"Blah": Talking

'Blah': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura

'Blah': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts

'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto

Hello friends, writers, and fellow readers and reviewers! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to get out, but school and work has been pretty demanding lately. Some moron quit on short notice and I was forced to take on an extra shift each week. Well, at least I get more money until we hire someone new, hopefully soon. But I was able to write a little bit each day if I wasn't exhausted at the end of my shifts. I'm back now and we have an interesting chapter with the introduction of Danzo Shimura: I also had a bit of writer's block when I wrote this chapter, especially when it came to Danzo. You'll understand what I mean when you read it. It took me FOREVER to write what I posted here and I hope it's good.

I also wanted to ask you guys something and I would really appreciate it if you gave me your opinion in your reviews:

This book in the series is going to introduce more familiar creatures from Harry's world into the Naruto world, but I'm going to put my own spin on them in order for their existence to work in this universe. In about 3 more chapters after this one I'm thinking about either introducing thestrals or hippogriffs and Naruto might befriend one of them or a whole herd of them. I think I want to stick with thestrals but I would like to hear your opinions as it might influence my final decision.

I'm going to leave it open until after I post Chapter 6 so let me know in the reviews and I will take them into consideration. For now, please enjoy this little chapter and let me know what you guys think about it… in addition to letting me know if you guys prefer thestrals or hippogriffs.

Anyway, please enjoy!

Reviews are welcome and wanted!

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto

Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling

Chapter 4: The Will of Hayate Gekko

The Sandaime was still alive, but his condition had worsened since the night of October 10th.

He was rushed to the hospital soon after he had collapsed, but almost as soon as he arrived, the old man slipped into a coma. News of the Sandaime's condition spread like wildfire the following morning as the villagers and shinobi didn't react well to the news of the incident. With no further details on his condition, the people of the village were worried about the old man as whispers and rumors began to spread. Some citizens said the old man had suffered from a heart attack while others feared the Hokage was too old to continue his duties and it was time for a new leader to take command, a Fifth Hokage.

The idea that Hiruzen Sarutobi was too old and too ill to lead the village frightened the shinobi and loyal civilians. The Sandaime was the man that led them through two of the worst wars in shinobi history and restored the village after the demon fox attack within a few short years. No shinobi or kunoichi that were dedicated to him wanted the old man out of commission and felt apprehensive at the idea of a new leader.

Naruto was one of numerous citizens that feared for the old man's health and wished he would recover soon. He hadn't heard much about the Sandaime but tried to remain distracted. The blonde teen was locked up in his old apartment a lot more often to finish his experiments and potions. Later in the week, since the news of Sarutobi's collapse, he was in his kitchen with one of his cauldrons in the sink. Naruto was wearing a white mask over his face while he took a stainless steel ladle and swirled the contents of the blue potion until the mixture trembled. He stopped at once and moved to prepare a line of several small and round bottles that could hold no more than two walnuts. Naruto used his wand to levitate the ladle to scoop up a small amount of potion without spilling a drop back into the unstable mixture. He poured the blue liquid into all of the bottles in his lineup over the next thirty minutes and then corked them.

He then vanished the remaining contents of the Exploding Potion in the cauldron and placed his magical grenades into a special compartment located on the side of his beaded rucksack. With one last charm to prevent the grenades from going off accidentally, he relaxed and stuffed the empty cauldron somewhere safe.

Naruto cleaned the sweat from his brow and said, "Whew! What's next?"

'Garroting Gas. Ready for this?'

'Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be.'

He moved to the next cauldron and started extracting the green liquid of the Garroting Gas mixture. He had to make sure that the white mask over his face was secure and slipped on an old pair of goggles to make sure the potion didn't release excess gas after being tipped into the small and thin bottles. It took over an hour but it was worth it once the cauldron was clean. He waved his wand over the used cauldrons and cleaned them with a single incantation.

Meanwhile, in his old, abandoned bedroom, the real Naruto studied the cloak from Tenten's store and ran his wand over it several times. The end of his wand tickled the surface of the smooth silk-like fabric and caused it to change with each stroke. The fabric seemed to slither, scrunch, and smooth out as it became translucent and switched back to subtle silver. He smiled each time he ran his wand down the hems of the cloak as he concentrated on the charms and followed his brother's detailed directions. Harry had studied more advanced charms after his death and directed Naruto on how to use them as the shinobi cloak transformed into a true cloak of invisibility. But he had been at these charms ever since the Sandaime fell into his coma. Naruto had been at work on the cloak for hours now ever since his previous shadow clone took over and still had his work cut out for him.

At the same time, the shadow clone in the kitchen finished the last of the potions that needed to be bottled and cleaned out the cauldrons. His shadow clone then removed his mask and checked on the Polyjuice Potion next. He took the bottle of lacewings and added them to the cauldron, then he took the ladle and swirled the contents counterclockwise three times. After that, Naruto took his wand and waved over the contents as the potion reverted to a thick mud-like substance. The shadow clone smiled as he had completed the latest potion and began to store the contents at once. He labeled the bottles and didn't waste time as he filled at least seven bottles full of the potion and had them stored into a kit of his own design that he stored with the stew kit Teuchi gifted him.

