Chapter reposted and Beta by EvIlDemon 4/9/2024

Konoha's Retrieval Team

Chapter 5

Kushina's Will

I don't own Naruto

Masashi Kishimoto does!

Naruto woke up the next day, feeling a lot better now that he could get some rest after the Hyuga guard misunderstood the scene he had witnessed the previous day. Getting your tenketsu shut down forcefully was not a pretty experience, and afterward, Naruto had to make his way back to his apartment, still feeling drained of energy. He at least felt proud of himself for saving a pretty girl from getting bullied, maybe even worse, something he didn't want to consider since everything ended well. What made him happy was that she was thankful to him and didn't look like a look of dislike or hate in her eyes. Naruto wondered if he would see Hinata at the academy; they could become friends, something he was looking forward to.

Naruto grabbed a clean pair of clothes before showering in his bathroom. He then heated some water for his instant ramen since he had to wait three minutes for it to cook. He gathered all the items he would take back to the hideout. But first, he must go to his training area to begin his workouts. Later, he would have to work on his chakra control. That is the key to Naruto's problem since he has more chakra than most Jonin's.

It took Naruto about an hour to get to his training ground, where he started to do warm-ups followed by his workouts. He did this for an hour as he built up his strength and stamina to be ahead of the other kids when he got to the academy. Shisui suddenly appeared from a [Shunshin], ready to instruct Naruto by showing him the kata of a particular taijutsu style. He wanted his apprentice to learn since it was a unique speed combat style. Shisui had Naruto practice the kata's so he could get used to the movement of the fighting style.

"Shisui-sensei, once I learn this style, will I be able to learn more taijutsu styles and incorporate them?" Naruto asked while practicing his kata. He continued moving extremely slowly so his body could get used to it.

"To answer your questions, yes, it is possible to learn more taijutsu styles other than this one, and yes, it is possible to mix different taijutsu styles in a battle. You could always master that one taijutsu style, making it as precise and polished as possible, depending on how long it would take a person to master it. You could also learn about different Taijutsu styles and mix them into something unique from your original one. To become a great ninja, you could learn different ones separately, at least at a chunin level, and learn what suits you best as you grow in battle." Shisui explained to his young apprentice as he watched him go through his kata.

"So when do you think I'll be ready to spar with you, Shisui-sensei?" Naruto asked as he slowly repeated his kata while Shisui exaggeratedly put a thinking pose.

"Naruto-chan, I've already told you once. I told you a hundred times you are a hundred years too early to face me. All be waiting in the next ten years, and we will see. But in the meantime, keep training since you are only a child, and once I think you are ready, I will train you like the Anbu members. It will be the most difficult training you will get to go through. It is a life-and-death situation; it was the fastest way for your fighting instincts to develop. Something that the academy will never come close to or even think about since their motto is no mercy, no surrender. I will prepare you for the real threat looming in the shadows and outside the village." Shisui explained in his in-prop lesson he was giving to the little Uzumaki as he continued speaking.

"Naruto-chan, I want to give you a chance to survive any confrontation, so I don't want to hear you complain when the time comes. I won't have any sympathy, remember," Shisui said with a smirk and an evil gleam in his eyes as a shiver ran down Naruto's spine while getting a bad feeling.

Naruto's training ended him exhausting all his energy for the day ever since Naruto met Shisui-sensei and began to train him. He started feeling like a normal kid who ran out of energy and needed to nap to recuperate. While lying on the grass and looking at the sky, he practiced doing his hand signs to build speed to perform ninjutsu. The only ninjutsu Naruto can perform is the [Henge] and [Kawarimi], the most useful any kid will ever need. The third one is the clone jutsu, but Shisui-sensei tells Naruto that he won't be able to perform it since he has too many chakras to do it properly.

He will need a higher base chakra clone, which would be easy for him, but for now, Naruto will only need to worry about that jutsu the day of his graduation from the academy. Shisui and Naruto began to head back to their hideout since both were hungry from the instruction and training. Naruto knew he would have to bathe to clean the sweat and grime before eating his lunch. He would then nap so his body could rest for the next day. Shisui, on the other hand, could only look back on the day Naruto unlocked his chakra and the amount this little kid has.

(Flashback)

"Today, Naruto-chan, you are going to unlock your chakra; this is going to be important to be able to perform jutsu. I believe you could handle this since most children cannot unlock their chakra because they are not strong enough. Their chakra pathway needs more time to develop and unlock, but you, on the other hand, are ready since I've been checking on you while you slept. I was hoping you could sit down cross-legged and copy what I will do with my hands. Then, I need you to stay still, concentrate, and focus on the energy that will come from your belly. You would feel it out until, and once you get a hold of it, I want you to force it through your chakra pathways until energy flows out." Shisui told Naruto how to accomplish the task that needed to be done and described the feeling he was looking for.

