Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other series that I might use for inspiration

Chapter 6

Love, The Source Of Our Greatest Strength or Our Greatest Weakness?

Three Years Ago...

"Where am I...?" Yugao pondered as she woke up from her slumber, her mind vigorously working hard to regain some form of cognition and re-align itself with the world and society as a whole.

However, in her weakened state, and given darkness of the room that she was in, it was no surprise that her mind was struggling with that objective. Still, given that her chakra wasn't sealed, nor were there any physical restraints on her body, coupled with the fact that whoever put her there had the decency to even provide a comfortable single bed with rather expensive albeit confortable bedding, Yugao felt relatively certain that she was not in enemy territory, however unfamiliar the place was to her.

'What became of those white plant men? Did Kakashi kill them? Yes, he must have killed or captured them, but how did I end up here? Does he actually have a secret hideout?' Yugao thought with confusion.

She remembered her struggles against the plant men vividly, and she also remembered that Kakashi-taicho had come to her rescue after defeating his own nemesis. They'd decided on a plan of action, she would attack them at close range with her kenjutsu and Kakashi would pick them off with long range ninjutsu. However, she'd only taken a single step ahead of the copy nin before she lost consciousness, as the copy nin, who was actually a white zetsu spore, swiftly delivered a chop to the back of her head.

"I don't believe it! That bastard must have knocked me out and fought those guys on his own, does he really think I'm that weak! That I need to be protected? I can handle myself damnit! Just because I'm a woman...!" Yugao exclaimed furiously, only to stop uprubtly in the middle of her rant as her chakra senses activated, raising her guard immediately as the warping of the space a few metres to her left became visible to her naked eye almost as soon as she detected the rather massive and potent chakra.

"Uzuki Yugao...! You and I...we need to talk!" a rather dark and sinister voice reverberated around the room as the portal puked out a masked man, the man wearing a white mask with black spirals on it and two eyeholes, the mask covering not only his face but even his head too. He was also wearing a black, high collared cloak with red clouds on it, blue shinobi pants with white legwarmers, and a pair of blue shinobi sandals, the figure also carrying a battle arrangement fan on his back.

"W-who are you?" Yugao asked with an intense gaze.

"That fire in your eyes, I've always liked that about you, Uzuki Yugao, or should I say, Senju Yugao...!" The masked man replied, completely ignoring Yugao's question whilst giving her another question to ask, effectively diverting her attention away from himself and back to herself, or so he thought.

"Answer me...or would you rather I kill you and ask questions later?" Yugao asked with a threatening undertone.

'She's headstrong, not very easy to manipulate either...oh well, I guess I'll have to win her loyalty the traditional way. Worst case scenario, I'll have to use my sharingan on her like I did to Yagura.' Obito contemplated.

"You may be an Uchiha, but don't think that will give you a big enough advantage to defeat me, as long as I avoid eye contact..."

"Isn't it already too late for that though...?" Obito sliced in quickly.

"What do you mean...?"

"What I mean is, with my head totally concealed by this mask, the only way you could have concluded that I'm an Uchiha would have been by looking directly at the eyeholes of my mask to see my sharingan, otherwise, there was no other way you could have come to that conclusion." Obito said matter of factly, causing Yugao's eyes to widen in sudden realization, the Senju princess quickly forming a ram hand seal as she prepared to dispel the genjutsu.

"Don't bother with it. I haven't put you in a genjutsu, and even if I had, it wouldn't have been that easy to dispel anyway. Senju Yugao, all I want is for us to talk, that's all I'm asking." Obito cut in again.

'He's right, I can't sense anything wrong at all, but what if he's just that good at it that I wouldn't detect it anyway, or what if he could control my mind and make me think that I can't detect it.' Yugao thought warily, realising now just how desperate the situation was.

"It doesn't look like you want to torture me, and if you really wanted to kill me, you'd have had more than enough time and opportunity to do so while I was unconscious. It is clear now that you are the one that has brought me here." Yugao said with a healthy dose of reason, plomping back down on the bed and making herself feel at home.

'She knows I'm an Uchiha but does she know that I'm a rogue nin, would she be this confortable if she knew?' Tobi thought to himself.

"You said you just wanted to talk, it doesn't seem like I have much of choice right now, so I'll listen to you for now. But first, you'll have to explain why you keep refering to me as a Senju, I'm really curious about that one. Also, I want to know what became of my comrades. Those are my conditions." Yugao demanded.

' A headstrong woman indeed...' Obito thought to himself.

