The gates of Konoha peer over the horizon through the dense foliage. Naruto landed them a short distance away, and the walk back is somewhat awkward. The serenity of Konoha's surroundings do little to ease the tension. Hawks cry and bugs chitter but the noise it seems, is drowned out by each other's thoughts.
"Naruto-kun, that man...?"
Gai's question is tentative and uncertain, as if he believes he's been let on to something that was meant to be a secret. It kind of was, Naruto hadn't counted on Obito revealing himself like that, but the cat is out of the bag now. Gai's curiosity has been peaked, and even if Naruto himself doesn't say anything, Tsunade probably would in a potentially misguided attempt to have Gai keep Kakashi in check. Once they're back in the village, Naruto is going to have to be careful with how to reveal this information to Kakashi.
Kakashi is trustworthy, however. He wouldn't skip out of the village to go hunt down his supposedly dead friend, especially when he has a wife and a child, and his students who defer to him when they need it. Naruto is more worried about the ramifications this secret would have on their relationship.
But he can't hide this forever. If it harms his friendship with Kakashi then so be it, but better to have one of Konoha's best warriors prepared to fight than in emotional turmoil when the truth comes out. Telling Gai the full truth now could backfire but there is still a chance that he would have the Jounin in his corner if he can explain early before rumours start screaming across the village.
"He wasn't lying, he does know you. He might even have been your friend at some point." Naruto reveals cautiously. Team Gai and Sakura listen in without any subtlety.
"I don't recall being close with many Uchiha throughout my life, Naruto-kun." Gai leans in, eyes sharp.
"His name is Uchiha Obito."
Gai stops in his tracks.
Naruto doesn't, he keeps up with his long strides before Gai leaps in front of him, posture imploring Naruto to say otherwise.
"That's impossible! Obito is dead!"
"My grandfather rescued him." Naruto states without preamble.
"Kakashi knows that Obito died for certain!"
"Yes, well. Turns out an old man with a penchant for cheating death and prolonging the life of another, also has a talent in bringing people back from the brink."
"Obito would have come back!"
Naruto stops and takes a breath. He can feel the lower-ranked members of their team looking at them, possibly confused. Possibly awed that Gai is willing to contest Naruto after the havoc he caused, possibly simply curious about this 'Obito' that has Gai wound-up.
"People can change, especially an Uchiha who knows what love is and what it's like to lose it. Madness is an ongoing problem I'm trying to exterminate from our genes-"
"-Kakashi deserves to know." Gai cuts him off, sternly.
"Kakashi needs to be kept far away from Obito, even if he does deserve to know."
"That is not for you to decide! Obito was his friend who saved him, and he has the right to have closure now before it's too late!"
"He murdered my parents!" Naruto shouts, finally snapping and releasing the strangle-hold on his Chakra. The ground cracks under the pressure and they recoil from his presence. "Obito is a psychopath trained by my grandfather to replace him! He released the Kyuubi from my mother and caused the damn-near destruction of Konoha, he is the one who inducted a clan-murdering monster into his organisation to do the same thing to everyone, and he is the one trying to upend all of society and turn it into nothing but a vat for broken souls! He is a problem child from my clan, who is now rampaging across the world to destroy it and everything that anyone ever loved!"
Gai is stupefied into silence, but Naruto doesn't let up and pent-up words fly from his mouth.
"I've been training and fighting and evolving for the sake of fixing these mistakes that my grandfather set into motion. I've been trying to correct the one-thousand-year weakness that has plagued my clan that allowed this mess to be possible in the first place! Every damn thing I do is to protect Konoha and the rest of the world from eternal darkness brought by our hands! Our legacy will be one of nothing but hatred and fear, all because Uchiha are born broken. This disaster is my responsibility to fix before it consumes the entire world, so don't you dare go lecturing me about 'closure' and 'deservedness'."
"Naruto..."
"Kakashi already has a target painted on his back, just because he has a fraction of Obito's full power. He has a wife and daughter that don't deserve to go without him, and he has worked too hard for his happiness to just have it extinguished by one of my kind. He guided me in my youth, taught me what it meant to be a man and not just a Shinobi. It is my responsibility to protect him in turn, from an foe that he cannot possibly conquer. We are the problem. He's just a man getting caught in our chaos."
