Chapter 15:
The Fourth Hokage:
He had alienated almost everybody in the village. Yahiko recognised that fact. He had self-destructed in order to heal the intense pain in his heart caused by the traumatic massacre. But he had only succeeded in causing himself further heartache, distancing himself from all those left who still cared for him. He could not bear to look at them anymore. He could not bear to stay in this village that had so generously taken him in as a lonely young orphan, who possessed nothing in the world besides the clothes on his back and the companionship of his two friends, as well as the paternal affection of his Sensei. And so, with a heart heavier than iron, he decided the only course of action would be to leave.
Still, his wife and oldest friend, Konan, Jiraiya, Tsunade and her daughter Sukina, and his own two daughters Pippi and Tsuri came to see him off. He did not expect to see anyone there and was shocked to see thme standing there. His young daughters jumped onto their father and begged him not to leave, but Yahiko could offer them only a sad smile. He no longer had words. They wished him well, and requested him to return one day soon. He attempted to reassure them with some of his old braggartness, but his voice caught in his throat. He meekly offered them each a hug goodbye, and before he changed his mind, set off on his path. The chill in the air and his cold skin contrasted the warm tears that ran down his face.
High in the Hokage Mansion, The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, watched his young protégée walk off into the night. He was saddened to see him go, saddened to see how far someone who had given so many people hope, who had been a shining beacon of light for people, had fallen from grace. At the time of his disgrace, he was arguably one of the most popular and respected ninja in the whole village. That respect was dead and buried now, as the villagers had turned from adulation to vehemence. Yahiko's behaviour had not helped matters. As these thoughts ran through the Hokage's mind, he tipped his hat to the man he knew would one day return, and guide these people once more. After all, he had been chosen by God after the Sage of The Six Paths himself to be gifted with the Rinnegan.
Months passed. Konan, who despite having suffered emotional and verbal abuse during Yahiko's drunken rampages, had forgotten all about the man he had become, and could only remember how they would picnic together, play together, work together, raise their daughters together. Her heart ached for him, as she knew his did for her. She never took off the locket he had given her. She would constantly tell her daughters of the wonderful things their father had done, glowing with admiration, and they too would paint a picture in their minds of a perfect man, a perfect father, who bravely fought for them and the village, and had sacrificed so much. They all hoped one day he would return.
Nagato, whose use of his legs had been restored by Yahiko, who had been one of his last supporters, regretted not being able to see him off, ignoring the fact that Yahiko had knocked him and his wife unconscious on that night. Pinako, too, who had long since admired him, appreciated tremendously what he had done for her husband.
Minato and Kushina, both of whom had been disgusted by his behaviour, had also forgiven him as he had given them a sincere, heartfelt apology, and both knew it was more of a result of the pain in his heart than anything else.
Gradually, everyone grew to miss him in his absence. They would all catch themselves at times wishing he were there, to give them some advice, chat with them, let them confide in him, or cheer them up. They all sympathised and empathised with his heartache, and prayed that he would overcome it.
Times in the Hidden Leaf had been changing for years. Now two of the village's most powerful SHinobi, Danzo and Orochimaru, had both gone missing, and it was feared they had been killed. Ninja missions had been becoming more and more scarce, and more and more dangerous. The mortality rate was rising. Other villages were becoming more and more hesitant to hire Leaf ninja for their services, opting for one of the other Great Ninja Villages. As Konoha grew weaker and more vulnerable, its competitors and enemies gained strength. Every day brought the threat of a possible attack, and several attempts had been made at guerrilla invasions and secret assassinations.
Minato sat on his sofa in his living room. Despite being one of the Leaf's finest Shinobi, he too was troubled, financially. Kushina and he both worked as hard as they could to make money, both of them desiring to start a family soon. Driven by necessity, he had applied to be the jounin teacher of a squad of new genin, fresh out of the Academy, two years ago.