"Very well. However, I will talk about your comrades only after everything else has been said. I will tell you the truth about your lineage and heritage, the history of the Senju and Uchiha clan, and everything about the Konoha of the past and the Konoha of present. I will also teach you about about the world, about pain, sacrifice, and peace. And then I will tell you about my plan. Only when everything else has been said and done, will we talk about your friends, those are my conditions." Obito said in reply.

"To expect me not to know about Konoha's history, as a jounin and an A.N.B.U. operative would not make sense, which means, that there is something that you know, or even a whole conglomerate of info that you know that is not open to the rest, in other words, S ranked secrets. As a kunoichi, and as a woman, I can't help but be attracted to such kind of gossip, and you're counting on that too. Still, your conditions seem fair enough, so I'll accept them. Now start talking." Yugao demanded with a healthy dose of feist.

"Good decision, however, I'm surprised you haven't even asked me about my identity, Senju Yugao?"

"Oh yes, because you wear a mask for no particular reason at all." Yugao said with a roll of the eyes.

"Heh, good point. Anyway, listen up, this is how it is..."

One Hour Later...

"Let me get this straight, you're the great Uchiha Madara, and you have used Shodaime-sama's cells to prolong your life. You run an organisation of S-ranked criminals known as Akatsuki, an organisation actually dedicated to world peace rather than petty crime, and Konoha is actually an evil entity that creates wars that it knows it can win to weaken the other villages and make itself poltically and territorially stronger. Konoha and the Senju clan, which I supposedly belong to, are using propaganda and politics to oppress and supress the Uchiha's power and influence in the village. Okay, you also want to inject Hashirama's cells in me because I am compatible. My unnaturally strong water affinity and my strong earth affinity, combined with my dna and your scientific knowledge will ensure the success of the experiment. You want me to run the organization and guide the world to a path of peace side by side with you? And you want to make me your wife? Oh yes, and Tobirama-sama is my great grandfather? Did I get everything right?" Yugao asked with a thoughtful expressIon.

"For the most part, yes, I would say that you got everything right." Obito replied simply.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that shit!" Yugao exclaimed furiously, as she, with impressive speed, got up on her two feet, grabbed the small table next to her bed, and threw it with all her strength at the masked inigma. However, much to her shock, the table simply fazed through the man and went straight for the steel door, getting smashed into pieces as it connected harshly against the heavy metal.

"Genjutsu...?"

"If it were a genjutsu, wouldn't you have sensed it? After all, you are one of the most accomplished sensor types in the elemental nations." Obito asked retorically.

"If it's not a genjutsu, then what is it then? Some kind of self-projection jutsu?" Yugao thought out loud.

"Not quite. This is a supplementary jutsu to my teleportation jutsu, which is known simply as kamui. Or, rather than a supplementary jutsu, you could say it is more of a variation or different application of that jutsu, this is my space-time migration technique." Obito explained much to Yugao's awe, confusion, and surprise.

"So that jutsu you used when you arrived was your teleportation technique, and this is a variation of that technique?" Yugao asked with wide eyes.

"Something like that."

"Then, if your ability to seemingly render yourself intangible is a variation of a teleportation technique, does that mean that, in order for you to allow objects and jutsu to faze through your body, you have to teleport your body parts to another plane and back again in an instant?" Yugao asked curiously, causing Obito's eyes to widen a little in surprise, more than a little impressed by the Senju Princess's discerning and intellectual abilties.

"Heh, you Senju shinobi are quite amazing I have to admit. First that Naruto, then the Yondaime Hokage, and now you. You three are the only people to have figured out my ability, Naruto and Minato only managed to graze the surface, but they discovered enough to be able to put me at a disadvantage and force me to retreat. You have taken it a step further and even figured out the basic mechanics of the jutsu rather than just the end result, although...to be fair to Minato and Naruto, I didn't give them any information about my jutsu as opposed to you." Obito said with an amused tone.

"Still, that was quite impressive, your discerning skills are worthy of my praise and admiration, that should tell you something...coming from me, the one and only, the harbinger of devine judgement and god of peace, Uchiha Madara!" The masked enigma exclaimed with elation, his ragged and sinister voice reverberating all around the room, causing a chill of fear, uncertainty, and although she wouldn't admit it right now, admiration and excitement to course through her nervous system.

'That powerful chakra, that powerful presence, that strange looking sharingan, those powerful techniques. Could it be? Could this really be Uchiha Madara? I didn't want to believe it at first, but earlier, he told me that those plant men were made from Shodaime-sama's dna, which makes perfect sense, they were using mokuton after all, of that I have no doubt. Which means that he really did steal Shodaime-sama's dna at the valley of the end. His in depth knowledge about the past and the present of Konoha and the shinobi world as a whole serves also as a testament to his words. I couldn't detect any lies from him when he told his story either.' Yugao thought with conflicting emotions.

"Are you thinking about the pros and cons of my offer right now? Or are you still trying to figure out whether I'm telling the truth or not about my identity?" Obito asked casually.

"My friends, my teammates, you killed them didn't you?" Yugao asked abruptly, a serious and intense expression plastered on her facial features.

"What gave it away?" Obito replied simply.

"Your infinite tsukiyomi plan, that's what gave it away. A world of peace, where everyone is happy and reunited with their lost loved ones. It's obvious that you would kill my comrades, that way, their ressurrection in the infinite tsukiyomi would serve as an incentive for me to not only join your cause, but to retain an unwavering loyalty and dedication to you and the plan. This way, I couldn't betray you even if I wanted to, as you are the only one who can give me what I desire the most." Yugao deduced accurately.

"..."

"Did I leave anything out?" Yugao asked retorically

"No, and once again, your reasoning and deduction skills have not failed to impress me." Obito replied nonchalantly.

"..."

"Your decision...what is it? What will you do, Senju Yugao?" the masked enigma asked curiously.

'If what he says is true, and he can really ressurrect everyone in the infinite tsukiyomi world, t-then...t-then I can make him ressurrect Obito-kun too can't I...I...I can make it that Obito and I live happily together in that world, that world could become my salvation, all my dreams would be fuflilled, and I would never have to lose Obito-kun again. I...I have to get there...I have to get to that world...but...no, no no no no, this is not how I wanted to fulfill my dreams! This is not how I wanted to be with Obito, not in some genjutsu that forces him to love me, I wanted to win his heart fair and square! I...I can't do this!' Yugao thought in dispair.

"You've left me not much of a choice, you've killed my friends and my lover, what more is there left for me in this world? The best thing I can do now is to make sure I stay alive long enough to get to that other world, it is the only way that I will ever find happiness again." Yugao replied, trying to remain strong but unable to stop the tears from falling down her heart shaped face.

"That's an interesting introspective, but that's not enough for me. I want to hear you say it!" Obito demanded.

"Yes, I will join you, and I will do everything within my power to realize the infinite tsukiyomi project, and I will not betray you no matter what." Yugao replied.

"Hmmmm...as expected, you're lying to me, you should have known better, you should have known, that nothing can be hidden from my eyes, my all seeing eyes." Obito replied with a disappointed shake of the head.

"I...I'm n-not lying!" Yugao exclaimed indignantly.

"Save me the act, Yugao. I know what you're trying to do. You already know that I'll kill you if you refuse my offer, and you clearly have no intention of helping to realise the moons eye project. However, before I kill you, I'd like for you to answer a few of my questions..." Obito trailed off with a curious undertone.

"I'm gonna die anyway, so I guess it makes no difference, ask away." Yugao replied.

'She falters not even in the face of certain death, her strength of character is really admirable. I could have really used someone like her in my circle of allies. But then again, I still have a few cards to play, I could still use her yet.' Obito thought.

"Between Hayate and Obito, out of the two of them who did you love more? And, if I told you I had the power to ressurrect one of them, and that I would do that for you, who would it be? Who would you choose?" Obito asked casually, almost as if talking merely about the weather forcast for the day.

"Y-you! How do you...how did you know about Obito!? I never told anyone about that! So how!?" Yugao exclaimed with anger, bordering on the line of hysteria, rain now falling down on her cheeks from her eyes.

"That was quite a strong reaction, you were sad but you were able to keep control of your emotions when I mentioned Hayate's death, but the mere mention of you and your feelings for Uchiha Obito and your guard and restraint instantly evaporated away. You loved Obito that much huh?" the masked enigma asked retotically.

"Y-you bastard! Just how much do you know?" Yugao demanded.

"I know everything. I know that you loved Uchiha Obito more than life itself, you thought he was the kindest person with the purest heart in the world. He used to brighten your day with his smile, and it warmed your heart just to have his undevided attention, even if those times were few and far between. You hated Rin for breaking his heart, but even more, you hated that he loved her more than he loved you. You hated that he wouldn't give up on her and give you your deserved chance. You hated that he never saw you as more than a special friend..."

"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up! B-bastard! H-how dare you!" Yugao cried, falling down on her knees with her hands covering her face, pain , agony, and shame eating away at her soul.

"I get it, you would love nothing more than to see him again, especially now that Rin, the obstacle that was standing between you and him, is now dead and no more. However, you're also thinking that, if I were to ressurrect him, he would know that there is a way to bring back the dead, and...rather than live happily ever after with you, he would spend the rest of his life trying to find a way to ressurect her." Obito said as he crouched down in front of Yugao and took her into his arms with a warm embrace.

