Hey, how's it going?
GIGANTIC shout out to Spark681, thor94, LeviDragon, and WOLF-GOST. You're all wonderful :)
I'm happy this story sparked some curiosity. Thank you all so much!
Concerning some early reviews for this story; the nature of Naruto's sickness, why Konoha couldn't do anything, Naruto being able to sense the Third Hokage watching from his crystal ball and not Junior, and finally how Junior fell so deeply into the darkness to do the things he did (and will do), will be answered in future chapters. I assure you.
For now…enjoy…
CHAPTER 2
02:05 AM
Somewhere in the Forbidden Forest
Four months had passed since the Uzumaki brothers disappeared from Konoha, and many things had happened once the faults of the Council came to light.
The ignored disappearances of stray animals, homeless people and orphans, and the public double-standard of the village's resources being mobilized the moment a clan heir was taken didn't sit well with the people of the village.
Clanless shinobi refused to obey orders and didn't perform missions. Clanless civilians closed their shops or outright refused to sell to clan members, even at the threat of violence. Clans like the Aburame and Akimichi which had long since been against the bias of the Council were in solidarity with the clanless shinobi and civilians in forcing the village's economic development to a screeching halt until their conditions were answered.
Dissolution of the Council and imprisonment of guilty Council members.
A thorough reconstruction of Konoha's administrative structure, with an emphasis on representation for low-income earning and poor civilians.
Compensation for the families of those that had been taken and a public apology by the Council.
Then a correspondence was leaked from the Hokage's office about the Third Hokage smothering news of Minato Junior's deeds, and the village burned.
Tonight was calmer.
The Aburame had managed to convince most of the villagers to peacefully return to their homes, though it had taken a full week of negotiations with civilian community leaders and the Aburame clan sparing hundreds of thousands of ryu in food donations to each family affected by the kidnappings, dispersed by Aburame representatives of the clan head.
Many clanless ninjas camped outside of the Hokage's tower, still seething.
The forest loomed over Kakashi as he strode purposely through it. The utter silence didn't intimidate him in the least.
He was being watched though, since the very moment he stepped into the forest.
He couldn't see them and he couldn't sense them, but he knew very well that the heavy silence of the motionless forest was due to the manipulation of the Nara clan.
The teen stopped abruptly, mid-step, then he backtracked a step and stood still.
A pale man smoothly slipped out from behind a tree and marched to Kakashi. Up to eight pairs of white eyes opened, hanging in the trees, crouched in the bushes and lingering in the forest around Kakashi, peering carefully at the Hatake while their comrade approached. Hyuuga shinobi could be especially stealthy if they so wanted.
The man stopped before Kakashi and looked at his ANBU counterpart from head to toe, levelling the younger man with an even look and curtly nodding his head.
Kakashi's eye darkened and he slipped off his ANBU mask, holding it in his right hand and raising both arms as Nara man searched him for weapons, taking away his tanto, and his shuriken and kunai pouch. He handed the man that searched him his mask, slipping a dagger out of his inner wrist and a spool of ninja wire from a pocket on his jounin vest, baffling the Nara man as to where these weapons had come from. Kakashi's cheeky smirk made the man frown, his brow twitching with irritation.
"He's clear," the Nara spoke into a receiver in his ear, stepping aside and motioning with his left hand onward, past a large bush and into a clearing. "The meeting's already started. Better hope they're not too pissed you're late."
"By like ten minutes, Chika-senpai. Calm down," Kakashi said with a roll of his eye. "I had to lose some of Danzo's people. It wasn't easy."
"Boy, I honestly don't give a shit." Kakashi's ANBU superior gave an uncaring shrug. Kakashi's shoulders slouched and he pouted dramatically, prompting the man to raise an eyebrow. It was an expression that would have looked emotionless to anyone else, but Kakashi knew his captain all too well, and he cringed away.
The bush parted at his approach, and a straight path into a wide glade opened up.
The clearing was wide, with tall trees and dark bushes forming a rough circle. In the middle of the clearing was a table with a single lit candle on it and nine chairs around, each occupied beside one.
Kakashi slipped into the empty seat and looked around.
The solitary candle was the only source of light in that pitch-black clearing, so the teen could only see vague outlines, but he knew each of them enough to positively identify them; Shikaku Nara, Mikoto Uchiha, Hiashi and Narumi Hyuuga, Inoichi Yamanaka, Chouza Akimichi, Tsume Inuzuka, Kit Haruno, Bato Higuarashi, and now Kakashi. Even though they all knew each other, the nature of the meeting demanded that their faces be obscured.
The muted conversation continued, with each person on the table sending Kakashi an acknowledging look.
"I've spoken with Lord Aburame and he won't stand in our way," Kit Haruno said, sitting forward on his seat and lacing his fingers. "His clan's philosophy demands he and his people stay neutral. His loyalties are with the future of the village, and the current administration has broken his clan's trust." The Haruno family were merchants by trade, and although they were influential enough to have a seat at the Council to oversee Konoha's Trade Department, they were widely known to be philanthropic, living normal lives and mingling freely with people who weren't in their wealth bracket. The civilians had rallied around them, pushing the Haruno family to speak as their voice. Kit particularly was the one the poorer civilians wanted to be their voice. The Haruno looked at Shikaku and said in a firm, strong voice, "They won't pose a problem. I assure you."
Shikaku didn't move to reply, only slowly blinking and grunting. A moment later, he swept his gaze to Kakashi.
"You know about ROOT better than any of us here. Their ratlines, their communication networks, their structure, and their overall operations." This got Hiashi and Mikoto's attention, and they sat up and paid better attention. Shikaku drawled, addressing everyone at the table. "How will we best deal with Danzo? No doubt he has a means of quickly escaping once he smells something off."
"He does." Kakashi nodded affirmatively, and the people on the table subtly shifted, looking at him. "He's likely to flee to Iwa and seek asylum. It's one of the most accessible for him and most difficult for Konoha when it comes to the deportation of wanted shinobi." A short round of nods followed the youngest coup conspirator's words, and Mikoto sniffed, rolling her tongue in her mouth to hide her impatience. "Since we can't possibly plug up all the ratlines, our best bet to eliminate Danzo is to use someone close to him."
Here, Kakashi looked at Mikoto and the woman's jaw stiffened. The rest of the table followed Kakashi's stare and mutely settled on the Uchiha woman. The clan head's representative sniffed again and rubbed her nose, sneering ever so subtly and whispering under her breath, "You're suggesting Itachi kill his godfather?"
Kakashi's answer was a blink and a tilt of his head.
Mikoto sniffed again, screwing her mouth down and saying in a somewhat more audible voice, sitting up and facing a pair of fiery sharingan at Shikaku. "I don't care if that man dies. Damn him and damn everything he's done," she spat venomously, jabbing her pointer finger into the table so hard the candle flame flickered. The meeting of shinobi didn't move their eyes away from the irate mother. "But isn't there another way? After everything Itachi has been through, he's barely human anymore."
"Sasuke's kunai handling is getting better," Fugaku lazily implied, reclining and tilting his head to look at the starless sky. "A blade to the heart shouldn't be too hard at close range for a kid his age. Or maybe a knife deep in the eye would be quicker."
Mikoto paled and she wilted. "Shikaku…"
"It's one or the other, Mikoto," Shikaku answered the woman's horrified gasp, blinking at her. A solemn silence hung over the meeting before the Nara clan head cracked an invisible smirk at Mikoto's mortification. "Troublesome. I'm joking." No one attempted to laugh, and the expression on Shikaku's visage cleared as quickly as it had appeared, making Mikoto sit up hopefully and deactivate her doujutsu. "Get it done, Kakashi. Whichever way you end up doing it, confirm your kill. Understood?"
"Aye aye." Kakashi hummed and sat back, lacing his fingers on his abdomen. "I'll think of something."
Mikoto wilted, lowering her head to Shikaku. "Thank you."
The Uchiha clan had tried to suppress it, but news of Itachi's retirement rippled across the village in hushed waves, despite the riots and protests. For a boy who had been touted to be a prodigy that could rival the Fourth Hokage's oldest son, the thirteen-year-old boy had been forced to retire after a catastrophic mental breakdown following a failed retrieval mission in Wind Country.
It was a story for another time.
"Hiruzen won't be so straightforward," Hiashi suddenly said, his pale eyes illuminated like dull lightbulbs. "He isn't the god of shinobi for nothing. His son won't be too pleased either."
"Asuma could use his Fire Guardian connections to force the Daimyo's hand on Konoha matters," Tsume Inuzuka supplied.
Asuma had rebelled against his father a handful of years ago, and they couldn't be too certain about the young Sarutobi's position among the Fire Guardians, and since the Fire Daimyo of the past were historically neutral to Konoha matters since the village had been created, this made Asuma a loose cannon.
Shikaku scoffed. "That Daimyo won't care about what's happening in Konoha, as long as the village is stable. He's more wary of Earth Country encroaching on Fire Country than if there's a forceful change in Hokage." The conspirators weren't wrong in assuming that the meeting's tactician had thought of every single variable for and against their favour in the coup. "Asuma will return, but I already have measures in place for if he's…less than cooperative."
"Will you enlighten us about those measures?" Hiashi asked with suspiciously narrowed eyes.
"Peaceful transition," Shikaku answered, sitting forward and meeting Hiashi's narrowed look with dull black eyes. "The only person that must die in the grand scheme of things is Danzo, and maybe a few of his ROOT loyalists. Koharu and Homura too if they make a fuss."
Hiashi frowned, disbelieving. "Are you hoping Hiruzen would step down willingly?"
"He isn't just the god of shinobi," Shikaku said with a grunt. "He's also the Professor. He believes in the Will of Fire more than anyone wants to give him credit. He knows his continued presence as the Hokage will destabilize Konoha."
Tsume mused aloud. "If Lord Sarutobi peacefully steps down as Hokage, then Tsunade and Jiraiya won't have any reason to revolt."
"Asuma could still be an asset if he returns," Narumi Hyuuga, Hiashi's wife, contributed for the first time all night, speaking in a breathy tone. Hiashi cast a quick side-eye to his wife, and the woman blinked a look at him, continuing what the couple were thinking. "A peaceful transition and an efficient structural shakedown will ensure Konoha's stability, yes."
Tsunade had been voicing defection since the Kyuubi attack, but Kushina had been able to keep her in the village. Then, with Kushina disappearing and the blame gradually turned to Minato Junior, Tsunade wanted nothing more than to murder her godson with her own hands. As long as her former teacher, Hiruzen, wasn't ousted violently and Hiruzen convinced her to stay, Tsunade would be more inclined to aid Konoha while still searching for Junior, instead of only the latter.
Jiraiya too for that matter. He wasn't as constant in Konoha as Tsunade, but he was still actively vested in bringing Junior to justice, and he was pouring all of his spy resources into locating his godson. He wasn't as bloodthirsty as Tsunade.
Konoha's two remaining Sannin were committed to locating Junior, though what would happen after is uncertain.
Tsume questioned Shikaku, "How would you convince the Hokage to step down?"
"Leave that to me." Shikaku nodded, directing his eyes to each member of the table. "Aside from devising Danzo's death, the reason I called this meeting is for us to agree on the Hokage's successor."
The Fifth Hokage.
The one to inherit the strongest position in the country.
A stifling silence followed the Nara clan head's words, where each person on the table looked back at him for his decision, and Mikoto sniffed, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.
