Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

ITALICS – Thinking

BOLD – jutsu/demon talk

Chapter Seven: A New Life, Prelude to War

It's been two days since Team Seven, Kakashi, and Clone Naruto left Wave. The bridge, now known as the Bridge to Freedom, was completed and all of Wave started to turn back to the way it was before Gato came in; the Uzu ANBU left at the same time as Team 7 and the others. Zabuza and Haku wondered where the real Naruto was at so his clone told them that he would be in Kiri helping with the rebellion and that they were welcome to join. Both smiled and quickly accepted the offer and hurried themselves in hopes of getting there in time to join in on the fun.

They arrive at the gates of Konoha and Kakashi gives Kotetsu and Izumo the correct papers; as they headed inside an ANBU appeared in front of them with a message from the Hokage.

"Kakashi, you, Naruto, and Sasuke are to report to the Hokage Office immediately; the other members of your team can go about their business."

"Hai Anbu-san!" Kakashi replies and motions for Naruto and Sasuke to follow

Before leaving, Naruto turned to Sai and Sakura "If you wish to rest that is up to you but I recommend keeping up with my regimen as well as study up on new techniques."

Both nod "Hai Naruto-sensei!"

Naruto chuckles and motions for Kakashi and Sasuke that we can head to the Hokage Office in which they nod; Sasuke though had this feeling in the back of his mind like something happened while away and that his future was about to change.

Hokage Office

A knock is heard on the door and Sarutobi tells his guests to enter and smiles at Naruto though he knew it had to be a clone since the real one was at Kiri at the moment. He gives Sasuke a sad smile then sighs and goes into Hokage mode.

"Great to see you all returned; Kakashi, you can give me a written mission statement as well as you Naruto, there is no need to explain what happened as bigger matters must be attended to. ANBU, can you get Inoichi in here please."

An ANBU appears and bows then goes off to do his assigned task.

"Now, I can tell that you are wondering what is so important that a mission statement can be waited upon am I right." Everyone nods "Naruto, you will be happy to know that Danzo is no longer in our hair; the cockroach has been eliminated."

Naruto and Kakashi smile but Sasuke's eyes widen then harden into a hate filled glare.

"You will return my master at once! I refuse to think that he has been killed; I will become the next Madara and you can't stop me!"

Sauske starts to run through hand signs, of which Naruto recognizes as a massive fire jutsu; he acts fast and does one hand sign then points his left hand, which turns into wood, at Sasuke.

Wood Release: Smothering Binding Technique

Wooden tendrils ensnare Sasuke halting his jutsu making Sarutobi and Kakashi breathe a sigh of relief. Naruto returns his hand back to normal as all watch Sasuke try to get out of his bindings.

"When I get out of here…all of you will die, you hear me! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!"

A new voice appears in the office "Well, someone seems to be having a temper tantrum, what can I help you with Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi, Naruto and Kakashi chuckle "Well, Inoichi, I want you to go into Sasuke's mind and erase his memory and then I will seal up his bloodline to which we will reteach him and lead him down the right path."

"YOU WILL NOT LAY A HAND ON ME SWINE!"

Inoichi chops Sasuke on the back of the neck knocking him out making everyone smile.

Naruto gasps as he had an idea "Wait my old friend I think there is a better way to go about this. We cannot deny the fact that Sasuke has grown strong under Danzo and sealing away that potential just shows how weak Konoha has become; stunting the growth of a great Shinobi. I propose that we do erase his memories but keep his bloodline and all of his skills intact but when he comes to we tell him the truth about the Uchiha Massacre and go on from there."

Sarutobi strokes his goatee and hums "That seems logical but the fact remains that he might fall down that path of hatred with all this power."

Naruto, in a stern voice one of which would make his father proud, replies "No he will not and I will personally train him with the help of people of my choosing; I may be a clone but boss has more than enough chakra to handle me showing Sasuke a thing or two."

Sarutobi's eyes widen "Are you sure you want to take that burden upon yourself?"

Naruto nods "Yes, and I was wondering if you have any scrolls that Danzo had in his base that pertained to Sasuke's training."

Kakashi interrupts "Wait, hold on a minute, it sounds to me that you want to continue what Danzo was doing."

"That is exactly my plan."

"WHAT!" a chorus of screams radiates around the room from the ANBU, Sarutobi, Kakashi, and Inoichi

"Think about it, we have a chance to have another Shinobi almost as powerful as the Madara my father faced in the years to come. The only difference is that we lead him down the path to protect Konoha, not hate it like Madara did. This is why I told you I wanted to train him."

Inoichi chuckles "I never thought I'd agree to have another Uchiha to become like Madara but the benefits are there. I can imagine Naruto and Sasuke going to battle together laying waste to all who stand in their way…HA!"

Kakashi eye smiles "Hey, I have to agree as well; Sasuke has great promise as a Shinobi and telling him the truth after the wipe should set him right."

Sarutobi groans and palms his face "OK Naruto, you have a point. I have the documents we raided from the base before blowing it up and I am also guessing you want Madara like weapons and armor."

Naruto shakes his head "No, not at the moment; he has to earn the right to wear the armor and use the weapons. If he starts to focus on hate again in which I cannot stray him from then Inoichi has permission to wipe him clean."

Everyone nods and Sarutobi motions to Inoichi "You shall begin when ready Inoichi-san."

Said man nods and starts hand signs to do his job; he slumps but Naruto catches him with a wood tendril and sets him gently on the ground; Sasuke's future was about to change and Naruto looked forward to having Sasuke by his side in future battles if his idea worked out.

Five Minutes Later

Inoichi body twitches and he sits up with a groan holding his head "Ugh, that was one screwed up mind; with the genjutsu Itachi placed on him to the manipulation Danzo put him through…just nasty. I erased everything minus the massacre and his skill set; I left the names of important people as well so when he wakes you will have to create a story as to what happened to him."

Sarutobi nods "Thank you Inoichi, if you wish I can have one of my ANBU escort you to the hospital to rest."

He smiles "That would be most appreciated Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi signals an ANBU which does his task. After both exit the office in a leaf shunshin, a groan is heard from Sasuke; Naruto releases the bindings just as Sasuke opens his eyes and looks around the room.

"W…what happened. The only thing I remember is my clan getting massacred and having some training but the rest is blurry."

Sarutobi looks at Kakashi and Naruto in a desperate manner looking for a story to weave; Naruto takes up the mantle.

"Sasuke, do you remember me?"

Sasuke looks towards Naruto and squints as he tries to remember "Naruto Senju?"

Naruto nods "That is correct Sasuke, now who are the others in this room."

Sasuke thinks again "The one at the desk is the Sandaime Hokage while the other is Kakashi-sensei. Wait, why am I getting images of being on a team and doing some sort of mission?"

Naruto sighs and puts on a sad façade hoping the lie he was about to say would convince him "The last battle we had, you were kicked through a second story window and bashed your head on the ground really hard; the blow left you with a concussion and amnesia, I am sorry Sasuke."

Sasuke stands up at this point and hobbles over to a chair and sits down; he takes a deep breath "Why did Itachi do it, why, I just feel this anger towards him and feel like killing him is the only goal."

Sarutobi clears his throat and butts in "Sasuke, would you like to know the truth behind what happened that night?"

Sasuke quickly turns to him and yells "What truth! Itachi massacred my clan and told me that hate would only make me grow stronger; give me a good reason to not follow his wishes!"

Sarutobi does just that. He takes a folder from his desk that held the documents Danzo cataloged on the massacre then hands them to Sasuke; he grabs them and starts to read over them.

"Those are the documents my old friend Danzo kept on hand which detail what he did that night; he used your brother Sasuke and framed the whole Uchiha clan saying that they were going to rebel against me but it was all farce."

Sasuke reads the documents over a course of 10 minutes in which nobody talks. Suddenly Sasuke throws the documents to the ground and yells to the heavens then collapses to the floor in the fetal position and starts to cry.

"I want Itachi-oniisan back…Ka-san…Tou-san…"

Naruto rushes over, bends to his level and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder "It will be alright Sasuke we will get your brother back."

"Where's Danzo…I want to kill that bastard!"

Sarutobi helps "We found out what he was doing and after months of planning and gathering evidence we held a trial and executed him. Sasuke, listen, what would you do if Naruto and some others trained you to become a powerful Shinobi?"

Sasuke sniffs and wipes his tears away and gives a smile to Naruto who returns it "I…I don't know at the moment; all I want is my Oniisan back."

Kakashi butts in "Here, answer this question. Do you hate Konoha for what it has done to your clan?"

