to it?"
Sarutobi sighed. He was too late. With everyone exhausted, and their emotions heightened, this was going to be tricky. "The fox was sealed, and that is all there is to know. The remainder of the information is shinobi business. If you would excuse me..." Sarutobi turned to the door while speaking and started to walk, when the mousey man spoke again.
"Don't give me that nonsense... Shinobi business. Feh! You know, Hokage-sama, that I served proudly for many years! You have no right to dismiss our concerns! Our village was nearly destroyed by that thing and we deserve to know if our families will be safe!"
The remaining civilians, recovered from their shock, began to grumble and shout in unison. Even the shinobi clan heads turned to the 3rd expectantly. This would not end well.
"The 4th, the greatest seal-master in our village's history, has sealed the fox. He gave his life to do it mere hours ago. Your lack of faith in our village's greatest hero is disturbing, Yakushi. I know you have recently retired, but you yourself have seen the Yellow Flash in action. I will not tolerate further complaints." Sarutobi silently hoped that his cutting comments to the former chief medic-nin would stem the tide. As he glanced around the room however, he knew that it had done nothing.
It was time to put his plan into action. "As I see that this matter will not drop, I will tell you everything. This is a Class S Ninja secret. Anyone who is caught speaking of it will be immediately dealt with- Is that understood?"
The dark edge and killing intent to his tone apparent, the 3rd looked around the room. The collected civilians seemed sufficiently cowed as he glanced at the Shinobi. They gave a quick nod, and he continued. "The fox was a force of nature. You could not kill the nine tails in the same was that you can not kill a tsunami. You can however, seal it away, much in the same way that a dam can hold back a raging river. Many villages have jinchurikis. Our fiercest rival, Iwa, has two, the four and five tails." Hiruzen paused as he noticed a twitch of anticipation from Danzo, seated with his former teammates. "The 4th has created another jinchuriki for the fox, in the hopes that this child shall be the protector of Kohona. The son of the recently deceased Kushina Uzumaki, born today moments before the attack, was the only child suitable to house the fox."
All hell broke loose in the council chambers. The civilians stood as one and began to scream for the child's death. Interestingly enough, many of the shinobi present joined in. The noise grew so loud that Hiruzen quickly checked the privacy seals to make sure that they had enough chakra to withstand the clamor. After a minute of nonstop noise, the 3rd was about to silence the crowd when a giant hand smashed a desk on the side of the room.
Sarutobi quickly spiked enough killing intent to silence the civilians, causing more than a few to faint. Even the shinobi flinched at the raw fury coming from their hokage. "Clan head Chouza Akimichi! Control yourself!"
Chouza glared at his leader, and released his jutsu, his arm shrinking back to his normal size. He spoke slowly, "My apologies, Hokage-sama, I let my emotions get the best of me, but even the 4th could make mistake. The Akimichi clan has suffered massive losses this day at the hands of that demon. The safest course of action is to kill it. We must kill the demon." Hearing the murmurs of approval from many of the crowd, the stout clan head continued with more urgency in his voice, "We cannot trust that the demon will not be in complete control of the child. It is best for the village if the threat was removed immediately."
The room erupted again, when Danzo Shimura stood from his position in the corner and cleared his throat. "People of the Leaf. I propose you give me the child. I will tutor him in the ways of the shinobi arts, and mold him into a perfect weapon. Our beloved Hokage is right in this respect. Our enemies are many. The threat of Iwa still looms, and they have two jinchuriki, already trained in the ninja arts. Our best chance for survival after this- unfortunate event is to become stronger as a village. I will make this Uzumaki boy into the perfect weapon. Under my watch, should this child lose himself to the demon, or should the fox try to escape, I will be able to dispatch him immediately. I trust that this is a fair offer, no?"
Around the council room, the civilians' blood-thirst seemed to be slated. The two remaining elders nodded in approval. The 3rd narrowed his eyes at his former rival. There was no way that the 4th's child was going to be given to Danzo. That, he could guarantee. He knew that the elders continued their support for Root, even after Minato had abolished the group. Sarutobi had disagreed with the decision. Although Danzo was constantly a danger, and had lead numerous attempts at subverting his rule as Hokage, Sarutobi knew that Danzo's first priority was a security of the leaf, even if he disagreed with his methods. The plain fact was that Danzo in the shadows was far more dangerous than Danzo in the light. The other clan heads were wary of Danzo as well. Shikaku Nara glanced sidelong at Inoichi Yamanaka, who narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. Tsume Inuzuka growled, while Hiashi Hyuuga and Shibi Aburame remained stoic, although there was a slight buzz emanating from his coat.
Sarutobi coughed, getting the attention of all in the room. "That is not acceptable. The 4th specifically requested that the boy be trained as a shinobi of Kohona, but you will not be transforming him into one of your soulless monsters, Danzo. Minato Namikaze specifically disagreed with your methods of training. In fact, if I recall correctly, under the 4th's edict, you are not to take anymore students, if I am correct?"
Danzo sat down, with no visible reaction. Inside, however, he fumed. 'The clever old geezer. Even the civilian council will not break the 4th's laws so quickly after his passing. I will have that boy somehow...' He quickly lost himself in thought, and, in doing so, nearly missed the next words out of the 3rd's mouth.
"The 4th wished for Naruto Uzumaki to be seen as a hero, and he is under the protection of the Hokage. Is that understood? After all, this is only fitting, considering that he is the last heir of the Namikaze." Sarutobi smiled as he waited the moment for his last comments to settle in. After a heartbeat, the room exploded again. The cries of many of the civilians were clearly heard through the crowd.
"Impossible! The 4th made his son into a demon! I don't believe it!"
"We demand proof Hokage-sama!"
"It doesn't matter who he is, we must kill the demon!"
Sarutobi smirked, though loud, a substantially fewer number of people were outwardly screaming. The greater civilian population of the room were either whispering to themselves or simply awestruck. The shinobi, however, were quickly shooting hand-signs across the room at each other. Even given the events of the day, fighting a 300 foot fox, the hours of the council meeting, the information that the fox was sealing in a newborn, nothing could have prepared them for this information.
Shikaku, was quickly signing back and forth with his teammates and long time friends, Inoichi and Chouza. "Minato sealed it within his own child, he truly is a hero, that troublesome bastard." Inoichi looked on in shock, he has only been installed as a clan head in time for this meeting, as the former Yamanaka head had fallen in the battle with the fox. 'Is this what being a clan head means? Are all council meetings like this?" He thought, trying to wrap his head around the information.
Chouza just stared straight ahead. His heart had dropped the moment he realized what had just happened. He had just demanded the murder of his friend's child. He had always liked Kushina, she had been nice to him from the time they were children, but they were never very close. Now, however, he had nearly condemned the only child of his comrade, his leader, and one of his closet friends. Chouza felt sick. The Akimichi were intensely loyal to those who over-looked their obvious physical appearance, especially when they are children.
Chouza thought back to the first day he had met Minato. He was already regarded as a genius in the academy, while Chouza was not even the stronger Akimichi in his class. He would spend every day at lunch alone, training, while the other children ate and played. He never ate at school, because the other children would just laugh at his appetite. That day, he had been trying to practice his chakra control, and had over-done it. He collapsed, and when he awoke, his lunch period was far over, and the older class was already outside. As Chouza tried to sneak into the building, he was surrounded by a couple of the older students.
"Hey chubs, are you lost? Shouldn't you be inside with the rest of the babies?" The crowd laughed while the ringleader began to kick the weakened Akimichi heir.
Chouza closed his eyes as he hit the ground. He still remembers the feelings of hopelessness and shame. He was unable to do anything, and he couldn't even try. Suddenly, the blows raining upon him stopped. Wincing, he opened his eyes to see a pair of open-toed sandals facing the opposite direction. Looking up, he was able to make out a light blue jacket with black bars down the arms, which were currently holding his attacker's arm behind his back. The jacket was worn by a slight boy, with a mop of blond hair, who was scowling.
"Hikaru, what is wrong with you? I would have thought that Wataru-sensei taught you never to attack a fellow Kohona citizen? Let alone a kid who is clearly suffering from chakra exhaustion." The blond boy turned, and tossed Chouza a bag of chips. "Here, eat this, you Akimichi need to eat to be able to fuel your reserves, otherwise you'll just wear yourself out like you did."
Chouza's struggling attacker, started sputtering. "Back off Minato, teacher's pet! This has nothing to do with you... augh!" The bully yelled as Minato twisted his arm more.
"Let me tell you this, Hikaru," Minato's eyes narrowed, "every time a fellow villager is attacked, it has to do with me. If I even think you're going to be beating up those that are smaller than you, I will break every bone in your body."
The collected crowd began to break up as the chunin instructors entered the yard. Minato threw Hikaru forward, and the boy stumbled directly into one. "W-w-wataru-sensei! I-i-i-i..." He never finished as the large chunin grabbed him by the collar and dragged him inside.
Minato turned and picked Chouza up, "Name is Minato! Remember it, because I'm going to be Hokage someday!" The blond boy smiled, and walked away.
Chouza remembered the incident like it was yesterday. From that day on, Minato was like a god to him. He was proud to serve in his unit in the Third Shinobi war, and was present when his friend used a shadow clone to distract the entire platoon in order to dispose of over 300 Iwa shinobi in one battle, the one that earned him the title, the Yellow Flash. When Inoichi and Chouza had confronted him, about leaving them behind, Minato had just smiled and said, "I didn't want to risk my comrades. I'm sure you would have jumped in if I needed back up, right Shika?"
He laughed as he nodded to Shikaku who was lounging under a tree with his eyes closed. "Troublesome bastard." He murmured, while opening his eyes.
Now, however, Chouza's world was shattered. In just a few words, the 3rd had made him confront just how ridiculous his position was. He was willing to slaughter a baby! A child! Chouza was a kind man, a gentle soul, and his grief had blinded him. His own son was only months old, and he had nearly condemned an innocent.
"Enough!" He shouted. "The Akimichi clan acknowledges Naruto Uzumaki as a hero, the Kitsune no Kanshu (Jailer of the Fox)! Minato's legacy will be preserved, and the Akimichi offer sanctuary within our estate!"
Sarutobi nodded in approval as the civilians quieted down.
"The Nara clan also acknowledge the heritage and status of the child." Shikaku yawned.
Shocked that the Nara would speak so suddenly, the other clan heads looked as if they were about to jump out other their seats to speak. One by one, all the clan heads gave approval of the 4th's lineage and last request with the except of the absent Uchiha.
Hiruzen just sat down and smirked. His plan had worked perfectly, but only because Chouza had been so ridden with guilt. The 3rd felt a little bad at manipulating the large man, but he quickly pushed it aside as each clan came forward with approval of Naruto. The shinobi clan heads' approval was a huge step, but the civilians were another matter. Although they could do nothing without the support of the shinobi, he needed to address the civilians.
After the last shinobi spoke, Sarutobi rose again. "From this day forth I am enacting a new law! The fact that Naruto Uzumaki contains the nine tails will be regarded as an S ranked secret. The 4th had many enemies, and while I am sure that we can keep the child safe, the knowledge that he is also a jinchuriki will bring the rest of the ninja world down upon us. Anyone currently under the age of 4, and all children born from this day forward with not be permitted to know this child's burden. Any mention of it will be considered treason against Kohona and the office of the Hokage! These are my words, the Sandaime Hokage of Kohona!" He smiled, "I think we are done for the night." Sarutobi rose and left the room as the crowd erupted again.
A/N: Here is chapter 2! Hopefully you enjoyed it! As it turns out, at least 1 person has read chapter 1. Neat! Again, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone, but I'm pretty sure this one is also clean.
Things will pick up pretty soon.
See you soon!
-pp