A large group consisting of Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Chōji, Neji, Lee, Sai, Kakashi, Yamato, Gai, Iruka, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Hotaru, Kurenai, Anko and Shizune were patiently waiting outside the tent of Naruto which was currently being guarded by a couple of ANBU. The more experienced shinobis among the group could see the tell-tale signs of a barrier surrounding the tent and if what the two ANBU guards hinted about Shikaku, the ANBU Commander, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were discussing some stuffs with Naruto which needed privacy, they knew something big had taken place… and so they all patiently waited.
All the while the group waited outside, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel that something had changed drastically in their lives and a much bigger change was going to take place in the upcoming future. As it was Naruto had grown to a level of power that was currently beyond their reach. Also from what he had heard from Sakura and Ino, Hinata had finally confessed her feelings to Naruto in the heat of the battle, though he had doubts about whether Naruto remembered it considering the situation as he had heard from Katsuyu. Then there was the small change in both Ino and Sakura when they had talked of it, it was almost unrecognizable and if he didn't already know that Ino had unknowingly come to like the blonde he would certainly have not guessed it in her case, both Ino and Sakura seemed shocked about learning of Hinata's confession and he could see a hint of jealousy and defeat in their eyes, though he was certain that Sakura would never admit it to be so, the girl was too hung on the traitor. Then there was the glow in Ino when she had come to tell them of Naruto waking up; something had happened there while she talked to the blonde. What had happened he didn't know, but whatever it was had lifted Ino's spirit back, though there was a hint of guilt in her and also she seemed more reluctant to talk with Hinata? Then there was the girl Hotaru. He could tell that there was more to the girl then her just here coming to visit the blonde, she seemed to have a guarded feeling of something and he was certain that it had something to do with Naruto. And finally was this, in front of him stood ANBU guards outside of Naruto's tent and inside the blonde was having a discussion with four of the most important members of Konohagakure administration…
It was just too troublesome and always the blonde had a way to make thinks troublesome for him. As his mind thought over the situation, it rapidly started to connect the dots of the latest development and the conclusion he was coming up with forced a smile graced his always sleepy face. If his conclusion was indeed the truth then the world was going to be a lot more troublesome according to him and as always the blonde had stood up to his title of being the most unpredictable ninja.
The door of the tent slid open and from there out walked the two elders which made up the Konoha Council both looking oddly satisfied with whatever they seemed to have discussed with Naruto and also seemed to be in a hurry increasing the curiosity of those waiting outside the tent. About ten minutes later the ANBU Commander walked out, acknowledging and greeting the presence of the jōnins and giving some orders to the ANBU guards, he to left in a rush.
Now the curiosity of the group was on a new high as even if it wasn't seen on the face of the ANBU Commander, it was clear that he was a man on a mission or rather missions, even the two elderly Konoha Council members seemed to be in a rush as if to get some urgent work done… whatever was going on inside the tent now seemed really important.
Another ten minutes later they were allowed to finally enter the tent and enter they did. On entry two things caught the attention of the group… first being the files that were stacked around Naruto and the second being that the blonde was dressed entirely in black that looked like the Konoha shinobi outfit without the flak jacket, also a few noticed the small changes in Naruto's appearance.
"Hey guys, nice to see you all… and you too Hotaru", Naruto said as he greeted the newcomers that had entered the tent… he had expected a few, but certainly not this many.
But even before Naruto could show his surprise at so many present or say another word a blonde blur tackled him, which happened to be Hotaru who now was tightly hugging him and was freely crying in his embrace.
Naruto had anticipated this from what he learned from the memories of the Chishio Bunshin. Hotaru had already gone through a lot and finally when she had a chance at a new, peaceful life she lost Utakata too, the person who she considered as her mentor and an elder brother, but he certainly didn't anticipate that she would hug him so fiercely the first time she would see him. Now that she was hugging him and crying out all of her loss, he just didn't understand what to do and so he did the only thing that came to his mind as he wrapped his arms around her in a gentle manner and let her cry on him.
Meanwhile the others in the room were completely stunned by this, no one had anticipated this. They just watched Hotaru cry out her loss in Naruto's chest as she hugged him fiercely while Naruto gently held her in his embrace. No one could wrap their minds around the situation.
"Feeling good?" Naruto asked after Hotaru had finally stopped crying… it had been more than five minutes since she had hugged him.
"Y-Yes", answered Hotaru while still in Naruto's embrace… she just didn't want to leave him to find that she would lose him too. She knew that it was a stupid fear of hers, but still she held for another minute after letting go of him after which he made her rest on the chair next to her bed.
"So…?" Naruto asked looking at the others… there seemed to be an awkward silence between them.
Luckily Shikamaru as always came through for such situations as he spoke, "What's with the new look Naruto… trying to look more like a shinobi should."
"Hey, I always looked like a shinobi and any clothes I wear I'll always look like an awesome shinobi", Naruto retaliated with an annoyed look… but the others could see the joking tone behind the words of the two.
"Troublesome blonde", replied Shikamaru off-handedly… but the others could see the small smile on his face.
"Lazy-ass", commented Naruto with a small chuckle.
And with that the awkwardness in the atmosphere was released.
"Though I am surprised… Ino you didn't tell me that there were so many waiting for me to wake up", Naruto said… he was really surprised by that.
"What are you surprised about Naruto, this is nothing compared to the people that would like to meet you", Ino replied in a proud tone something that caught the attention of a few… this surprised Naruto greatly.
"She is speaking the truth, you should know that Blondie… you are a Hero now", said Anko with a big grin on her face.
"The entire of Konoha wants to get a chance to meet you", added Kurenai.
"Yeah, you should have seen how the people had gathered to get a glance of you yesterday. It was really hard to keep them away from the tent", added Tenten.
"T-They… W-We all think of you as a he-hero, Na-Naruto-kun", said Hinata.
By the end of it Naruto's friend had turned crimson as he was not accustomed to being praised… meanwhile the males in the room were having a good laugh at his expanse.
"I-I see…" Naruto stuttered in response.