Naruto and Sarutobi give Kakashi a heated glare hoping that question doesn't undo Inoichi's memory wipe; luckily for them Inoichi was a man well versed in his talents.

Sasuke ponders then shakes his head "Danzo was not part of Konoha from the documents I read; he was an idealistic old fool and I hope he rots in hell for what he did to my clan."

"So you wish to protect and help Konoha prosper then; restore your clan at some point maybe?" Naruto asks earning a nod from Sasuke who stands and has a gleam in his eye the one of which Sarutobi and Naruto smile as they knew what it was; the Will of Fire was burning within.

"I guess that is my motive right now, if Itachi-oniisan is returned and helps me then I will gladly help Konoha and protect it and its people."

Everyone nods and smiles while Kakashi ends the conversation "Let's take you home Sasuke."

Sasuke shakes his head "I will not live in my compound; to many bad memories." He turns to Naruto "Naruto-sensei, do you mind if I live with you until Itachi comes back?"

Naruto smiles "No, not at all. Tsunade and I will help in any way we can."

Sasuke smiles and bows "Thank you and I promise not to question your training."

Water Country – One of the Islands surrounding Kiri

Naruto puts on the rest of his armor and affixes his katana, Raging Whirlpool, to his back. He grabs his Konoha issued headband and ties it on his forehead parting his black bangs to the side then sighs.

"Today is the start of Yagura's end Kurama; do you think that seal I was working on while in limbo will work?"

"You tested it on yourself when it was still in the prototype stage and what did that accomplish hmm?"

"Yah, I know don't remind me but I perfected it and tested it again on myself and I don't even know if it worked or not yet."

"Well, when the time comes then you can test it out…now if you'll excuse me I need to catch a nap."

Naruto sweat drops and wonders how an overgrown plushy could sleep that much.

"I can hear your thoughts you know…AND WHO YOU CALLING A PLUSHY! Don't make me eat you when the time comes to test out your invention."

Naruto chuckles and tunes the fox out as he remembers how this day came to be; he would be leading a force to take out a main installation of Yagura's forces on a massive island that protects the entrance to Kiri.

Flashback – Two days ago

Mei escorted Naruto through the camp which had white tents in perfect rows that were filled with cots for the men and women to sleep on. Outside these tents were various people sharpening their kunai, tantos, and other various weaponry; they look at Naruto with wonder as the armor he wore reminded them of stories of the days of old. A couple gasped as they recognized the Senju clan symbol on the collar of Naruto's armor and soon started to spread the word that a powerful ally was among them.

"Mei, how big is this rebellion force?"

"Hmm, we started with well over three thousand but after a year of fighting we have been cut in half. Morale has hit an all-time low as some lost hope after seeing so many of their family and friends die though I think that will change with you around; you have a calming aura about you."

Naruto laughs "That would be my father's chakra running through my veins. It is nature based though my father called it Sage chakra; that and the necklace I am wearing is the main reason why my Mokuton is so strong."

Mei gives Naruto a quizzical look "That would not be something to divulge as that seems like a big secret…why tell me this?"

Naruto smiles "Because I actually have the skills to kill anyone before they leak the information. Be thankful I am on your side because I have one technique that can wipe out this whole rebellion force."

Mei pales and was about to talk when a rebellion member came over; it was a female about five foot six with long brunette hair, wearing crude leather armor and clothes while having a tanto strapped to her back.

"I am glad that you are helping us Senju-sama and word has spread quick around the camp. If you would be so kind as to tell us your name, everyone is curious about you."

Naruto smiles "Once I am done talking to Mei, I will find you again as your signature is easy to discern. After that, gather everyone and I will tell my identity.

The lady bows "Thank you Senju-sama!"

Mei chuckles as she and Naruto watches her run off to tell the others "Seems like you will be a big help after all. Well, my quarters are not that far from here; we will be discussing plans today on what to attack, care to join?"

Naruto nods "Yes, my father drilled strategy and lots of other things into my head before he passed. I will simply oversee as you and the others decide on strategies; I will only butt in if I see a problem or a better solution."

Mei nods and stops in front of her quarters, it is a massive tent that looked like it could sleep at least 300 soldiers "Well, here we are; I will introduce you to the others."