"It's done," the shadow clone exclaimed, "That's the last of it!"

The real Naruto shouted, "Keep it down back there! I'm trying to concentrate!"

As delighted as he was to hear the last of his potions were done, Naruto still had a lot of work to do. He continued to enchant the cloak, careful not to lose focus and have the charm rebound on him. The blonde teen couldn't help but fear his skin might become translucent if that ever happened. He would never know how to explain that to his teammates.

The shadow clone looked back at the book on the kitchen table and ran through a list of other brews he could work on.

"Let's see," he pondered, "Blood-Replenishing Potion could be useful, Befuddlement Draught too… there's also… Anti-Paralysis, the Antidote to Common and Uncommon Poisons, Bruise removal paste, but that ointment from Hinata-chan works like a charm, so I don't need-"

The Naruto shadow clone soon started to think about Hinata when he ran through the list out loud, as did the real Naruto. He hadn't seen the kunoichi since the funeral but never had the chance to talk to her. Now that the Chunin Exams were over, he thought about seeing her again soon. But in the wake of the invasion, her team was probably very busy with missions, unlike his team. The real Naruto sighed as he wished he could have hung out with her or talked like they used to back in the hospital. Ever since the two of them became friends, the separation made him miss her, not terribly, but enough to distract him from his current activities. Naruto blinked as he lost focus and almost panicked when his wand almost ran over the cloak. He snapped back to work while the shadow clone read more possible potions to brew out loud.

"Uhh… there's also Burn-healing, Cough Potion, more Developing Solution to make more of those photographs, I should brew some Essence of Dittany, Pepperup Potion, more Wiggenweld Potion…" he listed as he wondered when he could see the kunoichi again.

Later on in the week, Naruto was back at home with Iruka. Anko was out on a mission for a little while as her two boys were alone and bored out of their minds. Naruto had a shadow clone in his bedroom with the cloak while Iruka remained oblivious to its construction. The blonde teen wanted to surprise the chunin when it was finished and couldn't wait to see his reaction. Naruto had wondered if he should wait to show him on Christmas, but had second thoughts about that as Anko might spend the winter holidays with them.

At the moment, Naruto was seated in one of the chairs while he read his new comic books. He was lost in one of his favorite stories while his older brother finished his breakfast of waffles. The blonde rookie shook his head at Iruka's delight in the western food his little brother introduced him to and worried about Iruka's diet a little bit. Iruka ate while he signed a few documents he brought from his new office. And at the thought about his new office, the chunin shivered with happiness at the fact that he was the head instructor.

All was well for a while until the brothers heard a knock on the door. Iruka stood and answered the door, one of his waffles still in his mouth when he answered the door and chewed it down when he saw whom it was. The chunin stood straight like the soldier he was when two ANBU stood at the foot of his door. But these ANBU looked somewhat different from the others Iruka had seen countless times before. He didn't seem to notice at first, but the soldiers wore red straps over their shoulders while the rest of their uniforms seemed more or less the same, only darker shades of gray.

"Iruka Umino?" the ANBU asked in an unusual tone of voice and had an uncommon accent.

The tan-skinned chunin nodded after he swallowed his mouthful, "Yeah."

"Who is it, aniki?" asked Naruto as he approached the door to see who it was.

And then the ANBU said in a rather blunt, emotionless manner, "You and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki have been summoned to the Administration Building."

Naruto's face twitched into an instant frown as he stared at the ANBU but Iruka's reaction was more upfront. The chunin dropped the rest of his breakfast on the floor and almost reached out to grab the ANBU by the collar of his uniform. Even though his little brother knew the truth about the demon, the chunin took serious offense to the mistreatment of former student especially after his previous confrontation with the ANBU.

"DON'T YOU EVER REFER TO NARUTO LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN," he thundered.

But the ANBU didn't seem to care or feel offended as the other soldier ordered in that same unusual tone of voice, "You have both been summoned. I would advise that you dress appropriately and come to the Administration Building in the main office on the seventh floor at once."

Iruka looked down at his apparel and realized he was still in his pajamas in a somewhat comical manner, the same held true for Naruto. He looked back up and shot a mean look at the ANBU before he slammed the door in their faces. With the door close shut, Naruto and Iruka retreated to their bedrooms and got dressed. But the blonde rookie continued to think about the ANBU at their door. He was offended to have been called a jinchuuriki rather than his actual name, but his hatred of the ANBU's ignorance subsided as he realized the man had no malice in his voice when he said it. The ANBU that attacked him after he found Dosu's corpse showed a clear disdain for him in their voice, but the ANBU he met at the door was different, strange even. The ANBU at the door didn't seem to have any emotion whatsoever. And then he remembered the uniform and the red straps on his shoulders.

When Iruka and Naruto were dressed and about to leave, the blonde rookie shared his interest in the ANBU with his adoptive sibling.

"There was something unusual about those two," he said.

The chunin blinked and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Those ANBU," he answered, "Their voices were totally devoid of emotion, but I mean, more than the usual ANBU. And their outfits… it seemed a bit different from the usual uniform those soldiers wear, right? Since when do they wear red straps on their shoulders? Is it a new fashion accessory or something?"

Iruka thought back and went, "Huh… I didn't seem to notice at all."

About an hour later in an alley close to the Administration Building, there was a loud crack in the air as Iruka and Naruto slammed their feet into the concrete. Iruka's skin turned a shade of green as he tried to find his balance and swayed back and forth for a while. Naruto didn't seem to mind it at all as he looked more concerned for his older brother. But then the chunin rushed to the nearest trash bin and wasted his delicious breakfast.

"I hate doing that…" the chunin mumbled.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and apologized, "Gomenasai, aniki. Just wanted to save us some time."

"Wait a minute," the tan-skinned chunin looked back down into the bin and moaned, "Ohhh… My waffles…"

"Ugh," shivered the blonde rookie, "Gross.."

As soon as the chunin cleaned his face free of sick, the two of them walked out of the darkness and headed towards the Administration Building. When the two arrived in the courtyard, both of them noticed the sheer number of ANBU in the area stationed at all the entrances. Some of them seemed like the normal units Naruto wasn't particularly fond of, but then he noticed a lot more of them wore the red straps on their shoulders that made him feel uneasy. The blonde rookie tried to ignore them and walked on with his older brother.

On the seventh floor, there was another ANBU stationed outside the door to the main office. But this one was much, much shorter than the others. He seemed about the same age as Naruto and all of his former classmates. But then Naruto noticed his skin was an unnatural shade of white, almost the same shade as Orochimaru or Lord Voldemort. The ANBU turned to look at the two brothers and acknowledged them.

"You have arrived," he said as he opened the doors to them.

Naruto mumbled, "Thanks, Alucard."

But the ANBU didn't seem to hear him or understand the reversed reference as the doors closed behind them.

Inside the main office were various people, assembled around the room in the middle of conversation. Some of them had water in their hands and drank, but all eyes in the room turned toward Naruto and Iruka as soon as the doors shut behind them. Naruto recognized almost all those in attendance; Anko was there, back from her recent mission. Ibiki Morino was there, Izumo, Kotetsu, Genma, Raido, and two others that Naruto had never seen before, but the two of them seemed to know him as both of them smiled at him. One of them was a beautiful woman with purple hair that ran down her back. And the other was a man with red-framed sunglasses and tall dark hair.

Ibiki was the first to speak as he called out to the chunin, "Iruka Umino! Good to see you again!"

"Oh, hi there," the tan-skinned chunin called back as he approached the other Tokubetsu in a somewhat awkward manner.

Iruka was introduced to Ibiki while he was on a date with Anko, as he was one of her more colorful friends. The chunin knew about Ibiki's profession and couldn't help but feel intimidated and awkward around him. The tall, scarred man towered over the chunin when he noticed the thin blonde teenager beside him. Ibiki turned his attention to the more familiar face and smirked.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto Uzumaki," he said, "It's good to finally get to meet you outside the classroom! I have to admit that I'm still impressed at your spectacle during the first examination. After the invasion, Anko told us all about you and I'm sure you received our gifts on your birthday as well?"

"Yeah, I did," the teen nodded and offered Ibiki a small bow of his head when he remembered the numerous presents he received, "Thanks so much for the kunai! I can't wait to use them!"

Ibiki smiled and almost blushed when Kotetsu shouted out from across the room, "Don't steal all the credit from us, Ibiki!"

"Yeah! We contributed too!" his friend Izumo backed him up as the two chunin acted more like frustrated teenagers than adults.

Genma shoved Izumo aside as he walked over to the blonde rookie and made him crash into Kotetsu.

He chewed on the same senbon needle as he stood before the blonde teen and nodded to him as he smiled, "We never had the chance to meet until now. It's an honor, Naruto."

The man offered his hand to Naruto and the rookie shook it with slight hesitation and confusion. He wasn't sure what made him so honorable and the look in Genma's eyes was puzzling. It was like Genma had known him for a while but Naruto was certain he never met the man until the Chunin Exam finals. But even so, he nodded to the man and smiled a bit.

"Uh, thanks," he said, "You're Genma-sensei, right?"

Genma nodded and leaned back into a relaxed stance, "Yes, but there's no need to call me sensei. The Chunin Exams are over, kid."

"Right," the blonde rookie said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The older shinobi then said, "With that said, I have to admit that first match at the finals was one of the best I've ever seen. I can only hope we can expect greater from you the next time you decide to take the challenge."

"Heh! I'm not so sure about that. But we'll see…" answered the blonde rookie as he wondered if the Chunin Exams would ever be hosted again after the previous fiasco.

Naruto met the other man in the room, a friend of Genma's named Raido. He saw him once at the arena when he delivered the Sandaime's messages to Genma while Sasuke's match was postponed. The blonde rookie noticed the burnt skin on his face and wondered if it was the result of a fire or some kind of acid burn. He never asked as the older shinobi offered his opinion of the match against Neji Hyuga. The blonde rookie blushed as he was praised for his skills with a sword.

He then met the man with the sunglasses that almost reminded him of Ebisu, but the man before him was a lot more laidback and seemed kind as he shook his hand and introduced himself.

"Hi," he nodded and then said, "I'm Aoba Yamashiro."

But then the shinobi held on to Naruto's hand and studied his face. The blonde rookie felt uncomfortable for about ten seconds until the man relinquished and smiled once more.

"You're no open book, Naruto Uzumaki!" he said with a smile.

The rookie looked from side-to-side at the others as he noticed them snort and hold back laughter at his reaction.

Naruto asked him, "What was that about?"

"I can read the minds of other people upon contact. It's similar to what the Yamanaka clan can do, but I'm not related to the Yamanaka. It's the reason I was promoted to Tokubetsu," the shinobi answered, as Naruto almost lost his mind at what he could have revealed to him if he were never trained in Occlumency and didn't have a constant low-level shield to protect his mind, "You must have a very strong will to be able to resist my power like that, Naruto. Were you ever trained to resist mental intrusion if you were forced to fight Ino Yamanaka in the preliminaries? I couldn't look inside that head of yours for too long at all. All I saw were a few surface memories from a few seconds ago. What does Alucard mean?"

Naruto shrugged and cracked an awkward smile, hoping he and the others would forget it quick, and said, "Beats me!"

"After seeing you able to control that crazy chakra in the arena with such ease I shouldn't be surprised at your resistance, I suppose," he commented in an enthusiastic manner.

Izumo and Kotetsu soon came around and took seats close to where most of the other shinobi were gathered around Naruto. The blonde rookie was happy to receive so much attention and thanked everyone for the birthday presents they sent him. Iruka smiled at the praise his little brother received but soon frowned and cracked a forced, awkward smile when Ibiki rolled him into a conversation about his latest assignments. Kotetsu snickered at Iruka's misfortune while Izumo commended Naruto success in the Chunin Exam finals.

"It wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Hayate-sensei," said a more modest Naruto, as the sudden attention he received caused him to feel a lot more humble, "He trained me for the finals."

"He told me all about it," said another female voice.

Naruto turned around and saw the woman with the purple hair from earlier.

The woman smiled at the blonde teen as she said, "You meant a great deal to him. He told me he couldn't be happier getting to help you out after missing out on so much of your life, Naruto."

"Hello," replied the blonde-haired teen, "I don't think we ever met before."

The woman nodded to him and said, "That's right. I'm Yugao Uzuki. I'm… I was Hayate's girlfriend before he…"

Yugao stammered somewhat as it was clear her lover's demise was still a fragile subject. Naruto frowned as he too had a moment to reflect on his swordmaster's death.

"Gomenasai," he said in a more somber tone, "He was a wonderful man and an amazing swordsman. He taught me a lot in the one month we trained together. If it weren't for him and aniki, I wouldn't have been able to beat Neji or survived the invasion."

The woman smiled a little bit more and mentioned, "He told me you weren't particularly enthusiastic about the dodgeball aspect of your training."

Naruto almost let out a chuckle as he remembered the details of his intense training. He had a thought about his swordsmaster and how, even in death, he was still able to embarrass him. The blonde rookie told Yugao more about what Hayate taught him and she seemed a little bit happier with each tale. Naruto seemed to enjoy himself as well as Iruka joined in their conversation in an effort to avoid another awkward conversation with Ibiki. The people gathered in the office were soon too lost in conversation to stop and wonder why they were even summoned in the first place. But it didn't seem to matter as everyone was having a good time, laughing and retelling stories.

The blonde wizard would have relaxed more and talk to Yugao more about Hayate when someone else arrived. Everyone in the room was silenced as the doors opened and revealed the familiar face of an old man that no one in the room seemed enthusiastic to see.

It was Danzo Shimura, the third elder on the Konoha Council, escorted with the same two ANBU that summoned Naruto and Iruka from their home. And almost as soon as he saw the old man, Naruto felt his forehead burn for a fraction of a second. He felt unsafe and wanted to leave the room as he heard the man's cane click with each step as the echoes of his mother's voice rang in his ears. The memories of the dream and what his mother warned him about flooded back to him in an instant as he tried to remain calm and remember where he saw this man before the funeral and what seemed to make him so dangerous.

"Why have we been summoned here, Danzo-sama?" asked Ibiki.

The old man walked into the room and cleared his throat and assumed, "I believe we all know the answer to that, Ibiki Morino."

Danzo's voice was about as wretched as his appearance. He had no warmth in his voice, unlike the Sandaime, who was now like his exact opposite. While Sarutobi was an old man, he still had warmth and enthusiasm that seemed timeless and welcoming, but at the same time, held a stern and wise presence that made his shinobi soldiers trust him, want to stand tall and fight alongside him in battle. But Danzo's voice was bitter, cold, and made him sound more like a ruthless dictator whose subjects would sooner fear his orders rather than follow them with dedication and passion. It was probably due to his experiences from the various wars and battles he had been involved in that literally carved him into the man he was now. Naruto never recalled a time when this man was seen alongside the other elders when it wasn't at a funeral or in some dark meeting room.

Danzo seem to treat the shinobi in the room with immense distance when he ordered them to be seated. Naruto thought he might have been afraid of them but his face was frozen with calculation and coldness. Naruto sat down beside Iruka and Yugao while the old man sat in the middle of the couch where the office desk should have been. There was no desk as the room was a disused office. The ANBU stood at either side of him after he was handed a scroll from one of the soldiers.

The old man cleared his throat before he announced to the assembled crowd, "Herein set forth, the last will and testament of Hayate Gekko…"

Danzo was sent in to read the will of the deceased swordsmaster, much to the sadness of his friends and one former student. The old man also collected and handed out the bequests Hayate left to his friends and loved ones as each of them received a substantial memento. Before the individual bequests were handed out to the shinobi, Hayate seemed to leave behind one particular bequest for his former teammates as a prank from beyond the grave.

Danzo said in a voice as authoritative as he could muster, "To my dear friends Izumo and Kotetsu, in acknowledgement of your numerous years of you two making fun me and the length of my sword and beseech to you… a boot to the head?"

Ibiki responded at once when he removed his shoe and threw it at Izumo as hard as he could. The chunin was thrown off his chair and crashed into Kotetsu while the others in attendance laughed, even Yugao as her lover would write something like that into his will. But Danzo wasn't amused in the slightest and stared at their behavior with disgust. Naruto snorted without control while Iruka tried to hold his laughter back and failed.

Danzo continued to read for at least an hour as each person received a small inheritance that held more sentimental value than financial value to his friends. Izumo received another boot to the head but also a collection of photographs from their earlier careers when the three of them were on the same team and started out with their first missions. The shinobi also received a number of other values that included old hand buzzers and old-fashioned tricks he and Kotetsu used to tease him.

Genma received a number of various weapons that Hayate figured he wouldn't need in the event of his death. The older shinobi almost cried when he discovered most of the weapons were senbon needles.

After Genma collected his inheritance, Danzo moved back to Kotetsu, who received a scroll with a weapon hidden inside it. It was a mace that resembled a massive conch shell with a chain attached to the base of the hilt. Kotetsu resealed it into the scroll where he summoned it from and tucked the scroll and nodded in melancholy as he treasured his friend's final wishes. It seemed to be a weapon he would need in the future as he sat back down beside Izumo, who received a container of starch syrup that had some importance between him and Kotetsu.

Yugao was next on the list and inherited almost all of Hayate's belongings and the riches he amassed from his shinobi career. She didn't look pleased at all, in fact, she looked guilty as she read the numbers. Yugao's face started to turn red and covered her mouth as she sniffed and accepted the inheritance. Anko moved in to comfort her and she leaned in close to the kunoichi for support.

The others in the room received smaller tokens from the late swordsmaster, which included a few scrolls for Iruka, Aoba, Anko, and Ibiki, which didn't hold much value to them, but still appreciated the thought.

Soon the old man reached the final name on the list. Danzo shared a look with Naruto as the blonde rookie felt somewhat unnerved. He had no idea what his friend would ever leave him and that familiar cold look of indifference from the scarred elder didn't make him feel much better, but he listened well as the old man sat tall in his seat.

Danzo cleared his throat and said, "To Naruto Uzumaki…"

The old man stared at the teen and his frown seemed to recede somewhat as he relaxed in his seat.

"I leave him with the sword of my master that first taught me how to use a blade. It was handed down to him from his master and his master before him and so forth…"

Both Naruto and Iruka stiffened and blinked as both of them remembered that blade and knew Naruto had it back at home in his rucksack. The two brothers wanted to share their looks of confusion and bewilderment, unaware if the elders even knew Hayate had handed down his sword before his death. Naruto looked to the two ANBU on either side of the elder and didn't see one of them present a scroll to him like the others did with the weapon sealed inside with a special ninjutsu.

Naruto asked, "Where is it then?"

Neither of the ANBU moved as the elder stared down at the teen.

"I didn't see any reason for someone like you to possess such a dangerous bequest," he answered, "The rest of the Konoha Council agreed with me on the matter that an object of such significant historical and intrinsic value should be placed in more capable hands. That sword in question is older than I am, as it was passed down from master to student for over a dozen generations. As you are a rookie genin, it wouldn't make sense to trust such an ancient and dangerous blade in such unqualified hands."

Naruto's right hand flinched at the answer and balled it into a fist. Other than his hand, he remained still as he frowned at the elder and fought the urge to mouth him off. Naruto still had the sword he inherited at home, but even if the elders didn't know that, it still infuriated him how prejudiced the Konoha Council still was. First their ignorance prevented him from being officially adopted and now they were willing to deny him something that rightfully belonged to him, all because he was a jinchuuriki.

Danzo and the other two elders embodied the worst of what Konoha had to offer in Naruto's honest opinion. The elders were the wealthiest, most well fed, ignorant, two-faced bigots that made his childhood miserable. Just because he was a jinchuuriki didn't make him less human but the elders decided he didn't deserve to be treated as such and seemed to go out of their way to make him feel like an outcast. Naruto thought back to how he attacked Temari after he learned how Suna had treated Gaara for his condition, and now he was tempted to do something similar in nature to Danzo but to a more controlled degree. He knew better than to lash out and attack the elder, but his anger grew so much faster than it ever had before over the matter. First the ANBU called him a jinchuuriki instead of his name, ordered him to come out here and attend this will reading, only to be told he didn't deserve the only thing his dear friend had left him as his dying wish. With that said, Naruto felt now was the time to make a stand and address what he had been bottling up ever since he first learned he contained the Kyuubi.

"With all due respect, sir," he said with a cold tone that made it clear he felt insulted from Danzo's explanation, "What exactly makes me unqualified to wield that sword?"

The old man seemed somewhat surprised at how Naruto spoke out while the others in the room stared at him and felt an intense dislike for the elder when all of them knew the true reason Naruto was denied his bequest. Iruka, Anko, and even Yugao were tempted to protest to the decision and address how unfair it was until Naruto spoke out and all eyes were on him.

Danzo scoffed and then said in a condescending voice, "It's a complicated matter. It would be a waste of time trying to explain my reasons to someone such as yourself."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a jinchuuriki?" the blonde teen asked with a voice loud and clear.

With that one sentence, the enter room stiffened with discomfort. Naruto's comrades froze in silence for what the blonde rookie said out loud. No one in the room expected Naruto to address the controversial issue and in the blunt manner he did so. Iruka wanted to hold Naruto's shoulder to calm him down as he noticed the tone in his voice, but even he knew how the elders had treated him was unfair and it was about time Naruto made it clear how he felt about it. He had the right to do so, so he let him continue.

Danzo stared at the rookie with a look of mild surprise before his expression returned to the look of cold indifference. Naruto shot him a look as well; a subtle frown stretched across his face but his eyes were filled with a fire of hatred as his fist continued to shake once in a while. He was barely able to hold in his true feelings but was able to hold off the magical effect it would have had if he were younger.

Naruto's voice calmed down, but his tone was still hostile as he said, "I think it would save us both a lot of time if we agree not to lie through our teeth."

The elder seemed to study the rookie from the distance as he blinked and focused on the look in his eyes, the intensity, as he recognized the defiant tone in his choice of words. He reached across his chest to hold onto his crippled arm in a protective, or defensive manner as he raised his head and tried to look down upon the teen.

"Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, wasn't it?" he asked, trailing from the question he was asked in the first place.

The rookie answered, "Yes."

"I remember her... and I remember her defiant attitude, always interfering and standing up to her superiors. You seem to have inherited that from her as well as that intense look in her eyes," he said as he laid back in his chair and then spat out, "I never liked her nor did I find her particular attitude amusing. You don't seem much different than she was... Just as strange… Just as… abnormal."

"You still haven't answered my question," the blonde rookie reminded in a harsher tone, "Are you denying me the bequest because I'm a jinchuuriki, yes or no?"

Danzo's frowned stretched farther and he said without a hint of regret in his voice, "If you want me to be honest with you and save us both time… Yes, I have."

Naruto's eyebrows twitched and his own frown deepened as well.

"So instead of putting that sword in the hands of a capable shinobi, that's loyal to the village and knows how to use it, you'd rather put it on display somewhere to collect dust?" he asked.

Danzo retorted and curled his mouth into a subtle, smug grin, "I find it curious that you actually believe yourself to be a capable shinobi. It's so absurd it almost amusing to me."

The shinobi and kunoichi in attendance were surprised at what the elder had said. Iruka blinked and stared at Danzo before he frowned at the old man's words and even more so when he smiled at his last comment and almost chuckled. Naruto's face seemed to harden as if he were made of stone, as it took a lot for him to be able to contain his anger towards the old man's smile.

"Were you not paying attention to the previous Chunin Exams?" the blonde rookie challenged as he reminded the elder, "I defeated Kiba Inuzuka and Neji Hyuga in the finals. I think that entitles me to some credit."

Danzo's mouth curved back into the same frown from earlier as he said, "The latter of which wouldn't have been possible if you didn't set the arena on fire with that demon chakra."

"I wouldn't have had to set the arena on fire if my opponent weren't so dangerously stubborn and emotionally unstable," retorted Naruto.

But then the elder threw back, "It doesn't change the fact that you frightened more people than you impressed. You endangered the lives of those citizens in attendance by tapping into those dangerous chakra reserves."

"That is not true," the blonde rookie almost shouted and stood up, "I had it under control. I didn't hurt any-"

But then, someone to the side coughed to interrupt Naruto and all eyes were on Kotetsu as Naruto leaned back into his chair. The chunin earned Danzo's attention as well while the elder waited for the shinobi to speak.

Kotetsu stammered in an awkward position, "I, uh-"

"What is it?" demanded the impatient elder.

The shinobi cleared his throat and said, "I was just saying, looking back at the match, Naruto probably deserved to be promoted to the chunin rank, Danzo-sama. At the time I thought, had it been a real battle, he would have endangered his comrades on the field with him if he unleashed the firestorm. But if his opponent didn't have complicated issues from the preliminaries with his cousin and focused on the scenario the tournament set up, he would have done the smart thing and surrendered to Naruto's ultimatum."

"That would have resulted in Naruto's immediate promotion to chunin," added Izumo.

Genma decided to weigh in as well, as he was the proctor of the examination at the time, "Not to mention he defeated Neji using a sword. The demon chakra was only a distraction that disoriented Neji. That's... actually very close to the classic ideal of classic ninjutsu, which is misdirection, now that I think about it."

The shinobi with the senbon in his mouth puzzled over his last sentence while the chunin schoolteacher across from him decided to share Naruto's most remarkable credit from those hectic examinations.

Iruka told the elder and the others in the room around him, "Naruto is also the one that stopped Gaara when he went on a rampage. The rookie from Suna transformed into the One-Tailed Tanuki and would have destroyed the village but Naruto stopped him before he even reached the outer wall."

"It's true," said Yugao and all eyes were on her now, as the shinobi and kunoichi in the room were shocked, "One of the ANBU on my squad witnessed the end of the battle and helped carry little Naruto and his teammates to the hospital… If Hayate were still alive, he would have wanted his sword to be handed down to someone with his courage and determination. Naruto deserves to have it. He was Hayate's student and it belongs to him now."

Danzo didn't seem to believe their recounts or simply didn't care as he brushed off their words and said, "It wouldn't matter anyway because the exact whereabouts of the sword are unknown."

Several people in the room blinked at what the elder had just brought up and all of them were confused as to why Danzo even brought the final bequest to light at all.

Genma asked for clarification, "What?"

"The sword is missing," answered Danzo.

Naruto stood from his seat and shouted, "Then why did you even bring it up in the first place?!"

The elder blinked at Naruto's sudden movement but neither of the ANBU moved in to restrain him, as he didn't make another move towards the elder. Danzo relaxed in his seat and maintained his cold disposition as he talked down to Naruto as if he were a much smaller child.

He told him, "I figured it would have been appropriate if I-"

"You figured it'd be fun to rub it in my face, then, Danzo?!" the blonde rookie accused, "Trying out new ways to make my life miserable?!"

Iruka stood and tried to get his little brother to sit down and calm down, "Naruto!"

He threw Iruka's hand off his shoulder but then he did calm down as he stared at Danzo and started to remember him, the last time he had ever seen him before the funeral, back when he was a toddler in his little red boots, the old man that called him an animal, "I remember now… You were the man in that chamber that forced me to move out of the Sarutobi estate… and then forced me to live in that miserable excuse for an apartment… until Iruka-aniki had the decency to set me free from that place and let me live with him!"

Danzo stammered, "I-"

"HAVEN'T YOU HAD ENOUGH?!" the rookie shouted with malice, "Just because I'm jinchuuriki doesn't mean I don't have feelings or makes me any less human! IF ANYONE IN THIS ROOM IS LESS THAN HUMAN IT'S PROBABLY YOU!"

The old man found his composure when the teen insulted him and hissed, "How… DARE YOU-"

"How dare I?!" the blonde rookie stood taller and made one step closer to the old man as he pointed at him, screaming, "HOW DARE YOU!"

The ANBU moved in closer to Danzo but the blonde wizard did not approach the elder further but he didn't need to as the other shinobi and kunoichi sat there and watched as Naruto unleashed his intense hatred of the elders out on the leader of all three of them.

"I AM NOT THE DEMON FOX! I NEVER HURT ANYONE IN MY LIFE BEFORE I BECAME A SHINOBI AND YOU TREATED ME LIKE I WAS SOME KIND OF A MONSTER BEFORE I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO EVEN CLEAN THE DROOL OFF MY OWN CHIN, YOU MISERABLE, IGNORANT, TWO-FACED BASTARD!"

It was all he needed to shout as he sat back down and tried to contain the urge to take out his wand and blast Danzo through the wall. Iruka and the others did not shout for Naruto to be silent as all of then knew now how much the council mistreated him and burdened him with a fate he never asked for. None of them felt the need to scold him or hit him in the head, especially after what Danzo said next.

"With that attitude you inherited from your whore mother I don't really expect you to have a very successful future," he said to insult the rookie and see what he would do next.

Genma, Ibiki, Aoba, Yugao, Izumo, Kotetsu, Anko, and Iruka were shocked at the remark Danzo made. But what shocked them even more was how Naruto reacted to the remark. Most would expect the rookie to run after the elder and attack him as he shouted and screamed every curse word in the book, defending his mother's good name. But to their surprise, Naruto remained calm and as he glared at the old man. The lights in the room flickered, but then dimmed back to normal as Naruto cracked a calm smile that curled into a subtle smirk.

Naruto said after he let out a low chuckle, "You know… now I'm not surprised why the Nidaime Hokage chose Hiruzen Sarutobi as his successor, over some crippled, miserable coward."

The old man's smirk vanished in an instant as all the shinobi in the room stared at Naruto with a mixture of shock, admiration, and fear for his future. No one had ever showed the elders such a level of defiance, as no one was ever so bold as to insult them. Iruka should have scold Naruto for his behavior and apologized for him; the worst reprimand he could ever muster. But he couldn't do it; it didn't feel right after what he and the others heard Danzo say to him. The crippled elder went too far with his biased and remarkably prejudiced choice of words; how he laughed at Naruto's statement and dismissed the support of the other adults. Iruka and the others knew Naruto had been the Konoha Council's whipping boy for years and this time the young man had been pushed into a corner by the worst of the three elders. Danzo twisted his arm and forced the blonde teen to rebel against the oppression that made his childhood miserable. Danzo could have avoided all this trouble with a simple choice of words but the old man chose to antagonize. The elder acted in such a childish manner, it made him lose sympathy for the shinobi and kunoichi in attendance. So Iruka sat back but inched closer to Naruto, so as to protect him while he and the others felt Danzo deserved what Naruto said about him.

And the blonde rookie continued, saying, "Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't the greatest Hokage to ever live and he certainly isn't perfect… but at least he's kind, understanding, and a good grandfather. He understands what it means to be a great leader and I wish he didn't have three of the worst advisors on the face of the planet to slow him down… You are nothing compared to him."

The adults in the room started to relax when Naruto turned his insult into a prideful speech about the Sandaime. It seemed to soften the blow of the initial impact and could have saved Naruto from a serious punishment. The adults seemed to relax somewhat, though Naruto's dauntless attitude made them think he should have cooled down a bit.

Danzo's reaction was almost priceless; at first the old man had frowned, but then his mouth twitched, followed by his eye while his pupils seem to fluctuate in size from the intense emotions he tried to hold back and contain. Naruto and the others sensed a small amount of killer-intent emit from the old man but was extinguished almost as soon as it was sensed. The elder breathed through his nose in slow, calm breaths but his hostilities were poorly concealed in his mannerisms as he quickly felt the need to end the charade as soon as possible and with as much dignity.

"Back to the matter at hand," he said as he clearly failed to hide his resentment towards the blonde teen, "This concludes the will reading."

The old man stood and his ANBU escorts stationed themselves close beside him. Before he left, Danzo stared down at Naruto with a look filled with poorly concealed hatred while the blonde teen remained didn't move or feel intimidated as he sat there and stared back at him.

"Don't bother trying to get your claws on that sword anytime soon," said the old man as he emphasized his use of the word, claws, "If I have my way, even if that sword is missing, once we find it I'll see to it that you never see even one shine of light on that blade."

Naruto then told him as if he didn't even care about the sword, and further cemented his earlier opinion of the old man, "Go ahead… You do that."

With that said, Danzo shuffled out of the room with the ANBU at his sides. The adults remained dumbfounded at what had happened, baffled at what the elder had said and with such childish malice. No one knew if what Naruto had said and done was wrong when the much older adult allowed the intense conversation to drag on as long as it did and antagonized the rookie. The adults would soon leave, worried about Naruto's fate but determined to come to his aid if the elder ever made a move to harm him. Iruka and Anko were worried the most, as the two of them were like surrogates parents to Naruto now. But Anko reassured him and Iruka that Danzo was in no position to affect Naruto's life or career after the most influential Tokubetsu in Konoha witnessed his own foul behavior. If Danzo ever made Naruto's remarks an issue to the Konoha Council, there were nine witnesses to defend him and address Danzo's actions as well. Danzo would be as accountable, if not, more so than Naruto ever would.

Anko's words were enough to make Iruka relax and let the incident slide, but Naruto didn't seem as calm. After that intense confrontation with Danzo, he wasn't so much worried as he was unsettled at the elder's attitude towards him. His hatred was so much more personal than any incident he ever had with the villagers. The hatred he sensed from that old man ran deeper than it did with any other antagonist he ever encountered. It felt as if Naruto had harmed him and he took it personal. Perhaps he was crippled by the Kyuubi and held a grudge against Naruto because of it. Or maybe it was because of his mother; the old man's intense dislike for Kushina was obvious, if she had done something to him in the past to wrong him or defied him.

But no matter the case, it was clear that Naruto's conflict with Danzo Shimura wasn't over.

To Be Continued…

And there's the latest chapter! Sorry it took so long, guys, but that scene between Naruto and Danzo had to be revised over a dozen times. I either went too overboard with the insults or made them too subtle. I had to take the time to balance it out until I wrote the final version here. I hope it turned out well and I'll do my best on the next chapter, where Jiraiya makes his return!

Azeroth44 was too busy to contribute except for the dialogue between Naruto and Danzo, but he might be in the introduction next time. Anyway, I better get back to writing the next chapter and I really look forward to reading your reviews!

See you guys next time!