"Hai Shisui-sensei!" Naruto yelled out in excitement at the chance to learn jutsu.

"Alright, Naruto-chan. Could you show me that you can unlock your chakra? Go ahead and do it," Shisui said as he waited to see if the little Uzumaki could surpass him.

Naruto sat very still as he began to search for his chakra; for the next few hours, Naruto followed the pathway to the center of his belly. He found two enormous chakra signatures. The only thing was that one was blue and felt normal to him, and the red one felt malicious and hateful, a true power that ordinary people would not be able to comprehend. Frightened by the red, Naruto chose the blue one and started to envelop it as much as he could. He was ready to make his dreams come true when he felt he had a decent amount.

Shisui looked up at the sky to gauge the time of the day when he felt a tiny spark of chakra beginning to slip through Naruto's pathways. He patiently waited for Naruto to unlock his chakra, completing one of his goals. Then, out of nowhere, a robust amount of chakra exploded, knocking Shisui backward, unable to believe the amount of chakra a seven-year-old was releasing. A smile broke out on Shisui's face, knowing that Naruto would be okay in the future.

"Congratulations, Naruto-chan. You can now use your chakra," Shisui said as he walked over and patted the little Uzumaki on the head.

"Thanks, Shisui-sensei. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you. I'm so happy I could do it since you believed in me. So, sensei, what new jutsu will you teach me?" Naruto jumped on his feet excitedly, ready to start.

"[Henge no jutsu!]" is all Shisui said.

(Flashback End)

"Naruto-chan, are you ready to start the academy?" Shisui asked the little Uzumaki, wondering if he was excited to make some friends for the first time.

"Hai, Shisui-sensei. I'm so excited to meet new people and learn as much as possible," Naruto said with a beaming smile, knowing he would be walking the path of a shinobi.

"Alright, Naruto. I give you a mission to perform and keep your eyes and ears open for anything. Keep a notebook and write down names, subjects, and quirks. Keep track of the instructors and watch out; they don't try to hurt you either." Shisui explained that it was a severe matter brought up so long ago.

"Hai Shisui-sensei." The little Uzumaki replied as he began to get up and stand; he got near his sensei.

"Naruto-chan, you stink!" Shisui said, pinching his nose as he ran away, laughing at his apprentice.

"Why you!" The blond said as he chased his sensei back into the hideout.

Uchiha Compound

"Kato-san, welcome to the Uchiha compound; I want to send my condolence to you and your family for the death of your husband. After confirming everything was true, I reviewed the paperwork as I looked up your husband and found that he had a nice sizable home. I'm hoping you and your family will be able to live comfortably here. I will transfer ownership of the property to your name. Avoid answering questions that implicate you being married to a Uchiha and having his kids until told otherwise. Now, if anyone has any questions about your living arrangements, please feel free to ask." The Uchiha Matriarch said as was telling the small family as they made their way to their new home.

"Thank you for everything you are doing for us, Uchiha-sama. We do appreciate the chance to move into my husband's old home," Miyu replied on behalf of the small family following the Uchiha Matriarch.

"No worries, no worries. I am glad to be able to help a clan member's family since not many are left alive. If anyone begins to poke around for information, all you have to tell them is that I offered you a job opportunity that required you to live in the Uchiha compound. It is more convenient if I need help with any emergency regarding the infants or if I am required to leave for a few hours for clan matters." Mikoto told this to the mother as a cover story with half-truths while she thought about her youngest son, who was still at the hospital.

"I understand, Uchiha-sama, and thank you for the opportunity to work for you. I was afraid I could not provide for my two daughters. The last thing I want is to work for one of those establishments to make a ryo. I will do my best to help you in whatever manner you need me to," Miyu replied, slightly bowing as they continued to walk down a road.

They kept talking as they got to know one another better until Mikoto saw the home and checked the address she had written on paper. Once they reached the place, the Miyu-san was completely surprised at the size of the place; it was more significant than the little place where they were staying. She never thought that her husband had a place like this; then again, she never thought their family would ever come to stay at the Uchiha compound. Miyu's daughters were also surprised that their father had such a big home that they could never have imagined this in their lives. The only sad thing was that they would never get to live with their father in his house, which their family had since they built this compound.

"So what do you girls think of the place? Your tou-san would've been happy that his precious daughters could see their family's clan house." The Uchiha Matriarch said, giving the girls a warm smile as they began to shed tears of happiness and sadness.

"It is a very nice-looking home, but I wish tou-san were still alive to experience this with his family," Aika replied with a sad smile as the other two nodded in agreement.

"I agree with my nee-san; it would have been nice for tou-san to have been able to train us to become strong kunoichi," Rin replied while she looked around the yard as her mother and sister did the same thing.