It was a long three hours' worth of negotiating plans of attack which Naruto helped with time and time again where needed. There were two other prominent figures that helped lead the rebellion other than Mei; one was a man named Ao whom was five foot eight, had blue hair and an eye patch covering his right eye, the other was an older gentleman called Isamu. He was the same height as Ao but had brown spiky hair and blue eyes with a ninja-to strap to his back. Ao was a little suspicious of Naruto at first as his hidden Byakugan let him see his immense chakra pool but Mei reassured him brining up that Naruto was Hashirama's son. Hearing this, both men were happy to have Naruto aboard and thanked him for the help.

After the meeting, Naruto went in search of the woman who contacted him before entering Mei's quarters; he locked onto her chakra and eventually found her sitting outside her tent sharpening her tanto.

"Hello Miss, nice to see you again."

The lady stops what she was doing and looks up then smiles "Ah, hello Senju-sama. I forgot to introduce myself before; my name is Kasumi."

Naruto smiles "And mine is Naruto Senju, pleased to meet you Kasumi."

Both shake hands after Kasumi sheathes her tanto; she stands and stretches.

"Well, you said you were going to introduce yourself to us right?" Naruto nods "Well then I will gather a crowd."

Kasumi adds chakra to her throat and yells out for all to hear "SENJU-SAMA WISHES TO SPEAK TO YOU ALL! GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE!"

Naruto chuckles and hears the stampede of feet hitting the ground; soon, all 1500 members of the rebellion are congregated around Naruto and Kasumi. He clears his throat making the crowd quiet then begins.

"Hello all, I have graciously decided to help in your fight to reclaim that which you lost; your home, Kiri. My name is Naruto Senju, son to the great Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki. I may look young but I am as wise as an old man; I will gladly fight alongside you or lead you into battle. May my presence boost your morale, may it boost our chances for victory, what say you my comrades; will we let Yagura take your home and kill all that you love?"

"NO!" the rebellion choruses

Naruto unsheathes his katana and raises it in the air "Raise your weapons high my comrades and yell to the heavens that with our combined strength; victory will soon be at hand!"

Sounds of various weapons being unsheathed are heard and the rebellion does as asked with a smile; with gusto they proclaim for all to hear.

"FOR KIRI!"

Naruto smiles and sheathes his katana as do the others "Well, we go into battle to days from now and will be leading some of you into an island that overlooks the entrance to Kiri. This island is heavily fortified but once it crumbles, Kiri will soon be ours."

Another round of cheers go out and Naruto uses a Mokuton Shunshin to get out of the area shocking all but it soon turns into a smile knowing that the war would soon be over.

Flashback End

Naruto steps out of his tent and looks to his right to see two familiar faces coming towards him; he jogs up to both and laughs as he greets them.

"Zabuza, Haku, I take it my clone told you the situation?"

Both nod but Zabuza speaks up "Yah and it's about time Yagura met his end; Mei debriefed us and she said that my missing nin status would be revoked once this war was over."

Naruto shakes his head "Yagura will not be killed; he is a person like me that is not acting right to the point where he might be controlled."

Zabuza growls "What do you mean not killed and…wait, you said you were just like…" He face-palms "So that's the fox you were talking about."

Naruto laughs and holds up 9 fingers which Haku recognizes as his eyes go wide "Do not spread that around though what I have planned later in the war will ultimately tell everyone what I hold. Come, we mustn't be late as the battle starts soon, I will escort you to Mei's quarters if you wish?"

Haku shakes his head "We have been tasked to stay behind on guard duty for now but thanks for the offer Naruto-sama."

Naruto smiles and nods "I see, well until we meet on the battlefield Zabuza, Haku. Ja ne!"

Mei's Quarters

Naruto reaches the tent five minutes later and sees Ao and Mei standing outside talking to one another; the stop as they see Naruto approaching.

Both bow "Hello Senju-sama." They proclaim making Naruto wave his hand

"Please, just Naruto; I grow weary of the honorifics."

Mei nods "So, you still planning on using THAT technique that you told us about two days ago before my forces rush in?"

Ao questions "Are you sure we will see it from here?"

"Do you doubt my skills as Hashirama's son Ao?"

Said person shakes his head "No, it's just we've read about that technique in the history books and only know that it created the forests surrounding Konoha; honestly, I only believe history when I see it in action."

Naruto nods "Very well, you saved yourself from making me turn you into a tree and Mei melting you."