"What if Obito never died and had been alive all this time? What if he was over Rin? What if he now realised who the right person for him was, after all, he was only a kid back then, what did he really know about love? Yugao, what if Uchiha Obito told you that he wanted you to help him create world peace, what if he told you that he wanted to be the god of peace, and you to be the godess by his side, what if he said that he wanted you to be his wife, and what if he told you he was sorry that it took so long for him to return your feelings? What if...what if I told you that I love you too?" Obito asked, pushing Yugao slightly away from his embrace as he romoved his mask to reveal his scared face to the purple haired jonin.

"Obito-kun...n-no way! It can't be...!" Yugao exclaimed frantically, leaping away from the ghost of her ex crush with impressive speed, on to the bed, and against the far wall, almost as if trying to faze through it to get away from this living nightmare.

"Your confusion is understandable, Yugao-chan. You've probably already determined with your sensing abilities that this is no genjutsu, and now you're wondering how I was able to impersonate Uchiha Madara so accurately and so effectively. You're wondering how I could have that kind of in depth knowledge of a man who should have died even before I was born and you probably also figured out that the emotions that I displayed when I was impersonating him were too real for someone who was merely pretending. Isn't that so?" Obito asked with a calm and compassionate tone.

"..."

"The answer to that is simple, you see, for the most part, the story that I told you was real. The only part I left out was that Uchiha Madara saved a young boy from his clan who had supposedly died in the third shinobi war, healed his injuries, and gave him a better and stronger body. He then went on to take him on as a desciple and taught him everything that he knows, with his dying breathe, leaving him with an important task to fulfill. That of finding the solution to eradicate the hate in the world and create a world of peace, that of fulfilling the moon's eye plan..." Obito trailed off, stop shortly to give his crush a chance to digest the information before carrying on from where he left off.

"..."

"Uchiha Madara is my great grand uncle, my master, my mentor, and my savior. Without him, I would be dead right now, without him, I would still be the weak and incompetent shinobi that I used to be in the past. Without him, I would literally have nothing. The only thing I have is what he has passed on to me, his knowledge, his skills, his wisdom, and his goals. As his desciple, it is only natural that our minds and hearts would resonate together, it is only natural that I would understand his pain and his feelings better than anyone else. It is only natural that I would be able to impersonate him so effectly. I didn't even have to try, in fact, one could say that I was channeling him rather than impersonatong him." Obito explained patiently.

"So basically what you're saying is, that you really are Uchiha Madara, because you embody everything that he used to be, his will, his pain, his goals, his desires, and his beliefs?" Yugao asked curiously, trying hard to regain her self control and to maintain a strong farcade.

"Precisely! That's exactly what I was trying to say." Obito answered.

"B-baka! You always complicate even the simple things, y-you haven't changed at all!" Yugao said with a happy smile, tears of joy falling down her cheeks as she lept into the 'unmasked' enigma's embrace, holding on with such a strong embrace that Obito could have sworn that he felt one of his ribs snap out of place.

"Y-yugao-chan...?"

"Baka! Why did you wait so long to make contact with me, why did you make me suffer for so long? Why...w-why did you let yourself suffer for such a long time. Why would you try to carry such a heavy burden all on your own?" Yugao asked in quick succession, ubable to truly master the anger that she wanted to direct at him, her happiness completely overwhelming any negative emotions she might have otherwise harboured.

"I..."

"It's fine, you don't have to give me an answer. I'm here now, I'm gonna take care of you. Everything will be alright, we'll complete the mission and bring peace to the world. We'll do everyhing together, side by side." Yugao said with a big smile on her face.

"Yugao-chan...does this mean..."

"Idiot! Stop trying to ask questions with obvious answers. Yes, I'll let you merge my so called grand uncle Hashirama's cells into me, after all, we're gonna need all the strength we can get to realise our dreams. And then, when the experiment succeeds, you'll marry me as promised. I don't want a long engagement, I hate waiting, when I want something, I make sure to get it as soon as possible, but then again, you already know that don't you?" Yugao said.

"Heh, who's the one that hasn't changed at all now?" Obito asked with an amused smile.

"Shut up and kiss me already...!"

Currently...

"Y-you're alive? How is this possible!?" Jiraiya exclaimed with widened eyes.

"Who knows? Maybe it's not possible at all, maybe you have finally become a senile old man and are simply imagining things. Maybe you are re-living your past regrets, or maybe you're just plain crazy. Huhuhuhuhu!" Hiruko laughed maniacly.

'Wow what a creep! He's just like Orochimaru-teme!' Kushina thought, as did everyone else at the Kage summit, with the exception of the Kiri contingent.

