Pre-Author's note: I hope you like this chapter, as I am very proud of the way it turned out.
Rise of The Gamer Uzumaki Chapter 5
Flashback Grenade Part 2
Suffice it to say, Hiruzen was tired, after having to go through so much in his tenure as Hokage, he had to find someone to replace him, but who? Kakashi being too young needed more experience and to be given more time to form bonds as well as to be pulled out of his current semi-depressed state of mind. Jiraiya, was simply too flamboyant in nature, his need to be free, to be a hermit, he would never agree to be locked down and be committed to a single role, he was the best spymaster Konoha had, and he was more needed out on the field than here going through papers and documents. Danzo wouldn't become Hokage, even if he had to kill him, going to such extreme lengths is not the way or method of how Tobirama-Sama taught them, brainwashing young orphaned children, destroying any chance of allowing them to freely live out their childhood.
And so there remained only one; Tsunade, the perfect candidate, Granddaughter of the First Hokage, famous for being the greatest Medic-Nin in the world. Only Kami knows the state of the Hospital ever since she left, and having exceptional prowess in her clan's Taijutsu style, the 'Nature Fist' or 'Senken', famed as one of the three Sannin, she would also act as an excellent buffer to the other nations having two of the three Sannin loyal to Konoha, leaving him to fully focus on other pivotal matters. But deep in his heart, he knew she would reject the mantle of Hokage, and so remained one last resort, once more choosing another student, but this time an apprentice who could surpass both him and his predecessors, was strong-willed and believed completely in the Will of Fire, to pass on his knowledge and experience as a duty towards the next Hokage.
Regardless he decided to bring her back but to do so, and while he could simply order her back, as is his will as Hokage, for better cooperation, he would need to prepare for her arrival with incentives, mainly giving her free reign over the hospital, training new batches of medic-nin according to her standard, and besides what better incentive then letting her interact with her last remaining family, even if not directly through blood, but by clan.
But to have the funds to even be able to let her go through with it, he would first need to sort out the internal matters of Konoha, eliminate Danzo, and take back the power the civilian council took away after the aftermath of the Kyubi's attack.
Hiruzen sensed a presence appearing behind him, and smiled, "Right on time as always Kitsune, commence report."
"Hai, Hokage-Sama, after being given full control over the operation to move forward as I see fit with help from the Commander, in the past year, we have discovered that all of the civilian council members on the council are corrupt save one Mebuki Haruno, and all of them had collectively conspired to make Naruto-San's life difficult, and have used their wealth to bribe our Shinobi and passing laws and bills curbing your power, it is fortunate that we managed to catch on what they were doing, but by my estimate, 40% of your total political power has been shifted to them. Danzo-San, on the other hand, is fully responsible for the missing orphanage children and we were able to track them down to a base here on the outskirts of Konoha, he has an estimate of 500 Root Anbu, the total being equal to the amount of our Shinobi suddenly disappearing from both Clan and Civilian roots, while we are not fully sure, Danzo-San has been receiving funding from the corrupt civilians allowing him to continue with his operations as well as collecting bounties on missing in the Five Great Nations. As requested, all Anbu Platoons are on standby ready for your orders to engage with Order 66."
"Commendable as always Kitsune. What of our spy within Danzo's rank, has she sent word of the situation?"
"She has made contact with us, reporting back, that Danzo-San has prepared for our arrival, and is doing nothing about it, and we have no guesses on how Danzo-San found out, or who his source is."
"I see. Hold your positions for five minutes, we will wait for Jiraiya to arrive." Kitsune, a Low S-Rank Shinobi, Commander of the Alpha Platoon, is just one rank shy of the Anbu Commander for the whole of the Anbu forces, where the best among the best Shinobi are offered to join the Alpha Platoon. There are a total of 10 Platoons in Konoha's Anbu, and a minimum of 3 Platoons are always on stand-by within the village to defend from threats, while the other seven are on High-Risk-High-Award missions, all done for the sake of Konoha. Each Platoon consists of five squads and each squad has five members, every Platoon's squads consist of a Squad specifically designed for Sabotage, Assassination, Demolition, Infiltration and Escort, not to say that the Anbu are not proficient in all the fields, there are a few who are marvellously exceptional at them and so are transferred into their squads created specifically for the situation. Each squad also contain a well-trained medic-nin to cater to their injuries.
A little bit about Kitsune, made Genin at the same time as Kakashi both being five years old and exceptionally prodigious and while Kakashi gained the mentorship of Minato Namikaze, Kitsune who had gained the attention of both Hiruzen and Danzo, was given to Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father, to bring out his full potential and suffice to say, they were pleased with the results, Kitsune having above average chakra reserves, stamina, durability, excelling exceptionally in all the Shinobi Arts; Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Kenjutsu and even the not popular Fuinjutsu, Kakashi's battles were looked on with anticipation being the son of the Legendary Sakumo Hatake and student of the Gama Sage's student, while Kitsune was mostly in the shadows his battles unknown and the Anbu liked to keep it that way. (AN: What I remember from the anime, is that Sakumo committed seppuku when Kakashi was four maybe five, but I've changed it, to fit my very first OC. I hope you like her.)
Order 66, otherwise known as Kill Everything Order, has the basis upon finding an enemy to the Nation/Country/Village, and if the enemy has the power to, and if given the opportunity, cripple the Village, leaving it vulnerable to outside malicious forces. It was created by Tobirama after having recently created the Anbu, and as such was decided that this Order would only be able to be executed by Anbu members only, and no ordinary Shinobi other than Elite Jonins would be given permission, hence why among the Anbu present waiting on the battlefields were a few Elite Jonin such as Might Gaia, Shikaku Naru and Fukagu Uchiha.
Not much later, Jiraiya arrived, a grim smile etched on his face, nodding to Kitsune, and directing his attention towards Hiruzen, who gave away nothing while deep within him pangs of regret flowed through him of the thought of that just a few hours later Konoha would be rid of Danzo, his oldest friend.
"Sensei, give me five minutes to enter Sage-Mode, and then I'll be ready." Jiraiya promptly sat down, closed his eyes, crossed his legs and had his hands clasped together in front of him.
"I shall be doing the same, Jiraya-Kun." Hiruzen went through the hand signs 'Boar', 'Dog', 'Bird', 'Monkey', and 'Sheep'. "Enma!" In a small poof of smoke standing before the three was Enma, leader of the Monkey/Ape summons, and personal summon of the Third Hokage. "Enma, old friend, it's time to get rid of a pest, and I need your help to use Sage-Mode." Hiruzen's wizened eyes did not miss worry flickering through Enma, and he knew that entering Sage-Mode while a great boost to his skills, at his age he would be more at risk of dying, rather than losing consciousness while exiting it.
"I know that you have made up your mind, still as stubborn as the day I met you, but I implore you to reconsider, Sage-Mode would put you at great risk, and if you succeed in getting rid of Danzo, you would be in no shape to move let alone run the village, and the Medic-Nin who would be able to guarantee your survival isn't going to come back any sooner than the day she dies, and your Anbu-medic-nin while good, aren't capable of healing the damages which will be left behind from Monkey-Sage-Mode. And even more dangerous is that your Sage-Mode isn't even mastered, an incomplete version. Any misstep may just be the end of you."
"Do not worry Enma, I have faith in my shinobi." Enma sighed but transformed into Hiruzen's bo-staff, and Hiruzen grabbed it with both hands, he concentrated and let his chakra sync with Enma's who was now gathering Nature Chakra to transform into Sage-Mode.
Dark red marking appeared on Jiraiya's face, circling his eyes, his pupils now toad-like black bars, and a full-grown beard now on his face, he went through the summoning hand signs, and spoke, "Ma, Pa." A cloud of smoke covered Jiraya, reappearing with two toads sitting atop his shoulders.
"Jiraya-boy, what seems to be the problem, Ma and I were just about to sit down and eat lunch, and knowing you, it'll take a while to solve and Ma's lunch will grow cold, and you don't want to be on her bad side, do you Jiraiya-boy."
"If it takes longer than fifteen minutes, I'm reverse summoning you back to eat lunch with us, oh lookee there, it's Enma-Chan! How are you doing Enma-Chan and how's the missus." Ma threatened Jiraiya before her attention diverted towards the transformed Enma.
"Doing as well as I could be, and the missus is fine as well," Enma grunted. "Ma, Pa, what we're about to do will take way more than fifteen minutes, we are going to kill Danzo. Hiruzen, you ready."
"Ready as I'll ever be," Hiruzen had black markings lining his face, appearing from his eyes, all the way down to his chin, along with circling beneath his eyes. The Sandaime Hokage was currently at his peak strength, with Natural Chakra running through revitalizing his old bones, giving him the same stamina and strength he once possessed as a young lad. "Greetings to you, Ma, Pa, but I believe we should do what we intend to do, Jiraiya-Kun we will be following Kitsune, he'll lead you to where Danzo is holed up in. I'll be close behind."
"Excuse me, Hokage-Sama, permission to speak freely?" the lone Anbu requested.
"Permission granted, Kitsune?"
Kitsune kneeled, the Anbu's head bowed, "I wish to ask of you a favour: when we invade Danzo's base, and kill his Root operatives, I request that you spare just two of the Root Anbu, both being bodyguards of Danzo but in a life that I had left behind, both were my friends, I request that you give me a chance to change them." Kitsune finished, body tense, eyes closed behind the mask, waiting for the verdict to be declared.
"Highly unusual of you to request, usually being content to simply follow orders, I accept your request but I must know both of their names and roughly how strong are they by your estimate."
"The first one is Fu Yamanaka and the second is Torune Aburame. Both are as strong as any Anbu in my Platoon."
'One is the niece of Inoichi and the other the elder cousin of the current clan heiress. And as strong as an Alpha Platoon Anbu, Danzo must have taken their training seriously if they were made his bodyguards.'
"I agree to your request, but you must make a compromise to mine, you have for too long stayed in the shadows, it is time you returned to the light and give inspiration to generations to come. You will lay down your mask after two years. This is an order by your Hokage, and you will not have a choice in the matter, I'm doing this both for you and to also ease Sakumo's mind. It is time for you to step out of the dark and into the light, and make a name for yourself in the Shinobi world."
"I…I understand Hokage-Sama, shall we proceed?" Seeing Hiruzen motion his hand the Anbu turned towards Jiraiya.
Jiraiya nodded and turned towards Kitsune, who held up a single sign and body flickered away, Jiraiya and Hiruzen close behind.
….
They arrived on a rocky plain, past the Hokage Mountain, the training fields residing on top of the Mountain, to an inconspicuous boulder standing on its top, to any ordinary eye it seemed a peaceful night in the area, but as soon as they arrived Shikaku, Fugaku and Gaia body flickered to their position.
"Your orders Hokage-Sama, I've already briefed them about the plan, any Root Anbu to be killed, and as many children as possible to be saved, explosive tags have been lined around and on the boulder, with you, Jiraiya-Sama and Fugaku leading the charge, and the Anbu, Gaia and I clearing your path towards Danzo."
"Excellent as always, Shikaku, on your signal," Hiruzen commented.
Shikaku nodded, turning towards the boulder, and placing a finger on the short radio in his ear. "All Platoons, show no mercy," Hiruzen and the others tensed and with one hand seal later, it all turned towards chaos.
Drones of loyal Root Anbu funnelled through the entrance sacrificing their lives against the loyal Konoha Anbu that met them, only to be cut down like insects. A difference between the two factions was that Root Anbu were trained to a limit or rather a boundary to reach the minimum level of a Jonin just strong enough to complete the required missions, and once they reached that goal they weren't trained further by Danzo, and their strength remained stagnant, the reason behind this, was that Danzo was a paranoid man, and feared that if given too much strength they would rebel against him, even though they couldn't with the silencing seal applied to their tongues. Root had no concept of teamwork, only that the mission must be completed at any costs necessary sacrificing each other if they had to, a stark contrast to the normal Anbu, who train themselves to their limits every day, all for the sake of Konoha, priding themselves on their teamwork which allowed them to cut the Root forces down even though they were outnumbered 2 to 1.
Sounds of Jutsu and exertion were heard all over the rocky terrain, an Anbu leading the way, her lighting chakra-covered arm, stabbing any who came in his way, another Anbu right behind her, using Wood-Release, creating cover for the Anbu forces, the Wood-Release user placing a hand on his creation, multiple protruding spikes piercing the enemy.
Shikaku, the bright moonlight illuminating him from behind his back, to capture and kill, his expertise with the shadows near flawless, and a dozen Root Anbu were taken down at once, with Gaia supporting him and covering his back, using her prowess in Taijutsu to make up for his weakness.
In the Base
Fugaku's Sharingan pierced the dark corridors, leading the way, disabling any traps and eliminating stray Root Anbu protecting the base, Jiraiya and Hiruzen using the sensory abilities gained by their Sage-Mode, located Danzo whose chakra was unusually still, but what fuelled their fury even greater was multiple other chakra signatures on his arm, a distinct chakra signature found only in the Sharingan.
"Fugaku. Danzo is up through the corridor on the right, I'll clear a path." 'Lightning Release: Thunderbolt.' Hiruzen intoned. A beam of light left Hiruzen's hands, crackling as it pierced the walls between them and Danzo. The dust that built up hid their approach and they took positions in a Delta formation surrounding Danzo who remained standing in the middle.
"Danzo Shimura, for your crimes against the village and the people of said village, for your inhumane acts against orphaned children, sanctioning missions outside of your jurisdiction, disobeying me your Hokage and hiding away your Root Anbu and continuing with your thoughtless and cruel machinations, after I explicitly told you to shut this division down, I sentence you to immediate execution performed and witnessed by the three of us; Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya of The Toads, and Fugaku Uchiha of the Wicked Eye, so prepare yourself, old friend, because it won't be pretty or quick."
"What I have done, was and have always been for the sake of Konoha, for its security and integrity, to remain at the top between the Great Five, and your foolish decisions and naive nature will only bring Konoha's downfall, and I will not stand for it." 'Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.'
