Chapter 8: Collision

Treachery was part of the training. Death was part of life. Leaving the comfort of Konoha meant you may very well have an encounter with the death god and become a memory in this cruel world. It was not a foreign thing. Shinobi died on missions—it was a working hazard. If he wasn't dying, he was killing someone.

Naruto's ponderings were not on the act of killing, he was most pressed on his absence from home. He gave no cents to the dead. To be weak meant death. To be strong meant survival.

For this cause, he didn't think he would be killed. There was much to do. Perhaps it was the Uchiha arrogance, but he was confident. In a battle of death, he would always find a way.

But the Uchiha situation kept him on his toes. He'd been foolish and underestimated the anger of his fellow Uchiha. And now, the beast growled day and night with deadly threats of a blood path. Instead of running errands for Konoha, he should be setting the clan on the right path. He was built and trained for this role.

He'd been gone from Konoha for three days. The journey was uneventful. Less, the casual sightings of birds fighting as he rested along the shades of trees. While the journey led him to the Lightning Country, the majority of his thoughts were on the events within the walls of the Leaf.

Naruto considered the Cloud an enemy of Konoha. Madara wouldn't have bowed as the Sandaime did. He'd have shown the Raikage only he had to bow to the power of the Hidden Leaf. He just hoped, there would be no meeting with Cloud shinobi because he wasn't sure he'd hold back if they made any moves toward him.

As he strolled through the streets of a town within the Lightning, his Sharingan discreetly scanning the area, Naruto felt this mission would not be so simple. But he was prepared for the anything—he'd been warned. His gunbai was strapped on his back, a sword beside it, one spear, and a small scroll was also strapped just on his lower back. The storage tattoo was fully prepared on his right wrist.

From the directions of the mission request, he was supposed to visit the third building, right when coming out of a shinobi clothing shop with the sign of lightning above its doors. He could see the shop. He counted the buildings and finally arrived. It was a motel. Two people were coming out of it and they stared at him. He ignored them and went inside.

A man was at the reception. Naruto asked for a room just for one night. He preferred the top floor. He was told it was fully occupied and then given the floor below it. The man walked up the stairs with him while making small talk. The room had nothing but a bed in it. He was told, they offered service to the rooms, at an extra cost. He nodded and shut the door in front of the man.

He was supposed to wait here and the client would come to him. It was strange doing missions like this. He didn't even ask why he was being chosen, he just accepted. For an A-rank mission, it came with some instructions and the Sandaime had warned it could even become an S-rank mission for the client was unknown.

These were kind of missions reserved for experienced Jonin and Anbu. But for some reason, he thought unpleasant, the Sandaime sent him here. It was none of that nonsense of him being suitable. If anything, it felt like the old man just wanted him out of the village. Taking orders was becoming bothersome. His pride could stomach the constant 'do this and that.'

He removed his weapons and inspected the room. Once satisfied, he fell on the bed and stared at the ceiling, counting and waiting. After an hour, he grew impatient and considered stepping out room, but for the sake of the mission, he endured.

The knock at the door arrived when the sun was setting, the room orange with the sun rays. At the door, a short middle-aged man wearing a straw hat was waiting for him. Upon seeing him, the man frowned deeply.

"I'm certain I requested an A-rank mission," the man said with a deep frown.

For this mission, he'd been given a Konoha headband. It was for the first time he was wearing one. It easily gave him away. But that was the tradition of the shinobi world.

"You must be the client," Naruto said, stepping out of the way. His expression was just blank. He thought Itachi would be proud. "Please come in."

The man hesitated for a moment and then came in. Naruto closed the door and faced the man. "There are no chairs, please make yourself comfortable on the bed." He smiled, it sounded a little weird. It would've been even weirder if it was a woman.

Clients came in all forms. Some rude and some kind. But you still treated them the same way. They were paying for your services and to get them to pay for more of your services, you had to ensure you treated them right. Reputation with clients was everything for a Great Nation. Missions were the bread and butter of a shinobi village. Without them, a village moved toward the edge of a cliff.

But it didn't mean shinobi had to kiss clients. He be damned to drag his pride and reputation through the mud simply to keep the client smiling.

The man settled on the edge of the bed and tapped his right foot on the floor with impatience.

"I haven't introduced myself… I am Naruto Uchiha," Naruto said, settling down on the floor. He stared at the client.

"Just call me Client-san."

Naruto's expression dimmed. He wasn't going to like this man and he has no patients for games. Danzo could be leading men with Itachi toward the Uchiha grounds at any moment, while he had to handle this.

"You're a civilian but you're experienced with a couple of things. It wouldn't surprise me if you knew how to handle a kunai."

"Uchiha, huh?" the client seemingly ignored his statement. "I didn't think you'd stand out like this when coming here. Well, no matter," he said, shaking his head. "If you're Uchiha and Konoha sent you, you must be capable."

"Of course."

"You'll be escorting me to the Earth. I have to reach there safely. There might be some rough encounters, but I trust you'll protect me."

"What rough encounters are we talking about?" Naruto asked. "You requested an A-rank mission without detailing the kind of enemies we might face. People usually state they need protection from just bandits or possibly some A-rank shinobi they are running away from."

Once more, the man ignored his question. "How capable are you?" He demanded, staring straight into his eyes.

"Konoha has a reputation to uphold. I was sent on the account that if the status changed to S-rank, I would have the capacity to still complete it."

The man then let out a breath he seemed to be holding. "Good," he smiled for the first time. "Good," he repeated. "Was there anyone who followed you here?"

"No."

"Did you feel you were being watched?"

"No." Naruto stared, his eyes a little cold. "I've been given the choice to handle this as I see fit. While Konoha has a reputation to uphold, it will not tolerate non-compliance… now, how are we going this? I'm only offering protection."

"If I'm being pursued, they'll know a Konoha shinobi arrived in town and must think I'm here. They'll be here at any moment," the client said. "Let us get our things and leave now."

Konohagakure

Itachi had never considered he'd find himself within the Inuzuka compound, handling clan affairs. He was acting more like his father's successor now. Before, he'd never think of it.

Perhaps his thinking had been flawed and he only thought things in Konoha's perspective rather than trying to understand his clan. Before, he'd dismissed the relevance of their worries and chose only to focus on the fact that their actions were wrong. He could thank Shisui and Naruto. His father as well. The man was a good father. Itachi owed much to him. For his training and lessons. More than anyone, he showed love and obedience to Konoha. If Inabi was the clan head, they would have revolted long ago.

Nothing had of course fundamentally changed. And after his conversation with Naruto, he was even less burdened by the thought of becoming clan head. After all, Naruto had made it clear that he would do everything in his power to ensure he never became clan head.

He was sitting in an empty room, waiting for Tsume to arrive. He didn't wait for a long time as she arrived with her daughter. The two settled in front of him.

"It is rare for the Uchiha to be making visits to other clans," Tsume said, staring at the Uchiha. A famous boy he was, but still another Uchiha. She didn't hate them, they just focused on their jobs and didn't bother other clans.

