Chapitre 18: Chapter 18
An Anbu woke Naruto from his sleep. He had slept more than he usually did. He did not complain though. The sleep was needed to rest his body. He figured the Anbu was to call him about the situation with Danzou. The Root Anbu he had left alive had already taken the old war hawk to the hospital. This meant that Tsunade was now aware of his situation. Tsunade probably suspected him to have been the cause of the Root commanders' state of health.
Well, he was the one who caused Danzou the damage. But he deserved it. He would have liked it if the man had not done anything stupid. The Sandaime's former teammates could not do anything without him being their brain. With how defeated the old war hawk was now, he could do nothing.
But a man like Danzou could never be put down. Even when the Sandaime caught him in his attempt to assassinate him, he continued to do dirty work. The Sandaime had spared his life. But that did not stop him from committing more acts of treason in his disillusioned quest of protecting Konoha.
The man was a fanatic in shinobi ideals. He believed shinobi rules had to be followed and shinobi were to give their lives for their village. But yet he himself never wanted to die. Shimura Danzou was afraid of death.
With all his powers taken away from him, he would live in constant fear. He still had his enemies. Without any power to protect himself, he would surely be living in fear - fear that his enemies might come to crush him while he was down. It would be amusing for Naruto to watch though.
''Tell her I will there in a few minutes,'' Naruto said to the Anbu. It was the same man who had disturbed him while he was busy. Remembering that did not make him feel any good. Not with the fact that Tsunade had made a mockery of him by giving him the title of Sannin. They did not end their conversation well that day. No wonder Tsunade had been staying away from his way. She had never talked to him ever since that day.
''Hai,'' the Anbu said and disappeared. He had learned his lesson. He would not be returning here again to tell the man that Tsunade wanted him. He also knew that Tsunade had also learned the lesson, never annoy Uchiha Naruto.
Naruto closed the door and went back to his room. Sighing, he put on his armour. Odd, he not been wearing his forehead protector for days now, and no one had said anything about it. They had all stayed quite about it. Naruto looked at the metal plate for a moment before putting it on his forehead. It had been long since he actually felt good. Wearing his armour made him feel good.
He had much to do for the day. He needed complete focus. Given the circumstances surrounding him, he could not completely focus. At least his armour brought back some focus.
Naruto disappeared in a swirl of flames
Hokage's office
Tsunade and Jiraiya, the usual suspects. Both seemed to have been waiting for him to appear before them. Jiraiya had a rather serious expression on his face. It did not make Naruto feel uncormfotable or afraid about anything. He simply looked at both Sannins blankly. The pervert was returning his stare.
Tsunade on the other hand was not. Their previous conversation was making her uneasy around the blond. He had frankly scared her that day.
Flashback
Tsunade was furious. Naruto was having the nerve to refuse her summon. Who did that? All her shinobi were under her control, no one refused her summons. Doing such a thing was insubordination and there were heavy penalties for such a thing. Today she would show that brat who the boss was. He was running the show like it was his. No, today she would show him that she was the one in charge. She was the Godaime Hokage.
She was not just the Godaime Hokage, she was the world's strongest Kunoichi and one of the legendary Sannin. Her strength was legendary. Not even Orochimaru dared to infuriate her. He knew she was dangerous when mad. But Naruto was doing that. He certainly did not know her.
He thought that just because he had a special eye that gave him powers and was the hero of Kiri meant he could disrespect her authority. He was still a brat and needed to be shown his place. If she did not do it now, he would continue to disrespect her word.
The word of the Hokage was law. Nobody had the right to go against it. Doing so resulted in heavy consequences. Naruto was not getting that. He was living like his own word was law. He was still in Konoha, the village her grandfather founded. In here, she was the ruler.
Who did that brat think he was to tell her that he was busy when she had summoned him? Not even Jiraiya had the nerve to do something like that.
Tsunade cracked her knuckles. She would certainly...
The air in the office became cold. Which was odd because Naruto had just appeared in a swirl of black flames? Flames were supposed to be hot, not cold. So why did the room feel so cold after Naruto's appearance? Was it just her? No, it certainly was not. She could feel that her Anbu had also felt it too. They reacted to the coldness. She was not the only one feeling it.
Tsunade looked at Naruto's yes. They were staring at her hypnotically. They were also steel cold. The coldness seemed to freeze all her anger. The coldness in his eyes did not make her feel comfortable. She no longer felt like she could or wanted to punish Naruto for his insubordination.
''What is it so important that you had to disturb my work?'' his tone never betrayed the look on his eyes. It was cold and demanding. Tsunade was surprised; he never used that kind of tone to her. He had always stayed blank or neutral when speaking to her.
Tsunade steeled herself. And battled against the coldness that was threatening to consume her. ''You have gone too far Naruto. You are a shinobi of this village and under my control. You don't do whatever you please in this village. When I call you to my office, I expect you to be in my office! I do not care-'' Naruto cut her off while she was still ranting.
''Tsunade,'' again the tone was cold, but this time it felt like death. It reached down deep in to her heart and cut clean all her defensives. Naruto had never called her by her name before.
Tsunade was not seeing the usual calm and collected Naruto who never showed any emotions. This one was emitting the red lights. Even her Anbu felt ready to jump in at any time.
Tsunade breathed deeply and held her nerve. She was the Godaime Hokage and was not going to back down in a challenge by a brat. She had to show guts in front of her subordinates. If she did not do that, Naruto would continue to disrespect her, she was not going to have that.
The Godaime Hokage hardened her glare at Naruto. She mastered all the power she could and raised her chakra as high as she could. ''Listen brat, I am Hokage here and I will not allow you to undermine my rule!''
''Senju,'' Naruto stated in a rather calm and smooth tone. He had brushed off the weight of Tsunade's chakra like it was nothing. He raised his own for a second shattering any confidence Tsunade had.