Mei laughs as she sees Ao pale and laughs nervously "So this technique is that amazing then and I can only guess that we will have a new forest on the outskirts on Kiri soon."

Naruto laughs "Yes you will, consider it a gift from me for helping out in this war. Now if you'll excuse me I need to start my assigned task; gather up the troops so they can watch."

Mei and Ao nod and rush off to gather the troops as Naruto heads out to the heavily fortified island; it was said to be filled with at least five hundred or more troops and had concrete bunkers and fortresses to stave off any invasion. After Naruto would do his task, 800 rebellion forces would rush in and take out the rest of Yagura's forces; it would be a quick and decisive battle where they would use the island for scouting and reconnaissance purposes before invading Kiri.

Fortified Island

Naruto reaches the border of the island after 10 minutes of running on the water at full speed and closes his eyes to feel the multiple signatures of life that dotted the island. Naruto sighs and steels himself for what he was about to do.

"I hate taking a life but alas such is the cycle that this nation revolves around…may Kami forgive what I am about to do and father, I will make you proud as this was the last technique you taught me before you passed."

"I am sure he, Mito and the others are looking down upon you with pride Kit. Steel your heart, remember your father's virtues, and do what must be done."

Naruto grasps the necklace and closes his eyes "Thank you Kurama, you seem to be there when I need it the most."

Kurama smiles just as Naruto snaps open his eyes and starts to radiate his silver chakra alerting some of the members on the island; his eyes turn yellow and a red circle with a dot in the center appears on Naruto's forehead as well as red outlines around his eyes and down part of his face. A stern look adorns his face as he raises his chakra further; the island now knows there is an intruder but it would be too late to do anything as Naruto starts to run through hand signs.

"Tiger, Ram, Snake. Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees!"

Saplings appear around the island and soon a rumbling within the Earth is felt, the cracking of trees growing out of the ground is heard next followed by the screams of people caught in the attack; Naruto held it for 4 minutes until he was sure that the forest spanned the entire island. He releases the jutsu, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath cancelling his Sage Mode. He opens his eyes a short while later and smiles, not even winded in the slightest though his chakra did take a hit.

"Nicely done Kit, your father would be proud; and look at you, not even tired after using that much chakra." Muses Kurama

"Thank you Kurama…ah I hear the rebellion coming now. All in a day's work I suppose."

Island Forces before the Jutsu

One of the sensors on the island jumps up from his meditation as he feels an immense chakra spike and quickly heads over to his commander's quarters. As he rushes in another massive spike went off and he knew that one would have alerted everyone on the island.

"What the hell…who has such potent chakra!" the commander yells looking over the sensor nin in front of him

"I don't know sir…it's just." The ground begins to rumble and people stumble outside to see some saplings emerge

The commander widens his eyes as he knows this techinque from the history books "EVASIVE MANEUVERS ATTACK INCOMING!"

"What…" one of the ninja states and that is all that could come out of his mouth.

Trees erupt from the ground catching some in their branches while impaling others; everyone does their best to dodge them as they continue to grow around the island. Screams ring out in the distance and around the island making the commander curse.

"He was dead…history said he died fifty years ago but wait could this be…oh no."

The commander knew that the tables have been turned on Yagura and that the war would likely be lost if the man he was thinking of came to back-up the rebellion.

Rebellion Forces Before the Jutsu

Everyone was watching the island waiting to see what happened; Ao used his Byakugan so that he could tell others what was happening. When Naruto gathered his chakra though Ao screamed out and covered his eye with his hand as pain roared through it.

Mei rushes over "What's wrong?"

"H…his chakra…it..it's unconceivable!"

"Speak Ao before I melt you!"

Ao takes a deep breath and lowers his hand "I got a glimpse of his chakra pool before I had to turn away as the chakra being output started to blind me. Believe me or not but Naruto has the chakra of four or five kage's combine."

Everyone that heard this turns to look at Ao and screamed "WHAT!"

Mei starts to do a happy dance "HA! I knew Naruto would be our guardian angel though it makes sense as he is part Senju and Uzumaki."

Everyone nods and starts to feel the ground shake making everyone wonder what is going on then they all see history in the making; a forest blooms in front of them over the course of the next four minutes. It left them all breathless until Zabuza spoke what was on everyone's mind.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Ao whispers "It's true…I can't believe it and he doesn't even look tired."