Of course, there have been some skirmish when clan members commit crimes and the Uchiha have to arrest them. Some clans were prone to try to defend their members. But the opponent was the Uchiha. They had the power to even force themselves into the Hyuga grounds and arrest Hiashi.

"There has been some changes in clan responsibilities. We have also been told we must work with other clans in our duties."

"But you're not Military Police."

"I represent my father."

Tsume stared and then waved her right hand. "Go on."

"We would like to make an arrangement to have a team of trackers always available for Military Police Force. In case we need to hurriedly track someone within the village, we may call you. Even if it is outside of the village your skills are more suited for tracking. We do not have those skills," Itachi explained.

"How rare," Tsume laughed. "Never thought I would see the day the Uchiha would admit to not being able to do anything. You people have always been full of yourself."

Naruto would have said it was warranted. But Itachi wasn't going to go into that argument. Luckily, Hana spoke before he could.

"Do you only need a team?"

"Yes. For a tracking mission, it is only one person necessary."

"Costs?"

Tsume took over. "We can't have members of our clan always on stand-by and not pay them anything. They have families they must support. We understand you may not want to pay when they are not working. But at the very least, you have to ensure they get missions."

"The reason we want to have a special team is because we don't want everyone just going through how we work. We will of course have to take them through police training. Whether they become members of Military Police Force is something to be discussed. Keep three of your clan members available. We will make sure they are utilized every month."

"I will think about it, decide a team and summon you."

"Of course."

"Anything else?"

The hard part. Itachi really didn't know how to get this one over the line. He'd handled business. It was straightforward but this other business was personal and venturing into clan politics.

"The Uchiha clan would like to hold further talks on future cooperation between the two clans."

Tsume snorted. "If the Uchiha want to work with my clan, your father must come here himself." The prideful Uchiha coming along to ask for cooperation? Tsume thought of it with a laugh. She couldn't see it happening.

"I'll pass on the message." Itachi said and thanked her for her time before departing.

The atmosphere in the streets was normal. They were ignorant of the trouble brewing within the Uchiha. Naruto's ploy could work, but only temporarily. It took just one thing from happening for a civil war to happen.

Itachi walked all the way to the Uchiha compound without anyone stopping him.

"Itachi-kun!"

He stopped, hearing the familiar voice of Izumi. She was running up to him, the same smile as usual. But she was now wearing a Konoha headband. He'd heard that she graduated from the academy, and a year early.

She had the Sharingan, but not the most skilled. Then again, not everyone was born with skill and ability. Awakening the Sharingan didn't make one a better shinobi. It was the skill to use it that made one a better shinobi.

"So it's true, you've stopped doing Anbu missions," Izumi said with happiness. "I'm happy you can be like everyone your age now…"

Itachi didn't want to talk about her last words. Las time it had made for an unpleasant talk between them. "How is being Genin treating you?"

"It's all menial jobs," she replied with a shrug. "Nothing as dangerous as what you used to do."

"You should cherish those menial missions. Once you become experienced enough, you'll be doing missions that may threaten your very life. Many Genin leave the village for their first missions and never return."

"I know," Izumi said in a quiet tone. "Sensei keeps telling us…" she then beamed up slightly. "I'm going to start attending the secret night meetings."

Itachi stopped walking for a moment. She was a kunoichi, of course she would be permitted. "I see."

"So, you're going to tell me what you talk about?"

"I'm no longer permitted to attend."

"Is it because the others are always speaking ill about you?" Izumi asked with a frown.

"Partly."

Izumi glanced at him for a moment. She was really happy he was around the village a lot more. She couldn't see him as much as she wanted because she had her own duties. But she was here, and she didn't want to let the moment pass.

"Hey, how about we go and have lunch?" She offered with a warm smile. "We haven't done that in a while."

Itachi considered it for a moment. He didn't dislike Izumi and didn't hold her in the same way as other girls. There were some things she needed to improve on, but maybe being around her could help him get another perspective of what it was like for other Uchiha in the compound. Maybe he could understand why Naruto went to the extreme lengths he went to dissuade them from their plans to revolt. But then again, Naruto treated all Uchiha equally. Whether a shinobi or a civilian, they were all Uchiha he cherished. He didn't place any life above the other.

There were those he cared for more because of their relationship but he still valued all equally.

"Sure," he replied to Izumi.

Hokage Office

Seeing his former teammates, Hiruzen smiled and leaned back on his chair. His stomach was full as he'd just had his lunch. Had it been Danzo, he would have felt the need to throw it out. But these two were the people he used to get along and unlike Danzo, he could sometimes agree with them. Despite their militant ways, they had no desire to become traitors and try to kill him as Danzo had.

He still held some respect for them. It had been a pity to remove them from the Village Council. They were still Councillors, just not part of the Council that saw day to day actions of the village.

"I was expecting your visit," Hiruzen said in a light tone. "Please sit," he said.

Koharu stared at him and settled down. She glanced at Homura for a second and returned her stare to the Sandaime, who chuckled in response.

"There is no laughing matter," she said in a hardened tone.

"We have come here because there is a serious matter that needs to be solved," Homura said.

"I know," Hiruzen said with a small smile. "I was just thinking about the past. We always got along and functioned well as a team. It was a pity that I had to remove you from the Council. Regardless, you're still friends I value deeply. I wish the respect you had for me was the same as Danzo had."

"You two have always been in competition," Koharu said. "It does seem Danzo never let it go. He was disgusted when Tobirama-sensei made you Hokage instead of him. He had idolized him."

"Yet failed to truly comprehend him. Even to this day, Danzo still does not understand why Tobirama-sama made me Hokage," Hiruzen then smiled sadly. "Admittedly, I feel he would be disappointed to see how I have run Konoha."

"We all Love Konoha and want what is the best for it. The same can be said about Danzo." Homura said. "This brings us to our visit today. Danzo has informed us that the Uchiha are planning to revolt!"

Hiruzen's smile disappeared. How did Danzo know? No, was he even surprised? At this rate, Danzo was going to do something reckless that would force the Uchiha's hand. He didn't need Danzo to incite the Uchiha. He needed that man far away as possible from this matter.

"There are indeed some who feel that way within the Uchiha," Hiruzen admitted.

"Then why is Fugaku still part of the village Council? We should exterminate them before they do anything!"

"I agree with Koharu." Homaru said, his voice much calmer. "It is the best course of action for Konoha. The Uchiha are powerful, if we allow them to do anything, this village will be doomed. For the greater good, they must be eliminated before they pick up arms. They are already in a secluded location. The village can quickly surround the Uchiha compound and eliminate them."

"You cannot allow this thing to get out of hand, Hiruzen. Now is not the time for one of your attempts to find a peaceful solution. The only peaceful solution there is to get rid of them before they even incite other shinobi!"

Hiruzen sighed. Itachi had already told him things would come to this. He changed the village Council in anticipation. He would have been forced to agree with them if they were still his only Councillors.

"The situation is indeed dangerous. But we are dealing with it." Hiruzen said. "You both view Shisui and Itachi as loyal shinobi who have not succumbed to the Uchiha hatred. They have been keeping me informed about what is happening in the clan. They do no support the idea of a revolt. The same can be said about Fugaku. I have removed Itachi from Anbu to put him in the village to see what is happening closely."

