Yo! The Good demon is here! Thank you to those who found me good enough to like and follow! (Anime Tears!) I love you guys! I hope to continue with the greatness all around. Next is sorry for this late chapter. I had some life issues, so I want to squeeze out chapter 4 later this week as an extra sorry. Starting on Saturday the 20th, every two weeks should be my norm. So, on the 3rd of June should start Haku's arc. The Good Demon is out!
I don't own Naruto, which is a disgrace.
Once I could Kindle Fire; Now, I'm Cold as Ice.
Chapter 3
The Sound of a slow discerning slurp from a mug of warm ink-like coffee filled the room. Next to the soft, continued humming the melody of a mini fridge, the yawning ticking of a wall clock, and the low mewling of a grey Persian atop a file cabinet. All inside, four light grey walls, two bookshelves on opposite sides, and a mid-sized holiday cactus near a side center window that let in a shred of sunlight between large flat blinds.
Near the back of the room, two sturdy cherry wood chairs face a dark brown oak desk. With papers, scrolls, and files neatly in place around the desk, all within reach of the tall lofty summit of a man known as Ibiki Morino.
Ibiki took the final sip of his coffee, emptying his mug as he finished the last of the reports to discuss with the Hokage. His close-set jet-black eyes peeked from underneath his blue bandana headband and glanced toward the wall clock to see he had an hour before the meeting. He let out a short grumble and leaned forward to start his trek when a knock at his door stopped him.
"Come in." He sat back a little into his chair to sit straight but relaxed, knowing that standing at full height combined with his rough vintage can intimidate even the most hardened people.
Not a second later, the door opened to reveal the dark pupilless amber eyes peering through a curtain of dark rich amethyst hair with a light beige tan overcoat covering a feminine figure.
As the door closed, those dark purple eyes found his dark coal ones, and as she moved closer, he took in her form, from her deep dark eyes to the thinning of her pale pink lips in a horizontal line. From her seemingly relaxed arms at her side with loose fists to her hips' straight, business-like gait instead of the looser sway she usually adapts. He could quickly tell that whatever Anko Mitarashi needed to speak to him about was severe.
"Anko." Giving the nod at her as a greeting while never letting his eyes waver from hers, not only about respect but also about letting her know she had his full undivided attention.
"Ibiki I-…I…." Anko opened her mouth again but immediately closed it again, moving her eyes away from his and his desk as she seemed to lose confidence in what she wanted to say.
Ibiki said nothing to this, knowing Anko did this from time to time about subjects she thought he would promptly dismiss or outright ignore. Of course, he never did, at least not with her; however, that doesn't stop what he believes to be a hangover from her time with Orochimaru. To go against the grain or go to a superior about something that they know they won't like. So, he waited for her to get her thoughts in order while he resisted the urge to glance at the clock. After a strong inhale and huffed exhale, her eyes locked back to his with full flame about them.
"We're still on track to arrest Miss Haruno today, correct?" Ibiki felt a hard edge come to his narrowed eyes once he heard the name and observed Anko as he continued.
"Yes, the doctors informed us that she woke up early this morning and would release her to our care later this afternoon. Is there a problem I need to be aware of?"
He had a feeling of where this was going, but considering they had that conversation a week ago decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
She nodded to that before she spoke again. "Yes-Well no. It's not anything big, just a request from Kizashi Haruno that I wanted to submit."
He leaned back in his chair, causing it to squeak a little as he blinked and folded his hands in his lap; while not expecting a request, it was better than his preconceived notion, so he decided to humor it. "What's the request?" He asked while keeping all of her in sight while keeping his eyes on hers still.
"He wants an hour with her before we take her in. He wants to talk to her." Now he knew the reason for her jitters, seeing as he, besides the hokage himself, was the only one who could grant this request.
Plus, such a request would typically be denied given the nature of past cases, such as the spouse would always do something rash, whether that reckless action helped or hurt their loved one varied on the person. As he trained her in interrogation, Anko knew this was a risk, which we usually would not take, especially when she was friends with Target's husband.
"I-I'll stake my career on it! Talking is all they will do, and I know Kishi won't do anything to make this harder. Please!" Anko quickly exclaimed as she leaned forward on one of his guest chairs, staring him down to convey her feelings.