Even though it was raised for just a second, Tsunade felt it. It was not anything good. It felt like it had pressed her down for minutes instead of the second it was brought out. She looked into Naruto's eyes carefully and saw the really annoyed look on his face. She felt cold shivers down her spine.
''Why did you send for me?''
''I wanted to tell you that I had given you the title of Sannin giving you the same rights as Jiraiya,'' Tsunade stated quickly not wanting to look into his eyes further.
The only thing that came out of Naruto's mouth was, ''mxm'' and then he was gone.
Tsunade was mocking him. How could she call him when he was busy to inform him of a title he did not value? Sannin were nothing to him. The title held no value to him; it was a mockery to his power to give him that title. He had already told Jiraiya and Orochimaru what he thought about the title. In the mood he was in, commenting on such a thing was not worth it.
Tsunade felt relieved with his departure. She was not going to call him anytime soon. She felt though he was even more displeased that she had called him just to inform him that she was giving him the title of Sannin. Jiraiya had informed her that he did not think too high of the title.
Flashback end
''What is it?'' Naruto asked the two Sannin's with his hands folded across his chest.
''Danzou,'' Jiraiya stated seriously with his eyes narrowing at Naruto suspiciously. He was more willing to talk than Tsunade who seemed hesitant.
''What about him?'' he knew already what they were referring to, but because he was in a good mood he would play oblivious to the whole thing. Telling Tsunade that he had been responsible would only complicate things with him and Konoha, now anyway. He would have to have had reasons to do it. Good thing he had planned for such a thing. He just had to set things in motion.
''He is currently at the hospital. When he was brought there by one of his Ne Anbu, he was barely alive. Shizune and I managed to save his life. He was in a bad condition. His right eye was removed and his right hand was also removed. One of his leg was crushed and unfortunately, I could do nothing to save it,'' Tsunade stated calmly. Her tone was low unlike any other days. She had been alarmed when she saw the state in which Danzou was. She could not understand who could have done such a thing to the old war hawk. Danzou may have been old but even she knew he was no pushover.
''I went to check his bases, and found something sickening. His entire Root force was slaughtered. The walls were bloody, corpses were all over. They were killed by wood. We also found some traces of black flames,'' Jiraiya stated in the same serious tone he had used earlier.
''So?'' Naruto said taking a seat because he knew this was going to be some meeting.
''Did you have anything to do with it? I can't find anyone heartless and cold enough to do something like that...'' Jiraiya said it without fear. Anyone who would slaughter an entire Anbu organization had to ruthless and heartless.
''Always the suspect,'' Naruto said keeping his expression unreadable.
''Did you do it?''
''Maybe...'' was all Naruto said.
''All the evidence point against you Naruto! You and Itachi are the only ones capable of using black flames because of your Mangekyou Sharingan! The Ne were killed with Mokuton and the only known users are you and Tenzou. There is also a question we have not asked you; how can you use Mokuton? As far as we know only the Shodai could use it. We know why Tenzou can use it. You on the other hand we can't.'' Jiraiya voiced out his thoughts. All the evidence did point to Naruto.
Itachi could not have done it. He did not kill like that. If he had managed to sneak into the village, he would have known because he had been monitoring the Uchiha's movements. He had kept a close eye on him. He could not have entered the village without his knowledge. Itachi also did not use Mokuton jutsu. The Ne were laid waste by Mokuton jutsu. It could not have been him.
Tenzou a Mokuton jutsu user, was a loyal shinobi to the village. He could not have done it. Tenzou was not strong enough to accomplish the feat. They also could tell where the man was during the night.
But Naruto was another story. The blond could use Mokuton and black flames. He was also powerful enough killed the Ne. He was also cold enough to do it without care. Everything else pointed to the blond.
The problem was proving it. There were no witnesses, even Naruto's chakra signature or scent was not found in the Root bases. Inuzuka dogs had already sniffed around the place. There was no trace of Naruto's presence. The pieces of wood gave no indication of who the user was. Naruto could deny everything. But Jiraiya was sure it was him. Asking was just a way to get a confession.
''Interesting,'' Naruto said after being called cold and heartless. He was no way insulted by those words. They were just words that people say whenever they felt like it. He cared less for it.
''You are not answering the question Naruto,'' Tsunade said composing herself as Hokage now. She held no love for Danzou, she would have even rejoiced if he had been killed. She hated him with all her being. But could not do anything against him because he always appeared clean.
''I have no need to give you an answer,'' Naruto said calmly.
''Naruto, this matter is serious and needs to be solved quickly. What do you think will happen when the villagers find out that one of the Anbu organization was wiped out and their leader left crippled?'' Jiraiya questioned forcefully trying to get the blond to talk. Like Tsunade he did not care for Danzou, but the matter itself was serious. They needed answers to help solve and cover things up so that villagers were not put into a state of panic.
''They will panic thinking of another massacre,'' Naruto stated calmly. He looked between Jiraiya and Tsunade. ''But I don't see anyone crying over Danzou's situation. I have to say though; I am pleased with what has happened to him. He was an arrogant old fool who thought he could control everything behind the shadows,'' he was not going to hide his dislike of the old war hawk. Everyone knew he did not like him. There was no point in hiding it.
''Yes no one is complaining, but Danzou is an important figure to the village. Root also had its uses. Although I would hate to admit it, Danzou had trained them well. We cannot simply turn a blind eye when something like this happen,'' Tsunade said looking straight at Naruto.
She would not be doing a good job as Hokage if she allowed things to happen without questioning. She had to get answers to be able to deal with the situation. She could deal with it properly if she did not know all the details.
