The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure

A/N: Wow! I still can't believe the response this have gotten! Thanks so much to everyone who faved, followed and reviewed! I took a little longer with this chapter than I wanted, but overall I'm pretty happy with it! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Cheers!

Edit: Had a question asking if this was a NaruHina fic. Short answer: YES! This chapter contains a Sakura bit. No there isn't going to be a love triangle with her. Don't worry. I like Sakura, and I think she had a lot of potential, but I don't like love triangles with her.

Edit2: I was rereading to help me write the next chapter (don't worry it's already in the works!) and I noticed a glaring grammatical error I had to fix...I missed a mix up of 'your' and 'you're' on my editting sessions. Clearly, I couldn't leave that without fixing it! :P

The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure

Chapter Three – Revelations

Naruto stood outside the door to the official conference room, where the Hokage and the council met to discuss important matters pertaining to the smooth running of the village. His heart was hammering in his throat; he could hardly remember a time where he felt this nervous, outside of battles with other shinobi.

Had he been summoned because of the broken vase? Thinking more on the subject, he discarded the idea. Tsunade wouldn't have let him leave the office in the first place if that had been the main issue. So why had been summoned? It was truly a mystery to him, and he didn't like the feeling of being left in the dark. Lucky for him, his wait outside the door wasn't a long one.

Shizune was the one who came out to collect him, and something about her expression made him anxious. It was a strange mix of excitement and sadness, and it stuck him as very odd. Naruto entered the room, blinking a few times to adjust to the dimmer light. He felt a knot in his throat as his eyesight adjusted. He found several pairs of eyes on him, eyes that primarily belonged to the village elders and clan heads and…Airi?

His facial expression betrayed him when he caught sight of her, and she gave him a momentary smile of encouragement. He didn't have time to respond to the gesture, as the Fifth began speaking. "I'm sure Naruto would like to know why he was summoned here, so why don't be begin?"

Tsunade looked deadly serious as she continued, "Naruto, the first thing we need to do is discuss…your parentage."

The blond felt his eyes go wide. "W-what?"

Parents. He had yearned to know more about his family for as long as he could remember, but now that the moment was upon him, he was uneasy. What if he didn't like what he found out?

"This has been a village secret, but recent events have made it necessary to disclose the information to you and only you. You're the son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato."

The Hokage paused, presumably for the information to sink in, but it took Naruto a few moments to place a name to a title. The delayed reaction was one of over enthusiastic excitement. "Wait, Namikaz…THE FOURTH HOKAGE?! YEAH! MY DAD WAS AWESOME! I'M AWESOME!"

The young shinobi began cheering, not caring who heard him, or that he was in the middle of the Hokage and Council's meeting room. A few people in the room, primarily clan heads that had known Kushina and Minato, smiled at the display. Tsunade herself suppressed a grin; seeing the brat that happy was strangely fulfilling. "Naruto," Tsunade began as his excitement began to die down, "I know that's really big news for you, but that isn't all of what we brought you here to talk about. In fact, this has a lot more to do with your mother than it does with your father."

Naruto nodded and sat down, hands interlocking on the back of his head. His smile was wide, so much so that it was paining his face but he didn't mind. He had parents. Awesome parents that he could be proud of. Nothing the Hokage or council could throw at him today was going to shake him.

"Uzumaki Kushina was a very strong-willed and talented kunoichi who also possessed incredible chakra. She also held the Nine-tails before you did."

Naruto felt his mouth fall open. It was official: both his parents were badasses.

"More importantly, Kushina was not originally from Konoha. She was born and raised in Uzushiogakure until she was nine. She came from a very prestigious clan from her home village as well. She was very lucky to have moved when she did in fact, because it wasn't long after that when…"

Sadness tainted Naruto's cerulean eyes as he cut the Hokage off "I know, because it was destroyed."

Tsunade raised her eyebrows, surprised that the boy had gleaned that fact from his previous education, but continued. "Yes. With that I think I should turn the speaking over to our Uzushiogakure ambassador."

