Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Author's notes:
Karmic Acumen: regarding your feedback on chapter 25:
Concerning flashbacks: honestly, I placed them there as an experiment. I knew this information had to be presented somewhere in the story, but couldn't decide whether to place it in the previous chapter or that one. I was aware that it broke the flow of the chapter in the middle quite a bit. Will work on improving the flow of chapters in the next story arc.
Concerning the agent going in unchallenged. He wasn't uchallenged. The help arrived a little too late. I also wanted to give Naruto something to do in the climax because I didn't want him completely sidelined. I also wanted to give Naruto and Sasuke an avenue for their eventual rivalry and general dynamic.
Concerning Fugaku's abilities: I read the databooks for information on him and that's where it was stated that he was comparable to Minato and a candidate for the Hokage seat.
Concerning Danzo v Hiruzen stun effect: yes, I banked on the recency effect.
I hope this clears some things out. Thanks for the review! It was really helpful :)
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'Person thinking'
"Person talking"
"Jinchuriki talking inside his head with Bijuu"
'Bijuu thinking'
"Bijuu talking"
"Bijuu talking inside jinchurki's head"
Chapter 26 – Aftermath
"Naruto, do you sense anything?"
"We're right above one of the ROOT bunkers. From what I can tell, there's about 5 of them down there. They're walking around and some are standing still."
"When do you think it'll be safe to go back outside?"
"Well, from what I know, jiji wants to get rid of all these guys, so, I'd say we should wait at least until we can tell that these guys are gone and then a few hours past that."
"Hn. Makes sense."
"Wait. I can feel some other folks entering the bunker area."
"Can you tell who they are?"
"Not really, just that they're definitely not ROOT. Whoa, these guys are tough. They took the ROOT guys out like they were nothing."
"Already? Wow, that was quick. They must be really weak then."
"Or whoever went down there was really strong."
"Hn. What about Hiraku-ojisan? Can you still sense him?"
"Yeah, he's about 300m north east of us. From what I can tell, he's still fighting that invisible guy. Nope, he just won. I think. I can't feel the invisible guy's aura anymore and there's no way they can hide from me, so he must be dead."
"Hn. One less problem to deal with."
"Yeap."
The Uchiha and Uzumaki duo sat next to each other in yet another abandoned basement that was turned into a makeshift pranking base of operations. As they waited in silence, an idea pierced through Sasuke's mind that made him sit up and look at Naruto intently.
"Umm, is there something on my face, Sasuke?" Naruto was understandably uncomfortable under Sasuke's intense stare.
"I want to fight you."
"What?"
"I want to fight you."
"Like, right now?"
"No, idiot. Once all this is over. I want to spar with you, to test my strength. You're obviously stronger than everyone else in our class, and I want to catch up to Itachi-nii. Since he won't spend time training me, you're the next best thing."
"Well, not gonna lie, I want to fight you too, you know. Everyone says you're the Uchiha genius of our generation, so I'm really curious to see what you can pull off. Plus, it'll probably help to fight against something other than tree trunks for a change."
"Let's shake on it. That way we can't go back on our words." Proposed Sasuke.
"Alright. You're on!"
Not long after they shook hands however, Sasuke intervened once more.
"I still don't like that Itachi-nii spent more time with you than with me."
"Sigh…Look, Sasuke, if you had this sensing ability, you would have done that mission. I just happened to be the only one who had it and, since I couldn't protect myself, he was assigned to protect me. Hokage-jiji trusted him, and, honestly, he was the only one I trusted too back then. Aside from you, Itachi-niisan, your dad, Hiraku-ojisan, Hokage-jiji and Natsumi-neechan, no one even knows I can do this. This was the only thing we had against these guys, that they didn't know about already. It was super important to keep it all hush hush."
"Hn… Still, what do you mean Itachi-nii was the only one you trusted?"
"You're really not letting this go, are you? Itachi was one of the bodyguards that had to watch over me. You know, because I'm a jinchuriki so that makes me an important 'weapon' to the village. Of all those who watched over me, he's the only one who cared. I mean, the others did their job, but Itachi-niisan was the only one who saw me as a person, not just the Kyuubi's vessel. And I should know, because I could feel his emotions, just like I can feel yours right now. So yeah, Itachi-niisan means a lot to me, and if you think I'm gonna stop calling him that just because you don't like it, you can forget it."
"Oh… Sorry. I didn't know…"
"Yeah, you didn't. You think your problems are the most important. Well, guess what? There are people out there who have it worse than you, and worse than even me. So, get over it."
A tense silence was left in place of that last conversation. Luckily, they were both saved by the proverbial bell.
"Get up, Sasuke. Hiraku-ojisan is on his way here."
Not long after he said it, Hiraku knocked on the basement's door. Naruto got up and opened the door for the Uchiha officer.
"Ah, I see the two of you are safe and sound. Naruto, the coast is clear. You can go home now. Sasuke, I'll take you back to your place. Also, no need to worry. From what I could tell, the entire operation went without a hitch and we've had minimal casualties."
"But some still died, huh…" said Naruto contemplatively.
"…Unfortunately, yes. I ran into a few of my guys on the way here. They told me we lost a few good men from both our clan and the ANBU that joined in when we stormed the bunkers. Still, it would have been a lot worse had it not been for your intel, Naruto, so you should feel proud about that."
A weak smile appeared across Naruto's face as he answered. "Yeah, I guess so. How did you defeat that invisible guy though? He seemed pretty tough and that technique of his was pretty crazy."
"Every jutsu has a weakness. I knew his. He didn't know about mine. Now, come on. Let's all go home. I'm sure Natsumi-san is worried sick about you, Naruto. Our operation caused quite the stir, you know, since it was conducted in broad daylight and all. I'm sure the Hokage will have to address the public sometimes soon to calm the spirits down."
Hiruzen called all the villagers to gather around the Hokage tower for an important announcement. Everyone rightly assumed it had to do with the unexpected underground explosions felt throughout the village.
Once enough people were present, the Hokage, joined by Fugaku Uchiha, Shisui and Itachi, as well as Shikaku Nara, finally began speaking.
"Fellow citizens of Konoha, with great sorrow I must inform you that there was a traitor in our midst. Danzo Shimura, one of our esteemed elder council members, has been plotting right under our very nose. He took advantage of the good will of our shinobi, our leadership and that of our civilian populace and manipulated events across several years in order to increase tension between the Uchiha and the rest of the village. His aim? The annihilation of the Uchiha clan and the overthrowing of the current leadership of our village. Fortunately, thanks to the valiant efforts of the shinobi standing by my side, as well as several others who shall remain unnamed for their safety, we were able to identify the threat and neutralize it before it could enact its machinations.
It pains me to admit that we did lose some of our shinobi in the effort to eliminate all remnants of his organization. One life lost is one life too many. However, their sacrifice was not in vain. The deeds of those heroes ensure a better tomorrow for us and for the Uchiha clan in particular. As the primary victims of this terrorist act, I would like to allow Fugaku Uchiha to say a few words."
Fugaku stepped forward and scanned the crowd. He could sense their mixed feelings, given the Uchiha clan's troubled relationship with Konoha as a whole. He knew also that this was Hiruzen extending the olive branch, giving him the platform to show whether or not he was Hokage material.
'It's now or never I suppose.' Taking a deep breath, he gathered his strength and addressed the crowd.
"Fellow Konoha citizens. Today, I come before you not as the head of the Uchiha clan, nor as the head of the Konoha Military Police department. Today, I come before you as the father of two sons I almost lost and husband to a wife who was left unsure whether she would see either her children or her spouse coming home by sunset.
We were very lucky to discover the plot when we did. Otherwise, our entire clan might have been in body bags by tomorrow morning.
Today, more than any other day, I realized just how fragile life can be. One wrong step and it can be forfeit. It is in honor of this realization that myself, as well as all members of the Uchiha clan, wish to renew our pledge to serving Konoha to the best of our ability, so that we may share our days in peace.
Starting tomorrow, a series of reforms shall be discussed and enacted in order for our clan to better coexist with the village. Our isolation was in part due to the efforts of Shimura Danzo, but I must humbly admit that our clan also contributed to the antagonization of the populace. It is easy to blame others for our misfortunes, but we all know that, when we are pointing a finger towards someone, the other four point right back at ourselves.
As a clan, we have been wronged, but we have wronged as well. We wish to do better, be better. With your help, I hope that we can make Konoha whole again. Thank you."
At first, there was silence. Then, little by little, the crowd, inspired by Fugaku's words and honest intent, cheered and applauded the leadership's new direction.
The Hokage took charge once more, in order to conclude the event.
"I thank you sincerely for your attention. We will keep you informed individually should today's events have any impact on any infrastructure or policy elements that may concern you. Please, resume your activities and enjoy the rest of your day."
As they made their way down from the top of the Hokage tower, Shikaku Nara stopped by Fugaku.
"The Uchiha clan showing humility. Now that's something the people of Konoha did not expect to see. I'm impressed, Fugaku. Good job."
Surprised, Fugaku responded "Thank you, Nara-san."
"You need to smile more though. People like it when their hokage smiles, you know. Makes them feel safe."
"I will keep that in mind." the Uchiha clan head responded. A slight smile could be seen across his face, one not too dissimilar from the one he had during his first evening talk with Hiruzen.
'Konoha's leadership has indeed changed. It's time for the clan to change as well.' He thought resolutely.
Walking through the door of his apartment, Naruto was immediately tackled by an extremely concerned Natsumi.
"Naruto-kun! Where have you been?! When the underground explosions all around Konoha started happening, I was so scared. I thought you died!"
"Hehe, it's ok, Natsumi-neechan. I'm fine."
After what seemed like forever, Natsumi finally loosened her grip and took a good look at Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, you look, terrible. What happened to you?"
"Umm, well, I kinda had to do a mission?"
"But you're not even a shinobi yet!"
"Yeah, well, you know of my sensing ability?"
"Yes."
"Well, jiji needed someone like me to take a look into some things, so we can tell who are the real bad guys. I was the only one who could do this because no one knew about me. Don't worry, it's over now. I don't have to do that anymore and I'll be fine."
"Why did you not tell me?"
"I couldn't. I really wanted to, but I couldn't. The more people knew about it, the riskier it got."
"So, it was classified is what you mean."
"Yeah, pretty much. I'm sorry I keep making you worry. It's just… it was the right thing to do, you know?"
"It's hard for me to know that you keep putting yourself in harm's way like that, you know? But, I understand why you have to do it, and I support you, even if sometimes, like today, I can't help feeling so helpless, knowing that I might not see you ever again. You're all I've got, you know?"
"I know..."
The two then hugged each other until all their fears of loss and pain were finally washed away. Natsumi broke the embrace once more and, having taken a final look at her little brother, she decided to take charge of the situation.
"Naruto-kun, go and take a shower and put those clothes in the washing bin. I'll make us dinner, ok? And I'm not going anywhere tonight, so you can tell me whatever you can about your latest adventures, ok?"
"Right! Thanks, neechan!"
Dinner at the Uchiha clan head's family was a solemn affair. All of the family members were contemplating deeply upon the events of the day. Finally, tired of the somber atmosphere, Mikoto decided to break the silence.
"Sasuke-kun, Hiraku-san has told me about your feat against that jonin today. He said you cast the greatest fireball jutsu he's ever seen and provided him with the perfect distraction to engage his opponent."
"Yes, I did." Sasuke's tone was unexpectedly apathetic.
"Really?" Fugaku intervened. "As expected of my son. Good job, Sasuke."
Normally, this level of acknowledgment from Fugaku should have made Sasuke beam with joy. To Mikoto's surprise however, her son just looked pensive.
"Sasuke, what's wrong?" she asked finally.
"Mom, dad, what do you think about Naruto Uzumaki?"
"What brought this up, Sasuke?" this time it was Fugaku who questioned.
"I know about his…situation."
"I see. And what do you think?"
"I think the adults who think he's a demon are stupid."
Fugaku, Mikoto and Itachi all chuckled at Sasuke's choice of words. It was time to mess with him a little. "So, you're saying that if either myself or your mother believed that, we would be stupid as well?"
After pondering for a few seconds, Sasuke looked at Fugaku straight in the eyes and responded firmly. "Yes, dad, I think you would be."
"And you would be correct in thinking so." Responded Fugaku with a chuckle. "After all that has transpired, it is safe to say that our entire clan owes Naruto their very lives, even if most won't ever know the details. How did you find out about it, Sasuke?"
"He told me after I saw him use his power to take down an agent that tried to use me as bait against you. His power level was… he's way stronger than me." Everyone picked up on the budding jealousy that manifested when he said that last part.
"I see. You should feel honored that he chose to disclose such private information with you, because every additional individual that knows such secrets places him and his loved ones at great personal risk. Sasuke, I must stress that it is up to Naruto to disclose any information about his status as a jinchuriki or any of his other abilities. In fact, I think it's best for all of Konoha that we keep as much about his powers a secret for now. He was our trump card once. Maybe he can do so again, if we all do our part. Do you understand, Sasuke?"
"I understand, father."
"I see, however, that Naruto's brashness has already rubbed off on you as well." Fugaku responded mischievously.
"What do you mean, dad?"
"Your older brother has been acting quite rebelliously ever since his assignment as Naruto's bodyguard."
"Father, I did no such thing." Itachi's nonchalant response greatly amused Mikoto, who knew exactly what Fugaku was talking about.
"Ah, Itachi-kun, if I remember correctly, there is still the matter of that punishment that I have yet to decide on."
Hearing this, Itachi perked up and looked at his father with a look that showed just the slightest hint of fear. Fugaku felt quite proud of himself for still being able to fluster his older son like that.
"Itachi-nii, what did you do?"
"It does not concern you, little brother."
"Does it have to do with what happened today?"
"…Maybe."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Pleaaase."
"No, Sasuke. Please, continue eating. The food is getting cold."
"I don't care. I want to know what you did. Dad, what did he do?"
"I won't speak for him. He should tell you. He is a grown man."
Witnessing the banter happening at her dinner table, Mikoto couldn't help sending a thought to the person who seemed to have been the cause of it all. 'Thank you, Naruto-kun, for this wonderful dinner. Kushina would be proud of the man you have become.'
Dinner was finally over at the Uchiha household. Sasuke, troubled by the thoughts of his encounter with Naruto, decided to try and reach out to his brother one last time. Just when he saw his brother pass by his door, he called out to him.
"Itachi-nii?"
"Yes, Sasuke."
"Can you help me with training tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, I cannot."
Of course, he would say no. Again.
"But I will be available the day after that. If you wish, we can train together then. I do wish to ensure you can keep up with, if not surpass, Naruto Uzumaki."
Sasuke's defeated attitude was replaced by one of hope and elation. Trying to maintain his composure however, he responded with as much sobriety as he could muster.
"Yes. That would work for me too. I'll see you then."
"See you then, little brother."
Needless to say, Sasuke went to bed that evening happier than he had been in a very, very long time.