Shikaku scoffed. "Count me out." The man pointed to his left and right, at Hiashi and Mikoto. "You're both strong contenders, in my opinion."
It was Mikoto's turn to scoff, screwing her lips down and rolling her eyes.
Hiashi smirked and laced his fingers together, setting his elbows on the table and fixing Mikoto with a strong look.
Hiashi Hyuuga and Mikoto Uchiha were arguably among the strongest shinobi in the country, not counting Tsunade and Jiraiya. But still, even though he was a remarkably intelligent and powerful shinobi, Shikaku Nara would have been the first choice for Hokage. His tactical skills and levelheadedness on the battlefield had saved Konoha's skin on more than one occasion.
The two ninjas weren't to be scoffed at either.
Mikoto had been able to cut off three of Kyuubi's nine tails during the Nine-Tails attack six years ago, and Hiashi had been able to hold back the Eight-Tails holder while Kirabi was fully cloaked in beast chakra, preventing Kirabi from pushing into a Konoha camp in southern Lightning Country during the Third Shinobi War. Both were extraordinary feats of great importance.
"I'm not interested in getting premature grey hairs." Mikoto shrugged. She would rather help Itachi recuperate and be a stable mother for Sasuke. She gave her Hyuuga counterpart and flourishing bow, conceding. "The seat's yours."
Hiashi sat back with a wider smirk, nodding to Mikoto as she too reclined back. Narumi pursed her lips, smothering her smile, and hooked her elbow around her husband, rubbing his arm.
Shikaku clapped his hands. "Any objections?"
No one objected.
Kakashi promptly left the meeting to gather his ANBU team for Danzo's execution.
Shikaku went to the Hokage's Tower to meet with the Third.
The others stayed a few moments to congratulate the new Fifth Hokage.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his hands behind his back, facing the large window inside his office and peering outside at the large bonfire that burned at the base of the tower. A few clanless ninjas were camped outside, warming themselves beside the large fire and sending hard looks up to the top floor.
The Hokage frowned and his hands clenched.
He heard the door quietly ease open, closing with a soft click.
The Hokage threw a quick look behind him and saw Shikaku soundlessly pad toward him, walking smoothly with his hands at his back. The dark, perilous shadows under the man's heavy eyes, his pallid expression that was worn down with tiredness and grim neutrality, and the absence of the Nara's classic slouch made Hiruzen's shoulders lower with resolution.
The two men turned to the window and looked out.
There was now no one but those two in the office, as the ANBU had filed out the second Shikaku stepped into the office.
A moment of silence fell between them, punctuated by the faint crackle of the fire below and the distant howl of restless ninken.
Hiruzen cleared his throat and asked, "The meeting is over?"
Shikaku didn't bother to sound surprised, responding, "It is."
"Would have been nice if I was invited," Hiruzen smirked jokingly, but the humour seeped from his being when Shikaku met him with a blank stare.
"Who decided to replace me?"
"Hiashi."
"Mikoto didn't put up a fuss?"
"She hasn't been interested in being a ninja since Fugaku's disappearance." Shikaku shrugged lazily.
"Disappearance." The Third Hokage snorted, amused. "Do you really think so?"
"It doesn't matter anymore; whether or not Mikoto's behind it doesn't matter as long as she's not a liability."
"How is she now different from Junior…?" Hiruzen's question gradually quietened down when the air tensed. Shikaku's calm face splintered into a low snarl.
"Junior," Shikaku spat hatefully, "committed crimes against this village, crimes against common decency, and crimes against humanity." The Nara fully faced Hiruzen, and the Hokage was tempted to prepare himself to receive a blow, raising an eyebrow when the large clan head cracked his knuckles. "Junior destroyed my family."
"My mistake. I apologise." Hiruzen nodded once. "Fugaku was becoming increasingly erratic and, if Mikoto did what we all suspect she did, his disappearance is a necessary evil."
