Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
The hours following the attempt on Tayuya's life had been just as chaotic as could have been expected. The elders demanded the meeting be held as soon as possible, completely disregarding the late hour and the emotional state of one of the clan heads. It was rude to say the least, and absolutely unnecessary. Had Naruto not been in the village, Tsunade would have been able to postpone the whole event until it suited everyone. Unfortunately, neither the elders, Danzō, nor some of the clan heads, wanted to miss the chance of having Naruto present at the meeting.
Naturally, the Hokage was suspicious of the efforts being put into assuring the boys attendance of a clan meeting, especially since he had not stepped foot inside the village for over thirteen years. By all accounts, he would have little to no idea as to how the village ran, what issues it was facing, and his political power was next to nothing. His presence at such a meeting was pointless, save for the possibility of one of the other clans proposing a union of some sorts. As the rightful heir to the Uzumaki clan, as well as the son of the fourth Hokage, Naruto was considered an invaluable resource in the quest of empowering a clan.
Tsunade figured that Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan, would be the quickest to offer such a union. The man, while seemingly harsh and cold towards anyone and anything that didn't offer a chance of strengthening his clan, was slightly misunderstood. Still, that wouldn't stop him from offering his eldest to Naruto. Despite the Hyuuga's reputation and their famously sought after Dōjutsu, they were not a clan prone to having large chakra reserves, leaving them somewhat weak in comparisons to other clans. Any children Naruto would have with a Hyuuga could quite possibly fix that, and so it stood to reason that Hiashi would try his best to secure the Uzumaki.
The same could be said about the other clan heads, but few of them had female heirs to offer as the Hyuuga did. None would risk offering Naruto a mere relative of the clan's main family, lest it be seen as an insult. That only left the Yamanaka and Inuzuka clans as possible challengers to the Hyuuga. But now, with Tayuya being more or less a living Uzumaki, more unsavoury opportunities would no doubt be revealed. Those with male heirs could demand the girl be used to bolster Konoha's clans, the elders could demand she be used to rebuild the lost clan, or worse, everyone could demand she be used for both purposes.
The Hokage had seen some messed up things during her lifetime, which she hated to admit was rather lengthy. That being said though, she wasn't quite prepared to see an entire village use a girl as nothing more than a simple baby maker. Such things had been attempted in the past, most notably by Kumogakure, and the results were never pretty. If Tsunade wished to see the girl suffer in agony over and over again until her mind broke, then she would have gladly caved her skull in upon learning of her condition. Luckily for Tayuya, Tsunade was prepared to make sure such horrors never manifested themselves into Konoha's history.
"So… when is this meeting supposed to start?"
Tsunade looked up from her desk and stared at Naruto in surprise. "Naruto, uh, sorry, I didn't hear you come in"
Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "I snuck in while you were busy overthinking"
"Oh" she replied in annoyance. "Well, the meeting is being forced upon all of us at the moment. The elders are pulling every string available to them to make sure it goes through. They have even gone so far as to say it is of utmost importance to the peace and longevity of the village"
"Because that doesn't sound unconvincing at all," the teen said sarcastically.
"Whether it's convincing or not, we are still required to attend in case it truly is as important as they are alluding it to be. One of the few downsides to being a part of the politics in this village I suppose" Tsunade grumbled.
Naruto snarled. "Why can't I go back to being dead here?" he asked. "I do not have time to be harassed by a bunch of old people just because my parents were cooler than they are"
Tsunade snickered at the comment. "Unfortunately, you are too important to simply leave as dead, especially since you're alive in the first place. So long as you are in Konoha, you are regarded as the clan head of the Uzumaki, as well as Minato's son, which pretty much guarantees that at least someone is going to want you there" she explained.
"This is why I like Kiri. No one forces anyone to do anything out of fear of getting killed" he shook his head of those thoughts. "Anyway, what can I expect in this meeting, other than people tiptoeing around me like I'm glass?" he asked.
"I doubt they will be doing that," Tsunade said. "Chances are they will be more forceful in their attempts to keep you here. That aside though, the Hyuuga, and Yamanaka clans might offer a marriage proposal between you and the heirs; I struggle to imagine that the Inuzuka will attempt such a thing, but be prepared for it anyway. Though I fear that there will be more prominent things to be concerned about after I reveal that girl's condition"
Naruto grunted. "That'll be a shitstorm and a half," he muttered.
