A/N: This is my first try as an author so bear with me. English isn't my first language so don't hesitate to pm me with any fault you find, I am always eager to learn.
It's great that many of you replied to my question about Zabuza, confirming that he is indeed an A class missing ninja. No one was really shocked about Naruto's new updated stats either. I'm still going with the One piece Bounty System pricing since I have no idea what they charge for missing ninja in the Naruto universe.
Hope you all had a nice Christmas day for those who celebrate it.
Anyway, welcome to the next chapter of Kaze No Kami.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other manga for that matter.
Chapter 24: Homecoming
Konoha – Main Gates
It took Naruto's group three days to reach Konoha from the moment they left Suna. They did not meet any difficulties during their trip back, deciding to only take minimal short breaks, since all were eager to get home.
They were greeted by the eternal chunin combo at their arrival, namely Kotetsu and Izumo. Upon verification that everything was in order, they were told that Tsunade was waiting for them in her office immediately.
Jiraya felt that something wrong must have happened. He had made sure to send Tsunade a preliminary report on their mission as soon as they brought Gaara back to his village. Therefore, having Tsunade impatiently waiting for them could only mean one thing, something important must have happened after he sent her the first report.
The group lost no more time than needed and all used Shunshin to reach the Hokage Tower.
Hokage Office
Tsunade was going through paperwork since this morning. It helped her to focus on something else than her last relative's situation. To her, Naruto was still going back from his mission to Suna but he didn't knew about the last developments on his profile in the bingo book. She feared that with such a high bounty on his head, the most skilled hunter nins would try to get him before she had the chance to warn him. They were already well on their way back to the Leaf when she received the news.
Naruto's group arrived in front of Tsunade's office. Shizune stood up from her desk then let them in immediately, knowing how anxious her master had been about this whole thing. Opening the door, Naruto and Jiraya were prepared to see a sleeping Tsunade with some opened bottles of Sake. They were surprised however to see her working and sober.
"Naruto ! You're finally back, I was so worried, you idiot !" Yelled the blonde Hokage as she jumped up from her seat, not even noticing the other people inside her office.
"We're fine too Hime." Said a smirking Jiraya as Tsunade finally composed herself.
She cleared her throat, then calmly sat down.
"Good work everyone, I will take the time to read all your reports once you submit them. Now you're all dismissed except for Naruto and Jiraya." Announced Tsunade.
Kurenai, Hinata, Sakura and Kiba bowed their head to their leader, nodded to Naruto and Jiraya, then all left to go back to their respective homes. Tsunade, Jiraya, Shizune and Naruto were the only people left in the Hokage office. Tsunade quickly sealed the room then looked at Naruto.
"What's going on Tsunade ?" Asked a curious Jiraya.
"Show them the book, Shizune." Said Tsunade as her disciple took a book on her desk and put it in front of them.
"What's with the bingo book ? I already know that I have an entry in it, apparently Iwa is still mad at us, about the ass whopping my father gave them in the last great ninja war." Naruto said, recognizing the book in front of him.
Putting two and two together, Jiraya understood why Tsunade looked so worried and decided to see for himself. He opened the book to the A-Ranked shinobi section, frowned, then continued to the next section. Once he found his student's profile, he slowly put the book back in front of Naruto.
"Look again Naruto, they updated your profile with the latest data." Jiraya said with a heavy sigh.
Naruto did as instructed, his eyes widened when he saw his updated file. It had almost everything right about his current skills. However, the most important part was his new ranking status. He was now considered as a S-Rank shinobi, furthermore not only Iwa but also Ame and Kiri wanted him dead now.
"How is that even possible ? There are things mentioned in my file, that happened not even a week ago." Asked a worried and confused Naruto.
"I was wondering about the same thing, actually." Added Tsunade.
"It's quite simple really, if you take the time to think about it." Said Jiraya.
"How is that so, Ero-sennin ?" Asked Naruto nervously, not understanding what his master what talking about.
"The only people who knew about those events besides us are Suna and Akatsuki." Replied Jiraya.
"Suna wouldn't leak out info on one me, I'm pretty sure Gaara would see to that." Said Naruto with conviction, believing that his fellow jinchuriki friend would never betray him.
"Then, that only leave on possibility, Akatsuki did it. Why would they broadcast their loss to us and therefore increase the competition in getting Naruto-kun though ?" This came from Shizune this time.
"Information gathering … they want to force our hand, or more precisely, Naruto's." Said Tsunade finally getting it.
"Exactly. The more high level enemies Naruto has to fight, the more data about him will be revealed to them. They have the confidence that Naruto won't die. It's probably because he already beat some of them." Confirmed the Spy Master of Konoha.
"What will I do now ? I was never a popular guy in Konoha you know. With such a bounty even I would be tempted to sell myself to one of those villages that want my head." Said a dejected Naruto.
"I think I have a solution for you, leave it to me. Just be here in one hour, I will call for an emergency council meeting. This will probably solve your problem inside Konoha." Tsunade said, getting a nod from the younger blond.