''You know Danzou was evil. He did so many things that could have had him executed long ago. But the Sandaime allowed him to live. You also know he has committed acts of treason, but yet you were doing nothing,'' Naruto paused for a moment. ''Both of you have been weak to act against the man. You could have handled him a long time ago, but you failed. It's fine though. What happened is much more satisfying that what you could have done.''
''What are you saying?''
''Danzou got what he deserved. He should have been taken care of long ago. Root should not have been existing as of now, but it was existing. He was just another piece of war that was lingering around trying to pollute the world with his ideas. But now that he has nothing, he is much more amusing to watch,'' Naruto gave his reply to the Sannins. It was amusing for him to watch the great commander of Root struggling. He should go to the hospital and watch him struggle to stay in perfect health at the hospital. The punishment he delivered to the man was pleasing to him.
''I might not pity him, but we cannot overlook some things. We would not be doing a good job if we just let things slide,'' Tsunade stated. She did not pity Danzou. Not even a little. If anything she could have wished she would one day be his judge. He had always acted high and almighty towards her. But now he was down to earth and humbled.
Jiraiya nodded agreeing with Tsunade. ''This matter is serious and has to be handled well so that we cannot have it again. It is like the Uchiha massacre all over again,'' he said shaking his head.
''When I say that Danzou should not have been alive, I meant it. He did so many acts of treason and yet your sensei did not punish him, he simply allowed him to live and watch him do what he pleased,'' Naruto said to the two.
''And you don't do what you please,'' Jiraiya said sacarstically under his breath.
Naruto heard him but he was not going to comment on it - it was not worth the effort. ''When your sensei took over as Hokage for the second term, Danzou was against the idea, he wanted to be Hokage. But Sarutobi beat him to it. He felt bitter that the position had slipped through his fingers again. It was Sarutobi who was standing in the way of his quest,'' he paused for a moment looking at the two Sannins carefully. ''He hated how Sarutobi did things, and so he sent assassins after the Sandaime. With the Sandaime killed, he could become Hokage.''
If they had said it was somebody else they would have been shocked. But because it was Danzou, they were not. The man was capable of doing anything. It was not past him to attempt to have the Sandaime killed for the position of Hokage. Everyone knew that he was after the seat. He had been after it for a long time now. But each time Sarutobi had always stood in his way.
''Considering that it is Danzou we are talking about, I would not find that hard to believe. But such an act is treason and Danzou should have been executed for. Even if it happened, sensei would have told me about it,'' Jiraiya stated. His sensei had always been honest with him. It was they got along, even when sometimes he hated some of the choices the Sandaime made. He could not think that he would have kept something serious like that from him.
''You believe that your sensei would tell you everything,'' Naruto said. It was no question. ''How foolish and ignorant,'' he finished.
''Watch what you say Naruto! I am not those council fools!'' Jiraiya stated firmly glaring at the blond. He was not going to have Naruto speak to him the way he wanted. He should know that he was a Sannin and deserved some respect.
Tsunade merely shook her head. She was used to this sight. When talking with Naruto, it was given that he would say things like that. Jiraiya had known him longer than she had and yet he seemed not used to hearing the blond say things like that. Her teammate really should learn how to handle the blond or at least have a conversation with him without getting pissed with what he was saying.
''Yes, you are a Sannin. Orochimaru said the same thing before I killed him,'' Naruto said brushing off the title of Sannin. This caused Jiraiya to harden his glare. Tsunade remained calm. She was not going to get worked over things like these.
''But the thing is anyone who believes that their sensei can tell them everything is a fool and ignorant of certain things,'' Naruto continued. He believed that because it was true. No matter how close one was to their sensei, they would never be told everything.
Sensei's only tell their students what they want them to hear and know. He knew that Madara only showed him what he wanted him to know. It was necessary that he showed him everything he was shown. From far it may look a lot, but Naruto knew that there are certain things that Madara kept to himself - things that he would not find anywhere no matter how much effort he puts on the search.
''Are you speaking from experience?''
''Maybe, but that is just the truth that even a child should know,'' Naruto said. ''As I was saying, Danzou attempted to have the Sandaime killed because he believed he was no longer worthy and suitable for leading the village. But the Sandaime found out about the assassination attempt. Do you know what he did?''
How could they know if they were not even aware of the treason Danzou had committed?
''Nothing,'' Naruto said. ''Not even a slap. He just allowed him to continue living like he had been.''
''What evidence do you have to prove this?'' Tsunade asked. Those were some serious allegations. If she had been in her sensei's shoes, she would have had the old war hawk executed. It was what he deserved. Anybody who attempted to have the Hokage killed should be killed, not allowed to live like everything was okay. If he did it once, what would stop him from doing it again?
''Ask Kakashi, he was the one who told the Sandaime about it. At that time he was still working for Danzou when it happened.''
''Kakashi was also involved in this?'' Jiraiya asked but he got no answer from Naruto. The blond was not going to answer a question he had already provided with an answer.
''If it is true, I can't believe that old fool could do something like that,'' Tsunade said. She knew her sensei very well. He could at times be senile, cunning and manipulative like Danzou when he wanted things to go his way. But sometimes he could be the kindest person you can find. She also knew that he was very forgiving, and she would not put it past him to allow Danzou to live after what he had done.
''Allowing Danzou to live was not the only foolish choice the Sandaime made,'' Naruto stated impassively. His eyes looked the two in front of him intensively to see their reaction. The reaction they gave him made him smile inwardly.
Things were now proceeding his way
''He also allowed Orochimaru to leave the village after catching him experimenting. The Sandaime could not bring himself to kill or arrest his favorite student. He simply stood and allowed him to run away,'' Naruto revealed another thing both the Sannin were not aware of despite Orochimaru being their former teammate and the Sandaime their sensei.
''Sensei did what?'' that came from Jiraiya's mouth.