Tsunade nodded. "I hope for both yours and her sake that you have prepared to deal with this issue. If you aren't able to secure her safety, if that is even your intention, then I will be forced to resort to more… unfortunate methods. Needless to say, I don't intend to let anyone in this village use her for the purposes they will be wanting to, even if I have to kill her myself"
"I wouldn't worry about it. She has already been dealt with. No matter what anyone tries, they won't get a hold of her… for the moment anyway," Naruto said. "Her name is Tayuya by the way. One of Orochimaru's personal guard apparently, if my sources are anything to go by. Just thought you might want to know. Could be good leverage in ordering her to be executed instead of kept"
The Hokage sighed deeply. "I guess we will just have to wait and see how things go"
The office door opened suddenly and the two looked curiously towards the woman that entered. The woman, in return, gave Naruto a wary and unsure expression.
"Ah, Shizune. I suppose that everything is ready to begin then?" Tsunade asked.
Shizune nodded. "Yes, lady Tsunade. The meeting room has been prepared and many of the clan heads are already present. They are waiting on you to begin," she said politely. "But if this meeting is important, I'm sure I can tell them that you are delayed" she added, gesturing to Naruto.
Tsunade shook her head. "No, I'd rather get this over with sooner rather than later" she said, standing up and walking to the door. "Come on, Naruto. Let's go"
"You sure you don't want a drink before we go in?" the boy asked.
"Hah! No way" the blonde exclaimed. "I've been sober for nearly four years now. I'm not going to put an end to the one winning streak I've ever had just because of a meeting"
Naruto shrugged. "Suit yourself"
The trio left the room and Shizune guided them through the hallways of the Hokage tower until they happened upon a rather isolated room. Naruto could tell that the room was built with either really thick walls, or especially thin walls with spaces in-between for shinobi to hide and spy on meetings being held within. It was either a room built with the intention of perfect safety of vital information, or a decoy room to learn secrets from others or spread false secrets. Judging by the chakra he could sense in the walls though, Naruto guess that it was also used to make sure the occupants were never far away from their guards when dealing with an outsider.
It was just unlucky that he was the outsider in this situation.
Shizune opened the door and ushered the two inside before closing it behind them. Tsunade made some hand seals and placed her hand on the door, a complex array of seals woven throughout the room activating and making the door merge with the walls, seemingly ceasing to exist. The room didn't have any windows, and with the shinobi all positioned throughout the walls it was unlikely that there was any conceivable way to get out without a fight. Naruto was almost annoyed that he didn't suspect an actual trap until he was already in the middle of it.
Glancing at Tsunade, he could see that she was tense and agitated, her eyes glaring holes into the heads of the two elders and Danzō. The three in question simply sat at the table with the ever-present smug attitude that seemed to emanate from almost anyone with political power. Naruto felt confident in his assumption that they had gone ahead and orchestrated the trap without Tsunade's permission or knowledge. Despite her stubbornness, Tsunade wasn't quite brazen enough to try and hold him against his will in a room full of the most important people in the village.
'Are they stupid or just ignorant?' he questioned to himself.
Looking around, Naruto was actually somewhat pleased with the layout of the room. He had been expecting something more grandiose given that the elders were present, but it was actually rather humble. The room was blank and appropriately lit up, a large and simple table placed in the centre of it for the clan heads, elders, and the Hokage to sit at. No one was singled out as special except for Tsunade herself, who had one end of the table all to her own.
The elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, sat on opposite sides of Danzō Shimura; the three of them positioned together on one side of the table directly to Tsunade's left. The rest of the table was occupied by the clan heads. On the opposite side of the elders sat Inoichi Yamanaka, Chōza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, and strangely enough, Kakashi Hatake, all filling up one side of the table with the odd addition of Shikamaru standing behind his father. The remaining spots on the other side were taken by Hiashi Hyuuga and Asuma Sarutobi, leaving a chair next to the latter intended for Naruto. Deciding to do as he always had and go against the norm or expected, he grabbed the chair and placed it at the end of the table opposite of Tsunade and sat down, ignoring the glares and amused expression of the others at the table.
