Chapter 7
Ebisu stood before the Third Hokage, Tazuna beside him and an enraged look on his face. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at his subordinate. "What is the meaning of this, Ebisu?" he asked.
Ebisu shoved the bridge-builder onto the ground with a snarl. "Ask him," he answered.
Hiruzen raised both eyebrows this time and turned his attention to the straw-hatted man. "Well, Tazuna, I believe you have some explaining to do," he said.
"And in the meantime, I have families to notify," Ebisu said, then vanished from the room.
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Kakashi smiled at his team and performed a low-level fire jutsu to light their campfire for the night. Since they had left the village so late, they hadn't traveled far before they stopped. Kakashi had led them to a small clearing not far from the village walls. Naruto set up the tents while Hinata collected water from a nearby stream and Kiba went hunting for their dinner. Kakashi looked impressed at how naturally each member of the team performed his or her own function. "It's almost like they've done this before," he thought to himself.
When Kiba returned with four skinned rabbits, Naruto looked hungrily at them, and soon the team was sitting around the fire and eating their meal; though they had eaten dinner before leaving, traveling and setting up camp had worked up an appetite in all four of them. Even Akamaru got a share of the meat. Kiba, Hinata, and Naruto all tossed him bits of their own meals. Kakashi, not wanting to feel left out, did so as well; this night, he and his team were equals, he was not their sensei, they were all merely ninja of the Leaf. Naruto and Kiba looked like they were going to object to Kakashi's actions at first, but neither did, much to the silver-haired man's relief; the Jonin had asked for acceptance from his team, and his team had given it.
Once their meal was finished, Naruto turned to the silver-haired man. "All right, Kakashi-sensei, spill. You said this excursion was going to be very important to me, it's time you explain what you meant," he said.
Kakashi chuckled. "Straight to the point, huh? Okay," he said, then sighed. "First off, I have a question for you three." The three Genin perked up and looked at him, waiting. "Have any of you figured out how the teams you were put on were selected?"
The team thought a moment, then Hinata spoke up. "Well, I noticed that Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were put on a team, and I know their parents were on a team together as well."
Kiba nodded. "And I think I remember hearing somewhere that Shino's dad was on a team with an Uchiha when he was a Genin," he supplied.
Naruto was the first to put the pieces together. "They make the teams to be like our parents' teams, don't they?" he asked. Kakashi smiled and nodded. "But wait...what about us?"
Kiba nodded. "I remember Mom telling me about going on missions with Hiashi, and I know that's Hinata's father, but what about Naruto?"
Hinata thought about what she'd just heard, then suddenly gasped. "Minato," she said quietly.
Kakashi heard her. "Yes, Hinata," he told her. Hinata looked at the man in shock. "Kiba, your mother's other teammate was Minato Namikaze. I'm sure you all three recognize that name." The team nodded. How could they not recognize the name of the Fourth Hokage? "And yes, before you ask, your team was formed with the children of a previous team, just like Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji." He sat back a moment to let that sink in.
"So, you mean...I'm the son of the Fourth?" Naruto asked, his voice subdued, similar to how it had been before he met Hinata and Ino, all those years ago. Kakashi nodded. "I guess that explains a lot..." his voice trailed off as his hand went to his stomach and became a fist.
"Naruto," Kakashi said quietly. Naruto turned to him. "Your father...and your mother, they both loved you. I know for a fact they would both be here with you right now if they could. Your father only sealed the fox in you because he couldn't ask another family to make a sacrifice he was unwilling to make himself. Those are his exact words, by the way." Naruto nodded after a moment. "And he always wanted you to be seen as a hero. I'm sorry his wish wasn't really fulfilled by the village."
"It's okay, it's not your fault, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said after a moment. "Besides, I've got these two now, and they're all I really need anyway." As he said this, his teammates came to him, and the three shared a group hug. Kakashi rose and made his way to them.
Putting his arms around his team, Kakashi spoke to them softly, "I may only be the student of the Fourth, but I promise you three, I'll do my best to train you and make you into a team your parents will be proud of." At his words, the team opened their arms to him both figuratively and literally, and Team Seven became a family in all but blood.