"I went to see the Hokage the other day, and I will be getting the help of your Genin team and the other Genin who survived the massacre since she was away on a mission. I will hire both teams to move your belongings to your new place, which may take the whole day. Miyu-san, you will start work with me tomorrow at my home; we will need to put a list of things together for a shopping trip. We will spend a lot of time together and should determine our strengths and weaknesses in the upcoming months. But also, as a reminder, there will be days I won't be able to help watch the children. You might need to ask for help. Just sign up for a "D" rank mission. The Hokage already knows what to do from there. Let me know if you need time off, which is also important for your mind and health. I'll see you tomorrow then, Miyu-san." The Uchiha Matriarch said as she turned and walked back home while the Kato family looked around the property.

"O-O-Okay thank you, Uchiha-sama. Our family is most grateful." Everyone in the Kato family gave a slight bow of respect, and she gave a bow in return as she continued on her way home.

As they watched the Uchiha Matriarch walk away, the Kato family slowly opened the doorstep. When they entered the home, they were surprised at how nice the house looked. All three females went their separate ways; they looked interesting around the house. The next day would become hectic as the Uchiha Matriarch requested two Genin teams to help the Kato family move into their new home. By the end of the day, the little family had a lot to talk about during dinner, and after dinner, Rin pulled out a seal scroll with three extra futons for them to sleep on for the night.

Council Meeting

The Hokage sat in front of the council, waiting for the rest of the member to make their way to their seats on time. He thought about what it would be like to retire during his golden years since he was tired of all the politics and secrets. The Hokage wanted to spend more time with his grandson Konohamaru and teach him how to be a ninja and a good man. Unfortunately, the Sandaime cannot since he has many responsibilities now. Is occupation of Kage is not as easy as they say. For example, this council meeting has the future of two children from the same clan future.

He was about to rock the ship in a council meeting and ruffle the civilian and shinobi council feathers. All because team Ro was returning from a mission, and in the process, they went to investigate the commotion. To find an Uzumaki family trying hard to survive, only for a tragedy to happen. To get another Uzumaki orphan in Konoha, but this time a full-blooded one, would be a great addition, and lucky for her, she won't be alone wholly. Since Konoha has another Uzumaki clan member who is an orphan, I would like to reinstate the Uzumaki clan.

If Naruto can prove that he is half Uzumaki on the side of his mother, no one can take his heritage away from him. Uzumaki Kushina's [will] was something no one knew existed, so the question was why it was being brought now and not eight years ago. Since Jiraiya of the Sannin is his godfather and will be here as a witness, he will also give his testimony to the council if further proof is needed. No one will be able to harm Naruto anymore once part of his heritage is revealed. Knowing this, the whole council will be in an uproar, and many will try to discredit this while trying to keep control of Naruto.

Once the Sandaime felt his old student join the council meeting, he thought it was time to kick things off. Why wait when you're going to give an excellent show to some of these ignorant people here? Too bad he forgot to have someone take a picture of the crowd to remember the great shock of surprise on the people's faces. He will try to find the next Hokage since he knows he is out of his prime and the village needs a new face to lead them. He also needs to make changes to the village before passing the hat.

"Everyone, please be seated to start today's council meeting. I called everyone today to discuss something I should have done long ago. But the ninja council knows what I will discuss for many other reasons. Two days ago, I received a message from one of our Anbu squads who had stumbled upon a situation near the borders of Kusagakure and Takigakure. In the report, it said that there was a battle that was happening and was getting closer to our borders."

"The team leader decided to investigate during the battle. A civilian family was trying to run to safety, but both mother and daughter got caught in the paper bomb explosion. The daughter was able to survive, but the mother got hit with some shrapnel and was fatally injured. So when the Anbu arrived at the scene, they performed first aid to the little Uzumaki girl while someone else performed on the mother; surprisingly, she was still alive. In the older Uzumaki's last moment, she said goodbye to her daughter and told the Anbu they were from a clan destroyed during the second shinobi war. Does anyone want to give it a guess what clan it is?" The Sandaime explained as he paused and waited as he looked around the room to see if anyone would answer but no one to the elderly Hokage decided to speak.

"The Uzumaki clan, our village's greatest ally, was destroyed during the "Second Shinobi War." They were Konoha's greatest failure to our allies, who came to our aid in our greatest need. But we could not show the same courtesy since we were stuck on the front lines battling Kumo and Iwa. By the time we could send reinforcements, it was too late. We could not find any other living Uzumaki during that time."

"I heard rumors that they scattered all over the Elemental Nations, but during that time, the Daimyo was also there; Uzukage sent his beloved daughter to our village on an S-rank mission. During that time we were at war, and that was when the attack began on Uzushiogakure. It took an entire month of fighting until the Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa coalition could finally destroy Uzushiogakure. Konoha had the last royal heir of Uzushiogakure, but she decided to become a ninja instead of a princess of her station. The Sandaime kept it secret from the entire village at her request not to say anything during your time as academy students. Still, your former classmate Uzumaki Kushina was a princess. The Daimyo spoke with her and asked if she wanted to move to the royal capital with his family, but she refused, as she quoted.

"I want to be the strongest kunoichi in the Elemental Nations to protect my new home, unlike what happened to Uzushiogakure. And to serve justice to all the perverts, child abusers, and rapists and string them up from their intestines to let the whole world watch them die in scrutiny unquote."

"She was a very feared kunoichi during her time and could have been on par with or surpass Senju Tsunade with the only difference being that she loved to spill the blood of her enemies. During the last few years, I noticed how they stopped teaching the history of the Uzumaki clan in the academy. And now that I think about it, I don't understand why I let that happen. It was as if someone was compelling me not to look into it." The Sandaime theorized his thoughts out loud on this matter with the council.

While a particular old war hawk began to feel a little nervous inside, realizing that his subtle manipulation could get him caught now, he put on his best stoic mask. Shimura Danzo acted as if nothing was wrong since he figured he would not use the unique eye he could get from his former operative today. Then, the Hokage continued to speak.

"Most people either forgot this information or chose not to speak on it but our Shodai Hokage was married to an Uzumaki. Her name was Uzumaki Mito, and she was the older sister of the Uzukage of Uzushiogakure. Lady Mito is the grandmother of Lady Senju Tsunade, and since Kushina is the daughter of the Uzukage that makes Kushina and Tsunade cousins. Now the reason I'm giving everyone this history lesson has to do with the young girl they managed to save a few days ago. I have asked the doctor to run a blood test against Kushina and Naruto's blood work.

"To prove that she is from the Uzumaki clan, and I'm sure she has some special ability that will be useful for the village in the future. Now, this leads me to bring up the next topic of discussion: Uzumaki Naruto to be recognized as the heir to the Uzumaki clan since he is one of the last of his clan." The Sandaime announced to the entire room when the room exploded in an uproar.

All you heard around the room were derogatory comments like "Kill the demon, the demon trying to take over the village through the Hokage." A pair of council members yelled out. "Lock it up and throw away the key." Another person screams out in protest. "Our beloved village can't become that monster's playground." A female council member yelled, "Our beloved Yondaime would roll in his grave for this insult." A few more made their feelings known not caring about the Hokage or the ninja council thoughts. Again and again, this shows how most people were so ignorant of ninja matters.

And how their feelings could show so much hatred for a little boy trying to survive in this life. To use Naruto as the Konoha's scapegoat and not knowing why the village so hated him. It could drive a child into insanity without the proper guidance, something he notices he has not done. He began to feel somewhat confused as to why he never gave Naruto more support. Now to put these people in their place since they're getting out of line and think they could do whatever they want. The Sandaime Hokage shot his killer intent at the entire room to silence everyone. So he could explain this simple matter to most of these idiots.

"Silence!" The Hokage yelled.

"Now then, let me explain." The Sandaime said as he gave a quick look around the room.

"That's why Uzumaki Naruto is the heir of the clan. Maybe you could even call him a prince because his mother is no other than Uzumaki Kushina." The elderly leader told them, shocking the entire room; some had stupefied faces, unable to comprehend what they had just heard.

"And if you require proof, I have it with her "Will." I will pass it to the ninja council so they can see that I'm not lying." The Sandaime explained it to everybody in the council who nodded as they took a moment to examine the scroll to see the Uzumaki clan insignia—looked at by all the clan heads before passing it back to the Hokage. He raised his hand to silence everyone.

"I will open Uzumaki Kushina's "will" in front of everyone and read it so there will be no lies in front of you all," Sandaime said, but the elder council members interrupted him.

"Hokage-sama, you can not do this. I thought we agreed to tell the boy when he became a chunin or of age Hokage-sama," Koharu told the Hokage, hoping that he would listen to logic.

"Yes, Koharu, I did agree at the time, but circumstances let me decide on a different direction. And I took both your and Homura's advice till this happened. Now remember you three, you're nothing more but an advisor's nothing more, nothing less do you understand." The Sandaime told them commandingly, glaring at his former teammates.

"So where was I? Yes! Kushina "will." I'm sure it's going to be interesting to read." The Sandaime thought, "Maybe I should let someone else read it. So that the council won't think I forge this "will." As he pondered this, who his guest reader was going to be? When he looked over Shikaku, who was sleeping peacefully during all this, he gave the Nara clan head a deadpan look. The Sandaime, feeling vindictive, only smirked when he called for Shikaku.

"Shikaku, please read the "will" for everyone to hear." The Sandaime asked as he handed the "will" to one of his trusted Anbu to give to the lazy Jonin commander. The only thing everyone could hear was the word "troublesome!." As he got up, he sighed in annoyance and walked to the front of the Hokage, grabbed the "will," broke the seal, and unrolled it.

Kushina's Will

If you're opening this "will," then that means I died in the Kyuubi attack. And if you're opening up my "will" in front of the Konoha council, please tell the elder advisors what is written on it word for word. If you refuse, it will activate a seal since you are the poor, unfortunate individual reading my "will" at the end of this message. A drawing of Kushina snigger and a happy face victory sign was drawn.

"Troublesome woman even in death!" Shikaku could only slump in defeat before he began to read out loud for everyone to hear.

"Hey, you old farts, I hope you died in the Kyubbi attack. If not, I hope you die soon enough. I wrote this "will" just in case you won't give my child a hard time or maybe try to hold him back like you did with me. I don't understand how the Hokage ji-chan can put up with you old fossils while calling yourself so-called advisors. Since I'm dead already, here is some good advice. Retire, for Kami's sake! Get a life, go on a vacation. You deserve it since you are old veterans of all three of the "Shinobi Wars." Or it might seem that all three of you are masochistic when doing paperwork. I thought the Hokage-ji-chan was the only one." Haha, winking, and a victory sign was drawn.

"Danzo, you mummy bastard. You better keep your Root Forces away from my son. He is no tool or going to be an emotionless pawn. So please, if you can die an excruciating and torturous death, thank you very much. There was a drawing with a happy face and thumbs up."

P.S. Slice your throat for good measure as Kushina drew a winking smiley face.

There were a series of different reactions from what they just heard being red. You had people look dumbfounded, and you had others trying to hold their laughter while others just busted out laughing at the expense of the elders of Konoha. And you had the elders who were furious and unable to believe everything said in front of their peers and colleagues. The Sandaime could only sweat drop at the absurd situation. At the same time, Shikaku wanted the freak show to end so he could return to his napping.

"I, Uzumaki Kushina, will leave all my possessions and assets to my only son and heir of the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Naruto. All my account numbers and currency will immediately go to him once this "will" is red. Konoha will pay the Uzumaki clan a percentage and interest for using all Uzumaki fuinjutsu. Failure to do so will lead the Uzumaki clan to take legal action. If Konoha refuses to compensate, then the Uzumaki clan will have an audience with the Daimyo and get compensation from him.

"If Uzumaki Naruto's father isn't alive by any chance, then the guardianship will go to his godfather if he is not around because of a mission. Then Uzumaki Naruto would go to his godmother, Senju Tsunade. If Tsunade is still not back and still having her pity party, I have a seal on the scroll with a letter for her. Hokage-ji-chan sends someone to find that old hag. The other godmother I chose for an emergency, only if she is in front of the council. My best friend in the whole world since I came to the village. Uchiha Mikoto would be the next person to take care of my son.

P.S. Miko-chan, Don't let them old fart bullie your family. And please don't let Fugaku miss treat my beloved son. And from the trust funds, you will receive one million ryo a year for Uzumaki Naruto.

There were sealed letters for Naruto, Sarutobi, Miko-chan, Tsunade, and Kakashi, giving them last-minute instructions to everyone she could trust. Shikaku noticed this as he folded up the scroll and handed it back to the Hokage who looked amused and shocked at what was red in Kushina's "will." He never would have expected her to call out Konoha's elders to retire and for Danzo to die; this was her last and final prank on Konoha elders. Nara's clan head gave his village leader a death glare, who ignored it, not fazed by Nara's intimidation tactics. Meanwhile, the conference room was utterly shocked by the revelations heard just a moment ago; even the Jiraya, hidden under his [Toton no jutsu], was amazed by some of the things that Kushina revealed to all.

Meanwhile, the clan heads of each ninja clan were going over the documents proving Uzumaki Naruto's parentage with his mother, Uzumaki Kushina. Many of them realized who Naruto's father was since there was only one man she was always around during their time over the years. The fact that it was kept a secret, some also figure that his father's enemies may try to assassinate him, extinguishing the man's legacy. Once the clan head finished reading the proof of the child's heritage, Anbu handed it to the civilian council so they could see for themselves. Many were not happy to see that Uzumaki Kushina was an extraordinary kunoichi with a highly decorated background who was in the Anbu before taking her leave because she became pregnant. The Anbu returned the documents to the Hokage before silencing the room, but Nara Shikaku interrupted them.

"Hokage-sama, since Uzumaki Naruto's godfather is not around or Senju Tsunade, that means that Uchiha Mikoto will be his new guardian under Konoha's law, as she stated. "will," Shikaku asked, hoping his friend's child would have a better life.

"I oppose Uchiha Mikoto to have guardianship over our village jinchuriki; that is giving far more power than a clan deserves, in my opinion. I have been telling you since all those years ago to let me have the jinchuriki, and I would be able to train him into our village ultimatum weapon." Danzo requested once again to get more secrets from the Uzumaki clan.

"Requested is rejected. I would never hand over Uzumaki Naruto to you, my old friend. You might cause more harm than good around the Elemental Nations. Now, I'm requesting the reinstatement of the Uzumaki clan to be put through a council vote. The Sandaime announced, catching many off guard with the turn of events.

"Hizruzen!" Danzo shouted, forgetting to address the Hokage, when he was directly hit with a blast of killing intended by the Sandaime, who had stopped the bandage man in his tracks by getting out of line.

"If you have forgotten, the Uchiha clan is now a shadow of itself compared to before. It will take many generations for them to return to becoming a big clan again. So, by giving her legal custody of both Uzumaki, they could help the Uchiha clan out as an extra pair of hands. But we will talk about a situation later with you in private since I'm sure we have much to discuss, would you say." The Sandaime said as the old warhawk nodded in agreement, looking displeased at the turn of events.

"Now we will start the voting to reinstate the Uzumaki clan back into Konoha. Here are the fourteen pieces of paper, yes or no, for the ninja clans and civilian council to make their votes. Once you make your vote please stay quiet and wait for me to walk by and place your vote in this clear jar. If the result turned in favor of the Uzumaki clan, they would get reinstated again, but if not, then they could partition for another chance in four years. We could flip a coin as the final decision if they're a draw." The Sandaime explained readily to get this vote started since there are more village issues to discuss.

The vote took eight minutes as the Hokage got up and began collecting votes. He believed this would be a close vote depending on the civilians willing to extend their vote to the Uzumaki clan. The only ninja clan that will vote against the Uzumaki clan will be the Shimura clan since they would lose the chance to get a hold of the jinchuriki if the Uzumaki clan is reinstated, putting Naruto under the protection of the Hokage. The Sandaime wished Senju Tsunade was here to be able to help out with the votes. When he finished collecting the ballots, Sandaime went to the front of the room and started counting the votes before announcing.

"Everyone, quiet down. The result is in, and the decision has been made with a majority vote of fifteen to twelve. So, I'm happy to announce that the Uzumaki clan will be reinstated under the watchful eyes of the new clan head of the Uchiha clan. Hatake Kakashi, here is the scroll left to you. Please inform me if it holds any critical situation about the night of the Kyubbi attack. Mikoto, here is the scroll Kushina left you as well. Please don't hesitate to come to me if anything important is relevant. I'll transfer the million ryo from the Uzumaki account every year. Uzumaki Naruto will live with you until he becomes a genin," The Sandaime said as he grabbed his scroll before returning to his spot to continue the meeting.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I'll keep the Uzumaki children healthy and safe and let you know if anything important happens," Mikoto responded as she bowed slightly to the elderly Sandaime.

"Now, on another important topic, we had an investigation on the Uchiha massacre. Evidence showed that Uchiha Itachi was not the only person who killed the clan. There was a section where Itachi had his battles less damaged than the others. Plus, in the other two battlefields, someone took the opportunity to take most of the Uchiha's eyes from their corpses. We have a serious problem. If our enemies manage to get a hold of the [Sharingan], they can use it against Konoha, which can't be allowed. If you ever see a non-Uchiha with the [Sharingan], kill and retrieve the eye or eyes." The Sandaime commands as if he was placing none Konoha Uchihas with a bounty on their heads.

"Hokage-sama, I request all eyes be returned to the Uchiha clan and placed in a safe location where no one can steal them. And do you have any idea who else was involved with the stealing of the eyes?" The Uchiha Matriarch asked, looking at Sandaime seriously to tell him to give a clear answer.

"At this moment, I cannot say since the investigation is still ongoing, and I would have to talk to you privately about that matter. So many things have happened that I have to take one thing at a time as long as nothing else happens. The village should be alright until our next generation of strong ninjas rises and makes their mark on the Elemental Nations." The Sandaime explained so everyone would stay calm in case they began to panic about an invasion.

"Now that the military police was dissolved do you have any plans for the security of the village?" Kohaku Aoi asked the question that most people in the council were wondering.

"For now, I need to get a total account of our ninja forces, and depending on the amounts of missions we receive, I would have a better idea of how to distribute the the rest of the forces." The Sandaime replied to appease most of the council, mainly the civilian side, while the more prominent clans didn't seem so convinced.

"Hokage-sama, I recommend that we send out some Anbu teams and chunin teams at the border in case someone tries to invade us in our time of weakness. The Uchiha clan almost came close to being snuffed out of existence; it would be a matter of time before the other villages hear of this and try to prob our defense." Nara Shikaku said as he guided the council towards his primary plan of helping the village and, by extension, the Sandaime.

"What are you trying to imply?" A councilman asked who his commercial business owner was, which differed from what he would hear next.

"Troublesome! Let me clarify for everyone now: Konoha is weak right now, and the only way I could see us improve this problem is to reform the academy and how the teams are assigned. So I mean, instead of placing the best boy and girl with the worst boy or girl teammate, I believe it only holds back the teams. The children should be able to get along and complement each genin fighting style, like the Ino-Shika-Cho. It would get better graduation results, and those who failed would return one or two years of the remedial academy to get the proper training, making them mentally mature and ready for the ninja life." Shikaku told the council, surprised that the Nara, of all people, would say such a thing, while the most experienced ninjas nodded at the man's logic.

"Shikaku, you know that it has been a long-standing tradition for how the teams ae placed together. It has never led us wrong, as some of our greatest ninjas grow up that way." Sandaime responded, feeling offended that the Jonin commander would even say such a thing.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but I disagree with you there; it might be okay with you and the masses about the academy, but if we hadn't lost the Uchiha clan to keep the same system but now that we do have the same amount of ninjas as before we need a change and this is the perfect time to make new changes to the academy with all the clan heirs in the incoming batch in a few days," Shikaku said as murmurs were heard all around the conference room while catching the eye of the Warhawk who gave a silent nod of approval.

"Shikaku, let me say you are right. Do you have a copy of the modified Ninja program for everyone to see before the new academy year starts? Are there changes you want to bring to the council?" The Sandaime asked why the Nara clan was putting so much effort into it now.

"I don't Hokage-sama, but if you give me two days or less, I could put something together. As for the other changes, I would like to have last year's students of each class do D-rank missions with the supervision of retired ninjas who are past their prime or severely injured on a mission and had no choice but to retire. They would volunteer and help speed up the next generation in their training. And by assigning a different combination to each mission we would determine the most appropriate team when they graduated. The genins would also continue doing D-ranks since the academy takes time off to keep the continued flow of the mission. We would be able to use our genins as security and are less likely to be corrupted by the civilians and would teach them to be more vigilant. Once they completed a certain number of D-rank missions, we could assign them to C-rank missions to free up chunins for harder missions like guarding our borders. In no time, the village would be at one hundred percent from the losses of the Kyubbi attack and the Uchiha massacre." Shikaku replied, getting a nod of approval from the ninja council, but was interrupted by a civilian when he spoke up.

"If I heard correctly, are you saying the academy will undergo some reforms? This means you are going to increase the difficulty of graduating from the academy, am I correct?" the middle-aged councilman said as the rest of the council went into an uproar.

"Yes, that is correct. Why is there a problem with that"? Shikaku asked, knowing what was going to happen next.

"You have no right to change the academy's curriculum. The civilian council won't allow it without our say-so." The middle-aged councilman screamed in his rage that this ninja would do such a thing, and most of the civilians agreed with him.

"Let me remind you, lowly civilians, this is a ninja village, not a civilian one, and if I remember correctly, the Nidaime Hokage was the person to create the Ninja Academy. It has nothing to do with the civilians, and if you are not going to like the changes that are going to happen, then be my guest and move out of Konoha. It is not like we need you or your family and business here." Kohaku Aoi agreed with the jonin commander about the decline of the ninja academy.

"Let us put it to a vote then because I have to agree with Shikaku-donno's assessment of the academy. The students are just getting watered-down lessons because of the academy's low standards." Hyuga Hiashi commented, agreeing with the Nara clan head's analysis of everything that was brought up.

"Thank you, Hiashi-donno, for taking my side, but we won't need to vote under Konoha laws code 101.7. Matters of the Ninja Academy are strictly under the Hokage rule, as Konohagakure no Soto is a military dictatorship. During times of military decline, the Hokage has full authority to make all necessary changes for the greater good of Konoha. Anyone who goes against it or tries to impose their views on the Hokage will be regarded as a traitor and immediately executed without question. So if you allow me, Hokage-sama, tell the council to stay out of ninja matters, and everything will be fine." Shikaku said as he finally closed his eyes and took care of that problem; everyone in the room was shocked that he gave the Hokage the power to let him do what he needed.

"Anbu, please go retrieve the Konoha law book on my bookshelf and come back immediately," Sandaime requested as the Anbu vanished in a [Shunshin] for a few minutes before he returned once again, this time with the Konoha laws.

The civilian council became nervous that if that law did exist, they would be unable to do anything about it. And they could be proud that they could get away with it on a vote tricking the ninja council these last few years. The ones involved during the vote and those who wanted to gain more power within the village just hoped to avoid getting executed. Once the law is discovered, those people will stop fighting the changes that will happen at the Ninja Academy. The Hokage went through the thick book until he reached the page he was looking for when he began to read it. After a few minutes, he asked for his advisor and the clan head to look over the page, and when they finished reading, all nodded in agreement as the ninja council was happy with this new find. In comparison, the civilian council lost one of the edges over the Hokage and the control of the Ninja Academy.

"Now that we read the undeniable facts of that law that Nara Shikaku found, I will leave him to put together the curriculum since he brought it up. And have it done in the next three days for the new academy year? The second through fourth-year students will be allowed to graduate with the new standards. If not, they will go back to the academy and won't count against them, and then they will see the difference in the school system. The fourth-year students will have a chance to do D-rank missions as an introduction to the ninja life to get them ready for the harder ranks." The Sandaime summarized the Jonin commander's explanation as the council listened patiently until Shimura Danzo brought up another subject.

"If the Uzumaki clan is reinstated to the village, Konoha should place Uzumaki Naruto on the Clan Restoration Act. As the soul Uzumaki male, Uzumaki Naruto must restore the clan so it won't die out when he becomes old enough. That law is also in the Konoha law written by our sensei, And he placed it there just in case any of the major clans needed to be rebuilt right away." Shimura Danzo explained as you heard many groans and gasps in the room, as the Warhawk smirked internally to himself at his old friend for giving him and headache to deal with.

"Yes, Danzo, I know that law very well, and we will be able to discuss this later since the child is still too young to have children. If no one has anything else to say, I will reschedule for another three-day meeting on the Shikaku presentation; otherwise, everyone may leave now." The Sandaime said as he saw a look of disgust on the Uchiha matriarch that anyone would do that to a child, so she stayed behind to have some words with her village leader.

"Hokage-sama, I disapprove of the C.R.A placed on Naruto-kun. If Kushina was still alive, I'm pretty sure she would have killed most of the civilian council without a second thought. Kushina specifically called out Danzo as someone who shouldn't be trusted with anything related to Naruto-kun. And just to let you know, Hokage-sama, I know the child's father since it doesn't take a genius to know who Kushina was married to." Mikoto said as she showed her displeasure with the Sandaime, who sighed in resignation, knowing that some clan heads might also know who Naruto's father was.

"Unfortunately, it is an actual law mostly to help the Senju clan to keep producing more children, but over the years, they have died out. So, I'm sure he saw this as a chance to keep the Uzumaki clan alive for a little longer. And I have to agree with you: if Kushina were still alive, she would have killed these civilians without a second thought, and no one would have been able to punish he since she is royalty. As for knowing Naruto's father, it's an S-class secret, so be sure you keep it to yourself since it is punishable by death." The Sandaime said, giving the Uchiha matriarch a hard stare with some killing intent.

"I understand, Hokage-sama. As asked, I'll be sure not to tell him who his father is or anyone else. I'll be taking my leave then, Hokage-sama," Mikoto said. She bowed slightly as she slowly stood up and left the room, making the village leader sigh as he walked back toward his office.

Slowly, everyone began to leave the council meeting room while many people were conversing about all the topics discussed during the meeting. The civilians are not happy that the demon child is actually from a clan, and after, they find out that he is royalty, which is a big shock to everyone in the room. Since the Uzumaki child is the last known member of the royal clan, the Hokage advisor suggested that he be placed on the Clan Restoration Act to help build his clan to an acceptable number. The biggest surprise was the Jonin commander requesting to reform the Ninja Academy and, for the last year, students to begin doing D-rank missions with the current genins.

The Sandaime thought it was a great idea to many since it helped the village free up more chunins to go on need missions than the genins still growing up and learning. The Jonin commander saw this as the best way how to use and spread their forces in a much simpler way, without weakening Konoha and at the same time giving the new generation of ninjas the experience they need as they develop and get older. Many of the clan heads were surprised that Nara Shikaku decided to get involved in such a troublesome situation. But nobody knew the reason for this since the man kept all his strategy to himself so that nobody could devise a counter-argument, leaving all the cards in his hands. For the next three days, he would be busy putting together the new academy curriculum that would benefit the children and the future of Konoha.

A/N: Hello, fellow writers and readers; the chapter was re-edited and Beta by EvIlDemon, who is my son. I hope you have enjoyed the chapter cause I was finally satisfied with it after the fifth try. The good thing I have a full picture of where I want this story to go. I don't want to follow canon, and since this is fanfiction, I think we have to create our version of it. If anyone has a question, PM. I would appreciate reviews to get a better feel of the story.

*EPYON*