The light was blinding to her sore eyes, only making her headache worse than it already was. Sakura groaned as she stirred her body to move for the first time in a day. She could already tell she was sore beyond belief and that she would need the next few days off to recuperate. She hoped Kakashi sensei and her teammates would understand and give her the time she needed.

That's when the memories came flooding back to her. Sakura remembered everything now. She jolted up from her laying position on the bed and instantly regretted it. Her body reacted to the sudden movement with extreme pain in her lower abdomen that forced her to fall back down and deal with the pain.

"Sakura, you're awake!" A familiar voice cried in excitement and concern.

The pinkette looked to see her mother hovering over her like the worried mother she was. "M-Mom? What are you doing here? Where am I?"

Mebuki Haruno was a fair-skinned woman with shoulder-length blonde hair with a single bang that fell down into her face. Her green eyes matched Sakura's perfectly, a tell-tale sign that she was her mother. Mebuki immediately went coddle her only child. "You're in the hospital, Sakura. I came as quick as I could. I can't believe what happened. Being ambushed in our own village? This is supposed to be your safe zone. I knew letting you be a ninja was a bad idea…"

Sakura groaned again, but this one was because of annoyance. "Can we not do this now, mom? I'm in a lot of pain." She slowly pushed herself back to a seated position.

Mebuki immediately tried to help. "Don't push yourself, sweetie. You've only just woken up, give your body time to adjust."

"I'm fine, mom." Sakura tried to get out of bed, but her mother wouldn't move out of the way. "Please move mom, I need to go find Kakashi sensei."

"You are not going anywhere, young lady." Mebuki said sternly. "You need your rest. You were hurt pretty badly. Lady Shizune said if you weren't brought here when you were then you probably would have…"

Sakura didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence to know where this was going. She put herself in her mother's shoes and realized how worried she must've been. "I'm sorry I worried you, mom. But I need to find Kakashi sensei to see if he knows what's going on with Naruto and Sasuke."

Mebuki sighed. "Yes, he knows, Sakura. He stopped by yesterday afternoon to see how you were doing, but you were still sleeping so he gave his regards and left."

"Yesterday?! How long have I been out?!"

"About a day and half now. Lady Shizune predicted that you'd be out for, at least, two days. You must be healing good if you're waking up now."

"Then I definitely need to find Kakashi sensei! Naruto and Sasuke may still be in danger!"

Mebuki seemed to hesitant with what she was about to say, knowing that Sakura wouldn't take the news very well. "Sakura…your teammate, Sasuke, was kidnapped…and no one has been able to find out where he is. You were the last person to see him."

"But Naruto went after him, right?! He said he would!"

Mebuki's expression changed from sorrow to annoyance. "I don't think you were smart to ask him to do such a thing. I don't think anyone has seen him."

Sakura was appalled by what her mother had just said. She couldn't believe that Naruto would run and hide, that was totally unlike him. "How could you say that mom? Naruto's a good person and would never abandon a friend."

"If he's such a good friend then why hasn't he come to see you? Ino came by twice yesterday to see how you were doing. The first time she was alone then she brought along her team the second time."

"Mrs. Haruno, I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk ill of one of my students, especially in my presence."

The two Haruno girls turned their heads to see the leader of Sakura's team, Kakashi Hatake, standing in the doorway. Mebuki did not seem too happy to see the jōnin. Then another familiar face poked his head over to be seen. It was Sakura's father, Kizashi Haruno. Kizashi had a naturally kind face with blue eyes and dull-pink hair which was styled into the shape of cherry blossom, but, unlike his wife and daughter, he had a darker-skin tone that somehow complemented his sideburns that angled into a mustache.

"Look who came by again, honey!" Kizashi realized that his daughter was awake. "Sakura, my sweet child, I'm so glad to see you're awake now!" The man carrying a tray with two plates of food on them, he set them down and approached his daughter. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"I'm fine, dad." Sakura looked back at her sensei. "Kakashi sensei, what's going on? Where are Naruto and Sasuke?"

The man's masked face was somber, and regret filled. That made Sakura's stomach twist and turn uncomfortably. "Sakura…Sasuke's gone. We couldn't get to him in time…"

Sakura could only blink in response to what she had heard. Sasuke was…gone? Just like that? There had to be more. "G-Gone? What…what do you mean, sensei?"

"Lady Tsunade put me in charge of a QRF team that reinforced Naruto on his mission to rescue Sasuke…but by the time we got there...it was too late. Sasuke was already gone and Naruto was…"

Sakura's face was going numb, her anxiety was through the roof about Kakashi's next words. "And Naruto was what, sensei?"

"…We found him…" Kakashi could barely get the words out he was so ashamed of himself.

"Found him where?!"

"Sakura, calm down!" Mebuki berated.

"Don't tell me to calm down, mom! Where is Naruto?! Where are my teammates?!" Sakura screamed. She couldn't take it anymore.

"…He's in the ICU…in critical condition. Both Lady Tsunade and Lady Shizune have been operating on him to keep him alive. Frankly, I'm not even sure how he stayed alive on the way back to Konoha."