'Earth Release: Mud Wall'. A huge slab of earth protected Hiruzen from the incoming blades of wind and leapt over it his eyes set on Danzo, determined to end him once him for all. The battle raged for over an hour, Hiruzen firing Jutsu after Jutsu and using the openings to get a hit or two in with his Bo-Staff, Jiraya up-close and personal, his Sage-Mode enhanced Taijutsu, the Frog Kumite, the deadliest of known Taijutsu, with no holes in either defence or offence and Fugaku, revealing his Mangekyo Sharingan using its abilities to its fullest, but even then Danzo wouldn't fall, using the Sharingan to grant him a reprieve from death, he simply kept coming back.
"Yield, Danzo!"
"Never!"
With Kitsune
Clearing a path using only his sword and agility, he made his way into the base, with two of his subordinates behind him, as they weaved through corridors, and jumped over already-activated traps, before making their way to what seemed like a Root Dojo of sorts, where there were two Shinobi patiently waiting for their arrival.
It was three against two, and tensions were high, but Kitsune recognized their chakra and silently ordered his companions to leave him be, and return to the battlefield. He would handle this alone.
They flickered away, now only the three facing each other, Kitsune placed his Katana back into the sheath on his back, and spoke, "Fu, Torune, surrender and you will be spared, I have already requested the Hokage for your safety and that I will be responsible for the two of you and your wellbeing and the subsequent integration into the shinobi roster, place down your masks and you can live free of Danzo, free from his brainwashing, free from doing his dirty, inhumane acts, you can come back and live with me. I know for a fact that for both of you, it will be easier than the rest, I can feel your chakra fluctuating because of your emotions. Danzo never made you emotionless drones. So what do you say, will you surrender peacefully or would I have to use force to make you understand."
"So you requested to the Hokage on our behalf, eh Mika," the orange-haired Anbu started, "You wish to give us the benefit of the doubt after years of our disappearance. If you cared for us, then where were you before when we needed you, if you had insisted to the Hokage then maybe we wouldn't have been stuck here, working for that filth Danzo."
"If you want to take us in, we will not go without a fight. We are frustrated, why, you ask because years of loneliness have turned our sadness into anger, and we will take out our anger on you, so prepare yourself, old friend." The monotone but harmonious voice of the second Root Anbu graced her ears.
"Just like old times, right you guys."
It took her only thirty minutes to break down their abilities and find weaknesses to decisively immobilize them, taking off their masks and hers, for the first time in a long while, Mika showed her emotions, enveloping her friends in a hug, softly sobbing at her weakness: to be unable to save those whom she held dearest.
Fu was less of a nuisance than Torune, possessing only her clan techniques, Anbu Taijutsu and a decent skill in Kenjutsu, a Shadow Clone of hers with 20% of her Chakra was left to deal with her, while she focused on Torune, having the ability to poison with just a touch, she needed to fully concentrate on her without any distractions.
After a few minutes of hit-and-run tactics, getting in a few cuts with her Katana, she decided to end it by trying something unpredictable; covering herself with a small layer of wind release chakra, practically undetectable.
And it worked, the wind-natured chakra cutting up the poisonous parasitic insects before they even reached her body, brutally throwing a punch at Torune's face, followed by one on the gut, swept her legs beneath her and used her leg to swing around in circles gaining momentum before releasing, Torune flying straight into the concrete wall, losing consciousness, her clone having dealt with Fu, then brought Torune, placing a seal on both their foreheads as a precaution, immobilising their bodies but allowing them to talk.
…...
Two Hours Later
The deed was done, Danzo was killed and any surviving Root Anbu were sought out and eliminated, and the children and young recruits who were not too far gone were saved and were given to a trusted orphanage where they were assured they would be taken care of.
Losses were minimal, thanks to the combined effort of the Anbu, Shikaku and Gaia who activated three out of the eight Celestial Gates, and would be easily recoverable. Jiraiya returned carrying an unconscious Hiruzen, still in his Sage-Mode, Ma and Pa were staying on Jiraiya's shoulder to comfort him, a weary Fugaku not far behind, his one eye closed and bleeding while the other still ready, Sharingan active.
An Anbu approached the group and made his way directly towards Fugaku, took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder supporting his weight, talking in hushed tones, the corner of his lips twitching in a smile. They made their way to an Anbu medic, who looked over Fugaku's injuries giving him they good-to-go sign before the Anbu medic made his way towards the Hokage, where there was already another Anbu-medic pouring his chakra into Hiruzen to heal him.
"Shikaku, send two squads of Anbu to clear up and investigate the base, and see if they find any leads to Danzo's other bases, his contacts and any valuable information given straight to me, oh and tell them to destroy the base when they leave."
"Hai, Jiraiya-Sama, anything else?"
"Nothing for now, but before I leave, I'll be holding a meeting to discuss what just happened, I'll be returning in two weeks with Tsunade-Hime in tow, so keep an eye on the old man, Shikaku, no one other than the Anbu medics are allowed, no other Shinobi, and no one must know or be suspicious of what has happened here."
"Understood."
"Ma, Pa, thanks for your help, I'll be around to visit after all of this is settled."
"Yeah, you better, I'll be making your favourite 'Bug Stew', come on Pa, let's go." Shima then disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
"Goodbye, Jiraiya-boy and send my regards to Hiruzen when he wakes up." And he too returned to Mount Myoboku.
The Next Day
A meeting was called between the Clan, Civilian and Elder Council Members, held by esteemed Shinobi Jiraiya-Sama who was sitting in the chair meant for the Hokage, and while this raised some eyebrows, the Clan Heads read the tension in the room and wisely stayed shut, but Civilian Council were increasingly nervous for multiple reasons; the sudden meeting being called, the increased number of Anbu standing guard in the Chamber, and when all of them had entered, Anbu locked the door while Jiraiya placed a tag on the floor.
"Good, now that we are all present, I shall explain all that is necessary and why the Hokage isn't present in the meeting. First order of business, Danzo was found to be secretly running a long forbidden and closed down Anbu division, which Sandaime had ordered to be shut down, but was never done, stealing innocent kids from the orphanages some from the Clans as well as from all of the Country and beyond. The Hokage decided that enough was enough, so he formulated a plan to execute him in secret, it took the combined efforts of the Hokage, Fugaku-San and myself to eliminate Danzo, who had an arm implanted with multiple stolen Sharingan, using a forbidden Jutsu to cheat death, at the cost of each of his stolen Sharingan eye. All Root Shinobi were eliminated, save those of the young recruits and the children he had just kidnapped. All of them are now going to go through rehabilitation, which will be headed by Inoichi-San, and co-headed by Shikaku who will oversee the process." Jiraiya explained, noticing the gleeful expressions of the Clan Heads, the sorrowful ones of Homura and Koharu at the loss of Danzo, and the scared, panicking ones of the Civilian Council, except Mebuki's.
