Kakashi could not understand why he had been summoned to the Anbu Headquarters. Granted he had once been a part of the secret organization, and was a good friend of the Anbu commander.
Hell, he practically trained the man...
Through his experience in the Anbu, he at least knew one thing. Anbu were the darkness of the ninja world, a necessary evil. It was an outfit that brought forward the darkness in people's heart, and transformed them into ruthless killing machines.
In a way, he was grateful for Naruto's entry into his life. If not for the boy, he would have stayed in the Anbu and always lived in the darkness.
"Senpai..."
Kakashi turned around to see his long time friend and student standing behind him. Dressed in his Anbu gear and a sword strapped on his back, his face covered by the mysterious Anbu mask.
It was hard to believe that the little Tenzo he had met years ago had grown so much. From their days in Root, to their partnership in Anbu...they had been through a lot.
"I told you to stop calling me that, Tenzo" said Kakashi lazily, making his friend chuckle.
"I'll stop the day you stop calling me Tenzo. Besides, now I am known as Yamato..."
"You're not going to change, are you?"
"Nope"
Kakashi gently rubbed his forehead as his friend continued to smile. Guess, some things never changed...
"Why have you called me?" asked Kakashi curiously,
"We have an assignment for you. It has Delta Level clearance..." said Tenzo (a.k.a Yamato) seriously, his voice now devoid of any mischief.
And he was not surprised when he saw the shock visible in Kakashi's eyes. Any mission/assignment with a Delta Level clearance was the most important task an Anbu could ever dream to achieve.
An SS rank mission.
A mission that could very well change the future of their village and Fire nation itself.
"I am not an Anbu, you should not discuss this with me..." scolded Kakashi, but tensed when his friend didn't back down.
"It's not up to me. I am merely following orders..." stated Yamato, as Kakashi came dangerously close to him.
"Did the Hokage put you up to this?" questioned Kakashi, and the look in his friend's eyes made Kakashi very nervous. Something big was going on...
"I'm afraid, bigger forces have got involved. Forces that are more powerful than the Hokage..." suggested Yamato, making Kakashi take a step back.
It was not possible...
"The Damiyo..."
"Yes, this assignment comes directly from the leader of this entire nation. As you know, the Damiyo does not interfere with the internal matters of the village, but Naruto's defection incident has seriously raised deep concerns in the Imperial Court. Questions are being raised about the power of Konoha, and whether it is strong enough to defend Fire Country. We have got reports that the Damiyo of Suna and Iwa are maybe planning an alliance..." explained Yamato worriedly,
The Anbu commander was surprised when Kakashi grabbed his collars roughly and looked him straight in the eye...
"The Anbu are loyal to the Hokage, you can't get involved in this mess much less drag me into it. If Hiruzen finds out that you are secretly collaborating with the Damiyo-"
"What if I tell you, Hiruzen won't be Hokage for long..."
Time seemed to have stopped for Hatake Kakashi, everything was spinning out of control. Even his rational mind was unable to process the information that was thrown at him, this just couldn't be happening.
"You mean..." said Kakashi nervously, and gulped when he received a nod from Yamato.
"I'm afraid the Imperial Court has lost all confidence in Hiruzen. They think he has grown too old and soft, their argument being if a child like Naruto can kill so many Anbu, steal the Forbidden Scroll. Then what's the worth of allowing Konoha to exist? You know very well, that Konoha's power pales in comparison to the might of the Fire Country. The Damiyo's army granted being a little weaker than our ninja, but is 10 times more large than our entire forces combined. It is the largest and most powerful army of the world that has ensured Fire Country's dominance since centuries. If things are not handled soon, Konoha could very well be replaced by a new village." explained Yamato in detail,
"The Damiyo is a spineless coward, he won't dare..." said Kakashi aggressively, gaining a nod from his friend.
"You're right. The Damiyo is a coward and weak old man, but that is not the case of Princess Karen. The 13th heir to the throne, and eldest daughter of Fire Damiyo. She is a cold hearted bitch who is very likely to become the next empress of Fire nation. The fact that she was indirectly involved in the mysterious murders of 10 of her siblings is enough to prove her desire for the throne. She practically controls the Imperial Court and the army too. Two days ago, she approached me with a proposal..."
Kakashi got a real bad feeling after hearing the explanation. He had heard about Karen, she was the only royal heir who had the ability to use chakra. At the mere age of 17, she assumed command of the Imperial Forces and participated in the Third Great ninja war, while the rest of her siblings preferred to hide in their royal palaces.