"Hiruko...so this is what has become of you? You didn't die at the time after all, you survived by faking your death and continued with your inhumane experiments and ended up in Kiri. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, of course you would fit in perfectly with the likes of the bloody mist, only their tyrant Mizukages would welcome someone like you in their ranks.!" Jiraiya replied with more than a little disdain.

"I don't know who you think you are, or if you think that your status as a sannin gives you any special treatment here? But don't think you can get away with insulting us and especially Mizukage-sama without severe consequence." Utakata replied angrily.

"And what about you? Don't think that your status as a jinchuuriki will protect you from me, you should learn to respect your superiors, gaki!" Jiraiya retorted with equal intensity.

"Why you...!"

"Let it go for now, Utakata! There's a place and a time for everything, and there's also a reason for everything too. One must be able to discern when there is a good reason to excercise the act of violence or not. Do you understand?" Naruto said evenly.

"I understand, but only with regards to the time and the place. Reason? I have more than enough reason to kill him, he insulted Kiri, and he insulted you. I can't forgive anyone who does that!" Utakata replied heatedly.

'He's such a stubborn mule.' Naruto thought with a heavy sigh.

"We should continue this conversation at another time don't you think? You've mentioned that you understand what I meant when I spoke about the time and the place for certain acts, if so, then you'll understand when I say that this conversation is for another time...right?" Naruto said dangerously.

"H-hai, Mizukage-sama!" Utakata replied with respect and submission, and a healthy dose of fear as well.

'It's a good thing that Naruto-kun took him under his wing as a mentor, as a result, he is now a perfect jinchuuriki and respects Naruto more than anyone else in the world, he even loves him as a brother. Not to mention he feels like he owes Naruto for sparing his cousin, Yagura's life. He's so rebelious that I can't imagine what things would have been like if it wasn't for Naruto's influence, he might have even gone rogue by now if it weren't for Naruto-kun.' Mei thought thankfully.

"It seems like that boy harbours quite a substantial amount of respect and admiration for you, Mizukage-dono?" Mifune inquired curiously.

"Well, I can't imagine anyone would have vouched for me to be the Mizukage if they had no respect for me. I think that it goes without saying that every kage here, at one point, commanded the same kind of respect and admiration from their people. If they don't, then it is only because of the decisions that they have made 'after' they were elected." Naruto replied with a straight face.

"You're very honest, Mizukage, but you lack modesty." The Kazekage imputted.

"It is very difficult for one to be both modest and honest at the same time. In fact, it is almost impossible. Modest people are always trying to make others underestimate them by understating their achievements and underating their situation, in other words, they are decievers. Honest people speak only the truth, and the truth, when it comes out as something positive about oneself, is often perceived as arrogance and lack of modesty. This means that one has to ask himself, should I become a modest deceiver, or should I become an honest but 'arrogant' person? These are the only two options that you really have." Naruto replied.

'This guy, at first glance he seems like a histrionic egomaniac, arriving late and causing a rockus with a grand entrance just to get everyone's attention. However, I'm no longer so sure about that? He seems wise beyond his age and he seems like the type that doesn't make any unneccesary moves, the type that thinks everything through and doesn't entertain thoughts and actions that are not to the benefit of him and his interests. But if so, then why did he go that far to make a grand entrance like that, and why was he...'

'I see...I can't believe I almost missed it. The entrance wasn't just a display of childish histrionics, actually, it was more of a demonstration of power, not just his own power, but the power of Kiri as a whole. If using such an advanced space-time ninjutsu to make his arrival, that coupled with Uzumaki Kushina and the Hokage's acknowledgement of his power and skill was not enough of a testament to his own power as a kage, then what about the respect and fear that he commands from his own entourage, an entourage consisting of the six tails jinchuuriki, the new monster of Kiri, the former commander of the Kiri rebelion forces, and Hiruko, a man who seems to have a similar history to Orochimaru and I suspect to have power rivaling that of a sannin. No, this boy is not childish or naive, and he does not have a histrionic personality at all, he is is wise beyond his age, and that display earlier was a subtle warning to the other four kage not to mess with Kiri.' The Yondaime Kazekage thought analytically.

"You certainly have a lot to say in this summit, for someone so young and inexperienced, what makes you think that you have anything of value to pass on to us, we, some of which have lived more than twice the number of years that you have lived in this world?" Onoki asked condescendingly.

"Perhaps the fact that I became a kage at half of the age that you were when the job was appointed to you should tell you something about the difference between you and I, Tsuchikage-dono." Naruto said calmly, causing the Tsuchikage to grit his teeth angrily at the blonde Uzumaki.

"That's enough you two! We did not come here to bicker and throw rocks at each other, this is not a children's playground." Minato said with a warning undertone.

"Hn, your tone and your words carry no respect for your elders, Hokage, you are no different to this Naruto brat! Not only do you look and even dress somewhat alike, but you have the same personalities and even a similar brand of rare ninjutsu, that being your talents in the arts of space-time manipulation. If you weren't so young, I could have sworn that he was your son, maybe you could even be brothers for all we know, after all, you do have a history together that we didn't know about until you mentioned how he supposedly saved yours and Kushina's life. So tell us, what is it exactly, Minato, is he your long lost little brother, is he your clone? After all, Konoha has a history of heinous human experimentation, with R.O.O.T, Orochimaru and even Hiruko. Speaking of which, is it even a coincidence that Hiruko is now a Kiri shinobi? Am I the only one that finds that to be more than a little suspicious?" Onoki countered.

"I wasn't aware that the Kage Summit was all about throwing insults at each other and making up unrealistic conspiracies, I was under the impression that we all came here to talk to each other on equal grounds like real humans and resolve our disputes without the use of violence. I was under the impression that we were here to sign a cease-fire treaty so that we no longer have to lose anymore of our subbordinates, our comrades, and our loved ones to the war and violence. I was also under the impression that this is the place where we throw the shinobi way out of the window and reach out to each other with our hearts. Have we really forsaken ourselves to this extent? Have we lost any shred of humanity that was left in our souls, and if so, when did it happen? When did we forsake our humanity, when did we become these monsters that we have become today?" Naruto asked tragically, causing some of the elder shinobi in the summit to bow their heads, some in shame, some in contemplation, and some in both shame and contemplation.

"Those are the words of a naive child who does not know true pain, a child who has not experienced the cruelty of the world first hand. Your words are meaningless until such a time that you can show us that your pain and suffering exceeds or at the very least matches up to our own. On top of that, you have no war feats and you have no bingo book entry. What makes you think that anyone is going to listen to a nobody? People respect power more than anything else, if you do not have power, or proof of your power, then no one will listen to you. At the same time, the only way to show people your power and thereby earn their respect is to fight in war. Therefore, the end result is all the same, you have to start a war in order to prove your power so that people may listen to you, but through war, people lose family members and loved ones, causing hate and vengeance to overcome their hearts and minds. So in the end, no matter how much power you attain, people still will not listen to you unless you can bring back the ones that they lost, which, even with all your power, is something that you simply cannot do. Uzumaki Naruto, your words are pathetic and worthless in this ninja world. Yes, a cease-fire treaty will be agreed and signed here today, but that is only a delay tactic, the seeds of war will grow again and in time,the fourth shinobi war will commence. If you're a real kage, you'll make sure that your own village stands at the top when such a time comes and stop worrying about other nations and their problems. World peace is a pipe dream, it will never happen." The Yondaime Raikage said matter of factly

'I suppose it was a little too much to simply hope to talk things out, world peace, at the end of the day is something that needs to be fought for, it can't be achieved with words alone.' Naruto thought darkly.

It was not that he had lost his faith in world peace or humanity itself, but Naruto, with his experience, had spent alot of time meditating on past, or future events, depending on how one wanted to look at his life in the alternate reality that he came from. Hindsight always seemed to have a way of putting things in better perspective.

During his time, he had been proud of humanity and proud to call himself part of the shinobi alliance generation, that was until Uchiha Madara and Obito gave him a smack of reality, one that he would have stubbornly never admitted at the time, but did now, which was that the shinobi alliance was not formed by the five shinobi nations, or even the five Kage, that the shinobi alliance was formed by both Madara and Obito themselves, that it was their alliance more than anything else.

Ofcourse, Naruto had been very swift to dismiss the two rogue Uchiha, he didn't even entertain their explanation, attacking swiftly to stop them from saying anymore on the matter. Obito, young as he was, was able to manipulate a grown, older man in Nagato, in fact, Nagato wasn't the only person he had manipulated, Hoshigaki Kisame was another, and even Uchiha Itachi, a person renowned for his own prowess in the art of manipulation. Madara was worse, because he was manipulating the master manipulator himself. Take that, and add to that the experience of almost losing his will to fight thanks to Obito's manipulation, the Uchiha having killed Neji and immediately acted to use the pain of the loss to manipulate him, almost successfully had it not been for Hinata, well, considering all of that, could anyone really blame him for refusing to listen to anything else after that fact.

Still, the Shinobi Alliance had lost the initial battle but had managed to delay Obito and Madara's plans, having recovered some of the Bijuu from Obito. Many battles had followed after that initial stand, and many lives had been lost over the years. Eventually, Obito had been able to reclaim all of the bijuu with the exception of Kurama, and the situation had degenerated up until Naruto was literally the last shinobi standing from the Shinobi Alliance, mounting the very last stand all on his lonesome.

He'd had alot of time to mature and ponder on certain issues over the years, and he'd finally come to understand Madara and Obito's words on that day. He'd realised that the five kage had not formed the alliance because they wanted to, or even because it was the logical thing to do. No, Obito had literally backed them so far into a corner at the Kage summit that they had absolutely no other choice but to form the alliance. This wasn't an unintended consequence of Obito's actions, this was fully intended. Obito wanted to go to war with the five nations and he wanted them to form an alliance, after all, the alliance was only formed AFTER Obito declared the war on the Five Nations and commenced the fourth shinobi world war.

If Obito doesn't declare war, the five Kage continue to bicker amongst each other and the distrust and pointing of fingers rages on. Sending Sasuke and team Taka to the Kage summit forced members of different nationalities to work together to defeat a common foe, this was sort of a priliminary, showing them that it 'was' possible to put their differences aside and work together for a common good. It also diverted their attention from each other and gave them one target to focus on, a common foe.

Later, he shows up, tells them about his plan of doom and gloom when he absolutely doesn't need to either than to paint the clear picture that they needed to work together in order to have even a chance. Pretending to be the great Uchiha Madara and wielding seven bijuu at the time was just the cherry on top of the cake that had already been baked to convince the Five Kage to unite under one banner. It was so obvious, in hindsight ofcourse, that Obito might as well have said it out loud and clear..'Hey you Five Kage, I command you to form a shinobi and samurai alliance right now!'

'During the war Obito was testing me and the shinobi alliance's resolve and determination to maintain world peace and co-exist together the whole time. He made us form an alliance and build strong bonds with each other as comrades in war. And then he tested our resolve to see how long that peace would last before we fought again. He wanted to see if Infinite Tsukiyomi was really neccessary by leading and directing us, like a shephered with his sheep, in the right direction. At the end of the day, he was the true messiah and I was just an imitation taking credit for everything that wasn't even mine or our doing.' Naruto thought to himself.

'However, as much as his heart is in the right place, his methods are too inhumane for my liking. It might be selfish, but I cannot allow the people I care about to suffer and die like animals, even if it is for world peace. I'll create peace in my own way, the Uzumaki Empire that I intend to build will be the culmination and embodiment of true peace. A peace that doesn't exist in an illusion.' Naruto thought with conviction.

The motions for the Uzumaki empire were already in place. Naruto had found two Uzumaki girls, both orphaned by Orochimaru's henchmen, on the outskirts of Kusa. He'd been looking for Karin and Tayuya for quite a while, but it had been difficult to find people who had not been born yet and whose parents were very good at hiding themselves. He'd been sending clones to Kusa at random intervals to conduct a search and make contact mission for him, and one day his efforts had come to fruition. Unfortunately, Karin and Tayuya's parents had been killed by the time his clones arrived to aid them, atleast he'd managed to save the babies though.

Speaking of which, it was sad what he'd had to do to the young girls, but it had been a neccessary sacrifice for world peace. He'd been forced to seperate the young girls, Tayuya was given to a trusted civilian family that had been headed to be raised in Iwa, and Karin, similarly, was given to a trusted civilian family hoping to begin a life in Suna. There was another orphaned Uzumaki in Kumo as well, Karui was her name. She also had a communication seal on her and would be able to interact with Naruto and her Uzumaki cousin once a week.

Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina's daughter, Uzumaki Natsumi was the fourth girl. She was, unlike the others, not an orphan, but Naruto had managed to tag her with his communication seal relatively easily, after all, Kushina had insisted that Naruto hold her baby before he departed Konoha, without knowing what Naruto would do to her precious Natsumi-chan ofcourse.

Naruto hated to decieve Kushina like that, but Kushina was already a grown woman and was married to the Fourth Hokage. The chances of convincing her to follow his plan were very slim and Naruto knew that. There would be a conflict of interest on Kushina's part, she would inevitably have to choose between her husband and Naruto, and Naruto didn't want to put her through that.

Natsumi, on the other hand presented a different prospect altogether. She would be young and impressionable by the time Naruto got to her, it was possible that the bond he and her Uzumaki 'sisters' formed would be just as strong as the one that she had with her parents, making her much more accepting of the mission that Naruto had for her.

It first glance, it may have seemed cruel for Naruto to have seperated the orphaned siblings like this, denied them a childhood together like he had been denied knowledge of his family roots at a young age. However, Naruto had a plan, and more importantly, he had the power and skill to execute that plan.