''Orochimaru was the favorite student, both of you know that. The Sandaime saw him as someone who could succeed him as Hokage. Even when all facts pointed out that Orochimaru was evil, he could not bring himself to believe it, hence his denial over the issue. He did deny him the position of Hokage. But could not do anything when he had caught him red handed.''
It certainly was a foolish move by the Sandaime to allow Orochimaru to escape. Perhaps he may have been in shock, but he was the Hokage and had to act as one.
''Can you prove it?'' Jiraiya asked with narrowed eyes.
''No,'' Naruto answered with a nonchalant shrug. ''Both the Sandaime and Orochimaru are dead,'' he said.
Jiraiya wanted to tell Naruto that he should keep his mouth shut if he did not have the evidence to back his allegations. But it hit him, when has Naruto ever lied to him? What purpose would it serve for Naruto to lie? He was not the one to lie, he would rather say no than lie.
''Do you know that Danzou worked with Orochimaru in upducting children for the latter experiments? Orochimaru fled from the village because of it. But Danzou stayed behind, no one did anything to him. The Sandaime knew it, but he refused to take any action against that fool,'' Naruto said again revealing some things.
Jiraiya this time nodded. ''I always knew that Danzou worked with Orochimaru, I just could never prove it,'' he stated. He had tried to get the evidence to prove that indeed that the old war hawk had been involved with Orochimaru's sick ways.
''He is quite sneaky,'' Naruto stated. Danzou was good at covering his tracks, very good. But for him, no rather Zetsu to miss something was just close to impossible. That made him effective to gather Intel.
''Yes, he is,'' Tsunade said in agreement. That man knew how to play his cards. He knew when to strike and when not to. She was never able to catch him on the act.
''Danzou also tried once to steal Kakashi's Sharingan after fearing that his own would go blind due to overuse,'' Naruto could see the shocked reactions from both Sannin's. Yes, things were certainly going the way he wanted them.
''Hold on Naruto, are you saying that Danzou had a Sharingan?''
Naruto really disliked being asked obvious questions. But for things to proceed nicely, he would have to bare with it.
''That is what I just said, isn't?''
''There were some speculation about it, but even so I find it hard to believe,'' Jiraiya said quietly.
''It is not hard to believe for me. That man worships the Sharingan. He sees it as a perfect weapon. I would not shocked if he had killed an Uchiha just to get it,'' Tsunade stated. She would never need prove to actually believe that Danzou had the Sharingan implanted on himself.
''I have always wondered what his bandages were hiding since it was obviously not injuries he claimed to have suffered,'' then Jiraiya stared at Naruto. ''This explains why his right eye was gorged out. But it also gives you motive to attack him. If Danzou had a stolen Sharingan then the head clan of the Uchiha clan would have surely done something to get it back,'' he said.
Naruto had anticipated Jiraiya to say something like that. Yes, things were certainly going according to plan. He could see Tsunade's eyes firmly on him to see how he would answer this one.
''You are correct, that is how any head clan would react,'' Naruto said surprising the two Sannins who were expecting him to deny or try to get out of what Jiraiya had implied. ''But,'' they thought he would say something like ''that is not how I would react'', but that did not come. ''That is not important. The important matter is that Danzou is a criminal. I know that you Jiraiya do not know that he took part in the Sound/Sand invasion by assisting Orochimaru.''
''What would he gain by doing something like that?''
Before Naruto could reply, there was a knock in the door. 'Ah, just in time...' he thought.
''Enter!'' Tsunade said looking towards the door.
Uchiha Sasuke entered the office holding a pile of files. Tsunade raised a curious brow at this, ''what is it Sasuke? As you can see I am currently busy,'' she said calmly.
''You must be busy questioning Naruto about Danzou, no?''
''What is it?'' Jiraiya asked in place of Tsunade with suspicious eyes.
''I came here to report about an S-rank operation that was carried out last night by the Military Police Force,'' Sasuke stated with a straight face.
''Are you saying that you were the one that almost killed Danzou and slaughtered his Root?'' Tsunade asked with a serious tone she had not been using in front of Naruto before Sasuke came.
Sasuke shook his head, ''I said it was done by the Police Force, but that does not necessarily mean that I did it,'' he stated.
The two Sannin's eyes immediately went to Naruto. There was no one who could have done it other than him. There was no member in the Police as of yet other than Sasuke and him. The shinobi Tsunade had given Sasuke were not yet members' officially just trainees.
''You,'' Tsunade glared at Naruto.
''I knew it was him. There is no one cold and heartless like him enough to do it. He would never mind dirtying his hands,'' that came from Jiraiya's mouth.
Tsunade turned to Sasuke. ''On whose Authority did you permit such an act? What possessed you enough to allow such an operation?''
''On my authority, Hokage-sama,'' Sasuke replied calmly not threatened by Tsunade's hard glare.
''Your authority?'' Tsunade released a bitter chuckle. ''You have no authority Uchiha. You cannot perform such a task within the village without my approval!''
''I can do that,'' Sasuke said surprising both Tsunade and Jiraiya. ''The Police Force was formed to eliminate internal threats and to be a watcher of other shinobi. While we have no authority to act against Anbu under your control without your permission and hard evidence, we could act against Danzou. He had his own military force that according to Konoha does not exist. His Root was loyal to him and him only. Root was not under your control, but under Danzou's.''
''Why?'' the question was why Sasuke had permitted such a task.
''He was guilty of countless treason acts dating back to the Second Shinobi World War. As for his Root, they were just as guilty. They performed such acts without a second thought. They did anything that Danzou ordered them to do, even if the order was to kill the Hokage. He was also guilty of stealing Uchiha property and most recently, the kidnapping of Uzumaki Karin and Uzuki Yugao,'' Sasuke explained placing the files he held on Tsunade's desk.
