Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Normal Text
'Person thinking'
"Person talking"
"Jinchuriki talking inside his head with Bijuu"
'Bijuu thinking'
"Bijuu talking"
"Bijuu talking inside jinchurki's head"
Chapter 27 – A fateful meeting
The following morning came and, with it, one of the most fateful council meetings Konoha would ever hold. All clan heads were present. So were the two remaining elders and the Hokage himself, chairing the event. Koharu and Homura were particularly pensive this morning. The fall of their former teammate likely hit them harder than they had anticipated, Hiruzen contemplated. Nevertheless, it was time to put important decisions into motion.
"Good morning to you all. I thank you for partaking in this ad-hoc council meeting. It is important that we discuss the events that transpired, as well as the way ahead. Some of you know some things, but none of you know everything. As such, we will revisit the events that transpired and provide you with an overview of the situation. You already know from yesterday what Danzo attempted, but many of you don't know the why."
Hiruzen took a moment to unfurl a storage scroll. A puff of smoke later, Danzo's right arm, with one sharingan still active in it, could be seen by the entire shinobi council.
The reactions were, as expected, mixed. Disgust, awe, interest, but, predominantly, fear.
"Danzo attempted to assassinate both myself and Shisui Uchiha using a secret technique of the Uchiha clan via the Sharingan eyes implanted in this arm, as well as his right eye socket." After presenting this information, Hiruzen looked at Fugaku for approval, since he was about to reveal a clan secret. After a moment's hesitation, Fugaku nodded towards Hiruzen to continue.
"The name of the technique is Izanagi. It allows the user to rewrite reality to a limited extent, while sacrificing one of their Sharingan eyes in the process. In the battle with Danzo, using this technique, he was able to rewrite his death three times, once for each Sharingan. After these attempts, I used a diversionary tactic to remove the arm from his body in order to ensure we can preserve it for further study, as well as prevent him from making use of that technique one last time."
"You had to kill him three times?" Inoichi Yamanaka couldn't stop himself from asking the question. This was beyond anything they'd ever witnessed.
"Yes. More specifically, Shisui's Kage bunshin forced Danzo to use Izanagi once. That is when he sacrificed the Sharingan from his eye socket, due to the ones on his arm still being sealed at the time. During my battle with him, he sacrificed another two. I suspect he kept the ones on his arm sealed in order to reduce chakra consumption."
The clan heads looked stupefied at the implications of such an ability. Inoichi decided to voice everyone's thoughts at the time. "We all knew that the Sharingan was powerful, but to be able to rewrite reality itself? This is just insane. Had we not just seen the appendage with the still shifting Sharingan in it and heard the information from you, Hokage-sama, I would honestly have had a very difficult time believing any of it."
"I do not blame you, Inoichi-san. When I first saw the technique in action, I was equally fascinated and terrified."
"The arm does not look to be made of natural tissue though." Added Shikaku.
"No, it is not. I suspect it is somehow connected to the Shodai Hokage. How exactly I do not know. But he is the only shinobi that I know of that wielded a life force strong enough to preserve so many Sharingan in one body."
"Were you able to discover who spearheaded the creation of this… weapon?" asked Hiashi Hyuga. Everyone in the room could read on the stoic clan head that he was clearly uncomfortable with the existence of such tools.
"My wayward student, Orochimaru. With his dying breath, Danzo informed me that his arm was a prototype of sorts. It was designed to test compatibility between the two tissues, as part of a long-term project concerning the ability to transfer one's consciousness from their original body to one that is compatible with Sharingan."
Pin drop silence. Everyone there understood where this was going. Shikaku, ever the rational individual, decided to force the conversation to continue.
"If what you're saying is correct, Danzo attempted to eliminate the Uchiha in order to prevent Orochimaru from finalizing his objective."
"So it would seem. However, I have no doubt that Danzo would have had no issue desecrating every single one of the murdered Uchiha in order to take that power for himself, just as yesterday's events have already proven. Additionally, I do not think his solution would have helped Konoha. I think it would have crippled it. The very existence of the Uchiha clan, alongside the other prominent clans of our village, acts as a deterrent against would-be invaders."
"But why go to such great lengths to antagonize the clan against the village?" asked Choza Akimichi.