As Kakashi pulled away from his team, he had a thought. "Is this what being a father feels like?"
xxxxxx
It was not often that Hiruzen Sarutobi showed his true feelings; as the Hokage, it wasn't often he could show them and get away with it. This, however, was one of those times. He was glaring at Tazuna with rage and Killing Intent in his eyes. Tazuna cowered away from the old man's gaze. The bridge-builder was shocked that this old man could still contain such rage; after all, the leader of the village being so old had been one of the reasons Tazuna had not been afraid to deceive them. Now, he regretted his own lack of foresight. He spared a moment's thought to acknowledge that this old man's sheer power was enough that even Zabuza, the assassin who had caused him so much trouble, would have likely cowered before it.
"Tazuna," the Hokage began, his voice surprisingly calm. "You deceived us, you kept vital information from us, and your failure to be honest and upfront with us has led to the deaths of three of this village's Genin. Had you told us to begin with the truth of your situation, we could have worked out a payment plan or something, but now...your bridge is built and my Genin are dead."
Tazuna hung his head in shame. "I am sorry, Lord Hokage, I know I should have told you the truth to begin with, I was just so afraid if I did you would demand I pay in full for it immediately, and I couldn't do that. Any of the other villages would have made that demand, after all."
Hiruzen nodded; he had to grant Tazuna's point. "All right, Tazuna, since your foolishness has led to the deaths of three of my young people, I will demand that you personally pay each of their families 10,000 ryo in compensation. Beyond that, I will discuss further compensation for the village from you and your country later. For now, get out of my sight before I lose control of myself and kill you."
Tazuna didn't think to question the man's words; they were said so calmly and so quietly the bridge-builder had no doubt the old man would follow through if Tazuna didn't make himself scarce, so he did just that.
Emerging from the shadows of the Hokage's office, Danzo Shimura, the Hokage's oldest rival, commented, "So, you do still have some fire in your veins, huh?"
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen turned to the old war-hawk. "The fire in my veins has never died down, Danzo," he began. "I merely control it in order to bring our land peace."
"We do not need peace!" Danzo answered. "We need to show the other lands that we are the strongest of them and that they should fear and respect us. Your seeking for peace has led to the other lands thinking us weak. Look at the way Kumogakure treated us during the Hyuga fiasco."
Hiruzen sighed and nodded; again, as much as he hated to, he had to grant the point being made. "That is true to an extent, but even you have to admit that we are hailed as the strongest of the great nations now," he told his rival. Danzo nodded; the Hokage's words were true after all. "And we have had peace for years now. I'm sure you can see that even in peace we can show our strength by hosting the Chunin Exams and things like that; hell, those exams are a chance to show our strength and keep the peace at the same time."
Danzo thought a moment, then said, "I will think on your words, Hiruzen. Perhaps you would indulge your old friend in a spar the next time we have a chance?"
Hiruzen smiled at the bandaged man. "It would be my pleasure, Danzo."
xxxxxx
Konohamaru Sarutobi, the grandson of the Third Hokage, stepped from the shadows of his grandfather's office. "Is that old coot really as dangerous as you make him out to be, Old Man?" he asked, his voice skeptical.
The Hokage gave his grandson a small smile. "Indeed, Konohamaru, he is. You remember that I told you that a ninja's greatest weapon is deception, don't you?" Konohamaru nodded, but his eyes betrayed that he still wasn't buying that Danzo was the dangerous man his grandfather had warned him about. "I know for a fact Danzo is keeping things from me, but I can't prove it. As long as I can't prove it, there's nothing I can do about it, and so I have no choice but to keep him on as my adviser. In a way, you could say that I'm stuck with him. On the other hand, Danzo can't stand me for the most part, but he doesn't dare resign because he knows if he did I'd undo pretty much everything Danzo's done, so, in a way, he's stuck with me, too."
Konohamaru sighed. "That's what you meant when you warned me I'd hate politics, huh?" he commented, causing his aging grandfather to burst into laughter. Konohamaru sighed again. "Maybe Naruto was right; I would be nuts to try to take your job!"
Hiruzen finally calmed down from his laughing fit and smiled at his grandson. "Konohamaru, you have within you a Will of Fire that is stronger than most I've seen. That is a trait you have in common with your friend, Naruto. I hope that if you never do take my place as Hokage that whoever does has a Will of Fire that burns as brightly as yours does," he said, his voice serious but kind.
Konohamaru blushed at his grandfather's praise. Then, he had a thought. "Speaking of Naruto," he said, "I haven't heard from him in a while. What's going on with him lately?"
Hiruzen smiled. "He's out on an excursion with his team right now, actually," he told the boy. "I believe Kakashi is telling him and his team of Naruto's heritage and his past." Konohamaru nodded. Due to a bizarre accident of fate, Konohamaru knew about Naruto's parentage and his tenant. Between his own natural intelligence and his grandfather explaining the truth of the situation to the boy, Konohamaru accepted Naruto for who and what he was, and knowing about it only endeared the shy blond to the Hokage's grandson even more. Konohamaru even let Naruto get away with calling him "Honorable Grandson" once in a while, even though being called that greatly annoyed him.
"So when he gets back, I won't have to hide what I know anymore huh?" he asked. Hiruzen just nodded. Konohamaru smiled. "That's a relief."
xxxxxx
As Konohamaru was discussing Team Seven's excursion with his grandfather, Naruto was finally coming to terms with everything that had happened. When he and his team had left the village, he had been an orphan with a girlfriend, a friend, and a teacher. Now, however, he was a brother to the friend and, he felt, a son to the teacher. He smiled as he looked at Hinata, the only person present with whom, he felt, his relationship hadn't changed. Hinata smiled back at him, then moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Hinata," Naruto said after a moment. Hinata sat up and looked at him, confused. "For accepting me in spite of the fox, for not being afraid of me. For...still loving me."
Hinata smiled and cupped Naruto's cheeks in her hands, running her fingers over his whisker-marks. Naruto shivered; those marks were, like whiskers, extremely sensitive. Hinata smiled a bit wider, then she said, "I will always love you, Naruto. The fox in your gut has been there since I first met you, I just didn't know it for a while. As for your parents...you gave me a chance and have only ever judged me for me, not my parents, so I would never judge you for who your parents were. You're my Naruto, you were when we got here, you are now, and you will always be." Hinata blushed deeply as she thought about how her words could be taken, then added, "And as long as you want me, I'll be yours."
Naruto ran his fingers through Hinata's hair briefly, then told her, "I would never not want you, Hinata." The young couple smiled at one another a moment, then shared a brief, chaste kiss. Naruto looked to the sky; it was late. "You better get to bed." Hinata smiled and kissed him again, then rose and made her way to her tent. Naruto smiled and remained where he was; he had first watch tonight. As he lay on his back and looked up at the moon, the blond jinchuriki thought, "I'm glad things didn't change with her and me. I hope Kiba accepts it that easily, too...I'm sure he will." He smiled at that thought; yes, he was confident his friends would always accept him.
xxxxxx
Sasuke sighed as he and his team finished what felt like the thirtieth D-rank they'd done that day. He didn't want to admit it, but, over the last weeks, he had slowly become friends with his two teammates. Shino was still a bit of an enigma, but Hotaru had proven himself to be a very adept ninja despite his civilian heritage, and Sasuke now thought of the boy as his best friend, despite his efforts at first to be unsociable and prevent himself from gaining any bonds like this. Sasuke had even met the boy's brother, Tobio, on one occasion, and he had gotten along well with both of the twins. Tobio was the more serious of the two, while Hotaru was far more playful, but, to Sasuke's surprise, both were extremely adept ninja for their age and lack of clan. On the one occasion when Sasuke had accompanied Hotaru home, the twins and their parents had all done everything they could to make Sasuke feel welcome, and, no matter how much he tried to hide it, that evening had meant the world to the lonely boy.
As Sasuke was thinking about these things, Hotaru approached him with his typical smile. "Hey, Sasuke, would you like to come to my place again tonight? Mom said she's making tomato onigiri and to invite you," he said. Sasuke felt his mouth water at the mention of tomato onigiri. There was no way in hell he was going to pass that up.
"I think I'd like that, Hotaru," he said back, causing his teammate's grin to widen.
"Good, good," the boy said back, his green eyes flashing with merriment. "I'm glad you'll be there, Sasuke. I asked Shino, too, but you know how he is. Clan affairs and all that." Sasuke nodded. He might miss his family, but the clan meetings and such he certainly did not miss! "Anyway, we better get back to work before Shino berates us for wasting time with illogical chatter or some such thing." Hotaru had mimicked Shino's monotone perfectly as he spoke of them wasting time, which caused Sasuke to smile slightly.
"Yeah, you're probably right," the Uchiha responded after a moment. "See you in a bit then?" Hotaru nodded, and the two parted. "I really am lucky I got them as a team," Sasuke thought to himself as he turned back to his work.
xxxxxx
"This is such a drag," Shikamaru commented as he pulled weeds. Ino snarled at him; she was so tired of hearing him moan and groan about their work! Then she realized she'd been complaining for a while before their mission about missing Kiba, so she couldn't really say much; as such, she just kept her mouth shut about Shikamaru's complaining. Instead, she sought to draw him and Choji into conversation to pass the time better.
"I wonder what Naruto and his team are doing out there," she said, seemingly idly.
Choji chuckled. "Naruto's probably sitting at their campfire, staring at the sky and keeping watch," he said. "Hinata's probably asleep by now, and I bet Kiba's rolling around missing you, Ino. As for Kakashi...who knows, I'd guess he's probably asleep by now, since I guarantee he didn't take first watch." Ino smiled at her teammates. It was evening now, so Choji was probably right. Naruto would take first watch, she knew, Kiba second probably, Kakashi third, and Hinata last if she knew that team, which she did. Choji continued, "They'll probably be back tomorrow or the day after, if nothing goes wrong, isn't that what Naruto told us?" Ino nodded; Naruto in fact hadn't told them that, but she was too distracted thinking of Kiba to really hear what Choji had said.
Shikamaru and Choji shook their heads. "Girls in love are such a drag," Shikamaru commented wryly. Choji nodded; maybe not all girls were like that, but Ino sure was.
xxxxxx
Danzo sighed slowly as he sat down. All this ninja stuff was getting harder by the day it seemed. Snapping once, a masked shinobi appeared in the small bare room where Danzo now sat. Danzo held out a scroll to the shinobi, who took it then vanished again without a word. Danzo smiled. "A perfect shinobi," he thought. Then he remembered his old rival's words from earlier that day. "Is Hiruzen right? Is peace the right way to go? Would our village prosper and benefit more from peace than from war?" He remembered the things he had seen happen during times of war, the shinobi lost, the families destroyed, the weakening of the village. "Perhaps he is right." Then he remembered what he had asked of his old rival. They had a spar coming. "If Hiruzen is right, then he will not have been made weak by these times of peace, and I will lose our spar. If he's wrong, I'll beat him. It's that simple, really, isn't it?" The old war-hawk smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes, it all rides on our spar."
Danzo considered his bandaged arm and eye in his mind for a moment. "I hope I don't have to reveal to Hiruzen that I have these," he thought. "He'd never understand. Still, if he is powerful enough that I must use them to beat him, I will. And if he is so strong that I can't beat him even with them...then I guess I have been wrong about my old rival all these years." At that moment, Danzo remembered hearing Hiruzen threaten the old bridge-builder's life. "At least now I know not to underestimate him...there is still fire in my old rival's veins. I must be prepared." With that thought, Danzo rose from his spot on the floor and made his way to his personal training grounds, where he would spend half an hour before going to bed, just to make sure his skills were up to par.
xxxxxx
As Hiruzen made his way into his home, he got a sudden chill. "I feel I have a hard fight ahead of me," he thought. He sighed as he got the distinct feeling that this had something to do with Danzo. "I had better make sure I'm ready for our spar. It wouldn't do to disappoint my old rival." That thought in mind, Hiruzen also spent some time practicing before making his way to his bed that night. The "spar" between Danzo and Hiruzen promised to be a fight that would be remembered for generations to come.
A/N: I know you guys are going to hate me for the teaser I gave you during Konohamaru's scene. Bear with me, I know I didn't explain that yet, but I promise, I will explain exactly how Konohamaru knows about Naruto's parents and the fox. I will explain it, just not yet, so please, be patient with me.