Chapter 9: Chapter 9 : Council Meetings!
It was early in the morning and Naruto was walking through the streets of Konoha, glad that he had gotten up early so he could enjoy the peace and quiet before people started waking up. As he walked he looked around the nearly deserted streets, the sun had only just risen a minute ago so only a few shop keepers were up and about, prepping their stores for the day. Naruto turned his attention back to where he was going, picking up the pace a little bit so he could get there sooner. The blond was on his way to the hospital today, in the hopes of getting his blood tested so that he could find out if his abilities were truly a Kekkei Genkai.
Naruto entered the hospital doors and looked over at the front counter, smiling when he saw his sister figure, Shizune. The black-haired woman was the one in charge of the hospital since Tsunade was the Hokage, which meant she was usually here making sure the place was in top shape before they opened. Before going to make sure the blond Hokage was doing her work or berating her for drinking, whichever came first.
Walking up to the front counter Naruto tapped on it to get Shizune's attention, said woman turned around and smiled when she noticed Naruto. "Oh! Naruto-kun what are you doing at the hospital, and this early in the morning?" Shizune asked with a bit of surprise. It was a well-known fact that Naruto hated hospitals, in fact, the few times he had ever been to the hospital the blond shinobi would often sneak out. She remembered at least six separate occasions when the blond shinobi had been in the hospital, each time he had snuck out and they had been forced to send the Anbu after him and drag him back. So Naruto could imagine why she might be somewhat surprised.
"Not much Shizune-nee-chan, I'm actually here to take the test to see if I have a Kekkei Genkai," Naruto replied giving the woman his patented foxy grin.
Shizune blushed a bit at the smile before her eyes lit up in remembrance, "that's right! Tsunade-Sama said you would be coming in to get one, well let's get started just follow me."
Naruto followed Shizune as they made their way down the hall; said blond had to repress a slight shiver as all the walls looked the same. It was the whole reason he disliked hospitals so much, they were completely bland. Naruto decided to get his mind off the drab environment of the hospital and started speaking with the woman next to him. "So what have you been up to these past four years?" he asked.
"Oh not much," Shizune replied, "mostly I've been working at the hospital and trying to keep Tsunade-Sama out of trouble."
"Bet that's pretty hard," Naruto spoke with a knowing grin, "knowing baa-chan I have no doubt you've been constantly forced to babysit her and make sure she doesn't get herself plastered."
"You know you shouldn't call Tsunade-Sama something like that," Shizune said with a semi stern glance, though she let out a giggle at the end.
"Perhaps, but when have I ever cared about what I should and should not do," Naruto smirked at the black-haired woman.
"That's true," Shizune admitted with a smile. They quieted down as Shizune opened the door to one of the rooms, gesturing for Naruto to go in while she came in behind him. "Just sit over on the bed," Shizune said as she closed the door and began going through the cabinets.
Naruto grunted in acknowledgment as he walked over to the bed, sitting down and closing his eyes as there was nothing to look at but the dreary walls. A little while later Shizune walked up to him, "hold out your arm please." Naruto opened his eyes and did as asked; Shizune tapped his arm a few times before finding the vain she wanted. Sticking in the needle Shizune twisted a capsule on it, making blood begin to flow into the vial at the end of the needle. Naruto watched as his blood bubbled into the vial with an odd sort of fascination, he had only gotten a blood test done once and that was when he was three, so this was a new experience for him. "There," Shizune said as she pulled out the needle and set it on the table, she went back to wipe off the blood and fix the wound. However, when she turned around she saw Naruto wiping off the blood himself, with the wound already completely healed, and remembered his Kyuubi healing factor.
"Thanks, Shizune-nee-chan," Naruto said with a smile as he stood up.
"It's no trouble," Shizune replied as the two walked out the door and back to the front. "Tsunade-Sama will be busy for a while, but I'll make sure she gets this sometime next week," Shizune told him as she sealed the vial in a blood seal.
Naruto nodded, "that's cool, thanks again."
Shizune waved to him as he left, walking back out the door. Looking at the sun Naruto figured he still had several hours to kill before the council meeting, Naruto decided to walk around Konoha. It was still fairly early so not a lot of people were out, just a few shop owners who were setting up stores. As Naruto looked around the street he spotted the Yamanaka flower shop, which was just opening. Changing direction Naruto made a beeline for the store, as he opened the door the bell rang signaling his entrance.
"Hello, what can I- oh Naruto-kun!" Ino said in surprise before her voice turned flirtatious. "So what can I get you, or did you just come to see me."
Naruto resisted the urge to grown, despite having obviously grown up and gotten stronger, it was still plain to see that Ino had not lost her fangirlish tendencies; still, Naruto figured it would be rude to not converse with her. "Not this time I'm afraid, I just came in to get some flowers."
"Oh…" Ino's voice dropped a bit in disappointment, "so who are they for?" she figured Naruto was getting them for Sakura.
"My parents," Naruto said with a sad smile.
"…oh…" the platinum blond found herself cursing for ruining such a good mood. "In that case, I would suggest a bouquet of roses," Ino said as she led Naruto to the section where the roses were. She began to rearrange them before putting them into a plastic wrap, when she was done Ino led Naruto to the front desk. Typing in a few numbers on the cash register she rung up his total, "that will be 150.00 yen."
Naruto nodded and with a puff of smoke had Gama-chan out of its seal, opening it up he grabbed the necessary money and handed it to Ino. "Thanks, Ino," Naruto said as he grabbed the roses.
He was just about to leave when Ino grabbed his hand, "Wait!" Ino stopped him as she remembered something Sakura had told her, "I heard from Sakura that you were the author of a certain book…"
Naruto smirked, "you mean loveless right? Yeah I'm the author," Naruto grinned, "so you a fan?" he asked. Only to sweatdrop as Ino was suddenly right in front of him, with hearts in her eyes and his book in his face. Is it just me, or do all women seem capable of the Hiraishin when they want something…
"I can't believe you wrote this," Ino squealed, "this book is my absolute favorite! The beauty of your words and the deep meanings behind them are all so… so… breathtaking." she held the book out to him, "can you sign my book!"
Naruto smiled; "Sure," he grabbed the book and pen she had, signing it for her before handing it back. "Thanks for the flowers Ino," Naruto said as he threw a wave over his shoulder.
He never noticed the gleam in Ino's eyes as he left.
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Yugao placed the single flower she had next to the memorial stone, standing back up she looked at the one name that had meant the world to her.
Hayate.
It had been well known to the ninja population that the two had been dating, she and Hayate had been together since they were genin. However, what had not been as well known was that she and Hayate had actually been engaged for nearly six months before the invasion of Konoha struck. They had been nearing the final stages of planning out their wedding when Hayate had been killed by a wind blade. Taking him from her life, and leaving the woman feeling completely empty. Ever since then she had been lost, her entire life seemed to revolve around her fellow swordsman. Now that he was gone she had felt as if she was just ghosting through life, without really living.
Her friends of course had tried to help to the best of their abilities, trying to get her out of the apartment she had shared with Hayate. Taking her out on the town in the hopes she would at least smile, they had even tried to hook her up with another man. However none of it had worked, she could not bear the thought of leaving the place she and Hayate had shared so many memories. She rarely ever went out with her friends anymore except to drink, usually, Yugao was doing some kind of S class mission or in the hospital after said mission went wrong. And no one else could ever fill the void that Hayate's death had caused, a part of that may have been her fault but she really did not feel like moving on. It felt like she would be betraying Hayate's memory.
"Excuse me miss do you mind if I stay here?"
Yugao's eyes widened in surprise as she twirled around, when her gaze landed on the figure her eyes widened even more. "Y-Yondaime-Sama!" Yugao spoke in shock, finding herself staring into the blue eyes of who she assumed was the Yondaime Hokage.
Naruto was about to correct her when he found his gaze traveling along the woman. She was definitely beautiful, with long purple hair that had two large bangs falling over her shoulder and several smaller bangs covering her face. Her eyes were a dark brown, which contrasted nicely with her pale milky skin. She had a heart-shaped face, with small yet pouty pink lips and a small nose. She was wearing the Anbu attire for female kunoichi, which did nothing to hide her amazing figure. Nice well rounded and firm hips, a narrow waist, and a luscious mid to high C cup chest. All in all the entire woman was the epitome of beauty, yet it was not these qualities that attracted his attention. It was that he knew this woman.
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Flashback…
A five-year-old Naruto was huddled in a corner of an alley trying to hide from his pursuers; he had gone out of his 'home' in one of the alley's in the low-class district of Konoha to get some food from the garbage. Something he had been forced to do for several months now since the orphanage had kicked him out. When several drunk civilians had noticed him and began to throw various objects and chase him, claiming that he was stealing. Naruto instinctively knew that they really just wanted to justify beating him, it did not happen often, but the occasional time he had been seen people would make some trumped-up claim and do what these people were doing just now.
"Well, *hic* well well *hic* what do we have here?"
He looked up and his eyes widened before he was kicked in the chest, his malnourished body hit the wall making him cough up blood. The man who kicked him lifted the blond by his throat, slamming him into the wall before slamming him on the floor. The man then stomped on his back and Naruto screamed as it felt like his spine snapped in half.
"Aww do you *hic* not like that?" the man asked in a drunken and whiny voice. "Too bad!" the man laughed as he kicked Naruto on his stomach, before raising his foot up to stomp on his face. Naruto closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable blow.
It never hit.
After nearly a minute of nothing happening, Naruto opened his eyes to see a young girl standing in front of him; she had long purple hair and was wearing black clothes. She wasn't very tall and looked to be around 15 years old. On her face was one of those funny masks that Naruto had seen answering to the old man in the funny hat, she was currently grabbing the man's leg keeping it from hitting him.
"Who the hell are you," the man said in anger and disgust. "You better *hic* be on your way girly, or we're gonna… AHH!"
He cried out as the leg she had in her hand on previously was suddenly sliced off by a sword the young woman had pulled out. "You people disgust me, picking on an innocent child because of his burden." She slashed the man across the throat, killing him. She turned to look at the other two men who despite being drunk, were sober enough to realize the danger they were in. Both were now cowering in fear as the woman stalked towards them, two quick slashes of her sword and a fire jutsu later they were dead and burned to ashes.
She turned around and walked to Naruto who huddled up against the wall, "Please, please don't hurt me."
The woman winced at the pitiful tone in the boy's voice, she kneeled down next to him and took off her mask, revealing grayish-brown eyes and a heart-shaped face. "Don't worry little one, I'm not gonna hurt you," she stretched out her arms.
Naruto looked at her for a full minute with eyes that were surprisingly piercing, finally, he moved from his hiding spot. She noticed that he was limping and in obvious pain, despite the fact that she could see the fox healing the boy's injuries. She ignored that as she picked the little blond boy up and noticed that he was far lighter than he should be an obvious sign that he was malnourished. She decided to take him to her apartment and get him some food, she may not be able to do much but she would help where she could.
That very same day Naruto had been given an apartment by the Sandaime, who had been looking for him.
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"Naru-Chan!"
Naruto ran out of his room and quickly wiped the smile off his face as he went into a pout, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. "I told you not to call me that!"
"Awww, I'm sorry Naru-chan," Yugao smirked; she loved how easy it was to tease this boy. It had been nearly two months since she had found him, the Sandaime had made her Naruto's personal bodyguard until he entered the academy in six months.
"Yugao-nee-chan," Naruto wined as Yugao laughed.
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"Naru-chan, I want you to meet my boyfriend Gekkou Hayate," Yugao introduced a sickly looking man with a bandana headband and sword strapped to his side.
"What!" Naruto cried out getting surprised looks from the two. "I thought I was your boyfriend!"
Yugao made some choking sounds as Hayate laughed at her, "Why Yu-chan are cheating on me with younger men, perhaps I should tell Hokage-Sama that your robbing the cradle..."
Yugao shot him a glare, but Hayate just laughed while Naruto looked just confused.
Flashback end…
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Despite the fact that he had not seen her since he started the academy when he was six, Naruto could never forget that face. She looked exactly as she had ten years ago, though he noticed that she had bags under her eyes, a sign that she had not been sleeping well. Her eyes also held a great sadness in them, a void that left her empty. Yet even with that Naruto found that she was still as beautiful as ever.
"It's been a long time hasn't it Yugao," Naruto greeted, startling the purple-haired woman.
Yugao scrutinized Naruto as she got a closer look, it was then that she noticed the six whisker marks on his cheek and realized who he was. "Naruto!" Yugao said incredulously, "I didn't even recognize you! You look…"
"Older? More mature?" Naruto questioned with a grin, "… devilishly handsome?"
Despite her sadness Yugao managed to crack a small smile, "you certainly have grown…" her smile soon turned into a frown as her thoughts went back to Hayate.
Naruto sighed at seeing this, "so you don't mind if I…" he trailed off as he held up the flowers.
"No, go ahead," Yugao said as she moved over.
Naruto nodded in thanks as he walked up to the memorial stone, placing the bouquet next to it before he stood up. He looked over the many names that were listed there, before finding the two that meant the most to him.
Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze.
Naruto placed his hand on the memorial stone, letting his fingers ghost over the names of his parents. He took a step back and moved over to the left, allowing Yugao to take a place beside him. "You know I find it kind of funny," Naruto said, making the purple-haired Anbu turn towards him. "Every day for nearly six months I would meet my team here, yet not one time did I ever look at this… All this time my parents were right here and I never even knew…"
"That is a little ironic," Yugao replied as she stared at the stone.
"… You're here to see Hayate right?" Naruto asked after a moment of silence.
"Yes…" Naruto looked over at Yugao as he heard the crack in her voice, closing his eyes as he realized that it was still a sensitive subject for her.
"I'm sorry," he apologized in a small voice.
"Not your fault," Yugao said, though Naruto knew from her tone that she did not want to talk about it anymore.
Naruto and Yugao stood there for several long minutes, neither saying a word while one mourned her loss, and the other mourned what would never be. It was a little while later that Naruto turned his head, feeling a chakra signature enter the area. There was a swirl of leaves, as an Anbu shunshined next to them.
"Namikaze-san, Tsunade-Sama has requested your presence in her office," the Anbu said.
Naruto nodded, "thank you, tell her I'll be there shortly." As the Anbu nodded and disappeared Naruto turned to Yugao, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze before he too disappeared.
Yugao watched until the blond was gone, looking back at the memorial stone one last time before she left to see what S rank missions she could take.
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"You called baa-chan!" Naruto greeted as he appeared within Tsunade's office, right before he was forced to duck under a paperweight.
"You know despite growing up a bit your still a brat!" Tsunade said with a scowl.
Naruto just grinned as he sat down in one of the seats that were in front of her desk, "maybe, but you still love me."
Tsunade smiled before gaining a dismissive demeanor, "whatever gaki."
"So what did you call me in for?" Naruto asked knowing that there was still about an hour before the council meeting started.
Tsunade sighed as she started speaking, "I figured now would be a good time to inform you about your new duties as a Clan Head. No doubt Jiraiya skipped out on all of the important information when he spoke to you about this."
Naruto laughed, "that's true, in fact, the only thing Ero-sensei taught me about was the C.R.A. which he seemed rather excited about."
"I'll bet!" Tsunade said with a scowl, "remind me to beat that pervert the next time I see him!"
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In the hot springs of Konoha, Jiraiya let out a loud sneeze before covering his mouth and nose in the hopes no one heard that. Unfortunately, Hana Inuzuka was one of the women currently in the hot springs, and her enhanced senses were able to pick up the noise easily. Jiraiya soon found himself running from a mob of women who had all sorts of weaponry, threatening him with death and castration. He continued to run, however, his luck ran out when he slipped on the wet surface. Hitting the ground hard as the woman surrounded him, giving off that aura of death that all women gain when they are about to cause someone extreme pain.
Soon shouts of pain were only eclipsed by the women's shouts of pervert.
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"I'll be sure to remind you," Naruto said with a grin.
Tsunade smirked at him before getting into an explanation as to what his duties as a clan head would be, most of what he had to do was fairly simple. As a part of a clan, he was a member of the council, which helped the Hokage rule over Konoha and set up new laws and policies. It was also important for him to set an example for the citizens to follow, though that made him wonder why clans like the Hyuuga clan seemed to walk around with a ten-foot pole shoved up their asses. She also discussed several laws about the clans, most of which were centered around a clan's rights to privacy. This would keep the council out of his business, in theory anyway since he had no doubt they would at least make an attempt to get into his affairs.
"Also I am not sure whether or not you know this, however, a clan is supposed to have something special about them that helps strengthen the village," Tsunade said.
"You mean besides a Kekkei Genkai?" asked Naruto in unmasked curiosity.
Tsunade nodded, "Yes, each clan has something besides their bloodline that helps contribute to Konoha, otherwise your father's name would have never been given Clan status. The Hyuuga Clan for example holds great political power and is well known for its diplomats and influence outside the village. The Inuzuka clan is a well-known tracker clan; they usually end up teaming up with the Aburame and Hyuuga clans for this, they also own all the vets. The Aburame clan is likewise a tracker clan, but they are also well known for a lot of their shinobi spending several years within the Anbu. The Akimichi clan is responsible for the demolitions corps, while the Yamanaka clans are well known for their interrogation skills and have several members who work I&T. And the Nara clan has always been charged with creating evacuation drills and counter attacks during times of war."
Naruto nodded as he listened to what Tsunade was telling him, "so I need to find something that will help the village?"
"Yes," Tsunade said, "your father had been planning to do this eventually, but was unable to before he died. So it will be up to you to find out a way to better Konoha, think of this as something of an initiation test to see if your name is deserving clan status."
Naruto nodded, "very well, I actually think I already have something that will work." Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at how fast he thought something up but did not speak as Naruto continued. "As you know my father was well known for fuiinjutsu, which Jiraiya told me I inherited. I think it would be beneficial if I came up with several seals that would help Konoha."
"What kinds of seals are we talking about?" asked Tsunade, intrigued with what Naruto was saying.
"Well, most people never go beyond the standard sealing scroll and exploding tag, many of which I can produce in a higher quality. However, there are also several seals I can design that can help people with more subtlety. I was thinking about what happens when our ninja are captured and slated for torture, what if they had a seal that could be activated by either chakra or blood that would allow them to escape?"
"I'm listening," Tsunade said as she grew more and more interested by the second.
"Ok what I'm thinking of are several seals that could be used for this, the first is a seal that will store a certain amount of elemental chakra in it, any kind would do though I recommend wind. When the seal is released the wind is shot out in several blades, which will form a protective sphere around the user. I can make similar things such as a firewall, a water sword, earth spikes, or charge the body with electricity to increase speed and power. With wind, it will allow him or her to cut through wires and even people if they get too close, though the downside is they become a walking target for their opposing element…"
Tsunade continued to listen to Naruto with interest, some of the ideas he came up with were amazing. While they each had small weaknesses it did not really matter, if you were captured most of the time it meant you were as good as dead. This would actually give their shinobi a chance to escape, and even a small chance was better than no chance at all.
"Those are some pretty good ideas," Tsunade told him, "I suggest you speak to some of the ninja stores and show them your seals once they are made. We can also present them to the council; this should get them off your back for the most part." Tsunade looked over at the clock, "speaking of the council it's about time we headed out."
Naruto nodded as he got up, with Tsunade following suit.
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The council chamber was currently a bustle of activity as the members waited for the last two people to come in for the meeting. There was an air of excitement in the room that had not been there for a while, this was due to the fact that Naruto was going to become the new head of the Namikaze clan. Many of the members of the council were eagerly awaiting this, having made plans to acquire the power that his clan held. Though most of this came from the civilian side of the council, who hoped to force Naruto into several arranged marriages.