"In order to obtain the ideal cover." Responded Shikaku. "By having the clan angered to the point where they'd consider striking a coup, Danzo would give himself the perfect alibi to eliminate them. If the Hokage had died yesterday, he could have blamed it on Fugaku, or Shisui, or whoever else that belonged to the clan. What makes me wonder is how deep Danzo's connection with Orochimaru goes, given that he seems to have been working on this issue for quite a long time. If I am not mistaken, Danzo has been vocal about his concerns regarding the Uchiha even before the Kyuubi's attack."
"I do not have all the information regarding the nature of Danzo's relationship with Orochimaru, but it is safe to say they have been in contact for a long time. It would not surprise me if they remained in contact ever since Orochimaru has left the village." Hiruzen proposed.
Shikaku added his two cents not soon after. "That would explain his fairly intimate knowledge of Orochimaru's machinations."
"Speaking of information", added Fugaku, "we found rooms in the bunkers where we could not enter due to them being sealed with blood seals. I suspect they require Danzo's blood to open. Would there be a way to get Jiraya to take a look at them? As of right now, he is our premier source of information when it comes to fuinjutsu."
"I do intend to recall both my students." Added Hiruzen pensively.
"How come?"
"Fugaku, I believe that, in order to protect your clan, we must develop a seal that all your clan members should wear. One that prevents the stealing of your dojutsu, either in death or by other means."
"I can understand your concern, Hiruzen. I was thinking along the same lines. While I disagree with Danzo's methods, his concern rings true. Our clan cannot go back in the field unless we have the means to protect our dojutsu from those would steal it, or our bodies in order to acquire this power. However, I would prefer that this jutsu become a clan secret, for it involves us sharing many other secrets of our clan with Jiraya in order to account for all possible scenarios. I trust Jiraya's ability to keep a secret but I'd rather limit the number of people with intimate knowledge on how the seal will function."
"That is acceptable. Tsunade will have to work on this project as well though, given the implications of such a seal on your unique anatomy."
"I understand. If she decides to accept this challenge, our clan can work with Jiraya and Tsunade to create this seal."
Shikaku Nara then asked the question everyone else wanted to, but no one dared to.
"Hokage-sama, if such a seal were to be created, shouldn't the Hyuga benefit from it as well?"
Silence. Palpable tension was felt in the room, given the implication of such a seal existing. A civil war was just prevented, but another one might just break out.
"Should such a seal be successfully created, and assuming it can then be adapted to the unique anatomy of the Hyuga, I would agree that it would be a great benefit to Konoha to protect its most powerful dojutsu's. However, that is not solely my decision to make."
All eyes fell on Hyuga Hiashi. Everyone wanted to know what he had to say on the issue, because this could indeed make or break relations between yet another clan and the village.
"Hokage-sama, let us first see whether such a seal can indeed be created. Once this bridge is crossed, we can discuss the implications."
'A delaying tactic. Clever.' Pondered Hiruzen. "Acceptable."
Shikaku decided to steer the conversation into a more constructive direction.
"Fugaku-san, from what I have read in the briefing package that we received at the beginning of this meeting, the intent was to reintegrate the Uchiha into our operational forces. Am I correct in assuming that we will delay the execution of this plan until we have worked out the details of the seal?"
"I believe that would be wise. As much as I dislike quarantining my clan members within the village premises, I believe this is the wiser course of action. We can still initiate the integration of non-Uchihas into the KMP forces however, as well as conduct the field refresher training. That way, once the seal is complete and applied, the Uchiha shinobi that will become operational can conduct missions immediately."
"That is acceptable" responded Shikaku.
"I agree." Said Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Then it is settled. My students shall be called upon to serve Konoha once more."
"Hokage-sama, there is one other issue."
"What is it Fugaku?"
"During our raids yesterday, we discovered one bunker that hosted what we assume are orphans that I suspect were undergoing ROOT training. They range between five and nine years of age. All of them present stunted growth in what concerns their emotional intelligence. What do you propose we should do with them? They seem to have basic shinobi training so they could prove a danger to the children found in civilian orphanages."
"I see… I was worried we would have such a problem on our hands. Inoichi, do you think you can take a look at them and provide me with more detailed feedback as to what we could do to assist them? I would rather we reeducate them into becoming healthy social beings rather than emotionless killing machines."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Fugaku-san, how many kids are we talking about?"