"That aside… Now sit still and let me check on your health", Shizune ordered as her hands flipped through hand seals for a diagnostic jutsu.
"What…? But Ino said I am completely fine…" Naruto whined… he never liked being a patient.
"I know, I just want to do a recheck", said Shizune leaving no room for response as she glared at the blonde.
That glared stopped any sentence forming in his mouth and he did as he was instructed as that glare was something that only Shizune was capable of, 'Medic-Glare' he had named it, something even Tsunade couldn't do as to make him behave like a good patient.
"Well it seems like you completely healthy as Ino had said", said Shizune after she had finished with diagnosing him for any injuries or so.
"Was that even necessary?" Naruto muttered and luckily for him Shizune didn't hear him.
Finally that the group had settled down whit Shikaku staying at the back of the room looking through the files those were set around the room.
"So… what was the meeting all about? It seemed to be going for hours", asked Kiba.
"We were waiting for three hours outside", added Sakura… the waiting had really annoyed her.
"Oh… Well… That was…" Naruto tried to answer but just couldn't find a right way to put his situation into words.
But luckily for him Shikaku was there for him as the Jōnin Commander spoke, "As it was, with the condition that Tsunade-sama is and as per the decree of Daimyō-sama… I, the ANBU Commander and the Konoha Council members were here to discuss the current state of Konoha and its policies for moving ahead with Hokage-sama."
By the end of Shikaku's word every eye in the room widened, even of those that had come to the conclusion while they waited outside…
"Shikaku-san I thought I wasn't the Hokage as of yet. The jōnins have yet to cast their support for me and so I am still the Rokudaime Hokage Kōho (Sixth Hokage Candidate)", stated Naruto… he rather had things cleared.
"Yes, Yes…" Shikaku replied offhandedly and went onto his work with the files.
By now those who had not connected the dots and also those who had connected the dots, all had their jaws hanging wide open; Naruto had outright confirmed their thoughts.
"Na-Naru-Naruto…" the words barely left the mouth of Sakura as she was completely dumbfounded by the recent news.
"Yes, Sakura-chan?" the blonde in question asked… but a look of confusion formed on his face as he found Sakura continuously open and close her mouth but no words leaving her lips… turning around he found most in somewhat similar state.
"They are taken by surprise at your appointment as the Rokudaime and seemed to have lost their ability to speech", answered Kakashi as he found his students and now his superiors questioning gaze on him.
"What can I say, I am just that awesome. I always have such an effect on people, -ttebayo!" the Rokudaime replied with a foxy grin on his face… to which the others couldn't help but smile, it seemed like the sudden promotion hadn't gone to the head of the knucklehead ninja.
But before their conversation could go any further, an ANBU with a boar mask appeared in front of Naruto. But before the ANBU spoke, the others were made to leave the room by Shikaku with the exception of Kakashi.
"Hokage-sama, there is a team from Kumo that wishes an audience with you – the Hokage to deliver a letter from the Raikage", said the ANBU.
"I'll meet them in fifteen minutes", replied Naruto… he didn't know what the Raikage wanted from Konoha, but he was going to give the Kumo-nin an audience.
"Also a scroll just arrived demanding an emergency meeting of the five Kages by the Raikage", said the ANBU.
This garnered the attention of Shikaku and Kakashi, calling for the meeting of the five Kage was not done unless there was a something really important that was to be discussed for the future of the Elemental nations. And for it to be done by the Raikage who had also sent a team here to meet the Hokage, something big had happened in Kumo.
Passing around the scroll they found the reason behind the sudden call for an emergency meeting of the five Kages – Akatsuki, a group of S-rank missing-nins that roamed around the Elemental Nations first as a mercenary group and then as terrorists with goal to capture the Jinchūriki and extract the Bijū they held. Finally it seemed that countries other than Suna and Konoha were going to take action against Akatsuki. Though it still didn't answer the question as to why as till now no one had shown any active participation in the search or elimination of Akatsuki nor had anyone responded to the warning letters of Tsunade about Akatsuki. Hopefully that question would be answered by the team from Kumo asking an audience of the Hokage.
A lot was going through the mind of the blonde, curvaceous kunoichi since she arrived at Konoha; no a thousand questions had come to her mind since she had left Kumo for her mission. It was hard to think that the members of Akatsuki had the gall to attack their village directly to search for Kirābī. No one had anticipated that, especially after they had captured Nii Yugito while she was on a mission and she never thought a group like Akatsuki would ever take such drastic step.
But arriving at Konoha all her presumptions of Akatsuki were all balled down by a snowstorm. Konoha was literally destroyed by the recent Akatsuki attack just yesterday, and even than the word literally didn't give justice to the destruction around. And to think that this was all done by a single man made her understand the gravity of the situation, of the threat Akatsuki possessed.
The other thing that surprised her were the casualties of the shinobi and civilians of Konoha, there were civilians and shinobis injured from small, minor wounds to some really large, major wounds and a few with life threatening wounds, but albeit all the injuries there seemed to be no one dead around. It boggled her mind, an attack of this scale would certainly result in a loss of many lives, but somehow it didn't and by what she heard half of that was thanks to the Godaime Hokage Senju Tsunade and her summon Katsuyu, and the other half was because of Uzumaki Naruto.
But that was not the only thing that surprised her, as to from what she heard from the civilians and shinobi all saying, the Akatsuki member that attacked Konoha, the man that was singlehandedly responsible for all the destruction, the leader of Akatsuki, the bearer of the fabled Rinnegan, had been defeated by a single Konoha ninja, by their hero Uzumaki Naruto.
She had heard of Uzumaki Naruto before; it was stupid to not know of a shinobi who was an apprentice of Jiraiya of the Sannin, the man who thought the Yondaime Hokage, and was also on the genin team led by Sharingan no Kakashi. A hero to not one but many small nations and clans, be it shinobi or not, and as per Kumo's intelligence was very close with the Godaime Hokage and even the Godaime Kazekage and was also known to be the only shinobi to have won against the Godaime Kazekage in an all out fight, and also possibly the last living member of the renowned and most feared Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure.
Now here in the makeshift Hokage Office waiting for the Hokage to arrive, her mind pondered on the possibility of the Rokudaime. The invasion of Konoha may have been successfully warded off with very less casualties because of the works of Senju Tsunade, her summon Katsuyu and Uzumaki Naruto, but there was still one major casualty, the Godaime Hokage herself. Currently Senju Tsunade was in a comatose state from the pressure she had exerted on herself saving the life of hundreds and thousands of people of Konoha and with her current condition a new Hokage was appointed… something she was certain that no one from Kumo would have expected.
She just wished that the new Hokage wouldn't complicate the situation. Already her teammates were giving her a headache; she could see the fumes releasing of Karui and the words of the worrywart Omoi was already ticking her nerves, but she could understand their situation, after all they had trained under Kirābī.
Her musings were cut short as door of the makeshift Hokage office slid open and in walked three Konoha-nins. It took only a single glance for her to recognize two of those three ninjas as those two were renowned throughout the Elemental Nations for their skills: the masked-nin with spiky, white hair was Hatake Kakashi, also known as Sharingan no Kakashi and Kopī Ninja no Kakashi, the man that had copied over a thousand jutsus… the other with two scars marring the right side of his face was Nara Shikaku, the member of the famed Ino-Shika-Chō Trio and the Jōnin Commander of Konoha and a shrewd strategist… though it was the third person that surprised her the most.
Dressed entirely in a black ninja outfit along with the official Hokage uniform consisting of the customary hat and the cloak… had spiky, blonde hair, calm and piercing bright, blue eyes and fair skin along with three whisker-like marks adorning both his cheeks… looked no older that sixteen-eighteen… the facial description matched of the shinobi she was thinking about before the entry of the three Konoha-nin… the hero of Konoha and of many small countries, Uzumaki Naruto… though the lack of orange did make her to wonder whether her assumptions were right or not as Uzumaki Naruto was known for his fixation of the color orange… but there was no denying it that was Uzumaki Naruto wearing the Hokage's garb… she couldn't help as a look of shock and surprised crossed across her face, though she quickly schooled her features.
Her teammates were also in a state of shock and surprise as it was evident by their faces. Omoi had his eyes widened while the lollipop was hanging loosely in his half open mouth, while Karui had an expression similar to a gaping fish out of water, though Samui was certain that neither recognized the one in the Hokage's garb, but it still was a shocking surprise to find someone around their age as a Kage, even if they had the Kazekage for the example.
Luckily for her both were quick to school their features to neutral, but by the mischievous glint in those blue orb of the eyes of the Hokage it seemed like he didn't miss any of their reactions. His eyes was something that really intrigued her, there within those two mischievous orbs she could feel a myriad of emotions flowing and even one as good as her at reading people and their emotions, she couldn't read the boy, no, young man in front of her… but above all his eyes excluded a calmness that made her feel at peace which was something completely new. Then there was his presence which excluded both power and calm at the same time, something completely contradictory and only could be found in old veteran shinobis.
When she had first learned of the information gathered on Uzumaki Naruto she hadn't believed it. She couldn't believe that there existed a shinobi like him in the shinobi world even when all the information was from reliable sources, but now standing here she couldn't help but believe all she had read about him and if all of it was really true than Uzumaki Naruto was an enigma born in the shinobi world.
For the second time of the day he was happy that Sakura was nowhere close by him as his perverted side came to life – first with Ino and now seeing the blonde Kumo-nin. The blonde Kumo-nin had a very curvaceous figure along with large busts and the low-cut outfit with mesh underneath showed a sizable bit of her cleavage; he doubted that any kunoichi from Konoha could match her bust-size except for Tsunade, who certainly had a larger bust than the blonde.
Luckily trough being around Sakura and Tsunade-baa-chan he had learned to hide his perverted nature and so he kept a neutral expression as his eyes had laid on the blonde Kumo-nin, and it seemed to be really helpful as he had a flickering thought that the blonde might not like perverts like him.
Taking his place and seating in the chair reserved for the Hokage did it finally penetrated his mind that he truly was the Hokage… at least for now. His dream had been half achieved, though he knew he wasn't ready to really become the Hokage for the coming few years, but now Konoha needed him and he was going to stand up for the responsibility until Tsunade recovered from her comatose state. But that still didn't stop the elated feeling that rushed within him.
"So, what brings Kumo-nin to Konoha?" asked Naruto as he kept a calm look on his face.
"We are here to deliver a letter for Raikage-sama", said Samui has she handed the letter to him.
"It's urgent!" she cleared after handing the letter to him to which he just nodded.
The tone of the blonde Kumo-nin alerted him of the importance of the letter. For some reason he had a bad feeling that it had something to do with Akatsuki; and the letter demanding an emergency meeting of the five Kages and now the arrival of the Kumo-nins with an important letter from the Raikage solidified his idea that he was on the right track.
With each paragraph, each sentence and each word he read, anger started to boil within him and it was getting really hard to control the fox trying to gain control of him trough his anger, and by the time he had finished reading the letter a grim expression had marred his face.
There were many times he had seen Naruto lose control and let his emotions run rampart for him even though he was probably one of the most emotional shinobi he had come across in his life, but even than there had only been two instances where he had seen Naruto this angry: first was during the preliminary round of the Chūnin Selection Exam and it was directed towards Neji for what he did to Hinata, and the other time after watching the death body of Gaara when they had gone on the mission to rescue the Kazekage from Akatsuki. He had also heard of him losing control during his fight with Orochimaru from Tenzō and recently heard of the explosion of anger that Naruto had shown after seeing Hinata almost die defending him. Of the four times Naruto had lost control to the Kyūbi three times where the first two time they had been able to suppress the fox's chakra, with him using the chakra suppressing seal handed to him by Jiraiya the first time while Yamato used his Mokuton ninjutsu to suppress the fox's chakra, though Yamato only suppressed it after a large scale destruction was done by the four-tailed Naruto. But the last time he heard that Naruto had gone up to eight tails and almost released the Kyūbi… how he regained control of himself was still a mystery to most… and from what he was told; the seal he and Yamato had placed for such situations was already destroyed by the six-tailed Naruto.