Tsunade and Jiraiya quickly went through the files. They saw the evidence of everything that Naruto had been telling them. There was also evidence that Danzou had worked secretly with Root to try to get the peace treaty between Konoha and Iwagakure scrapped because he did not want it. He wanted the war between the two villages to continue until Konoha crushed Iwa.
There were a number of other operations that Danzou did along with Orochimaru. Some of the things were sickening. Both Sannin's clearly saw how Root's loyalty to Danzou was deep. If they were willing to assassinate the Hokage so that Danzou could become Hokage, what more could they do?
It was not beyond them to start a rebellion causing a civil war in the village, if Danzou had gotten tired of waiting for the title of Hokage. They would have also not laid back should Danzou's life be in danger by Konoha if his crimes were discovered.
It took some minutes for the Sannins to go through all the files. And when they did, both sighed and took a few moments of silence. Tsunade leaned back on her chair rubbing her temple.
She could not believe that Danzou had done it all, added to that, he had kidnapped Yugao and Karin - the only two women who seemed to be close to Naruto. He had gone far, that she would agree. She was not even surprised that Naruto had decided to lay waste of Root and leave Danzou crippled, for real this time.
There was evidence that proved that Danzou should have been executed ago. She could not deny the evidence. This also proved that the Police Force was well within its rights to do such an operation. With all the evidence, she would have to get Danzou executed. She was not going to watch him suffer. Executing him was the best option. Taking risks with a man like Danzou was certainly something she would avoid.
But still, ''I would have liked it you told me about this first,'' the Godaime Hokage stated.
''It was necessary that nobody knew of it. Danzou had his eyes everywhere. Could you imagine what would happen if his Root got wind that their master was going to be executed?'' Sasuke asked looking straight to Tsunade.
''They would have rebelled. I don't think that Danzou would have just lied down so that he could be killed,'' Jiraiya replied instead of Tsunade.
''Exactly,'' Sasuke said. ''That is why Root had to be eliminated first before Danzou, and without anyone knowing,'' of course, Naruto had killed them only for what happened to Karin and Yugao, and Sasuke knew that.
''You planned these all didn't you?'' Jiraiya questioned looking straight at Naruto. ''You are the one who supplied Sasuke with all the evidence. He could not have gotten his hands on such files on his own.''
Naruto did not comment. This forced Jiraiya to speak again. ''Although I find this suspicious, I will not deny that Danzou is indeed guilty of countless treasons and criminal activity. With all this evidence, he can be executed and we will not have to worry about Root doing anything against the village.''
Tsunade nodded to Jiraiya's words. ''At least we can now deal with him,'' she said. ''Sasuke, you can go, but I expect you to be at the council chambers today 1pm sharp,'' Tsunade stated. He would have to explain things to the council. It was his operation.
Sasuke nodded and went to take his files but Tsunade stopped him. ''What are you doing?''
''These are files of the first operation of the new Police Force. The evidence will be locked inside our HQ, this is also a classified matter,'' Sasuke explained.
''Can't you give me copies?''
Sasuke shook his head. ''That is not according to our policies. Evidence gathered by the Police Force belongs to the Police Force. You alone can only be allowed to see them. I am even reporting this because this matter is of high sensitivity.''
Tsunade sighed, ''Fine,'' she said. ''Just make sure you bring them at the meeting later.''
Sasuke nodded and took all his files before going away. He had done what he had come to do.
Tsunade looked at Naruto. One could think that the Police Force was just used by him to get away with what he did. But of course, she could not deny that Danzou was a threat to the village's peace. He was guilty for the crimes, but Naruto had to have had all the evidence all along. He did nothing though. The only conclusion she came up with was that he had moved now because Danzou had kidnapped Yugao and Karin.
If Danzou had not done so, then he would have not done anything. He would have kept the evidence with himself and released it only when it was convenient for him to do so. She really needed to work on that. Naruto had more Intel, knowledge to secrets than she and Jiraiya had.
The first question had to be asked, how does he get the information? She could say that some information he got from Orochimaru. But what about village secrets? It had been long suspected before she even came back to the village that Naruto knew and had a lot more secrets. No one was just able to find them since he never left anything behind.
''We have to talk about some things,'' Jiraiya said finally breaking Tsunade out of her thoughts. ''But first, we told you that we know how Tenzou can use Mokuton; we don't know how you can.''
Naruto looked at Jiraiya for a moment before looking at Tsunade. Nothing would posses him to tell them of the secrets to his body. Nobody could know about it. Some things were better left unsaid. Tsunade would surely call for his execution if she found out that he had her grandfather's DNA implanted on him.
''Genkai Kekkei,'' Naruto said shortly.
''We know that, but how? Both your parents did not have it.''
''I refuse to answer,'' Naruto stated. ''It is the same as you asked me about the origins of my Sharingan.''
Jiraiya lost his serious expression and sighed, he should have expected this; Naruto only gave answers when it was convenient for him.
''...about the title of Sannin?'' Tsunade asked quietly.
''You should know that I see no value in such a title, why should I be happy about such a title?'' Naruto asked.
''The title will give you the rights you wanted,'' Tsunade stated.
''No,'' Naruto said calmly. ''I won't accept it. It is an insult to me. I have already told you what I feel about your pathetic title, haven't I?'' Naruto eyes were boring into the toad sage.
''Abundantly,'' Jiraiya said. The blond never did respect his title. Sannin meant nothing to the blond. Many people were afraid to even start a fight with him, or any Sannin, but Naruto just shrugged them off as some pathetic shinobi clinging onto a title.
Tsunade nodded with a sigh, ''you will get your permit,'' she said. ''I had just thought it would prove beneficiary to Konoha should the Sannin's be restored. Not everyone thinks of Sannin the way you do.''
''That is because everybody else does not see things as I do. Even you should not be proud of a title given after failure.''