"Well then, since we're all here now, why don't we begin" Tsunade said irritably. "For one, I would like to know just what was so important that this meeting couldn't wait until tomorrow"
"Perhaps it would be best if the young one be excused from this meeting," Koharu said, looking at Shikamaru.
"The boy is to remain by his father's side under my order. He has become privileged to an S-rank secret recently and I could not risk him leaking such information until well after this meeting is over" the Hokage explained. "Not that I really expect anything from this meeting to stay a secret" she muttered bitterly.
"Very well then" Homura said, clearing his throat. "This clan meeting was called in regards to the sudden return of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki"
"You know I'm sitting right here, right? And I do have a name" Naruto interrupted.
Homura ignored him. "We are wishing to know to what extent his return is. If he intends to stay, there are many things that must be done to accommodate him properly," he said.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I am not the one to be asking, elder Homura. If you wish to know his intentions, then perhaps it would be best to ask Naruto himself," she said. "And I do so hope that this was not the only reason that this meeting was called. There are far more important things that we could be devoting our time to, such as the mourning of our recently lost shinobi and organising their burials"
She saw Chōza flinch at her words, and although she didn't like using death as an excuse, she didn't have many other options at the moment.
"Before things go any further, I think we need to agree upon just how we are going to refer to young Naruto here," Tsume said. "I for one am not comfortable with him being referred to simply as 'the jinchuuriki'. It is disrespectful, not only to the boy, but also to his parents, and I will not stand for it"
"I'm in agreement. The Yondaime would not have allowed such a title be used over the name he gave his son" Shibi agreed, turning to look at Naruto from behind his shaded glasses. "Do you have any preferences as to what you want us to refer to you as?"
Naruto shrugged. "I don't really know any of you, so it doesn't matter much to me. Definitely a no go on 'the jinchuuriki' though. That gets really old real fast. I definitely don't want to be referred to as lord Namikaze either, or even lord Uzumaki for that matter. Not my style"
As he had been talking, Naruto noticed that Shikamaru had paled drastically, more so than he had when he had sensed his chakra. At this point, the poor kid was staring at Naruto with a terrified expression.
Grinning slightly, he looked straight at the boy, causing him to inhale sharply. "You feeling okay kid? You look about ready to drop dead," Naruto said.
Shikamaru stared back at him fearfully. "You're… you're Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze" he said shakily. "Son of Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, the previous jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Heir to the Uzumaki clan and current jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, as well as an A-rank shinobi listed in the bingo books of Iwa, Kumo, Kiri, Konoha, and several smaller villages" he listed off robotically.
Naruto gawked slightly at the boy before turning to look at Tsunade questioningly. "Did they focus a lot on me in history class, or is he just a special fan?"
Tsunade smirked. "I may have changed the curriculum to acknowledge more of Konoha's history. You and Itachi are prime examples of the new additions to the history class. As it is, everyone in the village is now aware of who and what you are," she said. "Of course, there may have been a little meddling on my part. But it worked out for the best"
"Naruto, if you don't mind my asking, what is the punishment you intend to inflict upon my son?" Shikaku asked in a serious tone, getting odd looks from everyone.
"Shikaku, what is this about?" Koharu asked.
The Nara sighed, looking to Tsunade for permission to explain. The Hokage nodded an okay and the man turned back to the assembled group. "Earlier this evening, my son, in a blind rage, attempted to kill a girl that he identified as one of the shinobi that assisted in Sasuke Uchiha's escape from the village. Naruto intervened, resulting in his being stabbed by my son's hand, and while I can see that the injury was not serious, I still do not expect for such an act to be ignored"
"Huh, so that's why I had blood on my shirt" Naruto said thoughtfully.
Everyone deadpanned at him.
"You forget that someone stabbed you?" Tsume asked in disbelief.
"Do you by chance suffer from a mental illness? Perhaps I could be of some help," Inoichi offered.
Naruto's eye twitched. "Okay, first, I didn't forget about it, I just ignored that it happened in the first place. Seriously, I've been stabbed so many times that it might as well be a form of friendly greeting by this point… Actually, now that I think about it, I'm sure I know someone who does that" he said, earning worried and slightly guilty looks from the clan heads. "As for the mental illness, I don't think so, but I would have to decline the offer anyway. Sorry to say, but I don't trust people who can mess with my mind… not after last time"
The last part made the clan heads flinch, especially Inoichi. Koharu 'humph'd' and turned her nose up at the boy while Homura had the decency to at least look down. Danzō was the only one who didn't react in any way. Even Shibi tensed up ever so slightly at the comment. Tsunade took the time to curse her late sensei's efforts to cover up Naruto's existence. The Sandaime had really gone to excessive lengths to make sure that no word of Minato's son being alive got out of the village.