The elders were also another group who wanted to take the Namikaze clan's power for themselves, something they had desired to do since Minato had been named Hokage and his name was given clan status. The elders always held a strong dislike for the blond man, who had stripped the council of almost all its power during his short tenure of Hokage. They had always felt that Minato had been nothing more than a young upstart, trying to get rid of them when only they deserved the power to control Konoha. After all, they had been protecting this country long before Minato had even been born.
Now that man's son was going to take his father's seat as Clan Head, which they personally thought was a ridiculous notion. Not only because the boy was the Jinchurikki for the Kyuubi, but also because they felt he like his father did not deserve any of the power that came with being the head of a clan. Danzo in particular was wary of letting the boy get such power and influence in Konoha, unlike his two cohorts who while intelligent, were also arrogant in the beliefs of their own superiority. Danzo knew that if the boy was anything like his father, it would be hard to gain the Namikaze clan's power. However, he was still fairly confident that he could turn everything in his favor so that the roots of Konoha could flourish.
On the other side of the table sat the clan heads, the only people who were not thinking of ways to gain the blond's power.
In the seat right next to the Hokage's was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga, the head of the Hyuuga clan which was currently the largest clan in Konoha. Hiashi was a man who despite his cold demeanor, always put his clan and Konoha first, even when it went against his own beliefs. That had been the main reason he had pushed Hinata so hard during her training, it had been his hope that she would push back and eventually grow into a strong Clan Head. However, it had only been in recent years that the young girl had shown just how strong she could be, which surprisingly enough was the same reason or person that the council had been called for.
When Hiashi had heard that Minato still had a son, he had been ecstatic. It was not well known but Hiashi and Minato had been rivals during their academy and genin days. Minato had graduated as the Rookie of the Year, with Hiashi following behind him in second place. At first, it had been extremely humiliating to be beaten out by a clan-less orphan. This had caused Hiashi to push himself to be stronger, always trying to outdo Minato in everything. It had not been until the Chunin Exams that Hiashi and Minato became friends. Hiashi had faced off against the blond ninja during the third stage of the exams, and despite the blond being two years his junior Hiashi had lost; badly. Despite the fact that his defeat could be considered one of the most humiliating days of his life, Hiashi had seen something during that fight. He had been able to see that Minato had been what Sarutobi would call a carrier of the 'will of fire' that he would often speak of, it had been that will and determination for change which had formed Hiashi's friendship with the blond. Later on, he and Minato had made many plans for when Minato became Hokage, one of which had been the blond's plan to help Hiashi get rid of the birdcage seal. Unfortunately, Minato had sacrificed his life when the Kyuubi came and attacked the village. When he had found that out and that the beast that killed his friend had been sealed, Hiashi had desired to order the young child executed despite his friend's last wish. It had been both a great shock and horror when nearly fourteen years later, he had received news that Minato's son and living legacy was in fact the child he had wanted to be executed. This had brought shame to Hiashi, who was disappointed in himself for not realizing who Naruto was sooner; especially for someone who was recognized for his all-seeing eyes. It was because of this that Hiashi vowed to himself that he would support young Naruto, giving the young blond his and his clan's backing.
Two seats from Hiashi was Tsume, the clan head of the Inuzuka Clan. This clan was well known for their collaboration with ninja dogs, and their pack mentality. They always believed in looking out for family and were well known for their fierce loyalty to others. It was because of this that Tsume felt she had shamed her clan name by not recognizing Naruto for who he was. Kushina Uzumaki had been one of her best friends during the academy, she and the redhead had been the pranksters of their class. Many times the two would get in trouble for playing pranks, which would end up causing mass amounts of property damage. In truth, this should have been the Inuzuka head's first clue about who Naruto's parents were, with his father's looks being the second clue. Tsume had promised that if something ever happened to Kushina, she would take care of the woman's pups with the red-haired tomboy promising the same. When she had heard that her best friend's child had been the very boy she had hated for containing the beast that killed her husband, the Inuzuka Matriarch had been horrified. To find out that she had broken her promise and left Kushina's pup without protection, it was the greatest dishonor she could give. This was why she had promised to herself that she would help Naruto with whatever he needed.
Sitting next to the Inuzuka Matriarch was Shibi Aburame, the clan head of the Aburame clan. The Aburame's were well known as a clan that followed logic, believing that to do otherwise would cause more issues to arise than need be. They were also ostracized, much like Naruto because of the bugs they carry. That was why Shibi had honored the Yondaime's wish, they knew that Naruto was no more the Kyuubi than their Kikai bugs were them. His clan had been the only one who would really help the boy. It was not as much as he would have liked, since his clan was small and could not look after the boy all the time. But the first few birthdays that Naruto had after starting the academy, Shibi had made sure that one Aburame was there to watch him. It had proved to be a good idea, as during the young boy's birthday many people would get drunk to the point that their logical processes would not work. The end result was a drunken mob who would try to go after Naruto; thankfully his clan had always been able to stop that by draining the mobs of their chakra before they could do anything. When he had heard the news that Naruto was in fact the son of one of the few Shinobi who had received his clan's respect, it had never made him so thankful for honoring said man's last wish.
The last in the lineup were the members of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akamichi clans, who were well known for their powerful teamwork. These three were Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza and they had been known as the Ina-Shika-Cho trio, due to the teamwork they used during the Third Great Shinobi War. These three all had very different views on what they felt should have been done with Naruto. Shikaku, who was the most intelligent of all of them was more than smart enough to realize that Naruto was just a boy. Unfortunately, the man had not done much, for the simple fact that like all Nara members he was too lazy and it would be too troublesome to really do something to help the boy. It was something he was regretting now that he knew of Naruto's heritage. Chouza had been on the fence about Naruto, while he knew that the boy was not the Kyuubi he was still wary about letting his child near him. Of course, Naruto ended up befriending Chouji anyway, having stood up for the boy when he was being picked on by bullies for his weight. That had probably been the turning point for Chouza, but he had still not really done anything to help the boy, something he was now regretting. Inoichi Yamanaka was the one person in their group who had wanted nothing to do with the boy, while he had not believed that Naruto was the Kyuubi. He had still been wary of him and had told his daughter to stay as far away from him as possible, now that he knew of the blond's heritage he was coming to regret his decision.
It was fifteen minutes after everyone else had entered the council chamber that the doors opened again, and in walked the last two people they were waiting for. The first was easily recognized as Tsunade Senju, the Godaime Hokage, and the last of the Senju clan. However, it was the second figure that had caught everyone's attention and ended up shocking those in the council chamber.
Standing before them was what many could only feel was the Yondaime reborn; the young man looked like an exact replica of his father. Even the way the blond teen moved was akin to his father, each step he took spoke of a man who had great confidence in himself. Yet at the same time, it showed that he was not arrogant, it was graceful much like a predator stalking its prey. That combined with the aura of power and confidence the young man exuded, was enough to make many of the people in the room look at Naruto in the same light as his father.
The two blonds walked over to their seats, Tsunade sitting at the head of the council. Meanwhile, Naruto took his clan's seat, which was right between Hiashi and Tsume. Naruto offered Hiashi a nod of acknowledgment, which was returned. Before turning to Tsume and giving the woman a feral grin, that surprisingly enough began to make the Inuzuka Matriarch feel hot under the collar due to how feral the look was. It seemed to literally scream alpha to her.
Tsunade cleared her throat before speaking, "as you are all aware we are here to welcome Naruto as the new head of the Namikaze Clan. But before we do that I would like to know if any of you have objected to this decision," she looked at all of the council members with a glare, letting them know that she would be going through with this decision anyway. Thankfully no one objected, though the main reason behind this was less than savory. "Good then I hereby bestow upon Naruto all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of a Clan Head," Tsunade said. "And now that's out of the way we can…"
"Actually Hokage-san," Danzo said with an impassive face, though on the inside he was feeling quite smug. "There is one thing we must discuss with Namikaze-san…"
Before he could complete his sentence he was stopped by a growl, Danzo along with everyone else turned to look at the source of said growl in surprise. It was Naruto who was currently glaring at Danzo, "I suggest you hold your tongue when speaking to the Hokage in such a way Danzo-san. You will refer to her as Tsunade-Sama or Hokage-Sama as her position dictates, to do otherwise is a vast insult to her, and if Hokage-Sama wished it could be considered as an act of treason."
Danzo along with the other two elders resisted the urge to glare at the young man; frankly, they felt that being called out like this was beneath them. But they knew that they would not be able to call Tsunade with anything but respect, now that Danzo had been called out and the threat made sure that it would be impossible for them to get away with the small demeaning tactic. Unfortunately, they could not do anything about it; they could no longer risk treating the blond woman with disrespect anymore; lest they wish to go to jail or worse. However, the only sign they had that conveyed their displeasure, was the way they pursed their lips.
"Of course," Danzo said in a calm voice, though on the inside he was seething. Still, he would not do let this boy get to him, he was positive that in the end it would not matter and he would still get what he wanted. "I apologize Namikaze-san, but as I was…"
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Naruto interrupted as he gestured to Tsunade.
Danzo grit his teeth but kept his outwardly calm appearance as he turned to the Hokage, "I apologize for the lack of respect Tsunade-Sama, it won't happen again."
Tsunade looked over at Naruto who gave her a discreet wink, resisting the urge to smirk Tsunade turned back towards Danzo. "Apology accepted Danzo-san, just see that it does not happen again," she said emphasizing 'san' to let the man know who was in charge. She was so glad she had given Naruto the Tokabetsu jonin rank; she finally had someone who would help put the civilians and elders in their place.
Danzo resisted the urge to glare at Naruto before continuing, "as I was saying before, there is something very important that you must know Namikaze-san. Because you are the last of your clan, you fall under article D, Claus 36 of the Konoha Clan charter. As it states 'any last male heir of a new or extinct clan must marry a minimum of four women by the time of their eighteenth birthday, in order to produce strong heirs for the said clan so as to keep the clan from dying out. As you are the last of your clan, it is required that you find at least four women to wed."
As Danzo finished and sat down another elder, named Koharu stood up in what had to have been a practiced routine. She picked up a scroll and unrolled it while clearing her throat. "Namikaze-san we of the council have chosen several women who we feel would benefit your clan; I hope that you will…"
"Excuse me Koharu-san," Naruto cut in with a frown. "But I believe that under Claus 37 of the same article it states, 'until the time of the heirs eighteenth birth date, neither the council nor even the Hokage has any say in who said heir is to wed. To do so is in violation of said Heirs Clan rights, as such if the council or Hokage tries to force the heir into marriage before that time. Then said heir has the right to take his clan assets, and leave Konoha' I am only sixteen at this moment Koharu-san. So correct me if I am wrong, but I believe you don't have the power to even suggest who I am to wed. am I right?"
The Shinobi council looked at Naruto with a mixture of awe and respect, none of them held any love of the elders or those on the civilian side of the council. So to see them being humbled like this, was definitely a pleasant experience for them. Hiashi in particular was both amazed and impressed by Naruto's political prowess; to him, it felt almost like he was looking at Minato who was speaking circles around the council. He would have to invite the young man over for dinner sometime.
Homura and Koharu narrowed their eyes in anger, displeased that another young upstart was countering their every move. It was like Minato was staring at them and ridding them of their power all over again. It was even worse since this boy was not only his son but also the Jinchurikki for the Kyuubi. Danzo despite feeling the same way did not show his emotions, not wanting to give the young blond another victory.
Likewise, the civilian council was feeling most displeased with the situation, many of their daughters had been on that list. It had been their hope that they could get some of them to marry Naruto to get into the clan, and then they would be able to use several political loop wholes to strip the boy of any actual power. However until Naruto turned eighteen there was nothing they could do, making them regret turning Naruto into a Clan Head.
Tsunade smirked as she looked at Naruto, feeling quite proud at how her godson was handling the council. She knew that the main reason Naruto was able to talk circles around the elders, was because of the topic at hand. When Naruto had told her that Jiraiya had gone over the C.R.A. in explicit detail, he had not been kidding. The young blond knew the C.R.A.'s laws better than the back of his hand, having memorized every single sentence of that law. Making it the one thing that the elders would never be able to beat him on.
Tsunade coughed into her hand, getting the attention of the council. "Namikaze-san is right," Tsunade said as she used a more respectful suffix than she usually would when they were in a more private setting. "However you do know that you will need to wed at least four women, before your eighteenth birthday?"
Naruto nodded at Tsunade as he gave a smirk, one that made the civilians and elders on the council feel unease. "Do not fret Hokage-Sama, I am well aware of my obligations in this department," Naruto replied. "Fortunately I have already found four such women who I have met throughout the years and fallen in love with; they understand my obligations and have accepted that. So none of you need to worry about me not finding anyone to help me restore my clan."
Any last vestige of hope that the civilian council had to gain the boy's powers was lost with that statement. They had assumed that despite being a Namikaze he would still not be able to find anyone to marry, or more like hoped he would not find anyone. That way when he turned eighteen they could arrange several marriages for him, and he would not be able to get out of them. Now all of that was a moot point.
"If I may ask Namikaze-san," Danzo said as he stood up, there should still be at least one way he could salvage this. If he could get find out who the boy was marrying and somehow get them under his thumb, he could use them to get the young man within his grasp. Then he would not only have his weapon, but also the blond's children as his weapons. "Who exactly are you planning to marry?"
Naruto gave Danzo a cold smile, "I am sorry Danzo-san, however, you should know that I cannot tell you yet. It is well known that my father had made many enemies, which have only compounded onto my own. With Iwa and Akatsuki on the loose, it would not be wise for news of my wives to get out right now. I'm sure you understand," the blond finished with a condescending smile.
Danzo's one eye narrowed at the boy, he knew that Naruto was going to become a problem the moment he had found out about his heritage. Unfortunately, Danzo knew that right now there was nothing they could do, the boy was too powerful to take out at the moment. However Danzo was patient, he would wait until the time was right, then he would strike.
However, not all of the people in this room were smart enough to keep their mouths shut, as one of the council members proved when he stood up and glared at Naruto. "So what! You don't trust us!" shouted the member of the civilian council, a man who went by the name of Denbe Shojuko. Said man pointed at Naruto, "I see how it is! You think that just because you're in some clan that you are better than everyone else! You think that you can do whatever you want!" Denbe had always been known for his insatiable greed, even among the council as well as his hatred of Naruto. It was actually because of this man that Naruto had been unable to buy even the bare necessities in Konoha, such as food and clothing. Denbe owned more than half of the shops in Konoha and had gotten Naruto blacklisted by the others through political loopholes and threats. Soon the man's rant began to degrade even more than what it already was, "the only reason you even have that seat is because of your father! It doesn't matter anyway, you don't deserve that seat! Your nothing more than a demon! An illegitimate child from some whore that the Yondaime fucked, and got pregnant! I bet you that…"
The man's words died in his throat as the air around the room dropped nearly 60 degrees in temperature, the people in the room actually began to clatter their teeth together as the cold seeped in. accompanying this was an absolutely dreadful feeling, it was not like an intense blast of Killing intent. No, it was far more subtle than that, too many it felt as if the Shinigami himself had entered the room and death was touching them. The source of this feeling was none other than Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, who was looking at the now freezing Denbe with a deceptively calm face.
"Tell me councilor-san, do you have any family?" Naruto asked in a conversational tone as if merely talking about the weather.
Denbe and everyone else shivered at the deceptively casual tone, but he steeled himself as he would not let the demon upstage him. "Why are you going to kill them?" Denbe asked with a sneer.
Naruto gave the man a cold smile, "not at all, I was merely curious."
The councilor scoffed, "no I don't have a family, you should know since you're the one who killed them!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow but did not comment on the man's stupidity, instead, he turned to Tsunade. "Hokage-Sama is the thirds law still in effect?"
"Er… well yes," Tsunade answered in an unsure tone.
"Good," Naruto said before turning back to Denbe, "it's too bad you don't have a family, otherwise I might have let you live."
Before the man could even open his mouth Naruto threw one of his Hiraishin Kunai, before disappearing and reappearing right next to the man in a flash of yellow, with a Rasengan in hand. Naruto plunged the sphere right into the man's head, making it explode and shower gore on all of the civilian council members. Many of the civilians went wide-eyed, as they began to shake in fear from seeing all of the gore, and more than a few were unable to hold in their lunches. The few who were not as affected were shaking like a leaf in the wind, as they stared at Naruto who was eyeing them all with a cold expression.
Said shinobi was walking behind the civilians, forcing them to turn in order to look at him; while he spun the tri-pronged kunai in his hand in a lazy fashion. "I seem to be finding myself very disappointed with the stupidity of this council," Naruto started in a near lazy drawl. Many of the council wanted to protest, but the odd feeling of death that had come to them stopped their tongues cold. Meanwhile, Naruto continued on headless to their problems, "after the number of times I had protected Konoha, I would have thought you would have all realized by now that I am not the Kyuubi. I am no more the Kyuubi than a sealing scroll is the kunai that's been sealed into it. However, if I was the Kyuubi, then don't you think that provoking me as you have for the first twelve years of my life might not have been the best choice. If I really was the Kyuubi, then all of you would be dead by now for what you put me through." he paused here as he made his way to the center of the chamber, letting many of the councilors think on what he had just said. In truth many had to wonder about that, it was true after all. If Naruto had really been the Kyuubi, then Konoha would have most likely been destroyed long ago. When Naruto got to the center of the chamber he continued, "however what bothers me more than your treatment of me. Is the way you claim to hail my father as one of your greatest ninja, and yet you continue to show such blatant disrespect! My father not only gave his own life, but the life of his own son so that all of you could be safe! He sacrificed everything for you! And all he asked in return was that the child, HIS child be treated like a hero! And yet you took that request and stomped on it! Treating the child like he was less than dirt! Hailing the father and damning the son!" Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "if my father were alive right now he would be ashamed of you. In fact, I'm almost positive that he is rolling in his grave right now." Naruto locked eyes with each and every member of the council, with eyes that were so dead even Itachi would shiver. "I want each and every one of you to consider this; would you have treated your own child the way I was treated if they had been used for the sealing instead of me?" With his piece said Naruto went back over to his seat, sitting down with a soft sigh.
Many on the council looked at him with varied emotions; those on the shinobi side were looking at him with awe and respect. But many were also looking at him in shame, knowing that they were just as guilty as the civilian side for not being there for the boy. The civilians were looking at Naruto with a mixture of contemplation and some even in shame, though only time would tell how they were truly going to take it.
Tsunade closed her mouth as she got over her own shock, "I agree with Namikaze-san, I am disappointed in how he has been treated throughout the years. I hope this will be a lesson for all of you…" Tsunade paused for a moment before deciding that a subject change was needed, "now that this is out of the way I would like to discuss the renewing of our trade agreement with Nami No Kuni. And would the Anbu please take that body away!"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto gave a heavy sigh as he sat on the couch in the Hokage's office, "man that was hard…"
"Really?" Tsunade asked with a raised eyebrow as she went over behind her desk, "I thought you did really good."
"Maybe," Naruto said as Tsunade sat down next to him with a bottle of sake and two saucers in hand. "My my baa-chan, drinking on the job are we?" Naruto smirked at her, "for shame."
"Shut up gaki," Tsunade said as she poured some sake into the saucers before taking one of them. "With all the paperwork and crap I have to do, I think I deserve a drink every now and then."
Naruto gave a small chuckle as he grabbed the other saucer, sipping some of the sake and letting it burn down his throat. "Is this the Kumo imported rice sake?" Naruto asked as he took another sip.
"It is," Tsunade said with a grin as she sipped some of her own, "sounds like you are into sake just as much as I am if you know that. So you have no right to complain to me about drinking."
Naruto took another sip before he grinned at her, "maybe but since I can't get drunk anyway it doesn't really matter. Besides that, I'm not the Hokage."
Tsunade humped before the two fell silent for a moment, quietly drinking their sake. After a while Tsunade spoke up, "when do you think you can have a demonstration for the seals you plan on making?"
Naruto frowned in thought as he poured himself some more sake, "well the first thing I have to do is find a store that specializes in ninja ware. I'm thinking of going to the Higurashi weapons store since I know Tenten, after that I'll schedule the demonstration. As for the seals," Naruto paused in thought before continuing, "they should be done by the end of the week. Most of them are actually things I've been working on for a long time, so they won't take much longer to finish."
Tsunade nodded, "let me know when you plan on doing the demonstration and I'll inform the council."
"You mean the shinobi council right?" Naruto said with a grin.
Tsunade matched his grin with one of her own and nodded in agreement. After the discussions on trade and other commercial agreements, Tsunade had been going to start discussing shinobi affairs, such as the academy teachings and budget. Before that could happen Naruto had once again helped Tsunade by kicking out the civilian council, they had of course protested by claiming they had a right to be there. Naruto had just countered their claims by reminding them that, according to the law set down by the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage's they had no right to involve themselves in shinobi affairs. "Of course, now why don't you tell me about your training trip with Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked.
"Well…" Naruto said with a smile as the two spent the rest of the time drinking sake, while Naruto told Tsunade stories of all the pranks he had pulled on the perverted Sennin.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The next morning Naruto was up bright and early again, after he finished his training Regime and eating a healthy breakfast the blond decided to go see if he could meet Tenten and her dad. Naruto walked through the streets of Konoha, as he watched the people getting ready for their day. It was still early in the morning so only a few people were up, allowing Naruto to just walk around and enjoy the quiet. Naruto made his way over to the Higurashi weapon store, opening the door which sounded with a chime.
He looked over at the cash register and saw Tenten, sitting on a stool and reading a magazine of some kind. Most likely a weapons magazine of some kind, Thought Naruto with a smile as he walked over and tapped on the desk, "good morning Tenten!"
Tenten looked up at Naruto and a blush quickly spread across her face, "good morning Naruto-kun! How are you doing?" Tenten asked.
Naruto gave the girl a smile, "not bad, I can't complain at least. What about you?"
"Oh I've been good," Tenten said as she squirmed in her seat a bit. "So um… how can I help you today?"
"Actually I was wondering if your dad was in," Naruto said as he tilted his head to the side.
Tenten was just about to respond when a gruff voice did it for her.
"He is in."
Naruto and Tenten turned their head to the stairs and saw a man with messy brown hair walking down. He was of decent height being at about 5'9" and had a fairly bulky build, his eyes were a brown color much like Tenten's, giving Naruto the clue that this was her father. The blond noticed that the man walked with a slight limp, denoting that he had received some kind of injury to his heel. This as well as the general aura the man had, led Naruto to assume that he had been a shinobi at one point in his life.
Naruto bowed to the man, "it's a pleasure to meet you, sir, I'm…"
"I know who you are," Tenten's father chuckled, "it's almost impossible not to with your reputation. And don't call me sir, I hate that respect crap." Naruto gave a grin as he scratched the back of his head, amusing the man who had seen that same expression on Minato's face many times in the past. "I'm Kenchi Higurashi," Kenchi introduced himself as he held out a hand.
Naruto smiled as he took it, "nice to meet you."
"Likewise, I was wondering when I would see you in my shop," Kenchi said, "so is there anything I could do for you?"
"Actually I was wondering if there was something I could do for you," Naruto said, getting two raised eyebrows from Tenten and Kenchi.
"Oh? And what is it that you can do for us?" Kenchi with his curiosity piqued.
"I can see that you guys sell things like standard sealing scrolls and exploding tags, however like most stores, you guys don't have much else in the way of seals. I am currently in the process of creating several seals that will help Konoha," Naruto looked at the two of them. "I am sure you know that a clan needs to find some way to contribute to the village in some way Kenchi-san."
Kenchi nodded, "yes I am well aware of that, I take it this is your way to do that?"
"Yes," Naruto nodded, "I was hoping to have a demonstration at the end of the week. As you are the only shinobi store I know of that is run by a shinobi, I wanted to have you there."
"What makes you think I'm a shinobi?" Kenchi asked, if this boy, no man, he corrected himself. If this man was anything like Minato, then he would be able to give him an accurate dissertation of why he thought Kenchi was a shinobi.
"When you were walking down I noticed you have a slight limp, by the slight movements your leg makes I would say that the wound was caused by a sword to the heel. Wounds like that are not something civilians get and escape whoever gave it to them to alive, meaning you had to have been in combat at one point. Aside from that," Naruto shrugged, "your general aura is the same as anyone who has ever been a serious ninja at one point in their life."
He's just like his father, Kenchi thought with a smile. "That's a pretty good deduction, and you were right about the leg. So why is it that you feel it matters whether a store is shinobi owned or not?"
"Because that makes this shop far more popular than the other stores since you have ninja experience and know what they would want," Naruto answered.
"I see," Kenchi said with a nod, "Because I have firsthand knowledge on what ninja want and the ability to forge custom weapons based on that knowledge, more ninja come to my store. If I were to endorse your seals they would sell that much more, am I right?" At Naruto's nod Kenchi continued, "this will also give you more of a profit in the end too since more people will…"
"No," Kenchi and Tenten looked at Naruto as he spoke, "I'm not doing this for any monetary gain. You can keep any money you make, I have more than enough thanks to my book, I am simply doing this to help Konoha."
Kenchi blinked in surprise for several moments before he grinned, "you really are Minato's kid aren't you?"
Naruto smiled, "so I've been told."
"Well alright, I'll come to this demonstration of yours and if your stuff is any good we'll start selling them the moment it's ready for the market."
Naruto nodded, "I appreciate this," the blond said before he looked over at Tenten, "you're welcome to come to if you would like."
Tenten blinked for a moment before blushing; "Thanks I think I will." she looked back up for a moment and tilted her head, "so what book were you talking about?"
Naruto looked at her with an odd expression before smiling; he reached into his pouch and pulled out Loveless. "I'm the author of this book," Naruto said with a grin, only to sweatdrop when Tenten appeared in front of him with a copy of the book in her hand. I swear to Kami it's like these girls have a pocket dimension, where they can just pull anything out of it magically.
"This is my favorite book; can you sign it for me?" Tenten asked as he once again saw what he had taken to calling the Suta-Boushi No Jutsu (Starry Eye Jutsu).
Naruto shrugged before grabbing the book and signing it for her, after that he gave the two a goodbye before heading home.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto groaned in relief as the warm water from the shower hit his form, loosening the tensed-up muscles in his back and shoulders. Today had been a hectic day for him, even more so than yesterday when he was in his first council meeting. After he had left the Higurashi weapons store, Naruto had gone into another council meeting. Where he had been forced to sit through several merchants discussing a trade agreement between Konoha and Tsuchi No Kuni, which had almost made the blond Clan Head fall asleep. After that, he had gone home and did his typical training regime, and then he had sat down at his desk and began hashing out his plans for the seals he wanted to create.
In truth most of them were already done, he just needed to finalize them. He had several powerful seals that he was sure would be useful to Konoha, things like sensor seals that could be used to set up around a camp when on long-term missions. Trap seals that even a genin could set up, that when triggered would release anything from a fire jutsu to a paralytic poison. Sometimes things like that were all that was needed to complete the mission, and get back home safe. However the ones he was really wanting to show Tsunade and the others were not the ones that were done on paper, but a powerful seal array that should make capture and rape statistics drop. However, that seal was also the one he had yet to really finish, as well as the one that was the hardest to complete.
Naruto turned off the water as he stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel he dried himself off as he made his way into his bedroom. He threw the towel in a hamper as he walked over to the closet, opening it he made his way inside. Naruto began to leaf through his clothes, looking for some formal wear for this evening. Normally the blond would not be caught dead wearing formal clothing; however, he had been eventually forced to get some. Koyuki had bought him some formal Kimono's for when he made his appearance before the Haru council so that he could look good when he and Koyuki presented him as her fiancé. Something he planned to do once he managed to get rid of Akatsuki.
Naruto sighed as he picked one out and began to get dressed; tonight he had been invited over for dinner by Hiashi Hyuuga. Knowing just how much power that clan held, Naruto knew declining his invitation would not be an intelligent idea.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Hinata Hyuuga was nervous.
This would not surprise anyone who knew her. Despite the young woman making strides towards bettering herself as a kunoichi, she was still a shy and soft-spoken girl. It was something that had never changed about her, even her continuous improvement with her taijutsu and Byakugan. So the fact that Hinata was nervous would not surprise anyone, however this time she felt she had a valid reason for it.
That reason being her father Hiashi, who was currently smiling. It was well known that Hiashi Hyuuga almost always kept up the cold Hyuuga Façade; he said it had something to do with presenting a noble aura to those beneath them. Whatever the reason for it was, Hiashi was not one to smile, ever really. Sure he would occasionally when Hinata was progressing well in her taijutsu; however, this was something that had only happened recently. Now he was smiling for what seemed to be no reason, other than the fact that they had a guest. Apparently one important enough that her father was smiling about it.
This was not really a shock of course, due to their status and political power both in and out of Konoha; they would often receive visiting dignitaries. However none of them were important enough for Hiashi to actually be happy about seeing them, this was what made her nervous. The fact that she was going to be meeting someone who was important enough for Hiashi to smile about meant that she would need to be even more, 'Hyuga-like' for lack of a better term, than usual. Which due to her kind nature was something she had a problem doing.
"Hiashi-Sama, your guest has arrived."
The three Hyuuga's at the dinner table looked up to see one of the branch members standing over by the entrance.
"Thank you, send him in please," Hiashi said as he stood up to greet his guest.
The branch member bowed before leaving to get the guest.
Hinata smoothed the hem of her Kimono, which was a lavender color to match her eyes. The Kimono had floral designs on it and was tied together with a dark violet obi. Unlike her normal clothes, the formal wear she had on did nothing to hide her figure. Something she was very self-conscious about, which was of course why she always wore that large baggy overcoat. Taking several deep breaths to help her calm down, the young Hyuuga Heiress looked over at her little sister Hanabi.
Said sister was currently sitting with her back straight and wore the impassive Hyuuga stare. She was wearing identical clothes to Hinata, except that hers were in the opposite colors.
Hinata turned her head towards the door when Hiashi began to walk over to it and had to hold in a gasp of surprise. The person who her father had invited over was none other Naruto! Hinata quickly looked away and had to start taking deep breaths lest she passes out. When she felt she was calm enough she looked back to see her father greeting the blond shinobi.
"Welcome Naruto-san, I am glad you could make it," Hiashi said as he shook Naruto's hand.
Naruto gave a nod as he took the offered hand, "thank you for inviting me Hiashi-san, I appreciate it."
"Not at all," Hiashi replied easily as he waved the thanks away. Naruto followed the man as he moved over to sit down, when they were both seated Hiashi gesture to his daughters. "I believe you have already met Hinata," Hiashi said.
Naruto smiled at the girl, "it's a pleasure to see you again Hinata."
Hinata felt heat rise to her cheeks but thankfully was able to keep herself from hyperventilating. "I-it's good t-to see y-you as w-well N-Naruto-k-kun," Hinata said as she grabbed the folds of her Kimono in an effort to keep from poking her fingers.
"And this is my youngest daughter Hanabi," Hiashi introduced as he gestured to a little girl who looked a lot like Hinata, except she had what Naruto had dubbed the 'I'm a Hyuuga so I must act like I'm constipated' look.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Hanabi-san," Naruto said with a smile. Despite the girl's cold look, Naruto was able to notice the slight blush that crossed the girl's cheeks.
"You're the one who beat Neji-Nii-san in the Chunin Exams," Hanabi said in an accusing tone.
Naruto looked at the girl with an odd expression for a second, "yes that is true that I beat Neji."
"How did you do that?" Hanabi asked, "Neji-Nii-san is the Hyuuga clan prodigy, there's no way you could beat him."
Naruto frowned at the girl; it seems that she was much more of the stereotypical Hyuuga than the members he had met. Of course, he had only known Hinata and Neji, and Neji had been similar to her before Naruto had removed the stick in his ass. Naruto continued to look at the girl before shrugging, "I was able to beat him because unlike him I had something to fight for."
Hanabi tilted her head at the cryptic answer, "Something to fight for? Like what?"
Naruto smiled, "well at the time my reason was to dispel Neji's delusional belief that fate controlled everything. He had to understand that there is only one 'fate' we all share and that is death, but how we get there and the choices we make before we die are our own."
"Wise words," Hiashi said, "you sound just like your father."
Naruto looked over at Hiashi, "you knew my father well I take it?"
"I knew him quite well," Hiashi said with a very small and nostalgic smile, "I was in the same class that your father had been in at the academy. He had been the Rookie of The Year, and became something of my rival."
"I see," Naruto said as he remembered his own 'rivalry' with Sasuke before the fool went to play with a pedophile anyway. Naruto looked at the Hyuuga head with a mischievous expression, "so if you were his rival did he call you teme as well?" Naruto asked in an innocent voice.
Hinata and Hanabi looked at Naruto in shock, while Hiashi made several choking noises. "N-no he didn't," Hiashi said as he was able to get himself under control. He paused for a moment before sighing, "however your mother did."
If the two Hyuuga Heiress' had been startled by Naruto's comment, then they nearly jumped out of their skin when Naruto started to laugh, loudly. Hanabi more than Hinata was shocked by the 'commoner' behavior the blond man seemed to have, it made her wonder why her father had invited him over in the first place.
Naruto's laughs soon became wheezes as he tried to get his breath back under control, "oh… oh…" Naruto sighed as he stopped laughing. He looked over at Hiashi and shook his head, "you know I can somehow see my mother doing that."
Hiashi gave an imperceptible smirk, "I could imagine, you are a lot like her in many ways."
Naruto chuckled, "I think I'll take that as a compliment."
"Of course," Hiashi said, "though you do seem to have more of your father's personality now. I admit to being quite impressed with how you handled the elders during your first council meeting."
Naruto smiled as the two of them talked back and forth, trading conversation between one subject or another. Naruto knew this was a standard political process that people who wanted something from you did, and he knew Hiashi wanted something. While he was sure the man's desire to repent for not helping him when he was younger was genuine, Naruto also knew that Hiashi would not invite him over for that reason alone. However, he continued to play along with the man, knowing that there was a time to be blunt and a time to use finesse. So Naruto spoke with the man and occasionally tried to add Hinata and Hanabi into the conversation so they did not feel left out.
Their conversation quieted down as the food came; Naruto was surprised when he was served a side of Ramen with his food. It seemed that even Hiashi knew of his ramen addiction, which was actually kind of funny since ramen was not his favorite food. Well, most ramen was not, his favorite food was the ramen they served at Ichiraku's but there was a reason for that. Teuchi and Ayame had been the first two people to ever treat him as a human other than Sarutobi and Yugao, so the blond had often gone there when he did not want to be glared at, or overcharged for food. They had also given him several free bowls of ramen, making the place even better in his eyes. It was not long after going there that Ramen had become his comfort food.
After they had eaten Naruto figured it was time to see what Hiashi wanted, "I believe you wanted to speak to me about something?"
Hiashi smirked ever so slightly, "yes I did, we can go to my office for our discussion."
Naruto stood up as did Hiashi, he turned to look over at the two girls, "I'll see you later Hinata-chan, Hanabi-chan," Naruto smirked at seeing the younger girl scowl. Though he also noticed her blush as well, during the course of the conversation he had taken a liking to tease the younger heiress. He felt the girl was far too uptight for her own good, so he had taken it upon himself to 'remove the stick' as it were from her proverbial ass. Of course, he knew this would be a little harder than Neji, after all, he could not beat the shit out of her like he did Neji. Still, that would just make it more of a challenge.
As Naruto walked down the halls with Hiashi, the blond decided to get a layout of the estate. Unlike his father's house, the Hyuuga estate was made in the purely traditional Japanese style. The building was centered around a Zen garden, filled with trees and a koi pond with a bridge over it. Doors were lined up along the wall facing the garden, leading to any number of rooms that were used for various purposes. The place was definitely nice; Naruto had to admit that, though the atmosphere was a little too stuffy for his tastes.
They finally stopped in front of a door; Hiashi opened it as he gestured for Naruto to enter. As soon as they were both inside Hiashi closed the door and set up a silencing seal, before moving over to a seating area with red padded cushions on the ground. Following the Hyuuga Head's lead, Naruto sat on one of the cushions with his feet under his rear and his back straight.
Hiashi looked at him with a calculating gaze before speaking, "I am sure you are well aware that the Hyuuga Clan is currently the largest of Konoha's clans. It also goes without saying that we are the clan that holds the most political power; no Hokage has ever been selected without our support. That is even more true now since the only clan that could contest with us is no more."
Naruto nodded at what the man was saying, narrowing his eyes in thought the blond picked apart Hiashi's hidden meaning. "You are saying you will support my position for Hokage? However, I assume you also want something for this, otherwise, you would not have invited me over for dinner."
Hiashi managed to crack a small smile, "you are quite astute in your observations Naruto-san, truly your father's son." Naruto nodded at the compliment as the man paused another moment, before heaving a deep sigh. "Yes, I do have something I wish to ask of with you or more like I need your help with something. I am sure you know of the birdcage seal?" Hiashi asked.
"Of course," Naruto said with a nod, the blond's mind soon came to a conclusion as to why Hiashi had invited him over for dinner. Still, he did not say anything, preferring to hear it from the Hyuuga head's own mouth.
"What was not as well known was that Minato and I had planned to do away with the seal," Hiashi said.
"I take it he was going to force the Hyuuga elders to get rid of the seal by showing its inherent weakness," Naruto said, "and then offer up a counter seal for all Hyuuga's to wear."
Hiashi did not show it, but he was greatly impressed with the boy's ability to figure things out with only a little bit of information. "Yes he was, it was our hope that this would eliminate the differences and bridge the gap between our two families."
Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, "do you know how far my father got?"
"I believe he was able to create the replacement for the birdcage seal," Hiashi answered, "however I know for a fact that he had not even been able to get started on finding the birdcage seal's weakness."
Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Hiashi, "I will help you with this. To be honest, I had planned on getting rid of that seal anyways, this will make it much easier to do so."
Hiashi sighed in relief as he and Naruto stood back up, moving over to his desk Hiashi pulled out a scroll. "This is scroll contains the birdcage seal for you to study," Hiashi spoke as he handed Naruto the scroll.
Naruto took this and placed it in his pouch, "I will get back to you sometime within a month, by then I should have both the replacement seal and the weakness to the birdcage seal."
Hiashi gave a nod as he let Naruto out, "I appreciate the help Naruto-san."
"Not at all I'm happy to help," Naruto replied as he walked out of the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Hinata watched as Naruto left her father's study, and began his trek back to the front gates. She followed the blond boy, making sure to always stay in the shadows so he would not see her. The moment Hinata had seen Naruto here; she had realized this was her chance to confess her feelings for the blond. She knew that she may not ever get a chance to do so like now, since he was right here in her house. However, she was still having trouble gathering her courage to go up and talk to the boy.
The decision was soon taken from her as Naruto called out, "you can come out now Hinata."
Hinata's eyes widened in shock, how had he seen her? This had never happened in all the years she had followed him, something like this was not only unprecedented but also unexpected. Whatever the case he had found her, so she had no choice but to come out and confront the blond.
"H-Hello N-Naruto-k-k-kun," Hinata said, cursing herself for being so shy. She knew she would never get another chance like this, so she had to take it. She took several deep breaths as she tried to calm her raging nerves, which felt like they were overloading her brain right now. Hinata opened her mouth as she looked at him, only to start swaying on her feet for a little bit. I… will… not… faint… Hinata thought to herself as she tried to steady her nerves. Finally, she opened her mouth, "iloveyou!"
The words had been spoken so fast, that had Naruto, not had enhanced senses he was sure he would have missed it. The blond Clan Head repressed the sigh that threatened to escape him, while he commended the girl for gathering the courage to tell him that, he had really hoped she wouldn't. perhaps it was naive thinking, but Naruto had been hoping that the girl's shy nature would keep her from confessing; at least until he had something to say that would let her down easy. Still now might be the best time to nip her feelings in the bud, after all, he did not wish to lead her on with the false hope that they might get together.
"Hinata you are a very kind, beautiful, and compassionate Kunoichi," Naruto said knowing that what he said next would break her heart. "However I don't have any romantic feelings for you, I'm sorry."
"What?" Hinata asked as if she had not heard him, it took a few seconds for the words to register, but when they did tears started to form at the corner of her eyes. "You mean… you don't…" she couldn't believe it; she had worked so hard to tell him, only for him not to have the same feelings for her.
"No," Naruto said in a soft voice, "I don't."
"But… but…" Hinata's mouth was unable to work properly, not that it mattered anyway as she spun around and took off.
Naruto sighed as he chased after her, knowing that if he did not reason with her, things would not end well. He doggedly followed the lavender-eyed girl, who was dodging and weaving in an effort to lose him. However, Naruto was far faster and more agile than she was and soon caught up. He grabbed her arm to keep her from moving.
"Let go of me!" Hinata shouted as she yanked on her arm.
"Not until you listen to me," Naruto replied in a calm voice.
"I don't want to hear it! Let go!" realizing she would not be able to get away like this, Hinata turned around and attempted to Jukken strike Naruto. The said blond was surprised that Hinata would go this far, but thanks to his enhanced reflexes he was able to avoid the strike. He quickly wrapped Hinata in a bear hug, keeping her arms pinned to her sides so she could not use them. Though the girl continued to struggle and even tried to Jukken him with her feet, however, she soon began to tire. Eventually, the girl sagged into him as she started to cry, sighing Naruto just let her do so until she calmed down.
"Why?" the girl asked, with her voice muffled by his Kimono, "why don't you love me? Why won't you love me?"
"Because you don't love me," Naruto stated causing Hinata's head to snap up so fast, the blond thought it would break.
"How could you say that!" Hinata asked, completely unaware that she had not stuttered. "I've always loved you! Ever since the academy! You gave me strength and courage! I-"
"Only saw what you wanted to see," Naruto interrupted her, "you saw the side of me that was loud, obnoxious, and was not afraid to scream about how he would be Hokage at the top of his lungs. You were so fixated on this image of me and felt that I was something to strive for, so you put me on a pedestal. Like something, you would always watch from afar, but never touch, which was why you were too afraid to talk to me."
"That's not true at all!" Hinata shook her head, "I saw you as something I wanted to be! Something to strive for…"
"Which is what you do when you place someone on a pedestal," Naruto interrupted in a soft voice. "Hinata what you saw was not me, not all of me anyway. You saw the parts of me that you wanted; because that side of me was everything you were not. You felt that if you could just be near me, then maybe you would gain some of my strength. Am I right?"
Hinata gave a hesitant nod since that was true. Ever since she had seen his loud and proud attitude, she had begun to admire the boy. She had taken to following him because just watching the blond had given her strength to go on. He was what she felt she wanted to be, she wanted the courage he would show even when the world had tried to stomp on that courage. That never-give-up attitude, that's what she wanted to have for herself.
"That's exactly what I mean, that's not real love. You wanted me to be your strength, your courage, to be able to lift you up when you could not do it yourself." Naruto shook his head, "what you have to understand is that by trying to use me for your strength, you end up weakening your own."
Hinata's eyes widened as what Naruto said began to sink in, "what do you mean?"
"Hinata I can give you no more strength than a soldier pill can give you chakra, yes you may gain a temporary boost by relying on me. But in the end, it's only a passing feeling and can never give you the strength you are looking for. What would happen if you were on a mission that went bad, all of your comrades were incapacitated and you were the only one capable of protecting them and completing the mission. What would you do if I wasn't there to give you that pick me up? If you had to rely on your own strength to carry on, only you had been relying so much on me that your own strength failed."
Hinata looked at Naruto with wide eyes as his words were tossed around in her head, it was painful to admit but she realized he was right. All this time she had been trying to rely on Naruto instead of herself, even when he was gone her thoughts were on the blond. It was like he had become some drug or a crutch as he said. Because truthfully all she had been trying to do was emulate the blond in front of her. It was enough to make her feel sick, "I really am weak," Hinata muttered as tears formed in her eyes again.
"You are not weak Hinata," Naruto said in a firm voice, as he placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. Hinata looked up at Naruto as he spoke, "you just have yet to come into your own strength, but it's there. However, you need to find the right reasons to gain that strength, which are not to impress a boy."
"What are your reasons?" Hinata asked, hoping that if she knew the reasons for someone else, she could try to find out her own.
"At first my reason was simply that I wanted to be acknowledged, it was stupid but that was why I tried so hard." Naruto's eyes began to glaze over and his voice softened as he continued, "however as time went on and I gained people who did acknowledge me, my reasons changed." Naruto looked at Hinata, "now I fight and gain strength so that I can protect the people who are most important to me. The people who I have found a family in, the Konoha eleven, the people I met in my travels… it's for them I try to get stronger so that I can protect them."
Hinata was silent for a moment as she thought about her reasons, really thought about them. Now that she was thinking a little more clearly, she realized that what she had been doing was no better than when Sakura and Ino had tried to gain Sasuke's affection. Everything she had done was for Naruto, but now that Naruto made her realize this she did not really have a reason… or did she?
"I… I think I want to gain strength to protect my family and make them proud of me." Hinata said as she looked at Naruto, "I don't want them to think of me as weak, or a burden anymore."
Naruto gave the girl a smile, "that's a good reason, wanting to help your family is one of the best reasons anyone can have. I know that with that desire in mind, you will gain strength." Naruto stuck his hand out to the girl, "friends?"
Hinata looked at the hand and then back to Naruto before smiling, "Friends," she said as she took the hand.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto stood out on the field with the Shinobi council, Tsunade, Kenchi, and Tenten, all of whom he was going to show his seals to.
"Now that everyone is here I figured we'd better get this show on the road," Naruto said as he took out sealing scroll and unraveled it. He unsealed the contents revealing several different scrolls of various seals, ink, and a brush. Grabbing the first seal Naruto unrolled it, "I am sure you all know of the standard exploding tag, which by adding chakra will make it detonate and in some cases can set a timer for a slight delay. But what if they did not just explode? What if instead, they launched an A rank jutsu or a cloud of deadly and poisonous gas."
"Are you saying you can create a scroll that has an A rank jutsu in it?" Tsume asked incredulously.
Naruto smiled, "I could tell you, yes, but I think it would best to show you." Naruto created a clone who took one of the small tags in the scroll, walking several feet away before channeling some chakra into it as he set the scroll on the ground. The clone poofed out of existence and Naruto turned to Tsunade, "Hokage-Sama could you make a Kage Bushin please?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow but did as asked, less than a second later a clone appeared. "Good," Naruto said as he turned to the clone, "I want you to go over to the scroll." As the clone did as instructed Naruto turned to Hiashi, "Hyuuga-Sama would be so kind as to turn on your Byakugan and tell me what you see?"
Hiashi nodded and did so; truthfully he was quite curious to see what the boy came up with. As the Tsunade clone got within five feet of the scroll, everyone became shocked as a giant dragon made of lightning launched out of the scroll. It roared as it homed in on the clone, smashing into it before exploding in a shower of sparks.
"It… it reacted to her chakra," Hiashi said his voice for once filled with awe. The others heard what he said and looked at the now burnt-out scroll in shock.
"Yes, it reacts to any chakra signature that does not belong to the person who used the scroll, though it can be set to recognize other signatures as well." Naruto smirked as he looked at the gobsmacked audience, "as you can see things like this could easily tip any engagement or skirmish in our favor, just imagine if you were to create a minefield of these and placed a camouflaged dual-layered genjutsu over them, an enemy comes within five feet of it and they suddenly find themselves within a barrage of A-rank techniques…" Naruto left them to imagine the potential of his strategy for a while. Once they got over their awe he began showing them some of his other seals, with each one being more impressive than the last. Finally, Naruto got to the seal he had really worked on this week, "for this next seal I'll need a volunteer, it has to be a female."
The last request had stopped several of the males from stepping forward; unfortunately, it also made the females wary. Tsume Inuzuka however took it as something of a challenge and stepped forward, "let's see what you've got pup."
Naruto smirked, "very well follow me so I can apply the seals," Naruto picked up his ink and brush and headed into the tree line. Tsume despite being surprised followed him as well, once they were out of sight Naruto stopped.
"Alright so why did you have to bring me out here alone," Tsume asked before giving a feral yet oddly seductive smirk. "Or was it just that you wanted to get me away from the rest of the council, so you could have your way with me. You know I think you might be a bit young for me, though you are quite handsome…"
Naruto blinked in surprise as the Inuzuka Matriarch blatantly flirted with him, he had truthfully not expected this. Still, that did not mean he was going to be upstaged, "well you are quite Sexy Tsume-chan," Naruto said as he modulated his voice into an animalistic and husky growl, that caused Tsume almost cum herself. "Unfortunately that's not the reason, this time anyway." Naruto shrugged, "I really just figured you would not want to have to strip in front of all those men."
Tsume blushed at those words, but it soon turned to a glare, flirting was one thing but asking her to strip for him was not something she would take lying down. "Alright listen here if you think I'm gonna strip for you, you've got another…" she could not get another word in as Naruto's presence literally overwhelmed her senses. Where before he had the strong presence that was found in all leaders, his entire aura right now just screamed Alpha. It was so strong that her animal side was actually telling to her bow down and do whatever the blond said.
"Do not think I am doing this so I could see you naked Tsume, I will not deny that you are quite attractive. However, you seem to forget that I am already engaged to four women, all of whom I love. The mere thought of being unfaithful to them makes me feel like committing Seppuku," Naruto's glare actually made the Inuzuka woman bow her head submissively. Naruto sighed as he released his dominating presence, "I will explain what the seal does while I apply it, is that ok?" he asked. When he received a nod in return Naruto had the woman strip down, until she was in her undergarments. He then began to apply the seals while explaining their functions, by the time he was done Tsume's eyes were wide.
Several minutes later they came back out to the field, "I apologize for the wait however we're now ready for the final demonstration." He took no heed of the looks he was getting, or the light blush Hiashi was trying to hide. They obviously knew what had gone on in the forest, or at least they knew what Tsume had done.
Naruto paid attention to none of it as he unsealed a chair, "alright Tsume just sit on the chair." Having knowledge of what the seal was supposed to do, the feral-looking woman did as told. Naruto tied her up with steel ninja wire, making sure they were bound tightly enough that she could not move. Naruto turned back to the crowd, "now then as you know one of the most serious problems we run into as ninja is the possibility of capture. When that happens all we can do is try to make sure that we die before we end up cracking from whatever torture we are subject to. However, that does not have to happen, what if we could give our shinobi a small window of opportunity to escape? Hiashi I would like you to use your Byakugan to tell me what you see." Naruto did not wait for the man to give an affirmative before he turned his attention to Tsume and raised an eyebrow in question.
He received a nod from the woman, right before he unleashed a concentrated dose of Kyuubi's killing intent. The woman felt her eyes widen as the feeling of fear came over her from feeling the same power that had killed her husband all those years ago, thankfully it only lasted a second as the seal activated. The ropes were suddenly sliced apart as a shield of powerful cutting winds encased Tsume, who was completely protected by it.
Naruto grinned as everyone was once again rendered speechless, "tell me Hiashi what did you see?"
"The seal activated when you unleashed that killing intent," Hiashi said, "however it was not activated consciously."
"Correct," Naruto said, "this seal is actually several arrays that are located on different areas of the body. You have one seal that constantly stores the excess chakra that all people produce in another seal. The other seals are what create the windshield, one to activate it and the other to maintain it. It activates subconsciously when the body is feeling any sort of negative stimuli, whether that be fear or something else. This means that even if someone has their chakra sealed off, the seal can still be activated because it is not dependent on one's ability to use chakra."
"Because it's based on the bodies' reaction to their emotions," Tsunade said in shock. What Naruto had just created was not only a complex seal but something that also required a thorough understanding of the human body and human psyche. "To come up with something like that is amazing…"
Naruto smirked, "that's not all, now I need a volunteer. This one has to be male," when no one stepped forward Naruto sighed. "Very well since no one is stepping forward, Shikaku," Naruto chose with a grin. "You are going to help finish my demonstration."
Shikaku blinked in surprise before muttering a troublesome and walking up, "so what do I need to do?"
Naruto turned to Tsume as the windshield dissipated, "are you ready for the second stage?"
"Yeah…" Tsume said though she still felt a little skittish from feeling Kyuubi's Killing intent. Still getting a little scared was well worth the knowledge that they could save the lives of their ninja with this. Especially what the second demonstration was going to do.
Naruto turned to Shikaku and gave him a mischievous grin, "what you will have to do is try to touch Tsume's vaginal region…"
There were several seconds of pure silence.
"WHAT!" Tsunade and Tenten yelled in Unison.
Naruto turned to the two, "you heard me, this is necessary to show what the other seal does."
The two glared at him before Tsunade spoke, "listen here gaki, I don't care if…"
"Hokage-Sama I have already been told this was going to be required, and have given my permission to allow this demonstration done on me," Tsume interrupted her.
Tsunade looked at the Inuzuka Matriarch in shock, "but…"
"Don't worry the pup explained to me what was going to happen," Tsume said.
Tsunade sighed, "well alright if you're ok with it…"
Naruto nodded, "now Shikaku if you would…"
"Do I have to?" the lazy Clan Head asked, if his wife found out about this she would have his head.
"Yes," Naruto said, "this is quite possibly the most important part of today's demonstration."
That got several raised eyebrows, the Clan Heads wondering what could be this important. Shikaku sighed as he began to mumble about getting in trouble with his troublesome wife for this, walking up to Tsume he reached down towards her crotch. That was when Naruto activated a seal on a scroll he had taken out that launched false pheromones into the air, simulating the lust most bandits and low life's released when about to rape a woman. Before Shikaku's hand got three inches, it was shocked with a burst of lightning.
"Damn! That hurt! Troublesome…" Shikaku tried to rant but was too lazy to do as he shook his hand.
Naruto looked over to the again shocked crowd, "what do you think just happened?"
For a moment everyone was silent until Tsunade spoke up, "you used that odd smell which activated the seal that shocked Shikaku-san?"
"More or less," Naruto answered with a shrug, "I have destroyed enough bandit camps that I was able to reproduce the pheromones they release when raping a victim through chemistry. When I released those pheromones, Tsume recognized them and her body reacted instinctively to them. It also reacts to emotions, but since we know that Tsume is not afraid of being raped in her own village I did it this way. Now that was also a powered-down version of the seal, had it been at full strength that shock would have made Shikaku-san's hand useless."
"Incredible," Tenten spoke, "that's an anti-rape seal you just designed right?
Naruto nodded, "yes, the seal was something I thought of to help decrease Kunoichi rape statistics. Every kunoichi fears being raped, when their body responds to that fear the seal activates and whoever was about to touch them now has a useless hand, same could be said if they used other… more intimate parts. Now combine that with the escape seal, which can also be used on a male and we now have a way to give our ninja a better chance at escaping physical harm and traumatizing experiences."
"How long does the seal last?" asked Inoichi.
"It depends on how much chakra is stored in the storage seal," Naruto replied, "it can hold up to an A rank jutsu, so theoretically it can last for up to an hour, the anti-rape seal likewise enough power for ten shocks. However, the escape seal has a weakness, when used you become susceptible to fire."
"Still it is a better chance to escape than what they first had," Shikaku said with the others nodding in agreement.
Naruto smiled as he turned to Tsume, "are you ok Tsume?" Naruto asked seeing that she was a little wobbly.
"Of course pup," Tsume said, though the two experiences were not quite pleasant. Still knowing this could ninja, especially kunoichi's made this well worth it.
After some questions about the mechanics of the seals, Tsunade decided it was time to wrap things up. "I think we have seen more than enough to say you passed the 'initiation' test," Tsunade said. "Two days from now we will hold the public announcement of your heritage and Clan Head status."
Naruto nodded, "cool, now I think I'm gonna hit the shower and then hit the sack."
Tsunade shook her head as Naruto walked off, before leaving with the rest of the clan heads who were speaking excitedly about the new seals.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
It was the day of the announcement and Naruto was looking out over the crowd of people, it looked like almost all of Konoha had come. He was standing in between Tsume and Hiashi as had become custom, while Tsunade stood in front of them on the ledge where speeches were made. It was not long before Tsunade held up her hands to silence the crowd, as she began her speech.
"People of Konoha, I am here today to introduce, or perhaps I should say reintroduce a man whom I am sure you all know!" The was a slight rumble through the crowd, as began to wonder who Tsunade was talking about. "This young man has just gotten back from a training trip with my teammate, Jiraiya of the Sennin! I am sure by now you all know who I am talking about! I would like to introduce to you the new Clan Head of the Uzumaki Namikaze clan, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!"
Naruto smiled as Tsunade said that, it had been one of their agreements. He had refused to give up his mother's name, not just because he had been an Uzumaki for so long, but also because he wanted to honor both his parents. His smile turned into a smirk as he flicked one of his Hiraishin Kunai next to Tsunade, before appearing right next to her in a yellow flash. Resisting the urge to grin at the shocked gasps from the crowd at seeing the feared technique in use, Naruto raised his hand. "I would like to thank all of you for coming today! I Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze vow that as the Uzumaki Namikaze clan head, I will do all that is within my power to protect the great Tree that is Konoha!"
A roar swept through the crowd as the people cheered for him, praising his name and clapping enthusiastically. Naruto let them do that, knowing that what he had to say next would not make him very popular with some of the people here. "Before we leave in celebration today, I would like to inform all of you of something important!" Many people began to whisper, wondering what he could possibly tell them. Even Tsunade was looking at him oddly since they had not done anything like this in the rehearsal.
Naruto merely gave the woman a reassuring smile before he continued, "a little over sixteen years ago a great beast known as the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked our village… many people died in an effort to stop its rampage. And just when all hope seemed lost my father, the Yondaime Hokage defeated the demon. Using a self-sacrificing jutsu which cost his life to slay the creature, this is the history that we are all taught."
As Naruto spoke many of the civilians and council members paled, realizing what Naruto was talking about. Many even had a hunch about where he was going, unfortunately, due to the laws set down by the Sandaime they could not do anything to stop it.
"I am going to tell you all right now that what you have been taught is a lie…"
Gasps were what accompanied this announcement, all of the younger generation wondering what he meant and the older feeling dread well up in their guts. And so Naruto began to tell them the truth about the Kyuubi's defeat, setting in motion the action that would let him know who really respected him and who was just wanting to use him.
This was the catalyst that would start Naruto's new life in Konoha, for better or worse.
Weekly Power Status
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