Last call to vote for my next story as the the poll closes on November 2nd! So if you haven't voted please do. I want to know what which of the three options you all want for my next story!
Kidōmaru appeared in Orochimaru's office in a puff of smoke, "Plan went FUBAR basically right form the get go Boss."
Orochimaru frowned as he put down the results of Kabuto's latest experiments. Narrowed his eyes and in a soft but dangerous tone said, "Explain."
"Two main points that damaged the plan from the start. Hiruzen isn't the Hokage anymore," Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly at that, "Yūgao Uzuki the Violet Reaper is now Hokage," The Snake Sannin nodded. Hiruzen's tactics were predictable even if he did know every Non-Clan Only Jutsu in Konoha. Yūgao on the other hand knew techniques only known to the Uzumaki Clan had and that made her far more dangerous than Hiruzen even if the old man had the Reaper's Death Seal.
"Then the moment the Ichibi Brat's fight started he and his siblings revealed the plan and joined Konoha. No idea what Zaku and Dosu did, but honestly don't care. Zaku was only loyal for the promised power and I'd bet Dosu also joined Konoha. He was far too soft hearted to truly be of use," Orochimaru nodded. Kidōmaru's thoughts on Zaku and Dosu were spot on. Then again that's why the two were disposable, to the point that even if they survived the invasion they'd just become test subjects for his more… lethal experiments. Gaara and his siblings on the other hand was far more annoying. From what he knew, the Kyubi Brat couldn't tap into his Biju's power let alone turn into it. So despite Konoha's jinchūriki being more powerful it wouldn't mean much against the Ichibi's surprise attack.
"Next the Genjutsu failed due to the Ichibi Brat. Luckily the Reaper and Old Man took the fight to the building you expected, letting me keep an eye on the gate…" Kidōmaru explained before sighing.
"I'm guessing that didn't work either?" Orochimaru growled. He put years into this plan, and while that was nothing to his immortality it was still incredibly annoying!
"The backup plan did," Kidōmaru said, getting the Sannin to calm down slightly, "However a group of summons appeared not just at the gate but if I had to guess around Konoha. Considering all the noise."
"Toads and slugs?" Orochimaru guessed.
"Dragons," Kidōmaru growled, making the Sannin freeze, "Someone there can summon honest to Kami DRAGONS!"
"I'm putting you in charge of finding out who," Orochimaru growled, "I want to know who has that Summoning Contract! I MUST get my hands on it, do you understand?"
"Got it boss," Kidōmaru nodded, "Before I continue may I ask why?"
"The Dragons are one of if not the oldest Summoning Clans," Orochimaru explained, "As such they had time to collect thousands of Ninjutsu. I had hoped that I could find them through the Snakes but that didn't work."
"Ah," Kidōmaru nodded, now understanding, "Well the fight went as expected… until he tried the Resurrection Jutsu."
"... I'm not going to like this am I?" Orochimaru asked though he already knew the answer to the question.
"Doubt it," Kidōmaru groaned, "The Second Hokage was able to free himself, the First, and the Bitch from the Jutsu."
"So they just went back?" Orochimaru asked. That would be annoying as each Soul could only be summoned once per Summoner and since his Cursed Seals had some of his Sage Chakra in them along with Jūgo's ability to naturally absorb Nature Chakra. Because of that even though Kidomaru had been the one to actually summon the three. Since Orochimaru's Chakra had been part of the process he was unable to summon them as well.
"Worse," Kidōmaru stated, "I don't know how, but the Second tied the Resurrection Jutsu to himself, so they could join Konoha. Kimimaro stood no chance."
"Which means we've also lost Shin," Orochimaru stated, "It was a calculated risk. One that is less irritating than you might think since I've already had Kabuto start on making some clones of Shin. We may have lost the original but there's enough stored DNA to make as many clones as we need."
"That's a relief at least," Kidōmaru nodded, "I booked it just before Kimimaro died, so I'm pretty sure the others are dead too."
"No matter," Orochimaru stated waving a hand, "Kagura was as disposable as Zaku. She was merely chosen due to her power and hatred giving her the best chance to survive the Second Stage Awakening. And while losing Sakon and Ukon is far more annoying than Jirobo's death, the two are in a similar position to Shin… tell me. Did Danzō do what we expected him to?"
"You mean try to take over? Yup. Had a couple of my little friends around Konoha, and some Anbu turned on the rest. My guess is that it was Danzō's ROOT."
"Most likely," Orochimaru said leaning back in his chair in thought, "Even with the invasion going on and surprise being on his side I doubt he'd win. Might Guy, Kakashi, and Yūgao are all S-Rank Shinobi on top of the three Kimimaro resurrected. Danzō would have no chance of truely winning. Even with those Sharingan implanted in that arm I gave him."
"So what do we do now Boss?"
"Luckily not much. The bases used to stage the invasion don't have a single thing to lead them to other bases since they're more akin to large barracks than anything else. As such abandoning them won't be an issue. Anything else to report?"
Kidōmaru gave a sinister grin, "How about the Hyuga Clan's Branch Prodigy being absolutely brimming with Hatred?"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed, "Oh? Send some spiders to both find out as much about him as they can and to keep an eye on him. That amount of Hatred will prove… useful."
"So once the time is right do the reverse summoning trick?" Kidōmaru asked with a dark chuckle, "That trick is the best way to extract him with Konoha on high alert…" He then frowned, "Unless of course they make it only certain people can Summon or be Reverse Summon within Konoha's walls."
"Indeed. For now apart form your two spying missions, train and look for new members for the Sound Four. This time I need a proper team to act as my generals. Not the disposable experiments like the others," Orochimaru ordered.
"So I'll finally be able to show off my true skill. Good. Might take a bit to find good people with the right mix of talent and power so they won't be that much of a pain in the ass to train. Shame about Kimimaro though. He was the only one on the team I actually liked!" With one last salute Kidōmaru turned and left the room. First he was going to send his spies to Konoha, then take a hot bath and relax a bit. That damn Barrier Jutsu took up more Chakra than he liked. Even if there were three others to help power the damn thing! There is no way that Barrier Jutsu was able to be powered by at least 4 Elite Chunin and if it was, then he'd really need to up his training!
The fighting was over. The three dragons and two foxes had not only defended the gates from the snake summons but the foxes also took care of the staging camps outside of Konoha, capturing every Shinobi present meaning there was no retreat flare sent. With the overwhelming power of the Uzumaki, the remaining Invading Shinobi were captured, and every traitor identified and killed. At first the defending Shinobi were shocked to see the three reanimated Shinobi, but once Hiruzen explained that Tobirama Senju was able to use Orochimaru's trap against him, everyone calmed down… well most of them did. Some still looked at Kushina in fear and her sinister smile didn't help. Hashirama went to assist in cleaning up and repairing Konoha, Tobirama assisted in processing the captured Shinobi and their equipment while a clone of his did the same with the dead Shinobi. The two agreed that it was nice working in Konoha again.
Kushina on the other hand, pulled into a bear hug the moment she saw him and cried while her son did the same. Karin and Tayuya weren't sure if they should join the hug or not but Kushina took care of that choice when her Adamantine Sealing Chains shot out, grabbed the two and pulled them in, "Thank you for looking out for my son. Thank you for being the sisters I couldn't give him."
Tayuya blushed, "It's cool. He's a good kid and a blast to be around. Honestly couldn't ask for a better brother," Karin didn't respond. She couldn't. She lost her mother years ago and now she was receiving something she hadn't realized she missed so much. The hug and affection of a Mother so Karin did the only thing she could at the moment. She cried and hugged back, letting emotions out that she'd thought she'd come to terms with years ago.
As the four hugged, a short haired, broad shouldered male Uzumaki with a Naginata hanging off a hook on his back walked up with a large grin, "Well I'll be damned! Kushina Uzumaki! Looking pretty good for a dead woman!"
Pulling back from the hug Kushina walked over and jokingly punched the man in the arm as he let out a boisterous laugh, "Den Uzumaki. Good to see ya, you big lug! Glad to see ya off that damn mountain!"
"Glad to be off the mountain! Don't get me wrong, the Throat of the World is great but nothing beats waking up to the ocean breeze!" Den laughed. Calming down he gave Kushina a fond look and pulled her into a one armed hug, "Jokes aside it's great to see ya again. You've got a great kid…"
"Kids," Kushina corrected, getting a small smile from Karin while Tayuya scoffed and looked to the side as she channeled a little chakra, to cause her hair to fall around her face as she tried to hide her embarrassed blush.
"Great kids," Den agreed with another laugh, "I can't wait to see what they do in the future!"
"Simple. Become badasses who'll make sure to keep Uzushio safe!" Tayuya snarked, getting another loud laugh from Den.
"Of that there's no doubt!" Den said, still laughing.
"I know that laugh anywhere!" A loud voice called as Might Guy landed nearby. The Taijutsu Master froze, "Den Uzumaki! I thought you died at Uzushio!"
The two clasped hands as Den grinned, "Nope! Our Invasion Protocols saved a lot of people. I'd say only about… twenty five percent of Uzumaki died that day. Rest were Shadow Clones, and fake bodies we set up to trick our enemies."
"...I have no idea how I forgot that creativity is one of the most common traits of the Uzumaki," Guy said, shaking his head with a small laugh, "Considering all the pranks Naruto pulled when he was younger."
"So… Mom," Naruto said once he got his emotions in check after the family hug, "Before we get onto more important stuff I have one question… What the hell is the name of your sword?!"
"Wait… She never wrote it down?" Den asked before laughing once more, while Kushina blushed in embarrassment.
"I… never thought it was important, since Yūgao or Hiruzen could have told you… but I guess they thought I wrote it down so never brought it up," Kushina said rubbing the back of her head embarrassed, "The sword is called 'Kaze no hana' or 'Wind Flower'."
"Bout damn time we learn its fucking name," Tayuya growled, "The Squirt was waiting to name his Wakizashi until he learned it."
"Yeah. I was planning to ask Yūgao-Sensei after the Chunin Exams after going over your journal and the seals on the sword one last time," Naruto shrugged, "Now that I know… I think I'll call my Wakazashi Gufū."
Den rubbed his chin, "Tornado or Hurricane huh? Fitting considering your Chakra Elements, and when using it alongside Kaze no hana would be like fighting a living a hurricane once you're good enough," Turning to Tayuya and Karin he asked "What about your weapons?"
"Eh," Tayuya shrugged, "I'll figure something out, though I might wait until I let bro put some seals on it."
"So that's why you didn't have the smith's put more complex seals on it," Karin chuckled.
Kushina grinned at seeing the three's dynamic in person. Karin and Tayuya were perfect sisters for Naruto, even if Tayuya was still a bit rough around the edges. Then again that was one of the girl's charms and Kushina wasn't, little miss princess either when she was younger, "So…" Kushina said, clapping her hands with a grin that made Naruto shudder a little though he didn't know why, "Once our clones are through with helping the initial invasion clean up… how about you introduce me to your little friend Yakumo? Isn't it about time you asked her out on a proper date?"
"MOM!" Naruto shouted with a large blush making Tayuya and Den burst out laughing while Karin and Guy had identical grins. Ahh… Being able to tease her son was something she was going to miss once she returned to the Pure Lands. She'd have to figure out how to tease Karin and Tayuya before she left if only to spread it around equally.
Torune stood in the alley next to the Hokage Building with Shibi. Shibi's Kikaichu swarm crawling back into his jacket after completely searching the alley's around the building, "So… Shisui's Sharingan is missing…"
"I am sorry," Torune said, bowing his head, "I shouldn't have just tossed it aside after pulling it from that old fool's face."
"Considering how long you were under his control and what he had you do, I do not blame you for letting your emotions guide you," Shibi said calmly, "It happens to the best of us. What is important is you remember that even though you went through ROOT's training and had to do unspeakable evils. You are still Human. You are still Torune Aburame. My son in all but blood."
"Thank you… Father," Shibi said with a large mix of emotions entering his voice.
A few hours later, a large group was standing in the Mission Office since there were too many people for the Hokage Office. Yūgao was sitting in the Hokage's Chair, with Hiruzen, Tobirama, Hashirama and Kushina behind her and Shibuki sitting in a large chair next to her. Standing before her were Teams Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine minus Neji from Konoha, Karin Uzumaki, Yakumo Kurama along with Fū and Juhimaru of Taki plus all the team Senseis. Ibiki and Inoichi were currently speaking with Gaara, Temari and Kankurō, while Anko, Tayuya and another Yamanaka were speaking with Dosu. Hoki was still in the hospital from his injuries but he'd make a full recovery in a couple of days.
Yūgao gave the Genin standing before her a kind smile, "So… normally if a Chunin Exam is canceled you would be getting recommendations in your files for the next time you enter the exams if you got to the third round. However due to the invasion being classified as a Time of War we are able to take not only the exams into account but also how you all acted during the invasion. Due to this I am proud to announce the following promotions to Chunin," The Genin along with Yakumo and Karin stood a little bit straighter and glanced at each other in excitement.
Yūgao let the silence hang in the air for a few more moments before her grin grew, "Although I suppose it would be faster to say who didn't earn their promotion! Those being Hoki due to being injured so early in the invasion though he will be getting a recommendation in his file and Neji Hyuga who's time as a Shinobi is now in question due to not only how he acted in his fight against Hinata but due to the recommendations from Hiashi Hyuga and Might Guy. Gaara, Temari, Kankurō and Dosu are a given due to originally being part of the invading armies."
"Instead they are currently speaking with some members of Konoha's T&I for a couple of reasons," Shibuki said getting curious looks from Yakumo, Karin and the Genin, "First is standard protocol for deserters during a Time of War to make sure this isn't a trick. Second is to find out what they wish to do next. Due to them deserting Suna and Oto they won't be able to rejoin the two Hidden Villages. As such they will most likely join Konoha but the option to join Taki is also open to them."
"Umm… I don't understand why I'm here since I'm not an official Genin," Yakumo said, raising a hand, "Can you please explain?"
Yūgao and the previous Hokages smiled, "Well… since your competency test is next week… I'm deciding to ignore that in light of how you acted in a Time of War. Due to this I am proud to announce that…"
"Oh just go down the list on who got promoted," Hashirama said with a small laugh, "You only get promoted to Chunin once! Might as well let them hear it!"
Yūgao chuckled and nodded, "Oh very well. The following Genin are hereby promoted to Chunin due to exemplary effort and going above and beyond during a Time of War. Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, Choji Akamichi, Tenten Higurashi, Rock Lee, Karin Uzumaki, and Yakumo Kurama are now an official Chunin of Konoha!"
"Due to exemplary effort and going above and beyond during a Time of War, Fū and Juhimaru are now official Chunin of Taki!" Shibuki said and all the new Chunin burst into cheers as Shibuki pulled out a scroll full of new Chunin flak vests.
"WOOO!" Fū yelled as everyone put on their new vest, with Naruto having to take off his red coat first, "PARTY TIME!"
"But before that…" Tenten said as she gained stars in her eyes and rushed over the table to Kushina notebook in hand, "I HAVE to get your autograph! You're my main inspiration for becoming a Weapon Mistress! On top of that I have so many questions!" Taking the notebook to write down her name Kushina couldn't help but laugh. Both at Tenten's expression but also because in her joy Yakumo had leapt at Naruto knocking him to the ground and kissing him the entire time. Naruto, while surprised, returned the kiss whole heartedly.
"HA!" Akamaru laughed before smirking at Kiba, "You owe me so much bacon now! I told you Naruto would get a girlfriend before you!"
"DAMN IT!" Kiba roared while Shino and Hinata burst out laughing. They learned on their mission to Wave. NEVER bet against an Uzumaki, they WILL surprise you.
While everyone was distracted by Tenten's barrage of questions to Kushina, and Yakumo finally laying a claim as Naruto's girlfriend, and Hinata leaning her head on Shino's shoulder with a calm smile. Tiger tapped on Sakura's shoulder getting her attention, "Tomorrow there's something we need to talk about."
As the new Chunin celebrated, Danzō awoke in a room where the only light was a sphere that illuminated the area directly around him. He was naked save for a loin cloth, chained to the ground and all his missing body pieces were restored. "Danzō Shimura… Traitor, Murderer, Slaver and more. I haven't seen this many sins in many, many years…"
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Danzō ordered only to immediately regret it as a human in royal regalia with a wooden rod held in one hand appeared. Instantly the Shinobi of Darkness recognizes what was standing before him. An Emna, a Judge of the Dead.
The Enma leaned forward, their features constantly shifting, never setting on a single look, "You and I are going to have a long… long talk…"
A couple days after the failed invasion Naruto, Gaara, Fū and Yugito were eating at Ichiraku's. Dozu was speaking with Shibuki as he'd decided to join Taki. Temari and Kankurō were speaking with Tenten, about teaching her the basics about being a Wind Dancer and if the Hiurashi's would like to learn the basics about making Battle Puppets as Gaara and his siblings had decided to join Konoha.
"Too bad B couldn't come," Yugito chuckled as she waited for her order of seafood ramen, "He'd have loved to meet you three."
"Well maybe we can figure something out to visit Kumo," Naruto shrugged, "Maybe something along the lines of setting up a new peace treaty between Kumo and Uzushio."
"Might work," Yugito nodded, "Since the previous Raikage was the one who broke the treaty, A might be willing to sign a new one, if only to prevent a repeat of what you did to Kusa."
"I still think they got off lightly," Gaara stated.
"I don't know," Fū chuckled, "Not only did they have to send all of Karin's and her mother's possessions over, but Naruto now also owns a decent amount of property in Kusa, got three full scrolls full of secret techniques, everything Kusa had on Sealing on TOP of the Kusa Daimyo completely rebuilding Kusa's Ninja Village's government from the ground up! That's really harsh to most Villages."
Gaara and Yugito blinked in surprise. They'd only heard that Kusa had to pay heavy fines and that Kusa had attracted the ire of their Daimyo but hadn't learned the exact details. Even Shukaku and Matabi were silent at just how much Naruto had gotten from the Blood Debt, "I retract my previous statement."
"How did…" Yugito started.
"Tayuya told me," Fū shrugged, "I was curious how that blood debt went so I asked."
"Haven't had a chance to look through everything yet, so I put most of it in a safe place," Naruto grinned, "Can't wait to see what kind of new sealing techniques I got."
A shudder ran through Gaara, Shukaku, Fū, Chōmei, Yugito and Matabi at the thought, 'What if he learned the Seals that made the Blood Prison so infamous?'. Within Naruto Kurama was laughing his ass off at the feelings he was getting from his siblings.
"So…" Fū said, turning to Yugito to try and drive away that terrifying thought, "What's Killer B like?"
Tobirama sighed as he put down the last report on everything found in the ROOT bases around Konoha that they'd learned from Sai. Luckily Danzō had recalled all his agents for his attempted coup. Inoichi was put in charge of Sai until further notice, and the Uzumaki were helping Hashirama close the tunnels without causing Konoha to collapse into a sudden sinkhole. Kushina was spending most of her time with Naruto, Karin and Tayuya. She even filled out the necessary paperwork to officially adopt the two girls. Something Yūgao allowed her to do since while she was dead she 'wasn't currently dead so I'll allow it'. He chuckled, that was the kind of loop hole he often used during his time as Hokage.
Glancing at the reports he let out another regretful sigh. While he'd seen much of what Danzō did from the Pure Lands, to read over the sheer amount of corpses the man left behind, the records of people he'd had murdered in cold blood, the children he'd tortured to the point they lost their emotions just to keep themselves sane. Tobirama wondered at what moment the young man full of promise and the potential to become a legend in his own right had turned from the Path of Justice to the Path of Selfish Power. Perhaps it was the mission that resulted in his death. When Hiruzen had offered to stay behind so the others could escape while Danzō hesitated.
During his time in the Pure Lands, Tobirama had realized that Koharu and Homura honestly had no place as his Bodyguards. The two were only average Shinobi even with Hiruzen's insight on how they could improve. The two had also been followers of Danzō and would only hinder Konoha's growth. Luckily Yūgao had decided to make Tsunade and Shibi her advisers, forcing Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura into retirement. Hiruzen would also be seeing a therapist as some of his actions during the Chunin Exams made Tobirama wonder if being under Danzō's Genjutsu for so long left some ingrained thought patterns. It was a shame Shisui's eye went missing. In Tobirama's opinion Sasuke had proved he was worthy of the power it held.
Most thought he hated the Uchiha. He didn't. He simply hated anyone who was a threat to Konoha, to the village he, his brother and Madara had put so much work into making. Before, Madara himself had betrayed them.
Hashirama entered their temporary office and sat down, "That's the last of the ROOT tunnels dealt with. Thankfully your Reanimation Jutsu effectively gives us unlimited Chakra and Stamina but that doesn't mean it was a pleasant experience."
Tobirama nodded, "I just got through the last of the reports of what was down there. I can only imagine seeing it on paper is nowhere near as bad as seeing it in person."
"That's putting it mildly," Hashirama nodded, "So when should we head back to the Pure Lands?"
"Now that the work with cleaning up ROOT is complete we should be going back soon," Tobirama stated, "Our allotted time in the Land of the Living is over. I have given the Uzumaki everything they need to make seals to counter this Jutsu. Chances are high they'll find a way to either negate the Jutsu once active, freeing the person's soul, or simply transfer the Jutsu to them, letting them turn Orochimaru's plans against him, like I did."
Hashirama nodded, "Preferably the first option," Tobirama nodded in agreement, "It is good to see Kurama finally has a good partner. I still can't believe everything Mito did behind our backs."
"There's a reason she's being punished by the Enma," Tobirama stated, doing his best to keep his tone neutral, though his brother knew him well enough to see how angry Tobirama still was over everything Mito did behind their backs. Hiding Uzumaki history to make it seem she was the greatest Fuinjutsu user to ever live, tormenting Kurama when he was sealed inside her. Corrupting Minato into thinking the Biju were evil and therefore putting the World's Balance at risk and more.
The two sat in silence for a while longer, "We can at least give Kushina some more time with her kids right?" Hashirama asked.
"... I suppose," Tobrama replied with a small smile.
Epilog:
As the sun set, Tobirama, Hashirama and Kushina gave their final goodbyes before heading back to the Pure Lands. A few miles away on the very edge of the forest surrounding Konoha an odd being who was half pitch black, half porcelain white with pure yellow eyes and mossy green hair emerged from a tall tree. It wore a black robe with red clouds, his lips curled back into a large grin as he glanced at his hand which held Shisui's eye which was still in its Mangekyō Sharingan state, "Things may have been altered slightly… but everything is still going according to plan," The figure gave a ominous chuckle as it sank back into the tree and vanished.
Author's Notes:
Why did it take me this long to name Kushina's Katana and Naruto's Wakazashi?… I'm not that good at naming things so it takes a while lol. The translations for the swords names from WordHippo dot com.
Also I wasn't expecting to get everything I wanted into this chapter. I honestly thought I'd need one more *shrugs*. Hope you all enjoyed the run so far. I'ma take a break from Naruto before returning for A Twist of Fate: Ripple Effect.