"Questions can be asked later, after all, we still have traitors in our midst, we certainly wouldn't want to be telling them anything, would we." Jiraiya smiled at the Civilian Council, the Clan Heads who caught the act, were surprised, except Shikaku and Fugaku, and asked if he had any proof, "Of course, I have proof, who do you think I am, after all, I am the Legendary Spy-Master," Jiraiya unsealed multiple documents from his arm and passed them around to the Clan Heads, who after looking through them, found it hard to keep their Killing Intent in check, especially Tsume, whose pack mentality and loyalty to Konoha, almost made her lunge from her chair and kill the spineless, pathetic fools on the Civilian Council, whom they worked hard to protect.
"Other than the fact, that all of you, except Mebuki-San, are traitors, stealing from the village treasury, withholding tax, and encouraging others from within your family and friends to do the same, all of you have been selling the village's secrets to our enemies just to gain a better deal, conspiring with Danzo to remove the Sandaime from the mantle of Hokage, and funding Root willingly, all of you will be executed, your assets seized and everything that you have stolen or withhold will be removed from your Bank Accounts, if need be we will be selling off your assets to rival competitors within the village, so everything will be circulated within the village regardless." Killing Intent rose from Jiraiya, a focused Killing Intent of such a scale that the civilians all peed their pants, "The fact that you collectively downgraded the level of education given to our soon-to-be shinobi just so more civilians could join and pass into our ranks, the quality of our shinobi becoming increasingly shoddy, and even if you had nothing to do with Danzo, all of you signed your death wishes when you removed anything related to the Uzumaki Clan and the sacrifices they had made to Konoha." Jiraiya growled. "Anbu take them away for immediate execution and notify their families."
"Jiraiya-Sama, please reconsider-" a council member attempted to voice out his arguments, only to be chopped on the back of his head, by an Anbu who 'Body Flickered' both him and two others to Konoha's Maximum Security.
"Now any questions, I will hold this meeting for another two hours, after which I will leave the village to bring back Tsunade-Hime."
"Why, what has happened to Hokage-Sama? How badly injured is he that normal medic-nin won't suffice?" Hiashi questioned, and Jiraiya mulled over the question for a few seconds before answering.
"The old man, in preparation for his battle against Danzo, used the sacred Monkey Sage-Mode to bring himself to the peak of his abilities, the downside being that since he has gotten old, and due to his body being weak, if he were to release the gathered chakra, his body wouldn't be able to handle the strain, and made even worse that the old man's Sage-Mode isn't a perfected one, rather an incomplete version, he is currently in a coma, where Enma himself has stated that if Tsunade was not to come back, the Hokage would die within the month. It was his wish that Tsunade returned either as the new Hokage or to simply revamp and take control of the Hospital, either way, it would only benefit the village."
"I see," Shikaku mused, "Say, if she refused, then who would become the Hokage?"
"I, fortunately, have an answer to that as well, whether she accepts or refuses, Hokage-Sama had already decided to take on one final apprentice who would take his place after being trained by him in all the Shinobi Arts, and the delicate nature of politics, the one whom he chose is Illumi Uchiha, eldest daughter of Fugaku Uchiha, who after an apprenticeship of a total of seven years will replace either Hiruzen or Tsunade and will lead Konoha to prosperity."
The Clan Heads turned towards Fugaku who was as surprised as everybody else, floored that a Uchiha would finally be chosen as worthy of Hokage and that to his daughter, meaning that he was finally free to fully focus on training his youngest daughters seeing they have already stated what they wanted to be when they grow up; Sarada, the Head of the Konoha Military Police Force, and Satsuki vying to become his replacement, as Head of the Uchiha Clan.
"When did Hokage-Sama decide to choose Illumi as his new apprentice?" Shukaku inquired.
"Just before he exited Sage-Mode."
Jiraiya continued, "There will also be no need for a vote, seeing that the Hokage has personally chosen an apprentice without there any need for internal conflicts, like what had happened when the Yondaime was being chosen, a letter will be sent to the Daimyo informing him of the situation and Hiruzen's future replacement."
"Illumi Uchiha will be in the apprenticeship for seven years, the same period in which the Nidaime trained the Sandaime, the Sandaime trained the Sannin, and of how I trained the Yondaime. Seven years is growing to be a lucky number for us, and I only hope it remains as such…This meeting is adjourned."
….
A year had passed since Danzo was executed (The events take place a year after Naruto had just received the Gamer Ability, meaning when Naruto was six, so Naruto is currently seven preparing himself to join the academy in the following days.), and Konoha was now turning for the better, with Tsunade back the hospital was now in tip-top shape, the medics up to bar to her expectation, and she even insisted that Shizune completed the last part of her training, to gain the Byakugou Seal, and for that, Tsunade put her through the grinder, helping her increase her chakra reserves and fine-tuning her Chakra Control, increasing her base strength, before guiding her through the steps to gain her inhumane chakra enhanced strength. Tsunade estimated that in three years, Shizune would be able to match, and even maybe surpass her and she couldn't be prouder.
Many changes were made to the Konoha Military Police Force; more shinobi from clans who wished to not live a hectic life of being out on the field switched with those that did wish to, increasing the number of recruits in the police force, helping them cover the whole of Konoha easier than before, allowing Anbu squads to focus more on the outskirts and important borders of Konoha.
The additions to the police force such as the Nara's for their intelligence and crowd control, Hyuga for their long, and X-Ray vision and Inuzuka for their tracking capabilities meant the Konoha was much safer than before, and the crime rate reached a new low, more buildings being built to support the homeless folks within the village and the orphanages being renovated to suit more children as well as increasing the standard of living, all of it funded by the excess funds the corrupt civilian council members possessed.
The children saved from Danzo's machinations, specifically the ones who had just been recruited at the age of twelve through thirteen, not the younger children who were currently living in an orphanage that could provide for them all, were allowed to choose which Force they wanted to join; normal Shinobi Roster, the Police Force, or the Anbu, and not unsurprisingly they wished to join the Anbu, but they had to serve five years in the normal Shinobi Roster before they were to be tested to see if they had the skill to join, which they did, but Konoha wished for them to get a semblance of a normal Konoha shinobi lifestyle.
The Police HQ and Uchiha compound were once again reinstated in the middle of the village, away from the prisons that they looked after, and the separate Training Ground they used for their Clan, which they were allowed to keep.
Hiruzen had begun training Illumi on the important tasks that a Hokage faces every day, showing her Ninjutsu which he requested she learn without the aid of the Sharingan, wiping the floor with her in Taijutsu even when she activated her three Tomoe Sharingan. She was still no match for the Professor. Illumi felt that she was growing stronger every day, but it just wasn't enough. If she needed to be the pillar that the Hokage is supposed to represent her normal Sharingan would not suffice, she must acquire the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, which she was gratefully informed by her father, that there are other ways than killing the person dearest to you. But with greater power comes greater risk and once again she was advised that if her eyesight ever was waning due to the Mangekyo's side effects, he would gladly switch eyes, as it requires one with the Mangekyo to be of direct relation, like parent and child, or even siblings.
But Illumi was sure that she would awaken then, she didn't care even if it took her three or four years, she needed to master the power she would gain from her Mangekyo and the one she would possibly gain from her father's Mangekyo, and so for that she needed time.