Shikaku's knuckles turned white with how hard he was clenching them. He turned around and pushed his fists into his temple, grating his teeth and forcing his eyes shut. The veins of his arms and neck thrummed, festering with wrath and chakra.
"My disappearance just might be a necessary evil if I want the Will of Fire to keep burning." Hiruzen's strength fled him and he released a sigh.
"Necessary? Yes," Shikaku ground through his unclenching teeth. "Evil? No." Shikaku spoke over his shoulder, the rage and disdain leaking from his soul oozing out of his pores like a demented shadow. "You deserve to burn in hell."
The Hokage smiled invisibly, dropping his guard the higher the shadow loomed over him. "I know." Hiruzen's weary smile crinkled and he fractionally turned his face to Shikaku's back, a grandfatherly twinkle in his eyes. "Do what needs to be done. I will not resist."
The beastly shadow heaved noisily, inhaling and exhaling in grating pants in tune with the Nara clan head, only for it to gradually shrink and recede into Shikaku's pores.
"Do the right thing," Shikaku growled, pushing his fists harder into his temple and visibly wracked with seething madness and sorrow, "Lord Third."
Weaker men would have capitalized on this free opportunity and ripped the Third Hokage to pieces.
Shikaku had hung onto the last shred of respect he had for his former Hokage to persevere, and Hiruzen wholeheartedly respected that.
If the Hokage had brought Junior forward as the kidnapping suspect sooner, Shikamaru would still be around and the village wouldn't be falling apart by the seams. Hiruzen blamed his naivety on his old age, thinking that covering for Junior would convince the boy to serve Konoha as a ninja.
This mistake, of his many mistakes, was the final straw.
He inhaled deeply, releasing the breath from his mouth. "I'll convince Tsunade and Jiraiya to remain loyal to the village. As for Asuma; that troublesome boy won't be a problem."
"Then I want you gone." Shikaku exhaled hotly, still not turning back to the Third Hokage. "We all want you gone."
Hiruzen hummed affirmatively, dour but accepting of his fate.
"I want you to say it." The Nara spat, venom hissing in his breath. "Say it, Lord Sarutobi."
"I'll be gone by sunrise."
With that confirmed, Shikaku marched out of the office.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hiashi Hyuuga formally took office when the Third Hokage's willing resignation hit the country's airwaves, and the man began a systematic restructuring of Konoha's administrative system on the very first day.
Scores of corrupt officials were purged from Konoha's system and forced to relinquish their assets to Konoha's ownership. The Uchiha clan were cleared of suspicions concerning the Kyuubi attack, even as the Uchiha clan head's representative, Mikoto Uchiha, had openly stated that she and her clan were actively investigating the claim of a rogue Uchiha that had been behind the attack. The Police, Hunter Ninja, and Torture and interrogation Departments were given a fairly larger allocation of funds and were given more power to execute the will of the Hokage, though within reasonable means.
As much as Konoha was still led by a dictator, who could rule however he wanted, and even though Hiashi was from a clan that historically kept secrets close to its chest, the Hyuuga Hokage decided to implement measures of accountability and transparency, thus improving public confidence in his administration, and further encouraging taxpayers to pay their dues. Hiashi learnt from the past faults of the previous Hokage and prioritized legitimizing his rule by enacting public policies and projects that boosted his image.
When Hiashi Hyuuga first took power, he was seen as a traditional, conservative, enigmatic leader, and then gradually public opinion among the populace skyrocketed.
Agriculture and industrialization were prioritized, with the Hokage issuing declarations in favour of ramping up food production and storage, youth employment, and blacksmithing. Education in both the Ninja and Civilian schools was further explored and programs for free education were instated. Konoha's treasury was vastly deep, especially after the assets of those corrupt officials were seized, so much so that Hiashi and his advisors were making headway into installing Primary and Emergency Healthcare for all citizens, while heavily pushing Konoha to industrialize.
Another major achievement the Hokage was praised for formally establishing was Konoha's Internal Affairs Department, located within reach of the Hokage's tower and headed by a Director, Kit Haruno. The Internal Affairs Department was delegated powers from the Hokage to oversee matters within Konoha, as the name implied, and also to make sure the poorer population didn't suffer. This department worked hand-in-hand with the police department in many matters and had been a hub of funding by the Hokage's office for Low-Income Housing projects.
The ANBU completely absorbed ROOT into itself.
Konoha militarized further.
Many things have changed.
Not once did Konoha's position of power and strength waver.
The cracks of distrust around the Uchiha clan were healing.
Matter of fact, the Will of Fire burned brighter and hotter than it ever did.
Within a single year, Konoha was unrecognisable, and with each passing day, the village only got stronger.
The hunt for the Uzumaki brothers quadrupled, and Shikaku Nara was at the helm of affairs for the search.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
At the same time as the coup meeting
Sasori squatted down on the wreckage that used to be the Namikaze mansion, the shadow of his Hiruko puppet loomed behind him, still and imposing. Chakra flickered in his greyish-brown eyes as he picked up an errant brick from the rubble, turning it under his uncaring gaze in his wooden fingers before a glimmer of a smirk crossed his unmoving face.
"Smart boy."
He discarded the brick and rubbed his fingers off the loose bits of dirt, creaking up to his feet.
"I take it you can't find him," Obito's deep voice sounded from Hiruko's large shoulders, and the Uchiha was balanced there, sitting with his legs crossed and his masked face looked to the empty sky.
"Junior's using himself to mislead trackers away from the Kyuubi. He's erasing the Kyuubi's footprints from afar, while the Kyuubi itself lives in broad daylight." It almost sounded like Sasori was proud, crossing his arms and peering up at Obito. "It won't be easy. The Kyuubi's well-hidden."
Obito hummed, tilting his head down and narrowing his eye at the puppet master. "Zetsu, do you have anything?"
Instead of answering the question, Zetsu eased itself out from beneath a toppled set of staircases, nonchalantly dusting its Akatsuki robe and asking no one in particular, "To think the only thing that'll unite a village is a common enemy." It tittered carelessly, not bothering to keep its voice down. Obito huffed and leapt off Hiruko, landing soundlessly beside Sasori and walking up to Zetsu with an irritated look, who held its hands up and chuckled, backtracking a step. "Sasori's right; it won't be easy, but it can be done."
"Find him."
"What about Junior?" Sasori asked, climbing into Hiruko's back and securing his puppet strings into his puppet. "We all have an idea of the extent that boy will go for his brother. It'll be foolish to not account for him."
"Believe me, Sasori, Minato-sensei's brat is well accounted for." He turned around with a flourish, and Zetsu and Sasori vacated Konoha separately, with Obito's departing words echoing in their heads. "I have it covered."
It was the dawn of a new era, and while the Will of Fire scorched the planet, red clouds hung over the horizon.
Authors note
Next time on Things Get Dark…
A full year on the run and Konoha's dogs were sniffing closer.
Even now, Junior was almost tempted to engage the Konoha ninjas hiding in third class, calling for stationed reinforcements in Lightning Country.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The older boy chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the cool and vacant look he got from the younger boy. "What do you think you're—"
Shinjiro twisted, snapping the older boy's wrist and releasing the broken bone as the older boy released an excruciating wail. He dragged his arm to his chest and his wrist flopped bonelessly.
His eyes bugged wide and his mouth opened, releasing a blood-curdling scream that sent the class into a frenzy, with the class teacher and the children at the front spinning around to see the source of the noise. Those around Shinjiro were shocked still, gaping at what had just happened and not sure what to do.
Done
The next update will be on Sunday ;D
Tell me what you think of this chapter, stay safe, drink plenty of water, and give my regards to the monsters under your bed.
I'll see you when I see you.
Foy.