Airi stood up at her place at the table and began in a serious tone reminiscent of the Hokage's. "Since our Village was destroyed, Naruto, citizens of Uzu got dispersed all over the continent. Many were taken in here in Konohagakure or in Kusagakure. It is admirable that our allies came to our aid when we needed it most, but the traditions and culture of Uzu are slowly being lost, as refugees and their families begin to integrate more with their adopted villages."

"What does all this got to do with me?"

"We're getting to that bit brat, just be quiet and listen!"

"For several years now, we're been looking to reestablish the village of Uzushiogakure, but without a legitimate successor of the previous dynasty it's been hard. Many people could try to take control of a country just starting again. We don't want a dictatorship. This has been a difficult task, since because many of the leaders of Uzu and their families didn't live through the war. We are lucky to have one a person that is related to the previous daimyo, even if it isn't the closest of relations."

"Who is it? I mean, is it someone I know? Why did you call me in here to...oh. OH!" The hyperactive ninja's mouth fell open, and for once in his twelve years, he was stunned speechless.

"Uzumaki Fukoku, Kushina's aunt, was married to the second to last Daimyo, making the last Daimyo your second cousin. I know this is a lot to ask of you Naruto, but Uzushiogakure needs a legitimate successor to succeed in rebuilding. You are the only surviving relative that we have found, after nearly a decade of searching."

Naruto sat with an almost blank expression on his face, unsure of how to react. The day had been ridiculously overwhelming. He'd found out about his parents and been told he was the last living member of a noble family line. And they wanted him as their leader, not only of a village but a small country?

He'd always wanted to be the Hokage, and that was something that suddenly grew stronger today at the revelation that his father was the Fourth Hokage, the leader he'd always looked up to the most. Would leading Uzu be the same? If he left Konoha, he would never be able to follow his hero's footsteps as closely. Besides, deep down, he knew that he wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility either. He suddenly felt very child-like. He wished his parents were here to help him make the right decision. Feeling as if he might tear up, he cleared his throat and faced the room, fixating on the Hokage.

"Granny…do I have to go?"

Tsunade's normally serious 'council face' softened. "Of course you don't. After much deliberation with the clan heads, and the council, we're collectively decided that you may make your own decision on the matter."

Naruto noticed that several people in the room seemed to be unhappy with this plan, particularly a man with half his face bandaged up. He wondered briefly if those people had wanted him to stay or to go. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Can…can I have some time to think about this? I mean, it's a lot to take in, ya know?"

She nodded. Without waiting for her consent, Naruto hopped up and ran out of the room, ignoring the shocked gasps and noises from the advisory panel. He didn't care. He needed to escape to somewhere quiet where he could think things over because right now he felt like his brain was going to explode.

Naruto ran without much thought as to where he was going. The act of running in itself was therapeutic, and jumping over obstacles throughout Konoha was distracting him from the huge conflict of emotion tearing through him. Before he knew it, the hyperactive blond was standing at the Hokage monuments, overlooking the dark night sky and the lights of Konoha. Gravitating to the area above the carving the Fourth Hokage, Naruto sat down.

"Hey dad…" he whispered. A few of the tears that hadn't fell in the council room slid down his cheeks as he contemplated the day's events and the revelation of who his parents were. "I wish you guys were still here. I really need help with this decision. I've always wanted to follow in your footsteps and become Hokage, even when you weren't my dad…well I guess you were always my dad but you know what I mean. If I leave Konoha, I'll never be the Hokage. I'd be the…" Naruto's dialogue paused as he contemplated that I didn't know what his title would even be.

"I'd be something different. And I'd still be helping a lot of people! But I'm afraid to leave this village too. Gah! I just don't know! I don't even know why I'm talking out loud like you're still here." A few more tears of frustration and confusion leaked from his eyes. At that moment, a gust of wind came by and ruffled his hair.

Naruto flopped down onto the grass and moss and buried his face in his hands. The contemplation and overwhelming feelings made him feel very drowsy. His eyes became heavy, and soon he had lost track of the time completely. In fact, Naruto almost drifted to sleep outside. It was then that he heard a startled "Eeeep!"