Mei knew this was the signal "To those I assigned to help Senju-sama…MOVE OUT!"

A chorus of "Hai Mei-sama!" is heard and 800 forces rush to the island.

With Naruto – Present Time

Naruto hears the 800 rebellion forces coming as he stands there with his eyes closed searching for anyone left alive; he knew that the jutsu could be dodged as the trees helped in that regard but it was usually deadly nonetheless. He picks out that there are about 100 left out of the 500 plus that were originally on the island; some were captured in his trees while others were frantically searching for a way out.

"What are your orders Senju-sama?" Kasumi states

Naruto opens his eyes and takes a deep breath "There are 100 troops left inside this vast forest which are either currently running around in panic or are entwined in the branches of my trees. Steel your hearts to do what must be done and may you sully your blades with that of an enemy which stands before you. Jump from tree branch to tree branch if you can as it will be much easier to travel."

"Hai Senju-sama!" the force proclaims

Naruto nods and unsheathes Raging Whirlpool "I will lead the way but spread out as this island is massive; flair your chakra if you get lost."

Everyone nods and follows Naruto into the forest; some decide to move on the ground while others followed Naruto's orders. It would take another three hours to comb the island and finish off any survivors but it was well worth the time. Outposts were set up throughout the rest of the day so that reconnaissance and intelligence gathering on guard rotations and such could be done.

Mei, who was still at the main base, was happy with the results of the first battle as no casualties were lost on their side thanks to in part of Naruto's main attack. She was brought out of her thoughts by Ao asking a question.

"Mei, what shall we call this forest?"

Said person thinks "Well, every landmark has to have a name. Let's see…hmmm." Mei snaps her fingers "Forest of Hope is what it shall be called; it is where one man started it all, started to bring hope into all our minds, hope that Yagura's reign will end and ours to begin."

Kiri, Mizukage Tower – 30 minutes later

A knock on the door is heard and Yagura lets the person enter; it's his main man in reconnaissance, Susumu.

"Ah, Susumu, what do you have to report; please let it be good news or I will kindly discard you like the trash on the ground level of this tower." Yagura, in a sickly sweet voice, states with an evil grin

Susumu gulps "Mizukage-sama, ah, um…heh well you see…"

"I'm waiting BOY!" Susumu flinches and starts to sweat

"Our fortified island which is a main defense for Kiri has fallen…the island is more like a forest now though; no survivors to my account."

Yagura stands and walks around his desk then puts a reassuring hand on Susumu's cheek and smiles "Oh the rebellion took out a massive force of ours, and it seems they have a new ally, one that possibly has the Mokuton. Too bad they will never make it to me if they decide to attack. Thank you for bringing me this information."

Susumu nods and in a nervous voice squeaks out "Can I go Mizukage-sama?"

Yagura cackles "Such a sweet boy you are, you can leave this room alright."

He turns Susumu around and pushes him in the back initiating a jutsu; cracks are heard as coral starts growing on Susumu's body that starts to scream in panic making Yagura cackle.

"You can leave alright; you can leave when you have perished in front of my very eyes!"

"Yagura-sama…why are you, ACK!" Susumu cannot finish as the coral enters his mouth and starts to grow down into his body.

Within the span of a couple minutes Susumu is no more, all that remains is a lump of coral that has the shape of a medium size human. Yagura smiles and picks it up, opens the window to his office and chucks Susumu's body out; Yagura watches with an evil grin and gleam in his eye as the body drops to the ground below. A shattering is heard seconds later turning Susumu into nothing but dust and little pieces of coral.

Yagura sits back in his seat and sighs "So, the rebellion wants to attempt to take over like before…hmm maybe I shall set up a present for them when they arrive; this person with the possible Mokuton though is very troublesome. Hmm, no matter; the rebellion will fall and I will be the one to rule over all of the Land of Water."

Time skip: One Week Later – Konoha

One week has passed since the first assasult towards Kiri and since then the rebellion has been gathering reports on guard rotations, how many are inside the city, and what Yagura's schedule is during the day. They knew one week would not give enough data for a full out attack so they decided to recoup, train, and figure out just what would they do in the major battle that was to come. In Konoha though, it was one week since Sasuke had certain memories of him wiped as well as Jiraiya searching for Itachi saying that he could come home. In that time Hiruzen reflected on his life thus far and realized that it was time to retire and needed a replacement so he called Clone Naruto and Tsuande into his office for a quick chat.