Both Sannins refused to respond to that. None of them ever liked of being reminded of the fact that their title was received after they were defeated by Hanzou. Despite that, they were proud of their title. They were not just some normal shinobi, they were kage-level shinobi.
''You will get what you want,'' Tsunade said. ''But I want you to share with me some village secrets that I am not aware of. You seem to know more than I do.''
''That is doable,'' Naruto said.
''I thought you were going to refuse that...'' Jiraiya stated looking at Naruto.
Naruto merely shrugged. ''Is it all?''
''When will you start sharing?''
''In due time,'' Naruto replied. He was not going to tell more secrets than he had already done. It would be unwise for him to do so.
''Akatsuki needs to be discussed. I have looked at the files you gave me. Some of the members seem troublesome but nothing that can't be handled,'' Jiraiya stated.
''They have been quite so far, but it will only do us good if we prepare for them,'' Tsunade added to what Jiraiya had said.
''But before we begin that. We must talk about the Kyuubi. The Akatsuki are after it rather than you.''
''What of the Kyuubi?'' Naruto asked.
''Back in Kiri you summoned it. When I asked you about it, you refused to say anything,'' Jiraiya remembered that time very well.
''So your question is; how can I summon the Kyuubi?'' Jiraiya nodded. ''Because I can,'' Naruto answered.
''Why do you resist on telling why you can do it? Is it because you are controlling it with your Sharingan?''
An eye brow from Naruto rose at those words, ''you believe I can do something like...'' that were by no means a question. ''I am not controlling Kyuubi with my Sharingan. I will say the same thing as I said before; I can summon it because I can.''
''That is not really an answer,'' Tsunade said quietly.
''It should not be even possible for you to summon it if its sealed inside of you. I believe Minato's seal was strong enough to stop something like that from happening,'' in all accounts, it should not be possible for a Jinchuriki to summon his/her bijuu. It is only possible to summon a Bijuu that is not sealed, but even so, one had to be in contract with a Bijuu.
If Naruto could summon the Kyuubi, it had to mean that it was no longer sealed inside of him. But that would also be impossible, no one can survive the extraction of a Bijuu, especially a strong one like the Kyuubi. If Naruto had released the Kyuubi, then he would have died.
''It really should not matter if I can summon the Kyuubi or not,'' Naruto said. ''What is of importance is that the Kyuubi is safe and secured.''
''I guess you are right. We are trying to keep it away from the hands of Akatsuki. But then again, if they want to get it, they would have to go through you first,'' Tsunade said with a sigh.
If they were going to go through Naruto, then the task would surely be a hard one. With what he had done, she had no doubt a single S-rank criminal would not be able to take him down. There was also Jiraiya, Sasuke and Kakashi - with them around, the Kyuubi would surely be safe. But the other villagers do have the same protection as they do.
Jiraiya sighed, ''Well as long as we still have it,'' he said. ''Then what are we going to do about them?''
''I have already told you I will deal with the leader,'' Naruto stated. ''None of the other members interests me, but should they come my way, I will not have any problem in making sure they are no okay.''
''That makes me curious as to who he is since you won't say his name,'' Jiraiya said shaking his head. ''I will head to Suna today and after that I will go straight to Kumogakure to inform the Raikage of what we know.''
''That sounds good,'' Tsunade stated with a small smile.
''I believe that is all,'' Naruto said standing up from his seat.
''Don't forget to be at the council meeting today at 1pm,'' Tsunade stated. He was part of the council being the Uchiha head clan, hence his required presence at the meeting.
Naruto did not say anything to the Hokage. He simply disappeared in a swirl of flames.
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya, ''I hope I won't regret giving him the same rights as you,'' she said.
''You won't,'' Jiraiya said in a comforting tone. ''With things like this, we can watch him move closely since he will have to report to you when he does leave the village. I do know that he won't tell you each time he leaves. But it is better this way.''
''I hope you are right, Jiraiya.''
''Of course I am. Let us just allow him to think that he can do and get whatever he wants. We don't know what his motives are. Until then, we keep things this way.''
''How long then, are we going to play it like this?''
''Not long, I have a feeling that things will shape up soon,'' Jiraiya said with a thoughtful look on his face.
Uchiha compound
''Everything went well?'' Sasuke asked as Naruto appeared inside their house.
''Yes,'' Naruto replied. He had asked Sasuke to cover for him since he had not bothered to erase anything that would link him to the incident in Danzou's bases. Sasuke was more than willing to do so after he had told the Uchiha why he had done what he did. He had also supplied Sasuke with the evidence against Danzou.
Of course that was all done last night after he had punished Danzou and talked with Zetsu. He knew that Tsunade would ask questions and the only person they would suspect would be him. Even if he had erased all evidence inside the Root bases, they would have still suspected it was him. They just could never prove it.
He liked how things were at the moment. He did not want any more complications than he could handle at once. Dealing with so many troubles would only give him much to think about. This will cause him to divide his efforts into doing certain things. He liked to focus much on a few things to achieve results that would be pleasing to him.
If Tsunade and Jiraiya started to play suspicious than they had already been, it would prove bothersome. Not that he could not handle the two Sannins. He wanted them to be in charge, they were doing a fine job at leading the village. Unnecessary complications had to be avoided if they could be. But at the same time he had to keep things interesting for his own well-being.
With the punishment to Danzou, Naruto knew that even when Tsunade did suspect him, she would request Sasuke look at it while she carries her own investigation. Doing things like that, would prove effective in gathering much information.
To avoid all that, he decided to play it safe and talked Sasuke into going with his plan. The Uchiha was willing to go with it, as it would strengthen the need for the Police Force and cast away any doubt that he cannot do the job. With just a few days after given the green light, he had busted a man who had been escaping the axe for quite some time.