It was one thing to label the boy as dead, it was another to make laws forbidding anyone from speaking about his identity, but going so far as to have a Yamanaka construct a false childhood for Naruto so that he himself wouldn't reveal anything… it was nearly barbaric. Still, Tsunade couldn't exactly fault her sensei. He was stressed and overworked at the time. The village was weakened considerably by the Kyuubi's attack, more than a few of their stronger shinobi perished in the event. Had Iwa, or even Kumo, gotten hold of information regarding their weakness, then it was likely that Konoha would have fallen to either of the two. The Sandaime had worked tirelessly to ensure, not only the safety of Naruto, but also of the village as a whole.
It just didn't help that his efforts were stretched so thin at the time.
Inoichi nodded his head in understanding. "I can respect that. However, should you ever require the services of my clan, please feel free to request them. Even if you are not a shinobi or citizen of Konoha, I feel that owe you a great debt for the misery I allowed you to be put through," he said.
The man's teammates, Chōza and Shikaku, understood the Yamanaka's meaning more than most did. Very few people had ever laid eyes on the end result of a failed mind altering jutsu, and it was probably for the best. If the mind wasn't completely shattered from its inner struggles with itself, then the person effected usually wound up killing themselves anyway, not being able to distinguish memory from carefully constructed lie. It was an unpleasant, if not mentally torturous experience. And yet, Naruto had come out of it relatively unscathed, much to everyone's surprise. Of course, it had lead almost directly to his leaving the village, so in a way, it wasn't a good outcome anyway.
"I'll keep that in mind," Naruto said, turning to look at Shikaku. "As for the stabbing incident. I wouldn't worry too much about it. So long as Shikamaru doesn't do it again, I won't have any reason to kill him. Besides…" the teen observed the Akimichi clan head keenly. "If I found the one that killed my friend, I would probably try to kill her too"
Chōza barely even flinched. "So, you found the one that killed my son?" he asked softly, looking straight at Naruto. "What exactly do you plan on doing with her?"
Naruto matched man's stare. "My plans for the girl are relevant to the outcome of this meeting," he said. "When I brought her here, I had Tsunade run medical checks. The results were interesting. The girl, Tayuya of the north gate, one of Orochimaru's personal guard, not only possesses an unknown and strange Kekkei Genkai of sorts, but is also of great importance to my clan" he explained.
Danzō was unsurprisingly the first to speak up in light of the new information. "What kind of Kekkei Genkai does the girl possess? Perhaps it could be better utilised within our own forces," he said, the well-oiled gears of war turning within his mind.
Tsunade decided to add her input to the conversation. "The Kekkei Genkai itself is somewhat unremarkable. As far as I could tell, it only gives the girl's body a greatly heightened ability to accept transplanted tissue alongside notable regenerative capabilities. In the end, such a bloodline, if it is even hereditary, would be useless unless we wished to transplant differing Dōjutsu into a single shinobi. The Uchiha are all but gone now, and the Hyuuga have gone to great lengths in the past to ensure their family Dōjutsu is kept within the family. I doubt we could use the girls Kekkei Genkai in any way that counts," she explained.
"Then why bring it up?" Shibi asked. "Surely it holds some form of relevance to this meeting"
Shikaku hummed thoughtfully. "Naruto already stated that the girl is of importance to his clan," he said. "The Kekkei Genkai seems eerily similar to the supposed unnatural vitality of the Uzumaki clan, so I assume that she belongs to your clan"
Everyone perked up at that statement.