She was a hard liner, who would not stop until her ambitions were achieved.
The fact that she was a student of Danzo Shimura was troubling news. After the Yondaime died, she and Danzo had lobbied hard for Orochimaru to be named the next Hokage...but was considered young and naive by her father, and his supporters.
Ultimately Hiruzen was made Hokage again, and it was fair to say that the princess took it as an insult to her and her teacher (Danzo Shimura)
One by one the advisers of Fire Damiyo who had supported Hiruzen's rise to power started disappearing, until none of them remained. Where they had disappeared was still a mystery, but Kakashi had a very good idea who it was that made these disappearances possible.
"Kakashi, she knows the truth..."
If Kakashi was shocked before, then now he was mortified. Just how much vulnerable had Konoha become during these past few years?
"Tenzo, you told her..." said Kakashi furiously, but only received a harsh glare from his old friend.
"No, she already knew. Karen is about to be named the next leader of Fire Nation, and recent events has placed both Konoha and Hiruzen in her bad books. Once she assumes command, the first thing she would do is to sack Hiruzen and merge Konoha with Fire nation. Our village could very well be wiped out, now I knew why Danzo was so confident with his coup. Even if Root had been able to topple Hiruzen's rule and take over Konoha, Danzo would still need the approval of the Imperial Court. So this was the bastard's true plan, with Karen to back him up...the coup would have succeeded flawlessly." explained Yamato worriedly,
"But Naruto fucked it up, when he single handedly wiped out Root. Oh, Kami..." said Kakashi in shock, as the true picture became clear to him.
"Yes, not only did Karen lose her control over Konoha but she also lost her teacher, Danzo Shimura. Now she has control over the largest and strongest army of the world, but not on the strongest village due to Hiruzen. The situation is extremely fragile and Karen is not someone with whom Konoha should mess at this point of time. If we don't handle this, then a rebellion may start within the Fire Country..." said Yamato sincerely,
"What do you want from me?" asked Kakashi skeptically,
"Karen wants to remove Hiruzen, but she can't assassinate him as it will directly point fingers at her. So, she has adopted another approach. Karen has proposed full immunity to Naruto, if he testifies that he eliminated Root on Hiruzen's orders and murdered Danzo."
"But that would change nothing. Danzo was revolting, it was a crime..."
"Not in her eyes, she controls the Imperial Court and will project that instead of negotiations the Hokage took a rash step and eliminated 300 talented Root ninja effectively reducing Konoha's military efficiency while jeopardizing the safety of Konoha and Fire Country. Not only that, she would surely blame Hiruzen for hiding the information of the coup and proclaim that he endangered the royal family which will turn the Fire Nation against him. The fact that Hiruzen and Danzo never looked eye to eye will be used against him as a motive for giving Naruto orders to eliminate Danzo." explained Yamato briefly,
"It's a checkmate..." said Kakashi sadly,
"The way I see it, Hiruzen's days as Hokage are outnumbered. Karen will come after us, our choices will determine the future of this village. My loyalty lies with the village and the people rather than the Hokage only. The Uchiha massacre, Root Massacre, and defection of our only Jinchuuriki. Combine all these reasons, the Royal Family and Karen have more than enough reasons to remove Hiruzen. As for you, she wants you to convince Naruto to surrender. You're the one who raised that boy, and he trusts you immensely." said Yamato seriously,
"I-"
"Kakashi, you and I both know it...even if Naruto finished his mission and is brought back in the village, the people will never trust him. He would become a greater pariah, but if he surrenders to Karen...she has promised to pardon him of all crimes and with her power, she could actually make the people believe that Naruto was just an innocent young ninja who was used by Hiruzen. That would earn him the sympathy of the people, even make him a hero. Karen wants to meet him at Kaminejima pass- 9 days from now. It will be a secret meeting, it's up to you now..."
The Anbu commander could only watch sympathetically as various emotions crossed in the copy ninja's eyes, they were talking about the change of an entire regime. Something which had never happened in the history of the ninja world...
And Naruto was caught right in the middle of it...
"You once asked me, why did Naruto rebel against Root?" asked Yamato patiently, and gestured Kakashi to follow him.
"Because Danzo made him kill a very close friend and was increasingly becoming a threat to the village..." replied Kakashi confidently, and was a little intrigued when his friend led him into a room full of monitors.