Looking up, Naruto saw that he was no longer alone above the monument. Hinata was there too, and she was clearly very shocked to see him so abruptly. "I-I'm s-s-orry Naruto, I d-didn't know you were u-up here. I-I can g-go!"

Naruto noticed that Hinata had very red eyes tonight. He wondered if she had been crying too. Perhaps she came up here for alone time as well? "It's okay Hinata, you can stay." He wiped his eyes and nose on his sleeve to clear the dried tears and sat up straighter. They both stayed quiet for a moment, until Naruto broke the ice. "Do you come up here a lot?"

The young heiress shook her head, not looking up from the ground. "N-no, I just needed s-s-somewhere private a-and quiet t-to g-go."

This surprised Naruto. He had always pictured the Hyuga compound as a very noiseless, peaceful place. That said, he had never really been near it himself. The overly protective clan didn't allow just anyone to loiter near the premises.

The pair sat in the near silence, with only the sounds of the night and the occasional loud noise from the village core. Sharing the silence with someone seemed to make it more special, and Naruto didn't regret the fact that his favorite thinking spot had been discovered by someone else. He was pulled from his contemplations as he heard an almost imperceptible sniffle. Glancing to the right, he saw that his new companion was still crying, albeit quite slowly and controlled. "Hey…uh, what's wrong? I mean, can I help or anything?"

Hinata felt her face heat up at the question and was thankful that the darkness hid her brightening complexion. There was no way that she could tell her crush that she had just found out that he might be leaving the village forever. Her father wasn't supposed to let anyone without the proper clearance know what went on that the Hokage's council meetings, but sometimes when he was unhappy with the council's decisions, he spoke in a tone louder than necessary. She didn't know why or how and she didn't care. The idea itself hurt, so she slipped out to somewhere where she could cry in peace. Or so she thought.

She realized that she had let Naruto's question linger, without answering it. "S-someone I c-care about a lot i-is going t-to be leaving the village."

Naruto frowned, curious which Hyuga members were going on long enough missions that their family would be tearing up. "I'm sorry to hear that Hinata."

The previous silence overtook the pair again, but this time Hinata was willing herself to speak, and fighting to do so without the stuttering. "Why are you up here N-naruto?" she squeaked.

Naruto ignored his friend's oddly pitched tone. "I come up here a lot to think when I have bad days and stuff. Today wasn't a bad day; it was great! Well, the happiest and one of the saddest moments…I can't really explain it, I guess. I found out who my parents were today." He wasn't sure why he was telling her all this. They didn't know each other that well, although he did appreciate the advice she had given him before the Chunin Exam finals.

"That m-must have b-been difficult. Are y-you happy knowing more about them though?"

Naruto found himself nodding with vigor. "It's amazing! It's amazing to figure out that your father is the one Hokage that you looked up to…ah, crap," he turned to her, his voice lowering. "I accidently just told you a village secret, can you not tell anyone about my old man?"

Blushing again, Hinata hastily agreed. Naruto continued, his demeanor turning more serious. "I was also given a hard choice to make today. I'm not really sure what I should do. I have an opportunity to help a lot of people, a ton of people, but in order to do it, I'd have to give up my dream."

Hinata contemplated this for a second, her heart torn. She wasn't sure which option meant him leaving the village. Then again, he had always been vocal about being the Hokage… For a second time in the night, Hinata was glad that it was so dark out. It was impossible for her crush to see the tears that filled her eyes. Promising herself that she would not be selfish, she spoke. "M-maybe y-you just need a n-new dream…a b-bigger and better o-one. Y-you k-know your parents w-will be proud of y-you either w-way." She silently added that she would be proud of him as well.

Feeling her tears become overwhelming, Hinata stood abruptly. "B-bye Naruto. T-thanks," she nearly whispered as she turned and fled, knowing full well that she had just helped him make a decision to leave her, and their home village, maybe forever. He called her name after her, but didn't follow.

Naruto sat for a long while, wondering why Hinata had shown up so quickly and left the same way. Her advice, once again, was helpful. She was right. Altering his dream didn't count as giving up on it. He could still be an awesome leader, a strong one that both surpasses the Fourth Hokage and makes the Fourth proud. It would just be in his mother's home village instead of his fathers.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Naruto smiled. He felt lighter somehow, like the evening had physically lifted all his fears about the decision off him. Regardless, he decided he would wait until the next day to inform the Hokage of his decision.