He closed his eyes to think, hoping she wouldn't try to bribe him more. He knew how much friendships meant to the woman and how much she would go for her friends. This also may be another reserve from Orochimaru; considering her original team at that time died, she probably believed she had something to do with their deaths.
He opened his eyes to look her straight into her amber ones as he spoke, "I will allow it, but only on the condition he wears a chakra brace, just in case." He watched as Anko's slightly nervous confidence seemed to deflate quickly, only to flash a rare genuine smile from her as she replied. "Yes, that's fine; I'm sure he'll wear it like it was made for him. Humph!"
He watched in fascination as she gave a little hop before giving him a smirk, cocking her hip, and letting the light of mischievousness and spiciness dominate her light golden pupilless eyes. He finally glanced at his clock and was glad only ten minutes had passed, so he grabbed the scrolls and papers he would need before standing and addressing Anko again.
"Anko, I have a meeting with the hokage. I'm leaving you in charge until I get back."
"You got it, captain grumbles!" she said happily, like a kid in a playground. Ibiki just shook his head at her antics before following her out of his office.
Once he locked his door, he caught sight of Anko's back as she was leaving with a lazy hand raise. "Say hey to the old man for me!" She said as she sashayed her hips in that familiar hypnotic sway that caught his gaze momentarily. Ibiki shook his head again at Anko being Anko and was about to focus his chakra familiarly in preparation to use the Shunshin no Jutsu, but stopped himself at the last minute as he thought more about what was to be discussed. Then he decided he best to walk, seeing as he could maybe give a lighter note on how the village is recovering, considering the somber topics that will be discussed.
Ibiki then headed outside, having to blink a bit to get used to the summer sun's rays shining brightly in his eyes. Almost immediately, he was bombarded with loud, erratic sounds of a vibrant, bustling village. The Smell of fresh air and trees and the mouthwatering smell of different cooked foods filled his nostrils. As his eyes adjusted, he saw civilians and ninjas milling about going to their destinations. Most of the ninjas he spotted were clan members of all the different clans of Konoha going about their day, but that was expected, being so close to the clan district.
He turned to the left, going away from the clan district and joining the afternoon traffic, giving greeting nods to any ninja that caught his gaze. As tall as he was, he towered over the average population and some ninjas, giving him a unique perspective as he looked around subtly. An array of colors were seen, from the brown, gray, and beige of homes and businesses to the brightly colored offices and clan-owned businesses that dotted both sides of the street.
Some people loudly hawked wares in their booths on the side while others conversed, some in the middle of the street, others off the side. Happy children were running through legs and hopping over and under traveling carts going from one side of the road to the other, and smiling, laughter, and an overall joyous exuberance made you want to be happy.
It almost didn't feel like a village fresh off curfew and an edgy vibe of overhanging death that only was lifted two weeks ago. From what he could tell just by skimming a couple of conversations, most felt the ninja had done their jobs, caught the killer, and limited the damage as much as possible. When he began walking along the twenty-meter beige wall surrounding the hokage mansion, he looked up. To see big slaps of square-cut clay be pressed against the stone by earth jutsu before its super-heated by a few fire jutsu specialists and then cooled slightly so sculptors could come in quickly to reshape it to the perfect likeness of the Hokage's faces. It was amazing to think that not two weeks ago, those same stone faces came close to crushing thousands beneath and around them, yet because of the swift action of a particular anbu alongside the hokage himself, a crisis was averted.
Otherwise, he was sure they would still be finding and morning the dead. He soon was upon the entrance of the hokage mansion, and after giving a nod to the two anbu that stood guard, he moved in toward the building. Looking to the side, he saw wannabe ninja training in the academy's fenced-off grounds, giving him a slight feeling of nostalgia. Then he was inside the leading office, trading the hustle and bustle of the village for the more moderate and business-like structure of the administration office.
He was up the stairs and coming in front of the Hokage's door with twenty minutes to spare, according to a wall clock he saw.
"Hello, Morino-san. The Hokage is expecting you; please enter." Said the Hokage's secretary as he approached the double light tan Mahogany doors. The First thing to catch him as he entered was the light scent of mango and fresh plants in the air instead of the hardy smell of tobacco, which after smelling it for a year and a half, he felt happy to be able to take in such a breath of fresh air.
Not that he couldn't handle a little smoke, but when it came to ninjas and their vices, he didn't believe indulging in a vice that could harm one's performance in any way was good. So, when a year and a half ago, the hokage kicked the habit, and he felt a little prouder to serve his Kage.
He then walked forward past the two oak bookcases on both sides of the room, preceding onward past the new grey couch with the coffee table in front, just at the beginning of the right side of the panoramic windows that wrapped half of the office in bright light that well-positioned plants took excellent advantage of. It was even making the shot glasses on the minibar atop the small mini fridge on the left side of the room, tween the bookcase and windows.
Stopping behind the two guest chairs in front of a grand oak desk made by the Shodai Hokage-sama over forty-one years ago. Then sitting behind the elegant oak in very loose-fitting regal red and white robes complete with a cone-shaped hat that sat atop his peeking thin lack luster greying hair, the third hokage himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Ibiki was about to announce his presence when the aging Kage looked up from under his wide cone hat." Ibiki. You're here for that meeting; yes, give me one moment, and I'll be right with you." Said the deep rich bass of the hokage. Ibiki narrowed his eyes at seeing the almost pale-looking hokage. Wrinkles and liver spots covered a gaunt face with his trademark goatee thinning and white enough to be a cloud. Ibiki, seeing this, did not wait, and with narrowed eyes and slight tension in his body, he spoke. "Hokage-sama, what is the number of spots on a lily?"
The hokage answered immediately. "Five hundred and two at any given time. Relax, Ibiki, I'm just a shadow clone; the real me will be back- "he looks at the clock on the roof panel that held portraits of all the hokages "-now." At that moment, Ibiki could hear something metal moving before the bookcase right before the couch swung open, allowing him to listen to the bell-like laughter of a female as the clack of her heels met the wooden floor.
"Ahhaha! I will make sure to tell him that!" the woman said as long brown locks in a bun with a petite figure and a moderately cute face wrapped in a white overcoat stepped out.
Her dark brown eyes immediately caught Ibiki's with a smiling nod in his direction. "Ibiki-san." She said while turning to face the other person leaving the secret room.
"Ibiki? Ah! I almost forgot about our meeting." Said a deep rich bass as the person stepped out and away, letting the bookcase close back with a hiss.
Ibiki relaxed a bit, seeing the hokage he was used to, who was a far cry from the decrepit old man behind the Kage's desk. This Hokage still had the clone's white and red robes and hat, but that is where the similarities end.
This Hokage was standing straight, filling out his robes rather than the robes covering him like a child. A Strong, compact physique of a firm, lean arm, and shoulder muscles with a stout and muscular chest just barely hidden by the robes. With a bright, rich brown tan, he looked like a solid young buck with many years ahead. The dark liver spots that once dotted his face are gone, still showing the wrinkles of age but less pronounced than his clone. Add that to the thick stormy grey hair that stuck out from underneath his hat and straight in a point from his chin, and you have a back-to-form god of shinobi not done yet by a long shot.
Keen narrow ink-like black eyes locked with Ibiki for only a moment before the soft tone of the woman beside him spoke, garnering his attention once more. "Hokage-sama. I won't hold you up and will see you tomorrow. Ibiki-san. If you would excuse me." The doctor spoke and then gave a quick bow earning a nod from both men as she exited the office, leaving them alone.
The Clone holding the Hokage's seat disappeared with a puff of smoke, stopping the hokage briefly as he sat into his seat, then urging Ibiki to do the same. "Sorry for the subterfuge. I had a meeting with a suna delegate earlier and wanted to keep my new appearance a surprise for the upcoming chunin exams." He gave a slight smirk while Ibiki nodded to the reason. "Now. I believe we can start with the village damage estimates before we move to the core issues." Hiruzen told Ibiki as he lit his pipe, sparking a fresh scent of mango as he placed his hat to the side.
"Yes." Ibiki grabbed a scroll from the pile he placed in the other chair handing it over to his Kage as he began his verbal report.
"According to reports in the field and claims, the overall damage was minor, at least when it came to everything but the hokage monument. We estimate approximately Ninety thousand six hundred and forty-two yen in damages to homes close to the walls. In comparison, the middle ring is closer to the business sector sustaining One hundred thousand sixty-four hundred yen, mostly cosmetic damage, and a few businesses added in. With the last sector around the heart of the village starting around ground zero receiving Two sixty thousand five hundred yen for the businesses that sustained damage."
"I thought you said the damage was minor." Taking a calming puff as he started running the numbers in his head. "According to the construction corps, it was minor compared to the Kyuubi incidents. The Total cost estimated is Four hundred fifty-one thousand and seven eighty-two hundred yen."
"And the Monument?"
"The Monument sustained heavy damage because the explosion removed two of the four faces from the rock wall. While construction was made a tad easier by the efforts of yourself and weasel, the internal cave network that would serve as a last resort measure was severely damaged in the face's abrupt removal. Thus, the corps decided to reinforce the faces with metal and a denser rock that would be harder to destroy. That and the amount of overtime the construction and anbu corps worked to get to the current point. It totals one million three hundred fifty-eight and seven hundred sixty-nine yen."
Hiruzen sat back in his chair, contemplating the information for a moment giving a few drags of his pipe before speaking.
"We may be forced to up our mission prices for a few years to pay for this and upping the prices of goods for a while." The hokage gave a heavy sigh before continuing.
"I just hope this does not hurt any of our citizens too bad this time, considering we just got off paying for the first Kyuubi incident not too long ago."
Ibiki saw the slight frown on Hokage's face and decided to give his input. "If we combine the cost of the second Kyuubi incident with this while maybe introducing a small entrance tax and letting our genin teams take on higher missions a little earlier, then we should be able to ease the burden a bit. Prices still must go up, but maybe not as much with this." He pulled another scroll and gave it to the hokage with his calculations.
Hiruzen gave a few more puffs looking over the scroll and doing the math in his head. "By increasing the prices of our exports along with your idea, we should be able to minimize any significant cost to our citizens. Thank you, Ibiki; this will greatly help the grand scheme." The hokage gave a meager smile in his direction as thanks.
"Hmmm. Do you wish to go over the casualties report now as well?" Ibiki said, getting another scroll from the small pile. "Yes," Hiruzen replied, taking a particularly long drag of his pipe. "Let's start."
"Konoha General has reported zero ninja deaths, two thirty-eight hundred ninja injuries, and zero permanent injuries. No civilians were caught in the conflict unless we count those within the Cult of Tails." The hokage could relax a bit after hearing no deaths occurred but put down the scroll he was holding to back up and look out at the village.
"And What of the cult of tails?"
"All of them still believe they were helping their lord and savior to cleanse Konoha of the darkness in it, according to them anyway from what we gathered from their members. The exact numbers are unknown. Known Casualties sit at two-forty-five hundred, with one twenty-eight injured. Three locations of bases were found; however, we believe there are more, and going by Kakashi's report and other anbu, we believe some highly skilled ninja may be involved." Ibiki finished looking at the reflection of his Hokage's face in the window depicting a brutal look in his eyes.
"Do we know where they got the explosives that were used?"
"From what the Yamanaka could gather, none of the cult members knew about the explosives. Nor about the few ninja that were in their ranks."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed as he turned to look back at Ibiki. "You think a stray group member that attacked Naruto is behind this?"
"Shikaku has two theories. One is a survivor of the Saviors group that attacked Uzumaki and is using his anger and the tails resentment for the village to get them to either destroy themselves or have the village do it for them. Or two, an unknown or foreign power is trying to weaken Konoha by using its trump card against us and, simultaneously, make it so we would be forced to keep Uzumaki weak out of fear of having us be defenseless in case another village uses theirs against us.
We're hoping that the intel from Mebuki Haruno about the other victims may give us a clue as to which has more merit." The hokage stewed on information for a minute and was about to respond when his intercom went off.
"Hokage-sama. Danzō-sama is here. He says he needs to speak with you urgently." The hokage would have his secretary tell the War-hawk to wait until Ibiki got up.
Ibiki said nothing but glanced at the wall clock having the hokage do the same to note that two hours had passed, and he remembered Ibiki did need to apprehend someone as well. "Have him wait a minute before sending him in; please, I need to wrap up my current meeting." "Right away hokage-sama." The moment the line went dead, Ibiki's gravel-like voice rang out.
"Hokage-sama, we can pick this up again once I have the information from Haruno," Ibiki said while grabbing the few scrolls he had left. "All right, then you are dismissed." Hiruzen gave a final nod to the man.
Hiruzen watched Ibiki leave without fanfare, closing the door behind him and giving the vintage hokage a moment. Two minutes later, the door opened again alongside a distinct clumping sound of a cane coming onto wooden floors. The Hokage pointedly continued his work without looking at the newcomer, not to show disrespect but to warm himself up for the beginning of the game. The Game only a few know how to play well, a game he and his rival had played for years dating back to when he first became hokage. So as the clumping sound stopped in front of his desk, and the creak of a weight sitting in one of his guest's chairs met his ears.
He looked up, putting the paper held in his hands down, crossing his hands together in front of him to give his undivided attention to the shinobi of darkness himself, Danzo Shimura.
"Danzo." "Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen waited, as did Danzo, looking almost cozy in his white linen shirt with a black robe covering his right side and lower half. After a few minutes of staring, Hiruzen cast the die. "May I ask what is so urgent that you need to see me, old friend?" Hiruzen asked, not bothering with pleasantries knowing Danzo was not one for such talk.
"It's been two weeks since the attack, yet I've heard no word of what you plan to do with its orchestrator."
"Then perhaps you should leave until you hear something seeing as we are both busy people," Hiruzen replied. Danzo closed his eye briefly while leaning back into the chair before looking at Hiruzen again, giving a slight huff from his nose.
"According to my sources, many believe we are slowly turning into another Suna, which I'm sure I don't need to remind you why that's not good. Therefore, I'm sure you can see my worry about why a decision has not been made, considering ample time has passed."
The Hokage took a breath before sitting back in his chair, resting his arms on the armrests, lowering his glare to a flat stare as he spoke.
"The options at my disposal are limited, and therefore time is needed to look over such options. I do not wish to make a drastic mistake considering an essential life is at stake that could make or break Konoha in the future. I'm allowed as much time as needed to make the best decision for said life and Konoha."
"That is true; however, I believe that maybe you are forgetting about the most optimal solution right before you."
"Danzo, I would like to think you have not forgotten the last time we had this discussion, and I would hope you should know me enough by now that my answer has not changed."
"And I would have you remember Hokage-sama that conversation was had when that boy was still an attention-seeking child, not someone who nearly killed thousands while taking our whole village with him." The Hokage removed his pipe before answering with a bit of agitation.
"Naruto Uzumaki was manipulated, which I know you know."
Danzo replied in a calm yet flowing tone with a bit of sneering. "Yes, watch and that despite being in a village full of ninjas, under twenty-four-hour watch, and kept inside a death trap of an apartment building, Konoha was still nearly lost due to a child's resentments. A child that holds no love for this village or its people, a child that holds a monstrosity that has attacked not once, but twice."
"You know the first time had nothing to do with him."
"Maybe not, but we know someone else released the Kyuubi that night—someone who could fight with the fourth hokage and still slink off without a trace. And now, someone has manipulated a boy that holds the same monster to weaken us while at the same time removing a strong asset that could protect us instead of slowly hating us. Due to a few foolish souls who are not even here to stand the brunt of their fuck up." Danzo said with a tone that made it sound like he wanted to puke rather than speak about such a thing.
A tap from Danzo's cane made him give his glare at Hiruzen.
"The life of one will not outweigh the lives of many. Giving the boy to me ensures that another attack does not happen. It would help if you faced the truth Hiruzen that your way will not work anymore. The Boy's bonds are gone, his trust in the ninjas is burned, and any hope of reconciliation is false at this point." Danzo's voice turns hard and stern to match that of a battle-hardened general in the war.
"There are other options; you are not the be-all-end-all."
Danzo looked at his rival and spoke in an almost mocking tone. "Oh yes, your other options. Like taking the boy to a small village with a small anbu force to look after him and putting him in a civilian school until he becomes of age to put him in the academy. This will not fail, I'm sure of it. Considering the boy has a knack for escaping Anbu. Then speaking about the anbu themselves, they were present when the boy was kidnapped the first time; we saw how their emotions compromised them easily. And let's not forget about your last loyal student, but if he takes him, he will never develop those bonds you love so much."
"Combine that with your last attempt of giving the boy a family comprised of civilians or a clan you trust to take care of him. Hmph! We both know the boy would trust no village member to make anything meaningful."
"So, shouldn't you include yourself in this category?" Hiruzen said back.
"Yes, you are correct, but that will change once he knows what I can give him, unlike a clan that will push their ideas on him on how to be or a civilian couple trying their best to convey fake love. Once he accepts, he won't need to see me much, thus removing that issue. He will be trained alongside others who know nothing of his past or this village, giving him a clean slate, as it were, to start a new. You know I'm right, Hiruzen."
The tension between the two men ramped up as they stared at each other, daring the other to break first. Orange light showed into the room, creating long shadows indicating the pasted time as they stared at each other.
Hiruzen sighed heavily as he broke the beady judgmental gaze of his rival. "Hiruzen, as much as you and I differ on matters, one thing that will never change is always constant between us. We both strive to bring peace to Konoha. Our methods may differ, but the results will be the same."
Danzo sighed tiredly, closing his eye briefly before opening them and looking at his long-time rival. He looked at Hiruzen, not with an emotionless gaze but a look of weariness and determination.
"Give me custody of Naruto Uzumaki only until he reaches the age for the academy; once that happens, I will deliver him into your care on the condition that if I need his skills, then I will be allowed the right to use him as long as he accepts."
"I know you are worried about my methods, so I will welcome any ninja of your choosing to be present doing the boy's training. Plus, once a week, I will bring him to a therapist of your choosing to help unburden the boy of his negative outlook."
Hiruzen said nothing for a moment while carefully stroking his beard, thinking over Danzo's proposal.
"Why are you doing this, Danzo? This proposal is far from your usual."
"Why you ask? And here, I believed we were on the same page. For years we've done this same song and dance, and even with our posturing, the great tree that is Konoha still stands. Yet, when I cast away my pride, I'm met with suspicion and skepticism."
"And I ask can you blame me? After certain events of the not-too-distant past, do you believe I'm that gullible to attack the bone you throw?"
"No, but I did dare hope that the so-called "Professor" would see a compromise when it is put in front of him." Hiruzen swiveled slowly to his side in his chair to look out the panoramic windows. He was taking a long slow drag off his pipe before blowing. His intense gaze took in the beauty of the orange-draped scenery that was Konoha.
"I promised to Minato and Kushina on their deathbeds to protect that boy not just for this village but in honor of their sacrifice. Without them, we wouldn't be here right now. Of course, I failed on that promise a year ago, then again two weeks ago, and the third time is the charm. So, you must excuse me if I'm hesitant to give that chance away so easily."
"Hmm. I've said my piece; the choice is yours, Hiruzen."
Hiruzen took one more puff before moving himself back to face Danzo; putting his pipe in the ashtray, he leaned forward, placing his hands together in front of him and looking at Danzo once again before speaking.
"All right, Danzo, I've decided to follow your plan. You'll have to wait three days for me to finish preparations, then I will give Naruto over to you."
Danzo nodded slowly, standing to his feet, and was about to turn to leave when a more profound, almost growl bass came from the hokage.
"However, Danzo, please be aware that if I hear a report I don't like or feel you've harmed Naruto in any way, shape, or form-Hiruzen's chakra and killing intent spiked, blanketing the entire office causing the anbu to appear and fall to their knees while Danzo increased the grip on his wooden cane enough to crack the wood as he fought to keep his breathing level- there be no trial or debate I will end you. Do I make myself clear?" The oppressive killing intent and chakra seemingly vanished after he stopped speaking.
Danzo took a moment to compose himself, which made him frown as a second crack could be heard as he uttered his reply with his back fully turned, allowing the angry grimace to cover his face.
"Yes…Hokage-sama." With that, Danzo left the office without fanfare.
Hiruzen waited a minute more before relaxing back in his chair and swiveling again toward the window. "Fox, I would like to be alone if you please, and I'm sorry for display. You and your team are fine, yes?"
"H-Hai Hokage-sama! By your will!" Said a fox-masked anbu by the door.