Flashback – 5 days ago Hokage Office

A knock is heard at the door "Come in."

The door opens and Tsuande and Naruto's clone comes in; they close the door behind them, bow, and sit in the chairs in front of the Hokage's desk which was once again free from paperwork. Puffing on his pipe, he starts.

"Certain events have recently made me reflect on my time as Hokage and am proud for the years of service I have given Konoha but I think it's time that I pass on the mantle. I already asked Jiraiya before he left in search of Itachi two days ago and he refused as his spy network is more important and I agree with him. So that leaves me with you two but I cannot decide on which one would fit best."

Naruto and Tsunade blink in slight shock but nod as they knew Hiruzen was getting old.

"Hiruzen, I am going to cut to the chase here, my boss is currently fighting a war and used his father's secret technique two days ago to lay waste to a fortified island; out of the 500 plus enemies only 100 survived. Boss used a lot of chakra but it only left a small dent but since our minds are linked in a way so that we can transfer information I know he might dismiss me at any time before he and the rebellion invade Kiri."

Tsunade and Hiruzen gape at the clone and simultaneously shout "He used THAT jutsu?!"

Clone Naruto nods and laughs "It was the second time he used that jutsu, one while training with it and now. I am sure you remember that day when I made the forest in the backyard of the Senju compound."

Hiruzen laughs "Yah, you ruined Mito's garden in the process…oh man was she pissed; hell hath no fury like an Uzumaki women scorned."

Tsunade chuckles "I always wondered where that garden went."

Naruto sighs "Putting the past aside, what I am trying to say is that I don't think Boss is ready to become Hokage yet. Yes I am technically 68 years old but thanks to me being in limbo I am still 18 which is too young to become Hokage. Tsunade, I know Dan and Nawaki wanted to become Hokage and died during the second war but you have to put the past behind you..."

Tsunade finishes "As the future is much brighter, I know." She sighs "Look Sensei, do you think I am capable right now?"

Sarutobi laughs "No, but I don't plan on stepping down until after the Chunin exams so in that time I will teach you so that the transition is much smoother. What do you say my old student, would you like to follow your grandfather and granduncle's footsteps and make Dan and Nawaki's dreams come true?"

Tsunade chuckles "You old monkey, you sure know how to pull those heartstrings but your right; I will become the Yondaime Hokage Sensei, will you please guide me?"

Flashback End

Clone Naruto sighs as he looks out toward the forest he created to see Sasuke walking up the tree using only the palms of his hands; it was like the tree walking but using the hands instead. It has been one week since Naruto began training him on his chakra control to better use the jutsu that Danzo confiscated from who knows where; Naruto also let him run through his taijutsu katas. It would be time to start training controlling Sasuke's fire affinity which meant for a new trainer, one that Naruto knew would be a great help on; Kakashi Hatake.

Naruto smiles at how well Sasuke was progressing and knew that if Itachi was found and brought back, Sasuke would, without a doubt, help Konoha prosper. The only problem was when he awoke the Magekyo Sharingan; what then? Naruto wondered if there was another way to obtain the MS so he made a mental note to ask Itachi about it.

"Alright Sasuke, you can stop now."

Sasuke flips off the tree and runs towards Naruto "Anything else today Naruto-sensei?"

Naruto shakes his head "I was going to have you work on physical exercises but I feel that you need to spend time with your graduates and new friends."

Sasuke smiles and cheers then bows "Thank you Naruto-sensei, I will get myself cleaned up and head out then."

Naruto nods "Do as you wish Sasuke and you have come along well; Itachi would be proud and don't worry, Jiraiya will bring him back."

Sasuke nods as he runs inside to clean up; Naruto chuckled to himself when Hiruzen and he told the Konoha 11 about what happened to Sasuke and that his attitude would change. Sure enough, the day Sasuke greeted everyone with a heartfelt smile and words of encouragement it threw them for a loop but all grew to accept the new and improved Sasuke. Naruto knew that the entire Konoha 11 trained together at some points as Sasuke came home bloodied and bruised but smiled through the pain commenting that 'pain is weakness leaving my body.' The saying couldn't be truer for Sasuke; he went through so much and in the end his future took a sharp turn and began to look brighter.