"Twenty-five."
"One classroom of students." Said Inoichi jokingly.
"Hmm… you might be onto something there, Inoichi." Replied Hiruzen. "Clearly, they cannot be a part of the regular academy classes, given that they have already started. However, creating a new class for them specifically and then having them interact with the other children at the academy should be safe. We could ensure to always have supervision during lunch breaks and the like, when they interact with the other kids. In this manner, they would be introduced at least partially to what regular social life and interactions look like. Coupling this solution with regular therapy sessions should be sufficient to reintegrate them in a few years' time."
"Hokage-sama, while your suggestion sounds appealing, I would refrain from agreeing to this course of action prior to conducting a thorough assessment of each of these individuals' mental and emotional states. Only then can we decide on our best approach."
"I understand. I will defer to you on this issue then, Inoichi-san. Please keep me informed so we can make timely decisions on the matter." Replied the Hokage.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"What will you do with the arm and Danzo's body, Hokage-sama?" asked Fugaku curiously.
"I will have them secured and preserved until Tsunade and Jiraya return and analyze them. As macabre as it is, Danzo's body now holds secrets that might prove to be our salvation in a potential battle against Orochimaru."
"Understood."
"I have one additional curiosity, Hokage-sama." Added Shikaku.
"What is it, Shikaku-san?"
"I have received reports from the daily ANBU patrols and locals alike about one Naruto Uzumaki running from school towards the poorer parts of town, around 16:00 hours yesterday, using, and I quote 'high chunin level speed'. He was sighted carrying one unconscious Uchiha Sasuke over his shoulder. It is my understanding that Uchiha Sasuke has returned home safely yesterday, so I find it difficult to believe that he was of the enemy. I do believe however, that it is in the best interest of all of us present here to know what the nature of Naruto's involvement in yesterday's affairs really was, as well as any insights regarding his true capabilities. Had he been more discrete, I would not have brought it up in this session. As it is however, we must ensure we are equipped with the right knowledge in order to respond adequately to whatever threats might come our way."
"You are afraid people will talk outside the walls and other villages will discover that we now hold the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."
"Yes."
"…and you also wish to know if he is a threat to your children in class." Continued a smirking Hiruzen.
"…That as well."
"Understandable. Now that this investigation is over, I believe it is safe to disclose some information. Naruto has been involved in this investigation from the start. In fact, it was due to his accidental discovery of one of the ROOT bases of operation that this entire effort was even initiated."
"How exactly did he manage to accomplish such a feat, when no one in the entire village could?" asked a bewildered Inoichi.
"He possesses the ability to sense emotions. Or rather, people's auras, as he calls them. He can sense a person's overall emotional state, which he visualizes as an aura of various colors. He can also sense any and all changes in their patterns. Each personality is perceived in its own unique way and ROOT members, who are taught from a very young age to disconnect themselves from their emotions, presented a unique pattern, described by Naruto as being 'empty', 'hollow' as if they were simply indifferent. It is the same ability that Uzumaki Mito possessed, but improved to a vastly greater degree. At the beginning of this investigation, he could sense people as far as 500 meters away from him above ground, and roughly 150 meters underground. He can sense not only people, but animals as well."
"Astonishing." Inoichi was fascinated by this ability. "There must be a serious emotional toll though."
"There is." Replied the old Hokage gravely. "During his investigation in the Red-Lights district, he was forced to experience the emotions of all of the people involved in various… activities, as he executed his part of the mission."
"Hokage-sama, with all due respect, do you think it was wise to involve him in this case? He could be permanently scarred from such an experience."
"Inoichi-san, I assure you that I would not have involved him if I had a valid alternative. He was the only sensor I had at hand that Danzo knew nothing about. More than that, he was uniquely equipped to identify ROOT operatives regardless of whatever disguise they might have attempted, be it concealment, transformations and/or chakra suppression. Rest assured, Inoichi, that I took steps to ensure his emotional stability and that he was provided with protection and guidance throughout the process."
"Who was his support during this part of the operation?"
"Uchiha Itachi."
"I see… as someone who saw death at an extremely early age, he is indeed one of the few who could relate to Naruto in this situation."
"Indeed. And it seems it helped Itachi overcome some of his own darkness as well." Added Hiruzen.