The young charges assigned to him were two boys and a girl, named Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara. They all were promising young prospects, however the obvious standout was Kakashi. Reserved, quiet and prodigiously talented, Kakashi nonetheless appeared to have a huge chip on his shoulder.
His father, Sakumo, had committed suicide years previously, due to falling into disgrace after abandoning a mission to save his teammates. Due to the traumatic event, during which Kakashi was just a child, no older than three, Kakashi was driven to succeed and to be the best, and he was incredibly unshakeable and stubborn when it came to the rules of the Shinobi code. He was also emotionally detached and pretty much cared for no one other than himself.
Obito, by contrast, placed a great emphasis on friendship, on warmth, and unlike Kakashi's cool, calm, logical demeanour, was incredibly emotional and tended to get riled up easily. The two vastly different personalities put Kakashi and Obito at odds with one another.
Rin, however, seemed to get along very well with both her teammates. She valued friendship and teamwork, as did Obito, but was also very talented and thus Kakashi would also get along with her, preferring not to associate himself with Obito, whom he considered inferior and more of a burden.
Minato had been troubled for years, trying to think of new ways to get his subordinates on the same page. However, Kakashi continued to blow off Obito, and disregarded his efforts. Obito became increasingly fed up with Kakashi's antics, going so far as to request his release from the squad. Minato, however, had managed to convince him to stay.
Kakashi's ego problem was not helped by the fact that merely two years after his graduation, he had become chuunin, the youngest ever in Konoha's history. If anybody thought he had a superiority complex before, they should have seen him now.
This is what currently ran through Minato's mind as he was perched on his sofa, biting the tip of his thumb. Kushina was out on a mission, and when he was not worrying about her he was worrying about his team. He sighed. All this tension would turn his sun-yellow hair grey.
The screech of an eagle interrupted his thoughts. He went over to the window and looked out. In the sky above, Konoha's "summoning eagle" flew around in circles, signalling that Lord Hokage had summoned him. He sighed once more, before picking up the flak jacket laid out on the back of a chair, locking up the house, and disappearing in a poof of smoke.
Lord Hiruzen, in these past few months, had become a recluse. Nobody saw him except for the ninja he had chosen as a go-between, Izame. Ninja would now be summoned to his door, and receive their mission and further instruction from Izame. Any information they gathered was given to Izame, who then passed it along. So it came as quite a big surprise when Minato arrived at the Hokage's door, that Izame ushered him in.
Cautiously, he knocked and entered. The Hokage sat on the floor on a mat, smoking his signature pipe, fingers interlocked, his chin resting on them.
Minato was appalled to see the state the Hokage was in. He appeared to have aged horribly in the last few months. His formerly youthful face was lined with wrinkles, and his skin appeared to hang loose on him. He had obviously lost weight.
"Lord Hokage, are you alright?" Minato asked, concernedly.
Hiruzen smiled and waved off the question with a hand. "I'm fine, don't be concerned with me."
Still, Minato looked unsure. Hiruzen's face grew serious. "Sit down, Minato. We have much to discuss."
Yahiko walked the lonely road. He carried a small knapsack over his shoulder, which in addition to the clothes on his back were the only possessions he had brought along. He walked and walked, having no idea where he was going. He had not packed food, and there were times when he almost collapsed due to hunger. He was fortunate enough, however, to manage to find fruit-bearing trees, and occasionally catch fish or wild animals. He passed several small towns and cities, but rarely stayed longer than a week. He passed by mountains and through valleys, crossed lakes and rivers, harsh deserts and swampy rainforests. He had no purpose, no direction, and so he simply moved onwards.
In his knapsack he carried only his closest personal belongings: The bloodstained cloak of the Akatsuki to remind him of the horrors of that day, to serve as somewhat of a personal memorial of those who had lost their lives. He carried a picture of him, Nagato and Konan, as well as several of his family and wife. He also had a couple of his two Senseis, and pictures with his old Vegetable Gang.