'I've underestimated you, Uchiha Naruto.' Neji thinks, watching as Gai puts a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
Honour. It's about honour.
Naruto had always been something of an enigma to him, and it had always been hard to distinguish who Naruto really is behind his reputation, behind his status as someone who stands with the greatest Shinobi that have ever been produced by Konoha. He puts up a front of being a clown sometimes, making dark or lurid jokes, but it's quite clear now just how seriously he's taking the conflict with the Akatsuki. What they're up to has him worried, and it apparently involves the Uchiha Clan to a great extent.
The Leader of the Uchiha Clan is taking full responsibility for his wayward clanmates, and it has made Neji respect Naruto even more. He could claim that it has nothing to do with him; two people from before his time turning the world upside down. But instead of letting them drag his name through the mud, he's being proactive about maintaining an identity of positives to the eyes of everyone who watches the Uchiha Clan.
Hiashi had gone on explosive rants with many of the Hyuuga Elders three years ago when Naruto hadn't just revealed his innate power, but also sealed the Nibi into Sasuke. His uncle believed that it was a power-play to secure a higher position in the village, stating things like the Uchiha Clan now owning a Bijuu for the sake of terror, and revealing forgotten powers at the Chuunin Exams in front of hundreds of potential clients, including powerful nobles.
But Neji had been there that day; Naruto sealed the Nibi in Sasuke because he had no choice. Naruto hid his own power for evidently a good reason, because Neji can blatantly see that Hiashi and the Hyuuga Clan's ego is too great, and they would have wanted orders that Naruto would keep the Sharingan to himself and never reveal it for the sake of letting the Hyuuga be the premier Dojutsu wielders in the village.
Everything Naruto has done has been for the good of himself, the Uchiha Clan, and the village, be it intentional or otherwise. Naruto has a gift for making things work, despite strenuous circumstances.
No Hyuuga has ever been capable of doing the things Naruto can do, and yet, Neji feels that Naruto's ability to hold himself back and just lord it over everyone in the village is a quality that the Hyuuga also lack. His clan does it to each other, what would happen if given the power to control an entire village?
Naruto has earned his support through all of this. He has proven himself to be a responsible and trustworthy asset to Konoha, far beyond what Neji's preconceptions led him to believe. Neji will support Naruto's efforts going forward, it's the least he can do for the man using all of that god-like power for the sake of his village.
"Naruto-dono, I won't forgive myself if I were to let you face these terrors alone." Neji announces to him. "You have my allegiance when it comes to this matter."
Neji can't ignore his own problems, but the Akatsuki seems too big to ignore too.
Naruto seems caught off-guard by the proclamation, but all of Team Gai reaffirm that he's not in this alone. He shouldn't be.
"Tsunade-sama, go home." Shizune's voice orders loudly from behind the Hokage's Office door.
"No~!" Tsunade whines miserably.
Naruto's confusion is abated when he opens the door and sees Tsunade keeled over a bin.
Tsunade looks weakly at him before retching.
"Tsunade-sama?!" Sakura gasps, moving forward. "Are you alright?"
"She's fine. She just needs to go home." Shizune shrugs, evidently knowing that this isn't a rare occurrence for women in this condition.
"Go' work to do." Tsunade protests again.
"She needs to hear our mission report." Naruto adds, and Tsunade looks at him gratefully for a second before he knocks her down again. "You can take her home after that. I'll take over her duties until she's ready to come back."
"Tsunade-sama should really be resting..."
"I know that, but this is something that can't wait. I need you to get me a skilled Yamanaka, a scroller from the barrier-corps, and start convening the elite-level Jounin in the village for a briefing. Sasuke and Jiraiya too."
"Is it really that serious?" Shizune mutters, almost rhetorically.
Tsunade grabs the younger woman's arm.
"Do as he says, Shizune. Please."
Naruto turns to Sakura and Team Gai.