"I can attest to that." Replied Fugaku, to the surprise of all present. "Itachi has been very closed-off ever since he had joined the ANBU. He seemed, for lack of a better term, disillusioned. His interactions with Naruto seem to have brought back a spark in him that I thought was long gone. I was beginning to doubt his qualification as my successor, but my faith in him was restored once I saw that he managed to regain some of his… humanity."
The council room was, again, taken aback by the developments of this council meeting. To Hiruzen, it looked like they were not expecting someone in Fugaku's position to value love over power. And yet, here he was, doing just that. 'The clan is changing as well it seems. Good.' Thought the old Hokage.
"You have been holding back on us, Hiruzen." Commented Koharu quite bitterly.
"Seeing as one of my supposedly loyal elder council members was involved in such nefarious machinations, I hope you can understand my reservations in disclosing intelligence as crucial as Naruto's unique abilities. Both you and Homura have been heavily involved with Danzo, and have taken his side on more than one occasion, so your loyalty to Konoha and its leadership was indeed questionable at the time. Given this situation, I had to ensure that critical information was provided solely to the parties directly involved in the investigation."
"His reasoning is sound, Koharu-san." Replied Homura. "I would have done the same in his position. I take no offence whatsoever, Hiruzen. You did the right thing."
"I appreciate the candor, Homura-san."
"Hokage-sama, what is Naruto's current level of strength and how exactly did he achieve all of this?" This time, it was Inuzuka Tsume that steared the conversation.
"Ah, Tsume. I understand you have named Naruto a clan friend, is that correct?"
"Yes, the pup needs a pack. Too many people look at him the wrong way, for the wrong reasons."
"I appreciate your concern for the boy. Indeed, his situation is not ideal, but, ironically, it is this unique upbringing that enabled him to achieve something his predecessors never succeeded in doing."
"What do you mean, Hokage-sama?"
"He has befriended the nine-tailed fox."
"Excuse me?!"
"As you all know, there was an attempt on Naruto's life when he was five years of age. At the time, when he was nearly dying, he met with his tailed beast and formed a bond of friendship over their shared ordeal. Ever since then, Naruto has been developing his ability to feel emotions. Mito had the ability due to being the Kyuubi's jailer. Naruto on the other hand, was able to truly master and extend its capabilities due to him and the Kyuubi being, well, friends."
"Do you think that is safe Hiruzen?" Asked Koharu, obviously concerned.
"Using the Kyuubi's power, Naruto saved my son Sasuke's life not once, but twice. And the second time it was almost at the cost of his own life." Interjected Fugaku.
"Is that true, Hiruzen?" Koharu questioned once more.
"Yes. There are multiple witness accounts on the matter. In fact, those who witnessed Naruto running with Sasuke, were seeing the aftermath of him knocking out a chunin level ROOT shinobi who attempted to kidnap Sasuke. Naruto took it upon himself to train with the Kyuubi in mastering its powers to a limited extent, in order to adequately protect Sasuke. This was done as a result of Itachi's personal request to Naruto that he watch over his little brother. Personally, I think this was a wise move on their part and we were very lucky that Itachi and Naruto had the foresight to prepare for such an eventuality. Hiraku Uchiha, who was assigned to protect Sasuke from this agent, arrived at the scene in the academy a few minutes after Naruto and Sasuke had already left the premises. That is to say, he would have failed in his mission, were it not for Naruto's involvement."
"I see. And what is the boy's current level of strength?"
This time, Fugaku intervened.
"Hokage-sama, please allow me, since my son Sasuke and Hiraku-san, my second in command at the KMP, have provided me with first-hand accounts of their experiences around him."
"Of course. Proceed."
"Naruto, when not using the Kyuubi's power, can reinforce his body up to adult civilian levels of strength. When using the Kyuubi's power however, he was able to achieve high-chunin levels of speed, durability and strength. In fact, according to Hiraku-san, that was Naruto's only saving grace against the jonin-level ROOT agent that tailed them from the academy and hit him square in the chest when the two children attempted to escape him. The drawback of this strength is that it puts great pressure on his chakra coils, pressure which turns into skin-searing heat. Luckily, thanks to his relationship with the Kyuubi, the tailed-beast always heals him right after using this ability. From what Sasuke told me, once Naruto masters the tree climbing exercise, he will be able to properly control this chakra so as to avoid the negative impacts of this ability. Apparently, according to the Kyuubi itself, it is Naruto's poor chakra control that was the cause of this negative aspect of the power he was using. Given these revelations, it is safe to assume that, in a month or so, he will be able to wield chunin levels of strength and speed with no issue. Personally, I suspect that, with proper guidance, Naruto is well on his way to becoming a kage-level power house by the time he finishes the academy. He will lack the combat experience of course, but in terms of pure raw power, I believe he will be second to none."