Sakura was shocked, no devastated. How could this have happened? What went wrong in the world? One minute they were having a simple team meeting about getting some extra time off then Sasuke's been kidnapped and Naruto's in critical condition and barely clinging to life.

But Naruto was strong and was invincible to Sakura. He couldn't be in that bad of shape, right? Kakashi was just messing around, right? All Sakura knew is that she needed to see Naruto. Now. Sakura pushed her body to move and put her feet on the ground.

"Stay in bed, Sakura! Your body needs to rest!" Mebuki stated again, this time more sternly.

"What I need is to see Naruto for myself. So, please, get out of my way mother." Sakura was not dealing with her mother's overbearing behavior right now. Her main concern was Naruto. Nothing was going to stop her from seeing him right now.

"You do not need to go see him, Sakura." Mebuki stated. "If he is truly in the Intensive Care Unit then they won't let you see him."

"There's an observing area above." Kakashi interjected. "That's where Lord Jiraiya is now. She'll be able to see Naruto."

"Well…" It seemed Mebuki was running out of reasons to keep her daughter in bed. "you probably can't even walk that far."

"I'll push the wheelchair myself." Kakashi was at his limit with this woman. He didn't want to lose his temper on Sakura's mother, but she wasn't giving him much choice. "Naruto is Sakura's teammate and my student, Mrs. Haruno. She deserves to see him if she wants to."

"But…"

Kizashi stepped forward and approached his wife. "Mebuki, she's not a little girl anymore. We can't protect her from everything."

"We could have if we didn't let her become a ninja or near that boy…he's the reason for all this."

"And how do you know that?" Kizashi asked. "What do you know about the situation? Do you know more than Master Kakashi?" His wife's silence answered his question. "No. Don't go blaming everything on someone who had nothing to do with it."

"And what do you know, Kizashi?"

"I actually talked to Master Kakashi about what happened. And I think it's in Sakura's best interest to go be with her teammate. Whether we like it or not, they were placed on the same team. We have to respect the process."

Mebuki sighed. "Fine. You can go, Sakura. Just be safe and don't push yourself."

"I'll be fine mom." Sakura was practically out the door by the time she answered her mother. Kakashi turned to follow.

"Kakashi Hatake…"

The sliver-haired jōnin stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Mrs. Haruno?"

"If something like this happens to my daughter again, I will raise hell and get her status as a ninja revoked. I disagreed with the idea when you and Lord Third came to us and still do. She does not need to be around him. He is too dangerous."

Kakashi bit the inside of his cheek until his tasted blood, holding in every nasty word he wanted to scream at this ignorant woman. He simply nodded and walked away, hearing the conversation between the parents continue.

-Intensive Care, observing area-

Jiraiya hadn't left the observing area since he found out what happened to Naruto early yesterday morning. It had been mostly Shizune that had been healing him but Tsunade would come in every now and again to make sure that everything was going as smooth as they could. There were no words said between the two, just the nod of reassurance that their godchild would pull through.

"Lord Jiraiya."

At the call of his name, the Toad Sannin turned to see Kakashi returning with his other injured student. Sakura's eyes were engulfed with fear, anxiety, and sadness. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Naruto was covered in bandages all the way up to his fingertips, his midsection was wrapped up the heaviest. He had a breathing mask on that fed oxygen into his system and a few other pieces of medical equipment attached to him. Everything about what Sakura was seeing was wrong, so very wrong.

"Any changes?" Kakashi questioned, moving to stand next to the Sannin.

Jiraiya shook his head. "No. Shizune hasn't come up to talk to me and Tsunade hasn't been called back in to operate for a while now."

"Both very good signs." Kakashi pointed out.

Jiraiya nodded. "Naruto should make it through to see another day."

A massive weight was lifted off Sakura's shoulders when she heard those words. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. But she still had to know exactly what happened to him. "What happened, Lord Jiraiya?" Sakura asked, turning to face her two superiors.

"That's a better question for your teacher, young one. I'm not the one who found him."

Sakura looked directly at the sliver-haired jōnin, waiting for an answer.

"Like I said before, myself and few others were the ORF team for Naruto's retrieval mission. But we were intercepted by a team of enemy shinobi."

"Intercepted?" Sakura questioned. "Were they targeting your team specifically?"

"Well, no. I guess intercepted isn't the correct word to use. We just so happened to cross paths with them. If we hadn't then we might've made it on time…" Kakashi looked lost in thought for a moment before continuing. "Regardless, we engaged the enemy in combat and the enemy withdrew. During our battle, we gained the intel that this same enemy was looking for Naruto and had found him before us."

"Looking for Naruto? Who were those shinobi? Was it that shark guy again?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, it wasn't them. And you need to keep that information to yourself, Sakura. That info, and what I'm about to tell you, is well beyond your clearance, got it?" The pink-haired genin nodded in understanding. "It was Kumogakure and Iwagakure in a joint task force. And their mission was to find and kill Naruto."