And so feeling the amount of anger releasing of Naruto, he readied himself for any possible situation, but the killing intent that Naruto was releasing coupled with his anger was so thick that it was really hard to move. He was certain that the blonde was unconsciously taping into the Yōko's hatred.
He wasn't the only one that could fell the killing intent the blonde radiated coupled with anger, the others in the room along with the hidden ANBU guards could also feel it. He could see the fear etched on the faces of the two chūnins of Kumo and also a fleeting sense of dread pass through their leader's face for a second.
But before anything could happen, all the killer intent suddenly disappeared along with the heavy dose of hatred; replaced by a grim look on the face of Naruto. Something big had happen for such a grim look to cross Naruto's face and for the second time in his life he saw a shadow of Minato-sensei over Naruto.
"Naruto…" he tried to ask the blonde as to what had forced such a grim look cross the face of his blonde student… but before he could ask anything, Naruto passed the letter to him.
For the first time since Naruto started reading the letter did he get a glimpse of his eyes which had been hidden by his eyes as he had his hitai-te wrapped around his left wrist. What he saw in those eyes made him recoil with shock; anger and betrayal was prominent in those bright blue orbs, never had he seen this much anger in the blonde's eyes.
Reading the letter did he come to realize the source of Naruto's anger. Even he was barely able to control himself; to think that his wayward student had joined Akatsuki and had aided the group in the capture of the Jinchūriki of the Hachibi…
It seemed that finally the time had come to put down his wayward student.
"Raikage-sama needs an answer immediately", said Samui… it really took a lot out of her to say that after the outburst of killing intent from the Hokage.
Unknown to Samui, her simply asking the Hokage what was meant to be asked had made increased their respect of her. The Hokage despite being young was truly terrifying according to both of them.
Thinking over for a couple of seconds did Naruto answer, "I will relay my answer directly to the Raikage when I meet him at the Gokage Kaidan (Five Kage Summit)."
By Naruto's side, Kakashi and Shikaku were both happy with his decision. On plain sight it was a simple decision of declaring Sasuke as a missing-nin with a kill/capture at sight order… but a lot was going to ride on this decision and so it was wise to not make it in haste.
"I-I see" responded Samui… even though she had been ordered to get an immediate response, she thought it wise to not provoke the Hokage any further.
But it looked like Karui couldn't see through the wise decision of Samui as she blasted in anger, "What do you mean you will relay your answer to Raikage-sama? That is our duty. Raikage-sama asked us to get an answer from you. And it was because of the leniency of Konohagakure towards Uchiha Sasuke did it come to this. The Uchiha attacked our village and took away our master. We don't even know whether our master is alive or not. All because of the Uchiha… and for that reason Raikage-sama has sent us here to know more about the styles and techniques of the Uchiha and everything Konoha has learned of Akatsuki and gain your permission to hunt down the Uchiha… and then we will have our revenge, we will destroy the Uchiha."
"And then what?" asked Naruto in a calm voice surprising the Kumo-nins.
"What do you mean by 'and then what?'", asked Karui as her anger flared more.
Neither Omoi nor Samui liked the situation they were in. Both were well aware of the anger of their red head teammate, but this certainly wasn't the place for her to showcase her anger, especially in front of the Hokage who had enough power to obliterate them all.
"As I asked before... What next? What after you hunt down and succeed in killing the Uchiha? Will it bring you back your master? Or will it even fill the gap that has formed due to the loss of your master?" asked Naruto.
It was so minuscule that it was almost hard to see, but both Kakashi and Shikaku could understand the emotions of the blonde and in a way connect to it. Meanwhile the Kumo-nins could feel that there was more to the words of the Hokage than either of them could interpret something akin which could only come from experience.
But Karui in her hotheadedness completely miss the hidden message behind the words as she spoke up with her anger clearly reflecting in her words, "So what? You want us to give up on the Uchiha. To pardon him-"
But she stopped in mid-sentence as Naruto interrupted and continued, "No. Uchiha Sasuke will be condemned for his crimes. But more importantly… do you really think so low of your master…" this got the attention of all.
"What do you mean Hokage-sama?" it was Omoi who asked respectfully.
"I am the student of Jiraiya of the Sannin, the shinobi well known for his information gathering skills and so it was simple for me to come across the information on noteworthy shinobis he had collected. One of them was Kirābī, the Jinchūriki of the Hachibi no Kyogyū… a well renowned shinobi, especially for him being renowned to have full control over the Hachibi", answered Naruto.
The implication of what Naruto intended to say struck like a hammer to the ninjas of Kumo; was it true that they had called early quits on the search of Kirābī-sama.
"And one more thing…" Naruto spoke up garnering the attention of the three especially that of Karui as his cold-steel blue eyes were now focused on her as he continued in a cheerful voice sending chills down her spine "… I am the Rokudaime Hokage; I think that at least deserves respect, if not for me but the least for the title of the Hokage."
"H-Hai", Karui couldn't help but stutter.
The small meeting with the Kumo-nins had gone better that Shikaku had expected, and Naruto for all purpose looked and acted like a Hokage. He had his doubts when he had nominated him as the boy had tendencies to his eccentrics, but he was a way better option than…
But his thought process was cut short as the door of the tent slid open and in walked the very man he was thinking of, Shimura Danzō.
"Shimura Danzō", Naruto called out as he watched the man enter the tent without warning…
"What brings you here?" he asked.
"I learned of a delegation from Kumo was here to meet the Hokage, and are currently in the village at the archive library", answered Danzō as his eye locked on with the blonde that was unbridled with anger… he had lost the Hokage seat to a brat, after all.
Meanwhile at the sides both Kakashi and Shikaku stiffened, it was clear Danzō was keeping his eyes open at the happening around Naruto.
"I must applause of your learning", Naruto replied with a small smile on his face which seemed to further frustrate the man.
"Don't try to be cheeky with me boy", Danzō growled.
"I am not being cheeky with you Danzō; I am merely applauding you for your information gathering skills…" Naruto said with the same calmness as before "… and yes a delegation of Kumo is here in Konoha and they wanted an audience with the Hokage… and they got an audience from me, the Rokudaime Hokage."
This infuriated Danzō further as he spoke his tone dripping with an ounce of venom, "the Rokudaime Hokage Kōho (Sixth Hokage Candidate) that is indeed what you are."
Both Kakashi and Shikaku could feel the tension in the room, the look on Danzō's face clearly showed his anger while Naruto just looked at him with a smile.
"And what are they doing at the archive library?" Danzō asked; the boy was seriously getting on his nerves.
"I can assure you Danzō that the Kumo delegation being at the archive library is perfectly authorized, after all it was me – the Hokage that authorized it… and it is perfectly guarded visit", answered Naruto.
"And what is that they are here for?" asked Danzō getting more irritated.
This time the smile on Naruto's face vanished and a serious look now adorned it, "they were here with a message from the Raikage to the Hokage, to me… and I received the message. I don't see how it concerns you Shimura Danzō."
That was the high point, both Shikaku and Kakashi knew and so were ready to move in action if necessary. Unknown to both, Danzō and Naruto had already made their moves.
Uchiha Sasuke was not liking the situation, try he might he had failed to hurt the masked man again as he just moved through him with his attack, the man that was stopping continuing his quest for revenge. It also didn't bide good with him that the Hachibi had pulled one over him, had fooled his Sharingan.
But it was his word just now seemed to have shocked him… Konohagakure no longer exists… what did he mean by that?
And that is where Zetsu came in, to explain the words of the masked Madara.
"So… who's the new Hokage?" asked the masked Madara.
This caught the attention of Sasuke, had something happened to the Godaime. Did it have something to do with the masked Madara mentioning of the destruction of Konoha?
"Uzumaki Naruto!" answered Zetsu.
This stunned all, especially Sasuke… Naruto, the Hokage.
"Now that is completely unexpected", masked Madara said shattering the silence.
Naruto found himself into his sub-consciousness, an empty white space with only a red moon with a black pinwheel-like fan design at the centre glowing brightly.
The moon was calling to him, compelling him to its will, trying to fight to gain control of his mind and his consciousness.
His sub-consciousness was fighting it, but it was getting more and more with passing second.
And then it happened… he watched a crow fly around in the empty white space of his sub-consciousness and then it dived directly at him and then into him.
It was then it happened as he felt his chakra move towards his left eye, and unknown to him the color of his left eye changed from blue to red with a black pinwheel-like fan design… similar to the Mangekyō projected on the moon.
Cracks and ridges started to appear on the moon as more and more of his chakra was being pumped into his left eye, and then after what felt like eternity the moon cracked into tiny pieces which vanished from his sub-consciousness.
Danzō's single eye widened and his right eye behind the bandage started bleeding as he felt Naruto break through Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods), something that shouldn't be possible as he had put his all into it. But it was then that it he noticed that it wasn't just his right eye that was bleeding, but also the left eye of Naruto was bleeding too and he was certain that for a second he had seen his eyes change and take form similar to that of the Mangekyō Sharingan of Uchiha Shisui.
'How does the boy posses that eye?' Danzō thought… but any further ideas coming to his mind were halted as Naruto was on him with a Ōdama Rasengan (Big Ball Spiraling Sphere).
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!
The sound of explosion once again rocked Konoha sending fear course through that of the civilian and shinobi alike, though the shinobi were already on their guard. All around Konoha Jōnin and ANBU were already on the move as they started subduing shinobis wearing ANBU-like masks and black cloaks.
"What the hell is going on?" Sakura called out as she watched all around her jōnin and ANBU in action.
The same question was going through the minds of the members of Konoha 11 (minus Naruto) gathered along with Sai, but one had already come to a conclusion which he rather did not like.
"Aren't the ones that the jōnins and ANBU are subduing…?" Shikamaru let his question hanging as his eyes shifted to Sai.
"Yes, those are Ne (Root) operatives", Sai answered wondering what had made them make a move… though the eyes of the others had widened dramatically.
But any further questions or thoughts were halted as a couple of ANBUs dropped by next to Sai quickly subduing the emotionless artist while another ANBU dropped by halting any attack from the Konoha 11 to help Sai.
"Why the hell are you targeting Sai?" Sakura roared at the ANBU.
"Orders to restrain any and all members of the Foundation… and if unable to subdue to kill them", the ANBU answered.
"What!?" Sakura asked in surprise… but before she could make a move she was stopped in her tracks by Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique).
"What happened?" Shikamaru asked.
"Shikaku's son… Shimura Danzō made a move on Hokage-sama", the ANBU answered causing the eyes of the group to widen.
'Danzō-sa… Danzō, what do you intend to do attacking Naruto?' Sai thought.
Not thinking much some of them rushed towards the location of the blast while a few remained behind as their eyes turned towards Sai.
"Unless and until Sai decides to retaliate he has nothing to fear", the ANBU answered seeing the looks of the remainder of the group.
In the middle of the crater created by Pein's Shinra Tensei (Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God) and a small crater created within it by Naruto's Ōdama Rasengan (Big Ball Spiraling Sphere) stood Naruto and Danzō facing each other while two Ne operatives lay dead between the two and three were being subdued by Kakashi and Shikaku.
Danzō warily eyed the blonde that now stood in front of him; no longer did the blonde seem like the noisy genin he had seen around, but rather the blonde now towered like a Hokage should… this itself made him nervous. Then there was the matter of the Sharingan; not only had the blonde broken through Kotoamatsukami, he was also certain that he had for a split of second seen the reason behind it… the Mangekyō Sharingan of Uchiha Shisui glaring back at him from the left eye socket of the blonde.
It was only his luck that two of his underlings had been able to intercept the Ōdama Rasengan as he had been too stunned to react seeing the eye that he most desired. But now it was his chance to acquire the other eye of Shisui, and with it there would be no one to stop him.
"You have something that I direly want Uzumaki… but it makes me wonder where you got your hands on something so priceless", Danzō spoke up.