"Isn't that a bit… optimistic?" asked a stunned Inoichi.
"No, I don't think so. I believe he has the potential. And, given his performance during this entire investigation, he demonstrated emotional discipline, tactical prowess, as well as strength well beyond his years. For all intents and purposes, he is a genius in his own right." Replied Fugaku.
"What do you mean, tactical prowess, Fugaku?"
"Naruto is the Prankster King of Konoha. Or was."
"What?!" the entire council erupted.
Chuckling, Hiruzen decided to take it from there. "That was his alibi. We needed people to suspect he was up to no good so he could go around and scan the bunkers. But the pranks themselves, their planning and execution? That's all him. He is going to be a devastating trap master if we steer him in the right direction."
"Ah, suspect but not prove. Convenient." Interjected Shikaku. "What will happen to all the merchants who were upset about the pranks themselves? Who will take the blame? I believe it would be unwise to put Naruto on the spot, given his already shaky reputation with the villagers. For all intents and purposes, Naruto is a hero twice over now. I really think he deserves a break. And… from what I have heard, the merchants that were targeted really had it coming… Sure, we should not support Naruto in any future pranking sprees that he might involve himself in, but just this once, I think we can overlook it."
"Indeed, we should. We can have one of the ROOT agents take the blame and spin a convincing story around it. Shikaku, I leave that for you to handle."
"Understood."
"There is one thing that has been on my mind regarding yesterday's storming of the bunkers, Fugaku-san."
"What do you wish to know, Homura-san?"
"How were you able to coordinate this entire effort under our noses?"
It was then that Fugaku and Hiruzen looked at each other and smirking knowingly, replied in unison.
"Shinobi art number three: Genjutsu."
"I'll be damned. You used the Sharingan's ocular genjutsu to relay the orders to all parties involved."
"Got it in one, Homura-san."
"Why did we not think of this before? The tactical implication of this procedure is massive!"
"To be fair, Homura-san, it did not occur to us until the later stages of the investigation, when my son Itachi created such a genjutsu. Hiraku-san was spearheading the Prankster King investigation at the time and he needed to be brought into the loop in order to preserve Naruto's cover. Itachi decided that ocular genjutsu was the best way to convey that information to Hiraku-san so that it could not be tracked or noticed by prying eyes. Once Hiruzen and I heard of his feat, we pestered him about his technique and how he managed to do it. And it was none too soon, because it allowed us to coordinate the storming of the bunkers with the rest of the clan and the specific ANBU members that we knew could be trusted in record time and with utmost discretion."
"Do you think non-uchiha could learn a non-ocular based version of this genjutsu in order to relay critical information in exposed environments?" Shikaku asked, basically salivating at the implications.
"I can definitely ask Itachi to coordinate such an effort. I believe it would go a long way into improving our relationship with the rest of Konoha as well." Responded Fugaku.
"Who is our best non-uchiha genjutsu specialist at this moment, Shikaku?" asked Hiruzen.
"That would be Yuhi Kurenai. She's still a chunin but is well on her way to becoming a jonin. More importantly, she is extremely well versed in the theory behind genjutsu and has created some of her own techniques as well."
"Understood. Have her and Itachi work together on this project. Please keep me informed on their progress, as well as the tactical applications that you envision for such a tool within our ranks. Once that is decided, we shall have all our shinobi train in these new procedures."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"Are there any more questions?" a long pause followed, after which the Hokage continued, "If not, then this meeting is adjourned."
Of all the council members present, one was troubled more than most. As he was walking out the doors of the council chamber, Hyuga Hiashi could not stop thinking about the implications of what was about to happen. 'How will I be able to keep the clan together, once they find out that there is a seal that will protect them all equally? Damn it! We prevented a civil war, and might go straight into another one!'