-2 days later-
The people of Konoha grieved over the passing of their Hokage, whom they regarded as family. Despite the harsh weather conditions of strong winds and rain, they paid their respects to their beloved hero. Among those who reminisced about their shared experiences with the Hokage was a ninja named Iruka.
*Flashback*
Hiruzen observed Iruka standing in front of his parents' graves, shedding tears. After a while, he walked towards Iruka and remarked, "You've been coming here to mourn for a year now. It's futile to keep crying in front of the cenotaph."
Iruka turned around to face Hiruzen and retorted in anger, "I'm not crying because of this! When a ninja dies on a mission, it's considered an honorable sacrifice."
"But my parents were tortured to death by those demons for the sake of this village, and they aren't even recognized as heroes? They are the ones who sacrificed their lives for this village, and I am their son. How dare you tell me that I cannot cry for them?"
Just as Iruka was about to say "I'm crying for them right now," he was interrupted by Hiruzen's embrace.
The Hokage reassured him, saying that he wasn't alone and that the entire village of Konoha shares the Will of Fire, which is why he is there to comfort him. Hearing Hiruzen's words, Iruka's crying subsided as he snapped out of his dazed state.
Hiruzen spoke with a gentle smile, "In this village, everyone shares a sense of protection and a strong will to protect. We are all like a big family, and Iruka, you also possess this same will."
Upon hearing this, Iruka stopped crying and looked at Hiruzen with admiration, responding respectfully, "Yes, Hokage Sama!"
*Flashback end*
Iruka knelt down and pulled Komohamaru close, allowing him to cry and express his grief on his shoulders.
Jiraya stood next to a tree stump on the training grounds, lost in thought as he recalled memories of the departed. He let out a soft chuckle in fond remembrance.
Several more days went by, during which many events unfolded, eventually returning Konoha to its usual state.
In a battle against two members of the Akatsuki, Itachi and Kisame, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai found themselves outnumbered and facing slim odds of winning. As a result, they decided to end the fight.
Meanwhile, Jiraya took Naruto with him to search for Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin. Although he invited Menma to come along, Menma ultimately declined. They successfully found Tsunade, and after some persuasion, she agreed to become the new Hokage.
-The sand-
Located in the heart of the Wind Country's desert, with towering rock walls for fortifications, lies the Village Hidden in the Sand, home to the Sand Ninjas. Unfortunately, things had not been going well for the village as they were still recovering from their failed invasion plan with the Sound Village.
To make matters worse, their Kazekage had been killed and replaced by Orochimaru, though it was later discovered that his real body had been found at the bottom of a cliff. The village held a funeral for their fallen leader and shinobi, mourning their losses and feeling ashamed for having been manipulated by Orochimaru.
In a spacious chamber, adorned with statues of their former leaders lining the walls, the village elders gathered around a lengthy table to deliberate on crucial matters.
Among their pressing topics of discussion were the selection of the future Kazekage, addressing their insufficient manpower, and strategizing ways to deceive rival nations into underestimating their strength. Their concern was that an opposing village may exploit their current vulnerability by launching an attack.
After betraying and even participating in the assassination of their Hokage, they were required to come up with a strategy to regain the favor of the Leaf. Their main objective was to establish a reliable approach to forming an alliance with the Leaf and demonstrating their allegiance to their newfound partnership.
"We need to prove our commitment to the alliance." Elder 1 said
"They might think we're devising another plan to attack... After last time I wouldn't be surprised if they want to wipe us out, a possible enemy or out of vengeance." Elder 2 said
"I still find it hard to believe that they managed to beat two villages at once." Elder 4 said
"We believed that they were weak and were proven otherwise. So now we have to find a way to make an alliance with them." Elder 2 said
"Yes, apparently Jiraya's old teammate, Tsunade has declared that she will be the next hokage." Elder 1 added
"When was this declared?" Elder 3 asked
"Today... Interesting... There seems to be a young genin with them aswell..." Elder 1 said now intrigued
"A genin?" Elder 2 asked
""Yes, according to our sources, it seems Jiraya has taken him in as an apprentice, of for his name... He goes by Naruto." Elder 1 said
"Wait... Naruto?" Elder 4 said rummaging through files."As in Naruto uzumaki?" He asked
"Oh... Yes, it seems so." Elder 2 confirms
"That's the kid that lady Temari said defeated Gaara." Elder 4 said
"Are you sure?" Elder 1 asks
"Positive, she saw the fight herself, apparently the boy used a 'secret technique' to cause a lot of damage to Gaara with an exploding kunai. Then he made 1000 or so clones there about to fight." Elder 4 says
"That's impossible..." Elder 2 disagreed
"That may be so, but the boy did beat Gaara, and it is listed in his official report that he does know shadow clone jutsu. I had people look into him and I found that he has a brother by the name of Menma...This is suprising..." Elder 1 says glancing through the files
"It says here that they lived without parents and were highly regarded by the Third Hokage for reasons unknown."
"They were said to be dead last, yet they both learned advanced jonin moves, Naruto had also participated in an A rank mission which the Demon of the Mist himself met his demise." Elder 1 finishes
The room fell silent until elder 1 spoke up.
"Don't you think that the leaf is hiding their power? Think about it, their past is basically nonexistent yet they show such promise, we're regarded by the late Hokage, and one defeated Gaara who I thought was impossible to beat."
"Now even Jiraya has take one of them under his wing? Dont you think its strange?" Elder 1 finished
"They are obviously their ace in the hole. There is no way kids with this kind of record could have accomplished those things said here. They graduate the academy with A rank jutsus and has uncanny prowess in ninjutsu and taijutsu? And even managed to beat one of the seven ninja swordsman as well as Gaara? Obviously their school records were faked." Elder 2 scoffed
"Agreed. Two naturally gifted ninja, there is no telling how strong they can become." Elder 3 agreed
"But it seems one gets preferential treatment." Elder 4 says
"Why do you say that?" Elder 1 inquired
"Naruto has Kakashi, the copy ninja as his sensei and Jiraya as his Master. It seems they are trying to create another Yellow Flash." Elder 4 says
"Isn't that a bit of a stretch?" Elder 3 says
"It isn't unwarranted, since Jiraya taught the Yellow Flash himself and Jiraya was also taught by the third too. If he is already this strong, imagine when he gets older..." Elder 4 says
"... This might not prove to be in our favour. If they have two secret weapons in the making, one even managing to defeat our own, we must solidify our alliance quickly." Elder 1 suggests
"How?" Elder 2 asked
"With the Bonding Alliance Contract." Elder 1 finishes
"Hmm... It just might work." Elder 4 said with a thoughtful look
"It hasn't been used in a while bit there is reason for it. If we make an offer to their council they may accept, but we need to ensure that they would." Elder 1 says with a serious expression
"But who should we pick? They would have to be close in age but also be someone upstanding or else they might simply ignore it." Elder 3 asks
They pondered who would be a suitable candidate until someone said.
"How about Lady Temari?" Elder 2 suggests
"No, I dont think we should give her up. Additionally if the boy is as powerful as we think then their children would be just as frightening." Elder 1 says
"Hear me out. If we offer her then that would make it harder for them and their children to attack us because they would habe family in our village, and say supposedly one of them becomes hokage, we would be able to rest easy." Elder 2 says convincing the elders
"Hmm, its reasonable... Lets do that then." Elder 1 says
They came to a decision and sent it to konoha in hopes that they would accept.
.
.
.
-A few days later in Konoha-
The Konoha Council was deliberating whether or not to approve a marriage proposal. One of the members, Danzo, advocated for accepting the proposal and urged that the couple have a child promptly to prevent any possibility of the mother's disloyalty to the village. Initially, some members objected to the proposal, expressing reluctance for it to involve the Uzumaki children, but Danzo was able to persuade them, and they ultimately agreed to the proposal. However, they chose to select the older of the twin siblings.
It is worth noting that Jiraya and Tsunade had given their approval for the marriage.
-At home-
Menma let out a sneeze with an "Achoo!" sound.
Concerned about his brother's health, Naruto asked, "You've been sneezing all week, do you have a cold?"
Menma responded with a flat tone, "Ninjas don't get sick."
Not fully convinced, Naruto shrugged and changed the topic, "Anyway, as I was saying, Pervy Sage summoned Chief Toad then..." He continued with his story.
*Knock knock*
The Jinchuriki twins shifted their focus to the window beside their bed where Jiraya could be seen waving at them. Naruto promptly proceeded to open the window, allowing the Sannin to enter their room. They engaged in small talk for some time until Menma posed a serious question.
"Pervy Sage, what is the actual reason for your visit?"
Jiraya was about to deny any ulterior motive, but seeing the determined expression on Menma's face, he let out a sigh and spoke.
"I have come to speak to you, Menma. It's about something important." The young boys listened intently, curious about what Jiraya had to say.
Jiraya's expression turned serious as he made the proposal. "The Sand has suggested a marriage between you and one of their kunoichi, Temari. If you are unwilling, I can speak with Tsunade about it."
After some contemplation, the individual calmly replied, "No, it's fine. I accept."
"Alright then," Jiraya responded before adding, "If that is your decision, I will inform Tsunade. Take care." With that, Jiraya used his shunshin technique to instantly transport himself to the Hokage's office to relay the news.
Naruto began teasing his brother about his upcoming marriage, but Menma had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he suggested, "How about we spar?"
Naruto, feeling uneasy about the idea, attempted to back away and sneak out the door. "No, I think I'll pass," he said nervously.
But Menma was not taking no for an answer. "It wasn't a question," he replied firmly, grabbing onto Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto sweat-dropped, quickly using a substitution jutsu with a nearby pillow and jumping out of the window. "You won't catch me, brother!" he yelled as he escaped, with Menma hot on his heels.
From that day forward, Naruto thought twice before teasing his brother again.