Innocence is a Frail Child

a Naruto one-shot

(1)

Konoha lay in ruin. Fire ravaged the village and blood streaked the narrow streets. Bodies littered the streets like garbage, unattended, uncared for. No burial to honour their lives, no one left to remember them anyway.

Among the dead and the fiery gorge that the village had ceased to be, stood two men. One, a tall man with orange-coloured hair and purple eyes; the other, a younger man with golden-blonde hair and blue eyes. They stood a few metres apart, sizing each other up, covered head-to-toe in bruises and cuts, stained with sweat and tears, hatred in their hearts.

"Why?!" The blonde-haired man shouted. "Why did you do it?"

The orange-haired man scoffed. "Because, Naruto" he said, "the world needs to know pain."

Naruto grit his teeth. "But why?! Why should they have to know pain the way you did? These people, these children, what did they do to deserve any of this?"

"Exist."

Naruto stared in bewilderment. "Just because they were born…?" he muttered to himself. "You call yourself Pain like you're some sort of deity tasked to deliver punishment, but you're not. You're just a man, and I feel sorry for you—no, screw that, I pity you. You inflict pain just because someone did it to you? You were supposed to change the world—"

"I did—I have!" Pain shouted, angered by Naruto's naivety. "I've changed everything, everyone! Forever!"

Naruto thrust his arm outward. Pain flinched, anticipating an attack; it never came.

"You were meant to save it, not destroy it" Naruto said, his arm still outstretched, pointing at all the chaos around them. "Sensei chose you to be the one."

"Sensei was an old fool," Pain said, spitting in anger at the mention of his late sensei. "And so are you!"

Naruto dropped his hand, lowered his head. "Don't you understand? He chose you."

"I didn't ask to be—"

"Don't you get it!? He didn't choose you for your excellence or your intelligence or your power…he chose you because he saw goodness in you. He chose your innocence, and you mutilated it and cast it out like it was something rotten in you."

"It was. It brought me nothing save for betrayal. Innocence is a frail child, and nothing frail in this world deserves to live. Survival belongs to the fittest. Kingship belongs to the mighty. Power belongs to the one who can take it!"

Naruto looked up. He wanted to stare into the eyes of the man he knew he would have to kill. He had to look him in the eyes, you see, because his words, however painful—no matter how deeply they cut—held some truth in them. They resonated deep within him on a level he often chose to neglect; it was a place of hatred and dejection and contempt; it was a place he never visited, because his evil held residence there. But Pain's words spoke loud enough and held truth enough to penetrate that deep. Naruto had known for a while, had seen the world around him in technicolour-detail, had begun to understand the dark realities of life and people

(oh begrudging, hateful, vile, spiteful people, people with plans, people with agendas, people with lust, people with hunger)

and the world he was born into.

So today he would take a life. He would do it properly, without hesitation this time, without any regret. He wouldn't allow himself remorse. Not anymore. He wouldn't allow himself the gift of repentance; wouldn't let himself be saved. He would take it all on himself—suffer the pain, suffer the punishment. He would be the one to bear the burden, to end the world, once and for all. He realized his terrible purpose in a millisecond and felt the future echo eerily throughout his body. His bones rattled and his jaw clenched tight. He felt the future close off possibilities until nothing was left save for one path…whether it was the right path—the good path, the true path—he did not know. He just knew that this was the only path left for him. He breathed deeply and let his tears flow. He began the process. The jutsu wasn't strong enough and he hadn't worked out the finer details of it all but that didn't matter. He didn't need it right now. He wasn't trying to save Pain. He was going to kill him. Pain's sacrifice would pave the rest of the way forward. Pain's death would set off the dominoes, kick off the uneven beginning of his terrible purpose.

Help me this once, he thought. Help me without hurting me. Help me the way you helped him. Help me save this world by destroying it until there's nothing left. Help me kill it so I can rebuild it, piece by piece.

Okay, a voice echoed back—the Kyuubi. That jailed thing that clung to his insides to survive. That powerful, mighty, beast that survived this long.

Naruto felt the power roll through him, permeating just beneath the surface of his skin, waiting to be called upon. It felt warm—not like the other times where it felt hot enough to burn him, but rather like the warmth which comes from a mother's embrace, or a lover's touch. It was the warmth of fulfillment.

He chuckled, remembered the words of the 'wise' old toad on Myoboku Mountain. Still so sure I'm the chosen one? he wondered. I can't fulfill your false prophecy, Jiji. But I can forge my own destiny.

Naruto gathered energy from the abundant nature surrounding him. He charged himself up, filled his cup until it was brimming, then called upon the Kyuubi's chakra; he let the cup run over; his terrible purpose replaced the contents inside.

Pain witnessed Naruto's transformation in wide-eyed disbelief. He couldn't quite fathom the sight before him. Everything happened so quickly. Mere seconds had passed.

What is this? he pondered.

Naruto's entire body lit up bright with chakra. It rolled off of his skin and his clothing like red flames. He stood there for a while, letting his chakra surge, letting the flames roll, letting himself breathe.

Pain felt nothing. He couldn't sense the chakra, couldn't understand what this power was. It was as if Naruto had transcended him somehow. He could not comprehend what he was seeing. He didn't think he ever could.

"W-what is this?" He whispered. He hadn't even meant to speak words, rather he felt compelled to vocalize his thoughts. It was as if Naruto's presence had somehow commanded his meagre mind into compliance with a higher order he was oblivious to.

Naruto stared intently at Pain. "This is my will," he said. "This is my might, my power. This is me. I've made my choice."

Naruto said few words but they all resonated deep within Pain's psyche. Somehow, he understood what Naruto was intended to say: I have made my choice, damned be the consequences, damned be fate.

"You suffer a terrible purpose," Pain said.

Naruto said nothing.

In a flash, he appeared in front of Pain, his hand plunged deep into his chest. Pain spat blood. His eyes began to feel heavy, his breath began to feel harsh. Naruto gripped his heart tightly, then squeezed. Pain saw his lips move before he did it, couldn't quite hear the words. What are you saying? he wondered vaguely, feeling his life slipping away quicker every second.

"You were my brother," Naruto whispered. He cried but Pain couldn't tell; his tears became flames and they dissipated into the air, floating invisibly upward, towards the ether.

He withdrew his hand. Pain's body collapsed beside him. He would never forget the sound of his body hitting the earth. He would remember it; he would cherish it. His death was the beginning of his revolution. Pain helped him realize his oh so terrible purpose.

He bent low and removed one of the rod-like piercings that littered Pain's body, stabbed his palm with it and allowed his senses to guide him to the puppeteer behind this violent charade. Once he was certain where he was, Naruto removed the tiny rod and cast it aside. His blood misted the air. Naruto left the body where it lay, without a proper burial, without a proper goodbye. He turned his back and walked away, heading in the direction of the puppeteer.

(2)

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted as the blonde-haired shinobi appeared.

Naruto didn't acknowledge her. He was still clad in those red flames, his aura transcendent, his conviction resolute and visible; his eyes spoke the language of his heart louder than actual words could have ever conveyed. Nagato's words still rang faintly in his ears. He stared at the non-existent blood that should have covered his hands; the cloak had burned it away; he was not allowed to ponder the burden of his terrible purpose and the sacrifices it demanded.

Sakura chewed her lip. The sight of him unnerved her for reasons she couldn't explain.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Pain…is he dead?"

Stupid question, she thought to herself. Of course he's dead. If Naruto's standing here and not there, of course it must all be over. Naruto has saved us all. Again.

Naruto ignored her again, his sight fixed on the bodies on the ground, fixed in a straight row, covered up to their necks with white sheets. Hinata, Fukasaku, Kakashi, Inoichi, Shizune, Tsunade. None of them had made it. They were gone and nothing could ever change that. No magic spell would rebuild them back to life.

He looked to his left, to his right. Bodies scattered around everywhere. All covered or being covered with those white sheets, being ID'd, being examined, being prepared to be accounted for and buried. The faint whispers of sobs littered the outskirts of the village. Naruto, clad in those brilliant flames, could sense each and every villager's emotion, could feel their hurt, their loss. It was all so overwhelming. He felt a lump in his throat the size of Myoboku Mountain. He barely managed to swallow it down, tears stinging his eyes, threatening to spill over. He bit back the pain, though, fighting down his emotions, blocking out the villagers.

"Naruto," Sakura said. "Why won't you talk to me?! Answer me, what's going on?"

Naruto locked eyes with her. When she met his gaze something came over her. Soundless tears rolled down her face. There was an intention behind his eyes that she felt reach the deepest part of her. His terrible purpose, tainting everything and everyone who suffered the misfortune of knowing him.

"Sakura," Naruto whispered. He promptly passed out, the bright-red flames flickering out, and fell face-forward to the ground.

Sakura caught him swiftly, turned him over and cradled his head in her lap. Her tears dripped down onto his cheeks. She turned her head up, stared into the bright-blue skies overhead. There was so much happiness and hope up there. It didn't suit the moment. She hated that sky right then, for all she felt inside was a raging storm.

(03)

When Naruto awoke nearly three days had passed.

He came to with a start, grasping at his chest, his body drenched in sweat all over. He found himself in a makeshift tent. It was a small space. He had been veiled from the others who were injured by a pair of white sheets that had been tied into makeshift curtains. He was quick to move, leaping out of his cot—he tore the IV line attached to his hand—and scrounging around for his gear—no luck. Someone must have moved it.

He was wearing a simple hospital gown, a white bottom and white top. He grabbed some gauze from the medicine cart by his cot and wrapped the wound from the IV line on his left hand. Without further delay, he swept past the curtains veiling him from the outside world, made his way past the numerous injured civilians and shinobi, exited the tent altogether. He paused for a moment, breathing deeply. He calmed himself and tapped into the natural element surrounding him, used it to his benefit, extended it outward. He searched for familiar chakra, found a few. Sakura, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Tenten, Kiba, Neji, Lee, Shino. They were gathered together a few blocks east of the tent. He made haste to their location. He didn't have a sense of how much time had truly passed.

He found them all gathered by a lumber yard that must have been recently put together—by the fragrance of the wood Naruto knew Yamato must have come back to the village (he instinctively reached around his neck, groping for the famed First Hokage's necklace).

None of them noticed him until he walked right into the middle of the yard, interrupting their little meeting.

"Naruto," Sakura called out. "What are you doing here." She was immediately by his side, checking him out left and right, head to toe, her hand ablaze with green chakra. "You shouldn't be out of bed yet—"

"I'm fine, Sakura," Naruto said. Sakura's slight hesitation gave her away. She was surprised that Naruto had dropped the -chan suffix; somehow, her name felt incomplete coming out of his mouth without it.

Sakura stopped probing him and took a step back.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, his tone and syntax plain.

Kiba was the first to speak. "We're discussing what should be done about Sasuke," he said, his tone reeking with mirth. "Your boy just kidnapped the Hachibi jinchuriki."

Naruto said nothing.

Tenten berated Kiba for being so blunt. Neji ditto.

Lee thumped his fist on his chest and shouted, "I understand your feelings, Naruto-san. Sasuke is your rival, and I know that bond better than anyone else. But things have gone way too far."

"Indeed," Shino muttered. "Things have escalated."

Naruto turned his attention back to Sakura. "How long have I been out?" he asked.

Sakura stared hesitantly into his eyes. Ever since that day when he had looked at her, she didn't know if she would ever be able to look him in the eyes again; it was as if he was empty inside.

"How long, Sakura?" he repeated.

"Three days," Shikamaru said. He was playing with a zippo, flicking it open and shut, open and shut, and had observed Naruto the entire time without a single word until that moment. "You've been out for three long-ass days, Naruto. So what now?" he asked.

Naruto turned has gaze upward, stared from Shikamaru to Choji to Ino. His gaze lingered on Ino for a moment. Something prickled at the back of his mind. He filed it away and redirected his gaze to Shika.

"Why don't you bring me up to speed," Naruto said. He spoke politely enough but there was an edge to his voice, as if his request was really a command. He spoke with an authority nobody had ever known Naruto to have.

Shikamaru nodded, shutting the zippo one last time before pocketing it lazily into his left pant pocket. He took a step off the tall stack of logs he stood atop and landed gently on the ground. He walked with measured steps toward Naruto, coming to a stop right in front of him. He looked him in the eyes when he spoke.

"A lot's happened since you passed out," Shikamaru began. His eyes narrowed a hair at the emptiness that was so blatantly evident in Naruto's eyes. Naruto noticed.

"A lot of people didn't make it," he said, his tone rough, clearly still hoarse from all the grief. "Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sama, Inoichi-san, Shizune-san, Hinata…and that's just a few of 'em."

Naruto nodded. Shikamaru couldn't tell if he was acknowledging his words or telling him to keep going. Either way, he moved on ahead.

"We had a mass burial service yesterday. Everyone's still a bit sore. The wounds are still fresh. You understand, don't you?"

Naruto nodded again.

"And the Daimyo of Fire Country was extremely distressed by the news of the attack on Konoha. He called for an emergency meeting with all the council members and some of the elite jounin in the village. There was an impromptu election—"

Naruto's brow raised slightly.

"—your name was mentioned—"

Naruto's eyes widened a tad.

"—but Danzo had the council rigged from the start. The conniving old bastard got the hat and the seat. He's the Sixth Hokage. It was announced unofficially just this morning. And that leads us to our current dilemma."

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered.

Shika nodded. "Sasuke invaded Kumo and kidnapped the Hachibi jinchuriki. The fact that it's a jinchuriki is bad enough as it is, but it gets worse. Turns out, he's also the Raikage's kid brother." Shikamaru fiddled with the zippo in his pocket. "The Raikage has put out an S-rank bounty on Sasuke's head, dead or alive. And Danzo, in response to this debacle, has called yet another impromptu meeting with the heads of every great nation to discuss this issue in greater detail—and in case you don't get it, what that really means is that Danzo plans on signing Sasuke's life over with a goddamn smile on his face."

Naruto nodded yet again. Such a simple action, yet so unlike Naruto who was usually boisterous and over-talkative. It unnerved Sakura; it unnerved Shikamaru; it unnerved all of them.

A few minutes passed by and Naruto said nothing.

"Well?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well, what?" Naruto replied.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"What am I going to do…?" Naruto repeated. "Nothing."

The entire rookie 9 squad gaped at his answer. Kiba nearly slipped off the edge of the stack of logs he was sitting on. Sakura stared in wide-eyed disbelief at Naruto's convictive 'nothing'. This was not Naruto, she thought. Naruto would never have said something like that. Naruto isn't so uncaring. Naruto isn't so quiet. Naruto isn't so rough.

"Nothing?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto nodded yet again.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered. She felt so small speaking to him then, as if she was seeing a shell and not him, and she was afraid that her words might shatter him if she spoke to loud. "How can you say that? Don't you care about Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Sasuke knew what he was doing. He's not a kid anymore, and neither are we. So keep your chin up and move on. He'll be fine."

Shikamaru stared curiously at Naruto. Sakura felt taken aback by his words. She didn't understand whether he was being apathetic to Sasuke or if he was impressed by him.

"Naruto, you can't possibly condone Sasuke's actions," Choji interjected. "It's heinous and cruel and he's become a criminal. What the hell's wrong with you, man?—"

Ino put a hand on Choji's shoulder, shushing him into silence. She looked at Naruto with sadness in her eyes. It wasn't directed at him. She was still grieving. She had lost a father, had never really known her mother. She felt alone and just being here was too much for her to handle.

"Look, Naruto," Shikamaru started, "I don't know what's going on inside your head right now, but Choji's right. Sasuke has become a criminal. What he's doing is beyond his silly vendetta against his brother. He needs to be stopped."

Naruto raised a brow at that. "Oh? And what do you propose?"

"What we tried to do and failed to accomplish three years ago. Except this time it's no holds barred."

Sakura made a sound of protest, but it went ignored.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Because…like I said, it's gotten way out of hand, and it's our responsibility as his comrade to put a stop to all this."

"Well then why not just let the bounty hunters have their way?"

"Because you know as well as I do that they won't be able to stop him. He's too strong now. And there's been enough bloodshed for an entire lifetime, Naruto. The world doesn't need to suffer anymore."

"Who's to say we won't fail twice?"

"We won't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"We're stronger now."

"Stronger than Sasuke?"

"Together? Yes."

Naruto smiled faintly. It wasn't a happy smile or a prideful smile. It was a distant smile, as if he was looking back on this moment from somewhere ahead in the future, as if he was beyond the very moment itself.

"No thanks, Shika."

"Naruto—"

"Like I said, Sasuke's a big boy. He can handle himself. As for his criminal status…I couldn't care less. There are more important things that require my attention."

Shikamaru scoffed. "Oh yeah? Like what?! What could possibly be on your mind besides nipping this Sasuke business in the bud? Everyone's dead, Naruto—don't you get it? Things will never be the same ever again. What the hell even happened to you in that fight anyway? What did Pain do to you?"

Naruto twitched at that. "I told you, Shika, we're grown now. You all are free to pursue this mission, I've got no problems with that. The only thing I need from you is for you to tell me the place this meeting is supposed to take place."

"And what good'll that do you?" Shika shouted.

"Oh, probably nothing," Naruto said. "I just want to meet with Danzo, face to face."

"Danzo?" Shika said. "What could you possibly want with him? And besides, you won't get anywhere close to him with the entourage he carries around."

"I'm going to kill him and take the title of Hokage," Naruto stated bluntly.

The entire rookie 9 was in an uproar.

"Oye! Naruto, don't kid yourself!" Kiba shouted.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Lee said.

Sakura took two steps back out of some inexplicable sense of fear. She hadn't ever known Naruto to be so calculated, so cold. What on earth was going on?

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" Shika asked. "As bad as he is, Danzo is the leader of this village now. What kind of message does it send to our enemies if we're killing our own?—and what good will assassinating him do you anyway? You think the other Kage's are going to approve of such a maverick shinobi taking over the mantle? Danzo has the political chops. You don't."

Naruto scoffed. "He is far worse than you could possibly imagine," he said. "Danzo is a criminal unworthy of the title of Hokage. He'll smear Tsunade's legacy and my father's along with it."

Shikamaru eyed him suspiciously. "Your father?"

"You're a smart guy, Shika. You'll figure it out, or maybe you already have."

Shika pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Just give me his location, Shika. Please."

Shika whispered something quietly to him. Naruto nodded. He turned and moved to leave the lumber yard.

Shika grabbed his shoulder.

Naruto looked back.

"You'll need another body," he said. "Let me come with you."

Naruto locked eyes with Shika, then drifted over and focused on Ino.

"No," he said. "I've taken enough from you all, and you have given me more than I ever could have asked for."

He disappeared in a flash of yellow.

(04)

Naruto sped through the snowy mountain valleys that stretched all over the Land of Iron with vicious speed. His clothes had been a lost cause. He had returned to his apartment only to find it irreparably broken. He had popped by the emergency barracks on the west-side of the village outskirts, where he re-upped on all his equipment and refashioned himself in an all black garb more traditional to the shinobi aesthetic.

He had popped over to Mount Myoboku to pay his respects to Fukasaku-sensei's grave, and also to grab a few essential materials he would need on his journey. He had grabbed the sealing scroll he had begun working on while training here, as well as the sage garb Shima had altered for him especially. He sealed a few bottles of toad oil in the sealing scroll and had left without meeting with the Elder Toad Sage. He had had enough talk of prophecies and chosen one's.

Now, as he sped along the steep cliffs that bridged the snow lands, he absently rubbed some toad oil on his cheeks and forehead, gathering natural energy on the move. The oil evaporated rather quickly but he was able to get the job done. All he needed was enough to sense Danzo and his entourage. His goal was to intercept them before they arrived at the council meeting.

He went through about a bottle and a half of toad oil before he sensed Danzo's distinct chakra signature. He probed deep into his own psyche, reaching out, calling out to the beast within.

I must ask too much of you yet again, he thought. You know my heart, you see my thoughts. You know what it is that I seek. You know my motive.

Hn.

Lend me your strength. Please. I promise to change the world.

Naruto felt that same chakra brimming beneath the surface of his skin. It soothed his frost-bitten hands. He poured the remaining half of the toad oil bottle over his head and let the energy around him flow through him.

He was close now. Rouge tinged his eyes in dark rings and his pupils dilated into thin brick-shaped lines.

He could see him now—Danzo, his two henchman right by his side. The Kyuubi's chakra was bubbling up beneath his skin. He stared intently at Danzo and felt his terrible purpose stir up a storm inside him.

Glances of the future flashed in his mind and showed him what he needed to do.

He summoned the Kyuubi's chakra. It burst to life all over his body, those red flames burning hotter and brighter than ever before. He didn't quite understand his own power yet. In his fight against Pain, he had, for the first time, asked the beast for permission with utter sincerity. In return he had been given something pure that felt nothing like chakra; rather it was like he had become elevated to something more than a shinobi.

He felt transcendent.

He made his move quick, moving on the two henchman first.

They never saw him coming. He was too fast, too strong, too precise with his movements and his strikes. He didn't even need a kunai. His hands were sharper and hit harder because of the flames that shrouded him.

Danzo didn't even have a second to turn his neck. Naruto had already decapitated him. Blood spiralled through the air, and as it collided against Naruto's flames they singed and bubbled and evaporated into nothingness.

Naruto paused and breathed for a moment. He stared for a while at the sight of blood upon the snow. What a terrible purpose, he thought to himself. How much more bloodshed? How many more lives? How much terror before the world would be balanced? He feared that he would need to tip the scales entirely before he could reset the balance. He feared that he would need to wreak havoc and wage war before he could attain true peace. And most of all, he feared that he would do all that in his pursuit of peace. Jiraiya-sensei's dream was ambitious and idyllic; Naruto's reality was a lot harsher and less patient.

He was nudged out of his thoughts at the sound of snow crunching.

"What an interesting power you've obtained, Uzumaki-san," Danzo said. His voice was deep, hoarse with the scars of old age and faux wisdom.

Naruto turned quickly, barely stepping out of the way as Danzo sent a barrage of shuriken his way. He glanced at the spot where his severed head had been, then at the snow where his blood had been spilled, and was shocked that it had disappeared, as if it was never there in the first place.

Genjutsu? he wondered.

Danzo smirked, weaving signs and shooting sharpened, vacuous air at him in a thin stream. He hopped and dashed around the thin line, he blitzed right behind Danzo and thrust his hand into his heart. He squeezed his grip around his heart, making certain of the fact that this was real and not an illusion. He pulled his hand out and clenched the heart until it burst into pieces.

Danzo fell to the ground. Naruto breathed heavily. He wasn't used to this new power of his. It seemed to be costing him a lot more than he had anticipated. The nature energy was counteracting the effects to some degree but he could still feel it.

"Have you, perhaps, aligned yourself with the Kyuubi?"

Naruto blitzed several feet away, turning back to see Danzo looking more alive than ever, clothed proudly in his Hokage garb, his hat over his head, shading his eyes.

"What is this?" Naruto asked.

Danzo smirked. "Why don't we talk this out, Naruto-san. I can't very well slaughter my greatest weapon, not now that I've seen the power you wield. With the Hachibi out of the picture, Konoha might yet be the biggest superpower among all the great nations."

"No thanks."

Danzo chuckled. "You're a stubborn one, just like your mother. Look at where that got her."

Naruto swallowed his anger, centred himself. He needed to focus and figure out the trick behind Danzo's jutsu. Don't kill him yet. Maim.

Naruto blitzed in front of Danzo, swiped at his arm cutting it off cleanly, then grabbed a fistful of his garb and tore it before blitzing back to put some distance between them.

Danzo howled in pain, clenching the fleshy stub where his arm was tightly.

Naruto stared in shock at the man. He felt disgusted at the sight before him.

Danzo's chest was somehow alive, the First Hokage's visage resting peacefully upon his side. And his right arm was implanted with innumerable Sharingan eyes. Two of the eyes were shut tightly; the others were wide open and spun wildly like a schizo in rem sleep.

What the hell is this?

Danzo stared hatefully at Naruto.

Naruto pulled a kunai out of his holster and extended his fiery chakra cloak to cover it. He sharpened it with wind-infused chakra and the Kyuubi's cloak combined. It made a whining sound.

"You're not fit to bear the title of Hokage," Naruto spat. The metal on the kunai began to melt and splinter into tiny fragments, but the chakra cloak kept it contained within its aura. His anger boiled beneath the surface of his skin.

Danzo scoffed. "And what do you know about what it means to be Hokage, boy!"

Naruto took a deep breath. "More than you do," he said.

"Hah! So you think, but the world isn't all daisies, boy. This world needs a leader who's willing to take the necessary actions. The burden of Hokage should fall upon the wise not the young. You are nothing more than a brat that was blessed with the power you so shamelessly wield. You could have just been another no-name orphan. We gave you your strength, and you dare to use it against us?—"

"A Hokage is someone willing to take the necessary actions," Naruto interjected, his teeth grit tightly together. "Isn't that right?"

Danzo smirked. "Heh, you think you've got what it takes?"

"Enough talk—"

Naruto was on Danzo in less than a second. All he saw were flashes of red and yellow. Naruto stabbed the chakra-infused kunai into one of the many Sharingan littering Danzo's right arm.

"Kunai kage-bunshin," he whispered, and more kunai popped into existence all over Danzo's arm, each embedded deeply into a Sharingan.

Danzo spat blood, his eyes wide at the display of speed and power and precision. Naruto was far beyond his wildest imagination. He was no longer a shinobi, he was something much more. Naruto was not fit for the title of Hokage. Only shinobi may wear such a title proudly.

"Kage-bunshin," Naruto said, and without a single hand-seal a clone popped into existence by his side. The clone immediately sliced Danzo's arm clean off his shoulder. Blood gushed forth like a burst dam. Naruto held the severed arm in his grip tightly and blitzed far away from the old man. He holstered his kunai and pulled out a small sealing scroll from his equipment pouch, unrolling it slightly, and sealing Danzo's arm into it. The clone remained by Danzo's side, aiming a kunai at his neck. More blood gushed forth. It was a bloodbath.

Danzo slumped over, clutching his neck with his free hand, his breathing now nothing more than short gasps. He laid face-down in the snow. He died painfully. The clone disappeared in a plume of white smoke.

Naruto observed the old man, dead in the snow, his companions a few feet away from him, and shivered at the sight of his handiwork. He took calm, measured steps towards the man's body. He bent down on one knee and removed the Hokage hat that rested awkwardly on Danzo's bloody corpse. He stood back up and placed it over his own head. He sealed Danzo and his companions into another sealing scroll.

He cried silently as he walked away from the scene of his crime. He clutched the hem of the Hokage hat as he wept, feeling his terrible purpose swirl madly within him. This is not how he wanted it. It wasn't the pretty picture he had in his mind. He always thought that when he became Hokage, it would be a day of celebration, of rejoice. It would be when the world was at peace. But reality often does not meet expectations. This is a lesson Naruto was learning with every waking minute of his existence.

He trekked onwards, heading in the direction of the famed Howling Wolves Mountain, where the envoys were meant to hold their meeting.

He cast aside the red chakra cloak as he went, saving his strength for when he would need it most. He still had four other kages to kill.