There was even a public announcement of her being Sandaime's apprentice as well as his successor, which brought about a great change in how the people treated the Uchiha and it clearly showed in Fugaku's relationship with his family; he didn't pressure Illumi anymore, and let her live life as she saw fit, he became more gentle and affectionate towards his younger daughters, who were overjoyed with the change and even became more flirtatious with his wife, showering her with love and affection that had become very low ever since the Kyubi attacked and Fugaku was towered upon with the increased workload.
Overall, the morale of the villagers and shinobi was high, and this was reflected in their work, the civilians being more productive increasing their exports, and the mission success rate being an all-time high.
But as they say, seeing one succeed always invokes jealousy and envy, and such was the case with the other villages. After seeing this and started to make plans to prepare for another war, but brute force simply wouldn't do, and they knew it from experience after being in three Great Wars, with Konoha winning without the aid of their Jinchuriki.
And Konoha probably wouldn't need them anyway, their spies reporting back to their respective villages about the many upcoming prodigious Shinobi with the likes of Kimiko Hatake, and Shisui Uchiha leading the charge, and so collectively as one without the other villages knowing began preparing for war.
The Leaf knew that their success meant that the enemy would become increasingly hostile, and so placed in measures which would at the very least minimise any losses that they might face; such as giving out required-to-complete training regiments, from the Ranks of Chunin to Jonin, the Anbu not needing such a thing as every month an Anbu Platoon trained with the Hokage to keep their skills sharp, and the Genin not needing it as they won't be allowed to go on the frontlines and would be given the duty to patrol and protect Konoha. The regiment was created by the collective minds of the Sandaime, Jonin Commander Shikaku, Taijustu specialist Might Gaia, Ninjutsu specialist Fugaku and Genjutsu specialist Illumi whose skill with illusions surpassed even her father.
The Academy's syllabus was reviewed, changes were made, and useless subjects were removed, such as flower pressing and the key, or core subjects were reinstated. The total number of years a student would remain in the Academy was five years, and only the students in their second to last year would be allowed to graduate early if they wished to.
In the first year, students would go through the History of Konoha, Language, and Maths, the founding clans, and the clans currently residing in the village, along with the basics of Taijutsu, Chakra Control, basic handling of kunai and shuriken, Stealth and a basic obstacle course at the end of each month to track their progress, the physical conditioning was to be greatly increased to push their students, and on the suggestion of Shikaku, a bi-monthly Shogi and Go Tournament to improve the students logical and thinking capabilities.
In the second year, the subjects and the tournament remain the same, from the basics of Taijutsu to the intermediate level, Chakra Control remains the same since Tree Walking and Water Walking would now be taught in the second to last and their last year respectively, basics of Shurikenjutsu and improving their accuracy, the obstacle course becoming significantly harder than last year, physical conditioning remains the same, adding meditation and proper stretching, weekly Taijutsu Tournaments to bolster competition and the sense of rivalry, teaching the basic three; Transformation, Substitution and the Clone Jutsu throughout the next two years.
In the third year, Taijutsu will be stepped up a bit, with an introduction to Genjutsu as they now would have adequate chakra reserves and control for the most basic of Genjutsu. From stealth to now guiding them on how to spy and trail a person of interest or a target, Shurikenjutsu were now being tested on both static and dynamic targets, obstacle courses upped a level, weekly Taijutsu tournaments and now monthly Shogi and Go tournaments, this year the academy students were trained in increasing the chakra reserves or focusing on Chakra Control depending on the student.
The Fourth Year is where things spice up a bit. From the fourth to the fifth years, they were allowed to choose a specialisation depending on which field they wished to specialise in; compulsory subjects such as Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Shurikenjutsu, while optional subjects such as Genjutsu, Iryojutsu, Fuinjutsu, Kenjutsu, Bojutsu, and Barrier Ninjutsu, the students had to choose a minimum of three or a maximum of five and the subjects would be carried on to their final year. The students would be tested on their Chakra Affinity having given enough time to let it develop, they would be taught accordingly to their Chakra Affinity, one offensive technique, one defensive and one supporting, they may either be a C-Rank or D-Rank, depending on the skill of the student. This year will also be used to teach the students about their bodies both male and female together alongside sex education, since around this year, most of the students would be either entering puberty or they had entered a year before so this is a very important lesson for the soon-to-be shinobi to know.
The last year is when the more frowned upon subjects were taught, only by the civilians whereas the shinobi were more understanding. Courses like Assassination, Torture and Interrogation, Seduction, Counter Seduction(Especially for the Clan children and even more so for their heirs), Sabotage and Infiltration.
In the five years they are at the Academy they will learn how to hunt, how to set up traps, and traps within traps, how to survive in the wild with no food or water left, exposed to the harsh conditions of the weather, and at this point in the final year of any batch, hypothetically if in the beginning there were a hundred students in a class, as the entirety of the course was designed in such a way that if a 100% effort was not made on the student's part, at most only 20% of the students would pass on to either teams or apprenticeships. Even though a low number of students would possibly pass, the quality is what makes up for quantity with each new Genin Shinobi at the level of bare minimum Chunin and if a prodigy or a highly talented student was found High-Chunin to Low-Jonin.
But throughout the five years they would remain in the Academy they would always be emphasised teamwork, with the Legendary Sannin used as an example.
….
Hiruzen was in his office going through some paperwork, with Illumi on a desk and chair next to him, guiding her through the paperwork when a single Anbu appeared kneeling in front of him.
"Hokage-Sama, Kimiko Hatake has fallen unconscious at the hospital and is being treated by Shizune-Sama as we speak." The Anbu notified the pair, and while Illumi had an impassive look on her face as if she knew this would happen, Hiruzen was most definitely worried since Kimiko is one of their strongest Kunoichi.
"Shishi, give me the full report," Hiruzen ordered.
"Hai, Hokage-Sama, eyewitnesses report that Kimiko Hatake had walked into the hospital, pale and trembling, refusing help from the medic-nin on standby, and continued walking, only for her drop to the floor, face first. She was immediately rushed into an ER room, where the medic-nin attempted to stabilise her but was to of no effect, as such called Shizune-Sama from her break, where she was able to make a breakthrough and is currently being assisted by two others. It would be best to move towards the hospital to ask Shizune-Sama about the situation."
"Illumi, with me."
"Hai."
The three arrived at the hospital where Hiruzen and Illumi were greeted with great respect, and a few nods here and there to the Anbu accompanying the pair.
They quickly made their way to where Shizune was currently healing Kimiko, an Anbu guard standing outside on guard, allowing the three to pass through, where they saw Shizune and two others concentrating on healing Kimiko. When Shizune noticed the trio, she dismissed her assistants and locked the door on their exit.
"Shizune-San, any idea what happened to her?" Hiruzen asked, not receiving an immediate reply, with Shizune furrowing her eyebrows, thinking deeply, before sighing.
"I have multiple theories Hokage-Sama; one of which is that Kimiko overworked herself by taking more than the required missions, or that she is in desperate need of therapy. Her mind and chakra were all over the place, I guess that the losses she suffered were too much for her to handle alone, and the last theory I have is that her Sharingan has evolved."