"There's one thing I don't get though, I can understand for Iwa but why do Kiri and Ame want my head too ?" Mused Naruto out loud.
"Ame has always been at odds with us Naruto. It was their leader, Hanzo the Salamander, that gave us the tittle of sannin when we fought against him in the last great ninja war. We don't know much about that country, even today, so it wouldn't surprise me that they still resent us. Taking out one of our most promising shinobi must be their goal." Said Jiraya.
"Kiri is a little different though, it's not really Konoha they fear but you, or more specifically your name. The Uzumaki clan, as you know, is in fact from Uzushiogakure. Kiri was one of the countries that plotted the destruction of the land of our ancestors, Naruto. My grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, used to tell me stories of her homeland. The fuinjutsu of the Uzumaki clan were greatly feared, especially by their close neighbor Kiri." Supplied Tsunade.
"I see, for the time being it would be best for me to avoid those countries, at least until we get more information about them." Naruto said getting nods from both Jiraya and Tsunade.
"I'll see what I can do with my spy network, we need to gather more accurate info on them. Kiri is supposedly in a civil war between the bloodlines holders side and the Mizukage faction led by Yagura. However, Ame is a very secretive country, I may have to infiltrate it myself." Said Jiraya.
"Now listen to what I have in mind for the council meeting later today ..." Tsunade explained her plan to Naruto.
She then dispelled her room sealing jutsu and called an ANBU team to go gather every member for the upcoming council meeting.
Council Meeting Room
Every member of the Council was present in the meeting room. As usual the room was divided in three sides. The shinobi, elder and civilian sides were all seated in their designated area. Tsunade was in her Hokage seat higher than everyone else, with Shizune standing right behind her. Naruto stood outside the room with Jiraya at his side. The ANBU guarding the room closed the doors, signaling the start of the meeting.
"Before we start, I will establish some special rules for this meeting." Announced Tsunade.
"Sensitive information will be disclosed during this meeting. None of you will interrupt me until you are given the right to speak. Should any of you disregard this simple rule, you will be removed from the room for the remaining of the meeting, regardless of your clan or status. Is that clear ?" Tsunade said, daring anyone to protest against her rule.
The room stayed silent, people knew that Tsunade had quite a temper, and unlike Sarutobi she would not hesitate to go through with her threats.
"Very well, the meeting shall start then. We are gathered in this room today to discuss the status of one of Konoha's most powerful clan, the Namikaze." Declared Tsunade.
"The Namikaze were one of the first shinobi families to have joined Konoha after its founding. They produced many powerful shinobi and kunoichi in the past, our late Yondaime Hokage being the most striking example. However, during the last great war, they lost all of their members except for the one who put an end to the war itself, Namikaze Minato." She reminded everyone.
"Now, with no official successor and as a standard procedure, all the funds and possessions of the Namikaze family have been frozen for the last sixteen years. According to the law, if no official successor has claimed this inheritance before eighteen years have passed, then the Hokage has the authority to seize it and everything become the village's property." Continued the Hokage.
"We are here to discuss about this inheritance before the deadline is over." Finished Tsunade before nodding to Danzo who stood up from his seat on the civilian side.
"I think it should be equally distributed among the civilian side ..." Started the old manipulator before Tsunade cut him.
"It won't be necessary, the ninja clans can also forget about the Namikaze scrolls that were sealed in the Hokage vault." Tsunade said.
"What gives you the authority to decide such things, Tsunade ? Last time I checked, even the Hokage wasn't above the laws that were signed by both the Shodaime and the Fire Lord." Replied the old war hawk, with blatant disrespect in his tone and a smug look on his face.
"The old fool is at it again, she may have fired Homura and Koharu but Danzo managed to stay by the civilian side. Let's see how she deals with him." Thought Sarutobi as he looked at his student.
"You can cut the crap with your empty threats and even then the Fire Lord won't be of any use to you in this case. A Namikaze heir has been identified, now sit down if you don't have anything else relevant to say." Tsunade said as she sent him a glare, defying him to protest.
Danzo smartly sat down, without showing any expression on his face. However inside he was fuming with rage, he had planned for a long time to secretly seize the Namikaze inheritance for himself, hoping that everyone would forget about it.
Hyuga Hiashi stood up and Tsunade gave him a nod.
"Could you tell us more about this successor you've identified for the Namikaze clan, Hokage-sama ?" Asked Hiashi.
"Of course, that's the reason I called this meeting anyway. The Namikaze heir has been among us since the beginning actually, he is of course one of our most powerful shinobi and has the rank of jonin." Tsunade replied with a smirk.
"He has been summoned today in order for you all to meet him, he is behind those doors right now as we are speaking." Tsunade added before giving a nod to the ANBU guarding the doors.
As the doors opened, two sets of footsteps could be heard from the people in the meeting room. As the two mysterious shinobi finally reached the meeting room, people's eyes widened, realizing who they were.
Naruto sat in the middle of the room, Jiraya chose to stay behind him.
"Impossible ! It can't be ! There is no way that demo..." Started one of the civilian council member before his head exploded in a shower of blood, his headless corps falling to the ground.