Right now, all he wanted to do was lay where he was under the night sky. "I'm gonna make you guys so proud, ya know!"

Naruto awoke still on the mountain, freezing cold and damp. He exited his dreams in a panic, because in his previous decision, he had forgotten one crucial thing: Sakura and Sasuke. He had promised Sakura and failed. Would it really be right to bail on her now? Peeling himself off the dewy grass, Naruto stretched out the kinks formed by his awkward sleeping place. A cloud had covered the moon, and now his favorite spot was filled with strange noises and shadows. Leaping from perch to perch, Naruto headed back down into the village, dwelling on his promise to his pink-haired teammate.

He decided that first thing in the morning, he was going to go find Sakura. He needed to talk to her before he could tell Tsunade his decision. But how could he explain the situation? Naruto frowned, trying to think about a way around the explanation that didn't involve him giving out village secrets but his mind was fuzzy with the need for sleep.

After finally exiting the chilly evening air for the relative comfort of his apartment, Naruto flopped onto his bed. He decided groggily that he would cross that bridge when he came to it. It couldn't be too hard to explain the situation to a teammate.

Haruno Sakura was getting seriously pissed off. It had been two days, and she still hadn't found her friend and teammate. She had spent most of the previous two afternoons searching the village for him but she hadn't had any luck. She needed to talk to him!

Part of her frustration was due to her own immense guilt at how she had behaved when he came back from trying to retrieve Sasuke. She had been so caught up in her own turmoil that she hadn't really been there for him when he really did need her to be his friend. She tried to ignore the sadness that flared in her heart. Sadness at Sasuke's defection and sadness for all the people who were nearly killed trying to save him from himself.

She spent many nights of the last month crying in self pity, berating herself for being little more than a hindrance. Three nights ago had been more of the same. She had been analyzing why she had asked Naruto to promise her to bring back Sasuke. She had tried to stop Sasuke using her affection for the boy as a weapon, which clearly failed. She didn't try to stop him physically because she knew she was no match for him. The words hit her like cold water.

'No match for him.'

She wasn't strong enough to save him, and in turn, she wasn't strong enough to be by his side. He had explicitly said so, in fact, denying her when she asked to come with him. She was too weak.

At first, this realization had made Sakura more upset, and she muffled her wailing cries of pain with her pillow. But once the initial shock had worn off, she felt like she had finally made some progress. She had always worried about holding Naruto and Sasuke back, and had always cared more about courting boys then really working towards being a good kunoichi. The reality was if she had cared more about being a strong kunoichi, she would have had a chance to save Sasuke when he was trying to leave the village, or in the very least have helped Naruto face him. Maybe if she had stood out as a prodigy herself, Sasuke would have given her more attention, rather than her scheming for it in roundabout ways.

This realization made her furious with herself, and she vowed as she lay in bed with a tear-tracked face that she would never again worry about being too weak to stand beside the boy she loved. She would train until she was strong enough to take Sasuke back by herself.

Once this vow had taken hold of her heart, her mind raced with a plan to keep up with it. She decided that if she was going to be a great kunoichi, she would need to train under one. And no one woman in the village was greater than Tsunade. Sakura decided that she would pull a card from Naruto's hand, and would ask the Fifth to take her as an apprentice without taking no for an answer.

That had been three nights ago, and Sakura planned on asking the Hokage to train her today, as yesterday there was some sort of emergency meeting and her appointment had been pushed back to this afternoon. But before she spoke to the Hokage, she wanted to speak with her teammate and tell him that he didn't have to worry about her anymore.

After spending another hour fruitlessly searching downtown Konoha, Sakura let out an angry huff of frustration "Where could that damn idiot be?!"

"Which idiot are ya looking for Sakura?"

"Ahh!" The startled pinkette yelped in surprise and turned on her teammate in an instant. "You, Naruto, I was looking for you! Where have you been? I've been trying to talk to you for two days!"