That would do well for the Police Force. If he requested help, it would surely come because of the effectiveness of the Police Force.
''I just hope that Tsunade does not become suspicious of me too. It's bad enough that she is always cautious around you,'' Sasuke said looking straight at Naruto.
''I highly doubt that,'' Naruto said. ''She could never suspect you of anything, not with your change.''
''I hope so. But it does not matter anyway, as long as she does not get into the way of my work,'' Sasuke stated after a few seconds of silence. He did so with a shrug.
''Karin is waiting for you at the training ground.''
Naruto nodded and disappeared in a swirl of flames. He had not spoken to the girl ever since she was rescued by Zetsu. He was positive that Zetsu had not said anything. He just hoped that it was not that one those conversations he would rather not have.
Training ground
''You don't waste time, huh?'' Karin stated as Naruto appeared. She was referring to what he had done to Danzou. Not even a day after the bastard kidnapped her, and the man was lying in a hospital with a broken body and his entire military force wiped out.
''No,'' Naruto said looking at the red haired girl intensively.
''I came here so that you could train me as hard as you can. When they took me, I felt weak. I could not stop them from taking me. I was hopeless. I thought I was surely going to die,'' Karin paused for a moment. ''I now understand your words, why you wanted me to become strong,'' she smiled slightly.
''Interesting,'' Naruto said. ''I will make you strong.''
''I guess that as long as we live in this world we will always strive to become strong. The strong will always devourer the weak,'' Karin said smiling sadly.
''Is that so?''
''Yes, I mean, I was weak, that is why I was taken. You are strong such things cannot happen to you. As long as there is someone stronger with an evil heart, we the weak will always suffer. But I guess it is just how the world works,'' from the day she first understood things, it had always been like that. Weaker people always fell down to the strong. She saw Orochimaru do many cruel things. He was powerful, and many trembled before his name.
In all his might, someone stronger came and devoured him. It's like there was always someone stronger who will always try to devour you. Those who survive are the smart ones, those who associate themselves with the powerful.
''You are thinking that is how the world works, right?'' Karin nodded. ''Do not conform yourself to such principles. Make your own principles. Do not follow the beliefs of the world.''
''That is easy for you to say. You have the power to backup your principles. Even if I enforced my own principles, someone stronger than me will just come and crush me,'' Karin said in a defeated tone.
''Perhaps,'' Naruto answered shortly. ''Have you settled well in this village?''
''Not really. The village is great but it's just not for me,'' Karin replied after a few seconds of thinking.
''Hmm, Guren must have already completed the Crystal Palace right now,'' Naruto said more to himself than Karin.
''Crystal palace? Guren?''
''Guren, you must know her. She was one of Orochimaru's most loyal and trusted subordinate and use a rare Genkai Kekkei, Crystal Release,'' Naruto explained.
''Oh, I know her,'' Karin said. She never had any good memories with the woman though. She seemed to have problems with anyone who seemed to be close to Orochimaru.
She also conducted some research about her rare blood line. Orochimaru had been very much interested in it at the beginning. He lost some interest when he found that he could not harvest it to use for himself without having to take over Guren's body.
''She is the one heading the rebuilding of Oto,'' Naruto said.
''What is Crystal palace?''
''It is my HQ in Oto. It is called Crystal Palace because its design takes advantage of Guren's ability. It is also huge, bigger than the Hokage's tower. It has four floors, underground floor being my private quarters. Its outside appearance comprises of wood and crystal, and inside it's mostly crystal. The ceilings and floors are crystals.''
''Wow, it must look exquisite,'' Karin said impressed. ''Who designed it?''
''I did,'' Naruto said. ''I will take you there some time after I have taught you all the basics. You will live there, while also helping Guren with the rebuilding.''
''Konoha already knows I am associated with you? Aren't they going to figure out that you are behind the rebuilding of Oto if they see me there?''
''You will keep your presence hidden away from everyone. You have done that with Orochimaru.''
''Do you think I can hide forever?''
''Not at all, you just have to hide until the rebuilding is completed. Whatever Konoha says by then, I will handle.''
Karin nodded with a smile, ''well at least I will have something to do other than training. And I can't wait to see your palace. It has to be wonderful and a dream place to live,'' she now had a dreamy look on her face.
Naruto merely shrugged. He had designed the palace that way because he wanted it to be of the highest quality. He did not want it to be just normal. It had to be created by rare materials that he liked. He was not the one for looks, but having a palace of that stature put in something different of his taste. And besides, Uchiha Naruto had to live in the best building.
''You should return to your house, I have other matters to tend to before I train you,'' Naruto said.
'And we were getting along just fine,' Karin thought. He had to ruin the moment by sending her away. She smiled though, at least he was not what she had first thought he was. ''Fine,'' she said. ''Is he going to be any trouble. Sasuke told me he was still alive.''
Naruto shook his head. ''No, he is going to be executed soon. It's a fitting end for him after the punishment I gave him, don't you think?''
Karin nodded. ''Before I forget,'' she said. ''Yugao-san said she wanted to speak with you.''
''Hmmm,'' that was the only sound the escaped from Naruto's mouth.
''I can't believe I am going to ask you this. You are a guy who rarely smiles, never shows any emotions, does not think highly of relationships. I also believe that you do not know what love is and how to express it,'' Karin stated looking straight at Naruto. ''Nonetheless, I am going to ask this, is Yugao-san your girlfriend?''
Naruto looked at the girl for a moment with his blank expression intact. Was she expecting him to actually answer that kind of question? He disappeared without another word. He was not going to bother himself by even taking his time to think of such a question. He had far more pressing matters to deal with.
Karin sighed as Naruto disappeared. He did nothing nor even show any physical reaction to her question. He almost likely shrugged it off as nothing important. She turned around to walk away from the training ground. She stopped for a moment. She really needed to learn Shunshin. Some times she got tired of walking.
