章 25: What is happening in the Leaf? CH 25
It's been 4 years since the Sandaime wrested back the full-control of Konoha under his rule and a lot of things have happened without anyone being the wiser. After all, if you want something done right, don't tell everyone about it. It's much safer that way and less headache in the long run.
While Team Chimera was out of the village in their support mission with Team 7, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, sat in his chair with his favorite pipe thinking about the various changes made in the Leaf in the past 4 years. After putting down the traitors in the Civilian Council, Anko and Ibiki wrested a lot of information regarding the village that made his blood boil.
First, he found out that the ex-Council members were selling information to the major villages, namely Iwa and Kumo, for money and the amount was quite substantial when they squealed everything under Anko and Ibiki's expert care.
Kumo was again taking a keen interest in Konoha despite the failed abduction of Hyuuga Hinata a few years back. They bribed some of the Civilian Council on information concerning the Byakugan-using clan, which would probably result to a more daring abduction later to acquire the precious eyes of the clan.
Iwa, on the other hand, required different information from the greedy council but a lot more damaging to the Leaf. He was wondering why casualties of Genins were increasing over the years and it seems that Iwa was behind it. They have taken a shadow tactic in weakening the Leaf by taking out its future soldiers – making sure that they don't grow up powerful and boosting Konoha's fighting capability.
The worst of their many offenses involves Naruto's inheritance from his parents. Without them knowing about it, they have successfully divested the blonde of his rightful claim to his mother and father's assets. He didn't immediately bequeath it to the boy since the Will clearly states that Naruto needs to be at least 18 years of age or Chunnin in rank before he can be eligible for it. Millions of ryo from the Namikaze account was slowly being emptied without him knowing about it to who knows where. Paper trails were non-existent so compensation was almost impossible. But thanks to the skills of Anko and Ibiki, they were able to come up with an amount to work with.
The Sandaime gleefully emptied their coffers and putting it back to the Namikaze trust. It was shy of its original value since a majority of the stolen amount cannot be paid by the offenders even if all of their remaining assets were sold. However, he was not overly concerned about the money since Naruto was making quite a fortune himself in Saji's shop with sheer hard work.
There were some good news that came out of the debacle however. The proverbial silver lining among the dark clouds, so to speak.
Thanks to Jiraiya, the village's security was now in full force. Thanks to the Yondaime's notes which he entrusted to the pervert, they were able to create a Barrier Team hidden beneath the bowels of the Hokage Tower. Detection seals are now scattered all throughout the village and surrounding areas that relays information back to the Barrier Team for documentation and dissertation.
The designs were simple enough, yet its effects were far-reaching to the benefit of the village. He briefly remembered talking to Minato about it but the Kyuubi attacked delayed or stopped the project before it even began. Good thing Minato already written everything on paper or they would have to start from scratch. It took 2 years and millions of Ryo to complete but the result was well worth it.
The first thing in the project was the walls surrounding Konoha. It is now riddled with interconnecting seals that is powered by ambient chakra and Natural Energy which is quite in abundance in and out of the village making sure that the seals are up and operational 24/7. Using the walls as a boundary, the barrier extends in a spherical shape around Konoha both above and below. Aside from its detection capabilities that not even an ant would go unnoticed, it can also be powered up to maintain solidity up to a month on its own without reinforcing it with human chakra and powerful enough to withstand Nibi's (Two-tailed Cat) Imari (Menacing Ball).
Aside from this protection, the patrol duty around the village was full-proof thanks to the strategy of the sharp Nara Clan Head. Utilizing the detection and tracking abilities of the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyuuga clans, Konoha was 100% protected at all times. On the first month alone, they were able to catch a dozen shinobis trying to infiltrate the village, even under civilian disguise.
The Academy rehabilitation was going well. Thanks to Koharu and Homura, the hopefuls are educated properly. Physical and Mental skills are properly introduced and the instructors are screened thoroughly to ensure that they have the necessary skills to instruct the students. Sarutobi frowned, however, when he remembered Mizuki's betrayal but it was a snag in the plan since Mizuki was already a staple in the Academy even before he enacted the change so it's quite possible that he was missed during the screening process due to his outstanding record.
He corrected that however by commanding Koharu and Homura to start an investigation of ALL instructors regardless of their starting date.
The Hospital under Tsunade is coming along quite well, but not fast enough to his liking. Training medic-nins from scratch took years and the hospital was understaffed for a majority of that before enough knowledgeable nurses and doctors were put into play. The Hippocratic Oath and trust was still maintained as its credo but personality and performance tests were given at random times to make sure that all of them are doing their jobs properly.
Also, thanks to the money they were able to retrive from the ex-Civilian Council, the hospital was well-funded much to Tsunade's delight and the various departments are producing outstanding research and application in various medical fields that would greatly benefit Konoha in the long run. Sarutobi smirked since he didn't have to use the village coffers to help Tsunade out with some leftovers to be diverted to other programs.
Jiraiya spy network in the village also improved in the past 4 years. He didn't have to keep an eye on everything and giving his toad summons much needed rest since he already have people in key places to inform him on the coming and goings in Konoha. The pervert only resorted to summons when he needs to do in-depth 'research' on serious reports that comes to his table. The village is now considered as a spy/infiltrators nightmare. Even if they were able to get in, it would only take days before they are shipped out…not after getting a session from Anko and Ibiki of course.
Speaking of table, the pervert was able to set up a base of operation besides the Konoha hot springs much to his amusement. It seems that the Toad Sage was still continuing with research despite his added responsibilities in the Leaf and even managed to keep it so well-hidden that even Tsunade didn't even know about it. Sarutobi thought that Jiraiya's preparation was well-merited since the Slug Sannin would have pummeled the Toad Sage to a pulp if she knew WHERE he set up his base.
His face turned grim, however, when he spotted the recent report from Jiraiya spread all over his table. It was one of the reasons why he called for the Council to convene an hour ago since this requires their 100% attention. He stood up from his chair and gathered the documents he needed and stepped out of the office, a grim frown marring his face all the way.
The New Council of Konoha immediately desisted from all noise when the Sandaime Hokage came through the large doors of the Council Chamber. Upon stepping on the threshold, blue chakra immediately covered the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room indicating that Jiraiya privacy seal was activated making sure that all discussed within stays inside.
The Sandaime immediately went to his chair in front of the Council and called the meeting to order.
"Thank you all for answering my summons. Some news has come to my notice that is considered an emergency, thus, your presence in this chamber. But before we go into that, I need the monthly report from everyone." said the Hokage, giving everyone a clear view of his eyes. It was a serious look that didn't escape everyone's notice.
The Nara Clan head, Nara Shikaku, started the report followed by the rest of the departments.
"News from the Defense Team. No new infiltrations for this month and patrol are being changed every week with new patterns to make sure that it cannot be compromised. I have implemented a triad shift of duties to make sure that our manpower is not taxed just in case forces are needed elsewhere. There are a total of 34 teams patrolling the surrounding area consisting of a 3-man team of Aburame, Hyuuga, and Inuzuka – all Chunnin and Jounin rank - to maximize detection capabilities. That is all for now." Finished Shikaku in a lazy drawl.
"On the Barrier Team. Nothing new to report except that all detection and protection seals are working at maximum efficiency. No recharging is needed since the powering seals that Yondaime-sama introduced into the design are working flawlessly. The barrier expansion project underway. Project is currently at 20% completion and would be finished in 2 months time with the current speed." reported Inoichi.
Saruto frowned after hearing Inoichi's report. It was taking too slow but the lack of Seal Masters in Konoha made it impossible to speed up the project. He sighed and nodded at the report since there was nothing he could do about it now. Maybe integrating the Sealing Arts into the Academy is a good idea but teachers are hard to come by and would be very expensive to hire outsiders for the job.
"Thank you Shikaku and Inoichi for the report. Give the team my regards and tell them to continue their excellent work. I'm looking forward to the results of their efforts. Next, I want to know how the Academy is fairing." asked Sarutobi, looking at Koharu and Homura who was in charge of the project.
Homaru took charge considering that he was the current head of the Konoha Shinobi Academy.
"The Academy Rehabilitation Project is going as planned. The new subjects are welcomed enthusiastically by the students and exam results are promising for future shinobis –both practical and written. Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, is currently taking a hand in conducting seminars on Medical Jutsus as an introduction for those who are interested in becoming a Medic-nin. She will be handling the lessons on actual Medical-related classes when students reached their final year." He coughed a bit before continuing.
"The old and new instructors are qualified after taking their evaluation last month. The only snag we encountered is the traitor which Umino Iruka and Uzumaki Naruto apprehended a few months back." Homura finished with a slight frown on his face upon mentioning the name of the traitor. It was insulting to his and Koharu's abilities and experience that one manage to get away from such an act.
Sarutobi nodded. It was grim news that a traitor was able to infiltrate the Academy; but thankfully, no harm was done since Mizuki was a good teacher. It seems that his only mission was to steal the Forbidden Scroll by using a failed student as a means to do so.
"Good. How about the missions? What are this month's statistics?" he asked after nodding to Homura, and by extension Koharu, signifying that he approved of what he heard.
A glasses-wearing Jounin stood up and answered the Hokage's inquiry. "My name is Tetsuo, Hokage-sama. I am the assistant of the Director of the Missions and Deployment Department. As of today, we have a total of 122 new and old missions, mainly of which are from Fire country and surrounding areas. Mission success rate is at 98%. The 2% failure ratio is attributed to insufficient info provided by the client or other reasons that does not incriminate our own forces' performance. 17 of these missions are currently underway and its success or failure will be reported in the next month's meeting."
Sarutobi smirked upon hearing the numbers. It was heartening to hear that Konoha is still on the top in terms of Shinobi strength and he was quite happy that the changes he made throughout the Leaf was producing sizable results. He also gave himself a mental pat on the back upon hearing the success of the different departments he started in the village dealing in the various running of the Leaf and the Department of Missions and Deployment was just one of them.
He was swamped with paperwork before because EVERYTHING was forwarded to him. This time, he assigned different people for the task. Of course, he stipulated which documents should be forwarded to him and detailed notes and references are sent to him every week to make sure that everything is in order.
A cough in one corner of the room brought him out of his musings. He looked up and saw the source of the noise was the old warhawk, Danzo. "Yes, Danzo? You have something to say?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I have received a report from one of my agents posing as a Genin in Team 7. It is about Uzumaki Naruto." said Danzo, looking a bit uncomfortable as if what he was about to say could possibly lead to more…permanent repercussions.
Sarutobi just raised an eyebrow. He was already expecting this since the rumors of Naruto turning into a werewolf in front of everyone in the vicinity of the East Gate. In fact, he laughed out loud when one of his ANBU agents ran up to him out of breath reporting what happened in a hysterical voice. He almost snickered at the ANBU when he told him not to think too much about it.
"Do you mean Naruto's changes into a werewolf Danzo?" said Saruto in a calm voice. Everyone in the room looked at him in complete shock.
"You know about this Hokage-sama?" asked the warhawk, disbelief in his voice.
"Of course. Who do you think gave him the command to finally reveal his bloodline to everyone? Sure, it was necessary to hide it when he was still young and untrained. But now that he is a fully-trained Shinobi of the Leaf then he can easily protect himself." explained Sarutobi and inwardly laughed at the gobsmacked look in everyone's face.
Well almost everyone since Tsume, Tsunade, and Jiraiya was smirking at the revelation.
"Can you tell us about this…bloodline, Hokage-sama?" asked Nara Shikaku.
Tsunade stood up and addressed the entire Council. She was already briefed by the Hokage regarding this issue and it was deemed safe for everyone in the higher-ups to know about Naruto's bloodline since he is no longer considered as a civilian and is under the direct control of the Hokage. She coughed to get everyone's attention.
"Naruto's bloodline is quite unique and the first of its kind. It was activated for the first time when he was 8 years old, exactly 4 years ago. He approached Hokage-sama about the changes in his body and was immediately accompanied to Assistant Director Kaito for a checkup."
At this, everyone turned to the smiling doctor on the other side of the room who cheerfully waved at them all causing everyone to sweatdrop. She continued.
"The bloodline is quite straightforward. It changed Naruto's physical makeup to include dense muscular and skeletal system making him 5 times stronger than your average Genin. He is also faster due to the changes. I think everyone noticed how he suddenly grew muscles and height overnight 4 years ago? Well, that was because of his bloodline. There are three more changes that are considered as the most significant. One, his immune system and regeneration capabilities skyrocketed to the point that lethal wounds are healed in seconds. From the looks of it, the healing factor granted to him as the jinchuriki of Kyuubi was enhanced by his bloodline making him almost unkillable. Two, his chakra capacity is more than that of a Kage level shinobi, exceeding our Hokage's own. And three, it gives him the ability to change into a 9-foot tall werewolf at will, amplifying said capabilities up to 5 times."
The Shinobi Council, Danzo, and the rest of the department heads in attendance were in awe at the potential of such bloodline. The warhawk was already drooling at the possibility of integrating said capabilities to the Shinobi Forces and how it would make the Leaf stronger than ever.
"If it is a proven case that Uzumaki has a bloodline then…" said Danzo but was interrupted by the Hokage interrupted him, smirking all the while as if a joke was about to be pulled on them.
This made everyone nervous. After all, a smirking Hokage means something devious is coming his way.
"Yes Danzo, I know what you're trying to say. Yes, Uzumaki Naruto will start his own clan here in Konoha which will eventually make him a Clan Head with all rights and responsibilities it contains as mandated in the Konoha Charter by the Shodai Hokage stating that those who have a bloodline are immediately given Clan status in the Leaf. However, it would not be given to him immediately. Either he gets it when he reaches the rank of Chunnin or when he reaches the age of 18." explained Sarutobi.
A murmur ran through the crowd all talking about Naruto's bloodline and eventual Clan Head status. All of them were positive, however, since they never hated Naruto in the first place and it was mostly the now-defunct Civilian Council who voiced out their concerns over the blonde.
"Naruto's bloodline is not the main concern of this meeting so let's put it aside since it is still too early to talk about it. Let's just put it down that Naruto has a bloodline and that's it. If such meetings ever come in the future then it would be possible ONLY if Naruto is here since it is his bloodline to begin with. Now Danzo, I want to hear your report about ROOT." said Sarutobi in a tone that simply said 'drop it or else'.
Danzo nodded at the change in topic and proceeded with his report. "There are no significant changes in ROOT program aside from 25 new recruits undergoing training as we speak. Of course, you have given your blessing for these recruits so no problem there. ROOT currently has 5 S-Rank missions outside the village, 3 of them are successful and the report will be given to you at the end of the meeting. 2 of these missions are still on the field and possibly finish next week if all goes to plan." said Danzo, pride evident in his voice since he was dealing with high-ranking mission usually reserved for ANBU.
Sarutobi nodded. "Good. Thanks for the report Danzo and make sure that ROOT's skills is maintained for the Leaf to flourish. Now we need to discuss a crucial information discovered by one of Jiraiya's spy network outside the village. I give the floor to him."
The Toad Sage stood up from his seat and addressed the crowd.
"It has come to my attention that there are two major groups right now that are currently active in the shadows of the Elemental Countries. One of them is a direct threat to Konoha while the other potentially so in the future. The first group belongs to my ex-teammate Orochimaru. From the reports I got from Rice Country, it seems that the snake pedophile created his own village, the Sound, in the bowels of Rice. So far, I haven't been able to infiltrate their defenses since the village is underground and entrances are well-protected from infiltrators. However, there is a rumor of a plan to invade Konoha within the year, possibly in the upcoming Chunnin Exams. There is another rumor of a secondary objective but so far we don't know what it is."
"The second group is named Akatsuki. We have no clear-cut info on their workings but it seems to be made up of S-Rank missing-nins from different Shinobi villages. Their mission seems to be related to the Bijuu but I have nothing concrete as of now. My spy network is currently working overtime to come up with more before we can do something about it.
This time, a nervous murmur followed the Sannin's information. Their main concern is all about Orochimaru since they knew how dangerous the Snake Sannin is in terms of cunning and strength.
"Any idea what he wants?" asked Chouza, the Akimichi Clan Head.
Jiraiya shook his head. "None. All my spy network was able to ferret out are just rumors with no substantial evidence to back it up. However, we should not be complacent even if this is just a rumor. If I know Orochimaru, he will be retaliating against the village for two reasons. One is to annihilate the Leaf since he has a deep hatred towards it, and two, something to do with his experimentation. However, I did find out that there is a communication line open between Suna and Sound. I have my spy network on it as we speak."
Everyone frowned. An attack to the village is a serious matter and it was a good thing that the Defense and Barrier Teams were already up and running to give them a heads up if shit comes up roost. The Hokage interrupted their musings with his orders.
"For now, there is nothing we can do about it since we have no additional information on the plan. We can only hope to prepare if such an event happens. My orders are as follows. Jiraiya, I want you to work with the Barrier Team and try to get the project done in the soonest possible time, preferably before the Chunnin Exam in 5 months. Shikaku, devise a strategy for defense and attack in case an invasion comes knocking on our doorstep. Danzo, use ROOT's stealth unit to try to infiltrate Orochimaru's base in Rice Country and try to find out what Sound and Suna is planning. I'll give Suna a benefit of a doubt since we are currently allied with them but I don't want to be blindsided by anything they might throw at us in the future. I want to know the extent of their forces since Jiraiya's spy network doesn't have that capability in regards to infiltration. Tsunade, try to increase the current capabilities of our Medical Program to make sure that we have enough for our wounded when such invasion does occur. To everyone, do your best in your own respective tasks and continue with training to become stronger for eventualities. Any question?" seeing that no one plans to say anything. He ended the meeting there and then until the next session.
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