"Unfortunately, she isn't an Uzumaki" Naruto said bluntly, wiping the hopeful expression of the elders off of their faces. "But her Kekkei Genkai has resulted in something close enough to not be ignored"
"Indeed" Tsunade said. "It seems that Orochimaru transplanted multiple organs from an unknown Uzumaki source. Her body has adopted the organs perfectly, including an entirely transplanted reproductive system. Technically speaking, this leaves the girl as one of the last remaining people capable of reviving the Uzumaki clan"
"So what?" Asuma asked irritably. "She killed one of our shinobi and aided in the escape of another. I am not prepared to let someone walk free from their crimes simply because they have a connection to an important clan. My father would not have stood for this kind of blatant favouritism"
Tsume snorted. "We're shinobi Asuma. She followed her orders and our shinobi did the same. It's pointless calling it a crime. As for favouritism, just look at the Uchiha. Orochimaru put a curse mark on the brat and we allowed him to continue with the chunin exams simply because he was too prideful to back down. Look how that all turned out. Now we've lost the last Uchiha, and he's gone running off to the snake bastard"
"I do not think we should be hasty in putting such a potentially valuable asset to death," Hiashi said coolly. "The Uzumaki clan was renowned for a reason. It would be foolish to allow such a clan to die out because of mere vengeance"
"If you're implying we use her as breeding stock, Hyuuga, then you had better prep your ass for one hell of a beat down," Tsume growled angrily.
The Hyuuga simply looked at the wild looking woman emotionlessly. "I don't see what your issues with it are. Does your clan not use similar tactics with its dogs? Hypocrisy is not something you should succumb to as a clan head if you intend to get far"
Tsume slammed her hands down on the table. "Don't you fucking dare use that against my clan you inbreeding shitstain! At least we respect our dogs as partners instead of segregating them and treating them no better than servants like your clan do to your own family!" she yelled angrily.
"Everyone shut up!" surprisingly enough, it was Chōza who yelled this time. "No one is going to use my son's killer in that way. I will not let it go down in history that my son was slain by a girl that we later broke and whored out just to revive a clan"
"Then what do you propose we do with her?" Koharu inquired.
"Perhaps we could have her redeem herself," Shikaku suggested. "If possible, she could be persuaded to turn on Orochimaru, giving us a common enemy. At that point, her services would be to our benefit. Giving her the choice of restarting the clan could also be an option, but I agree that it should not be something forced upon her"
Homura grunted. "The girl is not needed for the clan's revival," he stated. "We already have an Uzumaki, a strong one at that. Naruto's lineage is not something we should overlook just because a new option has made itself available"
A perverted giggle silenced the room as everyone turned and stared at Kakashi with displeasure.
Tsunade's eye twitched slightly. "Care to add anything to the meeting, Kakashi?" she asked.
The cycloptic jonin's gaze never left the pages of his small colourful book. "Hmm, not particularly. You all seem to be getting everything done without me, like usual," he said flippantly.
The inevitable outburst at the man's attitude and careless disregard for the meeting were put on hold as the sound of frantic banging echoed through the room. The seals keeping the room locked down and private were activated, making the door reappear, only for it to be thrown open. A shocked and dishevelled looking Shizune entered, her breathing heavy and her clothes covered in blood.
"Lady Tsunade. There's been an incident," she said frantically.
Tsunade was by the woman's side in a heartbeat. "Shizune! What happened?"
"There was an explosion from one of the rooms. When we went to investigate, all we could find was blood. Whatever the explosion was, it liquefied everything else in the room," Shizune explained.
"What room was it?" Tsunade asked, a sinking feeling forming in her stomach as she guessed what the woman's answer would be.
"The one you put that girl in"
Naruto chuckled. "Well, I guess that cat's out of the bag" he said, standing up and stretching his back. "I suppose someone was a little too eager to get their hands on Tayuya for their own purposes. Oh well, not much any of us can do about that"
"Naruto! What is the meaning of this?" Koharu demanded.
"This is something I set up as a backup plan," the teen answered. "You see, while most of you seem nice enough, I simply don't trust any of you. I barely trust Tsunade, and she has stood by me the entire time I have been back here. So, before coming here, I whipped up a little, uh, let's call it a counter-trap"
"You attacked the hospital?" Shikaku asked in surprise.
Naruto frowned. "I'm cornered, not psychopathic," he drawled. "You'll find that the damage to the hospital is restricted to the room that Tayuya was being held in. A little surprise gift for the first people to try and take her. Don't worry though; she isn't dead, simply moved to a safer location"
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Koharu asked, glaring at the jinchuuriki.
"The real question is, do any of you realise what you've done?" Naruto retorted, earning strange looks from all present in the room. "Let me explain something to you all. Not only have at least one of you attempted to kidnap someone who I have openly protected mere hours ago, but some of you had the smart idea of locking me in a room full of the most powerful and influential people in Konoha. Of course, there are also numerous ANBU surrounding this room just in case, but the point has been made quite clear. This is your way of trapping me here"
Many of the clan heads sent disapproving looks towards the elders and Danzō.
"The hospital is of no concern," Danzō said emotionlessly. "You yourself have said that the damage was contained. Whatever leverage you might have gained from such a thing is now lost, and we have you surrounded"
"What the hell do you three think you're doing?!" Tsunade yelled. "You do not have the right to go around my authority and take actions like this"
"We act for the betterment of this village," Koharu said. "Since you are too unwilling to use the force required, we are doing so for you. The jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi belongs to Konoha, and it will stay here, whether he wishes to or not"
"That is not how this system works!" Asuma shouted. "My father saw to it that Naruto was allowed to leave this village peacefully, without the interference of anyone else in the village. I won't let you ruin his good intentions just because you're too stubborn to give up a weapon!"
"The village needs the jinchuuriki" Hiashi stated calmly. "With the blow that was dealt during the chunin exams, it was made explicitly clear how vulnerable we are to the might of a Bijuu. Without our own jinchuuriki, we cannot defend ourselves from the other villages. I for one will not put my clans Dōjutsu at risk of being stolen by Kumo when we could easily have a deterrent"
Tsume growled. "I will not be a part of this. It was one thing to disrespect and disobey the Yondaime's final wishes for the intention of keeping everyone, including Naruto, safe. This… this is not for safety. This is you being greedy. The thought of the other villages actually being stronger than Konoha gets on your nerves"
"Tsume is right. There is no legitimate reasoning for this. If anything, acting out against the Hokage and forcing the son of the Yondaime to stay here against his will, will only earn the ire of the villagers. The shinobi will not like it and our allies might even take offense," Inoichi said.
"We will lose more than we could possibly gain" Shikaku surmised.
"I surrender myself," Naruto said casually.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…What?" Koharu asked disbelievingly.
Naruto smirked. "I surrender myself," he repeated.
"You can't be serious, Naruto" Tsunade said.
"Oh, I'm serious. Putting up a fight at this point would be pointless. I know I can't defeat all of you, and I definitely can't escape the village even if I managed it. That aside though, I have no intentions of killing any one of you," the teen explained. "For the most part, the majority of you aren't bad people; you're just stuck on the unlucky end of the stick. I don't generally take to killing innocent people without a really good incentive, and I'm holding true to that moral code"
"So you'd prefer to be taken captive by the village, locked up until we have use of you as nothing more than a trained beast?" Tsume asked, her tone conveying her disgust at the thought.
Naruto's smirk immediately turned into a grin. Everyone was confused, but Tsunade was almost instantly on edge. The entire time that Naruto had been in the village, he had kept a mature coolness about him, an aura of calm and collectedness that she had mistaken for an emotional façade. She had assumed that his attitude was due to his life as a relatively well-known mercenary. Many in that profession became steeled and calculative with their emotions to avoid any excessive stress or guilt. But those same people were also notorious for making sick and twisted games out of bad situations, such as fights, or in this case, being cornered like an animal.
"Naruto… what have you done?" she asked hesitantly.
The boy continued to grin as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "Who here can tell me what this is?" he asked in a slightly goofy tone, displaying the seals printed on either side of the paper.
"It looks like an exploding tag, but the seal is wrong," Asuma answered.
"Yes and no" Naruto said. "This is an Uzumaki exploding tag seal. I stumbled upon it once when I was experimenting with Fūinjutsu. It's highly volatile, extremely powerful, and comes in several variants. You've already seen the results of one version of this go off in the hospital, and it was a rather small one at that too. The one in my hand here is strong enough to take this floor of the building out in one go, all of us going with it"
"Oh, so it's a suicidal live or die sort of deal. That's interesting," Tsume said.
Naruto shook his head. "Not really. It's more of a hostage situation. You see, I had quite a bit of time to explore this village while I waited for Tsunade to finish conducting the tests on Tayuya. During my wandering around, I inscribed several of these on various items all around the village. Considering that this simple paper based tag can take out a good part of this building, and the power of these seals is directly proportional to the mass of the item they are inscribed on, would anyone like to hazard a guess as to how big of an explosion would come from a brick, or perhaps a tree"
Everyone paled slightly.
"You're bluffing. You have to be. Even you wouldn't go so far as to destroy your home village," Homura said nervously.
"Honestly, I wish this was a bluff. I already said I don't like killing innocents, and this village is full of them. Simple people going about their normal lives. Families, loved ones, men, women, children, none of whom deserve to die" Naruto said softly before levelling a cold stare on the rooms occupants. "But I can, and I will, kill all of them. And before you start calling me a monster, I have to remind you that this is of your own doing. You lured me here, you cornered me, backed me up against the wall with the intention of trapping me. As the old saying goes, 'an animal is most dangerous when it is cornered or wounded'"
The boy's words had everyone shiver. His cold uncaring tone was enough to convince them that he would definitely go through with it. The slaughtering of thousands didn't even seem to really bother him. Even Danzō was hesitant to attempt anything. A jinchuuriki was valuable, but not worth enough to jeopardise the strength and safety of the village. As soon as the reality of the situation sunk into everyone's head, they all calmed down considerably.
"So then… what is it you want?" Danzō asked.
"Honestly, there is nothing this village has that I want. Sure, I could demand a ridiculous sum of money, but I already have a good enough amount as it is. No point in having more than I need" he rambled thoughtfully. "What I really want, is to walk out of this village with no consequences, just as I did thirteen years ago"
The clan heads all looked at each other. "Deal" they said in unison.
"Hold on a minute" Koharu interjected. "Are we really going to allow our own jinchuuriki to hold this village at ransom and then let him walk out?"
"Yes, we are" Tsunade said sternly, glaring at the older woman. "This mess could have been completely avoided had you not been so convinced that Naruto was our jinchuuriki. My sensei allowed him to be free of this village, and since that was a decision made by the Hokage at the time, then that means that in no way does Naruto belong to this village"
"But Tsunade, we need..." Homura tried to insist, but was cut off.
"Shut it! We do not need him. You just want him to hold the Kyuubi over the other villages' heads. If we needed Naruto in any way, then it would have been far more practical to simply hire his services. At least then we wouldn't be at his mercy right now," the Hokage said in frustration.
"Well, since it's pretty much settled, I'll be taking my leave. But before I go, there is something I would like to ask the Akimichi clan head" the teen said.
Chōza looked up at him in surprise. "What would that be?"
"I would like to ask what you intend to do about your son's killer" Naruto said bluntly. "I can understand if you place a bounty on her head, or even come after her yourself, and while both outcomes would be… annoying, I won't try to stop it from happening"
The Akimichi sighed. "Take her. Do whatever you want with her. I don't care. Just keep her away from this village, and if possible, put her on a better path. I am still angry, but I cannot kill a child. I want nothing to do with her," he said softly.
Naruto nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Alright then. I'll be on my way now. This was fun; let's do it again sometime" he said, earning an amused snort from Tsume.
"What about the bombs?" Shibi asked. The man had been practically the only one to remain calm throughout the entire ordeal.
"They only activate to my chakra signature. The seals will decay completely within a week," the redhead answered. "But I wouldn't go looking for them if I were you. I didn't lie when I said they were volatile"
"Anyway, I have long since overstayed my welcome here. Maybe I'll be back at some point, hopefully under better circumstances," he said offhandedly, walking out of the meeting room and leaving everyone in a tense silence.
Tsume was the first to break the silence by chuckling to herself. "That kid has some serious balls to do that to us. Turned out better than I could have hoped. All the cunning and wit of his mother, mashed together with the coolness and tenacity of his father. Oh what I wouldn't do to get my hands on a man like that," she said, grinning in an almost hungry manner.
Tsunade groaned. "Tsume, now is not the time to show your interest in the boy that just held an entire village at ransom. And he is far too young for you"
"Hah! As if he could even keep up with me. But now that I think about it, Hana is around about the same age as him. He'd be a great son in law" the Inuzuka responded with a thoughtful smirk.
"I think that it should be transparently clear that Naruto is off limits to everyone in this village. That includes you three," Tsunade said, glaring at the elders and Danzō. "I don't need, nor want, another mass hostage situation. And, if anyone ever goes over my head and orchestrates something like that without my knowledge or permission again, they will be executed immediately. This is my village, and I am the Hokage. If I don't order it, it doesn't happen. Are we clear?"
The clan heads all nodded in understanding while the elders nodded begrudgingly.
"Good. Now, everyone get out. Any and all clan meetings are hereby postponed for the next two weeks minimum" the blonde's glare focussed intently on a single person in the room. "And for the love of god, Kakashi, stop reading that bloody book and at least act like you heard everything that just happened!"
The silver haired jonin looked up from his book curiously, having finally been distracted by the Hokage's mild killing intent. "Hmm? I'm sorry, did I miss something?"
Tsunade death stared him. "I don't even care anymore. Everyone get out"
Soon enough, everyone was gone, leaving only Tsunade and a stunned Shizune behind.
"Lady Tsunade, what are we going to do about this?" Shizune asked worriedly. "The elders are getting bolder in their actions. What happens if they go too far?"
The Hokage sighed deeply and pinched her nose. "The best we can do for now is wait and hope that they slip up. I can legally have them removed from any form of power once that happens. But I bet they'll be working extra carefully now" she said. "But I doubt that any illegal actions will be our major concern at the moment"
Shizune looked at the woman questioningly. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Naruto just held an entire hidden village hostage. That kind of thing doesn't go unnoticed. I'm sure that the elders and clan heads are already working to have his status in the bingo books raised to S-rank. And unfortunately, that is one thing I can't stop them from doing. It is the right of the people to know just how dangerous shinobi can be" Tsunade explained.
The Hokage faithful assistant pursed her lips. "He's going to be happy about it once he finds out, isn't he?" she asked disapprovingly.
Tsunade hung her head, her eyes becoming shadowed by her hair. "Most likely"
"Try most definitely"
Tsunade and Shizune nearly broke their necks with how fast they turned to look at the boy, who was once again sitting in his chair at the table, a smug smirk on his face.
"What the…? Why are you still here, Naruto?" Tsunade questioned.
The boy stood up and walked over to the Hokage, his hand digging into his pocket as he went. "Well, I remembered that I still owe you for keeping the toad off my back while I was here. None of my plans would have gone well if he was still here, so I guess I owe you more than I first thought," he said, handing the blonde a small rectangular box. "I've been a bit harsh to you while I've been here, so consider this my way of making up for that. Maybe one day we can actually get along a little better… maybe"
Tsunade took the box and looked at the boy oddly. "Uh, thank? I guess"
"See ya"
And just like that, he walked out again.
"What is it?" Shizune asked.
Tsunade looked down at the small box, the letters I.O.U clearly printed on it. "I'm not sure," she said, opening it slowly to reveal a small scroll and a note.
"If you need me, use this to send me a message. Good for two uses. Can be used for immediate help"
The Hokage put the note down and opened the scroll. "Huh, a secondary toad summoning seal. That's surprising. I was almost hoping for a paint bomb. Kushina always had a tendency towards those things"
"But why would he give you that?" Shizune wondered aloud.
Tsunade smiled. "He probably knows something big is going to happen. He's aware of something that has yet to truly reach us…"
"…and he's offering his help"
A/N:
So as it turns out, I'm on a bit of a roll with this story. Unfortunately, I really do need to go back to updating my other fic, so the next chapter of this story might be a short wait away. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I realize not much happened in it, but this is how the story needed to be set up. Next chapter guarantees the ever popular interactions between Naruto and Tayuya, so look forward to that.
As usual, reviews are greatly appreciated, however, after a particular individuals reviews on the previous chapter, I have to ask the no one simply comment several angry questions (Which I would have gladly answered had they not been posted anonymously) or any directly insulting things. I got a good laugh out of the persons attempts at being a hateful critic, but the review contained no constructive potential for me to work with so as to better my work. Being told to "grow the fuck up" is definitely going on my list of most useless things I have ever been told to do, right below being told not to stick a fork in a power outlet.
So yeah, please don't forget to review. The opinions of the readers is important after all.
In regards to the story itself, I have gone ahead and vaguely planned out a few things in my head, so nothing is on paper and could change at any moment. Suggestions and ideas are still being accepted. I have already received a request from one of you which I hope I can work into this in a way that will be pleasing. More requests are definitely welcomed.
Until next time guys.
Soul out!