He watched patiently as his friend inserted a tape into the recorder, and motioned his finger at the large screen in front of Kakashi.
"It was Operation ThunderStorm, seven years ago that destroyed Naruto's loyalty to Root and Danzo..."
And Kakashi was surprised when he found a young Naruto dressed in Anbu gear on the screen...
(Operation ThunderStorm- 7 Years Ago)
Heavy rains were falling from the dark sky, while the moon was shadowed by the sea of dark clouds in the sky. In all this darkness, several pair of eyes were currently watching a small palace that was in front of them.
Isane Katero could not understand why her and their entire platoon had been assigned the task of eliminating Prince Genji, the 7th heir to the Imperial Throne.
The fact that they were dressed in the uniform of Hannya Blackops of the Land of Woods, and had removed any mark that could trace them back to Konoha or Root was a big sign that this was an operation clearly not being conducted on the Hokage's orders.
"Isane-onee-chan, should we begin?" asked a young Deer masked Root Anbu,
The little 7 year old boy flinched when the elder girl gave him a harsh glare and motioned him to shut up.
"Kento, you're not supposed to call me that. We're on a mission and I'm your squad leader, call me Bird" advised Isane,
"Gomen..." said Deer apologetically, as Isane's glare softened.
Her eyes shifted towards their platoon leader who was just looking at them stoically. She could not understand what was going on in that boy's head, 9 years old and he was already a Lieutenant and soon to be named Captain.
It was fair to say that Naruto Uchiha was one of the finest ninja in the Root force...
He had already performed several Blackops missions behind enemy lines, and right now looking at these two rookies made him feel a little nostalgic about his days under Shin's command during Root training.
"It's time, squad leader..." advised Naruto seriously,
He received two quick nods from Isane and Kento as both of them took out their crossbows and focused the weapon towards the 2nd floor of the palace. She also saw Naruto loading a sharp arrow on his weapon, when one of his communication devices on his right ear blinked.
"Ground Team 1 in position at the north gate..."
"Ground Team 2 in position near the south gate..."
"Orders Lieutenant?"
"There are several squads around your position. Your objective is to cause as much havoc. Our intel suggests that Prince Genji is one of the few royal heirs who would not leave his soldiers helpless in a fight. Your attack would draw him out, and that is when we will eliminate him. There are approximately 100 royal guards around this palace. You will be fine, Team 1, Team 2" explained Naruto briefly,
The communication link was cut off as Naruto's gaze shifted towards the two shooters that were currently beside him on the cliff.
"Ready your weapons, Rookies. We're hot.." ordered Naruto,
"Yes, sir"
Despite receiving the positive reply, Naruto saw a little doubt in Isane's eyes and motioned her to speak.
"Sir, we have 30 men in the field right now. If things get too hot, they won't be able to escape..." suggested Bird (Isane),
"Our intel is clear. There are only 100 royal guards, our forces are strong enough to hold their own against them. But if it gets too hot, I will order them to fall back. Don't worry, squad leader...focus on your objective" said Naruto confidently, and smiled when he received a faithful nod from the 8 year old girl.
Isane waited with awaited breath as Naruto motioned 3 fingers, reduced them to 2 and finally...
BOOM!
Several explosions rocked various sectors around the palace, as Root Anbu forces dressed as Hannya Blackops stormed through the gates of the palace.
"Sector 3, right hand side." spoke Deer (Kento), while Isane shifted her weapon in the said direction.
"Fire"
The body of a Royal archer fell down from the 2nd floor of the palace with an arrow lodged in his skull.
"Sector 3-1, distance 920 meters, upper left corner" pointed Deer again, as Naruto's crossbow shifted in that direction.
"Fire"
A sharp arrow was lodged into the brain of a royal guard that was standing outside the prince's quarters.
Isane was surprised when the prince came storming out of his quarters, dressed in his samurai like armor. The man was just about to join his forces when a sharp arrow pierced his right eye and passed clean through the man's skull.
As the man's lifeless body fell down on the floor, she saw Naruto reloading his weapon. Such precision, and control over his emotions...
Tonight, Isane learned what it meant to be a true Root Anbu...
She was shocked when Naruto's eyes widened in terror before he flashed towards her and tackled her to the ground.
SLASH
Moments passed and the little girl heard several kunai and shuriken piercing someone, as a soft cry escaped from the person's throat.
She saw several hawks flying in the sky, and saw what appeared to be ninja forces on them. Naruto didn't waste any time, as he picked up his crossbow and started firing it towards the airborne enemy forces.
He looked towards Isane for support, but froze when he saw the young rookie kunoichi kneeling before a badly mutilated body of Kento.
The 7 year old boy had around 50 kunai lodged in his body, and his lifeless eyes were staring at Isane.
"This is Team 1, we are surrounded by ninja forces. They're everywhere"
"Team 2, mercenary forces have us surrounded. We can't hold on much longer, Lieutenant..."
Time seemed to have stopped for Naruto, as he witnessed 30 of his men surrounded by at least 200 ninja forces and another 80 something royal guards. And in that moment he realized they true meaning of their mission...
"Lieutenant, you gotta get us out of here NOW!"
"I won't let you down, hang in there" shouted Naruto, but his sharingan was clearly showing him his own soldiers getting butchered by the enemy forces.
"Can't do, LT. I've lost 5 men already..."
"Lieutenant Falcon, they are killing us here!"
Isane saw a furious Naruto making some adjustments on his communication device, before yelling furiously at the man on the other channel.
"Command post, this is Lieutenant Falcon. My men are surrounded...we need support now!" shouted Naruto urgently,
"There is no available support. Your mission is finished, Falcon. Return to base..." came the voice of their commanding officer,
"But my men-"
"Are expendable. This was how it was supposed to go, now return to base. That's an order..."
A devastated Naruto could only helplessly watch as the Imperial Forces mercilessly crushed his 30 men, he also saw what appeared to be a royal eagle landing on the palace, as a woman jumped on the surface.
But he couldn't think about that right now, nor could he look into Isane's eyes...
"No one's coming for us, are they sir?" asked Isane sadly, as Kento's body got vaporized due to the Root Seal's activation.
A small tear slipped from Naruto's eyes as he saw the bodies of his soldiers getting vaporized, but he didn't stop. The young Root Anbu quickly picked up Isane and started running away.
But he had learned one thing tonight...
The ninja world was indeed very cruel...
(Root Base: 2 days Later)
A young Naruto could currently be seen standing in front of several Root officers. Danzo was sitting in the middle and his cold eyes were analyzing the boy.
Isane who was standing behind Naruto could only flinch when the Root commander glared at her...
"Danzo-sama, and esteemed members of the Special Forces committee. I, Naruto Uchiha come before you to protest a grave injustice..." said Naruto seriously, barely trying to hide the anger that was burning in his heart.
"We have already read your report, I don't see why you are standing before us..." replied Danzo nonchalantly, it was as if the man didn't even care.
Isane saw Naruto's fists clenching tightly, and his chakra increasing...
"31 soldiers died, Danzo-sama. The intel was deliberately manipulated, we were told there were only 100 personal royal guards of Price Genji. Instead there were mercenary ninja forces under the leadership of another royal princess..." argued Naruto passionately, but one of the Root commanders raised his hand.
"The target was eliminated, that's all that matters. Soldiers are expendables..."
Danzo narrowed his gaze when Naruto's sharingan activated as he glared furiously at the uncaring Root members...
"You set us up..." said Naruto furiously,
"So what?"
Isane couldn't believe what she was hearing, did Danzo just said those words?
"With Prince Genji's death and the supposed intervention of "Hannya" Blackops in this incident. The Imperial Court has ordered the invasion of the Land of Woods, soon that small nation will be under the rule of Fire Country. Princess Karen is already making preparations, you should be proud" scolded Danzo,
"You bastard, you killed Kento" thought Isane furiously, she had pledged her life to defend Konoha.
Only to have the very same village betray her and their comrades, Kento was only 7 years old and this man didn't even seem to care. For all these Root officers, soldiers like her were were nothing more than cannon fodder.
To be used and thrown...
She saw Naruto trying his best to make them understand and accept their deliberate actions, but was easily getting cornered.
"This has to stop..."
(Root Base: 1 Day Later)
The sound of alarms rang across the entire Root base, everywhere red lights could be seen burning. Sai could not understand the reason why Naruto was so tensed and heading towards the area where they had received reports about an enemy intrusion.
The fact that the intrusion point appeared to be extremely close to Danzo's personal quarters was an alarming sign.
Sai knew this Root base was a secret and only Root ninja knew about it's existence.
He couldn't finish his thoughts as they took another turn and his worst fears indeed came true.
Because there in front of them was a small Anbu squad of 10 ninja surrounded by several Root Anbu from all sides. The fact that the intruders were indeed Root ninja themselves and were young rookies...
Danzo's loyal soldiers were just about to finish these young children, when a loud, strong voice ran across the room...
"Drop your weapons!"
"Drop them!"
The surrounded Root soldiers were surprised when the soldiers loyal to Danzo stayed their attack, but the one who was most surprised was none other than Isane.
"This is Lieutenant Naruto, drop your weapons now!" commanded Naruto, but the boy was shocked when Isane stepped forward.
"Squad Leader Isane Katero, I'm the team leader of this squad..." said Isane respectfully, and didn't flinch when Naruto glared at her.
"Squad leader, you are surrounded. If you value your life and that of your soldiers, drop your weapons and surrender" advised Naruto patiently, while Sai glared at the Root soldiers of Danzo preventing them from attacking the young soldiers.
Isane slowly removed her Anbu mask, and Naruto saw a small sad smile on her face as she looked at the mask...
"Sir, I know you tried everything. But just like you, I swore to defend Konoha against all enemies. Foreign and Domestic...and Danzo is an enemy of Konoha" said Isane angrily,
"How dare you-"
Naruto quickly grabbed the weapon of a fellow Root commander, preventing the man from starting a fight.
"Lieutenant, we have fought and bled for the same nation...you know very well, I will not give that order!" said Isane seriously,
"Your squad is surrounded, Isane. These guys won't spare you if you don't surrender, don't be stupid. None of you have to die!" pleaded Naruto, as the young girl glared at the Root forces that had surrounded her squad.
"All of you, we were comrades once and we swore to defend Konoha. But that doesn't mean we must be sacrificed like dogs for one man's greed, Danzo is a traitor to Konoha and to all of us" shouted Isane angrily, and Sai saw the Root forces grabbing their weapons.
A panicked Naruto looked the girl straight in the eye, his heart burning with anticipation and fear...
"For the last time, Isane. It's over, surrender right now..." commanded Naruto,
"Stand fast!" countered Isane, as both her and the Root forces of Danzo readied their weapons.
"Goddamn it, Squad leader. I am not going to repeat this order..." yelled Naruto furiously, as the defiant girl looked at him with equal passion.
"I will not give that order!"
"What the hell is wrong with you-"
SLASH
Before Naruto could even finish his order, the sound of a kunai was heard in the room and the next second one of the soldiers under Isane's command fell dead on the floor.
Sai quickly tackled Naruto to the floor, as all hell broke loose. But Naruto's eyes were only fixed on Danzo who had fired that weapon...
The sound of explosions, kunai against kunai, cries of dying soldiers was heard across the entire room as Naruto glared at Danzo.
He quickly shoved Sai off him, and grabbed the kunai of the closest Root Anbu...
"Ceasefire!"
The young Anbu officer could only helplessly watch as his comrades got hit by numerous weapons. Danzo's forces were killing them without any shred of mercy,
"AHHHH"
He gasped in shock when a exploding tag bursted around Isane, shredding the entire left part of her chest. Showers of blood erupted around the girl, but she continued to grab the sword in her hand and jumped towards Danzo.
With all her strength she sliced the necks of 2 Root Anbu protecting Danzo and jumped towards the Root commander...
"STOP!" yelled Naruto urgently,
SLASH
A sharp sword was pierced clean through Isane's heart by Danzo, as the young girl coughed up blood before collapsing beneath the man's feet.
Everything went silent, there was no sound, no cries, no weapons being fired...
Just emptiness...
Sai could only watch sadly as a mortified Naruto stared at the bodies of the young children of Isane's squad, their mutilated bodies vaporizing. His gaze then shifted towards Danzo who just turned around and started walking away.
"Clean this mess up..."
That's it? Was this the only thing the man had to say?
Watching the Root Anbu giving faithful nods shocked Naruto even more. An intense rage and hatred burned in his heart, as he grabbed his sword and was just about to charge towards Danzo.
But before he could react, Sai placed a firm hand on his shoulder...
"Not now, Naruto..."
One by one the Root ninja started to clear the room, while Naruto walked towards the place where Isane's corpse was vaporizing. He could hardly call her a friend, but she was indeed his comrade. A faithful subordinate who shared the same dream of protecting Konoha.
Was it wrong for her to rebel against the system?
His rational mind was telling him she should have surrendered, but his heart knew she was right all along. Until the very end...
Sai stood patiently as a tearful Naruto put his hands on the mass of flesh and blood that had once been Isane Katero.
"There was nothing you could have done, Naruto" said Sai sympathetically, and was relieved when he received a nod from Naruto.
"You're right, I could not save them. She rebelled against Root, but even then she was right. All of them were..." said Naruto regretfully,
"What do you mean?" asked Sai curiously,
"She showed that even ninja are in the end people. Anbu are human, and human life must be preserved. Life is the greatest gift which a person receives from Kami, and nobody- nobody has the right to take that away from us. Not a country, not an organization, not anyone..." said Naruto passionately, while slowly putting his Anbu mask on.
"What do you think of her actions?" asked Sai, and he heard a soft sad chuckle escaping from Naruto's lips.
"You either die as a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain..."
"Naruto..."
"Humans chase after the existence of happiness..." said Naruto mysteriously,
"Meaning?"
"What Isane and these rookies wanted was just a tiny bit of happiness. It was just a simple wish, a wish that every human has."
He turned around and was now looking at Sai with his Mangekyo sharingan, and it seemed Sai understood what he meant. "Do any of us have a right to deny that wish?" questioned Naruto,
"Naruto, people are judged because they are linked to something in the world, whether they like it or not. Such is the fate of humans..." explained Sai sagely,
"I-"
"And sometimes when personal wishes stand against the will of the world, they are considered as pointless." said Sai honestly, but Naruto shook his head in disagreement.
"Sin and punishment, fate and judgement...I will change these factors that stand in the way of happiness...
...I will become the darkness that the ninja world loves so much. No matter what happens, I will clean this corrupt system...humans love the dark side, I will make them feel pain so that they value life over death, happiness over misery, feelings over greed, and friends over power. If Root is the darkness of Konoha, then I shall become an even greater darkness. Sai, I am going to eliminate this darkness...because only those willing to be killed, should think about killing others." promised Naruto,
(Flashback End)
Kakashi just stood in his position, never in his entire life had he thought about the darkness that Root had indulged itself into. Watching these memories, made him look towards Naruto in a different light.
To some extent, he found Naruto's actions to be just.
"We found these tapes during our raid on the destroyed Root base. After an investigation, we discovered that the mission was rigged from the start. Danzo and Princess Karen were in on this. She knew that Hiruzen won't support her in the assassination of Prince Genji, who was gaining political powers within the Imperial Court, thereby becoming a threat to her. Danzo offered her support, he was still bitter over the betrayal by the Land of Woods a few years ago. You remember that, they broke off that treaty which Hiruzen sent them?" asked Yamato seriously,
"Yes, it was Gai's team that Hannya Blackops ambushed. I and Itachi disposed them off..." said Kakashi quickly, as he remembered the mission.
"Those Root soldiers were sacrificed as pawns in a big political game. Since they had acted as Hannya Blackops, and murdered a royal prince. It gave Karen enough reason to launch an invasion on the Land of Woods, within days it fell and was made a part of our nation. Karen personally led the invasion, in this way she successfully removed her sibling who was becoming a threat to her rise to the throne, while Danzo got his wish to conquer to Land of Woods. Our further search revealed many such missions in which those two co-operated" said Yamato in detail,
"Then use it against her, Tenzo..."
"Are you kidding me? You want me to go up against the next empress of Fire nation? This evidence is not enough, and even if we want to present it...she would destroy us. That woman killed her own siblings, what do you think she will do to us? And if we try to present this evidence, then the Root rebellion will come out eventually, which would not only destroy Konoha's reputation further...but also endanger Naruto's cover when he's this close to Orochimaru. It's too risky..." scolded Yamato,
Kakashi became silent for a few minutes, what his friend had said was indeed true. Naruto was caught right in the middle of this mess, and going up against someone like Karen would put him in even more danger. But if he went along with this plan, then Hiruzen...
Then he remembered what Hiruzen had did to Naruto, removing Rei's memories was an even greater crime which Hiruzen did without any hesitation.
"Don't worry, Kakashi. The princess only wants to remove Hiruzen, and if it's any consolation she wants to make you the next Hokage..."
''WHAT!"
"Calm down, think about it rationally. If we do this, Konoha would be safe from her wrath, and with you as our leader it would be easy to bring Naruto safely in the village. As for Hiruzen, she would pressure him to resign and the people would accept it since he has become too old..." suggested Yamato,
Kakashi narrowed his gaze when Yamato offered his hand to him...
"What shall it be, Kakashi?"