The blond effortlessly brushed off Sakura calling him an idiot. "It's been a weird two days. Anyway, what do you want Sakura? I was hoping you'd wanna get some ramen…"

"No. I have stuff to do. I'm meeting the Hokage later."

"Me too! Let's walk together!"

Sakura rolled her eyes slightly but consented. It was probably the most convenient way to talk to Naruto without him getting the wrong idea. The two began walking in the direction of the Hokage's tower, and Sakura took a deep breath, preparing to broach the tender topic. "Naruto…I want to apologize for what happened when you came back from trying to save Sasuke. I was hurting really bad, and I was so disappointed that I avoided you, when you probably needed the support as much as I did. I'm sorry."

Naruto's typically jovial features sunk into a more serious look. "It's okay Sakura. I know how much that promise meant to you. I'm just sorry that we failed." She watched as he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else, but closed it again.

"I've come to a decision. That burden that I placed on you shouldn't be yours. I'm the one that fell in love with Sasuke, and I'm the one that's going to bring him back. I know I'm not strong enough to bring him back yet but I'm going to be. I'm going to ask Tsunade to take me on as an apprentice. So I'm officially taking back that promise I made you give to me. The burden is mine to shoulder."

Sakura noticed that after her declaration, Naruto had stopped walking. She turned to face him. "What?" She was already bracing herself for Naruto saying that she couldn't do it by herself or that she was too weak to even try. But none of those things came.

"I'm glad to hear that Sakura".

He didn't look happy, and he didn't start walking again. His fists balled up and his bright blue eye's met her green ones. "I'm leaving the village."

The pink-haired kunoichi stood in shock, wondering if she had heard correctly. "Wait, what?"

"I've been given an opportunity to help a lot of people in a different country. The only thing is I have to leave Konoha to do it. I didn't want to go if it meant breaking a promise but…"

"I just rescinded it," she said quietly.

He nodded, avoiding her eyes. She felt like she had gotten hit with a brick. Now both her teammates where going to be gone. It was in that moment that she knew she relied on the both of them a lot more than she had let herself believe, but it also strengthened her resolve to be a strong ninja in her own right. She would have to protect Konoha for all three of them. Her serious look seemed to be reflected in her former teammate's demeanor as he caught up to her on the dusty road. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said "don't worry Sakura. You're the kind of scary person that would definitely make it through granny-Tsunade's training."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, and she gave Naruto a thump on the head, albeit far less hard than she usually did. "Thanks Naruto."

The pair walked silently until they reached the Hokage's office. The pair entered together when it was time for Sakura's appointment. "You first," Naruto whispered, hanging back.

Sakura bowed politely. "Master Hokage, my name is Haruno Sakura and I'm here to make a request."

She looked up to meet the Hokage's eyes before she finished speaking "Please, take me as your apprentice!"

Tsunade eyed the pink-haired girl critically for a few moments. She had heard from Kakashi about Sakura's excellent chakra control and that fire in her eyes…

"I accept. I won't go easy on you from now on!"

Sakura let a small smile grace her face, while inner Sakura began cheering loudly without reservation. She knew that this training was going to push her to the limits, but it would be worth it.

Naruto stepped forward.

"Did you make a decision, brat?"

The young blond nodded. "I'll go."

Sakura watched as the Hokage smiled at her brash teammate. "Naruto, I deem my apprentice trustworthy enough for you to tell her where you're going. The rest of your friends can't know the truth, I'm afraid. It is one of the stipulations from Uzushio, and primarily in place for your protection."

He nodded and turned to Sakura. Suddenly, he broke out in to a huge smile "Oh man, Sakura you are totally going to freak out at this, ya know!"

Tsunade watched over the two genin who were speaking animatedly before her. She decided to let the two have their time to speak, since Tsunade wasn't sure when Naruto would be coming back to Konoha. The details of both Naruto's move and Sakura's training could wait, at least for a few more hours.

A/N: I hope that people enjoyed the chapter! I gave Sakura a little more screen time, but I have plans for her later, so this is okay! Next update might take slightly long than the last, because I have a little more planning I want to lay out before I really get into the thick of things.