Chapitre 28: Chapter 8: Rokudaime Revealed
Summary: The identity of the Rokudaime Raikage is revealed and Konoha learns the true identity of their most recent Nemesis.
AN: Disclaimer in chapter 1
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...ooO Rokudaime Revealed Ooo...
The next day the visitors and shinobis and candidates and potential clients assembled in the stadium for the last day of the Third Stage.
While they waited for the Examiner, Namikaze Naruto, to make an appearance the Raikage surreptitiously patted the parcel wrapped in brown paper and secured by string that lay on his lap. "I will be naming my successor before the matches begin. This is a little gift I've been meaning to give him. I think presenting it to him while announcing his new promotion would make it a memorable reminder."
The stadium and the dignitaries waited and watched. At the stroke of ten the Examiner, Namikaze Naruto arrived in a swirl of sparks.
The Raikage nodded to the BOLT operative who rang the gong for silence.
Everyone in the stadium turned to the box where the kages and daimyos sat.
The Raikage waited until he was certain he had their attention before speaking.
"As most of us know I am an old man, I took up this position when my successor died. I kept at it because I couldn't find someone I could see as the Rokudaime Raikage. That is until now. He has been tested and ratified by his peers and Kumos Council. His candidacy was accepted without hesitation by Lightening Countrys Daimyo. He is a relative newcomer to Kumo but what he has accomplished is near miraculous. After several years as a BOLT operative he is ready to leave field duty behind and accept this new responsibility, to be Raikage. Kumo, I will be stepping down by the end of this week so I present to you your new Rokudaime Raikage... Namikaze Naruto!"
The stadium erupted into spontaneous cheers and whoops and screams of encouragement and support. Out of the roar emerged the chant.
"Na-mi-kaze! Na-mi-kaze! Na-mi-kaze! Na-mi-kaze! Na-mi-kaze!"
Every single Kage but three watched near shell-shocked as the new Rokudaime Raikage, the Third Stage examiner bowed and waved his hands, accepted the support and tribute.
Hiroshi waited for a slight lull before speaking.
"Most of you know Naruto as a jounin comrade, a diplomat with many allies outside our borders, a skilled contract negotiator, a teacher to many aspiring young nins, a counselor to quite a few of our Academy students and genins. Now that he has left BOLT I have no concerns with revealing his other aspects." With those enigmatic words he tossed the brown paper wrapped package in an arc across the stadium.
The blonde leapt in the air to catch the package. A no seals wind blade cut the strings allowing the package to be unwrapped. He pulled out a handful of cream colored material dropping the paper and string to the floor. A garment of some kind.
And then he laughed long and hard, a joyful sound. He grabbed the material in both hands and swung it to put it on, a coat of some kind. A knee-length sleeveless garment designed to be worn open with no buttons to close it. A strong breeze filled the stadium causing the materials of the long skirts to billow and ruffle his hair.
His very appearance struck a cord in the hearts of those who remembered, those who had met the Yondaime Hokage. It was like seeing Namikaze Minato all over again, like he never died more than twenty-five years ago.
In kanji on the left front panel were the symbols for Rokudaime and Raikage embroidered in deep purple. On the right front panel were other symbols, a blue crescent moon wrapped around an orange swirl that resembled a whirlpool, below in black was the silhouette of a nine-tailed fox. And then he turned so everyone in the audience could see the bigger design on his back. Embroidered in crimson silk thread were the symbols for storm.
Shikamaru gaped, his cigarette falling from his open mouth. "Aka Arashi."
Sasuke stared through Sharingan eyes. Envy, jealousy, regret burned his soul.
Sakura shook her head. "It can't be! It must be some kind of trick!"
"It isn't." Shino countered. His eyes did not move from the spectacle.
Inochi turned puce as the full implications of everything hit him. Shikaku popped two antacids and took a deep swig from a hip flask before handing it to his old teammate who downed half of the remainder.
A lone tear trailed from Kakashis uncovered eye.