"Until proven otherwise, the law about my jinchuriki status is still in effect. It is perfectly within my right to punish anyone who doesn't follow that law." Announced Naruto as he put his sword away.
"Do you have any proof that this … boy is the Namikaze heir, Tsunade ?" Said Danzo as he didn't even wait for Tsunade to give him the authorization to speak.
"She does, and you better know your place when addressing her civilian." Started Naruto, putting a big emphasis on the last word, as he flicked his sword his his hand.
"You will address her as Hokage-sama during the meeting or I will remove you myself from the room for insubordination." Naruto continued.
Danzo had no choice but to stand down after apologizing to Tsunade, knowing full well that Tsunade was in her right to remove him from the room, if she wanted to. This made every member of the shinobi council smirk, as well as Tsunade, Sarutobi and Jiraya.
"As I was about to say, I have here Naruto's birth certificate, his blood test exam and finally, Sarutobi-sensei here can also testify that Naruto is indeed who I say he is." Tsunade said getting a nod from her old teacher.
"Naruto-kun was supposed to know about his lineage when he reached the age of eighteen or the rank of jonin. Minato also wished for him to live his life without having to fear the scorn of Iwa or any of the other numerous enemies he made during his shinobi career, be it outside the village or not." Sarutobi supplied, giving a glare to his old rival Danzo.
He then turned to Naruto, took a scroll out of his robe and then gave it to Naruto. However, before he did, everyone could see that the scroll indeed had the famous seal of the Yondaime Hokage.
"This, Naruto, is your father's will. It is protected by a blood seal that your father placed in order for it to not fall into the wrong hands. Only someone carrying his blood can open it." Sarutobi said as he handed him the scroll.
Biting his thumb, Naruto spread some of his blood over the seal that glowed for a second before disappearing. Naruto then read the letter, tears forming in his eyes then gave it back to Sarutobi. Scanning quickly its content, Sarutobi in turn decided to read the letter, out loud this time for everyone.
In the letter, Minato gave everything to his son Naruto, family funds, bank accounts, lands and the compound. It confirmed the previous statements, Naruto would get all of this once he becomes a jonin or at age eighteen. Sarutobi then handed the letter to Tsunade.
"Very well, I, Senju Tsunade hereby validate the content of this will. With my power as Hokage of Konoha, I am pleased to announce the homecoming of the Namikaze Clan back in our village and the nomination of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze as its clan head." Tsunade announced.
No one dared to protest against the ascension of Naruto to the clan head position. There were solid and material proofs that he was indeed the son of Namikaze Minato. The meeting soon ended after that.
Hokage Office
Naruto and Tsunade were back at her office, Jiraya said he was going to start information gathering then left abruptly and finally Shizune went to take her shift at the hospital.
"So now that you are officially the new clan head of the Namikaze clan, we can safely assume that attacking you inside the village will become much more difficult. The Namikaze compound is heavily protected with seals so you should be safe inside its walls." Said Tsunade.
"Alright, thanks Ba-chan ! That solves my problem inside Konoha." Said Naruto with a smile.
"What happened to Hokage-sama and respect, you damn brat ?" Replied Tsunade.
"You know I'll never disrespect you in an official meeting, nevertheless, you just officially acknowledge me as you distant relative during that meeting, so it is also within my right to call you by that name you know." Naruto smirked as he told her.
Rice Country – Unknown Location
In a dark place, Orochimaru and Kabuto were discovering the newly edited version of the international bingo book. They were interrupted by the arrival of a third person.
Uchiha Sasuke joined them and Orochimaru tossed him the book. His Sharingan flared in anger as he read the profile of Naruto in the book, the line about Naruto defeating his brother Itachi, made his blood boil. He dropped the book to the ground and was about to leave the room when Orochimaru called him.
"Where do you think you are going like that Sasuke-kun ?" Asked the snake.
"I'm going to teach that fool a lesson !" Roared the avenger.
"Everything in good time, Kabuto is going to meet someone in a very powerful organization next week. Their goal is to capture every jinchuriki as Naruto-kun, and your brother was one of their member. We may learn more information about all this, you want to tag along ?" Orochimaru baited him, knowing very well that anything related to Itachi could be used to influence the fool in front of him.
"Very well, I'll see that contact of yours Kabuto. He will reveal his information about Naruto to me or I'll kill him too." Said the avenger as he deactivated his doujutsu and slowly left the room.
"Kukuku, soon, very soon I will get what I want." Mused Orochimaru.
A/N : Some aftermath about the new bingo book status and tying some loose end about Naruto's inheritance.
I know, no fight scene, no romance during this chapter but the next arc is indeed the mission to meet Orochimaru disguised as Sasori.
Some important point in this chapter, I'm not sure but I think the whole CRA thing is purely a fictional invention and has never been mentioned in the real manga. So I made the choice to not deal with it and consider that it doesn't exist.
Tell me if I'm wrong or if I forgot something or contradict myself somewhere in this chapter.
As usual Read & Review please.