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Chapter 4: Investigate!

Naruto awoke the next morning, put on his gear, and headed for the Hokage's mansion. He arrived at conference room 4, and sat down. As he entered the room, he noticed that he was the second to arrive at the circular table. The only other to arrive so far was Kakashi, which was very odd, considering his mentor's habitual showing up late for almost every appointment or meeting. This must be important, he thought.

Slowly but surely, the remaining members began to show up. They spoke loudly to each other, discussing different events and techniques. Shikamaru, who had returned from the Hidden Sand, asked Naruto when he planned to marry Sakura. They'd been engaged for six months, and many expected them to marry at any time, but Naruto told Shikamaru that he planned to wait until he became Hokage.

At 9:00, Tsunade arrived, carrying a large folder filled with papers.

"Good morning, everyone. We have much to discuss," she said, taking her place at the head of the table and placing the large file in front of her.

"What's up, Granny?" asked Naruto.

"Thanks to Kakashi and Shino, we now know that Madara's former lieutenants are trying to find an army, and seem to be trying to find a way to attack."

"Is that all?"

"No, we also know that the Sound Village has finally rebuilt and is raising an army. They've finally found a new Otokage."

"Who?"

"We believe it is Matthias, a.k.a. the Carnivore."

"The Carnivore!" the entire room said in surprise.

"Yes, and we also know that he has at least five generals."

"Lady Tsunade," asked Tai. "How bad is the Carnivore?"

"Naruto, you were the last to face him. How bad is he?"

"Not good. He stole Sasuke's Sharingan. He's not as strong as Sasuke was, mind you, but he's deadly. The good news is he's not quite as good with it as Kakashi. The bad news is that he's not the only one who has one of Sasuke's eyes. His brother stole the other. The Carnivore and his brother are strong, way past kage level."

"What a drag!" said Shikamaru.

"Where's his brother?" asked Tsunade.

"Probably in the same village," said Kakashi. "They tend to work together, but we can't be sure of Draman's presence."

"Draman?" asked Sakura.

"The Carnivore's brother," explained Naruto.

"I've decided on a four-man cell for this mission. Normally I would assign teams, then worry about who's going on the mission, but I can't afford that now. I've decided that Naruto, Shikamaru, Tai, and Kakashi will compose a squad and infiltrate the Sound Village; they're supposed to have some kind of war conference. Kiba, Neji, Yamato, and Sakura will compose a second squad and go to the Metal Villages and see what they can find, once Neji returns, of course. You will all leave at 8 tomorrow morning. Everyone, prepare for your missions, and Naruto, I need to speak with you."

Everyone left Naruto and Tsunade alone. The room was quiet for a moment.

"What's up, Granny?"

"Don't call me that!" yelled Tsunade.

"Sorry!" said Naruto hurriedly, already noticing that the chakra was building up in her left arm.

"Good," said Tsunade, relaxing. "I wanted to talk to you about your seal on the Nine-Tails. How strong is it?"

Naruto's smile faded away. Tsunade meant business. "Strong enough to keep him from ever escaping. Why?"

"Because we don't want any of Madara's lieutenants getting their hands on it."

"They won't. I sealed the Fox back in his own world. There's no way they could get him out. Even if they did, I could seal him right back. It's safe."

"Naruto, the Nine-Tails is powerful. I don't need him getting out."

"He won't. If he does, I'll send him right back. He has to honor our contract, or I have the power to destroy him. The contract strictly says that. I had you, Shikaku, Inoichi, Temari, Gaara, and Shikamaru read over it. We're safe."

Tsunade smiled. She knew they were safe. She only wanted to make sure that no one could break Naruto's seals.

"Then we have one more thing to discuss. When are you finally going to marry Sakura?"

"I don't know. I figured I would wait until I was Hokage."

"Just how old do you think I am?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, but now you have no excuse. You are now the Seventh Hokage."

Naruto couldn't speak. He couldn't believe it.

"I spoke with the council about it, and they agree. You should be the Hokage. It will be announced officially when you return to the village. Good luck!"

Naruto thanked her and left with a huge grin on his face. His dream was finally coming true.

Well, chapter 4 is up, and I'll try to get chapter 5 up soon. See ya!