It didn't take Naruto to be a genius to figure what Danzō meant as he felt it while he broke through that illusionary jutsu, and it also helped that at the same time a memory flashed through his mind, a memory of Uchiha Shisui handing his left eye to Itachi.
"Makes one wonder… though doesn't that same question apply to you too Danzō", Naruto replied back… even though he held a façade of calm on the outside, on the inside he was seething with anger.
"That does not matter now, I'll have what I should have obtained years ago", Danzō said and went onto remove the bandages and a gauntlet-like seal of his right arm.
The sight of about ten Sharingan on the right – probably artificial – arm of Danzō made Naruto's anger flare, even if all he had heard of the Uchiha clan intended to do before their massacre, the very thought that this man had possibly defiled the graves and the life of the Uchiha… it did not go well with him.
Taking the momentary distraction of Naruto as his chance, Danzō's hands flipped through three seals for a special jutsu that he wished not to use in such circumstances, but he had no choice seeing that there would be some time before he could make use of the Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye, though there was a question that whether the jutsu would work for the second time or not. And with the jutsu activated he moved to attack the blonde with speed that no one would anticipate from an old and handicapped shinobi.
But to eternal surprise of Danzō, Naruto moved even faster than he had anticipated as he dodged his punch from the artificial limb and then drilled a Rasengan through him from above him.
BOOOOMMMMM!
It was another blast that rocked Konoha, but this time around the Konoha 11 were present close to the sight of the blast. It was not just them, many other shinobis had gathered around too. It was being here that did they see the gravity of the situation as all around Konoha ANBU were restraining the members of the foundation, while some stayed dead at their feet.
When they had arrived they had found Danzō rushing forward to attack Naruto with what could be only described as an artificial limb. And then when Danzō was just inches away from Naruto, he moved faster than any had expected and drilled a Rasengan through the aged man.
And that is what had them all confused, for they had witnessed the Rasengan drill through the back of Danzō, and the old war-hawk's body drilled through the ground, possibly dead. But this was where the confusion began, for one moment Danzō was splashed in the crater created by the Rasengan and the next he stood a few feet away from Naruto completely unharmed.
'What did just happen? Was that a genjutsu?' was the thought running through most of their minds.
And so to confirm it, both Hinata and Neji had their Byakugan active.
Naruto silently eyed the man that now stood a few feet away from him, the one who just seconds ago was drilled in the ground beneath him by the Rasengan.
The Danzō he had hit was certainly no genjutsu; even if genjutsu was never his strongest suit, he was capable of identifying a genjutsu cast over him, even by the likes of Uchiha Itachi.
So the current sight of Danzō did not make sense to him, for he had not sensed the man move from beneath him, nor did he think that the man used some sort of Jikūkan (Space-Time) Ninjutsu, for Danzō stood there completely unharmed. And apart from a minor change, nothing seemed to have changed with the man and for some reason he had an off-thought that it had something to do with the hand-seals he performed before charging at him.
Normally he would have so many questions, so many things he would want to learn… but he had heard enough about Danzō, the Shinobi no Yami enough to know that the man could not be reason with nor was he someone that could be left alive.
"You", the very word that left his mouth as steeled eyes locked on to Danzō was filled with pure disgust and hatred seeped in him that he never thought he was capable of.
As if understanding what was going through his mind Danzō spoke up, "The ninja world is an ascetic world. To remain anonymous is a source of pride. But by controlling both the surface and underground, one can truly strengthen the village and nation. A naïve boy as you would never understand the meaning of being a true ninja. A shinobi's life is of sacrifice. For the sake of Konoha, such sacrifices should be made." And with that he held up his right arm to make his point.
"Me, a naïve boy… Sacrifices…" those words rolled of Naruto's mouth as his hands flipped through a few hand-seals…
"Fūton: Tenran (Wind Release: Orchid Sky)!" he said as he pointed his right palm at Danzō which was shimmering with wind and made a single slashing motion.
From the hand shot forward a powerful gust of wind at Danzō, who did not have the time to react as the gust of wind moved at very high speed and was within a second was caught in it and had his body carved in by hundreds of wind blades.
This was not how Danzō expected the things to go, for within a span of minute the boy had already killed him twice and if not for Izanagi he would have really died.
His single dark eye glared furiously at the blonde as he tried to get his facts right about him. He had known the boy had grown in skills after training with the Toads, and learning the Sage Arts from them had made him a deadly opponent, but nothing had made him anticipate that sort of speed or jutsu prowess.
It did not make sense, for as per his intelligence the only jutsus the boy was capable of the Kage Bunshin, Rasengan and its variant, the Kuchiyose and the Sage Mode. Nothing pointed out of him capable of Fūton ninjutsu other than the Rasengan variants, but yet he used one, a very powerful and a deadly one at that.
But that didn't matter right now, what mattered now was him gaining control over the boy, the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko and currently the hero of the village. He had taken his chance, and had failed and with most of his Ne (Root) members incapacitated, some restrained and a few killed he needed to go on with his plan to gain control over the boy. His best bet now was the combined use of Shisui's eye and Hashirama's Mokuton. But he needed some time for the eye to become active again, for him to use it at its full capacity. For unlike the artificial hand constructed by the cells of Hashirama giving him the ability to use Mokuton, he had far greater control on the use of the eye.
He had already made plans, in the unlikely event of the Kotoamatsukami being countered, but with the quick moments of the ANBU and the jōnins many of his plans were foiled. It left him with a single plan, but a one which he banked the most on.
"Yes, a naïve boy like you would never understand what it truly takes to become a Kage. The sacrifices that are made", he said all the while as his hands flipped through hand-seals. Holding the Inu (Dog) hand-seal he took a deep breath…
"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere)!" he whispered as he exhaled several small blasts of wind chakra in such a manner that they are dispersed over an expansive range.
The speed and the expansive range of those small blasts of wind made it very difficult to avoid, but it seemed like the boy had taken it as a task to surprise him as he watched him flip through seals and then expel water from his mouth in a dense, curved torrent, effectively creating a near-instantaneous circular barricade that intercepted the incoming torrent of his small wind blasts.
Again he was surprised, for not only did the boy use of a Suiton ninjutsu, but a powerful defensive Suiton ninjutsu, Suiton: Suijinchū (Water Release: Water Encampment Pillar), a jutsu that required a high quality control over the nature transformation of one's chakra into that of the element of water.
And yet again his information on the boy had failed him.
But he decided to think on that later, he had more pressing matters at his hands as he watched as the boy had his hands clapped together and the water around him started to form a circular torrent in front of his hand.
His single eye widened as he recognized that jutsu, something that was last seen to be used by Uzumaki Kushina, and was one of the infamous Hijutsu (Secret Technique) of the Uzumaki Clan.
Suiton Hijutsu: Suiteikiatsu (Water Release Secret Technique: Water Cyclone).
And just as he thought, it was that very jutsu as the boy by thrusting both his hands at him forced the destructive cyclone of water at him. And so he embraced for the pain, and pain came as the torrent of water hit him and forced him backwards. Each and every part of his body ached as the high pressure and the force of torrent continued to torment his body and force him backwards.
And again his idea of using the Izanagi against the boy proved worthwhile as before he could be caught in the jutsus true destructive nature he used Izanagi to escape it.
Materializing close by, he rushed at the boy wishing to not give him more chance to unleash something more destructive as his hands flipped through hand-seals for a destructive jutsu of his own.
But before he could even complete his hand-seals, the boy was onto him with a larger variant of the Rasengan, the Ōdama Rasengan. He did not have the power to even move after the impact of the torrent of water hit him, so he just silently took on another deadly jutsu.
BOOOOMMMMM!
"Wow!" was the only word the left the mouth of Kiba as he watched on the fight from far in awe. A sentiment that was shared by all those that still remain present at the sight and watched from afar.
Most of the civilians around the area had already been evacuated by the ANBU and all of the Ne (Root) members either restrained or incapacitated, the only that remained around were shinobi of rank chūnin and above. And even then all were asked to not only not to interfere in the fight, but also to stay at a safe distance by Hatake Kakashi and Nara Shikaku. A decision few decided to object, but were silenced when reminded that this was the fight of the Hokage.
"But what's with Danzō? Is it a genjutsu?" Shikamaru wondered out loud as his mind tried to decipher the situation.
"No, a possibility of a genjutsu is very little as there is no fluctuation in Naruto-kun's chakra and ours' are stable too… none of us are caught in a genjutsu", Hinata spoke up as a Byakugan continued to analyze the situation. Being the student of Yūhi Kurenai she had an inept understanding of genjutsu, even if she was not the genjutsu type, and the Byakugan helped more by helping to analyze a person's chakra network.
Even Kakashi himself was amazed, the growth that his student showed was simply amazing. He had heard of how Naruto had went on toe to toe with all the six paths of Pein, and now he understood why. The training with the Toads and in the art of Senjutsu had elevated Naruto to a new level in both skills and chakra. He had till now used five jutsus of A-rank and above and all of them required high levels of chakra as he saw through his Sharingan.
But all that brought a surprising question forth, to where had Naruto learned to use elemental ninjutsus of that level. Not even in his fight with Pein had he used them indicating that it wasn't something he learned from the Toads. So where? Well, Kakashi could wait for the answers and for the time being time to decipher whatever the jutsu Danzō seemed to be using. Hinata was certainly right.
"NARUTO-KUN, BEHIND YOU!" Hinata shouted as she watched Danzō materialize behind him.
"NARUTO-KUN, BEHIND YOU!"
The scream of Hinata alerted Naruto as he barely dodged a shuriken with wind-infused chakra, still it was able to glance his left hand and live behind a shallow cut. He could not give much thought to the cut of his left hand as two more shurikens made his way towards him and was forced to dodge them.
Looking back at the trajectory of those shurikens, he felt the idea of dodging instead of parrying or blocking since they had carved through rocks. Oh, and also he had to experiment on the shuriken application of wind-infused chakra as that was some deadly and awesome skill to have under the belt.
But he did not have time to rest as he watched Danzō's hands flip through another set of hand-seals and him taking another deep breath and while spinning exhaled a compressed, solitary blade of wind, the Fūton: Shinkūha (Wind Release: Vacuum Wave).
Forming a unique hand-seal as he blew water from his mouth to the ground below him which raised upwards with tremendous force to form a sturdy wall of water around him.
The Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall) was sturdy enough to intercept the incoming compressed, solitary blade of wind with ease.
Wasting no further time, he formed another unique hand-seal and the water around him and the one on the ground courtesy of his previous jutsu rose to form giant, powerful dragon which rushed towards Danzō.
Danzō countered the Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique) with Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku, the two jutsus canceling each other.
His eyes caught the sight of Danzō breathing wind-infused chakra into kunai which formed into a shape of an odd sword and then the man rushed at him. He did not know of what tactic was the man trying to imply by a head on charge, something he did not except from a man of Danzō's status, making it wonder whether it had to do something with the jutsu he used that completely nullified his attacks on Danzō.
Deciding to take this opportunity to get a closer look at something that had been ticking him since the start of the fight, he decided to give the head-on clash a go.
His right outstretched hand was shrouded by a thick layer of wind chakra – chakra so dense that it was visible – with more the concentration being greater at the four outstretched fingers. The intensity and insanity of the jutsu could be felt as the winds howled and danced around him as he dashed at Danzō at high speed.
And the two collided in middle…
Danzō's Fūton: Shinkūjin (Wind Release: Vacuum Blade) infused kunai pierced him, while his Reppūzuki (Gale Thrust) pierced Danzō, splashing both with the blood of the other.
"Naruto-kun!"
The words left the lips of Hinata, Ino and Hotaru as they looked worried at the sight of both Danzō and Naruto piercing each other.
Others were worried too, to see their hero, their friend, their comrade and now the Hokage being pierced. But it soon turned to relieve as unlike Naruto's jutsu that had pierced the heart of Danzō, Danzō's jutsu had pierced the left shoulder of Naruto and not his heart.
"Isn't the jutsu Naruto used similar to your Chidori, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked… Naruto's skills had her shell-shocked.
"No, it is more akin to my Raikiri", Kakashi replied to the shock of all.
'And not only is it similar to Raikiri in application, but the chakra shrouding the hand of Naruto is more dense and the concentration of the chakra at the fingertips increases the thrusting power of the jutsu. And there is the wind that surround him, I don't think that is just a side-effect of the compressed wind-chakra. Also, if somehow one were to avoid the high speed thrust, they won't be able to counteract as they would be caught in the aftereffect of the jutsu which happens when such dense wind chakra is pressurized at a single point…I don't what to know what exactly happens to the one pierced from the inside' though Kakashi as his eyes laid on Danzō.
Kakashi's last point was proven by the fact that when Naruto made a final thrust, the force of the strike was great enough to produce a powerful shock wave that caused noticeable wide fissures in the direction of his thrust. As for the human body, the effects were clearly seen on Danzō as blood seeped out of the man's eyes, mouth and the various tears and cuts that had appeared all across his body... truly a deadly jutsu.
'This ninjutsu battle is so advanced, it's incredible. At first I had doubts on Naruto-sama's strength without the Sage Mode, but witnessing his strength now… there is no doubt that Naruto-sama has the strength of a Hokage. But what is with Danzō?' thought the ANBU Commander as he watched Danzō once again materialize at a new spot completely unharmed.
"Such a deadly jutsu", Danzō commented from his spot as he zeroed his gaze on Naruto… nothing of his information had him ready for something like that. Even after using the Izanagi, he still felt the effects of the jutsu when it was thrust through him and as a shockwave rippled through his body literally destroyed his insides.
"That it is. Reppūzuki is a jutsu I forbid myself from ever using. But for a thrash like you, I am willing to make exceptions", the boy said as his steeled eyes glared at him as he held onto his bleeding left shoulder.
'THRASH?' his face contracted in anger, the boy had the audacity to call him scum. But he had a job to do and emotions would only be a hindrance in his objectives, and so he schooled his features.
"And this is why you will never account as a Hokage…" he said as he watched the boy charge at him and suddenly stopped in mid step as seal marks of his Juinjutsu spread around the boy's body, paralyzing and freezing him in his spot.
He couldn't help as a victorious smirk graced his lips as he continued speaking, "… for you see the world as light and dark, you who have never ventured to the darkness of the shinobi world, and you who would never learn the meaning of sacrifice."
He could see the impact his words had made on the boy through his eyes which had hardened further. His eyes then shifted in the direction of the shinobi gathered around, and as expected some seemed to jump into save their friend and the hero, but some of the Shikaku and Kakashi stopped them again. According to them this was the fight of the Hokage, and they wished for all to have trust in the boy – their Hokage - and so no one was to interfere.
It was completely foolish of them, but it suited him well and he wasn't going to let this opportunity to go to waste.
Forming the Hitsuji (Ram) hand-seal he released the Izanagi to preserve the chakra for the important task and to preserve the Sharingan on his arm, the boy had already got five of them.
"You are not worthy of that title", he shouted before charging the boy with a kunai.
But then he sensed, someone move to attack from his right, his blind spot. His eyes shifted to find the attacked to be the boy, or possibly the clone of the boy descending on him from the right with a Rasengan in his hand.
'I cannot dodge it! There is no time! I have no choice!' he thought as he halted in his step and brought his right hand up facing the descending boy.
A large and thick tree grew with his right artificial limb as its base in between him and the descending boy.
The Rasengan, the original jutsu of the Yondaime Hokage, it truly was a powerful and a deadly jutsu. Its power he once again witnessed as the thick and a resilient tree that he had created by the power of Mokuton was so easily decimated entirely when the Rasengan impacted the tree. And even with the tree standing tall between them and taking the full brunt of the Rasengan, he still felt its force and forced a few feet backwards.
Luckily for him, before impact the branches of the tree had impaled the blonde, dispelling him.
"Mokuton!?"
He heard the voice of the boy say and he shivered, it was filled with so much venom. His eyes turned to look at the boy the fear he felt was now clearly seen through his single uncovered eye as the features of the boy had changed.
Even though the boy's carried venom, his face showed no such indication and on the contrary it seemed completely calm. But what had fear rush through him was the seal marks of his Juinjutsu no longer held the boy paralyzed and the reddish-orange pigmentation around the boy's closed eyes. The latter one was something he did not want to happen, for being in Sage Mode the boy's prowess jumped to a completely new level.
But any further thoughts were cut short as the boy spoke up, his voice so calm that it actually had him worried…
"To block the Rasengan with a Mokuton, for someone who seemed not to die… no you can die."
And with that the boy charged at him, his hands rushed through the three hand-seals after punching the palm of the artificial right limb…
U (Rabbit)
I (Boar)
The boy had closed in on him, his fist cocked back and about to deliver a Senjutsu enhanced punch. He dodged it by mere inches and as the fist whizzed past him…
Hitsuji (Ram)
He finished the last hand-seal activating Izanagi, and it could not be a better time than that as even though he avoided the punch, he felt a powerful force pushing his face away with the force greater than that of Tsunade's punch. As the force rippled on his cheeks and felt his entire body being electrocuted from the attack, he couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Sage Mode, a baffling attack that could neither be seen nor felt that sent him skidding through the ground like a flat rock thrown on water.
A single punch, a punch that he had dodged was all it took for the boy in Sage Mode to kill him. It was only that he had been able to active Izanagi at the very last second was he able to survive that one.
It was no wonder that the boy had been able to defeat Nagato – the wielder of Rinnegan – and his six paths in an one-on-one fight.
Uzumaki Naruto was a shinobi to be feared.
Been a while since I last updated; really, really long time I know but personal and professional/work related stuffs had me busy enough to not give enough to write a chapter of any of my stories… and I hate to do things in parts… it destroys the flow of my writing. So now that I have enough time on my hand, I will work on updating and rewriting my other stories as well and new ones if I do so.
Not much additional to say about the chapter, so enjoy.