"Kill Naruto?" Sakura questioned in utter shock. "But why they want to do that? He's done nothing to them."

"It's not what he did." Jiraiya stated. "He's paying for the sins of the past…like he always has been."

Sakura looked at the tall man curiously. "Sins of the past? What do you mean, Lord Jiraiya?"

The Toad Sannin closed his eyes. "Naruto will have to be the one to tell you. It's not my place to say anymore."

Sakura hated being out of the loop about things, but it wasn't anything she was already used to when it came to Naruto and learning more about him. "But what about Sasuke?"

Kakashi shook his head again. "We aren't sure exactly. By the time we caught up to Naruto, the damage was already done. He had been stabbed and left to die." Sakura gasped at that. "Sasuke was nowhere to be found. We can only assume that Orochimaru has him in his custody now."

"I'm waiting to hear from one of my informants that know the Land of Sound well. I should hear something within the next few days, assuming he can find out anything." Jiraiya stated. "Not all hope is lost for him."

Sakura breathed another sigh of relief. "That's a relief. I just hope he's okay, wherever he is…"

"We'll find him, Sakura. Don't worry. Team Seven will be back together in no time."

If Sakura didn't know any better, it sounded like Kakashi didn't even believe what he was saying. She could even tell that he was forcing the happy expression under his mask. And Sakura was oblivious to a certain look on Jiraiya's face. He knew something that she, and possibly Kakashi, did not.

The hallway door opened and Shizune walked through the double doors, she was reading a set of charts. She looked up to see Sakura and was surprised. "Sakura? I wasn't aware you were awake. Why are you out of bed?"

"I just woke up not too long ago. I just needed to make sure Naruto was okay…for my own sake."

Shizune nodded in understanding. "Very well. Just don't too push yourself too hard, your body still needs time to recover more. But I am glad to see you're doing better."

Sakura bowed slightly. "Thank you, Lady Shizune."

"Any updates on his condition?" Jiraiya interjected.

"Actually, yes." Shizune stated, looking over the information one more time to confirm. "Naruto's vitals have been holding steady for the past hour and have showed no sign of faulting again. The damage to his spine has been nearly fully healed. That's what Lady Tsunade and I spent the most time on. The rest of his injuries were less severe but still needed extra attention from Lady Tsunade."

"What were the damages to his spine?" Sakura was genuinely curious.

Shizune flipped to another page on the clipboard. "It's not pretty, Sakura. Are you sure you want to know?" Sakura nodded. "Okay. Well, Naruto's spine was completely severed in half, as well as most of the nerves that run down the spine. Seven ribs were broken and most of his internal organs were damaged in some way or another. Muscles were torn all over his body and his right lung had scar tissue from a previous injury, it seemed he was hit a concentrated lightning attack." Both Kakashi and Jiraiya took notice of that comment.

Sakura nodded and took all that information in. "Could you please explain to me the process of how you healed him?"

Shizune looked at the pinkette curiously. "Taking an interest in medical ninjutsu, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded again. "Yes, ma'am. I know a few basic medical techniques and I want to expand my knowledge on the subject as much as I can."

"That is really good to hear, Sakura. There aren't that many young ninjas that want to learn medical ninjutsu. But, as for your question, Lady Tsunade will be able to answer it in greater detail than me. She's busy for the rest of the day unfortunately but I'll set up a time for you do speak with her."

Sakura slightly bowed again. "Thank you, Lady Shizune. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, Sakura." Shizune looked through the clipboard of papers again. "Getting back to why I came up here. Naruto's mostly in the clear now, the rest of his recovery will be mostly on his own. He will be moved out of the ICU at some point today. But there is no telling when he will wake up. We will just have to wait on that."

"Will we be able to see him?" Jiraiya questioned.

Shizune nodded. "Of course, Lord Jiraiya. Normal hospital rules will apply."

A pain rose up from Sakura's injury and she ran her hand over the bandaged area, trying to sooth the pain. She tried to push through it but it proved to be too much for the young girl. "I-I think I need to lay down for a bit."

Shizune went back into doctor mode. "I think that's a good idea, Sakura. I'll walk you back to your room and we'll do a checkup."

Shizune put down the clipboard and followed Sakura out of the observing area. Kakashi waited a few moments before picking up the clipboard and flipping through the pages to find the information he wanted. He read something thoroughly before letting out a defeated sigh. "That's not good…"

"You're thinking the same thing as I am, aren't you?" Jiraiya questioned.

Kakashi didn't want to say it. "The injuries to Naruto's right shoulder have the same pattern as my Raikiri. That can mean only one thing…"

"Are you absolutely positive? What we are thinking is a very hefty allegation."

Kakashi nodded. "I know the effects of the technique I created. There's no doubt about it…it was the Chidori that struck Naruto. But for it to be healed so quick then it must've been the Kyūbi's doing."

"I've never seen someone heal like he does. That kid takes a beating like no other and then the next day he is completely fine. It's just unreal." Jiraiya looked back at the sliver-haired jōnin. "But that's not what we should be discussing."

Kakashi placed the clipboard back on the table. He knew what the Sannin was going to say. "I taught Sasuke the Chidori to help him in his Chūnin Exam match against Gaara and to help him in his quest to take on his older brother."

"It's a dangerous jutsu to teach a kid, Kakashi, especially one as unstable as him." Jiraiya stopped leaning on the wall. "If it wasn't for the Kyūbi then Naruto would've died by Sasuke's hand."

"You're going to lecture me about teaching a student a dangerous technique?" Kakashi was starting to get aggravated. "You're the one who taught Naruto the Rasengan, gave him a summoning contract, and allowed him to take on a spiritual weapon that can kill him from using it. That's rather hypocritical of you."

"That was for protection!" Jiraiya stepped directly in front of Kakashi's face, letting his emotions flow. "You know as well as I do that there are threats to him that are far greater than an older brother that went crazy. That same man is apart of the organization that wants to capture Naruto. And, to top it all off, now there's two great villages that are going actively try and kill him just because of his father. Naruto needs to be as strong as I can make him, for his own sake."

"Now, you want to protect him? You left Naruto alone in this village for six years. I watched over him and everyone hated him, gave him no time of day. I remember seeing him crying in his apartment, wondering why you left him here alone."

"Why didn't you take care of him, huh? You were Minato's student, both he and Kushina treated you like family after everything happened with your father and your team. You were going to be just as big of a part in his life as I am now if they hadn't died. What's your excuse for letting him be alone?"

Kakashi didn't have answer right away. He held in his anger before responding. "At least I've never lied to him."

The anger came quick on Jiraiya's face. He had enough of Kakashi's words. He began to focus his chakra into his right hand. Kakashi noticed this and went to raise his forehead protector. Emotions running wild as the two prepared to fight one another…

…Until their movements were completely halted by an outside source.

"That's quite enough. Honestly, you two are just fucking troublesome."

Shikaku Nara was standing at the end of the hall with his shadow stretching all the way to meet Kakashi's and Jiraiya's and capture them in his clan's signature technique. He placed his hands in his pockets, making the other two mimic his movements.

"Need I remind the both of you what's really going on here." Shikaku walked forward so he could emphasize the point he wanted to make. "We are about to get into another nasty war with practically no warning with a brand new Hokage that, I'll be honest, has a long way to go before she's full Hokage material. Two of our strongest and most battle experience shinobi cannot be bickering over something so small in a time like this."

"Master Shikaku," Kakashi began, "I want to say-"

"Save it, Kakashi. You've said enough." The jōnin had to remain silent, it was a direct order from his commander. "I understand both of your griefs regarding Naruto. He is an incredibly special case and very near to both of your hearts. Frankly, he's done nothing but good for Konoha and is making a fine addition to our forces. The three of us understand the burden he has, but that also puts a massive target on his back. He needs to be strong to face the coming threats. If he's half the man his father was then I'll be happy with him."

"He's going to be better than the Fourth. I'll personally make sure that happens."

"And that's where you're wrong, Lord Jiraiya. We cannot parent the next generation like they are a disobedient child and punish them when they do wrong. We can only guide them, help them find their own path, and teach them what we can so that they can continue the teacher/student cycle. If Kakashi thought it was best to teach his student a technique then it was best, regardless of the outcome. I know the two of you know that, but it seems you've both let your egos cloud your minds."

Shikaku released his hold over the two. "Fix yourselves and be better. I'm not your babysitter." The Jōnin Commander and Nara clan leader turned to leave. "When you finish, Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade wants you in the briefing room. A village council meeting has been called; she's going to inform them of the developments. It starts in one hour. Don't be late."

The two just stared in awe at what had just happened. Neither of them had never Shikaku be so assertive before, it was such a rare thing to happen. The man was notorious for being such a laid-back individual that it seemed there was nothing he would take seriously. But when Shikaku would take something seriously then there was nothing that could stop that man. His genius and tenacity were unmatched.

-Council Briefing Room, Hokage's Mansion-

The first female Hokage sat patiently in the council briefing room as she waited for the clan leaders of her village and village elders to arrive. She looked over her shoulder to see that Jiraiya, standing with his arms crossed. Tsunade knew him well enough to tell that something was bothering him.

"Shikaku told me about you and Kakashi. Care to say something about it?"

Jiraiya grumbled for a moment before he sighed in defeat. "No. It's over and done with. I just wanna forget about it and move on."

Tsunade nodded in understanding. There would be no more talk on that subject. But there was still one more thing plaguing her mind. "Are you sure it's what you want to do with him?"

"Ultimately, it's up to Naruto if he wants to go through with it." Jiraiya said. "It'll be the most grueling training he's ever endured. It took me most of my teenage years to learn it."

Tsunade remembered it well, he was gone for almost eight years. The only reason he had returned was for the Second Shinobi War. "Do you think it'll take him that long to learn it?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Only those who have the guts to never give up can become a sage."

Before Tsunade could comment further, clan leaders and others began to enter the meeting room. First it was the one of the four noble clans, Aburame Clan, led by Shibi Aburame, who specialized in using insects as weapons. Then it was another noble clan, the Akimichi clan, led by Chōza Akimichi. The Akimichi clan was known for their ability to manipulate their bodyweight and size.

Chōza was followed in by the Yamanaka clan leader, Inoichi Yamanaka. Inoichi is the head of the Analysis Team in Konoha's Intelligence Division. Him, Chōza, and Shikaku made up the fifteenth generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō formation. And then came Shikaku, the Nara clan leader and Jōnin Commanding Officer. He also served as an advisor to the Hokage and the elders when needed.

The leader of the Hyūga clan, Hiashi Hyūga, took his seat next to Shikaku and waited for the start of the meeting. The man could be rather cold and calculated when it came to these meetings. Then came the Sarutobi clan leader, Asuma Sarutobi. He sat down next to Inoichi.

"What are you doing here, Asuma?" The Yamanaka man asked.

"The Hokage asked for me to be the stand in for the Sarutobi clan." The jōnin answered. "We're still looking to elect the next leader but I'm it, for now, because I'm the Third's son."

"Well, it's good to have you, Asuma." Chōza stated. "Chōji speaks very highly of you and your teachings."

"Thank you." Asuma said sincerely. "And I hope his recovery going well. I haven't been able to stop by and see him yet. I plan on taking him and my team to the BBQ Palace to celebrate his recovery."

The Akimichi clan leader nodded in appreciation, knowing how much his son will love that. The next two people to enter was the leader of the Inuzuka clan, Tsume Inuzuka. All the clan leaders had arrived; they were waiting for the three elders to arrive. The group of clan leaders didn't have to wait long for Danzō, Homura, and Koharu to take their seats near the head of the table by the Hokage. The clan members quickly took their seats.

"Good day everyone, I'm glad to see that everyone could make this meeting on such short notice." Tsunade took out a scroll from her haori, wasting no time getting into what the meeting was called for. "I don't want to waste time so I'm going to get right into it." She placed the scroll on the table. "We're going to war."

Visible shock and confusion resonated throughout the meeting room, not completely understanding what the Hokage was saying. Shikaku just shook his head dejectedly.

'Real tactful, Tsunade…'

"What on earth are you talking about, Tsunade?" Homura questioned.

"Do you have evidence to back up this claim? Or are we going to be the aggressor?" Koharu questioned as well.

"Yes, I have evidence." The Hokage waved for Jiraiya to step forward. "According to our wonderful spy master here, we have uncovered that Kumogakure and Iwagakure are going to combine their forces with the intent to attack and defeat Konohagakure. Their shinobi numbers have nearly doubled in the last ten years and they've been trading information with each other. Now, that does not confirm anything, but the events of the last few days gave us the confirmation we needed." The Hokage looked at the Sarutobi clan member. "Asuma, would you care to explain?"

It clicked in Asuma's head. 'I see, that's why she wanted me here.' The man cleared his throat. "Two nights ago, while providing QRF for a shinobi in the field, we encountered a part of task force of shinobi from Iwa and Kumo. Not a lot of information was learned other than what their mission was inside the Land of Fire."

"What was their mission?" Koharu questioned.

"Gather information on and possibly eliminate one Naruto Uzumaki…which they almost succeeded in."

Homura turned his attention back to the Hokage. "Tsunade, what is he taking about?"

Tsunade was not looking forward to this conversation. While sending Naruto out after Sasuke alone was a thought-out and confident move, Tsunade truly did not consider what the backlash might be from sending him out. She figured Chōza's disagreement with her was personal and nothing more.

"Two nights ago, Sasuke Uchiha was kidnapped by an unknown assailant after a team meeting. The female member of Team Seven, Sakura Haruno, was injured. She was brought to the hospital by Naruto Uzumaki, who was still nearby. Naruto came to me and demanded that he go after Sasuke's kidnapper."

"And you let him go?" Koharu couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And why weren't we briefed about this earlier?"

"Because Shizune and I spent the last day and a half keeping that boy alive." Tsunade stated fiercely. "And, of course, I let him go try and save his teammate. He earned the rank of chūnin and the eligibility to get solo missions."

"He is a jinchūriki, Tsunade." Homura shot back. "We have to keep him inside our walls because of that reason. And now more than ever if what you say is true about Kumogakure and Iwagakure. He will be Konoha's swift and powerful strike."

"He is not a weapon!" Jiraiya snapped, glaring at the elder. "My godson isn't some weapon that you can keep locked up until things start to turn to shit. He is a thirteen-year-old boy! Not a weapon!"

"Personal reasons aside, Jiraiya, he became a shinobi." Danzō spoke up. "It's his duty is to protect Konoha, like all of us here. We all have a duty to protect Konohagakure…no matter the cost."

There was a silence that followed Danzō's words, the clan leaders were watching and listening closely. This was the first time most of the clan heads were seeing Jiraiya in years and he's arguing with the elders about Naruto Uzumaki. From memory, Jiraiya was never too overly emotional about one subject or another.

"If I may interject," Shikaku spoke up, "we're focusing on the wrong topic. We can discuss Naruto Uzumaki later. We need to decide on a solid battle strategy for what's coming." The Jōnin Commander took out a few scrolls and handed them out. "These are a just a few overall plans that I've come up with that I think will be great launching points."

Both Koharu and Homura both just shook their heads, of course Shikaku knew before them. But that's not what needed to be discussed.

"Each scroll has different outlooks for how the beginning months of fighting could go and where we'd have the best terrain and tactical advantage. However, there are a few aspects that remain the same in all my plans. Those are where we need to set up vital command posts and Forward Operating Bases. We've fought a two-front war before, so this will be nothing new to Konoha. Also, seeing how our enemies have allied with one another, it's only fair that we do the same."

"We don't have an ally, Shikaku?" Inoichi stated in a questioning tone."

"Lady Tsunade, care to explain."

The Hokage put down the scroll she was reading. "Sunagakure came to our rescue during Orochimaru's recent attack and they want a peace treaty with us." This was somewhat common knowledge at this point. "And they are willing to aid us in this upcoming conflict. It'll take them a while to their wheels spun up, so we'll have to pick up the slack until then."

"And we have that ability to do so." Shikaku stated. "It won't be easy, but we will manage."

"I understand that this is a lot to take in, and this is rather short notice." Tsunade spoke to everyone. "But I wanted to come up with a solid plan of action before bringing it before the council. And, frankly, we didn't have full confirmation until a few days ago. But, regardless, I'd like to hear some input."

Another silence followed; it seemed the clan leaders were waiting for someone else to speak up first. Shikaku glanced around the room and tried to get a better feel for what the consensus was. Honestly, he couldn't tell. It seemed like they all had mixed feelings about another war, that was to be expected. He really wanted to know what they thought of the Hokage.

The first person to give their input was, surprisingly, Hiashi Hyūga. "The Hyūga will do everything it can to protect Konoha. While I am not thrilled to hear that we will be allying with a former enemy, especially one that just invaded, I trust your judgement, Lady Hokage."

"I don't like this." Chōza spoke out. "We've just barely recovered from two attacks on our village. We can't engage in another conflict so quickly."

"It's not like we have a choice, Chōza." Inoichi stated. "Whether or not they attack, we must be prepared. I agree with Lord Hiashi about this. We have a duty to protect Konoha whenever and wherever she needs us to."

The Hokage nodded, appreciating the input. She was glad to see that the clan leaders were mostly onboard. Nobody liked the idea of going back to war but were willing to go.

"I say we beat 'em to it and attack first!" Tsume spoke up. "That way we don't have to do any of this planning bullshit and get it over with before it starts."

"In theory, that works." Asuma responded. "But what happens when Kumo and or Iwa retaliates with a full-scale assault on the Land of Fire? Remember, we are not just protecting Konoha. We're protecting the entire Land of Fire. It's not just the people of Konoha that depend on us, but the entire population of the Land of Fire. It's our duty to protect them as well."

It seemed that point had not yet been considered, there was a collective realization that Asuma was right. The Land of Fire was as much their home as was Konoha, it'll always be their duty to protect both.

Tsunade nodded. "Well said, Asuma. Maybe you are the right person for the Sarutobi clan leader."

Asuma stroked his beard, he was starting to get anxious from the lack of nicotine. "I don't know about that, but I appreciate it nonetheless, Lady Hokage."

Tsunade nodded again. She turned her attention to the three elders. "You three have been rather quiet, especially you Danzō."

The old warhawk opened his lone visible eye. "War is inevitable, Princess Tsunade. Things like this no longer surprise someone like me. But since you are asking for my input, I will give it."

Jiraiya internally rolled his eyes, he really didn't want Danzō to talk much.

"Konoha has always been the strongest of the Five Great Villages since it's conception by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. Every war this village has fought in has been the same outcome, Konoha coming out on top. But there were reasons for that. During the First Shinobi War, we had the Second Hokage to guide us until Hiruzen was named the Third Hokage after Lord Second's death, but at that point the war was practically over. Then, in the Second Shinobi World War, we had the birth of the Legendary Sannin and Sakumo Hatake. And then we had the Fourth Hokage and handful of others to handle the Third Shinobi World War."

Jiraiya wasn't sure if he was liking where Danzō was going with this. "What are you trying to say, Danzō?"

"Konoha is going to need another to step up like so many others did before. And that begs the question, who could this person be?"

The clan leaders murmured to one another, talking about Danzō's question. A few names were thrown out there. Kakashi Hatake, Might Gai, the young chūnin Neji Hyūga and Shikamaru Nara, were some of the names said by the leaders.

"That wasn't a topic of discussion, per say, I already know who that person is. And he's already been mentioned in this meeting."

Everything clicked in Tsunade's head. "Naruto?"

The warhawk nodded. "Precisely."

"Naruto's not a weapon!" Jiraiya said in a raised voice.

"I never said such a thing, Jiraiya. But the boy will be useful in the coming months. Jinchūriki or not, Naruto Uzumaki will be a target for the enemy. That is why he was targeted by that task force. Isn't that right, Asuma?"

The man in question nodded, but rather confusingly. "Yes, Lord Danzō. We weren't sure why though, I'm under the impression it was because of the Kyūbi."

"You are not completely wrong. Tell me, has someone read through the updated Bingo Book? There's a new addition to Naruto Uzumaki's profile."

Another confusion set in over the meeting room, even Jiraiya and Tsunade were confused. Danzō could see everyone's reaction and decided to enlighten them. He reached into his arm sleeve and pulled out a Bingo Book. He handed it over to the Hokage. "Page 457."

Tsunade flipped the pages until she reached the desired one. She skimmed the contents and then fell back into her chair in shock. Jiraiya snatched the book from Tsunade's hands and read it for himself. He couldn't believe it.

"No…"

"How…?"

The rest of the meeting room looked at each other confusingly before speaking up. "What's the matter, Lady Tsunade?" Asuma questioned.

"What does it say?" Hiashi asked.

"Allow me to answer." Danzō began. "It is no secret to the village that Naruto Uzumaki is the Kyūbi's container. But there were other secrets to him. Does anyone know who his parents were?" The silence answered Danzō's question. "Well, you do know now. Naruto Uzumaki is the son of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage."

There was absolute shock filled silence as the clan leaders took in this information. Naruto was the son of the Fourth? When put into hindsight, it really wasn't that hard to see. The two had the same hair color, spikey hair style, and blue eyes. And both knowing how to perform the Rasengan should have been a huge clue about the boy's heritage. Naruto's master and godfather was Jiraiya, that should have been a dead giveaway. There were so many clues now that the truth was revealed.

Tsume slammed her hands on the table in disbelief. "You've got to be fucking with us, Lord Danzō?! There's no way!"

"It's true, Tsume." Homura stated. "Now, sit down and lower your tone. And watch your profanity."

The female clan leader of the Inuzuka clan huffed as she sat back down in her seat. "It's still hard to believe. How come we were never told?"

"It was for his protection by order of the Third Hokage." Koharu answered. "Sarutobi wanted Naruto live under the radar as much as possible. That's why Jiraiya took him out of the village until the age of six."

Hiashi was the one to speak next. "If this was such a secret, why are we learning about Naruto's parentage in the Bingo Book? Why is this being made public through an outside source? Someone must have leaked this information."

A wave of realization hit all the members in the meeting room. Tsunade had a memory click in her head. "Orochimaru was right…"

"What do you mean, Lady Tsunade? Shikaku questioned.

"During our fight with Orochimaru, he told us about someone giving out our top-secret information. We weren't sure if he was telling the truth or not, so I took it with a grain of salt…but, I guess, he was telling the truth."

Shikaku rubbed his temple in growing annoyance. 'This is getting more and more troublesome.' He took in a deep breath. "So, on top of everything we've discussed already, there is going to be an internal affairs investigation? Fucking troublesome people."

"It shouldn't be that hard to narrow down." Inoichi said. "If this was such a highly regarded secret, not many should have known. That list should be rather small. Lord Homura, were you aware of the secret?"

"Of course, I was. I was there when the decision was made to keep the boy's parentage a secret. But I am not the one who leaked anything. And neither was Koharu. It was Sarutobi's strict law to never talk about Naruto's heritage. I'm sure you all know the punishment of that."

Inoichi nodded his head. "I understand. I'll begin an investigation to see what I can learn."

"Keep it under wraps, Inoichi." Tsunade ordered. "I don't want anything else getting leaked out."

"Regardless of an internal affairs investigation or not, we need to discuss Naruto and what we're going to do with him."

Danzō's words instantly aggravated Tsunade. "What do you mean, Danzō? There is nothing to do with him. He's done nothing wrong."

"Did I say he did something wrong? Both of you need to listen. Naruto Uzumaki is proving to be the same prodigy as his father once was. We are going to need him for this war."

Another silence followed. This meeting seemed to have no end in sight.

Jiraiya looked over at the Nara clan leader. "Shikaku, do your battle plans have anything specific for Naruto?"

Shikaku shook his head. "No. He's just another standard shinobi to me."

Jiraiya nodded his head. "Good. That'll buy him some time."

"Buy him time for what, Jiraiya?" Homura questioned.

"I can't believe I'm actually about to say this, but I agree with you, Danzō." There were shocked faces throughout the room. "Naruto is going to be the deciding factor in this war, I know it in my very soul that he will be something special. That's why, once he's healed enough, I'm going to be taking him back to Mount Myōboku to train him in senjutsu."

"Senjutsu?" Tsume questioned. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a specialized field of jutsu that revolve around natural energy." Jiraiya answered. "I went through the same training when I was younger. It was one of the toughest things I've ever done, but I know Naruto will be able to do it."

"How long did it take you to learn senjutsu, Master Jiraiya?" Chōza asked.

The Toad Sage pondered for a moment. "It was about seven or eight years, if I'm not mistaken."

"The war will be long over by then." Koharu stated. "He's not going anywhere."

"I agree." Homura said. "If he's going to such a factor in this conflict then we need him from the start."

Tsunade sighed. "I told you they wouldn't go for it Jiraiya."

Jiraiya looked at the elders' dead in their old eyes. "Naruto will master senjutsu in three years or less. I can guarantee that."

Danzō met Jiraiya's stare. "Such a bold statement. And if he doesn't? What then? Convince me that he won't fail."

Jiraiya reached into his back pocket, rummaged around for a moment, and pulled out something and handed it to Danzō. No one could see what the item was, it was small like a piece of paper. The warhawk looked at the unknown item for a moment before placing it in his pocket for safe keeping.

"Naruto has three years. No more, no less."

"Danzō!" Homura shouted in shock.

"How could you agree to this?!" Koharu yelled.

"I was convinced." The tone in Danzō's voice told Homura, Koharu, and everyone else in the room that there would be no more room for discussion on the matter. Whatever it was that Jiraiya handed him must have really convinced him to agree just like that. "But what if the boy does not want to leave?"

Jiraiya crossed his arms. "Ultimately, it is his decision, but I know he'll want to go. It's in his blood."

Tsunade looked out over the table. "Does anyone have any objections to Naruto's sage training?"

The first to speak up was Chōza. "Three years without him around? I have no problem with that."

Next was Hiashi. "Unlike you, Chōza, I have no such problem with Naruto. He seemed to set my nephew straight during their fight in the Chūnin Exams. I have no issue with Naruto leaving if it will help our war efforts in the end."

"I'm in the same boat as you, Lord Hiashi." Tsume stated. "I'm not sure what your problem is with him, Chōza, but he seems like a good kid in an overall bad situation. Especially, now that it has been made public that his own father sealed the Kyūbi inside him. The kid's got my vote of confidence."

"Hmmm." Inoichi pondered out loud. "I haven't dealt with Naruto that much. Hopefully, he will be as powerful as Lord Fourth was. I'm putting my faith in you, Master Jiraiya."

"He's not as bad as everyone in the village makes him out to be." Asuma started. "My old man took a shine to him when his situation turned even worse." Jiraiya grimaced slightly. "Besides, Kakashi's vouched for him on multiple occasions. That's good enough for me."

Tsunade nodded in appreciation. "Thanks for the kind words, that means a lot to me and to Jiraiya. Does anyone else have anything else to say on this subject before we move on to the next order of business?" There was silence that followed. "Good. Now, let's start talking battle numbers and taking inventory on all our specialized weaponry."

-Konoha Hospital-

Kiba slowly, but rhythmically, pet Akamaru as they laid in his hospital bed. He couldn't believe was going to be stuck here for another two days. He hated hospitals. They were too confining, and he felt trapped from not being able to leave when he wanted. Honestly, Kiba felt fine. But it wasn't his condition Kiba was worried about.

"Has Akamaru's injuries been getting better, sis?"

Hana Inuzuka was Kiba's older sister. She was a veterinarian for the Inuzuka clan and for the Konoha Veterinary Clinic. She had long brown hair that she tied into two ponytails and black eyes. Her light shade of lipstick complemented her red fang-like tattoos on her cheeks. She looked up from her group of ninja hounds. "Yes, as long as Akamaru keeps getting some rest. The muscles in his legs were not as bad as I thought. He should be walking again in a week or so."

"That's good." A small pain hit Kiba's side, right where he stabbed himself. "Gah! Damn it! Why won't the pain just go away?"

"The same goes for you, little bro. Just because you're feeling better doesn't mean you're healed."

The Inuzuka boy his pained area. "Yeah…I got it."

The young adult sighed. Her brother was a stubborn as they come. She opened the draw to the nightstand next to his bed. "Here. Read something to pass the time."

Kiba looked at his sister puzzled. "The Bingo Book? Really?"

"Just do something other than stare at the wall." Hana looked at her watch. "Dang it! I'm gonna be late!" The young woman rushed out the door. "Just take it easy, Kiba! I'll be back in a while!"

Kiba just rolled his eyes. He loved his sister, but she really needed to back off a bit. Kiba was a ninja now. His own man. But Hana did have a point. As much he never liked reading, that would help with his boredom.

Kiba flipped aimlessly through the pages, trying to find an entry that would catch his interest. He was he had come across a few names that he recognized but didn't stop to read because he wasn't too interested in what Kakashi Hatake or Iruka Umino were capable of. Then he finally saw a name he did not expect to see.

"There's an entry for Naruto? That's odd. What does this book know about him that we don't?" He read through Naruto's entire bio.

"Wait…" He read through it again.

"…Holy fuck…"

There was a knock at the door and Kiba's teammates came into the room. Hinata and Shino could barely get out any greeting before Kiba bombarded them with what he learned.

"Naruto's the son of the Fourth Hokage?!"