"All of you stay as well. Your exposure to that man will serve as a second account to my report and help impress how important the next few weeks will be."
"As you say, Naruto-dono." Neji affirms, and the group hears the flittering of ANBU as they dash away to assemble everyone.
Sasuke is alert after being given emergency summons to the assembly hall in the Hokage Tower. He wisely decides not to approach Naruto, who appears to be receiving a mind-reading through Yamanaka Inoichi's hand, while the blonde man's other hand rests on the forehead of a scroller that he remembers seeing in the barrier division.
"Any word yet?" He hears Yuhi Kurenai ask Kakashi-sensei.
"No, nothing. But I don't imagine anything good." Is Kakashi's observation, obvious though it may be.
Sasuke observes as Inoichi recoils away from Naruto, shaking his head as he does so.
"Your mind... is a pain to move through." Inoichi mutters to Naruto.
"But you got what I was showing you?"
"I did. Would it not have been easier to use Genjutsu?"
"Me using that kind of Genjutsu on people tends to end with them being catatonic, and I don't know how to scroll memories myself."
"Ah."
Sasuke remembers being subject to Naruto's Tsukuyomi before. Excellent at showing memory in vivid detail, but it had left him exhausted after being pumped with so much of Naruto's dense Chakra at once, and that had been when Naruto was taking it easy on him.
The scroller sets to work at apparently cataloging Naruto's memory while Inoichi moves on to Jiraiya. Naruto whispers something into Jiraiya-sensei's ear.
He sees Sakura and Kakashi subtly making their way to him. Sakura's body language emanates stress, while Kakashi appears to be quite languid as usual. Sakura bursts into nervous whispers to them both.
"Look, you're gonna hear it but this is bad." Sakura hisses out quickly. "Sasuke- the people after you, they've got someone that even Naruto couldn't kill! Sensei!"
"Calm down, Sakura." Kakashi puts a hand on her shoulder, but Sasuke sees his posture change immediately into 'ready' mode.
"Attention!" Tsunade shouts over the bustling Shinobi, although it is comparatively subdued to her usual volume. She looks a bit green around the gills and Sasuke wonders if she's been drinking.
Matatabi gives an amused huff in his mind, as if she knows something he doesn't.
Naruto stands up at the forefront of the room, brushing the bang that covers his eye off of his face and looking all-business.
"Firstly, I didn't prepare this report in advance. This emergency meeting has been called because of the events that just occured on our mission to rescue the Ichibi Jinchuuriki from the Akatsuki."
Naruto looks around as the assembly shuffles and maintains silence.
"We failed. The Akatsuki has successfully captured the Ichibi and the Jinchuuriki is dead. By the mandatory process of their advanced Fuinjutsu, the Nibi Jinchuuriki must be next. To prevent the Akatsuki from obtaining intel about him, all operations involving Uchiha Sasuke are strictly qualified as S-Rank. If you hear so much as a murmur about what he's doing, you take that secret to your grave."
'Fuck!' Sasuke tenses, clenching his fists.
'Indeed.' Matatabi breathes heavily.
"The Akatsuki operates in teams of two S-Rank Shinobi. The two that captured the Ichibi are now dead, but have been replaced with two more powerful members that pose a greater threat to Konoha and the continuation of all life in this world. We'll be reviewing the known members of the Akatsuki now in order to prepare for an inevitable invasion attempt."
The barrier-corpsman throws up his scroll, one so big that it touches the ceiling. Coloured blots of ink rake across it and transition into a clear picture smoothly.
Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame come up first. Naruto goes as deep into detail as he can regarding their capabilities before another familiar face appears on the scroll.
"Yakushi Kabuto! Former apprentice of Orochimaru, and master of Senjutsu. His skill in Medical Ninjutsu is rivaled only by Tsunade. You will see more detail shortly on the display scroll based on my encounter with him on this mission."
Naruto takes a deep breath before a... boy? Appears on the scroll, one sporting vivid red hair exactly like Karin's. And his eyes...
"Uzumaki Nagato!" Naruto announces, and the pause is filled with several intakes of air. "Possessor of the pair of Rinnegan that once belonged to Uchiha Madara! Inheritor of the Uzumaki lifeforce and Chakra strength. We don't know what his current appearance is, but this is what he looked like during the Second Great Shinobi War!"
"Wait just a minute!" Jiraiya leaps to his feet. "Nagato is dead, and he fought for peace when he was alive!"
"The Gedo Mazo, the vessel in which the Bijuu are sealed in, can only be operated by someone who wields the Rinnegan. Since I was attacked by the true leader of the Akatsuki, I know that he does not possess the Rinnegan. That means that the person using the statue is Nagato, or someone with Senju or Uzumaki blood. Since the statue is locked down and I can't summon it myself, it means that the person who possesses it now must be exceptionally gifted at Fuinjutsu, a kind of mastery that takes decades to accomplish. The Uzumaki Clan was renowned across the world for this exact skill, and Nagato was a known survivor of this time and could have received tutelage from his parents or the person that took over training, manipulating him into this organization and protecting him until he became strong enough."
"He's alive?" Jiraiya-sensei sounds shattered and horrified, and his pained whisper echoes.
Jiraiya-sensei once told him a story of a boy that inspired his first book. A pupil that held the power of a God, and was lost to war before he could reach his potential.
"I have a bad feeling." Kakashi murmurs to him and Sakura, and the latter shrinks into herself. Sasuke gets the feeling that the worst has yet to come.
Naruto looks at Kakashi from the front. He looks like he's about to regret what he's doing.
"Play the memory. Dim the lights."
The scroll begins to slide, the picture shutters like one of the theater projections they're familiar with.
"Reunions are so awkward-."
"-Your parents are rolling in their graves-."
"-Kamui-."
Wooden constructs, flames and smoke, the ground moving as though it were clay.
"-Stop, Kabuto!-"
"-Behold and despair-."
Meteors fall from the sky.
"-I will sever the fate of this world."
Kakashi feels cold. His body refuses to obey him.
The man is pale. The man wields the Sharingan. The man has deep scars on the right side of his face. The man is unbelievably skilled and powerful.
"Uchiha Obito!"
Kakashi is shaking.
He falls to his knees.
More words spill from Naruto's cold, clinical mouth. Kyuubi Attack. Uchiha Incident. Perpetration of civil war. Obstruction of the Ichibi Rescue Team.
He can barely hear Sasuke's scream of denial, of anger, or Sakura's rush to keep him contained.
"This is a dream?" Kakashi says aloud, not even noticing his wife panicking to get him to respond.
Kakashi blacks out.
Gai wants to leap to Kakashi, but right now...
"This is a cruel joke!" Kurenai stomps up to Naruto. "Obito is dead, and Kakashi watched him die! That boy- he was a complete dunce! Not some criminal mastermind!"
"Kurenai." Gai warns sternly.
"The relevant memories are genuine." Inoichi confirms the worst.
Elite Jounin are critical thinkers, more often than not. Sometimes, emotions can serve as obstacles when confronted with uncomfortable truths. The split-second decision that Naruto has made to reveal this sensitive information is calculated, but there is always risk, and given that it pertains so heavily to his Clan, knowing that it might put him in such a negative light...
A stroke of genius.
An opportunity has already presented itself for Naruto to control the flow of potential gossip and propaganda against him. Taking the reigns as Hokage while Tsunade-sama recovers.
This harsh truth may affect his relationships with Kakashi and Sasuke but by God if Naruto isn't intelligent enough to abuse every possible avenue he could to ensure that Konoha would not only be prepared for the threats, but that the honour of the Uchiha Clan could be redeemed by Naruto's proactive efforts against his own Clanmates, both Uchiha and Uzumaki. This manipulation, the political maneuvering, his sheer power, all for Konoha and the world. Gai doesn't like lies or half-truths, but Naruto doesn't do anything of this scale without reason.
"That took some serious balls, kid." Shikaku praises with keen eyes, and Gai presumes that the man has seen through it for the most part and is still impressed.
Although he and many other high-ranking Shinobi appear slightly pale, and Gai understands it. If it's not for the fact that Uchiha Obito is apparently alive and went from dead-last to one of the strongest forces in the world, then probably for the fact that everyone in the room witnessed Naruto fighting from his own point of view. The blurring speeds and scale of his power is terrifying to say the least. It's inhuman, for a man his age to surpass everyone in Konoha. Seeing through the eyes of someone who is inconceivably stronger than them must hammer-in the fact that yes, if Naruto is taking this threat seriously, they should be too.
"I hope you're aware that the next few months are gonna be annoying." Shikaku continues with little flair. "I mean it, Tsunade-sama has a talent and years-long efforts to repel all the annoyances that tried to bother her for their own gains, but with fresh blood in the water, they're not gonna be so patient."
"That's the idea, Nara-san." Naruto looks as though he's about to wink, and Gai sees Shikaku's eyes sharpen ever-so-slightly.
"I see. Maybe it's for the best that Tsunade-sama takes a break, she looks a bit unwell. I hope you're ready for what's coming."
As Shikaku is ready to turn away and discuss the meeting with his friends, Naruto stops him.
"Nara-san." Something cold in his voice makes Gai uneasy, although it's not directed at Shikaku.
Shikaku stops and straightens. Naruto goes on.
"Konoha does not have clean hands, and I do not like to admit it. But even in Konoha, there may be undesirables that make this place something unworthy. Your boy indirectly pointed the finger at your clan three years ago with some harassment of my teammate with his own. I've been wondering if it was your doing, to get my attention and take a closer peek at what goes on between the clans of Konoha."
Shikaku remains silent and thankfully their conversation goes unheard.
"I don't want pointed fingers, Nara-san. I don't want rumour-mongering and whispers. I want irrefutable proof that does not waste my time. If you have anything, you're welcome to share. But we're too late in the game of another entity to be playing with eachother like this. I hope that you understand that subtlety will not get anyone far with me right now. I have bigger ambitions."
Naruto takes a few steps up to Shikaku, all-but towering over him and the Nara leader meets his gaze regardless.
"We are aware." Naruto utters. "And overt assistance will go a long way to protecting yours as-well."
Gai feels like he's going to get a headache with all the bouncing around between subtle and loud.
Naruto seems to have this handled for now. Gai hopes that his presence at Naruto's side serves as its own deterrent for nay-sayers.
'I'd better check on Kakashi.'
Or he would, if Kakashi wasn't already in the process of storming over to Naruto.
"Did you know."
The words fly from Kakashi's mouth before he can stop himself, before he can calm down enough to even try and perceive the situation logically. His throat is tight and his vision is blurring in barely controlled emotion, of which he can't identify yet.
It comes out as a demand - not a question, but Naruto is wholly unaffected, perhaps having seen this coming, or maybe out of a lack of desire and care to explain himself.
"No." Naruto's Rinnegan observes him as he denies coolly, and the anger roaring to get out spikes up. "Or rather, we only suspected that he might be alive as of a few weeks ago. Tsunade and I compiled intel and guessed that if he hadn't died from natural causes then-"
"-You knew his identity. You knew he didn't die." Kakashi interrupts, words clipped in greater rage.
Naruto halts, eyelids falling slightly and Kakashi wonders if all he's going to get is another catered, clinical response.
"I want the truth." Kakashi demands, and his hand cramps at how tightly his fists are clenched.
All eyes in the room are on them, waiting for Naruto to reveal just what the hell is going on. And Naruto just stands there with that calculating expression on his face. Like what he wants to say must be measured to what kind of effect it will garner.
Kakashi had been indulgent with him when he was younger, letting him keep his secrets. But this...
It's so exhausting.
The deathly silence is finally broken.
"Uchiha Obito was rescued by my grandfather and nursed back to health, for the sake of using Obito's innate potential to achieve Madara's goal posthumously. But Obito was... strong-willed, and in order to get him to do what Madara wanted, he had to be broken first. Nohara Rin had the Sanbi sealed in her by my grandfather and he framed Kirigakure for it. He gives Kiri a little tip that a young Jinchuuriki will be easy pickings, and so the girl is forced to decide if she should pretend nothing has happened and that she isn't a walking time-bomb that's ready to deploy in Konoha, or if she should sacrifice her life for the good of her village."
"No- no- no!" Kakashi lunges at Naruto, pulling the wide-brimmed collar.
"Obito recovers coincidentally just in time to see one teammate kill the other, beginning his descent into Darkness. He abandons everything he ever cared about for the sake of achieving Madara's goal."
Kakashi throws a fast and strong punch, raw with emotion.
Naruto catches it without so much as a flinch.
Gai and Sasuke are holding him back, but there are weapons pointed at him as well.
"Kakashi-sensei, I know this is hard! But remember that Naruto is in the position of Hokage right now! You can't just fly off the handle at him!" Sasuke's strength strains in the face of Kakashi's anger as he tries to deter him without lethal force.
"You knew this whole time!" Kakashi spits out. "I should have been told from the start! He is- was my friend!"
"And what would you have done with that information?" Naruto asks, cool-as-can-be. "At no point in your life have you been as powerful as Obito was when he released the Kyuubi. He was responsible for the death of the Yondaime. You would have gotten yourself killed, and I don't much feel like explaining to Shizune that you died in the field to someone so out of your league that you're as a Genin is to a Kage. If I had it my way, you would have never known, I would have killed him already and you would continue living without losing a wink of sleep over it. This mess was founded by my Clan, fostered by my Clan, and it will continue to tear apart the world until I fix it."
"It's not about who's going to do anything about it!" Kakashi makes an exerted noise of frustration. "It's the secrets, Naruto! Maybe I can't do anything about it but that doesn't mean that I don't deserve to know! And even more so, is that it's you that's keeping everything from me! You've always been my little brother, despite everything but now with something this big about my life?! How can I trust you?!"
Sasuke doesn't think that anyone else sees the tiny movement on Naruto's face, one denoting something that he has never associated with Naruto before. Something uncertain, regretful, and maybe even emotionally frail.
"You and I- we are done! Until you learn to trust me, I don't want anything to do with you!"
Naruto's throat swallows clearly as Kakashi storms away. Shizune chases after him, giving a quick and uneasy look at Naruto as she does so.
"Go on, Gai." Naruto mutters softly. "Your friend needs you."
Gai does so without hesitation, bumping Naruto's shoulder in what may have been a gesture of comfort.
"I suppose you want an explanation?" Naruto asks rhetorically, expecting a yes.
"Yeah, but I think you made a hard decision today." Sasuke shoots back. "So why don't we just get everything you need done sorted now and I can get my explanation later."
Matatabi chuckles wrly in his mind. "You certainly have changed, Sasuke-kun."
"You're right, the village won't serve itself." Naruto agrees, shaking off the clearly uncomfortable nature of Kakashi's words to him.
Naruto closes the door of the apartment behind him and makes a beeline for the shower. It's very late by the time he gets home, and the smell of cooking is fresh in his nose.
Karin is fast asleep on the table, and Naruto feels exceedingly guilty on seeing her and the food she'd likely started preparing once she sensed his arrival back in Konoha.
He pulls up the chair next to her, and the proximity probably sets off her senses enough to rouse her from her light sleep.
"Hmm, Naru?"
"Hey." Naruto wraps his arm around her when she immediately snuggles up to him. "I'm sorry."
"Whu-for?"
"For being late. I should have let you know before I tended to everything."
Karin raises her head off of him, looking slightly perturbed.
"Naru, we both know that Shinobi crap can get crazy. I'm not mad or anything. Did something happen? Is it the Akatsuki?"
"I failed. I couldn't stop The Akatsuki from taking the Ichibi. Now, they're going to be after Sasuke."
Karin takes hold of his hands.
"You're just one man. You can't determine everything on your own, the world isn't going to stand still and wait for you to solve problems that shouldn't be yours alone in the first place. Chill, let your friends and Konoha help you out a bit. Hell, I'll even take your place on missions if you have stuff to do. And if they can't help you? So what. Get stronger. That's what your Jii-chan did, it's what your Kaa-chan and Tou-chan did, if it worked for them then it'll work for you."
This woman is a blessing. She knows him in and out.
"Getting stir-crazy?" Naruto asks wrly.
"I miss traveling around with you, but I want you to know that you're not alone more."
"I'll see if I can get you a mission, hmm?"
"You? What exactly are you gonna be able to do? The Senju hag does it." Karin asks tiredely, but still inquisitive.
"I'm kind of Hokage until Tsunade overcomes morning sickness."
"...Cool."
"Don't worry, I sprayed and wiped the desk to get rid of any old people germs."
"Oh good."
Shizune gently closes the door behind Gai as the three of them step foot in their home. Kakashi is visibly agitated but he needs them, and does appreciate that Naruto let Gai go to help her out a bit.
It's a very sad situation, and honestly, she doesn't blame Naruto one bit. Being raised by such a man as Madara is bound to have long-term, foundational skews to the way one looks at the world and personal matters. At the end of the day, Naruto made a tough call and risked hurting his friendship with Kakashi for the sake of the village. He's depending on the unity of Konoha, a Hokage-like trait. He has proven that he is not his grandfather at great cost.
She knows that Kakashi will see things differently sooner or later, but he needs space from Naruto to figure out his feelings about the situation and more importantly-
"He's alive." Kakashi whispers brokenly.
-A long-dead friend is apparently not-so-dead, and is acting as a mastermind behind a plan to change the world.
Kakashi and Gai exchange heated words, and thankfully Minako is being babysat so she wouldn't have to hear her papa and his best friends argue so viciously. Gai, as boisterous as he is, does have a talent for not making things worse than they already are.
She'll check on Naruto later, her grown-up little brother. But for now, her place is at her husband's side.
"I'm far too old for this." Jiraiya lays beside Tsunade in their bed.
"I know."
"Nagato has been twisted by this Obito?"
"We speculate so, unless he's acting as his own double-agent."
Jiraiya rolls over and places a hand on Tsunade's belly. He closes his eyes.
"This is where my priorities are. But still…"
"I know."
She says nothing to the tiny tear drops that escape him.
Over the next two weeks, Tsunade takes time to explain some of his duties that he hadn't figured out himself yet. He'd been more focused on the delegation of ANBU and internal security.
"It's gonna be nice having a break." Tsunade exaggerates a stretch, making a perhaps unintentional show of her breasts nearly popping out of her clothing.
"A hag like you shouldn't be so indecent." Naruto comments idly. "Where do I put the mission reports?"
"Your assistants will collect them every four-hours and place them in one of the storage units." Tsunade gives a dirty look but obliges his question. "Unless you tag them with a tassel, that means that the report involves an incident. Green tassels for minor occurrences like client complaints, blue for major incidents, red for total mission failure or any information that might be useful for an ongoing investigation."
"How long are these mission records kept?"
"Ten years minimum, or indefinitely if it contains anything pertaining to an open investigation."
Their conversation is cut short by a knock at the door. A head of red hair pokes in and Naruto smiles.
"Some brats are here for a mission." She announces boredly.
"Hey! Screw you lady!" A boisterous voice protests being called 'brat'.
Tsunade smirks. "You get some annoying ones right off the bat. Let's see your patience, Naruto."
Naruto takes a deep breath as the grating voice of one particular Genin permeates the office.
"Yo!" One Sarutobi Konohamaru gives a jaunty wave, his shyer teammates dogging his footsteps along with their Sensei, Ebisu.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto-sama." Ebisu bows politely with his other students.
"Hey, why are you sitting in her chair?" Konohamaru asks noisily.
"Naruto will be taking over my duties for a little while. I'm a bit ill and I need to be in good condition for an international conference that I'll be attending soon." Tsunade answers instead.
"I see, very well. Naruto-sama, we would like to pick up a mission." Ebisu accepts the temporary change easily.
"Good that you're here this early in the morning. We have some good D-Ranks that need to be taken up." Naruto pulls the rack with fresh missions over on the desk.
"Boo~!" Konohamaru announces his displeasure and gives a thumbs down.
Naruto ignores him and begins reading from a few scrolls.
"The communal gardens in the marketplace area need to have their ponds cleaned, along with the fountain pumps. Tora the cat is on the loose again. An elderly woman needs some home maintenance done in residential area B."
"No- no and NO! Give us a cooler mission!"
"Konohamaru-kun!" Ebisu chides.
"You mission record isn't substantial enough that I can justify giving you a C-Rank. You have your pick of missions from these ones."
"C'mon! How are we gonna get a good mission record if you don't put us on good missions?!"
"Your mission record includes your statistics as reported by your Sensei. Your team works well together, but well enough for a potential life-risking mission if it goes wrong. Keep doing your D-Ranks and working hard, and you'll have your C-Rank in no time." Naruto explains boredly.
"We're not gonna get better if we don't do better missions." Konohamaru pouts.
"D-Rank missions are an essential part of Konoha's Shinobi Training System. D-Ranks not only teach young Genin to work together as a cohesive unit, but affords them time to catch up with their peers if they have been found lacking. In addition, Shinobi that can stay on active duty past the age of thirty are a rare commodity. These missions teach Genin how to be normal and functional people when their ability to do missions weakens, so that they can still contribute to the village and look after themselves. To disrespect the D-Rank is a disrespect to those who need you to do them and yourself, to appear so weak that you can't even do something as simple as clean the gutters to an elderly Shinobi's home that has earned their rest."
Another knock on the door. Karin pokes her head in again.
"More runts waiting!"
Konohamaru crosses his arms petulantly. "I'm not leaving until we get a cooler mission!"
"You'll leave with a D-Rank, or I'll throw all of you out of the window without a mission at all."
For emphasis, Tsunade casually opens one of the windows and enjoys the slight breeze that wafts through.
"We'll take Tora." Ebisu states decisively.
"Sensei!"
"Very good." Naruto throws the scroll to him, hiding a smile. He remembers Team 7 being assigned Tora whenever Kakashi had been particularly annoyed with them. Good punishment for annoying students. He approves.
"No!"
Konohamaru freezes in place. Naruto makes a gesture with his hand, lifting a calligraphy brush with a juvenile use of his Rinnegan powers, and begins making a crude image on the boy's face. He sees Tsunade facepalm in the corner of his eye.
The boy is released from his Jutsu and immediately lunges red-faced while his teammates giggle. Ebisu grabs him by his scarf and drags him away.
"We'll return as soon as possible, Naruto-sama!"
"Good luck." Naruto bids them.
As soon as they're out and the next Genin shuffle in, Naruto pushes the intercom button and leans into the microphone.
He puts on his 'mastermind' voice.
"Kill them."
Screams of panic erupt in the hallway from the Genin. The only thing that could be heard through the noise were Naruto and Tsunade's evil laughter and the Jounin trying to calm his Genin.
Karin barges in suddenly, looking very annoyed.
"This is so damn boring, I don't know why I volunteered to be your assistant. I want a mission."
"Let me see what I can do." Naruto shuffles the stacks of C-Ranks and B-Ranks.
"Wait your turn!" Another impetulant Genin scolds.
Gold chains sprout from Karin's back and twist around threateningly. The Genin promptly keeps his mouth shut.
"We've scheduled a protection mission to Yuki no Kuni. Commissioned by... a movie director? To protect their lead actress. It'll be you, Sakura, a Jounin called Yamato and Team Oto. How's that?"
"Sounds divine." Karin sighs happily, wanting to get out and about for a change.
Karin leaps over the desk and tackles Naruto to the floor.
"...Be safe, Karin. It's a dangerous world out there right now, especially if you're marrying Uchiha Naruto."
"I will, don't you worry. You know I can handle myself."
"I know." Naruto sighs. "It'll be nice to spend a week or so without my ball and chain-"
She cuts him off with a kiss.
"I love you." Karin whispers.
"I love you too." Naruto smiles back.