Unknown location
10 dark figures stood in a circle. They were the most wanted criminals in the Elemental Nations. They were S-rank criminals, well most of them anyway except for one. These were men that brought fear to those who saw their famous black cloaks with red cloud pattern. They were the Akatsuki.
It had been long since they all gathered like this. The leader never called them to assemble unless there was something important that needed to be discussed. He never called to see if they were all still alive. He just expected to be alive, regardless of how many years they spend apart without any form of communication.
These men all gathered here came from different villages. Some had different reasons for joining the criminal organization that hunts down Bijuu's. The organization did not just take weaklings amongst them. They took only the best the world had to offer. That was what made them feared, their members were strong.
The Leader stood quietly and halted the whispers that had begun around the place. They were mere holographic images, but it did the job. They could not all gather at the same place at once. There massive egos in everyone. Having many strong people in a single place would prove disastrous.
''It has been long time since we all gathered here,'' one said looking around the group.
''Yes, it has been,'' another said with a nod.
''Who the fuck are those?'' Hidan yelled/asked looking at the two new recruits that were with them. He was seeing a masked man with a Sharingan on his right eye and another who was calmly watching everyone with calculative eyes.
''I did not know that there was another Uchiha, Itachi,'' Kisame stated looking at his partner with the corner of his eyes. Not surprisingly, Itachi did not respond.
''Oi! Is anybody going to answer my question?'' Hidan questioned again, his voice loud as it had been at first.
''Shut up Hidan! I am sure Leader-sama will introduce them to us,'' Kakuzu said quieting his partner. He always had to be the one to quiet him once he opened his loud and annoying mouth.
''Quiet!'' the Leader said firmly with his ripple paten eyes pulsing with power slightly. There was calm in the meeting place. Everyone quitted down and looked at the Leader. ''Before we can discuss anything, I would like to introduce to you our new members, Tobi and Kabuto,'' he said.
''Kabuto? Orochimaru's number two,'' Sasori stated in a rough voice that was just blank of any emotions.
''What is that motherfucker doing here?'' Hidan yelled not getting why someone like Kabuto would be allowed to join them. He was not an S-rank criminal after all. The group comprised of S-rank shinobi, they did not need anyone to mess that.
Wisely the Leader chose to ignored the question, for now. ''Tobi and Kabuto will be partners and will work in gathering Intel rather than capturing Jinchuriki's,'' he stated.
''So is he an Uchiha?'' one asked looking at the masked man's right eye.
The leader looked at Tobi for a moment. ''I might be or not,'' a deep tone of the new member echoed through the meeting place. It was quite surprising how deep and cold the tone was. It was just dark and left everyone without another question.
The leader cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. He was not affected by the atmosphere Tobi had created. ''We will continue with our plans to gather all Bijuu's even though the Sanbi has yet to form,'' he stated. ''Sasori and Deidara will go after Shukaku. It's Jinchuriki has become the Kazekage now, meaning the task will be a little bit troublesome. I expect no failure, nonetheless.''
Sasori and Deidara nodded quietly. It would not look good on them if they fail to retrieve the weakest Bijuu of them all. Their team was effective when doing other missions, but now they were faced with another task. They would make sure they succeeded without failure though.
''Kakuzu and Hidan, you will travel to the outskirts of Kumo to fetch the Two-tails. All the necessary arrangements have been made,'' the leader stated. He then turned to Tobi, ''Do you have anything to add?''
''Kumo Jinchuriki have full control over their Bijuu's. They can prove to be bothersome than any other. Watch out for Uchiha Naruto, he is not just your normal Shinobi,'' Tobi stated calmly with his dark tone.
''There rest of you will be given your assignments in due time. I expect to have Shukaku in no more than a week,'' the leader stated firmly. ''Dismissed!''
One by one the members faded away until there were only three left, the Leader, Tobi and Konan. ''Naruto will prove to be troublesome, when the time comes, you should be the one to collect the Kyuubi,'' Tobi stated before he too disappeared.
The Leader slightly narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. He and his partner simply disappeared leaving the meeting place empty.
Meanwhile
Naruto had just finished retrieving Minato's soul from the Shinigami. He did not speak to the man, nor allowed him to speak. After releasing him, he simply put him away inside his coffin for later use. He would have to go Dragon land to the Kyuubi to finish his business.
He was still at the Uchiha compound. He would need to prepare for his departure as he would be gone for a few hours. It was still morning, so he would return before noon for the council meeting.
''Is everything set?'' Zetsu asked as he appeared inside Naruto's room.
''Yes,'' Naruto answered quietly. ''...and Oto?''
''Your palace is nearly complete. They are just doing the finishing touches inside and then it will be complete,'' Zetsu reported.
Naruto nodded, ''that is good, I...'' he trailed off when he saw the look on Zetsu's face.
''What is it?''
''Someone is coming,'' Zetsu stated.
''Go, I will reverse summon myself in a few moments,'' Naruto stated. He walked towards his door and opened it. Just as he did, Yugao came into view.
Yugao looked at Naruto curiously. ''You have gone back to wearing your armour,'' she said. The blond in front of her did not respond. ''Are you going somewhere?''
''Yes,'' Naruto replied with a nod.
Yugao nodded, and stepped closer to Naruto wrapped her arms around him. ''I heard what happened to Danzou,'' she whispered into his ear. ''Although it was a bit extreme, I am still grateful for the save. Thank you,'' she stated before pushing the hair on his right cheek away to make a room. She planted a soft kiss before creating some distance between him and her.
Naruto gave no physical reaction to it.
''I will see you tonight.''
''Tonight?''
Yugao merely smiled and walked away from Naruto without another word. The blond closed his door before going through a set of hand seals. He slammed his right hand to the floor before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone