Chapter 2
The council chambers
He could hear the shouting matches going on through the chamber doors, shouts of 'Kill the demon!', 'He's just a baby!', and 'He's my son!' Poor Kushina, her husband's dead and now the ignorant, arrogant, foolish civilians want her son's head on a platter. No more will the shinobi of this village, its ONLY protection get pushed around by a bunch of cowardly fools who know nothing about how this village works and who's at the top. Minato while being less lenient than Hiruzen still got pushed around by them out of wanting to be 'fair', but he vowed here and now he wouldn't take their shit. With that almost pleasant thought he kicked the chamber doors off their hinges silencing the entire room and gaining a raised eyebrow from Hiruzen who was sitting in HIS seat. Well, someone had to try and take the reins while he was gone. He walked through the chamber halls eyeing everyone as he went stopping as he looked at Danzo, contemplating whether he should just slice his head off now but thought better of it and kept moving.
He stopped at Kushina and gestured to hold baby Naruto and she handed him over without any complaints or second thoughts. He held the boy looking into his eyes for several seconds before he giggled and started pulling on the man's hair, luckily it was long enough that it didn't hurt. With a sad smile he wrested his hair from the boy's grasp and handed him back to Kushina before standing next to Hiruzen. "Go ahead, give the announcement."
"Fellow clan heads and civilian heads, let me introduce you to your new Hokage, Axel Namikaze-Uchiha!" his announcement brought a few nods from those who respected him and shouts from those who loathed and despised him. "Quiet! Our hero and honourable fourth Hokage Minato had named him the next in line so if you have any qualms about it, fight him for the title or figure out how to rip Minato out of the reaper's stomach and argue with him over the decision," he stated receiving a bloodthirsty grin from Axel DARING them to try and fight him. Low on chakra he may be, but he has already proven himself capable of decimating armies with taijutsu, and right now he could TOTALLY blow off some steam. No one stepped up, wimps the bunch of them, he wasn't going to kill anyone… yet. With no more complaints Hiruzen relinquished the Hokage's seat remaining standing behind Axel in the off chance he needed help.
"Alright, so since I was there firsthand and PARTICIPATED in the whole ordeal, I'll run through what happened really quick and tell you what WILL be done about it," his tone left no room for argument gaining some smirks from the shinobi council, this would be fun to watch. Minato was a lot less lenient than Hiruzen but still too diplomatic for their tastes, regardless of how great a leader he was.
"Upon Naruto finally being birthed the group handling the pregnancy were assailed by a masked man confirmed to be a missing Uchiha, however our records do not match any Uchiha with a singular eye or another Mangekyou. As far as I am concerned, I am the only living being in the village powerful enough to subdue the fox with eyes and I'm the one who was fighting the damn thing head on so… it wasn't me, questions?" before any of the civilian council could get anything out, he continued on.
"Good, the individual was apparently masquerading as Madara Uchiha, but Madara's been dead for a long time so… that's impossible. Minato and Kushina met up with me while I was fighting, and we sealed the fox into a combination of Naruto and myself. I'm not going to make this any kind of village secret because frankly it will do no good with you dumbass civilians and your damn gossiping and hatred of difference. I will say this once and only once, no harm is to become of Naruto for being a jinchuuriki or I will personally and publicly EXECUTE the perpetrators. Clear?" unfortunately the message didn't get through as a couple of civilians started calling for the 'demon's' execution. Their heads literally rolled, and everyone noticed he was behind them, hand outstretched in the shape of a blade, the only ones who saw him move were Kushina and Hiruzen, even Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha the clan heads of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans respectively didn't catch it until it was too late. As fast as he was behind them, he was back in his seat, hands clasped in front of his face leaning forward.
"Have. I. Made. Myself. Clear?" the civilians couldn't answer they were so shaken up and the shinobi loved every moment of this. "Good, Naruto will live a normal life at the combined Namikaze Estate with his mother and myself and when he becomes of age to enter the academy I will give him the choice of whether to continue being a jinchuuriki and become a shinobi or be a regular civilian at which point I and Jiraiya shall safely reseal that half of Kyuubi back into Kushina or I will take it myself, understand?" shaky nods was all he received and he stood up and began walking to the chamber doors Kushina trailing behind him, Naruto in her arms trying to reach out for Axel's hair, until he suddenly stopped and turned his head towards the whole council, a deathly glare even icier than Minato could produce. "One more thing, I know I said it was an Uchiha that instigated this whole ordeal however if I learn of any discrimination or action against any of them there WILL be hell to pay. Meeting adjourned," he stated and left with Kushina.
Namikaze Estate
Kushina put Naruto to bed and made them a pot of tea. They sat for awhile in the living room in peaceful silence. It wouldn't last but they needed to gather their thoughts.
"That was amazing! You ran them ragged! How'd you do that and have so much confidence while doing it?" Kushina asked astonishment. "I've gotten to watch a few meetings that Hiruzen has done and nearly every single meeting Minato has done, and I've noticed the flaws in their leadership. I won't bow to stuck up people with too much money in their pockets. The moment Minato appointed me it was over for the slimy bastards, and I think he knew it too. I have a feeling you would have been his original pick as successor, but you need to be around for Naruto," before she could say anything he continued, cutting her off. "They will see me as a tyrant at first however I am currently the most powerful man in the Elemental Nations so tough, nothing they can do about it."
"So, what does the mighty Hokage have in his agenda today?" she teased, he didn't take the bait this time and received a pout for his dismissal. "Today, I would like to relax and spend time with my family. You might not be blood related but you may as well have been born my sister. How exactly are you feeling? I can't imagine how losing a lover feels however at the very moment I'm here for you, whether you want to scream, cry or just sit in silence," it was the sincerity that broke the dam of emotions and she rushed him hugging on for dear life almost crushing him but he didn't care, he would take any amount of pain for his true family, the Uchiha clan may have been his blood however he only TRULY cared about one of them and unfortunately she was now taken by clan politics, even having two sons and from what he understood a girl on the way.
It wasn't the greatest relationship but who was he to judge when he was so oblivious to her feelings, he missed his shot before she got swept up in politics. He had theories there was abuse in the relationship, but that's all it was, theories and he couldn't do anything about it. If he pushed her for information, she'd just push him out anyway. So, in all it was best he focused on what he DOES have in his life. Kushina needed him and Naruto would need him too. He wouldn't fail Minato, he would move mountains to keep them safe and happy, he would shake the Earth and the Heavens for them.
The funny part was he got more than one new ability out of this; too bad he didn't have it DURING the fight. The Mangekyou Sharingan was potent as is, but he only had it in one eye for some reason. Its ocular powers were still enough to place a genjutsu even on a tailed beast but now with both awakened? He knew not how much power he held in his eyes and hands, but Konoha would not fall with him in the picture.
And so, he let her clutch him like a lifeline and he hugged her rubbing her back in soothing circles. She ended up crying so much she fell asleep.
5 years later
Naruto Namikaze-Uchiha, a boy who some might argue had a destiny of greatness ahead of him. He didn't care too much about being the greatest, however if it helped him protect his precious people then he would become the greatest shinobi. Naruto knew the legacy passed down to him by his father, even with all the accomplishments his uncle has achieved over his reign, Minato was still considered the greatest Hokage, certainly not the strongest but just the best overall. Mostly it was because he was held up on a pedestal of martyrdom, they're fools to believe him to be THE greatest but you can't change stupid. He had nothing against his father in the slightest, in fact he was one of Naruto's greatest inspirations, but this damn hero worship was annoying. Some people hated him for housing the Kyuubi mistaking him for the fox itself, while some people worshipped the ground he walked on just because he's the son of a Hokage.
He hated mixed signals and that was all he ever got out of the civilian populace. He much preferred the shinobi side of the village, they all regarded him with mostly indifference, they didn't worship him and didn't hate him, and he loved it. There was the straggler here or there going either which way but those were easily ignored. With the shinobi populace he was given the chance to make his own legend regardless of the general expectations that people had regarding his heritage.
You can't get away from being the son of the 'Yellow Flash', and the 'Red Hot Habanero', and to a much lesser-known extent the grandson of Madara, while also being trained by the 'God of Fire' the currently theorized most powerful individual in the Elemental Nations as well as having tutelage from the 'Copy Ninja'. Ironically even with all these exceptional shinobi behind him he still had one major flaw, chakra control, he couldn't conjure any jutsu that used below a certain level of chakra and because his uncle was now having this problem as well it would now be accounted for in the curriculum, but it still made him feel inferior to some extent. If his uncle could take this issue in stride though, he could too.
The walk to the academy with both his mother and uncle on either side of him took less time than he would have preferred. He would rather just train outside the academy and somehow get put into the shinobi forces without the academy, but both the adults decided it was better to learn everything at a steady pace and make friends. His uncle was a tall man reaching six and a half feet and Naruto barely came up above his waist, still taller than most children his age but it always looked like he was walking with his father when they were out, to him anyways.
His blonde hair and blue eyes made him look like almost a twin to Minato and Axel, if it wasn't for the rounder face of his mother and much shorter hair you could almost mistake him for a shorter version of either man. The three whisker looking markings on each cheek also helped quite a bit in that regard. He was now wearing a high collared forest green shirt with the Uchiha fan symbol proudly displayed on the back in honor of his father as well as the clan. There was also the Uzumaki spiral on his right shoulder and the Konoha leaf on his left shoulder. He had beige cargo shorts that ended just below his knees and white wrappings up his shins, and black sandals to finish the outfit.
"Can I at least take the test to graduate early?" he complained.
"Why? So you can end up like Kakashi?" Axel stated back. The only change about Axel since Minato's death was that he wore a blood red short-sleeve haori instead of his armor. It had gold flame patterns at the bottom just like Minato's when he was the Hokage, the only difference being the kanji on the back said 'Fifth' in black.
"What's wrong with Kakashi? He's so cool!" the boy couldn't help but respond with excitement. "Yes, KAKASHI is cool but not his mentally and emotionally stunted personality due to being pushed through the ranks too quickly and dealing with too much responsibility before he was mature enough. THAT is not cool, you will graduate with the rest of your generation and that's final young man!" it was actually Kushina that spoke up.
Kushina now wore her old jonin outfit, a sleeveless dark blue shirt with the jonin flak jacket over top, matching pants and a kunai holster strapped to her thigh just above her right knee. She's only gotten more beautiful with age and Axel has had to scare off quite a few men thinking they could make a move just because her husband wasn't around. It might not quite have been what Minato meant by protect her and Naruto, but Minato probably wouldn't complain, and she hadn't yet either, so he'd carry on as such. He was extremely protective of both her and Naruto to the point where heads did roll like he promised on that fateful day, he's publicly executed at least twenty people since then and after the two years the statement was crystal clear, 'Don't fuck with my family', he held the power and he'd damn well use it. It's the only reason he's held the hat this long without passing it on, that and his investigations into Danzo and Orochimaru. He was so close to linking them together he could taste the despair he'd bring upon them before bringing the hammer down. He'd finish what his brother started, and it would be bloody.
The main concern now was the troubling movement within the Uchiha clan. He didn't understand, they have more than enough representation now, two Hokages have now been Uchihas and there was a future one in the making. Konoha's little prince is an Uchiha, and it was out in the open. So why was this happening and why when the new generation with a total of THREE Uchiha was starting the academy? He had Itachi and Shisui as inside espionage as well as Mikoto giving him weekly updates on the state of affairs.
So caught in his thoughts he didn't realize they had made it to the academy, and everyone was staring at him waiting for him to give that damn entrance ceremony speech. He hated it with every fiber of his being and having been forced to do it five times already made it worse. Well, perks of being the Hokage or something like that. He leaned down and whispered something in Naruto's ear and walked forward to be the center of attention. Ah how he loved theatrics.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, I'd like to welcome you to the academy of Konoha's future. The acorns that sprout here will become mighty trees to protect Konoha's walls and her people within. I want you all to join me in wishing the best of luck and good fortune to these brave shinobi in training and may their school years and the Will of Fire give them all they need to make it in this war torn world," Axel's speech while empowering also was a painful remainder at the end, a reminder of all that has been lost in the protection of the village and that this world was a cruel one that would snuff your life out in an instant if given the chance. After all, before his death Axel honest and truly believed Minato to be his only living equal in combat and he was taken away by a mere uncontrollable circumstance. At least there was little to no damage to the village during the rampage, but it came at the cost of one of Konoha's most prominent warriors. Minato was well on his way to surpassing Madara but life didn't care and snuffed his life out, just like that.
The speech had the desired effect, the clan heirs kept the determination in their eyes while most of the civilian children seemed to lose some of their resolve. Good, best to get any of their doubts out of the way now than have them deal with their issues on the battlefield. The only saving grace was that he amped up the curriculum in his time as Hokage. It would be much more difficult now than it was at the end of Hiruzen's reign. Minato tried to do something about it but was still too soft when it came to the complaints of the civilian council. Axel had made it a point that if they continued to argue with him, he would completely disband them. This was a militaristic village, and he would run it as such, their only purpose was to bring up economic problems to him, they'd learn or be snuffed out, tyranny or not.
He turned to Naruto and Kushina and began ruffling the boy's hair. "I know you'll blow mine and Minato's records out of the water. I've taught you everything I can for someone of your age so just stick to your gut, and if any of these teachers try to give you shit for any reason that's beyond your control, you take it straight to me," he said with no room for arguing. He gave a hesitant gaze to Kushina and seemed to be making decisions in his mind before just walking away. Odd, he seemed like he needed her help. She'd visit the office later and see what's up. Her little boy was more important right now.
"Now Naruto, don't you dare feel pressured to surpass your father and uncle, I know your capable of it however I don't want you to feel like anyone will be disappointed in you if you don't. I love you and I want you to do what you think is right and I want you to do well for YOU," it wasn't much but it was the best she could come up with for assurance. It did the trick as he gave her that smile that he inherited from his dad, the one that could light up the whole world on its own. He hugged her tight and trotted off to class. She lingered long enough to watch his disappearing form before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Hokage's office
Axel was sitting at his desk dealing with the IMPORTANT documents personally while having shadow clones deal with everything else, scrolls and stacks of paper sprawled all over the floor, so it still looked the same as the first time he entered the room all those years ago. The two key differences were his and Minato's photos on the wall next to the other Hokage. He only stopped his signing of papers when he both felt and heard the shunshin of Kushina. His clones took a quick look and went right back to signing.
He looked up to see her face full of worry and concern. "You needed me Lord Fifth?" it wasn't a question so much as a command to state what was on his mind, her violet eyes piercing into his cerulean orbs letting him know that he was going to spill or she wouldn't drop it. Troublesome Uzumaki women… aaaaand now he's acting like Shikaku, fantastic. "So, this is how Tobirama felt around Mito. She had him wrapped around her finger from what Hiruzen told me, and now you've essentially done the same thing to me, what a drag," shit… he said all of that out loud, he flinched waiting for the hit, but it never came.
When he opened his eyes all he saw was her leaning over the desk, concern the only emotion in her eyes. She held a palm to his forehead and one to her own. "No fever, so you're not sick. Talk. Now," yup, wrapped around her finger.
"I'm having a difficult time keeping Kurama's chakra under control. He's not fighting me funnily enough; my body is rejecting both the seal and the chakra. I've been able to keep it at bay by blowing off steam. Usually if I completely drain my own chakra, it prioritizes keeping me from hitting chakra exhaustion which takes a while because I have my father's chakra levels, it's a lot of total chakra. The method isn't working as well as it did a year and a half ago. Basically, what I'm saying is at the very least I'm going to need someone to take the mantle temporarily so I can go into hiding and get this shit under control, do you get me so far?" was the long-winded response she got. She never dealt with the issue before probably because she was much younger than he was at the time of sealing and comparing him to Lady Mito doesn't work either because she was also a full blooded Uzumaki, one of the most powerful of all time at that.
Yes, this was worrying indeed, and would explain why he would randomly come down with migraines and become much more ferocious in the council than even she was used to seeing from him. He was heavy handed and possibly tyrannical at times throughout the years but lately he'd even had the shinobi council worried about his sudden aggression, they'd chalked it up to the stress of the crown but… this was much worse than any political stress. This could literally tear him apart from the inside out. "So, what are you going to do in the meantime? You don't have a proper student to pass the hat to and both Jiraiya and Tsunade are almost impossible to get ahold of except by summons," the worry in her voice almost broke his heart.
"I want to have Hiruzen take up the mantle for about a year while I train with this power. If I can get my body used to using it, all should be fine. As I said, Kurama isn't fighting me of his own volition. I'm lucky I got the Yin half of his existence. He's the mind and he's quite reasonable."
"How are you going to train with it without losing control?" innocent enough question but she may not like the answer.
"I want you, Kakashi, and Guy to come with me on a trip far from the village. It's a place at the edge of the Land of Fire where there is plenty of room for fighting and large-scale attacks," Axel stated with a hardened expression letting her know he wasn't joking.
She bit her lip in thought, she couldn't just leave Naruto alone, but her brother NEEDED her, or he could DIE. He saw the worry etched on her face. "I've already set up for Mikoto to look after him on the chance that you agree. He'll have his godmother as well as Itachi, Sasuke, and Satsumei, and loathe as I am to say it Fugaku will make sure he's safe. He owes me too much not to."
"If you can do it, it's fine. Fact of the matter is I almost wish you'd say no, I don't want to end up bringing serious harm on you if I lose control, but I think your Adamantine Chains should be more than enough " he continued to elaborate.
"I'll do it on one condition," she said with a steely determination. "What would that be?" she only ever makes big demands of him, never small ones, that's why its only happened a handful of times since Minato died. "I want to sign the summoning contract Minato had."
"The thunderbirds? I don't think that will be a problem, they're an offshoot of the phoenix summons so they're fairly easy to get ahold of. Although I'm pretty sure he left the scroll at the house for safe keeping that night," he stated offhandedly before returning to his paperwork and she turned to leave the office and before she reached for the handle, she heard his voice again. "Kushina."
"Yes, Lord Fifth?"
"I want you to know I love you as if you're my own blood family and I am sorry for any injuries you may get from our training. I'll give you until we're actually about to leave to back out," he said it but his head never lifted from it's place reading over paperwork at a rate no human should. She left quickly, the fact of the matter is she already made her mind up, she wouldn't let her brother die if she could help it. Hiruzen and Mikoto were more than capable of taking care of Naruto and they could keep in touch through summons.
The academy
Naruto almost couldn't take it! He'd learned ALL of this stuff before! The only thing keeping him sane were the two Uchihas on either side of him. Sasuke and Satsumei were arguably his best friends, other than Hinata Hyuga they were the only children of his generation that he ever hung out with growing up, nothing against the other clan children, he just didn't really have the connection with them that he had with the Uchihas and Hyugas. His mother is good friends with Hinata's mother as well as the two Uchihas' mother.
He planned on at least making ALLIES of the other clan heirs as he would need their help on a political level one day. That sounded greedy but he had a village to one day run, the respect his uncle has CANNOT be replicated. It came from an encroaching enemy who he snuffed out nearly INSTANTANEOUSLY. The breaking of the civilian council wouldn't be possible down the road due to what he overheard secretly in the estate. He was sure his uncle knew he was eavesdropping but for whatever reason he didn't act, must not have been much of a secret then.
Naruto was dragged out of his thoughts by an elbow to the ribs courtesy of the female sitting to his right, it didn't hurt but it was enough to jolt him into paying attention to class. "I already know this stuff ya know," he said indignantly. "You should still give Iruka-sensei the respect he deserves as a teacher. He goes out of his way to make sure we know what we need to become shinobi, show some gratitude," she whispered to make sure Iruka didn't hear. Hagoromo knows he would use that accursed big head jutsu on them to make sure they were paying attention. Naruto conceded the point and gave his full attention to the instructor at the head of the class, if nothing else a refresher every now and then wasn't necessarily a bad thing, right?
He was wrong, it sucked. Eventually they did taijutsu spars and he ended up beating Sasuke in a fight and ended up increasing the damn fan club that he already had for just being the Yellow Flash's son. Fans, the bane of every shinobi or kunoichi's existence as they only create nuisances and easy targets. Luckily both Satsumei and Hinata were there to guard him. Whether they were jealous or just protective of him, he cared not as they were SO much better than the mindless fangirls. It was also hilarious watching his little sis completely disable unprepared kunoichi in the making by laying into their pressure points. Hinata Hyuga was dangerous among this generation, make no mistake. He was vastly able to improve her confidence issues over the course of their friendship and it showed in her fighting. If she was focused and willing to hurt, she WOULD hurt as long as you weren't out of her league that is.
Satsumei, she… stumped Naruto in ways he couldn't describe. Anytime he was near her it was almost impossible to BECOME angry, she also had the effect of calming any existing anger. If he described her in one word, it would be awesome. He had the training of his uncle, mother, his brother in all but blood Kakashi and even Jiraiya when he visited to report to his uncle, and still, she could ALMOST fight on his level. Even Sasuke hadn't shown THAT much skill, he was close but not quite there and they were a year apart! He would say that they were at least equal but Naruto knew damn well she wasn't ever going full power against Sasuke. You would think the gender difference plus the physical age difference would mean something, but she was something else and he liked it. She was a genius among geniuses, and he relished every moment he got with her. Compliment that with the fact he also found her adorable no matter how fierce she tried to be, and he was truly confused about her.
The class ended and he headed home not waiting for anyone to talk to him. He wanted to be back with his family, he just didn't know he'd only have a short time before not having them for a while.
The Namikaze Estate
Naruto walked in and only saw his mom, so he sat next to her. She seemed to be contemplating and he knew that when she wanted to speak to him, she would. For him it was a great way for him to work on his patience levels, so he didn't mind the peace and quiet.
It took a while, half an hour if he had to guess, but she finally stared right at him and even Axel entered at that time. "Naruto, we need to talk about something important."
"I'm going to be heading out of the village on a trip to get Kurama's chakra under control. It's literally tearing my body apart the longer I leave it unmastered," his uncle's voice left room for questions for once in his life. "So, what does this have to do with me?"
"Your mother has agreed to come with me as well as Kakashi and Guy to help keep me from going on a rampage while under the influence," he could see the slew of emotions on Naruto's face; sorrow, abandonment, anger and finally acceptance. "So, how long will you be gone?"
"One year. I've made arrangements for Mikoto and Fugaku to take you under their wing while we're gone. Hiruzen will be the Hokage in my absence and you'll have daily visits with him to talk about how your day is so he can relay messages to us. If ANYTHING happens while we're gone you are to tell him ASAP, got it?" he received a nod of the head in response and smiled back, ruffling Naruto's hair. Naruto didn't mind the affection, after all he figured this is probably what his dad would have done anyway. People did say his dad and uncle were so similar sometimes.
"Good. As soon as we get back your chakra coils should be developed enough for me to safely start training you in ninjutsu. Remember, you already have a head start over everyone but don't get cocky. I hear the Uchiha siblings as well as the Hyuga heiress are WAY ahead of the rest of your generation. Prodigies apparently," he said with a hint of pride?
"Can you teach me the Shadow Clone before you go? I'm aware that it can give an increased pace in learning. I'd like to use it to keep up my training while I attend school. All I'm learning in the academy is stuff that you two have already taught me and I feel like I'm not going at the right pace," it was reasonable, and Axel mulled over it before looking to Kushina, after all he wasn't going to be teaching Naruto any crazy techniques at this age without her permission. He knew she fully trusted him with her son's well-being, but it was a respect thing. She gave a cheeky grin and nod of her head. "That should be fine, but you have to do something in exchange for me kiddo."
"What's that?" he was so damn cute with that tilt of his head dammit!
"I'm going to leave you some scrolls on general shinobi arts as well as the more advanced arts. While I'm gone, I want you to read them, study them, and even research more in your spare time. When I get back let me know what interests you the most not counting ninjutsu. If you want more on any of them you can ask the old man, he's got access to plenty of knowledge, and he'll probably even give you some tutoring. Remember, if your ever stuck on something he's probably got some advice that can help, he isn't known as the Professor for no reason, after all."
One week later at the Konoha gates
"Been awhile since I've been through these gates. I think I've mostly been couped up inside the Hokage Tower and the estate since I became Hokage, that's not counting the peace meetings with the other Kage but who cares."
"You know, you could be a little less nonchalant about this. We're going to be gone for a year ya know!" Kushina couldn't help but remind him. It led to some minor bickering and Kakashi and Guy couldn't help but chuckle a bit at their companions.
The only big difference within the last week was that Axel completely disbanded the civilian council and THEN handed over the hat to Hiruzen. Exactly one year from now at the latest or as soon as Axel deems he has enough control over Kurama's chakra they would return to the village, and he would continue his reign as Hokage.
Naruto was staring with teary eyes and Mikoto and Satsumei were trying to console him but to no avail. Seems he didn't prepare himself as much as he thought. Kushina walked over and said something about being strong or something, Axel didn't quite hear it properly, but it did do the trick as Naruto instantly perked up and put on a brave face with fire in his eyes. 'Mama's boy.'
As soon as he had that thought he suddenly felt a shiver and noticed she was staring right at him with those piercing eyes of hers. That blank face is what really worried him though. There was definitely pain in his direct future. He straightened up quick enough that she knew she got the message across and watched as they said any last goodbyes. His eyes met Mikoto's for just a moment and he ripped his gaze away. He didn't notice it, but when he shivered Kakashi and Guy had both shivered at the same time. Apparently Kushina was staring through all of their souls.
They took off running at blinding speeds, Axel and Guy making it a competition, Kushina's competitive side kicked in and she was right next to them. She was way faster than Axel remembered her being. Kakashi not feeling like getting left behind also sped up.
Madara's house- Nightfall
Axel and Guy were stamina freaks so it was reasonable that they were just lightly sweating but Axel was thoroughly impressed that Kushina wasn't even breathing heavy, Uzumaki genes are fucking awesome! Poor Kakashi though was struggling to regain control of his breath. "Kakashi! We are so getting you back up to snuff during this trip, as your… former Hokage? Tis be my order!"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I let my skills drop. But right now there are more important things like where have you brought us?" Kakashi responded dryly.
"That's simple. The house that my father raised me on. Welcome to the land once owned by Madara Uchiha; mine and Minato's father."
The academy
They had woken up early enough to see the group off that they could still make it to school on time. Naruto still had a heavy heart, but he had his aunt doting on him so in a way it's almost like mom never left. Aunt Mikoto was always so nice to him, she treated him like he was her own son. She even cooked him whatever he wanted for breakfast everyday!
He also had Satsumei trying to cheer him up. To some extent even Sasuke in his own weird way tried to cheer him up, saying it wasn't permanent so if he couldn't deal with it he was a loser. At least he meant well… that's what Naruto hoped.
The whole affair was listed as an SS-Rank mission, and no one was allowed to tell anyone. Naruto was only allowed to talk about it with Hiruzen, he was left under strict orders not to talk with Mikoto on the off chance the siblings could be eavesdropping at any point.
In the meantime, even with his uncle, mother, and brother out of the village at the very least he was still top of the class consistently, only Sasuke having the strength and speed to keep up with him in taijutsu and that didn't last very long at any given point just because of Naruto's insane stamina. The fact of the matter is that Naruto was basically guaranteed the win against almost anyone in his class other than Hinata due to her clan's taijutsu.
The days blurred for Naruto going into a monotonous routine of school, lunch, more school, visit Hiruzen for the daily update and the letter for his mom and uncle, go back to the Uchiha compounds for studying as well as training with the siblings, and finally go to sleep. Even when he was hanging out with the siblings, he could FEEL that something wasn't right. Everyone was on edge and surprisingly it had nothing to do with him, in fact whenever he was near any of the Uchiha all he could see was pride when they were looking at him. He stopped paying attention to it after he decided there was nothing he could do about it, but he did mention it to Hiruzen to put in the letters.
Madara's house
"I'm sorry, I must have heard that wrong Lord Fifth, did you just say you and the late Lord Forth are the sons of Madara?" oh shit… he forgot to tell Guy, well, better late than never. "Yup, everyone thinks he died at the Valley of the End but that's not true. Sometime in the battle he casted an ability of the Sharingan called Izanagi that basically changes fate. He systematically programmed the ability to activate when everything was done and over with to reverse his death. Seeing as he couldn't defeat Hashirama, he went on to try and get away from the hate and wars. He traveled for a little bit and found a Namikaze woman and fell in love. They eventually settled down, had me and decided for some reason they loved kids and had Minato as well," Axel explained while staring at the headstone of his father.
"First I'm hearing of this too, Minato told me you guys were the sons of Madara but he never told me the tale. Told me you guys had to do blood tests just to prove you were who you said you were," Kushina stated while bowing to the headstone. "You don't have to show him any respect if you don't want to. He was the greatest traitor after all," Axel was perfectly okay with them thinking less of his father and even himself to some extent, he understood human nature quite a bit from dealing with the council meetings so he wouldn't hold it against them.
"Even Lady Mito didn't speak badly about the man, maybe she had too much kindness in her heart, but I honestly think anyone who knew him on any kind of personal level didn't hate him for what he did, they were just disappointed in him. Okay, maybe Lord Second hated him but everyone knows that man's disdain for the Uchihas," Kushina replied still bowing and then stood straight up.
"Enough about stuff like that though, we have training to do," she stated with an evil glint in her eyes that sent shivers down the backs of all three men.
"This doesn't bode well. Gentlemen, it was nice knowing you and if we don't make it out, I just want you to know you two were my favorite training partners. SHIT! EVASIVE MANOUVERS!" he just barely dodged a lightning-fast adamantine chain almost skewering him and noticed that Kakashi and Guy also dodged in time.
That damn woman looked like a demon right now with her hair moving about like tails and the ARMADA of chains behind her. "Oh boys, I just want to play. You don't have to run from me," she said that way too fucking sweetly, and that smile. Not that smile! Axel kicked it into high gear surrounding himself with as much of Kurama's chakra as he could comfortably control giving him a huge speed, durability, strength and healing boost.
Kushina was lucky, she had an ability that was more capable of taking on multiple high level opponents at once AND it was able to hold a full powered Kurama back, she was quite literally the best training partner he could have in order to get his newfound power under control, Guy was here for the actual physical conditioning and Kakashi was the wild card, he's skilled enough to fight somewhat close to Axel's level for a short period of time with his Sharingan. It obviously wouldn't last but IF Axel did go on a rampage, then Kakashi's Sharingan in combination with Kushina's chains would be what was needed to stop him, Guy would be the distraction with the Eight Gates. He had full confidence in all three of his subordinates, he'd even wanted to make them a three-man black-ops team at one point in time but decided it was better to keep them around to be able to teach the next generation.
Hours later, craters, scorch marks, slashes from wind attacks, and even puddles were seen all over the clearing. Axel was on one knee trying to regain his breath, Guy was actually exhausted for once lying in one of the craters covered in sweat, and poor Kakashi was currently held in chains right above Kushina. "Hah! Still got it!" she exclaimed with a peace sign. "We aren't done yet! I've still got some fight left in me!" Axel shouted while lifting himself up. "Oh, ho, ho! Big words considering your trying not to fall over!"
"What the hell did you do to us woman?" he asked before collapsing into a sitting position. "While you gentlemen were busy running from my chains, I had a shadow clone placing chakra draining seals all over the field and it worked like a charm! The seals would drain you at a rate that you wouldn't notice in the heat of combat while feeding it to me!" it was brilliant because it would also keep him having to draw more chakra from Kurama thus exposing himself more, the woman's a genius no matter how much of a pain she is. "What was that mister? Do I have to go into stabby mode again?"
"Do I just think out loud at all times or can you actually read my mind!?" he couldn't figure out her secret for the life of him. "You think with your face and body language, Minato did it too. I've also known you most of my life, I think I should know you by now," that was not the answer he was expecting but it pointed out one of his flaws he'd have to get under control. "It's not necessarily a bad thing either. It's one of the things that kept the council under control. If they saw you were about to have an outburst based on your expression they would become submissive."
"Let's get some food, I'll go hunt us something, you guys can take turns in the shower while I'm gone," Axel stated standing up straight and turning toward the forest. "Oh no mister, you're going inside to relax, don't think I don't see that twitching your body does every now and then!" damn woman, he was a grown ass man as well as her leader thank you very much. "I didn't leave any room for arguments. Now help these two in the house," she said unceremoniously dropping Kakashi to the ground finally. He placed Kakashi's arm around his shoulder and helped him into the house. "Come on Guy! I know you can move on your own!"
She watched them walk into the house waiting to make sure they got inside safely, and right when she was about to head out to hunt she flinched as there was a loud crashing sound. "That was my mother's vase!"
"I didn't mean to!"
"Your lucky she's dead, she'd murder you for that!"
She couldn't help but chuckle. The man would be the death of her but she loved him dearly, especially since he's not just been the pillar that keeps the village up but also the rock that had been shielding both her and Naruto from idiots who would try and take advantage of Minato's death. It's not like she couldn't protect herself but having a HOKAGE to protect you afforded many protections that basic law couldn't help with.
Kushina would return an hour later with a giant boar, a shit ton of salmon, and a couple of deer all skewered on her chains. Her boys needed food and she would damn well feed them! Guy too, she had nothing against him other than that overly boisterous attitude about the 'Flames of Youth', otherwise he was pretty cool, a damn fine shinobi, right now he was in the running for greatest taijutsu master in the Elemental Nations, and the only reason their was any debate on it was because of Axel's achievement in the Third War, he only ended up killing one hundred shinobi with his weapons, then he switched to hand-to-hand combat just for FUN!
He then continued to slaughter another nine hundred soldiers. The numbers were even for both Axel and Minato, but it was the way he did it that made Axel's feat seem so much more impressive. If you asked Axel though he would say that he wasn't suited to taijutsu and that Guy was VASTLY better, just didn't have the same stamina.
She wasn't expecting to walk into Axel sitting cross legged meditating with Kurama's chakra surrounding him. Now that she was actually taking notice, he was accessing four tails worth. It really was impressive considering he has no advantages when it comes to dealing with tailed-beast chakra. She was going to give him a few more minutes but his eyes opened showing crimson with slit pupils. "I figured I should start meditating with the chakra. The more it flows through my body the quicker I can adjust. I'm getting the hang of it."
"How though? To my knowledge you've only used the chakra a handful of times and now all of a sudden you can call on four tails worth? That kind of adaptation for jinchuuriki's is unheard of."
"Kurama and I have more or less made a deal. In return for using his power I hunt down the man that ripped him out of you and tear him to pieces. I even said I may let him do it himself. Let's just say the chakra is much easier to control with his cooperation."
"I see, I didn't realize you'd been talking to him. Is that how Naruto has to gain control of his power?"
"Yes and no. Naruto will also have to battle the Yang half into submission, he HAS to gain Kurama's respect. I've already fought Kurama and was doing pretty fucking good if I do say so myself. My half of him has already acknowledged that I could have killed him had that been my goal," that didn't make Kushina feel any better. Her baby would have to fight the fox. How the hell was he supposed to gain enough power to do that?
"Sage mode," he stated as if reading her mind. "What?" she asked stunned as if it was the most difficult problem in the world. "We'll have him sign a contract and learn how to use sage mode. He'll need a buff. The only human who could actually fight Kurama without a buff and pull a win was Hashirama and he had a cheat code. May as well arm Naruto with the power that allowed me to fight the furball," he heard some indignant mumbling in his head about ungrateful mongrels but let it slide.
"Enough about trials and tribulations though, you got a large haul so let's eat. I'll prep a fire, go get Kakashi and Guy. There is a kitchen in the house, but I don't even know if its possible to get electricity to this place so… we get to do it the old-fashioned way," Axel said standing up and stretching, he then left to gather firewood and she did as he said.
They ate a little later that night and went over what the training routine would be. Every morning Axel would wake up early and begin meditation while running Kurama's chakra through his body for three hours, they would then work on each other's individual flaws: for Kakashi it was his stamina, for Guy it was simple battle tactics and his impatience at times, Kushina was more difficult because she was extremely well rounded overall, so Axel just decided to work on her summoning. She had signed the thunderbird contract later that evening as agreed upon, and she couldn't be happier to have Minato's summons. Once everyone got their individual training done the three jonin would team up on Axel to force him to use as much of Kurama's chakra as possible without rampaging and hopefully his tolerance would increase over the course of the year to the point where it was second nature to at least use eight tails, though his goal was to get all nine tails going.
They all went to bed after getting the plans set, Kushina took Minato's old room, Guy and Kakashi took Axel's room, Axel decided to sleep on the roof. The particular spot in the field where the house was meant there wasn't any trees overhead so he had a perfect view of the stars. That was his reasoning anyway, but Kushina didn't quite buy it, she knew him better. He had done everything in his power today to avoid going into the house, and this was no different. She wouldn't push him on the subject though, that wouldn't help. Wrapped around her finger he may be, but somethings were just off limits.
The Hokage's office five months later
Hiruzen sat at the desk with his old teammates Koharu and Homura on either side and Danzo leaning standing by the window. In front of him was both Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha both donning their ANBU gear minus their masks. They sat each on one knee awaiting orders. "So, you mean to tell me the Uchiha elders plan to take advantage of Axel's absence to enact a coup? Am I missing anything?" his wizened voice came out hoping that was all, but he wasn't expecting the next part.
"They also plan to use Naruto as a hostage as a last resort. If they end up on the losing side, they will threaten to release the nine-tails and destroy the village," was Itachi's extremely worrying answer. To say Hiruzen was shocked they'd go to such lengths would be like saying Axel was the most effective Hokage.
"We must extract the jinchuuriki and eliminate the Uchiha clan at once, it is the only way to protect the village," came Danzo's horrifying suggestion. "I volunteer to keep the jinchuuriki under my care until his mother and uncle return."
'Knowing him, he'd end up trying to brainwash Naruto like one of his ROOT agents. Don't think I don't know you still have them Danzo, Axel has left me the majority of his evidence against you and your crimes,' he didn't trust his old teammate one bit, how could he when during his own reign as Hokage Danzo committed crimes left and right behind his back, even ones that went into other nation's borders, from kidnapping, to smuggling, and making deals with well known criminals. The only reason Danzo wasn't dead right now is that Axel is trying to connect him and Orochimaru. That was beside the point.
"My grandson shall not be going with you anywhere and we will not be committing genocide on an entire clan, much less one of the founding clans of the village," he couldn't let this happen. The blood of Madara ran in Axel's veins, if he came back to his whole clan slaughtered there would be no known force in the nations that could stop him. They would be forced to put him down and Hiruzen doubted it was possible, he was too old, Kushina didn't have the nine-tails, Minato was dead, and Guy would die if he had to use the Eighth gate which is probably what it would take. No, he couldn't let this come to pass.
"Itachi, Shisui, I want you to keep an eye on this and see if we cant figure out how to come to a peaceful resolution to this," Hiruzen's voice held a slight panic that was almost unnoticeable but Itachi caught it, he knew exactly what the elder was scared of and shared this very fear, skilled as Itachi was there was nothing he could possibly do to harm Axel in combat so what happens when the sleeping beast is awoken?
"Lord Third, if I may?" Shisui stepped forward, it seemed he had an idea, Itachi knew exactly what it was, but he didn't like it. Shisui was given the gesture to speak freely. "My Mangekyou gives me a genjutsu that could put this whole thing to rest if you would give me the go ahead."
"How do we know that would even work?" Danzo was persistent, seemed he really wanted the Uchiha dead but for what reason Hiruzen wasn't quite sure.
"I'm not one hundred percent but it's the best chance we have of stopping this without bloodshed. The technique is called Kotoamatsukami and it let's me put anyone under a powerful genjutsu that forces them to do whatever I want from them. I could force them to completely forget this coup."
"Before we go through with taking away free will I would like to try and resolve this through negotiations," Hiruzen sounded hopeful though the doubt was clearly there for all to hear. And so everyone left his office except Danzo. "Your making a mistake, we should wipe out the clan before they can deal any permanent damage to the village."
"You understand if Axel comes back to the village and his clan is dead he will bring the full force of the nine-tails down on us all, right? The only two that would be safe would be Kushina and Naruto," Danzo didn't respond to that and simply left.
Madara's house
He'd been sitting in that same exact position for an hour and had clearly read the scroll a hundred times already, Kushina was starting to get worried. If his eyebrows descended any further they'd pop off his forehead, and that would be a shame for such nice eyebrows.
"What's wrong?"
The tired sigh that he was holding in finally escaped and Axel simply handed her the scroll, giving her time to read it over a few times. "They plan to use my baby as a last resort hostage!?" that got the attention of Kakashi and Guy who walked up to them. "What's happening that's got her so angry?" was Kakashi's question with a surprisingly serious tone.
"The Uchiha clan even with all of the help and leeway I've given them is planning a rebellion and they want to do it while I'm away. They are aware that should I be there I could single handedly wipe them out if they tried anything. Normally this wouldn't worry me all that much, I'd believe in Hiruzen's ability to take care of the situation however, they plan on using Naruto to their advantage. If they fail in the coup they plan to release Kurama's other half if they don't get what they want," was Axel's calm explanation but he was clearly agitated, he delivered his nephew right to his own clan who apparently had no problem double crossing him and the village he poured his blood, sweat, and tears into.
Before anyone could say anything, Kurama's chakra exploded out of him, fangs enlarged, nails growing into claws, and eyes bleeding crimson with slit pupils. He was losing control of his anger fast and couldn't think straight. The thought that those FOOLS would do this instead of just giving their demands straight up, those HONORLESS hacks! First four, then five, six, seven, all the way up to eight tails, but that was his limit. He couldn't go any farther as the seal wouldn't let him without ripping the built-in limiter. In a situation like this he couldn't afford to do that, should he let his anger take control completely with that much power there would be no one who could stop him. The only three he could think of were all dead, Kushina's adamantine chains no longer suppressed him as effectively and Kakashi's Mangekyou no longer worked because of the bond between himself and Kurama. It was so tempting though, maybe just for a lit-
"Axel!" the sound of Kushina's voice broke him out of that thought process, for once her mind reading came in handy. "Get yourself together! You're the damn Hokage and the son of Madara! You know damn well what will happen if you let your rage consume you!" Kushina shouted before pulling him into a bear hug, she couldn't let him lose control now, too many lives would be at stake. Hell, he may end up exterminating the clan himself for this slight against him. Even worse was that they planned to use Naruto as a hostage. If Axel did plan to commit genocide, their deaths wouldn't be quick, he'd make an example of them, probably in front of the village. She couldn't let that come to pass; she couldn't let Naruto see the monster that lay deep in Axel's subconscious. "Don't let the curse of hatred consume you, please, I can't lose you too," dammit, he made her CRY. What the hell was wrong with him!
"Let's just go back to the village. You've got eight tails worth under control, isn't that enough? Your body stopped tearing itself apart, so we've accomplished what we came for, right?" she asked with a glimmer of hope as she saw his transformation receding. He hugged her back, his now cerulean eyes almost shedding tears. "Your right, I'm sorry. It's time we go back and put this issue to rest, and I have just the plan," he said with an almost evil glint in his eyes and a slightly mad chuckle.
Eight hours later, the village gates
Axel had sent summons ahead to let Hiruzen know that the group was returning ahead of schedule and when to meet them at the gates. Hiruzen brought Naruto and Mikoto with him, Naruto for obvious reasons and Mikoto because she was worried about Axel and Kushina.
Axel strode forth with his companions in tow with a confidence and strength that showed exactly who was at the top of the food chain.
Hiruzen strode forth to meet him and clasped the man's handin his own. "It's good to see you old friend," Hiruzen said with a grin.
"Oh, don't act like I'm an old man yet, I'm only twenty-eight," he said with a chuckle. "I've got a general understanding of the situation but maybe you can explain it with my personal adviser here," Axel stated while pointing a thumb at Kushina.
"Of course! Let's get you back to your office. You two are dismissed. I'll have your payments delivered to you by ANBU," Hiruzen responded while looking at Kakashi and Guy making sure that they knew it was non-negotiable and turned to walk to the Hokage Tower. He would have shunshined but he wanted the village to know their ACTUAL Hokage was back in town.
About ten minutes later Hiruzen was back in the office with Axel donning his hat behind the desk and Kushina to his right. "So… what's the situation right now?"
"It's not looking great. Any plan you have is welcome," he was honest, and Axel appreciated that, after all he didn't originally expect him to keep the Uchihas under control, but he also didn't expect this to happen so soon.
"I have a plan. I want you to take the entirety of the ANBU and surround the Uchiha tonight at midnight. You'll understand the rest later," Axel said with the normal confidence that Hiruzen expected of him. "Very well, from one of my successors, I think I can trust his judgement."
The Uchiha compound
Axel descended on the compound like a meteor, coming down in a giant ball of fire. He meant to make as much noise as possible and he succeeded. EVERYONE in the clan had come out to investigate. The only ones who weren't there were Mikoto, Sasuke, and Satsumei, and that was only because he gave her a heads up and invited them all to the Namikaze estate this evening. Itachi was close behind as well as Shisui and Kakashi all in ANBU gear including masks.
"I'm here due to… rumours that you as a clan plan to rebel against the village and me by association!" he let it ring out for a moment but didn't let them retort. "I decided that instead of having you potentially harm anyone in the village I would come here and allow you to challenge me as an entire clan. If you can defeat me regardless of how many it takes, I will hand over the hat to you! This battle will be conducted in the coliseum tomorrow at eleven in the morning! Any who are dissatisfied are welcome to fight me!" he didn't give them time to answer him, he disappeared in a swirl of fire and his ANBU weren't far behind.
Namikaze estate
Axel was standing among his most trusted people; Kushina, Naruto, Kakashi, Mikoto, and Shisui. He'd already explained the match for the next day and even Kushina was a little worried, after all the Uchiha clan was regarded across the nations as the strongest clan. "I can't wait to watch you destroy them all!" at least Naruto had the right spirit. "Naruto! Your uncle could get seriously hurt!" Mikoto chided.
"No, I disagree, with his reputation alone they should know not to show up at all. But if they don't appear it will make them look like cowards," it was surprisingly Kakashi that responded. "I agree with Kakashi, Axel has placed them in a corner with no way out. They can't win no matter what they do," Kushina added and Mikoto thought about it for a moment before nodding.
"Well, anyways, you should all rest. Kakashi, Shisui, Itachi, I would like you to keep watch on the property until I wake up and as soon as I exit the building your free for the next week," Axel stated before heading upstairs to go to bed. Kushina stayed up to make sure the Mikoto and the siblings minus Itachi got proper beds in the guestroom and then went to sleep herself.
The exam coliseum, next day
Axel had gotten the word out quick about the event. He was devious, he made sure everyone knew about his challenge to the clan and he made it sound almost like a sporting event. There were even bets made for the fight. For most people imagining one person taking out the Uchiha clan on their own regardless of their reputation was impossible. The only people betting on him were Kushina, Hiruzen, Kakashi, Itachi, and Shisui. Mikoto was on the fence and while Naruto wanted to make a bet he was too young.
Axel watched as all of the shinobi from the Uchiha clan filed in with Fugaku and the elders at the front. This was what he hoped for, to put the elders in their place because THEY were the problem, same thing with the Hyuga but that was another matter for another day. He hoped he was right on that anyway.
He waited until the coliseum seats were packed and took off his cloak and held it to the side. Kushina appeared almost before anyone could notice and disappeared just as fast, taking the article of clothing. Axel now only had his skintight sleeveless red shirt and red pants as well as red sandals. It was kind of fun to see the civilian women faint at his extremely well kept physique, after all it looked like he was chiseled by the gods themselves but still, he came here for a specific reason. He also may have felt an extremely dark presence around Kushina's general area in the stands, but he pretended like he didn't sense it.
"Alright, match rules are as follows!" he waited to make sure he had everyone's attention and continued. "You are free to come at me as if you want to kill me. In fact I'd prefer you'd actually attempt it. My goal is to knock each of you unconscious. If you incapacitate me or kill me Fugaku Uchiha receives the hat and title of Hokage," he explained and received a nod from everyone including the stands.
Kakashi appeared in the arena and chopped his hand forward and disappeared, allowing the flood of Uchiha to surge forward and swarm Axel. He activated his Sharingan not like it would do much since they also had it therefore taking away any precognition he may have, but the damn eyes just felt right. The first enemy to reach him pulled a kunai and he merely caught the man by the wrist and threw him into another. He jumped up and split kicked two more coming at him. His eyes were going into overdrive recording everything that was happening. While the precognition wouldn't help he could still form plans in his head.
"Fire Style: Hiding in Ash and Dust!" he blew out a massive cloud of smoke and dust around him and as the Uchiha were well aware of this technique they moved away FAST. It was one of the few moves that Madara Uchiha never taught anyone. To most of the clan this just meant that Axel was a prodigy the likes of which hasn't been seen since the warring clans era if he could recreate this jutsu. They didn't know the truth behind his knowledge of the technique.
Axel burst out of the smoke so quickly that the first two in proximity couldn't keep up and had their heads knocked together falling unconscious instantly. He picked their bodies up and threw them at the next two as a diversion and knocked those ones at as well with a well placed roundhouse kick to their heads. When the next batch came within a few feet he was quick to unseal his claymore and launch a wave of fire chakra from it. They were quick to retreat back but a few of them were hit. He made sure that the flames weren't hot enough to cause severe injuries but they did go into shock from the pain. They wouldn't be rejoining the fight anytime soon.
He took stock of the remainder, he's cut them down by about a fifth. He figured he'd kick it up a notch. Axel unsealed his gunbai and launched a vortex of wind. He'd heard Fugaku yell "Fire Style: Great Fireball!" and fire off an impressively large blast of fire at the wind. It overtook and doubled in size while speeding at Axel. "Uchiha Deflection!" he yelled as he smacked his gunbai right into the attack. It was converted into an even larger blast of wind and soared towards his foes. Before it could get too far he launched another wave of fire that combined with the wind and made an absolute inferno.
He looked over who was left afterwards. Not many, most of them were able to protect themselves somehow but the heat was enough to make them pass out. He couldn't blame them, it was absolutely sweltering. If he wasn't so used to the flames of his sage mode he would probably fall unconscious too. He decided to end it quickly sealing up his weapons and blitzing through the hand seals to his favorite jutsu ever taught to him by his father.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!" he breathed in hard and then released unleashing a GIGANTIC flamethrower like none seen before. They tried to counter with water jutsus but it just created a mist and he charged in taking more out with taijutsu and blasts of flame coming down around him taking out even more of them. When the mist finally dissipated Axel and Fugaku were the only ones standing and Axel gave a smirk as a challenge for Fugaku, having the desired effect Fugaku charged at him with a kunai and surprisingly a Mangekyou.
Axel's smirk widened as his sharingan changed into his own Mangekyou which were red with black pupils the shape of flames. Right as Fugaku got within five feet of Axel a giant blood red skeleton made of chakra appeared around Axel with a giant two-handed sword similar to his own gripped between it's hands. The chakra levels radiating from the titan were comparable to his eight tail version of Kurama's chakra cloak and everyone in the stands thought they were going to die other than a few obvious individuals. Fugaku attempted to charge forward but stopped within a foot's worth of the construct, he just couldn't handle the chakra output and dropped to his knees. "It's perfectly okay to be brave but being fearless is foolish. I don't know how you've come to feel this way but I'm more than willing to listen to any and all problems," Axel stated before his construct dissipated, and he appeared behind Fugaku and chopped his neck knocking him out and then looking up and addressing the crowd. "Let this be a lesson! I am more than willing to work out any and all problems you may have with how I run my village! However! You threaten my family and you then deal with my wrath!" he then disappeared in a vortex of fire.
The match itself served a few purposes. It showed not to judge a clan's worth based on its history, it showed that he was the top of the food chain if he could take on the whole clan by himself, and it unfortunately gave more expectations for young Naruto. But the most important was that it would hopefully keep the clan under control knowing that a SINGLE individual was capable of taking them out.
Five months later
Somehow the Uchiha clan didn't get much better overall after the humiliation. They decided that they would go down taking some with them or they wouldn't remain part of the village. Their pride was officially more important than their lives and the village. Danzo didn't like that, so he went behind Axel's back and had Itachi kill the rest of the clan. Itachi was assured that Sasuke and Satsumei would be kept safe, so he went ahead with it.
Axel was given a peculiar message by someone who appeared in his office while he was finishing up the last of the paperwork. He couldn't tell if the person was a figment of his imagination or what but if what he said was true Axel couldn't take any chances.
Axel a few minutes after the message was now standing in the Uchiha district staring at the dead bodies. He had to get to Mikoto!
He rushed and got to her house making it in time to see a figure over Mikoto ready to drive their sword through her heart. Sage mode activated instantly and propelled him forward to grasp the blade in one hand. "No, not her," he stated before delivering a punch that rocketed the intruder into the opposite wall.
"Are you okay Mikoto?" she was too shocked to answer so he quickly got in position to intercept the attacker again until he noticed it was Itachi. "No, not you Itachi. Why?"
"To test my limits."
"Bullshit! I know you better than that! Why'd you do it!?" Axel allowed the following genjutsu to hit him. It allowed Itachi to show him all the memories that happened over the week; Shisui dying, Itachi taking his remaining eye, him being blamed for Shisui's death, Danzo giving him this mission and the masked man approaching him. "Get out of here before anyone else arrives."
Itachi nodded and left before Axel turned to Mikoto kneeling and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Mikoto, I need you to take Sasuke and Satsumei and head to the Namikaze estate. Let Kushina know what happened."
He sensed around for anyone else that may be alive and found an abnormally large chakra signature and went straight for it finding the man near the front gates.
It was that damn masked man that was responsible for Minato's death. He was going to use this guy as his personal punching bag. Axel dashed forward leaving no time for the stranger to react and grabbed him by the face smashing him into the ground and dragging him literally THROUGH the concrete. He finally let off by flinging the man into a building stalking forward like a predator.
The man began to disappear in a swirling vortex until Axel held his hand out towards the man with his right Mangekyou spinning, blood running from the eye and chains made of chakra appeared around the stranger blocking off all chakra abilities. "Yeah, so, I'm your worst opponent. I'm stronger, faster, more durable, have more chakra, and have the perfect Sharingan ability to counter your main advantage against other opponents. Though you already figured out that this is a futile fight, haven't you? Obito," his words struck true terror in the man as his true identity was revealed. "How-"
"There is no other Uchiha on record to have one eye and the side of the mask covers where you should have been crushed. On top of that you're a one trick pony and Kakashi has the same ability so… No one else you could really be," he didn't even get a chance as he was grabbed again by the face and dragged through the concrete.
"You ungrateful bastard! After everything my brother did for you, you still killed him! I'll make you suffer nice and slow. No, yours won't be an easy death!"
He began smashing the now revealed Obito into the ground repeatedly and then threw him across the street. His instinct was to make the man suffer, he could tell Kurama's influence and hatred was starting to take control. Before he could make his way over to Obito, suddenly, he was blasted away by a force he couldn't readily identify.
When he stood up, he saw a man with short spiky orange hair, metal piercings along the sides of his nose, a full-length black cloak with red clouds, and purple eyes with rings that he knew all too much about. After all, his father had them in his last four years. Rinnegan, one of, if not the most powerful kekkai genkai. The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths and something he one day hoped to manifest on his own.
"To whom do I owe the pleasure?" he needed information and he wasn't going to pass this opportunity up. He hadn't considered that Obito could be working with others but that now makes more sense than if we would have even thought of it on his own.
"You may call me… Pain. I am God and I shall show this world what true pain is. This will be the only time we meet and I do not kill you. Rejoice in the mercy I have given you this day-" he didn't get to finish his sentence as a sage powered Destroyer Flame blasted toward him but he spiraled out of reality along with Obito.
"Dammit!" Axel couldn't help but be pissed off at himself, he was sure he could have killed them both if he wasn't fooling around but he still played with his food, just like always. Before he could think anymore, he was tackled to the ground by a red blur. He recognized the chakra signature by the time she entered the compound but knowing Kushina cared this much took a little of the anger away. He tried to stand but got knocked back down by a blond bolt as well.
"Naruto, Kushina, if you continue to squeeze me like you are you'll crush me!"
"Bullshit! I've seen you take worse. I watched you fight off the Tsuchikage with little difficulty so shut up and let us hug you! We were worried when you sent Mikoto to the house ya know!" yup… wrapped around her finger. She was clearly expecting to fight because she was in her jonin uniform. "How's Mikoto?" he asked.
"They're fine physically, Satsumei still doesn't know what happened. She was either unconscious or asleep. I don't know how to break it to her. Sasuke is tramatized though," Kushina responded.
"I… see," he seemed to go into deep thought before she flicked him in the forehead. "I'm sorry. There's more to this whole thing than I originally thought but I'll share it in the council meeting," his tone left no room for argument.
Council Chambers
Axel called the ANBU in immediately tallying up the death count and trying to find out if Itachi and Obito missed anyone to no avail. When they were done the Fifth called for a meeting of the clan heads immediately, Kushina standing behind him slightly to his right, she had no desire to keep the Uzumaki as an official clan so instead she operated much like an intimidation factor for Axel to use at any point.
"Why are we here?" was the indignant complaint of a clearly brash woman. Tsume Inuzuka was her name, and she was Kiba's mother. Based on her personality Axel could understand why Naruto didn't really like her son.
His right cheek rested on his hand as he waited for Kakashi to enter. Damn that man, always being late. Just as he was about to send another ANBU after him the man walked through the chamber doors and Axel straightened up, Kakashi taking his place opposite of Kushina.
"Let's get this over with. I've called you all together because the Uchiha clan has been exterminated by the same individual that attacked the night of Naruto's birth and our very own prodigy Itachi Uchiha," Axel explained quieting the room.
Danzo walked in at that very moment and the temperature in the room went down just a few degrees, but Axel didn't act. "I unfortunately arrived too late to stop the massacre, but I was able to save one other individual that Itachi did not plan to spare," Axel continued on watching any and every expression on Danzo's face.
Unfortunately, Shikaku and his damn intelligence kicked in. "Lord Hokage if you don't mind me asking, how did you know to go to the compound when you did?"
He didn't mind the question; the answer was just… odd. "I was in my office finishing up the paperwork for the day when I heard one of the windows open and someone shuffle in. At first, I thought it was Jiraiya but it was someone I've never met before. The man had proceeded to tell me about what was happening in the compound and told me if I wanted to save anyone I would have to go immediately. He disappeared into a shadow. I didn't have time to question it, if the information was wrong, oh well, if it was correct then I could prevent at least one death."
"So, what's your plan Lord Fifth?" was Tsume's impatient question. It wasn't just impatience though; he could see that and more on her face as well as everyone else's faces. Anger, sorrow, and even fear. He understood those feelings quite well. They were angry because now one of the most powerful clans in the village/world is gone due to who they all perceived as a traitor, sorrow because all those men, women, and children are now dead. Even if they were arrogant pricks sometimes, they didn't deserve genocide. Friends and families were snuffed out under everyone's noses and there was nothing they could do to fix this loss. Finally, fear because if it happened once, it could happen again. Anyone who can kill the whole Uchiha clan on their own could just as well do the same thing to any other clan in the village.
"Itachi shall be labeled an S-Rank criminal in the bingo books and have an execution order put out," he didn't want to do it, but he had to in order to keep up appearances. Until he could bring Danzo to justice, he couldn't let Itachi step foot in or near the village. The real problem was simple, does he take out Danzo now or wait until he could tie him to Orochimaru? For now, the plan decided in the Tsukuyomi was that Itachi would be undercover in a terrorist organization that recently cropped up by the name of Akatsuki. His reports from Jiraiya stated that there wasn't much movement from them in the Land of Fire however they seem to have been doing assassinations and other shady jobs under the table for the Tsuchikage. The organization was ironically the best way to keep Itachi alive and even better, if they did turn out to be trouble for the village, he would have inside information that even Jiraiya couldn't obtain.
Another question was how much he tells Mikoto and her children. He figured he could give her the truth that way she can at least know WHY her son did this. He could just swear her to secrecy.
"Any more questions?" he received only shakes of the head. It was so nice not dealing with the civilian council anymore, one of his greatest decisions ever. "Very well, this meeting is adjourned," he said, and everyone began filing out, he stayed behind with Kushina and Kakashi just a bit longer. "I want eyes on Danzo, all the time, make it happen Kakashi," he gave a nod before disappearing to accomplish his assigned task. "Let's go home, dinner's ready and you know Naruto won't be able to sleep until we're home. Mikoto's probably worried sick too."
"Yeah."
Namikaze Residence
Even telling Mikoto the truth he couldn't do anything as he stood back and watched Kushina trying and unfortunately failing to console her. He decided to take a chance, this moment would be make or break for his friendship with the woman as well as what she would do now.
"I feel your pain to some extent," his statement had gotten her attention and before she could say anything he continued. "I may have not been very close with the majority of the clan, however they were still my blood relatives and thus precious to me. I can't quite mourn them to the same extent that you can, however I want you to know that you're not alone and it's okay to bring your pain to us. Kushina at least knows what it's like to lose an entire clan so at the very least if not me, confide in her," as emotionless as it seemed to be at first, one could still tell it was heartfelt and he meant every word. He thought for a moment his words would only anger her until he was tackled to the floor in a bone crushing hug. She may not be in the shinobi corps anymore but she was still pretty damn strong. He let her weep as long as she needed, the whole time trying to ignore Kushina's knowing grin as well as those damn wiggling eyebrows of hers. What was that weird gesture she was doing with her fingers?