Hiruzen's face hardened and Illumi's worried. "Explain, Shizune-San."
"Truthfully, Hokage-Sama, I do not fully understand what has happened, but Kimiko's Sharingan's chakra signature has changed, when I looked to see if there were any visible changes, I found nothing other than the normal Three Tomoe Sharingan, so I wished to seek advice from either Fugaku-Sama or if Illumi-San has any knowledge of the matter, it would be prudent to share."
"Illumi, can Kimiko gain the Mangekyo Sharingan even being a non-Uchiha?"
"I have no idea, such a thing has never happened before, but if what we fear is true then there were many opportunities for it to have awakened; such as the death of his teammate Rin Nohara, or after the death of our beloved Yondaime and his wife, both of them very dear to Kimiko, so it is plausible for her to have awakened the Mangekyo, but had not been able to manifest it as the Mangekyo is a heavy burden for an Uchiha, and probably even more so for a non-Uchiha."
Illumi continued, "Hokage-Sama, if I may, I wish to ask Father if it is possible to help Kimiko train to master the Mangekyo, while a heavy burden, the training required would only make her stronger overall and her use of the Sharingan even more proficient and as while she has done well to make it this far, without someone guiding her in the intricacies of the Sharingan, she would only hurt herself and those around her."
While Hiruzen was deep in thought thinking of the possibilities and the consequent benefits as well as the problems that may arise, Shizune spoke on her opinion of this matter, "I second the idea, but only if I'm present while Kimiko trains and if this training is as arduous as you make it sound I will only allow it if I will be allowed to minimise the damages she may face to her body."
"It's decided, Illumi. Ask Fugaku for a meeting tomorrow, I will free up my schedule for the entire day, and your training will be postponed until the matter is sorted, Shizune I'm assigning you to Kimiko's care until her training if Fugaku allows it, is completed. Now then, if anything happens, an Anbu is posted outside, so send him to inform me, and Illumi. Shall we go, paperwork awaits.
"Hai."
….
Hiruzen and Illumi were training in a training ground within the base of the Hokage Mountain, a training ground made by Hashirama specifically built with two objectives in mind, where the current Hokage can freely and liberally train without having to fear any damage done to the village, the second objective was to train the next successor to the Hokage here, a small house built on the edge of the training ground with all the basic necessities, where the Hokage or his apprentice could stay for extended periods.
Here, Hiruzen and Illumi every month entered for a maximum of three days, and they weren't even half done with their first day when Jiraiya entered the grounds and bee-lined for the duo.
"Hey, old man, I've got some news for you, and pretty serious news at that." Jiraiya's grim expression did not bode well for Hiruzen who held up a hand towards Illumi and beckoned her forward, wanting her to hear as well.
"What ill news you bring me now Jiraiya?" Hiruzen wearily asked.
"Oh, nothing much, other than the news that Kiri is now going through a civil war, with the Sandaime Mizukage declaring all Kekkei Genkai wielders the devils and the root of all wars, killing a whole Kekkei Genkai, from existence in one night, but many were able to take to hiding, with the Mizukage's Jinchuriki both Sanbi and Rokubi providing cover for the Kekkei Genkai wielders and the shinobi who disagreed with the Sandaime including some of the Seven Swordsmen, my spies were able to infiltrate Kiri as soon as they heard the disturbances there, and I'm pretty sure that we're the first to know of the civil war." Hiruzen was surprised, this was unlike the nature of Sandaime Mizukage to eliminate the most powerful source of their strength, though this may be since their Academy standards were far more brutal than theirs, that this may cause them to believe that they would manage without them, though it was highly unlikely and too far-fetched a proposition.
"Jiraiya, see if your spies can find out where the Kekkei Genkai wielders are currently hiding, but do just that. We will not be giving out aid unless they come to our village requesting so. The civil war is their problem, and I do not want our shinobi to shed unnecessary blood, I want you to keep track of them at all times. Jiraiya, you previously mentioned the Mizukage wiping out a whole Kekkei Genkai clan, which one?"
"The Kaguya clan, wielders of the Shikotsumyaku, were furious that the Mizukage would so easily declare them as devils when it was because of them and the other Kekkei Genkai wielders that Kiri survived and standing till today. They attacked Kiri's HQ in the middle of the night, spearheading the shinobi through sheer tenacity and bloodlust, but were cut down when the remaining loyal Seven Swordsmen entered the battle."
"Troublesome to say the least, but Jiraya just keep tabs on the situation and send back monthly reports and confer with Shikaku for advice. Other than that, what is the situation with the other villages?"
Jiraiya sighed, "It was as you predicted, Kumo is requesting a diplomatic meeting here in Konoha, they feel extremely threatened by how well we are faring from the Kyubi attack and would want to build up military strength. They might go for underhanded techniques just to gain an edge of sorts, so for the entirety of the meetings, I will remain present in Konoha. Iwa for now doesn't care, that old git Onoki has the same idea as you, tired from the constant wars, though they have tightened their borders, for now, it doesn't make a difference, they won't be a threat to Konoha in the coming years, though that may change if Onoki was to step down as Tsuchikage. There is a rumour that he too has taken an apprentice but I haven't found any concrete proof. Right now our ally Suna, is in a bit of trouble. Ever since we have shown and proven ourselves strong, the Wind Daimyo has been sending missions our way, as we provide them cheaper and are much more reliable, so with the lack of missions, and cut down of funding Suna may collapse, leaving us without an ally." Jiraiya was tired of how difficult it becomes to maintain peace with such small problems, jealousy, envy, greed and the need for revenge, though he would prefer that violence wouldn't be the key, having the same idealistic ideology as the Sandaime and Shodaime, he knew that sometimes brute force would be required and it may lead to conflict once more.
"I will ask our Daimyo to talk with theirs and I'll talk with Rasa, and improve our relations and if we play things right we may even help him with his Jinchuriki problem they are facing." Hiruzen mused and talked more to himself than to the others. "Any solution to our resident Uzumaki problem?"
"Unfortunately no, I couldn't find any Uzumaki, which is truly unfortunate, seeing that certain sacrifices will have to be made, otherwise Naruto will probably go made without releasing his stress in one way or the other," Jiraiya replied with a shake of his head.
"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but is this related to Naruto-Kun, and if so am I supposed to be worried about what you're saying?" Illumi interrupted, her stoic and stern tone only coming out when she was being protective over something or someone, a tone which Hiruzen recognized and pacified her.
"Nothing of the sort Illumi, I'll ease your worries in all due time, Naruto-Kun isn't in any trouble, rather he could possibly create trouble in the future, That is why we were searching for any Uzumaki hidden in the world, I'll explain once Jiraiya leaves."
"Old man, I'll be back by the time Kumo sends a diplomat, until then, handle things here. Gama Sennin out!" Jiraiya disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving a pondering Hiruzen and a worried Illumi.
"Sit down, this is going to be a long explanation, so it is better if we get comfortable," Hiruzen walked a small distance before sitting down, his old and weary bones creaking, and Illumi copying him. "Tell me, Illumi what do you know of the Uzumaki, everything you know, leave no detail out?"