"If something happens under his nose?"

"I will take responsibility for what happened and you will have the power to select my successor. Tsunade has refused to come back. Jiraiya still says no. It will be up to the Emergency Council to elect my successor." Hiruzen said in a firm tone.

"We will not give you much time. If this is not solved quickly, we will take action."

"I'm sure Danzo already has plans."

Hiruzen prayed day and night that the Uchiha are dissuaded. The good thing was that Fugaku didn't support it. Without him, they would have no power to do anything. He didn't want to have the blood of the Uchiha in his hands. It would amount to a critical failure in the list of many failures for him.

"In the meantime, Danzo must be given the Kyubi's Jinchuriki to train. He tells us Fugaku knows the Jinchuriki. It would be disastrous if they uses the Kyubi to attack Konoha. You have to give it to Danzo."

"How does Fugaku even know?"

"He was there," Hiruzen said. "I will agree to your demand. Danzo will have the Jinchuriki However, I will supervise the training."

"Why had you kept him a secret all this time?"

"I wanted him to have a normal life. And he has enjoyed a good childhood. Besides, circumstances now call for desperate measures. I am not certain of what will happen tomorrow."

"All the more reason we should exterminate the Uchiha. If Itachi and Shisui are loyal, let them do it."

"It would be wrong to put such a heavy burden on the young ones." Hiruzen said with a shake of his head. "If anything is to happen, Itachi will keep me informed and we will do what must be done to protect Konoha."

Koharu couldn't believe he was saying that. Of course, Itachi and Shisui could be trusted. But Hiruzen's words just showed her he didn't have a plan or maybe the resolve to put an end to the Uchiha.

"You don't even have a plan!" Koharu glared at Hiruzen. "Do you not understand the severity of the situation? Does it matter if Fugaku supports it or not? They are planning a revolt? We can never trust them again. If they can plan to kill us today because they are dissatisfied about something, it means they can do it again tomorrow!"

"Now, I don't want to think you've all made them uncomfortable just to get rid of them. You're not like Danzo." Hiruzen replied in an equally stern tone. "Regardless, this is a situation we created and it will be resolved."

"What happens when our enemies find out about this and entice the Uchiha? Kumogakure was willing to wage war just for the Byakugan!"

"They would be more than willing to do more for the entire Uchiha clan! We obviously cannot let them leave to join another village."

Hiruzen didn't think that was possible. Not for any other reason aside from the fact that the Uchiha founded this village. It would take something extreme for them to abandon the village they founded. Worse, he thought they would rather ask help to take over Konoha than leave it.

It was a scary scenario and one he had to guard against. Shisui and Itachi would inform him the second someone from outside approached the clan. For now, he could be secure in the fact that not even the villagers knew. Some would sense, but they wouldn't know the severity of the situation. If they did, they would call for action and the Uchiha would be left with no other choice. But so would Konoha.

"The new Council will handle it. Fugaku has been open about it and discussions have started."

"You're being naïve." Koharu sneered. "If you're not going to do anything, we will take action."

"If you do anything behind my back, I will charge you with treason."

"We're old. And can accept it as long as we know Konoha is safe."

Land of Hot Water

"We're being followed," Naruto said to the client, halting in his movements. The client did as well.

"So quick?" the man asked in a nervous tone.

Naruto stared at the man. He was fit for a civilian and ran a bit without complaining. There had been much haste in getting as far away as possible from the borders of the Lightning Country. The second they'd made some distance with the Lightning, he'd started chatting, probing him for information. His questions gave Naruto the impression that the man was familiar with dealing with shinobi—too familiar that it bothered him a little.

It was possible he was a spy Kumogakure wanted. Civilians did make for good spies as they were the least you suspected. They could easily get through sensors due to their lack of presence.

"Who did you piss off?"

"Shouldn't you be focused on the enemy?" The client diverted.

"You should be kind to someone who holds your life at their hands, Client-san." Naruto said with an air of superiority. He then created two clones, instructing them to keep watch on the man while he turned his focus on the pursuers. "Who are they?"

He was standing in a clear path obviously used by people. Trees surrounded them, so the pursuers could just show up at anywhere.

"Most likely Kumo shinobi."

"I'm not even surprised. It seems there is much to talk about—" he glanced up into the trees. Three Kumo shinobi landed there, staring down at him.

Their presence was nothing to fear. In fact, for an A-rank mission, they were overwhelmingly disappointing. They couldn't be more than Chunin. Then again, it was understandable as they were obviously chasing a mere civilian.

Any other day he would enjoy torturing them, but he needed to get this over with as soon he could and return to his beloved Uchiha clan.

"What is a Konoha shinobi doing here?" presumably, the leader demanded of Naruto.

"Mission," Naruto replied with a shrug.

"You would do well to leave this to us. Kumogakure will compensate you."

"Why?"

"Do you not know what you're getting yourself into? We know that man has no connection with the Hidden Leaf. You don't need get involved in matters between the Earth and Cloud."

It was common cause for shinobi to clash during missions. It never resulted in wars or anything. Missions collided and the Great Nations accepted that as part of the job. However, missions that obviously threatened another Great Nation were always ignored to avoid war.

"If you're asking me to abandon a client, I must have a good reason," Naruto said with a shrug. "Missions aside, I would be in trouble if I did something that brought Konoha and Kumogakure to war."

"Are Konoha shinobi this spineless?" the client demanded of him, glaring furiously at the thought of being left to the mercy of Kumogakure shinobi.

Naruto glanced back at the client with a sharp look. His stare made the man shrink a bit. He turned back to the Cloud nin.

"That man has been posing as a merchant in Kumogakure for a while. It was not long ago we realized he had established a stable information network. He was passing off information to Iwagakure. We managed to intercept one of those messages, but when we came to get him, he was already gone. We want him back to the Cloud to find out what he sent to Iwa before."

"This is something that is standard practice. Shinobi work this way and I cannot abandon a client over an operational hazard. We did not know the background nor what was happening. I hope you'll believe this much. But I still cannot abandon this man."

"Then prepare yourself, Uchiha."

He couldn't attack head on. The moment he attacked one, the other would sneak into the gaps between his clones. The Sharingan could help, but one mistake and the client was dead. And shame would be upon the Uchiha name. It would be embarrassing having to go home and report that he failed a mission. No doubt, those damn fools would continue to mock him. It would be a never ending humiliation.

If not for the client, he would invite them and then break up apart.

They may be Chunin, but they were experienced shinobi. They were gone from his view the second they prepared themselves. A hail of kunai came raining down on him. Naruto considered his options and swapped himself with a clone, giving it the gunbai while kept guard of the client.

The clone waved the gunbai toward the incoming kunai. The gunbai created gusts of wind that collided with the kunai. The second they did so, the kunai exploded into crimson flames. The explosion created a huge cloud in the air.

One of the Cloud nin flashed behind the client, and a clone moved to intercept him. As if predicted, the man halted and then leapt backwards.

The other two flanked Naruto and the client. Both held kunai and didn't seem like they were going for the kill. They really wanted to apprehend the man rather than kill him.

The Sharingan glowed menacingly as Naruto glanced at the man lunging on the right. His eyes widened, and he let out a pained scream before falling to the ground while clutching his chest.

Swiftly, Naruto twisted around, turning to the man on the left. He took a single step and then blurred in front of the shinobi. The Cloud nin drove the kunai toward his throat and Naruto ducked under the strike while removing his sword from his back. The man didn't waste his opportunity before returning with a frontal lunge with the base of his right foot. Naruto sidestepped the blow, while spreading out his left arm slightly. He caught the kick around his waist, pressing the leg between his hand and body.

The cloud nin didn't let this deter mind; he then stabbed his kunai toward Naruto chest. Naruto's reaction was instantaneous; he waved the sword he held with his right hand, cutting through the man's arm around the elbow. Blood sprayed out while the man tried to bite a scream. Naruto wasn't done, he swung his blade once more, aiming at the leg he held. He cut through the thigh, causing more blood to gush out. And this time, the man screamed.

"Arg!" He cried as he fell on his back, bleeding profusely.

Naruto decided to let the man out of his misery. While he was falling back, the Uchiha took a single stood forward and stabbed his sword straight through the man's forehead. The Cloud nin hit the ground lifelessly while Naruto waved his sword to wipe off the blood.

Naruto turned around to check if his clone had managed to deal with the other man. He sighed in relief seeing it was done.

He took steps toward the shinobi he'd put on a genjutsu, but his senses picked up something dangerous. He motioned for his clones to take the client. He sheathed his sword and summoned his spear. While he twisted around, the clones were fleeing the scene with the client.

The spear crackled with lightning. Once he located the incoming shinobi, he tried to hurl the weapon to them, but the newcomer cut the distance between them in the blink of an eye. She slammed her knee on his gut, and then twisted around, lifting her right foot for a roundhouse kick. The attack hit him on the left side of his head. It was a little light, quite nothing like being hit by Gai. But there was speed. The attack sent him tumbling away with his spear.

Naruto quickly regained composure and flipped several times before landing on the ground. He stabbed the spear on the ground stop himself from skidding and slamming into the trunk of a tree.

While the blonde woman inspected her fellow shinobi, Naruto burst out laughing. His laughter caused him to turn on him.

He sat down, putting on an embarrassed expression. "To be attacked before I can release an attack that is supposed to be my fastest is humiliating," he said with a laugh. "Shisui will laugh at me when he hears this…" he said. "But still, you prove really fast. You're not normal. And now, I'm embarrassed to even try again."

The embarrassment was real, he was even close to blushing. He felt flustered. It wasn't even supposed to be like that. He really, didn't even try it again. The humiliation would be too much if he failed again.

"The moment a Konoha shinobi passed through the borders of Hot Water, I was informed to come." Yugito replied. "What did you do to him?"

"Just Genjutsu…" Naruto replied with indifference. "It is quite pathetic that a normal genjutsu would render him like that. Does Kumogakure not train its shinobi on recognizing Genjutsu?" Then again, there was no one outside of Konoha reputable for being a master of Genjutsu. It was no wonder Sharingan genjutsu was feared all over. Perhaps using it against a Chunin was simply bullying the weak.

Yugito did not reply to the condescension. He was obviously a killed shinobi. To simply laugh off her attack as being a humiliation and sit down while at it was either a sign of bravery or arrogance. She wouldn't excessively consider the latter as he'd already dealt with three experienced shinobi.

"Does Konoha want to start war with Kumogakure?" She asked, while disrupting the flow of chakra of her fellow Kumo shinobi.

The man nearly jumped up, wide eyes and with a laboured breathing. He looked around for a moment before his eyes fell on Yugito. He then heaved a heavy sigh.

"You made it in time…" he said with relief.

"Go after the target," Yugito instructed without wasting time. "I'll deal with him."

"Of course." The man nodded and looked around. Yugito pointed at the direction the clones disappeared off too and the man obliged.

Naruto made no attempt to stop him. He wasn't going to do something stupid as to engage in a full blown fight. His urges wanted him to go that route, but he was far from home.

"Is that Kumogakure's favourite answer to everything?" Naruto asked with displeasure.

Yugito could tell the whole mood had changed. The embarrassment that had been on his face was now replaced with a look akin to contempt but not quite.

"It is just the circumstances demand I ask such a question."

"I'm not trying to start a war," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "But a client made a request and I have to honour it. Even if it means I must face Kumo people. It is nothing more than business, nothing personal."

"Personal?"

Naruto showed a nasty expression. "I hold a bit of a grudge over the Hyuga incident. When it concerns Kumogakure, I'm always going to hold to hold negative opinion. The fact that you're even threatening me with war now reinforces the idea that you're bullies… or at least try to be. If you were superior in every way, that would understandable, but you're not and its offensive."

"You were one of the Uchiha who came to Kumo about it." It clicked to Yugito after a moment. Whether Kumogakure was wrong or right was irrelevant. It didn't even concern anything regarding the current matter. But if he held a grudge, it was likely others would also hold grudge. Actions had consequences and this was the consequence of Kumo's greed. "Let us not stall for time. You have your mission, and I have mine. Only the victor can get what he or she wants."

"Indeed," Naruto said as he stood up. "Uchiha Naruto…" he introduced himself.

"Nii Yugito." Yugito replied after a moment. "I will not kill you. I don't want to make things bad."

Naruto blinked, Yugito? Well, his luck was just bad. If he was not mistaken, she was a Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails. Fighting her would require maximum effort and he couldn't spare that. Still, the battle loving beast in him wanted to have a fight with her, just to experience the thrill of fighting a Jinchuriki.

Just the thought of fighting her brought some pulsating sense in him. He even felt a little giddy. If not for the mission at hand, he'd have lunged at her already.

He grinned. "Well, I shall dance with you, only for a little while. Try your best, I want to see if the powers of a Jinchuriki can match up to the power of the Uchiha."

Yugito could tell she wouldn't like him.

They moved almost at once, lunging toward the other. The Sharingan worked overtime to track Yugito's movements. Their knees collided in mid-air before she attempted a right hook. Naruto lifted his left arm and blocked the punch.

Undeterred, Yugito separated from him and then shot back at him. She feigned a jab toward his chest with her left hand before swinging her right toward his face. Naruto didn't fall for the feint.

He disappeared from Yugito's view, appearing behind her. He didn't turn around but threw a backhand toward her back. She was just as fast, ducking under the strike. She fell down with her hands balancing the rest of her body as she lifted both her feet. She kicked out at Naruto.

He leapt into the air, avoiding the kick before twisting around. He tried dropping his heel on her back, but she fell to the side and rolled away from his path. His foot crashed into the ground, creating a small crater.

While on lying on the ground, Yugito swept her right foot through the ground, kicking Naruto to knock him off balance. She then leapt swiftly while he was falling backwards. She raised her right foot and tried to land a frontal kick. But while in mid-air, and falling, Naruto folded both hands across him to take the blow. The attack sent him flying backwards. He was quick to land gracefully.

Yugito gave him no time to rest; she was upon him the second he landed. Her right hand had claw like long nails. She swung them across his chest. Naruto tried to leap back to avoid the slash. Her claws still managed to cut through his shirt. But he managed to escape without harm.

He was however backed by a tree. It gave Yugito an opportunity to lunge at him once more. Her expression was just cold as she repeated the same trick but he had no where to go and so Naruto ducked down while holding out the palm of his right hand. Yugito's attack cut through the trunk of the tree.

Naruto's palm slammed on Yugito's chest. she just backed back slightly and replied with a low kick aimed at his head. Before the kick hit him, Naruto disappeared in a burst of crimson flames.

Yugito frowned and twisted around, looking up into the trees.

"Teleportation... no," she shook her head. "Shunshin no Jutsu. You're from the same clan as that famous Shisui."

"He taught me this trick," Naruto replied with a smile. "You're very good at hand to hand combat."

"I went through hellish training even before I could walk."

"Born and built for battle, huh?" Naruto said.

"You move rather well yourself. But you will face your defeat here. Give up. You're just delaying the inevitable. That man has no where to go. Iwa is not going to protect him. Once I'm through with you, I will capture him."

"I'd rather not ruin my reputation."

"You came face to face with a Jinchuriki, Konoha will understand."

Naruto snorted. He could imagine some villagers saying if only Itachi had been sent, the village would not have lost to Kumo. It was bad enough they had to give up one of their own and if he ended up failing a mission to Kumo, the humiliation would haunt him for the rest of his life. He could imagine even the likes of Yashiro would finally break out of their shells to mock him for thinking he was unbeatable.

He leapt from the tree and landed on the ground. "We should finish this already." He said, as he walked over to pick up his spear. He held it with his left hand.

"You've already said that is your fastest attack, I'm not going to allow you to throw it..."

Yugito was already going through hand seals. "Cat Flame Roaring Fire!" She formed a small fireball in front of fire, twice the size of her head. the Fireball then shot straight toward Naruto.

Yugito created her claws once more and lunged behind her attack.

Naruto flipped the gunbai into his left hand and the spear into his right. He didn't run but waited for the incredibly hot fireball to reach him. It crashed into the face of his gunbai, without even exploding. This surprised Yugito who was already above him. She was left shocked when the flames disappeared and the weapon Naruto held glowed dangerously.

"Uchiha return." Naruto waved the gunbai toward Yugito. A huge blast erupted just in front of Yugito. She was caught in it, and only managed to fold her hands across her face to protect her head before being enveloped by the explosion. The explosion burnt through her clothing, exposing some of her skin but she avoided a fatal blow and managed to get away, landing a couple of feet away.

The second she landed, she heard a crackle. In front of her, a lightning bolt. She widened her eyes with shock, unable to move away. She realized, he used that attack as distraction to give himself time to throw the spear. the spear pierced through right shoulder. The entirely of it went through her, and pierced through the trees behind her.

Blood gushed out of her shoulder as she held it, dropping to her knees with her breathing increasingly laboured. She ignored the pain and glanced toward Naruto. She saw two of them, heading toward different directions. She was already aware the clones were solid, and couldn't tell which one was the real deal. If he was this powerful, his clones must have dealt with her fellow Kumo shinobi. She shouldn't have sent him out.

An Hour Later

Naruto found the client, sitting alone looking a little spooked as if he'd seen something he shouldn't. But Naruto was certain, he'd just been toiling in fear, thinking maybe Yugito would defeat him and they would come for him. If Kumo got to him, he was going to be tortured until he bled to death, having told them what happened when he was two years old.

Naruto had seen his fair share of torture tactics. It was nothing to laugh about but pain made people speak. But spies were resilient. You could chop of all fingers and toes one by one and they'd cry and piss on themselves but still wouldn't say a word.

His Sharingan wasn't active anymore—he was feeling a little tired. He needed to improve his durability. Then again, throwing the spears took a huge chunk of his energy. In the brief second he made his movements, the chakra inside his body had to be converted to lightning, for power and speed. He really needed to do more training.

"We should go," Naruto said to the man in a cold tone. "She could still come after us…" More than anything, he just wanted to sit down a little, go over everything that had transpired while catching a break. But it was safety first.

"I'm tired. Can't run."

Naruto stared down at the man with a cold look.

"Why are you looking at me like you want to kill me?"

"I could do that." Naruto replied with coldness. "Lying clients are the worst. A Jinchuriki cannot be treated as nothing less of S-rank. Worse, the circumstances alone make this mission S-rank."

He took a huge breath and picked up the man without warning. He decided to take the direction of the Fire Nation as it was much safer to do so. He was likely to come across Konoha shinobi than those from Kumo. Besides, there were chances they wouldn't want to pursue him in his own country.

Once they arrived at the Fire Nation, he started to feel tired and put the man down, throwing himself down and leaned against the trunk of a tree.

Once he'd recovered, he stared at the man.

Fidgeting, the man started to explain. "Look, I'm a merchant but I also do a side job of selling information. Iwagakure was a willing customer and I was selling them Intel. One of my contacts told me I was found out and helped me out of the village. But I knew Iwagakure wasn't going to help me. The closest village with the means was Konoha. But if I said S-rank mission, I'd have been forced to divulge the details. At which case, Konoha wouldn't have assisted me."

"And so, you lied, putting my life at risk." Naruto stared. "You must pay for the S-rank mission and apologize for this."

Personally, this was a good mission, it just showed him it was not only Konoha that lies—everybody lies. And he saw a Jinchuriki. He needed to become a better. His speed needed to improve. Strangely, he didn't quite care what the man was telling Iwa.

The only problem would be if the Sandaime decides the best option would have been to abandon the mission. Everything could have been hushed to ensure Konoha's reputation was intact. But to bow to the Cloud once more again would have been insulting. Once was enough. Twice was a stab to his pride and Naruto wasn't about to drag his pride needlessly.

"You'd not consider paying me with the information you were providing to Iwagakure?"

The man smiled. "It's not like I have loyalty to Iwa," he shrugged. "I'll only tell you this that might interest Konoha; there was a bloody war in Kirigakure which resulted in bloodline wielders being persecuted. Most of them have left the village. There is of course, still issue of the Kaguya clan."

"What about Kaguya?"

"They thought they were too powerful and wanted to take control over the Mist. They were the most powerful but faced annihilation. Anyway, there is a clan of Ice Users who recently decided to flee the Mist to avoid being killed. Kumo has been making preparations to recruit them, even if it might mean going to war with Kiri."

The Cloud and its love for bloodlines. First it was the Hyuga and now they are going after Kiri's bloodlines. The greed seemed to be bottomless. It was nonetheless a fact that Kiri was persecuting them. Taking the off from the village was the right thing to do.

"And?"

"It doesn't concern Konoha. I've given you valuable Intel there. Should make up for everything," the man said with a shrug.

He could chose to interrogate the man with the Sharingan. He was not a shinobi but a civilian, his mind would be easy to break even for him. But he decided against it.

"Iwa might decide to kill you… why are you going back?"

"I'm not going back to Iwa. I'm just going to meet some people and then leave the shinobi world."

"Well, good luck with your future endeavours." Naruto said, standing up. "We must continue."

Iwagakure

An invasion of another nation didn't require any justification. The Uzumaki were destroyed for simply being too powerful. Onoki could now decide to wage war against Suna and nobody would say it was wrong—the only nations would decide to partake would be those with vested interests. There were not friends or enemies, just interests.

This was a world dictated by the whims of the Kage and their Feudal Lords. As long as any Kage felt a nation was becoming too powerful, they would wage war. Some wars have simply been fought because other nations were becoming poor and needed to fight war to make money. The Feudal Lords dished out funds in times of war.

Onoki thought Sunagakure was an insignificant nation that was simply gasping for air. Their accusation of Iwagakure murdering Pakura meant nothing to him. It didn't even put him under any pressure. The Kage would not meet and as long as none of the others were affected, they wouldn't care.

"It's surprising that they would blame us for this. She was just one shinobi and nothing that would threaten us," Onoki said to Kitsuchi while sitting comfortably inside his office.

"Don't they have bigger issues to deal with?"

"Indeed they do. I've heard their economic situation is getting worse. They are overcharging for missions and the Wind Lord doesn't seem to care. Sources say he is considering sending missions to Konoha."

"That would cripple them."

"Making it ideal to launch an invasion."

Sunagakure and Iwa have not had the greatest of relations. Suna has lost its mightiest shinobi, leaving it open for an assault. If he attacked, he could now destroy the village. Of course, it would come at a loss but victory would still be attained.

"They've lost Sasori who painted the desert red with blood. And now their rising hero is dead," Kitsuchi said. "They have become weak."

"Their Jinchuriki is also a child who can't even control the powers of his Bijuu. He loses control occasionally."

"A pity, we're still recovering from the Third War."

Onoki nodded in agreement. The costs of the Third War were heavy. Now was not the time to go to battle again—they had to rebuild their forces. Their biggest enemies were Konoha and Kumogakure. The former had already lost Minato. The very man who made them enter the negotiation table.

Iwagakure was free. The Jinchuriki were still going.

"We must cut Suna from Kiri. The Mist is already facing its problems. A little bit of pushing and it will abandon its coalition with Suna. Without Kiri, Suna would continue into a downward spiral."

"And Konoha?"

Onoki snorted. "Nothing is going to come out of that village. That Hyuga incident has proved that the Sandaime has fallen low. He was once a Great Shinobi but he has become too much of an idealist. Never in the history of the shinobi world has any nation chosen peace when it was on the path of victory."

Minato's feats had shocked Onoki to the very core. A single man wiping out a thousand men in the blink of an eye. No one had done that before. Not even the Shodai Hokage, who wielded power that couldn't be rivalled even today. If things had continued, Iwagakure would have lost and badly at that. They would have been severely crippled.

Onoki had rubbed his hands in happiness when he saw The Sandaime Hokage's letter. Minato's actions had not only killed Iwa's morale, but it had roused Konoha's. The village could have gone on the counter offensive.

But they chose to settle. It was a breather. Yet, frustrating. They had been close to victory. Without doubt, Konoha suffered more than Iwagakure. Perhaps that was why Hiruzen was forced out.

"We will only have to cut off the link between Suna and Kiri. And discover the truth about this Pakura incident. We will decide what to do with Suna once we know the truth."

"We just ignore them for now?"

Onoki smiled. "They don't have the power to make us respond."

Konohagakure, Uchiha Compound

The Uchiha had absolutely everything. The clan grounds accommodated almost everything. Yet a pity that they'd been dragged to this place. Shikaku stopped and glanced at the towers that overlooked the Uchiha grounds. Without question, Danzo had wanted them under surveillance. He was a student of the Nidaime, but it was no excuse. It nonetheless didn't mask the fact that the Sandaime didn't do anything about it, but permitted it.

Even a normal person wouldn't be comfortable knowing they were under constant surveillance like criminals. The Uchiha were prideful people; this was bound to happen. What had the Sandaime thought would ultimately happen?

Shikaku shook his head and continued on the path. This was the first time he was in the compound. The people noticed. He kept a straight face. He wasn't alone, but with Itachi. The young Uchiha was silent and the Nara head appreciated it.

Fugaku was waiting for them at his house. The meeting room was small, the four walls firm that he was sure nothing would leak out. Itachi left them alone. Sitting across the Uchiha clan head, Shikaku finally allowed himself to let loose of a long breath.

"Circumstances really make me work harder than I want," he admitted, trying and failing to smile.

"Isn't it always like that?"

"Unless you're Danzo."

Fugaku lips twirled up slightly. Both he and Shikaku understood that Danzo was not good for Konoha. Hell, the Jonin commander would be the first person to voice his disapproval if someone decided to nominate the man for Hokage. With such a mutual feeling, it was much easier to work together.

"It is just a pity the others don't understand his nature."

"Even sadder that we can't tell them."

It was just going to be more trouble. Fugaku really didn't care about the trouble with Danzo. If that man died, his clan would be at peace. "That is just how things work," he said dismissively. "It would have been even better if they didn't know about the trouble brewing in here."

"Well, at least he didn't tell them everything."

Fugaku stared at Shikaku for a second before smiling. "I was surprised when informed you wanted to talk to me."

"The Sandaime has given me duty to improve the academy. He doesn't want to admit it or even do it himself, but deep within him he must know as things are now, we could be heading for another war. Even if we don't, to lose our position as the most powerful means to be bullied."

Fugaku nodded in agreement. Each nation seemed to be at odds with another. Even when just minding their business, Kumo had threatened them with war and now there was this Sunagakure issue, it was going to eventually blow up if things were not handled properly.

The best thing Konoha could do at the moment was to strengthen and arm itself, just in case. The Sandaime was a pacifist and sometimes acted naively. He was too old to be out of touch with reality but that was what they were faced with. He has seen all three wars, Hiruzen should do better, but perhaps he was just tired of it all.

Shikaku continued speaking. "In such circumstances, we can't lose the Uchiha clan." He said firmly. "But that isn't the reason I am here." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I want to improve the education at the academy. Our Genin are inexplicably underprepared to face the real world once they graduate. The education doesn't do enough. We don't want the children to lose their innocence or become hardened, but we want to equip them better.

"In order to graduate, one simply needs to execute three basic Jutsu. That is what is fundamental, regardless of academics. But clan children are always better equipped because they get better training. Konoha could be losing some untapped potential because the academy doesn't do enough.

"I want to change the requirements of graduating from the academy. It can't simply be just the three Jutsu. It has to be more. I also want to have a special class for the skilled children. They'll still attend classes with everyone to give them a normal life, but they'll have different practical and have extra classes.

"I understand it might be beneath some, but I was hoping you could have someone from your clan take over Taijutsu teaching duties at the academy. Your taijutsu is a little more advanced and more suited for the Sharingan but all the more reason the children should be exposed to something advanced. I'm not saying you must show them your clan secrets, just enough. They can't graduate with just knowing the basics."

"You'll have less academy kids graduating."

"Half of the Genin that go to the Chunin exams end up dead. Some don't even make it back from their first missions. Its better to have quality over quantity. Besides," Shikaku smiled. "More children die because we didn't prepare them for the horrors they must face."

Fugaku nodded in agreement. "I'll think about it. Perhaps it might even inspire some positivity within the clan."

"I was hoping for that." Shikaku said. "I want to hear your opinion about the situation. I know what your clan thinks, but what about you? Do you still trust the Third? I also want to know about Naruto."

"Why Naruto?" Fugaku asked with narrowed eyes.

"You obviously tried to keep him away from the village. We didn't know about him until recently. Then, it becomes obvious he is just as deadly as Itachi and Shisui. The Sandaime is already trusting him to complete just about any mission." Shikaku explained. "But there is also a threat I'm hearing will come from Danzo."

"There is nothing to tell about Naruto. Even if anyone asks, I'm not going to say anything. He is Uchiha, and if you ask him, I'm like this father. His parents died in the Third War. And that is all there is to it," Fugaku replied sternly. "I still trust the Third, but he created this Council in attempt to solve things. However isn't doing much. He just seems incapable of doing anything. He is grown to love peaceful ways that he even seems afraid to do anything. It should have been obvious during the Third War. The former Council had been taking all the decisions. We are here now because of it. If he had taken command of things, we wouldn't be here."

"But you still trust him?"

"Yes. I know he genuinely loves the village and has no ill feelings toward us. Danzo however is threatened by our power and doesn't trust us. It was in his wisdom we were placed here."

Shikaku nodded. And then sighed tiredly. He was working harder than he wanted. It was becoming bothersome. But a troublesome situation would arise if he didn't work harder. The Sandaime didn't seem to have any plans. And so, he had to pick up the slack. Every Kage needed a strong supporter to help them through.

"I especially came here because I wanted to get a feel of how things are in the compound and to hear your thoughts. The Sandaime has asked me to support and work with you. But we have to be on the same page."

"I understand."

"Why have you no desire to become Hokage? After the Third war, many did expect you to become Hokage. No one in the village would have been shocked if you became Hokage. Your candidacy was much more expected than that of Minato. Even after he died, the Third chose to come out of retirement. He trusted you, but still couldn't move past his Council."

"Minato did well when he became Hokage. The Third made the correct call. After Minato died, there was just a lot of doubt and suspicion." Fugaku shook his head. "I've just never desired it. But the thought did come to my mind. Almost everyone in the clan was certain I would become Hokage or at least my name would be brought up." He smiled. "But it wasn't even mentioned. The Sandaime defaulted to his students, as he has now."

Fugaku was not power hungry. He was just a powerful man leading the most powerful clan. He did his job diligently and has always fought for Konoha. How could anyone mistrust him after everything he has done?

But they were here.

Shikaku really hoped there would be a solution because things could become inflated in the blink.

Kumogakure

A wasn't happy to see Yugito return without the man she'd been sent to fetch. She looked bruised as if she'd come across some trouble.

"You failed?" He asked before she could even say anything.

Yugito bowed with shame. It hurt her pride that she failed her mission but this was how things worked. "Yes."

A's frowned deepened. "So it was indeed a Konoha shinobi?"

"Yes… Uchiha."

"How the hell did you lose?!" A was now shouting.

That a Konoha shinobi had come into their country was apparent but he was just some unknown Uchiha. Yugito was experienced and she was a Jinchuriki. How could she lose?

"He struck me and escaped. I could have transformed, but it would have just slowed me down. I did try to look, but without a sensor, I got nowhere."

"How?"

Yugito explained.

The Raikage tapped his finger on his desk. He was pissed off that the man managed to escape. Konoha was obviously being dragged into this because Iwa wouldn't have helped even if it was the one getting the information. But A really didn't care about that. The fact was that the Leaf interfered and something had to be done.

"Where did they go to?"

"It seems Konoha didn't know anything. And that man was taken to toward the Earth, possibly. They could be heading somewhere else."

"I'll send a team and a message to Konoha. You're dismissed. And I hope you will not disappoint me next time, Yugito."

"Hai." Yugito said. "His name is Naruto." She said of the Konoha shinobi. "He also mentioned that he was holding a grudge against Kumo for what happened with the Hyuga incident. If I was not a Jinchuriki, he would have most likely attempted to kill me. He was not weak, but strong. Still, young with more room to grow."

A wanted to dismiss this but the Uchiha had handled the diplomatic mission after the Fallout. "You're thinking it is the general attitude of most Konoha shinobi?"

"Possibly."

"I'll look into it. But it isn't like they'll do anything."

'For now,' Yugito wanted to say. Naruto's attitude had been off. He'd not seemed angry about it. So, it was likely that is was something he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.

Konohagakure

The sun had already set by the time Naruto returned to the Leaf. He was exhausted and just wanted to give his report and throw himself to his bed. He could feed his stomach tomorrow. The journey was tiring, especially on the way back as he'd worried about someone setting off fire works within the Uchiha grounds.

He'd breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived at the gates and everything seemed normal. The guards had even asked him if he was being chased. He said no. He'd been gone for eight days. If his mind functioned mechanically, he may have even counted the number of minutes he was gone.

The children were running rampant within the streets in their little games. It was a week day, and they were already off from the academy. A time to play and fool around.

The Hokage tower was a little more empty than usual. Then again, most people had knocked off for the day. The Sandaime was alone, but with a mountain of paperwork that never seemed to end. Each day he arrived, there was always a stack of papers.

"You've returned safely," Hiruzen said to him with happiness.

How much of it was real or fake? Quite honestly, Naruto didn't care much. With everything, he felt sickened by the Sandaime's incompetent. If he wasn't an idealistic coward, the Uchiha wouldn't be in this position. The very existence of his clan wouldn't be threatened.

"It got a little tricky," Naruto said, handing a mission report to the Third. The old man took it and opened it.

"How?"

"Came across a Jinchuriki." Naruto replied with a deep frown. Each day, his pride was being bodied. It was getting out of hand. At this rate, it was going to end up exploding on someone and it wouldn't be pretty. "Had to flee."

Hiruzen glanced at Naruto for a moment and then the report. "Stay for a moment," he said and then fell silent. He immersed himself in the report for a couple of minutes before folding the scroll.

The Third then leaned on his chair and held his hands together. After what felt like eternity, he waved his right hand and an Anbu appeared. "Have this delivered to Daiki. Tell him to find the man."

"Hai." The Anbu saluted and then disappeared.

"You did well."

Naruto nodded. To be honest, a part of him has held some fears the Sandaime would express disappointment he didn't back away when it became obvious this was much bigger and could result in some consequences with their relationship with Kumo. The mission was always however important. He couldn't risk disgracing the Uchiha name by abandoning the mission.

To hear the old man say he did well was a relief.

"Of course, Kumo will have something to say, but this is the nature of missions. Things like this happen. You did well, considering the circumstances. I had a feeling it would become dangerous. It seems I was right," the Third shook his head. "Had I sent another team, it may have likely resulted in their deaths and a failure."

Yugito would have killed normal people.

"But this means you've earned yourself a target from Kumo. You must be careful from now on."

"Of course."

But little problem of Kumogakure recruiting people in Kiri needed to be looked at. Naruto did well getting that information. It was understandable why Kumogakure had even sent a Jinchuriki. If the Cloud got what it wanted, it would only get stronger. But if Konoha got involved, it may result in war.

"What do you think about the Kiri situation? How should we respond to it?"

No action was without consequences but to simply allow the Raikage to do as he pleased would be just dangerous. "Kumogakure must be stopped."

"How?"

"By force or stealing the Yuki Clan right under their noses. The latter is preferable."

"That may result in war."

"Kumogakure is always looking for war. To me, it seems to be a matter of when rather than if."

The Sandaime smiled. The greed in the Cloud ran deep. They would get bolder with time if they were allowed to get away with their actions. "I see," he said. "You may leave."

Later that night

Naruto's eyes snapped open when he sensed someone hovering above him. He came face to face with Fugaku's Mangekyo. He blinked and then stared at the man who shifted away. As the clan head sat on the edge of the bed, Naruto sat up and leaned against the bed head. He glanced toward the window; there was nothing but darkness. It had to be midnight.

He glanced at Fugaku's back. The last time the man was beside his back was some years ago. It now felt like a century ago. He'd been little then. Had enjoyed the comfort of the man's back every now and then. But as with time, things changed.

But his feelings have never changed. To him, there was no greater person than Fugaku. It wouldn't be out of the picture to refer to the man as his father. No, he was his father.

"I heard your mission was a tricky one." Fugaku broke the silence in a quiet voice.

"It was."

"You pulled through."

"Only expected."

Fugaku just shook his head and then fell silent for a couple of seconds before speaking again. "The more you succeed, the more you'll be hurled into more missions."

Naruto frowned deeply. "It's a little bothersome given the circumstances. I even came back in a hurry because I worried over things."

"You don't have to worry. Just do your missions to the best of your ability. I'm not useless."

"Unlike the Sandaime…" Naruto said with a sneer.

"Don't speak about him like that. You can get in trouble. He is still the Hokage and he should be treated with respect, simply because of the authority he holds and dignity of the Hokage seat."

Naruto snorted but didn't say anything. He noticed it was the conventional wisdom to respect the Hokage. The Anbu were especially obedient and didn't say anything to bad mouth the Hokage. He too was Anbu, but he wasn't overly loyal. Really, he was ill suited to be an Anbu. Regular shinobi duties worked better for him.

"It is unlike you to be here."

"Circumstances," Fugaku replied. "The former Council has made a move."

Naruto's expression became cold. He'd not even thought of them, but that Danzo would do something was a given. He'd nonetheless expected the man to act as a lone wolf rather than as a pack. "What did they do?"

"Homura and Koharu still hold some sway over the Sandaime. They've asked him to give Danzo the Kyubi. I think they convinced him it was necessary because of the word in the clan," Fugaku said.

"Well, that is problematic. Danzo must have gone to them." Then the man could make a move against the clan. He wouldn't unleash the Kyubi on them. Doing so would be suicidal and lead to Konoha's destruction. But the power could still be used. "Both?"

"No," Fugaku shook his head. "Well, the others don't even know there are two Jinchuriki. The Sandaime perhaps deems it preferable to keep it this way."

"Generally doesn't change anything for us."

"Indeed." Fugaku replied with a deep sigh. "We're going to collide even with the current Council. I…" He hesitated for a moment. "I want you to always remember what I taught you…" he stood up, and then turned to face Naruto. He had a rather sad look across his face. "As your teacher, I am proud of you. Perhaps I should have realized sooner and taught you to be my successor. Maybe I made a mistake." Fugaku's eyes became stern. "There is one last thing you should know about the Mangekyo; over time, you can become blind. To negate this, you must implant the eyes of a close relative. Madara implanted the eyes of Izuna to offset the strain and blindness. If you ever awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, you have one option; and that is to implant my eyes. If I die, I will leave a note."

Naruto was certain he became aware of his blood flow. The muscles in his heart contracted, and breathing became hard as his chest tightened as well.

He didn't want to comprehend what Fugaku was saying. The glaring topic was that he may die soon. Naruto couldn't have that. He'd rather be dead than permit for a world where Fugaku wasn't alive. He would even offer in Itachi as a sacrifice.

Forest of Death

Gozu had sensed something was wrong for a while now. The Uchiha didn't change much—at least on the outside. He still handled logistics without interruption, and no one had tried to befriend him or even followed him. At least as fat as he could sense. But he'd still felt something was wrong.

His senses were proven correct when he was followed. He'd always moved during the day. But, he'd been working the late shift at Military Police. But this he'd done specifically because there were few people at night, and he was familiar with all the blind spots of the night.

Yet, as he departed Military Police headquarters, he felt a pair of eyes watching him. He wanted to rush to Root HQ, but knew if he was being followed, his cover would be blown. And so, he changed directions and went to the forest of death.

In the middle of the night, the blood red eyes of the Uchiha gave him an eerie feeling. He felt uncomfortable with them looking down at him from the trees. There was anger and contempt. He figured it was because they thought he was a fellow Uchiha. If he committed suicide, they wouldn't get anything on him, and his body would be destroyed. There would be no way for them to know he was linked with Danzo and his cover would be intact.

But if he revealed the truth to them, Danzo would be at their crossroads, but his master had a good reason and would get away with it.

Still, the shock to the Uchiha thinking one of them is a traitor could possibly drive them paranoid. And that would just make it easy for the traitors to be dealt with. He decided, the first option was suitable.

"We know you're not one of us and have been giving Danzo information. In fact, you're parading as one of us." Inabi spoke from the trees in a cold tone. "We have been watching you for months now. You've done well. As a well trained spy, but the road ends here. You will be our reason to eliminate Danzo."

All plans were subject to change. Gozu didn't even blink at the revelation. He thought it was only reasonable. His options still remains the same, and at such times, engaging the Uchiha was of no benefit. Or maybe even revealing himself.

Given the words the Uchiha was saying, it was just better to stick with the first option. His job was complete and there was no greater honour than dying for ones village. He was—

The words dies on his throat as he suddenly felt a tight grip on his threat. He'd not seen or sensed anything. Those blood red eyes were slowly twisting, he felt dizzy. He wanted to breathe, but the man in front of him wasn't relenting. Gozu still didn't panic. His expression tried to remain calm, but it was getting pale due to the lack of oxygen.

Before he could even struggle, the other Uchiha dropped on his sides, and immediately grabbed both his hands. He was certain the damn Uchiha were enjoying this, even when they looked expressionless. The next blow came when his arms were cut off from his shoulders. He felt the coldness of the blades through his flesh, his bones. It wasn't a swift cut but more like grinding. The pain coursed through his body and he still didn't break down.

He was tackled to the ground, and a hand was stuffed inside his throat.

He glared; they were looking down at him with all that Uchiha superiority. He would have fought the urge to spit on them if he wasn't certain their doom was within reach.

"We didn't just come here. We know how Danzo operates. You won't talk. But don't need you to talk. Or even alive. But we can't have you blowing up yourself. We need your remains as evidence."

"Even if you're one of us, it doesn't matter. It simply means you have betrayed your brothers and that sin is worse than anything."

End of chapter