He found himself in a small town in the Land of Rice Paddies. He was staying in a small inn, and had been given a decent room. However, he didn't spend much time there, dropping his sack on the floor, rolling out his sleeping bag, and immediately heading out.
He had developed a fear of being alone. When he was left to his own devices, his personal demons and intense loneliness would creep up on him, and he feared he would once again be consumed by them. So he tried to plan himself in socially active areas of town, as often as possible.
Bars were the most heavily-frequented areas of this town. Yahiko had quit drinking, and was now a few months sober. He instead ordered a sweet and spicy tea, which the Land of Rice Paddies was famous for. He was pleasantly surprised when a squad of four Leaf ninja walked in, presumably on a mission from the Leaf and winding down for the day. Still, he wanted to keep a low profile, and so hid his face so that he wouldn't be recognised.
They sat at a table near him. Yahiko strained to listen to their conversation; he liked to hear how Konoha was doing from time to time. He gleaned from their dialogue that the Village was still in dire straits, economically. But he was happy to hear that the citizens and Shinobi of the village were tenacious and aggressive as ever, not backing down from the impending threat of attack or recession. The Will of Fire burns brightly as ever, he smiled, remembering what the Third Hokage used to often say.
A man walked in. He wore a long black cloak and his face and head were covered by a hat. He walked past the people in the bar. Yahiko watched him, and to his amazement, the man strode directly over to his table and sat across him.
"Who are you?" he asked the man suspiciously.
By way of answer, the man raised his head; he looked directly into Yahiko's eyes. Yahiko gasped when he saw the familiar snake-slit pupils, the markings around his eyes, the pale face and the sheer malicious intent his gaze carried.
"Orochimaru!"
"Keep your voice down, dear boy." He replied in his cool, cocky voice that perpetually sounded like he was mocking the other person. "You wouldn't want to draw any attention from a certain group, now, would you?"
Yahiko's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
"I can see the look in your eyes. You have the look of a lost puppy, wandering around in the darkness. You have no purpose, no meaning, no reason to exist. I want you to help me. I can give you your life's purpose."
"Forget it."
"You're still carrying it around, aren't you? The events of that dreadful day. Oh, it must be such a heavy burden, isn't it? I can help you relieve your suffering."
"Oh really? And how do you plan to do that?"
Orochimaru leaned closer, and his eyes glowed as his mouth relished the word he issued: "Revenge."
"Against who? I've no need for revenge."
"You were betrayed by someone you trusted inside the Hidden Leaf. Somebody the entire village trusted, plotted to overthrow the Hokage and destroy Konoha as it stands."
"What?!"
"Of course. Who do you think sent your men out to die in the first place? You think they were so weak as to be taken hostage so easily?"
Yahiko could not believe his ears; at the same time, a hot, bitter anger began to bubble in the pit of his stomach.
"Oh, and who can forget Hanzo? Slaughtering your men in cold blood, just to keep his own power unthreatened, his rule unchallenged. Such an act shouldn't just be forgiven, don't you agree?"
Yahiko knew full well Orochimaru was exploiting his anger, twisting his emotions to use Yahiko for his own diabolical purposes. But Yahiko did not care. Orochimaru's words made more and more sense to him as he talked, and Yahiko's rage grew white-hot. But he was able to control himself long enough to ask:
"Why are you telling me this? What could you possibly hope to gain from my desire for vengeance?"
Orochimaru's evil smirk widened. "Oh, I have no interest in your vengeance, personally. What I require are your services."
"Why should I help you?"
"I can help you exact your revenge. And you used to brag how everything you did was working toward peace in the village? Well, my goal is to bring peace to the entire world."
Yahiko was taken aback. "How do you plan on achieving that?"
"This world must be severely altered in order to end hatred and hardship. I will build a new world, a kinder world, where no family is torn apart, no man is better than another. As for the method, well.." he smirked again, "that is for me to know and for you to trust."
Yahiko mused. Orochimaru was untrustworthy and as slimy as his skin, that much was common knowledge. Still, he couldn't help but reflect on his own former dreams and goals, passed on to him by Jiraiya. Jiraiya would often tell them stories, and confide in the three orphans about his dreams for the future, his hopes to bring peace to the world. His vision sounded much like what Orochimaru was talking about. Perhaps they shared the same ideals. Yahiko reflected once again, as he so often had in the past few months, of the tragedy that had occurred at the hands of Hanzo, and that unnamed traitor of the Leaf. His anger bubbled over.
"I accept your offer. But first, deliver Hanzo and the traitor to me. Then I will work with you."
In the snake's eyes danced a malevolent glow. His grin revealed his sharp white teeth, as he extended the hand of alliance, which Yahiko shook.
Minato sat, quietly, but aghast at the news the superficially-wizened Hokage broke to him.
"Danzo betrayed us?!"
Hiruzen nodded his head gravely. "He defected from the village on the night of the massacre. The ANBU he sent, he sent not to the Akatsuki's aid, but Hanzo's. He also tricked the rest of the members of the Akatsuki into heading into the fray immediately. Apparently he had been collaborating with Hanzo for quite some time now, as he plotted to destroy this village."
Minato sat back, trying to take it all in. He felt sick to his stomach. This was the man he had actually requested for help. His superior, for a short time, in the ANBU Root. A village elder, respected by so many.
"That's not all." Hiruzen sighed heavily. "Orochimaru has also defected from the village."
And he told Minato of how his experiments had been discovered, how he had been defeated in battle, but how the Hokage, in a moment of weakness, was unable to kill him, and he escaped.
"A Shinobi as skilled and powerful as he, not to mention his genius, will surely be a serious threat to the Hidden Leaf. He was the kind of student that comes along once in a generation, and has all the accomplishments to be labelled as an S-ranked threat."
The two sat in silence for a time. Minato was in shock at the overwhelming news, while Hiruzen merely smoked his pipe, his eyes closed, a sad expression on his face. Eventually, Minato regained himself.
"Umm, Sir? I want to ask, why are you telling me all of this? And why is this confidential, anyway?"
Hiruzen's eyes remained closed; his face still wore that sad expression as he spoke. "My whole career as Hokage has been one great big failure. Lord First and Lord Second groomed me to take over, but I was too weak to handle the power efficiently, as they managed. They called me Professor, they called my powers "godlike"," he spit out the word with disdain, "and for what? I was unable to prevent the Second Great Ninja War; I was unable to protect the Shinobi of my Village in the War. I was unable to stop my old friend, my old teammate from defecting. I could not even raise my hand against my student, although it is a teacher's duty to deal with his subordinate. Do not argue." He said, as Minato opened his mouth to do just that.
Hiruzen sighed, and opened his eyes. "For that reason, I formally announce my resignation as Hokage."
Minato's mouth fell open. Lord Hokage was so beloved by the people of the village; he was so personable and friendly with everyone. The children loved him, the elders loved him. Who could possibly follow him? Who could possibly measure up to his greatness?
As if reading his mind, Lord Sarutobi announced: "I have also chosen my successor."
Minato stared at him. Hiruzen Sarutobi rose, taking his hat off, revealing his greying, balding head. He placed the Hokage hat upon Minato's spiky blonde hair. "Welcome to your new office. As of today, you will be the Fourth Hokage."
And leaving Minato stunned, he casually walked out of the room.
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Okay, so I'm a week late with this chapter. I was busy (read: lazy). However, I'm planning to release a new chapter weekly, so be sure to check around the weekend, between Friday to Sunday. I have been losing a lot of readers recently, but I'm glad a small group of readers is still engaged, because I have soooo much more to write. Anyway, enough talk. Look forward to the next chapter!