- Hiruzen Sarutobi -
"What do you mean you can't find Naruto? He's an eight year old. How could he hide from all of you?" He shouted as the Anbu in front of him kneeled.
"We don't know, Sir. One moment he was in front of us and the next he was gone. No matter how much we tried to find him, there was no trace of him in the area."
He narrowed his eyes at the statement.
Several options jumped through his mind at the same time.
Genjutsu.
Space Time Ninjutsu.
But who?
"Tell me everything about the incident."
The Anbu explained and he was dumbstruck at the explanation.
The only explanation was that someone put them under a Genjutsu and disappeared with Naruto.
In recent years, the village hasn't been in the best state due to the events of the past few years.
The Third Shinobi war, the Nine Tails war, Orochimaru's defection, the Uchiha situation and now this.
He had the Anbu sent to the T&I department to have him checked but he doubted there would be anything in him. These were the people he had personally selected.
Kakashi could have been used to keep an eye on Naruto but the village couldn't afford such a talent guarding someone and not going out on missions.
Shisui was a good option but…
Itachi needed to be used to keep an eye on the Uchiha situation.
Jiraya was always out maintaining his spy network while the less said about Tsunade, the better.
He had thought that with Naruto going to the academy, the guard on him could be relaxed as he would be in the presence of the teachers of the academy for most of the day. There Iruka could probably get close to him, forming a bond between him and the village. But Iruka still hadn't opened up to him.
And then… this happens suddenly.
Who could it be?
Other villages?
The Uchiha?
Or maybe… his old friend was up to his antics once more?
He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he sent out a summon for the Inuzuka and the Aburame Clans.
All his Anbu were already scouring the village for any signs of Naruto.
In a short while several members of the village were in his office.
Shibi Aburame and several of the Inuzuka Jonins were present. Kakashi, Itachi and Tsume as well as her daughter were out for missions so they couldn't be here.
His two advisors and Danzo also came in just in time.
"Hiruzen, how can you be so careless?" Koharu commented but one look from him shut her up.
He was not in a mood to joke around at this time.
Naruto was a sensitive topic for him due to several reasons.
"What is the case, Hokage-sama?" Shibi asked.
He let out a sigh.
"This information needs to be kept under wraps so I put it under an A Ranked secret. If you do not wish to participate after hearing this, you can walk away."
None of them did so he continued.
"As of eight hours ago, Naruto Uzumaki has gone missing." He stated and sure enough there was a cacophony of noise but he stopped them with one signal.
"We can stay here all day arguing about things but that will come after we find him. Our first priority should be to find out where he is."
They quieted down and he ordered.
"Shibi, you take your clan's selected people and search the area of the forests around Konoha. The Inuzuka clan will search throughout the village for any clues. Inform me personally if you find anything."
They bowed and left the room, leaving only him and his previous roommates behind.
"It must be those Uchiha. Hiruzen, your kindness has finally left them to show their true face. Do you think the village can resist another Nine Tails attack? Give me permission and I will…" Danzo began.
"You will do nothing." He cut him off in the middle of the sentence, his voice firm.
"But Danzo has a point. Those damned Uchiha have truly crossed the line." Koharu started speaking but was cut off by his raised hand.
"First of all, we don't know if it was the Uchiha. Pushing them at such a point would cut off any chance of peace. Second, if they do have Naruto, it will be even more dangerous to proceed without caution. If the Nine Tails is released, there won't be a fourth Hokage to stop him this time. You all… would just run aside and hide like the last time."
"Hiruzen!"
"Am I wrong? Where were you when the village was attacked the last time? Trying to stop the Uchiha? You went behind everyone's back, out of your authority to stop the clan. If the Uchiha had really been behind the Nine Tails attack, they wouldn't have stopped so easily at your command. But they did. They even accepted moving to the outskirts of the village under surveillance for the sake of peace. This… no one can deny. On the other hand you, Danzo, have tried to assassinate me twice." He replied, shutting him up suddenly.
"If we consider the crimes and who to punish, I should have executed you years ago."
"Hiruzen, calm down." Homura tried to mediate but he shut him up too.
"The Uchiha might be responsible for this. I am not denying it. But what matters the most is Naruto's safety. I will not have your doubts endanger any of it. If the Uchiha are responsible for it, then they will be dealt with in the same manner as well."
"You are letting your feelings for the Jinchuriki get in the way of your judgement." Danzo bit back.
"All of you may leave. Oh and Danzo, the Root is not to move out of their base till this matter is taken care of."
"Hiruzen, are you…"
"You haven't left me much of an option. Do you think I have no idea about Shisui?"
He observed the expressions of his friend while his reaction would have been the textbook definition of innocent, he knew Danzo more than that. That expression was more than proof that Danzo was responsible for Shisui's disappearance.
If so then with Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan, he would have more than enough of a tool to brainwash Naruto.
"You are also to remain in the Hokage guesthouse under the Anbu surveillance until Naruto is found. Everyone will be informed that you are under a temporary leave due to ill health."
"Hiruzen, you are too much."
"I'm Hokage."
All of them left the room, leaving him alone in his thoughts.
He looked at his successor's picture staring back at him and felt a pang in his heart.
They owed Naruto too much and it pained him greatly that he couldn't give him a better life. He had only assured himself that it was for the best of the village and for his own protection but even he knew how hollow that reason sounded.
To be honest, he was tired and after Biwako's death… he had lost some of his will too.
But whatever the reason may be, he will be damned if he let that become a reason for endangering the boy.
If that required the 'God of Shinobi' to come back, then so be it.
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Author's Note:
It's back again as a full story this time.
There will be slight changes in the plot and I will try to expand the plot a bit more to properly focus on the interactions between the people more. In the meanwhile, we will also see how the changes affect the other worlds which were left aside in the Snippets.
I also want to focus more on Silas this time which was ignored a bit in the Snippets due to the fast pace.
The first chapter was used to bring in some of the basic characters to get a base.
We got a few new members compared to the Snippets and while not Zeref level shit, it still caused some chaos in other worlds.
I wish to continue this story for a long time and hope you all will enjoy the story.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.