I DO NOT OWN NARUTO L
"So you are telling me that you promised protection to any member of the Hyuuga clan that wanted it? Without clearing this with me first? AND NOW YOU EXPECT ME TO PULL A MIRACLE OUT OF MY ASS AND GET IT OKAYED BY THE COUNCIL?" Tsunade screamed at Kakashi. He winced briefly before forming his facial expression back to one that showed no emotion. Show no fear, show no fear, show no fear…
He watched as she stalked from around her desk and began pacing back and forth, muttering to herself. This went on for perhaps twenty minutes before she stopped suddenly and grinned. She walked over to the door and summoned Shizune into her office.
"Shizune, I need you to fetch Shikamaru and Shikaku Nara to me immediately." She ordered her with a smile.
"Oh, and bring me another couple of bottles of sake-the good stuff. This may be an all-nighter." Tsunade added as an afterthought. Shizune left the office with a look of curiosity on her face. She had been eavesdropping at the door, and was wondering how in the world this new development was going to be handled. She put a little extra chakra in her feet as she sped towards the Nara compound.
.
.
The two Nara men entered the Hokage's office, stifling yawns as they slouched down on the couch against the wall. They listened with outward disinterest as Tsunade outlined the new development, and then gave her idea for a solution. By the time she was done talking, Kakashi was grinning. The Nara men slowly raised to their feet and in an astonishing move, bowed to her.
"It is times like these that I am proud to call you Hokage, Lady Tsunade." The elder Nara said with respect. The effect was a bit ruined by the huge yawn he gave in the middle of the statement. Tsunade looked pleased by his words, until she realized that he had basically implied that he wasn't proud the rest of the time. She glared at him as Kakashi and Shikamaru hid their smirks.
"So you think this plan will work then? I need to be sure-there can't be any loopholes for those slimy assholes to worm their way out of agreeing to it. We have until noon tomorrow to examine my strategy and find solutions to any weak spots." Tsunade ordered them. The both nodded lazily, but it someone were to examine their eyes they would see the calculating look in them as they began analyzing the details of her plan.
"I can tell you one thing that you should reconsider." Shikamaru said lazily.
"What is that?" She inquired.
"The seals shouldn't be removed- they should be modified so that they serve their original purpose. When we studied the clan at the academy, they told us that the seals were created to prevent the secrets of the Byakugan from being stolen and used against the village. Why not leave the seals to do their job, but modify them so that they can't be used to induce pain?" He asked matter of factly.
"Shikamaru's got a point, Lady Tsunade. As a matter of fact, I think that it would serve as a good diversionary tactic if you proposed before the council that ALL Hyuuga clan members receive the modified curse mark as a protection to the village…" His father added with a smirk. Tsunade and Kakashi looked at each other, sharing a moment of awe over the brilliance of the two geniuses in front of them.
Kakashi felt an evil grin form on his face as he contemplated the reaction of the Hyuuga clan leader and the village council at tomorrow's meeting. The plan that they were discussing consisted of three main parts. First, all Hyuuga members that wanted to leave the clan would have to sign notarized statements documenting the abuse they had suffered at the hands of the clan leader. Once that was done, Tsunade would grant them emancipation from the Hyuuga clan. This decision was under her jurisdiction, though it had never been done on such a large scale before. The only reason that the council was wavering on supporting her in Hinata's case was the fact that she was the heiress.
The second part of the Hokage's plan was to have Kakashi legally accept each newly emancipated member into the Hatake clan. Then they could not be held accountable under the Hyuuga laws, as they were no longer official members of the clan. The third part of her plan had originally included removing the curse marks under the premise that they weakened the Hatake clan, since members could be controlled by anyone that knew the hand signs to activate the curse seals. This is the part of the plan that Shikamaru and his father were suggesting the changes to.
Basically, Tsunade was going behind the councils back and planning to ambush both the council and the Hyuuga leader by presenting them with the changes already fully documented and filed in the records department. The Hyuuga leader had a fairly large portion of support in the council due to the importance of the clan itself to the village, and the slick political maneuvering that he had done in the past. The suggestion that the elder Nara had proposed would force a wedge in between the council, and the Hyuuga leader. By showing the abuse of the curse mark, and then pointing out that half the clan was not marked and therefore a danger to the village, they would be putting the opposition on the defensive.
"I think that we need to get all the rest of the clan members that want to leave out of the compound tonight. We need Naruto." Shikamaru said intently. His father smirked as he realized what his son was thinking. She sent Shizune to summon him and then waited for Shikamaru to explain his reasoning.
"Look- we need the fact that they have left to be a secret until the council meeting, right? Well, Naruto is the only one I know of that has both the mastery and the amount of chakra it will take to transform his clones into the Hyuuga members and holding them that long of a time period. We get everyone that wants out tonight, have the legal and scribe departments work overtime, and it will be a done deal by the morning." He sat back suddenly, as if exhausted by his own enthusiasm. Just as he was done talking, Naruto and Shizune entered the room.
"Naruto, it's time to fulfill your promise to help change the Hyuuga clan. You up for this?" Tsunade asked him. Naruto's face went blank with surprise, and then a huge grin formed on his face. He hadn't forgotten his promise to Neji, though he had put it on the back burner believing that he would be unable to fill it until he possessed the authority the position of Hokage would give him. He was appalled by the news that Hinata had been beaten almost to death by her father, and that she would never be a kuniochi again. Though he had been unable to return her romantic feelings, Naruto loved Hinata as one of his precious people. She was special to him as a friend, and as the first person to ever tell him that he was loved. The opportunity to help her, and stick it to her horrible father was something that he couldn't pass up.
"BELIEVE IT BAA-CHAN! JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED ME TO DO!" He yelled with enthusiasm. Tsunade glared at him.
"First of all, you can stop calling me baa-chan you disrespectful idiot!" She growled at him as she gave him a 'love tap' on the head.
"Now listen up while Shikamaru tells you what we need you to do!" She ordered sternly.