"He looks like Minato, doesn't he?" Everyone turned to stare at the smirking Gama Sannin who had somehow snuck up on the Konohan group. "What,? Did you think I'd miss seeing my second apprentice become a Kage?" He smirked even wider and sipped sake from his own hip flask. The Sannin smiled slowly as he settled his eyes on his student, his greatest achievement other than Icha Icha Paradise. "The brat was damn troublesome, just like his father, but most definitely worth it. He will make an excellent Raikage since his birth village is filled with bigots, cowards, fools, and incompetents.
"I'm definitely thinking of settling here on a more permanent basis. Kumo is a bit cold but the women here are more receptive to a little flirting and word play." His eyes glazed. "Those chuunin twins made me pass out with just words and a little skin. Unfortunately they also stole my wallet to teach me a lesson. It inspired me to shift my perspective for my next book. A she-thief who specializes in one-of-a-kind collectibles." He smirked at the males. "The first release will be in Kumo, followed by Iwa and Suna."
Then he walked away to join a group of pretty Kumo civilian women.
Naruto smiled as the cheers died down but the positive energy remained. He could feel the thrill, the barely restrained eagerness... And it charged him.
A fierce smile split his face before he began speaking.
"Thank you Kumo. For welcoming me. For accepting me. For supporting me. Hiroshi-jii-san, you remind me of another kage, one who has been dead for a long time now but for the longest time he was the closest thing I had to family. For years I fought too make him proud, to live by the principles he held so high... It did not work because the people around me did not feel the same way. But here in Kumo... Here I can see the Will of Fire! And it inspires me!"
The crowd swelled and cheered in response, in affirmative.
Naruto looked at the awe struck Kumo genins, the three who had made the cut to reach the semis of the Third Stage.
"In each of you three and all other Kumo nins I see a little bit of myself. The determination and drive to excel and be the best you can be! I have never been a jounin-sensei and I doubt if I ever will with the duties of being Raikage but it does not stop me from teaching, and learning.
"In the years to come do not rest on your laurels. Intrigue me. Inspire me. Awe me. If I can see the Spark within I will help you. If you specialize in something I don't I will find those that can teach you. If Kumo has no specialists I will look for them among our new allies, Suna and Iwa. If it is truly esoteric and long forgotten Kumo will support your quest of self-improvement. If you can make a good case R&D or BOLT will finance your research and travels. I will not let your desire for More to go unfulfilled; those who want to learn will have avenues that are usually only available to the wealthy or shinobi clans."
Hiroshi smiled proudly puffing on his pipe.
Tsunade smiled a bittersweet smile. "Naruto wanted to be Hokage so badly. He was the one who convinced me to accept the job, as a fill in. I truly hoped that one day he would be Rokudaime. I never considered the possibility he would be the Rokudaime Raikage!" She chuckled softly.
Hiroshi shrugged. "Life is like that. Konohas loss is Kumos gain." His eyes were steely. "We have no plans to invade Konoha but we will retaliate if attacked. Put a leash on your Council Tsunade. If they go behind your back We will not be responsible for the inevitable deaths. Naruto is very much his fathers son. He will not hesitate to protect His Village which is Kumo."
Tsunade nodded slowly. "I see your point. I will remind the Council the foolishness in attacking a major village allied with two other major villages."
Gaa'ra snorted softly. "Get your evacuation plans up to date Tsunade-san. I can say with almost certainty that some idiot in Konoha will go half-cocked and spark a conflict."
Tsunade bit her lip and did not say anything. She had the feeling the Kazekage was right. She turned her attention to Naruto who was still speaking. She could see the charisma he had, the qualities of his father. Minato could make his team follow him into hell. Naruto must have that same knack to have won the love of an entire village and charmed Iwa into signing a treaty negotiated by the son of the man responsible for them losing the Konoha-Iwa war.
Naruto smiled softly seeing the slightly frightened looks of the non-Kumo candidates. He looked up. The sky was cloudy, thunderheads building, traditional Kumo weather.
He smiled more encouragingly at them. "Tell you what. Since you most likely aren't very good at fighting in this kind of weather I'll give you a handicap." He grinned at the down faces of the Kumo genins who had clear plans to use the weather. "You cannot always expect cloudy weather conditions that best suit your fighting styles so suck it up Kioshi, Zaraki, Reiko. This is the mantra of BOLT: Adapt, Improvise, Overcome!"
Momochi Wakashi frowned and stared at the Examiner, the new Raikage.
"I don't see what you can do about the weather Namikaze-sama. No one has enough chakra to move so much air and change weather systems."
The Examiner just lifted an admonishing finger. "But you are mistaken Momochi-san. You are assuming I will be Moving the clouds. I won't."
He tilted his head back to stare at the sky, his hands loose at his sides. Then he raised them above his head in a faintly cup-like formation. The yellow, purple, and red tattoos on his arm began to flare and glow and burn almost white. Chakra formed a haze around his frame, concentrated in his hands. And then he spoke the name.
"Namikaze hijutsu: Raikaze no Suzaku."
The blast of raw power left his hand and gained the form of a huge phoenix with wings that trailed fire and lightening. The moment the apparition hit the clouds it dispelled in a flare of chakra, lightening, fire and wind that ripped through the clouds, literally vaporizing them. A fine drizzle hit the stadium. The sun shone brightly creating a rainbow that arched over Kumo.
The entire stadium watched this display of casual control and power dumbstruck. Then the examiner smirked at Momochi Wakashi whose jaw was gaping.
"Satisfied? The clouds will not reform for at least a few hours. Long enough for the duels to be fought and won. Besides being from Mizu you will have an advantage with all the moisture in the air and ground."
Wakashi nodded dumbstruck. The examiner grinned satisfied with the commotion he had caused. "Good. Now I expect a relative of Momochi Zabuza to make a good show. He was one of the first shinobis I fought in battle and one of the few role models I had as a genin. He and his student taught me that being a shinobi requires great sacrifices." He glanced at the spinning display of the electronic match up. It slowed then settled to display two names. "All right folks! First match, Shumaru of Suna versus Roshinta Zakari!"
Kurenais hands were trembling. She could still feel the aftermath, the chakra burn created by such a large scale technique. She always had a very good chakra sense and years studying genjutsu had only refined it. Forcing down the reflexive terror she looked to her companions.
"Sasuke? Kakashi? Did you see anything?"
Sasuke shook his head and deactivated the Sharingan. "It was a no handseals technique like Rasengan. His chakra seemed oddly concentrated around those tattoos on his arms."
"It is probably part of the jutsu." Shikaku surmised. "I've known ANBU who get a fuuin jutsu master to seal the skeleton of a favored jutsu, so they don't have to do the complete chain of hand-seals and lose time. But I've never seen that technique used for something that is clearly an A or S class ninjutsu."
Sakura frowned and looked at Kakashi. "You can store a jutsu using fuuin jutsu?!"
"That is one of the pinnacles fuuin jutsu Sakura. But is a very dangerous and intricate field of study. Many shinobis have died trying to complete their Seal Mastery. I only know pieces I picked up from my jounin-sensei. Jiraiya is probably Konohas only living expert. And it is very doubtful he would be willing to study and duplicate such techniques for us."
Sasuke nodded sharply. He had first-hand knowledge of just how dangerous fuuin jutsu could be. His psyche had been twisted and shaped by Orochimaru via the Curse Seal.
Shikamaru shook his head slowly. " Naruto was always good at making up his own jutsus, even the really weird perverted ones. That jutsu is probably only one of many more destructive ones he has; jutsus he used in the field as Aka Arashi."
A cold chill ran down all their spines as each of them remembered just how many deaths had been attributed to Aka Arashi. But if Naruto was the Storm, who was the Flower?
Tsunade watched with fond pride as Naruto kept a firm hand on hot tempers, intefering before any more permanent damage was inflicted. He was an impartial judge not favoring one genin over the other. At the end of each duel he gave a brief critique highlighting strengths and weaknesses for the genins, things they would have to work on, even those from villages outside the Iwa-Kumo-Suna Alliance.
Shumaru of Suna versus Roshinta Zaraki of Kumo. Winner Shumaru.
Momochi Wakashi of Mizu versus Odama Kioshi of Kumo. Winner Kioshi.
Then her blood ran cold at the next match-up. Hayate Mitsuko of Konoha versus Nobuden Sakama of Iwa.
The Konoha kunoichi was out-classed by the Iwa genin given his previous displays of skill and strength. His kekkai genkai increased his skin density making it nearly impossible to injure him by an edged weapon which was her specialty.
She glanced at Dakuen looking for some reassurance and her heart sank. The Tsukikage was frowning and leaning forward slightly.
"What is it?" The Hokage wanted to know.
Dakuen looked at the Godaime levelly. "Sakamas entire clan was nearly wiped out by a Konoha assassin who managed to poison the water and food supply. More of them died on the frontlines against the Yondaime thanks to the idiocy of my predecessor. It has been very difficult for him to adjust. It doesn't help with his still living relatives shaping his opinion and views about vengeance and Konoha.
"He is one of our best. Rookie of his graduating year. He chose not to advance in the last two exams in order to focus on his private training regime. He'd participate so his teammates could have the chance to advance and then forfeit."
Tsunade turned her attention to the pit and prayed she wouldn't have to fight for the life of a Konoha genin in surgery.
"Enough!"
Sakama struggled to break free from the iron grip around his wrist and failed. He turned and glared at the one preventing him from killing his target.
Almond blue eyes were calm, almost understanding but the grip remained firm.
"Konoha destroyed my clan." He hissed.
"And they destroyed my childhood." The blonde agreed in even tones. "They beat and hurt me with words and weapons. I was thrown out of the orphanage for the sin of being a living reminder. Konoha has done terrible things against your Village and perhaps your loved ones but doesn't give you the right to lose control!
"You are not the only one to survive terrible loss and Kami knows you won't be the last. As long as there are humans there will be wars and death and survivors." Blue eyes were glacial laced with the subtle killing intent of an experienced nin. Sakama couldn't help but stare and listen to this jounin, no this Kage; the son of the man who nearly decimated Iwa. "They are hypocritical trash but that doesn't mean you should lower yourself to their level and kill all those you fear and hate.
"You want to rub their faces in their incompetence in their faces. You want to show them just how weak they are. You want them to live in fear, terrified of shadows and the dark. You want them to Know you held their lives in your hand but it wasn't worth the effort, not when you aren't getting paid to kill."
Sakama relaxed minutely, almost hypnotized by the flowing cadence and logic.
"Don't you hate them? For what they did to you? How did you bear it?" He wanted to know. He wanted to know just how this shinobi did it.
The blonde smiled gently and released his hold. "I had few people I cared for, those who cared for me. They gave me purpose as a child. When I grew older I found I needed more... Things they could not give me, things others refused to give me so I left." His eyes became more solemn. "Remember, every nin you kill also has family, people who love him or her, a spouse, a parent, a child. When you kill them you hurt others just like your own clan was hurt.
"Kill, but do it because you need to, not for petty vengeance. Remember! You are a shinobi, not a murderer. We kill only in the line of duty, in defense of our village and kin, not out of some petty destructive emotion like vengeance or hatred that will consume you. You are better than that!"
Sakama nodded slowly and blinked back tears as the large hand gripped his shoulder in a display of affection.
"Shousha Nobuden Sakama!" The large hand patted his back. "Get going. Your team and sensei is waiting for you." An encouraging shove sent the Iwa genin on his way towards his team and sensei with a fresh new perspective and new idol.
Hayate Mitsuko cringed, waiting for the final blow. Her ears were ringing, she was certain she had fractures in her forearms from blocking the impact of the Iwa genins blows. But it never came.
She could no longer see the red spots through her eyelids. The sun was blocked. Gingerly she opened her eyes and peered up.
A tall blonde kami was standing over her. The light created a halo around the spikey mess of golden hair. The cream coat flapped around his braced legs as he stretched out a hand to her.
She blinked slowly. He was beautiful. Blue eyes slanted under straight brows, the narrow straight nose, absolutely masculine features, the intriguing faint white lines around his mouth. He reminded her of someone.
"Am I dead?" She asked faintly.
He looked amused. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I must be in heaven. You look like the Yondaime Hokage."
He blinked. "I think you might have a concussion Hayate-san. Lets get you to the medics." Carefully he helped her to her feet when she stumbled. Her ankle had twisted in the unbalanced fall. He made a tsking sound and carefully slipped one arm behind her shoulders and another behind her knees to carry her bridal style ignoring her protests. "Hush now Hayate-san. Once the medics agree you can walk on your own two feet."
Mitsuko frowned and protested. "I still think I'm in heaven. You look just like the carving of the Yondaime on the Hokage Monument."
He chuckled, a low rich sound. "That is because he is a relative."
Mitsuko blinked. "If he is a relative then what are you doing in Kumo? You should be in Konoha!"
He was quiet though he continued to walk. "Why don't you ask your sensei that question Hayate-san? If he cannot answer feel free to talk to your parents, any jounin, even the Clan Heads and the Councilors in Konoha."
Mitsuko frowned but nodded.
A few seconds later they were at the edge of the dueling grounds where Shino-sensei was waiting.
Mitsuko did not protest as her sensei took her from the not-Yondaime. He had often carried her home after a hard training session. Vaguely she heard the not-Yondaime talk to Shino-sensei.
Naruto nodded at Shino. He wasn't sure what to say to the Aburame. His clan was one of the few who supported his jounin application though they had little influence to push it through.
"Shino."
Shino nodded in response. "Naruto. How is she?"
"A mild concussion. She isn't quite certain of her surroundings. She should sleep it off just fine."
Shino frowned faintly before speaking. "You left Konoha."
Naruto raised a faint ironic brow. "If you were in my shoes would you have stayed?"
"True. I would have smuggled into a merchant caravan to get out of Konoha as soon as I was old enough." Shino admitted.
Naruto snorted. "Oh I tried that often enough but the ANBU always found me."
Both nins stared at Mitsuko who stirred in her senseis arms and blinked slowly.
"Shino-sensei?"
"Yes Mitsuko?"
"Why is Yondaime-samas relative not in Konoha?"
Shino stiffened and looked at Naruto who explained. "I think she is a little out of it. She thought she was in Heaven and I was the Yondaime."
"But you look so much like him!" Mitsuko protested. "Just like the pictures!"
Naruto grinned, a feral expectant expression. "I told her to ask you, and her parents and any shinobi including the Clan Elders."
With that little bombshell he turned on one foot and strode off cream coat flapping, the kanji for storm almost afire on his broad back.
"Shino, what did he say?"
Shino turned to look at Kurenai. Sakura was already standing in front of him quickly running a diagnostic and healing Mitsuko.
"He didn't say anything." Shino said finally. "Just that Mitsuko probably has a concussion." He struggled briefly. "Mitsuko thought he was the Yondaime. She said he looked so much like the Yondaime and wanted to know why he wasn't living in Konoha. Naruto told her to ask me, and everyone else in Konoha."
The jounins looked at the genin who was out of it having been sedated by Sakura.
"She is going to want to know." Kurenai surmised grimly. "The more we refuse to answer the more she will want to know. If we lie the Godaime will find out and she will blow up."
Neji shook his head. "There has been enough lies. Too many in fact. It is time the Council and everyone responsible admit their sins and make reparations."
Shikamaru sighed. "Why don't we just table this for now? There are still two more matches to watch."
...ooOoo...
TBC…
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AN: BOLT mantra: Adapt, Improvise, Overcome... shamelessly stolen from the Marines. I believe they (or some branch of the US military) have that motto.
AN: The formal meeting between Naruto and Tsunade and the rest of Konoha will take place in the next two chapters. Until then, Adios!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone