After thirty minutes that felt like hours, Tsunade was finally out of danger. Shizune made an admirable effort closing her would and leaving no effects. Still, Tsunade had lost quite some blood and felt awfully weak. She doubted she could fight again. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't be of help.
"Tsunade-sama, how do you feel?" Shizune asked as she helped her master to get on her feet.
"Much better, thanks to you."
"Should I...fetch the kids?"
"Absolutely not. The kids will stay in the shelter until things calm down a little. Besides, we have still some work to do," Tsunade replied as she soaked her finger with the wet blood of her wound, and made five hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
From a cloud of smoke, a massive white slug with a blue back appeared.
"Katsuyu, the village is under attack. I need you to reach all the wounded and use our link to let me heal them," Tsunade instructed. "But ignore the Uchiha. They're the ones who are behind this attack."
"Understood, Tsunade-sama," Katsuyu replied before splitting into smaller clones of herself and spreading through the village.
"Tsunade-sama, are you sure you can do this? The Immense Network Healing requires a lot of chakra, and you just sustained a potentially fatal injury," the lengths Tsunade was willing to push herself worried her apprentice to no end.
"I know. That's why I'm going to use part of your chakra too, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't! But still, the amount of energy this jutsu requires could mean your death..."
"I won't die today, Shizune. Do you think I'm going to leave you and the kids alone with Jiraiya?" Tsunade chuckled weakly. "Now come on, we have a village to save."
Tsunade and Shizune sat down in front of each other, holding their hands, and started to channel their chakra towards Katsuyu.
…
During his long life, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a man that had been present in a myriad of battles, especially during the first two Ninja World Wars. Some he won, some he lost, all in which he managed to escape alive. Some against ninjas of every major village, others against ninjas of minor villages and sometimes against independent clans. Hell, he even fought against the strongest Tailed Beast and lived to tell the tale, something only Hashirama did before.
Paradoxically, it was all these battles and the deaths that ensued that shaped Sarutobi into a man whose goal was the pursuit of peace and understanding, a goal he tried to instill on his students, with varying degrees of success –and a single, catastrophic failure–. Because no man or woman should go through what the Third Hokage went through. And truth be told, he turned out relatively fine, unlike his friend Danzo Shimura, whose experience was just as extensive and gruesome, yet he turned into an unemotional, unmerciful extremist.
This wasn't also the first time that either him or a predecessor had to fight against a traitor. He had fought against Orochimaru many years ago, when the ANBU discovered the unethical experiments he was conducting –and to this day, still wonders if he should have killed his former student when he got the chance– and the First Hokage had to fight against his former friend Madara Uchiha.
But even then, Orochimaru and Madara were just individuals with an unchecked ambition. This was the first time an entire clan revolted against Konoha. While part of him remembered Tobirama-sensei's warnings about the Uchiha being dangerous, another part couldn't help but make him feel that this was his fault for letting this happen, and not putting more effort in repairing the relationship between the Uchiha and the village.
And now, surrounded by the Uchiha patriarch and his elite ninja, Sarutobi knew he was going to die. He wasn't afraid to just die, thought –he never hesitated to take potentially suicide missions– but the fact that the village would be just in an equally or even greater awful state then it was after the Kyubi attacked.
Just like his predecessor and his one successor, it seemed that it was the Hokage's fate to die protecting the village from its enemies. But in Sarutobi's case, he'd die fighting against fellow villagers.
"Before we start, answer me one last thing," Sarutobi said. "What happened to Shisui Uchiha?"
"Shisui? Why do you ask?" Fugaku asked, puzzled. "Was he some sort of double agent of yours or what?"
"Yes. He had a plan to stop you, but I never heard from him after the last time we spoke. Was he found out by your peers?"
"We weren't aware of Shisui's treachery, but given his friendship with Itachi it shouldn't be a surprise. But to answer your question, the last time any of my clansmen saw Shisui he was talking with some ANBU."
"ANBU? That can't be right...unless...oh no. Danzo, what you have done?" Hiruzen moaned in realization.
"On top of that, you can't even keep your subordinates under tabs. It's amazing this village had lasted as long as it did. But fear not, Hiruzen, a new golden era is about to begin. But first, we must get rid of the relics of the past!" Fugaku shouted as his hands flew through hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Fugaku breathed a massive fireball at Hiruzen. The old Hokage proved to be deceptively fast for somebody of his age and dodged the flaming projectile jumping aside. However, two Uchihas were already waiting for him, their katanas already coming down on his head. With a quick hand movement, a large black staff with golden tips appeared on Hiruzen's hands, blocking the double blow, much to the two Uchiha's surprise. Taking advantage of their states, Hiruzen pushed their swords aside and smacked them on their face.
A trio of Uchihas leaped at him, and while they where in mid air, they pulled some shuriken from their pouches and tossed them at Hiruzen.
"Behind you! Shuriken rain!" the staff shouted, surprising some of the Uchihas.
Hiruzen merely nodded and formed many hand seals as fast as he could. "Earth Release: Earth Dome Jutsu!"
The ground started to shake, and in an instant the Hokage was protected by a dense dome of rock that stopped all the shuriken.
"Break that dome, now!" Fugaku ordered.
A female Uchiha Jonin nodded and went through several hand seals. "Lightning Release: Mighty Thunder!"
The Uchiha woman put her hands together above her head, and they started to crackle with electricity. In a swift motion she brought her hands forward, releasing several streams of lightning that shattered the rock dome Sarutobi was using to hide. Before it was completely destroyed, Sarutobi leaped from it. He pulled out a sealing scroll, and unsealed a Fuma Shuriken. He tossed it before making a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Shuriken Jutsu!"
Suddenly, the single Fuma Shuriken became twenty. The Uchiha tried to avoid the rain of metallic death, and except one, all of them managed to avoid the giant weapons.
"Alright, one down. Let's see if I can get more lucky shots," Sarutobi thought as he landed. The corner of his eye caught another Uchiha forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Heat Orbs Barrage!"
Several spherical yellow fireballs appeared around the Uchiha, almost like they were miniature stars, and with a hand motion he directed them at the Hokage. Running towards the attacker, Hiruzen spun his staff as fast as he could to deflect the heat orbs, and upon reaching the Uchiha, he swung his mighty weapon at him. The Uchiha jumped aside, but much to his shock, a hairy, white haired arm emerged from the staff and grabbed the unfortunate Uchiha's neck. With a sickening "crunch", the Uchiha ceased to be.
"Be careful with that staff! It's actually the Monkey King Enma, a Boss Summon! It's extremely dangerous!" Fugaku warned to his remaining clansmen. "New plan! I'll fight him directly, the rest of you cover me!"
The Uchiha patriarch dashed at Sarutobi, his katana ready to slice him. Both men clashed, their weapons hitting and parrying each other's blows. Whenever the other Uchiha saw an opening, they'd use a fire jutsu or pelt the Hokage with kunai or shuriken. Unfortunately, some of these weapons found their marks.
A poorly timed fireball almost hit Fugaku, forcing the Uchiha leader to jump backwards, leaving Sarutobi some time and space to breath. Time he was going to use wisely. It was about time to use the jutsu his two mentors developed in order to fight the Uchiha and other clans with special eye powers. He formed a hand seal.
"Yin Release: Bringer of Darkness!" a mantle of shadows covered the entire Hokage Tower.
Not even the Sharingan would be able to see through this jutsu. However, due to his dwindling chakra, Sarutobi could only keep this jutsu active for a few seconds.
"Kenichi, track the Hokage, now!" Fugaku shouted.
"O-On it!" the Uchiha sensor stammered before making a hand seal. In no time, he located the Hokage. "I got him! He's behind-ACK!"
Naturally, Hiruzen wasn't stupid enough to not target the sensor ninja first.
"Kenichi!" other Uchiha yelled, and thus marking his position for Sarutobi. The Hokage silently dashed towards him and broke his skull with a well placed hit to the head with the Adamantine Staff.
Sarutobi found himself unable to keep the jutsu active, and the darkness receded. Fugaku contemplated in disgust the bodies of the Uchiha the Hokage had just killed.
"Even in your old age, you're one resilient son of a bitch, did somebody tell you that?" Fugaku spat, glaring at Hiruzen.
"Quite a few times. In fact, it's part of the job description," Sarutobi replied, allowing himself to chuckle.
"To think that you killed four of my men already..."
"There's nobody else but you to blame for their deaths."
"I know. That's why now I have to make sure that their sacrifice isn't in vain."
…
Senju Residence Underground Shelter
Naruto couldn't help but feel amazed at the sheer foresight his parents had when they built the underground shelter. It consisted mostly in a massive, single room, as big as any if the two floors of their house. There were multiple shelves full of canned food and bottled water, as well as good amount of medical supplies.
While there was no visible decoration, there was some furniture as well, such as a large table, a few chairs, a pair of couches, and a pair of closets.
And just like Shizune said, there was even a bathroom, which had a hefty supply of toilet paper.
The walls were almost entirely covered in paper seals. Naruto managed to identify a few of them, such as Armor Seals and Shield Seals; the former were used to increase the hardness of whatever it was applied to and the latter was used to nullify chakra-based attacks, mostly ninjutsu. There were also one-way Silence Seals, which wouldn't let any sound out of the room –but it would let the occupants of the room hear what was going on outside–.
There were many other seals that Naruto did not recognize, such as Mirror Seals and Camouflage Seals, which in conjunction made it nearly impossible for the shelter to be detected unless somebody already knew where it was located. He had heard Shizune said that not even a Sharingan or a Byakugan could be able to see through those seals.
Naruto had been told that, due to both his heritage and his status as a Jinchuriki, many people would want to either hurt him or kidnap him, and thus they needed to do their best to protect him. But this...what kind of threat deserved something like this shelter? Where his parents aware of whatever was happening right now? If yes, why didn't they do anything to stop it before it happened?
Naruto had far too many questions in his head. He need to talk with their parents whenever everything calmed down.
The blond Jinchuriki was snapped from his thoughts when he felt somebody tugging the sleeve of this shirt. It was Kaida, who was looking at him with worried eyes.
"Naruto-niisan...is mom and Shizune-neechan going to be okay?" the white haired girl asked.
Naruto also wondered that. He had heard many yells, crashes, and explosions, but after some time, there was nothing but silence. Still, he was aware of how strong his adoptive mother and big sister were, and refused to believe that they were dead. Besides, he also had to be strong or else the twins would panic.
"Of course they are! Mom is the strongest woman who ever lived!" Naruto said, putting up the best of his smiles. "You should have seen her when we train! She can bring down a tree with just one punch! Can you imagine anybody being able to hurt her?" Kaida slowly shook his head. "Exactly!"
"Yeah...g-guess that you're right..." Kaida admitted, unconvinced.
Naruto frowned. He really needed to do something so the twins would take their minds off of what was going on outside. "Hey, since we're going to spend some time here, how about if we play something to pass the time? I'm sure mom and dad also left some board games or something like that, so let's take a look."
"Yes! Both twins said in unison, and the three kids split off to cover more ground.
Kaida looked in the closets, but all that was there were spare clothes of many sizes, the smaller ones for her and her brothers, and the bigger ones for the adults. Naruto inspected the shelves, but all that he found was food and water. Hagane, however, found something behind one of the couches.
"Hey, take a look at this!" the white haired boy said.
Naruto and Kaida dropped what they were doing and rushed to Hagane's side. In front of Hagane there was a cardboard box full of items, such as scrolls, a couple books, worn out clothes and used ninja tools. One of the things that caught Naruto's attention was an opened envelope full of pictures. The Jinchuriki grabbed the envelope and took out the photographs from it. The twins also watched them intently.
"Hey look, that's dad!" Hagane pointed out.
The first one was a picture of a much younger Jiraiya, alongside three kids. While there was nothing remarkable about the two of them, the third one got Naruto's immediate interest: a kid with spiky blond hair and deep blue eyes.
"Hey, that kid looks a lot like you, nii-san!" Kaida pointed out, voicing Naruto's thoughts. "Do you know who is him?"
Jiraiya had told Naruto how he was his father's sensei, and how he would train Naruto so he would surpass his dad. A sad smile formed in his face. "Yeah, I think I have an idea."
Naruto put that pic at the back of the pile, and watched the next one. A brown haired man with three other kids, one with long white hair, the other with long black hair, and a blonde girl with a ponytail.
"Who are those?" Hagane asked.
Naruto chuckled. "Oh come on, don't tell me that you can't recognize your parents?"
Both twins' eyes opened wide. "Those are mom and dad? No way!" Kaida exclaimed.
"And who is the other guy? He looks scary," Hagane said as he pointed at the third teammate.
Jiraiya and Tsunade almost never talked about their third teammate. All what Naruto knew is that his name was Orochimaru, and that he and Jiraiya had a falling out many years before Naruto was born.
"Another things I'll have to ask dad about," Naruto thought.
"And who is this man?"
Naruto laughed once again. "You might not recognize him now, but this man is the Old Man Hokage himself!"
"Really? But...why isn't he wearing the Hokage Hat?" Kaida asked.
"The Hokage doesn't wear the hat all the time! I mean, we don't wear the same clothes all the time, right?"
"But whenever I saw the Hokage he's always wearing that hat..." Hagane mentioned.
"Maybe he wasn't the Hokage yet?" Naruto wondered. But unbeknownst to him, Hiruzen was already Hokage when he was Jiraiya and Tsunade's sensei.
They continued watching pictures, most of them were of Jiraiya with somebody else, though they were a couple of their biological parents. One that caught Naruto's attention was one in which appeared with three other kids, an orange headed boy, a red headed boy with weird eyes, and a smiling blue haired girl.
"Dad never told me he was the sensei of another team. Man, I don't think I'm going to remember all the things I have to ask him!"
"Hey, look at this book!" Hagane said as he grabbed one of the books of the box.
Naruto paled upon hearing his brother. A few months ago he learned what kind of books his father used to write for a living. What he read disgusted him, and his respect for Jiraiya dropped considerably.
"Don't touch that!" Naruto shouted as he snatched the book from his brother's little hands.
"Hey!"
"Sorry, but this book isn't for children. Nor for anyone but perverts," Naruto chided as he looked at the book in disgust. But his disgust was replaced by puzzlement when he saw thew title.
The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja
"Weird...this doesn't look like the kind of books dad usually writes,"
But still, Jiraiya's name was in the cover. Naruto dared to see if his suspicions were correct, and opened the book on a random page. Turned out the book wasn't smut, but apparently an adventure story of a ninja called...
...Naruto.
"Hey, you're reading the book, and you said that said book isn't for children!" Kaida loudly protested.
"Sorry...I thought that this was...other kind of book...but it's okay, children can read it! Do you want me to read it to you?"
"YES!" both twins said in unison.
Naruto sat in one of the couches, with one twin at his side. He opened the book, and saw that there was a hand written dedicatory.
This book is dedicated to my godson Naruto. Yeah, your parents liked this book so much that they decided to name you after the main character. Funny, right?
Anyway, I hope you like this book as much as your parents did, and I hope it also inspires you to become a great ninja. Better than the main character, and definitely better than me.
Your godfather, Jiraiya
Naruto smiled tenderly upon reading the dedicatory. Now he really wanted to read the book –and wondered why Jiraiya never showed it to him in the first place. He had to write down all the questions he had–.
"Okay, let's start," Naruto started reading the first page. "Naruto Musasabi jumped from tree branch to tree branch while looking for his enemy. There was only one thing in his mind: protecting Shuku, his home, at all costs. Pulling out a kunai, he readied for..."
…
"You damn traitor! I hope you rot in-!"
SHINK!
The last Uchiha of the zone was silenced by Itachi's katana. With this, it was four the squads the former clan heir had slaughtered. Three which were fighting against other Konoha ninjas or guarding conquered zones, and one team which was sent to hunt him after somebody warned the rest of the clan about Itachi's killing spree.
Even if none of them were even close to kill the Uchiha prodigy, Itachi was starting to feel tired. Reaching his pouch, he pulled a soldier pill and gulped it. He immediately felt his strength returning, but he knew he couldn't fight what was left of the clan by himself. Taking more than one soldier pill could have dangerous side effect, some of them which were immediate.
"This was the last Uchiha squad in this district. I have tracked another squad fighting against some Konoha ninja. They're three blocks away from the academy," the crow on his shoulder informed.
Itachi nodded, and headed to the Academy. "What about Sasuke and Shisui?"
"They didn't move since you left," the Kurokaze clone said.
"That's good."
"Besides, there's also-oh..."
"Oh? What do you mean? Did something happen to Sasuke or Shisui?" Itachi asked, almost panicking.
"No, it's not that. One of my clones found the Hokage. He's fighting against your father and other Uchihas. It doesn't appear that the Hokage is winning..."
"What? Dammit! Where are they?"
"At the top of the Hokage Tower."
"Then that will be my next destination," Itachi jumped from roof to roof, heading to the Hokage Tower. "I hope I can be there in time..."
…
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
The four remaining Uchihas had surrounded the Hokage and bombarded him with fire jutsus from every angle. Dodging them wasn't option. Fortunately, it wasn't his only option.
"Earth Release: Multiple Earth Dome Jutsu!"
Rocks appeared out of nowhere and formed once again a dome around the Hokage. However, another dome formed around the first one, and then a third one after that. The barrage of fireballs destroyed the outer dome, but left the other two relatively intact. Unbeknown to the Uchiha, Sarutobi was forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Death Ring Jutsu!"
The second dome suddenly shattered in thousand of sharp rocks, and flew outwards in every direction, impaling the four Uchiha. Fugaku and the other two managed to avoid all the damage with a well placed Body Replacement, but the third one wasn't fast enough, and died the instant the sharp rocks pierced his body.
"Destroy that dome before he casts that jutsu again!" Fugaku ordered.
The other two Uchiha nodded, and threw several kunai with explosive tags attached to them at the dome. The explosions shattered the rock shelter. Sarutobi managed to escape the dome before the explosions could harm him, and wasting no time, made more hand seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Hiruzen reared backwards, and exhaled a massive stream of white fire.
Unfortunately for the Hokage, Fugaku's Sharingan copied the attack.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
The two streams of white fire clashed against each other, pushing back and forth, though eventually Sarutobi's attack appeared to be the strongest. Unfortunately for Sarutobi, this wasn't a one on one duel. The two remaining Uchihas ran parallel to the streams of fire and unleashed a barrage of shuriken towards the Hokage. Cursing inwards, he canceled his current jutsu and jumped, avoiding the shuriken shower –though some of them graced his skin– and nearly getting burnt by Fugaku's attack. Upon landing, Sarutobi nearly lost his balance and fell on one knee, and started to pant heavily.
"You know, Hiruzen, given all the trouble you gave me alone, I'm sure that, have you decided to keep some ANBU by your side, you would have come out of this alive. But this fight ends now," Fugaku stated.
"Why are you so sure, Fugaku-san? I already killed more than half of your men. What can possibly stop me from killing you and your two remaining squadmates?"
"For starters, your age. While you're strong, you clearly can't keep fighting for much longer. How old are you, seventy? People your age aren't known for their resistance, you know. You barely have any chakra left.
"There's also all the blood you lost already due to the wounds made by the kunai and shuriken that you couldn't dodge. Your movements have become slower and sloppier as the fight went on. And you can't barely stand on your feet.
"And lastly, the fact that you didn't realize that I just trapped you in a genjutsu, and my men already moved for the kill," Fugaku said, making a hand seal, dispelling the genjutsu.
Suddenly, Sarutobi found his chest being impaled by two katanas, being held by Fugaku's two remaining men. The Adamatine Staff disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He felt what little energy had fading away, and in a few seconds, he fell to the ground, dead, not having enough time or energy to utter some last words.
"You've been a strong opponent, Hiruzen Sarutobi. History books will remember your valiant last stand. I can promise you that."
…
"Itachi-san...I'm afraid to tell you that the Third Hokage had died," Kurokaze's clone said.
"Damn!" Itachi loudly cursed. If the Hokage would have only lasted a couple more minutes... "How many men has my father with him?"
"Two. Itachi. Are you planning on fighting him? Even with that soldier pill, you're pretty worn out," the crow asked.
"Yes, I do. And he just fought the Third Hokage, he has to be way more drained than I am. I believe I can defeat him. With my father out, the Uchiha will be leaderless, the few remaining squads will be destroyed or forced to surrender, and the coup will come to an end."
"I see that you made your decision. Is there something else I can do to assist you?"
"Not anymore, Kurokaze-sama. You've been of great help here, but I can continue alone. Please keep watching over Shisui and Sasuke until this madness ends."
"As you wish, Itachi-san. Good luck," the crow clone said before flying away.
"Thank you."
Itachi couldn't help but wonder what was he going to tell Sasuke when everything was over. After all, he was going to kill their father. Even if it was for a greater good, he was afraid that Sasuke wouldn't see it that way.
"No, I can't think about that. If I'm not focused, I won't be able to put an end to this. This is all my fault for not acting sooner," Itachi inwardly said, pushing his conflicting thoughts aside. "Forgive me, Sasuke."
Upon reaching the Hokage Tower, Itachi pulled several shuriken from his tool puch, grabbing a handful on each hand. In a few jumps, he managed to reach the roof, leap over his father and his two unsuspecting teammates, and unleash the rain of metal.
Fugaku managed to see Itachi in time, activated his sharingan, and using his katana, deflected the shurikens aimed at him. The other two Uchiha, their guards lowered due to their apparent victory, and their senses momentarily dulled by the exhaustion and wounds received, didn't notice the newcomer and died almost instantly. Itachi landed in front of him, his katana on hand.
"Look who decided to show up," Fugaku spat in disgust. "But I'm afraid that you're too late, son. The old regime is no more."
"To save the Hokage, maybe. But to end this madness, not even by a long shot," Itachi calmly replied. "I've already killed half the clan, the other half being dealt with by Konoha's forces as we speak. Sorry father, but you lost already. And now...I shall execute you for starting this insurrection against Konoha, killing the Hokage, and causing the death of so many Konoha ninjas."
Fugaku's face turned into an angry grimace. "You insolent child. I knew you were rebellious, but to see such a betrayal coming from my own flesh and blood...the others were right about you. I merely banished you because I thought that you only needed some time alone to get your thoughts in order. But yes, I was too soft. If you weren't my son. I would probably have thrown you into a cell and tossed the key away. Which is what I should have done in the first place!"
"I'm not a traitor, father. My loyalty is, has been, and will always be towards the village. It is you who betrayed Konoha by sparking this insurrection that won't bring anything good for any of the parties involved. Why did you do it, father?"
"Why? WHY? I did it for you, you ungrateful child! For both you and Sasuke! To give the clan a better future! The Uchiha Clan would wither and die under the constant oppression of Konoha! But now...you just doomed all of us."
"Stop pinning the blame of your actions on me, father. This was never meant to end well. I merely accelerated the inevitable and cut some losses. Had I not done anything, this would have degenerated into a full on civil war that would end up with Konoha's destruction. My only regret is not acting sooner."
"If I can't have Konoha...then Konoha won't have the Sharingan anymore. I'll gather the survivors, and start over again somewhere else. We will even create our own village. The Uchiha clan will thrive again."
"You are right that the Uchiha will thrive again. But they won't do it under your command," Itachi firmly stated as he raised his katana. "The time for words has passed. Not it's time for you to pay for your treason."
"No, it's time for me to correct my mistakes! I won't let you jeopardize the future of our –no, of my clan!"
Father and son dashed towards each other, staring each other in the eyes. When they were within their striking range, they moved their blades; Itachi's aimed at Fugaku's gut, and Fugaku's aimed at Itachi's neck. Fugaku's sword hit its mark the first. Itachi was stopped on his tracks the moment Fugaku's blade jammed on his neck.
"I'm, sorry, son," a single tear fell from Fugaku's eye. He suddenly felt his eyes burning, as if his Sharingan changed into something else...
However, Itachi suddenly turned into a murder of crows that flew away in every direction, and Fugaku saw a blade bursting through his chest. His heart had been pierced.
"It's me who is sorry..." Itachi replied, tears coming from his eyes.
As life started to slowly leave his body, the soon to be former Uchiha patriarch was invaded by an overwhelming sense of regret, as if the hate and anger towards Konoha that filled his heart and mind was dispelled, and could see things as they were. And realized that both Hiruzen and Itachi's words were right.
"Why is only in death that I find clarity...?" Fugaku bitterly thought. "Itachi...take care of Sasuke..."
"I will, father."
And thus, Fugaku Uchiha left the world of the living.
Itachi removed his hands from his Katana's handles, and Fugaku's lifeless body fell on his face on the ground. Itachi also fell on his knees, and started to cry inconsolably. All the rage, all the sorrow, all the emotions that he had been bottled for so much time couldn't be held anymore. But his grief was interrupted by a sharp pain attacking his eyes. They felt like they were burning. The same feeling that his father experienced seconds before dying.
He then remembered a conversation he had with Shisui about the Sharingan evolving after experiencing the loss of a loved one.
Itachi had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Urggghhhh..." a soft groan snapped Itachi out of his trance. He turned around, and saw that it came from the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama? Are you alive!?" Itachi shouted as he rushed towards the body of the fallen Hokage. He got no answer, but Sarutobi moved a little. "O-Okay, try to keep your energy, I'll find some help!" Itachi picked some of his own blood and made several hand seals. "Summonig Jutsu!"
From a cloud of smoke, one of Kurokaze's clones appeared.
"So soon? What's going on, Itachi-san?" the black bird said, before noticing the dying Hokage.
"Find a medic, please! We don't have much time!"
"Yes, immediately," Noting there was no time to ask questions, Kurokaze flied away, while mentally transmitting the orders to the rest of his clones.
Much to Itachi's bewilderment, a minute later one of the crows returned, carrying a large slug between his claws.
…
The sun was started to emerge from the east.
While Tsunade and Shizune were channeling their chakra through the Immense Healing Network, they were surprised to see one of the Katsuyu clones crawling as fast as she could towards them.
"Tsuande-sama! Shizune-san!" the small slug said. "The coup d'etat has been stopped. Combats had ceased already. We have healed all the wounded and there are no more people in danger," the slug announced.
"Those are good news indeed! Thanks for your help again, Katsuyu-sama!" Shizune smiled for the first time since the coup began. Then, she looked back at Tsunade, who looked like he was going to collapse at anytime soon. "Come on Tsunade-sama, we need to take you to the hospital."
"The kids..." Tsunade murmured. "Check the kids...first..."
"R-Right...I'll be back in a minute!"
Shizune went back into the house, and much to her relief she saw that the secret trapdoor remained intact. She unlocked the seals, and entered the shelter. What she saw there was so cute, she had to restrain herself from squeeing.
The three kids were asleep on a couch, Naruto in the middle, with Hagane and Kaida resting their heads on Naruto's shoulders, with Naruto's arms wrapped around each of them. Naruto had an open book on his lap.
"Naruto did his best to try to make his siblings not to panic. Oh, you're such a good big brother..." the medic thought, as her mouth formed a sweet smile. "It almost pain me having to wake you up..."
After waking the kids up, the four of them headed outside, and much to their horror, they saw Tsunade, lying on the ground, motionless.
"Tsunade-sama!"
"MOM!"
"She's still alive," the Katsuyu clone quickly said, as if guessing their collective thoughts. "But her chakra is nearly depleted. She needs assistance as soon as possible."
Shizune nodded. "Come on kids, help me bring your mom to the hosptial!"
…
Sasuke awoke next day as usual. He got dressed and got out of his room. His house seemed unusually silent. The young Uchiha felt that there was something wrong going on.
"Mother? Father?" Sasuke asked, but got no response. Weird, his parents always got up at least an hour before he did.
He went to the lower floor and inspected the rest of the house, and found it empty. Then, he heard a noise coming from upstairs. The black haired boy rushed back to the upper floor, and saw Itachi coming in through one of the windows.
"Itachi?" Sasuke asked, puzzled. He would be thrilled to see his brother if it wasn't for the fact that his clothes were soaked in blood, his face was red, and his entire body was trembling. "What...what are you doing here?"
"Sasuke...let's go down. There's...there's something important I need to tell you."
That morning, Sasuke awakened his Sharingan.
...
Thanks to Itachi and Tsunade's efforts, the Uchiha coup d'etat was suffocated by the time the sun rose, and many people were saved from what would have been a certain death. Among them was Hiruzen Sarutobi, while in critical condition, managed to keep his life thanks to the Katsuyu clone Kurokaze managed to bring, until actual medics arrived.
Many couriers were sent to find the Jonin outside the village, urging them to drop –or finish if they could– whatever missions they were doing and return at once in order to help with the reconstruction efforts.
Upon hearing the news of their failure and their leader's death, the few Uchihas left decided to go down fighting rather than surrender, since they knew that they would be executed anyway for committing an act of high treason. The mercenaries and criminals who didn't escape Konoha when it became obvious that they were fighting a losing battle decided to surrender instead. Those who had confirmed kills would be executed, while the rest would be sent to prison.
A mass funeral was held in honor of all the people, both ninja and civilian, who were killed during the insurrection. While many people died, the most notable deaths were those of the clan leaders such as Hiashi Hyuga or Inoichi Yamanaka.
Naruto did his best to comfort Hinata, who, like her mother and little sister, spent the entire ceremony crying their eyes out. Hinata's grief was contagious, since Naruto ended up crying as well, even if he barely knew Hiashi. It could be said that he could feel Hinata's pain.
Naruto also recognized three of his classmates, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, crying profusely as they were standing in front of Inoichi's grave. While Ino's grief was understandable, he didn't understand why Shikamaru and Choji were crying like that. Naruto didn't know that the three clans were very close, and Inoichi was an honorary uncle to both Shikamaru and Choji.
There was also another funeral held after the main one, for Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, at Itachi's request. Only Itachi, Shisui, and Sasuke, the three remaining Uchihas alive, attended the ceremony.
…
After the coup was quelled, there was an air of dread and hopelessness impregnating the very air of Konoha, something that it wasn't felt since the Kyubi attacked eight years ago. The near death of the Third Hokage was a huge blow to the population, especially the ninjas. Not only was he loved and respected, but unlike his successor, who was killed by (what most people believe it was) a mindless monster, Hiruzen Sarutobi was almost killed by the head of one of the most respected clans of Konoha.
Besides that, many people couldn't help but wonder what was going to be of Konoha now. Losing one of its strongest clans was nothing but the tip of the iceberg. The Hyuga clan, who was the most numerous clan of Konoha, had lost nearly a forty percent of its members. And Konoha as a whole had lost almost thirty percent of its manpower, most of them Chunin and Special Jonin.
This losses, coupled with the lack of a Hokage, made many people fear that other villages would take advantage of this and invade them. The only thing they could do was pray for such thing not to happen, and that Konoha would elect a Hokage soon that would recover their former glory.
…
Two days after the coup d'etat
Jiraiya rushed through the hospital halls, fearing for the worst. The Toad Sannin had an unpleasant sense of deja vu when a ninja courier ran into him, and delivered the news of the Uchiha coup d'etat, and the critical state of the Third Hokage. While the news were worrying on their own, the courier also mentioned that Tsunade, after being seriously wounded, used her Immense Healing Network to help all the people fighting against the Uchiha and their mercenaries. She was now in critical condition as well.
Eight years ago he lost one of his students. He could possibly lose his sensei, whom he loved like the father he never met. He couldn't lose his wife too.
After making sure that he was in the right wing, Jiraiya started to check the door numbers until he found the right door. He slammed the door open, and much to his relief he saw that his former teammate, current wife and mother of his children was alive and seemingly well. Shizune, Naruto, Hagane and Kaida were present too, but he wouldn't register their presence until later.
"Dad!" Naruto said, perking up.
"Hey, look who's back," Tsunade weakly mentioned, looking at Jiraiya with a small smile. Jiraiya didn't say anything, and rushed to hug her. "AWWW! NOT SO HARD!" Tsunade shouted, wincing in pain. "I've been impaled, you know!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Jiraiya frantically replied, breaking the hug. "It's that, when they told me what happened to you, I feared for the worst, and seeing you alive and well..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tsunade replied dismissively. "Though they mentioned that it will be a few weeks before they let me out of here. Yipee yay," she added unenthusiastically.
Jiraiya smiled in return. Then he noticed something weird about Tsunade's forehead. Mostly, her Strength of a Hundred Seal looked different. It was bigger than usual, with uneven sides and angles. It almost looked like a badly done drawing.
"Tsunade, what happened to your seal?"
"Oh, this?" she asked, pointing at her forehead. "Well, Kaida was sad for me 'losing my diamond' so-"
"So I made her a new one!" the white haired girl proudly said, while holding a purple marker. "And mom made me another one too!"
Jiraiya noticed that his daughter also had a diamond drawn on her forehead, but this one looked better drawn. Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at her daughter's cutesy antics.
"Jiraiya, can you put some privacy seals around the room? I need to talk you about something," the Slug Princess asked.
Jiraiya nodded, and after a few minutes, the Toad Sage indicated that it was now safe to talk without fear of being spied.
"Tsunade-sama, do you want me to take the kids outside?" Shizune asked, guessing what the topic of the conversation was going to be.
"Yes, please. Take them to eat something. You should eat too, Shizune." Shizune nodded, and left Jiraiya and Tsunade alone in the room. "After Shizune an I dealt with the Uchiha sent to 'arrest' us, somebody else appeared. A masked man wearing an Akatsuki cloak. Said man had a Sharingan and could use Wood Release."
"What!?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief. "But that's-"
"And that's not the worst part. The man flat out admitted that he was the one behind the Kyubi attack eight years ago. He said that he was using the coup d'etat as a smokescreen to get to Naruto and finish the job."
Jiraiya was speechless. He knew that the person behind such acts had to be someone powerful, but this was beyond his wildest guesses. He couldn't help but feel worried about Naruto if such a man was after him. Naruto needed to be stronger. Hell, Konoha as a whole needed to be stronger. Fortunately, somebody was about to handle him the necessary tools for such task.
There was a knock at the door. Jiraiya deactivated the privacy seals, while Tsunade told whoever was outside to come in. It was an ANBU with a bear mask.
"Jiraiya-sama, the Council of Elders requires your presence at the Hokage Tower," the ANBU announced.
The Toad Sanin groaned, while a frown appeared on his face. "Ugh, wonder what those old farts want now."
"Sarutobi-sensei is no longer able to continue as a Hokage. It isn't obvious? They want you to take his place," Tsunade mentioned.
"Hahahaha! Me, Hokage, that's a good one, Hime!" Jiraiya replied, genuinely chuckling. "Thanks for the joke, I really needed to laugh. Anyway, I'll come to see you later," Jiraiya gave Tsunade a kiss on her lips before leaving the room.
…
Hokage Tower
"Oh Kami, you guys aren't joking!" Jiraiya's face turned into a grimace.
Sitting in front of him were Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, Sarutobi's former teammates, and later councilors after retiring from ninja duty.
"Did we look like we were joking?" Homura crossed his arms, annoyed.
"Well, you guys look like you don't even know the meaning of the word 'fun', that's why it was all the more shocking," Jiraiya retorted, making the elders to frown.
"Listen, Jiraiya, we lost two Hokages in less than a decade, not to mention our recent losses. We need to appoint a new Hokage as soon as possible, and sadly for everybody, you're our best candidate," Koharu said.
"Come on, I'd suck at being Hokage. There has to be a candidate better than me," Jiraiya protested.
"Danzo-san also talked with us about giving him our support to become Hokage."
"A better candidate that's not a sociopath."
"Listen, we aren't going to support you because we like you, or even because we think that you'll make a great Hokage. We are going to do it because it is what Hiruzen wanted," Homura calmly explained.
"Listen, I know that Sarutobi-sensei had faith in me as a ninja, but me being Hokage? I find that hard to believe. Or did he wake up from his coma already and told you that?"
"Then it's a good thing you don't have to believe just us," Homura replied while leaving a scroll in front of the Sannin. "We found this on Hiruzen's desk. Maybe you should read it."
Skeptical, Jiraiya tool the scroll and opened it. It appeared to be Sarutobi's last will. The Sannin started to read.
...
If you're reading this, then I'm more than likely dead, probably by the hand of Fugaku Uchiha, or one of his clansmen.
Many years ago, we had some evidence that suspected that at least an Uchiha was responsible of the Kyubi attack eight years ago. Some believed that it was the whole clan. I didn't share this opinion, and even started an investigation to exonerate the clan.
Still, it seemed that word of this was made public. The populace of Konoha distrusted the Uchiha, and the Uchiha resented Konoha in return. I tried my best to solve the situation peacefully, but my efforts failed. But then again, I can't think what I could have done save have all the clan swiftly executed by a group of assassins. And honestly, I can't see myself doing that and continue to be able to sleep at night.
But that doesn't change the fact that I failed this village. Now I see that maybe I should have never taken back the Hokage's hat after I was unable to handle the Third Ninja World War better. I tried to think of this a second chance to fix my past mistakes, but in the end all I did was make even more mistakes. Now I see that I should have appointed either Jiraiya or Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage when they returned to take care of Minato's son, Naruto.
But now, I'm going to fix one of those mistakes. Jiraiya, Tsunade, I know that sooner or later you will be reading this. I want one of you to take a step forward and lead the village. Both of you have the perfect combination of power, experience and wisdom I like to think I have, but without my old age to hinder you. You may think that this is too much for you, but I have faith in you. Konoha needs you more than ever. And if the years you've spent here didn't reawaken your love for this village...do it at least for Naruto. Try to keep the village in one piece until he's old enough to take the mantle. I believe that there's some truth behind that little rascal's boasts.
I feel that Fugaku and his Uchiha are getting closer, so I'll wrap this up. First of all, do not lose hope, and keep the Will of Fire in your hearts. That's the key for Konoha to recover the glory it will inevitably lose this night. Second, I know for a fact that at least two Uchihas are not part of this insurrection. Do not ostracize them (and any other Uchiha not involved in this) or blame them for the sins of their misguided clansmen. And lastly, since I won't see them again, I want you to tell my sons and grandchildren that I loved them more than anything, and that both Biwako and me will watch over them from the Pure World.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konoha
…
The two councilors watched intently how Jiraiya's expression changed after he read the whole letter, especially the part that talked about him and Tsunade. Once they guessed that the Sannin finished reading, they spoke again.
"Like the letter says, the other candidate for Hokage would be your wife, but she will be stuck on a hospital bed for quite some time, if what the ANBU told us is right. And we can't wait that much," Koharu said.
"Besides, we also believe that taking Tsunade away from the hospital to place her on the Hokage's office would be a disservice to the village. Not only our healthcare has improved considerably since she took charge of the hospital, but the number of medic-nin, as well as their overall skill has increased considerably since her return," Homura explained.
"You made it sound as if I only sit at home and write my novels. I do work for the village too, you know! I'm the main intelligence gathered of the village!" Jiraiya protested.
"True. But I'm sure that you can send somebody else to meet your spies, or train other people in the art of collecting information. But we can't just ask a medic of Tsunade's caliber to stay at an office doing paperwork."
Jiraiya groaned loudly. Part of him was already regretting coming back to the village. Taking care of Naruto was doable, but being Hokage? Not in a thousand years. But then again, the thought of handing the Hokage mantle to Danzo was...nightmarish, to say the least. Sighing in defeat, Jiraiya was forced to admit that he had only one choice.
"Alright. I'll become the new Hokage."
"Excellent. We'll announce your appointment this afternoon."
…
Later that day, sometime during afternoon
Jiraiya had never been so nervous in his whole life. Well, maybe the day before his wedding. But then again he was only marrying to one woman. This was like being married to the entire village. While the two Elders were talking to the people gathered around the tower, Shizune was adjusting his robes and making sure that he was presentable. Naruto, Kaida and Hagane were present as well.
"So, how do I look?" Jiraiya asked.
"Absolutely imposing, Jiraiya-sama," Shizune beamed.
Jiraiya, however, frowned in return. "Listen Shizune, I'm still trying to work out what kind of relationship you and Tsunade-hime have, but drop the honorifics when talking to me, okay? Jiraiya is enough," the Sannin replied. He really wanted to tell her that for a long time.
"Given that you're about to become Hokage, I don't see that happening anytime soon," Shizune retorted, never losing her smile. Jiraiya's scowl deepened.
"And without further ado, meet the Fifth Hokage!" Homura's voice said.
"That's your cue, Jiraiya-sama. Go and impress them!" Shizune patted Jiraiya on the back.
"Yeah, you can do it dad!" Hagane cheered.
"We will be here cheering you!" Kaida added.
"Soon you'll be the second best Hokage this village ever had!" Naruto said.
Jiraiya looked at him, puzzled. "Second best? Who's the best then...? Oh, never mind, I see what you did there."
Naruto chuckled in return.
Wasting no time, Jiraiya walked towards the edge of the tower, and took a look at the huge crowd below him. They were silent, expecting him to say something. He'll better not keep them waiting.
"People of Konoha!" Jiraiya began his speech. "Usually, the appointment of a new Hokage is a reason to celebrate. Yet I can see that nobody here feels in the mood to celebrate anything. Konoha went through one of its darkest moments second only to the Kyubi attack. Many good ninja died. Parents lost children and children lost their parents.
"However, I ask you not to be consumed by grief and stand strong! Because we already went through something similar not too long ago, and we were back on our feet in no time, and this time it won't be different! Our beloved Third Hokage, my sensei, might not be with us anymore, but his will, the Will of Fire, still is! The Third Hokage would have all of you to move on with your lives, to be happy, to keep the village strong and running!
"That's why I'm going to honor my master's last request, and become Hokage, and work as hard as I can to honor his legacy! And that's why you're going to do likewise, so everybody who wants to harm us know that this village can resist anything!"
People started to cheer loudly once Jiraiya finished his speech. All present members of Jiraiya's family smiled at him.
"He's always been such a good orator. It's a pity Tsunade-sama isn't here to see him. She would have loved it," Shizune thought.
…
Orochimaru's Main Base, Land of the Rice Fields
After much time waiting, Obito appeared from his trademark swirling vortex, and looked as if he had been trampled by an stampede of mad elephants. His cloak was completely torn, his mask was nearly broken, his body had multiple bruises, and a whole arm was missing. Another Akatsuki member was expecting his arrival.
"Welcome back, Obito-kun," Orochimaru sardonically greeted, chuckling. "It seems that Tsunade-hime made a number on you, didn't she? Kukuku...first Minato-kun, and now her. You need to pick your battles better, Obito-kun."
"Shut up!" Obito growled as he took his broken mask and tossed it away. "And prepare the operation table!"
"Yes, it looks like you need some surgery as if there's no tomorrow."
"You know, Orochimaru, if I didn't need you, I would have killed you long time ago," Obito snarled, angry at the Snake Sannin's taunts.
"If you think so," Orochimaru shrugged, at no point dropping his unnerving smile. "While I don't need to ask how the main mission went, did you at least get something of use out of this mess?"
Without saying anything, Obito pulled out three sealing scrolls from inside his torn cloak and tossed them to Orochimaru. The yellow-eyed man unsealed its contents. The first one was a pile of Byakugan eyes. The second was just a single pair of Byakugan eyes. And the last one was a single Sharingan eye.
"A nice loot, but I think mine is better. Is there a reason for these Byakugan are separated from the rest?"
"Yes. They're the eyes of the Hyuga clan head. You can have some of the others if you want, but I need those eyes specifically, so don't touch them."
While Orochimaru was tempted to ask more about that, he felt that Obito wouldn't be in the mood to satisfy his curiosity. Not that it mattered, he could learn about Obito's secret plans on his own later.
"By the way, how about the modifications I made to your body? Even if they weren't of any help in the end, did you notice any improvements?"
"Yes. It took me much less effort to use Wood Release, but I still can't give my jutsus all the power I'd like."
"Baby steps, Obito-kun, baby steps. Sometimes science doesn't advance as fast as we wish. That's why my first priority was to find a way to prolong my lifespan beyond its natural limit."
"Then you should make to find a way to improve my body even further your first priority now. At least, as long as you want me to continue providing you with more genetic material from Hashirama."
"You hurt my feelings, Obito-kun. My work always produces the best results. So, what shall it be, the Byakugan, or the Sharingan?"
"The latter."
"I see. Do you miss having the two of them? Because I certainly would have chose the former. For additional versatility, you know"
"I have my reasonsn, Orochimaru. Now prepare the damn operation table."
Of course, Obito wasn't going to tell the snake Sannin about Shisui's eye special properties. Nor anybody in Akatsuki, for that matter. Trust wasn't something you could find in an organization almost exclusively composed by criminals.
A few minutes later, Obito was strapped to the operation table. Orochimaru looked at him from above with a sadistic smile. If only all his test subjects had Obito's enthusiasm and eagerness...
"Alright, let's start with the eye, then I'll fix the rest of your body. Do you want anesthetics?" Orochimaru pulled out a syringe, full of a greenish liquid.
"You should know better already," Obito spat at him.
"No anesthetics then," the Snake Sannin put the syringe away, and pulled out an scalpel. "Then let me tell you that this is going to hurt a lot. But you should know that already, shouldn't you?"
"Cease your attempts at intimidating me, snake. I don't feel pain anymore."
"Kukuku...I wonder what our leader would say about that."