"The Uzumaki clan is said to be strong enough the rival even the Senju and Uchiha clans, their bodies' resilience, and longevity giving them high chakra reserves and stamina, their Adamantine Chakra Chains proved to be successful holding down even the Kyubi, their unrivalled skill in Fuinjutsu, Kenjutsu and Wind and Water Release Ninjutsu made them a target to many villages and it was the reason why the Second Great Shinobi War ended quickly, with Iwa, Kumo, Kiri with a force of 10000 Shinobi including their respective Jinchuriki and many other notable S-Rank shinobi, to eliminate the Uzumaki, who held their ground and resisted for three days and three nights, killing their Jinchuriki and their army leaving only a dozen shinobi, at best, left from each village returning with victory but they were then killed by the Shinobi whom we dispatched led by Sakumo Hatake to aid Uzushiogakure," Illumi explained these facts ingrained within her head to remember the sacrifice that the Uzumaki gave to Konoha.
"Good, Illumi the Uzumaki Clan had enormous amounts of stamina, so much that they were always able to bounce back up from even the grievest of injuries, which made things a bit difficult to release or divert the stamina elsewhere, so the clan collectively even before the Hidden Villages were a thing, engaged in a polygamy relationship where a man married multiple Uzumaki women to satisfy both their needs, it was usually a ratio of one man to every two women, and their innate biology also dictated that their children matured quicker and enter puberty way before any of us, but with Naruto being both an Uzumaki and the Kyubi Jinchuriki, whose seal is designed in such a way giving Naruto a bit of chakra weekly increasing his chakra to massive levels, so we fear that he may snap if not given a proper outlet. And by my and Jiraiya's estimation, Naruto will be entering puberty soon, which is why we needed a Uzumaki who could satisfy him and he could satisfy her. But now without any Uzumaki, it was time to use the backup plan, finding active Kunoichi with both stamina and the libido to match him."
"Who have you shortlisted up till now, Hokage-Sama?" Illumi inquired curious about who had been chosen for Naruto-Kun and was extremely surprised to hear from the Hokage about the additional unknown facts about the Uzumaki Clan.
"Tsunade-Hime, Kimiko-Chan, Shizune-San, Anko-Chan, Alpha Platoon Commander Kitsune (OC Mika), Alpha Platoon Second-in-Command Neko, Kurenai-San, Mirai-Chan (Fem Asuma), our spy within Root Hinoto, Shisui-San and…you."
"Those are a lot of Kunoichi, Hokage-Sama, maybe Tsunade-Sama could be able to handle Naruto-Kun, you have even shortlisted one of your daughters as well, having so many powerful Kunoichi being married to Naruto-Kun would for a while reduce our military strength, but with Tsunade, having Uzumaki blood within her, even if diluted, she should be more than capable enough-" Illumi stopped when Hiruzen raised his hand motioning her to be quiet.
"I have my reasons why I have chosen everybody on this list, but if you feel uncomfortable I will remove your name from the list, and you will not be dragged or held down as you may be thinking."
"No, Hokage-Sama, I will still fulfil my duty, but in the end, it really doesn't depend on me but on Naruto-Kun, if he sets his sight on me, then I will gladly become his wife, but if not, then so be it." Illumi laid down the facts, with nothing more than a hint of amusement, "The bigger trouble would be the problem of how to convince my girlfriend, Izumi if such a thing were ever to happen."
"Ah, to be young."
….
Somewhere In The Newly Christened Land of Sound
Orochimaru was pacing his laboratory, impatiently waiting for his spy to come back with the much-needed information he so desperately needed if he was to fulfil his ambition, being so close yet so far, the flag of victory waving in front of him, so tantalisingly, he would go mad, but fortunately, Kabuto did arrive with great news.
He wanted to learn about the secrets of Ninjutsu and to do that he required a Uchiha, but not just any Uchiha, a Uchiha strong enough to handle the strain of his soul transferring to the body, in the few experiments he was able to test, the body broke down immediately after transference, making it useless for him, but instead, he was now going for a different route, instead of taking over an Uchiha body, why not simply give himself their coveted eyes, by simply making his body strong enough to handle the strain but to do that he did need fresh Uchiha DNA, which had become increasingly difficult to procure even for Kabuto ever since the senile Monkey tightened his grip on Konoha.
He had also heard of a clan, rivalling the Uchiha in Genjutsu, and was rumoured that the clan was currently residing in the Land of Hot Water, exiled within Hell Valley, and he wanted to see if he could use their DNA, splice it and mutate the Sharingan with it, hoping that the result might gain him eyes comparable to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
He had plenty of spare eyes, but he couldn't just carelessly use them as he needed them for the end product, which Danzo provided for his research before his demise, and he was waiting upon Kabuto to bring him either DNA samples of the Clan or a living test subject.
Even if combining the two DNAs doesn't work, and Kabuto does bring back a live member of the Chinoike clan, he would regardless still gain a new, and potentially powerful member for Oto, and would go back to Plan A, attempting to gain an Uchiha weak enough to subdue and strong enough to transfer, and for that his Juinjutsu would be extremely helpful.
He already had just in-case bodies to transfer his soul into until he finds an Uchiha capable but would only be a last resort; a young girl possessing the Shoton Kekkei Genkai, and a female Kaguya possessing the rare Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, Orochimaru would train them alongside Kabuto to become strong enough to handle his curse mark, afterwards, he would leave them at their wishes to train however they want without interfering with their missions.
The door to his office opened and in entered his loyal servant and spy Kabuto, with a scroll in one hand and the hand of a little girl in the other, who seemed terrified of the place and especially of him, whose yellow snake eyes positively dripping with malice, hiding behind Kabuto.
"Kabuto, tell me who is this girl, you've brought with you, and have you brought what I asked?" Kabuto genially smiled, dragged the girl from behind her back, gave her the scroll in her hands and pushed her towards her new Master.
"This here little girl is the heiress to the Chinoike Clan, and the scroll in her hand contains her Clan's Jutsu and members of her Clan's DNA, those who awakened their Kekkei Genkai and those who had not, I had acquired her from another member of her clan who couldn't keep her having no resources to do after their clan cut each other down. Her name is Chino." By now, the girl, Chino had come closer to Orochimaru and kneeled in fear, shivering when his cold hands rested on her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eyes, freezing her in place.
"Excellently done Kabuto, you have pleased me greatly, with the addition of this girl, who will be under your care, we are now closer than ever to my ultimate goal.
….
In Kumogakure
A fist slammed on the table, the pieces flying everywhere, the shinobi and kunoichi in front were unperturbed by the act of violence and instead dusted off the pieces stuck to their clothes.
"This is unacceptable! How is it that now not even our best spies can infiltrate Konoha? We must always be a step ahead, and if they are gearing up for war as I suspect, we must know everything about it; their standing army, reserves, their defences, and border patrol. Before, we had some semblance of an idea, but now we will be going in blind, and that is unacceptable." The fiery and impulsive Yondaime Raikage of the Village Hidden in the Clouds, was the embodiment of the expression, 'If looks can kill' and the recipients were his ever-loyal shinobi and kunoichi of the village, "In just a year, our ears in Konoha have disappeared, the border tightened and even more missions being sent to them, their success binding them as one of the greatest Hidden Village, where it should have been us. Tell me, what do you have to say for yourself?"
The group in front of him were rather nonchalant about the situation, and the Kunoichi in the middle, the de-facto leader of the group stepped forward a beautiful silver-haired, dark-skinned Kunoichi, wearing the standard Kunoichi Kumo wear, but with a twist, her neckline plunging way below the norm, boldly showing her cleavage, doing wonders when sent for negotiations, her striking blue eyes captivating each sex, is also said to be the most beautiful Kunoichi in Kumo, but more famously and well-known as the Raikage's newest assistant, and more often than not, the Raikage's advisor.
"A-Sama, don't you think you are being too harsh on them? Infiltration takes time and patience, and we cannot risk Konoha's ire as we haven't yet recovered from the losses from the war, and Konoha has already bounced back, even after the war, and the Kyubi's attack on the village. The Hokage has taken to the stricter ruling, and with him taking on an apprentice, we can deduce that the apprentice and most likely Hokage candidate won't be a pushover. Just give us more time, I will personally see through for the success of the operation." Mabui argued.
"Hmph, fine, I'll hold you to it, and if it fails, it will be your job on the line." Seeing a nod, he continued, "But we must prepare, tighten our borders and D, get our Shinobi up to shape, I will not have them fall behind Konoha's, and besides it is high time, I take on an apprentice, and I know just who to pick."
….
In Iwagakure
"Oi, Ji-Chan, why do you look so down? Are the old geezers annoying you again?"
"They have nothing better to do with their time, other than annoy me. In a nutshell, they feel threatened by Konoha's limelight into power, and of course, they pester me to declare war on them, the fools they are the lot-AHH, my back. 'Crrk'. As I was saying, the advisors are fools and this will only bring more trouble than it warrants, but since they are a respected group in the village, so I had to pacify them somehow." The short Kage of the Village Hidden in the Rocks floated down to his chair, "Their demands are easy to fulfil; tighten borders and increase the level of the academy, which is practically pointless, both civilian and shinobi-born students can barely handle the level they are on, increasing it, would only weaken us in the long run."
"Ji-Chan, why don't you replace them with younger people, you know, the kind not so set upon unnecessary war and destruction?" The young naïve girl questioned her aged grandfather.
"It is not so simple Kurotsuchi. They are very well respected and wise, and at times it is their wisdom that helped Iwa to remain as strong as we are today. But that set aside isn't it time for your training, I wish to see if you have finally manifested your Kekkei Genkai, or even better, Kekkei Tota, after I gave you those simple exercises to complete, which I do expect you to have done so, by now." The Tsuchikage did not miss the panic which spread through his granddaughter, shaking his head in disappointment, as he led her out to the training grounds.
….
Somewhere in Uzushiogakure
"Tell me 'Tide 1', is our son safe in Konoha, I want to know every detail of his life?" A feminine voice spoke out, hidden in the shadows, another figure sitting on her lap, her purple eyes staring deep into the soul of the Anbu squad that she had sent to keep tabs on her son.
"Naruto Uzumaki is faring well, he is healthy and looked after by many people in his life like Hitomi Hyuga who had recently adopted Naruto, alongside three young girls who seemed to have formed a bond with him. We have also spied upon the young heir's secret training schedule, and it is very intensive..." From here the Anbu speaking began with every detail he had recorded, from the day his squad was sent six years ago to watch over him, a great honour to be given. His friendship with the Uchihas, the Hyugas, the girls who were smitten with him, his meeting with the Taki Kunoichis and what subsequently happened.
"Amazing, how much our Naruto-Kun has grown isn't it wonderful, already has become so strong and independent, I must remind myself to get something nice for Hitomi-Chan and Mikoto-Chan, they have done so well in keeping their promise. Hmmm, but these Taki Kunoichi may pose a problem, and while standard procedure would be to execute them, in case they were spies and if what you report is true, Naruto-Kun just gained his first couple of spies. 'Tide 2' report on the situation in Kiri, has our proposal to give them asylum delivered to them?"
"The situation is becoming increasingly worse with each day, with the Shinobi remaining loyal to the Mizukage becoming increasingly arrogant and entitled, breaking into houses, force checking for any 'devil people' even going as far as raping civilians who cannot fight back. We met the leader of the Resistance Mei Terumi, her Second-in-Command, Ameyuri Ringo, Mangetsu Hozuki and Zabuza Momochi the three remaining Swordsmen of the Mist not loyal to Kiri, and they were grateful for our help and agreed upon the given terms; the Resistance as a whole will migrate from Kiri and have Uzushiogakure as their base of operations, they will be allowed to use our facilities, and their children will be allowed to join our academy, their Kekkei Genkai clans who wish to permanently move here and be involved with any of the fightings will be given a separate place to settle their clans, and our second objective to subtly manipulate to fight behind our banner and not theirs has been successful but will take time for them to truly be part of our forces. The Genjutsu Fuins have been placed around their assigned dwellings so an estimated time of a year at most, and a whole slew of Kekkei Genkai will be Uzu's." The squad captain of 'Tide 2' informed the shadow.
"Excellent, I had also given you another task to complete, have you found any worthy of my son?" Kushina inquired, wanting nothing more than the world for her son, even if it meant at the cost of the others.
"Hai, we made a list for you to go through at your leisure and each of the twelve has what we seek; strong in body, strong in mind, large chakra reserves and stamina and the potential to maybe become worthy of our prince, but only you will be able to decide."
"Excellent, you have done well, take a week off. Soon my plan will come to fruition and the world will know to never mess with an Uzumaki. I'm going to take a break and inform my secretary that I'm not to be disturbed for the next two hours."
"It will be done."
"Our son is going to live life to the fullest if we have any say in the matter, won't we Minako-Chan."
Author's Note
So, review and tell me, how you felt about this chapter, hopefully, you liked my OC, and yes, she will be part of the harem. And what about the changes in this AU; Konoha slowly pushing its way towards the top, Kumo being Kumo, Iwa taking a more pacifist route than what I remember in Canon, and Kiri enveloped in Civil War.
And of course, how can I forget about the big reveal? Uzushiogakure will now play a more prominent role in the story, and the plot twist at the end, hopefully, surprised you guys. Oh, and please feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I'll do my best to ease any queries you have.
Reviews
dreadix: For points 1 and 2, I took the creative liberty and applied it to the story, it won't follow canon where those points may be true, with Minato being a civilian and bloodlines not boosting an element, which is debatable if you look towards the Uchiha Clan, who were majorly famous for their skill in Fire Release Ninjutsu, and for point 3, I'll keep it in mind to explain and drag out certain areas, if that is what you are trying to say. And sorry you were disappointed, hope my future stories will be more towards your liking.
Amerikhan786: I was going to do that anyway, but it is for many chapters later.
NinjaFang1331: Thanks.
And just like before I'm going to take a break from writing, where before it was because of my exams, this time, personal issues in my life are baring their figurative fangs and it may be a month or so before I upload again.