Tayuya, Karui and Karin may have been physically seperated, but they would be able to see each other every week from the age of three going forward. Naruto had used a modified version of the seal his father had used so that he could one day see both his father and mother when the seal weakened enough or was completely broken, except this one would be triggered by a loss of consciousness, allowing the Uzumaki family of Naruto, Karin, Karui, Tayuya, and Narumi to communicate every seven days with Naruto playing the role of sensei, mentor, father, older brother, and supreme commander or emperor.

'I have to make sure that each of those girls become strong enough to become the next Kage of their respective ninja villages in order for my plan to work. I must also somehow find a way to get Nagato to see things my way. If all of that goes to plan, and Fuka is able to kill Orochimaru and take over Otogakure no Sato, then the Uzumaki Empire will consist of all the five great nations along with Oto and Amegakure...' Naruto trailed off thoughtfully.

'All that will be left will be Kusa, Taki, and all of the other smaller villages. But with the five great ninja villages, Oto, and Amegakure, the Uzumaki Empire will be too strong for anyone to even think about mounting a resistence. They will be forced to surrender and become assimilated into the Empire. At last, there will be true world peace in the world. The only thing that can derail my plans now are the current five kage and the Akatsuki.' Naruto thought with a calm and calculating mind.

One Hour Later...

"May I have a word, Kazekage-dono?" Naruto asked politely, the Mizukage and his entourage coming up from behind the Kazekage and his own entourage.

"What do you want?" The Kazekage said gruffly, swiftly turning around to face the blonde Uzumaki, his body guards surrounding him in a defensive position.

"You seem to be in quite a hurry to get home, in which case, let me first apologise for delaying you." Naruto said humbly.

"What do you want?" The Kazekage asked again, his voice, which was already cold, now turning colder than even the the freezing temperatures of Iron Country.

'Judging by his attitude right now, I doubt my words will get through to him, but I have to at least try, Gaara will hear my words at least.' Naruto thought, taking a glance at the three year old jinchuuriki, who was bravely standing and facing him and his entourage, not wanting to disapoint his father by showing any signs of weakness to the enemy.

"I'm quite confident that if I spoke to you about this matter in my capacity as the kage of a foreing nation, then my words would go through one ear and out the other, or you would dismiss them completely or even cut me off before I finish. That is why, I would rather speak to you in my capacity as a man, from one human being to another. Is that okay with you, Kazekage-dono?" Naruto asked, startling not only the Kazekage's but also his own entourage, the Kazekage himself however remaining unfazed.

"I don't have time to waste, Mizukage, I have a village to run. Say what you want to say before I change my mind, I was no longer obliged to listen to you the second the summit was adjourned." The Kazekage replied, causing Naruto to suppress a sigh in exasperation.

"Okay, I'll get straight to the point then. You already know that my predecessor Yagura was a perfect jinchuuriki, but what you should know is that Utakata is also a perfect jinchuuriki. I, being the new jinchuuriki of the sanbi, am also a perfect jinchuuriki, and right now you're wondering where I'm going with this right?" Naruto asked retorically.

"I only venture to guess, but it seems like you want something from me in exchange for information on the secret behind total control of a jinchuuriki's bijuu? So out with it, what are your terms and conditions?" The Kazekage asked, his swift change of demeanor and attitude speaking highly of his adaptability to a situation, but also of his desperation for the aforementioned information.

"There are no terms and conditions. Kazekage-dono, the secret to becoming a perfect jinchuuriki is, as cliche as this may sound, love..." Naruto trailed off dramatically, causing a stunned silence to settle over the two groups of powerhouses, the Kazekage and his entourage adopting expressions of complete and utter disbelief.

"Before you dismiss my words as an insult or a bad joke, I need you to think carefully about a jinchuuriki's situation. Everybody fears a jinchuuriki and keeps their distance, many hate jinchuuriki for the lives their bijuu might have taken in the past, and some treat them as outcasts for simply being different. If you think carefully about it, what is it that a person in such a situation would desire more than anything else in the world? Isn't it obvious that the one thing a jinchuuriki desires, but cannot have, is pure and unconditional love?" Naruto asked retorically, the air of incredulity previously manifested dissipitating altogether after Naruto's elaboration, replaced by one of contemplation.

"There is no such thing as unconditional love, and even if this unconditional love you speak of existed, how is that related to controlling a bijuu's power?" The Kazekage asked stubbornly.

"Talent for ninjutsu, skill, good genes, compatability, large chakra resereves, heritage? Those things are all undoubtedly important when it comes to mastering the powers of your bijuu, but those things alone are not even close to being enough. The battle between bijuu and host is for the most part a battle of wills. Love is an amazing source of motivation, will, and strength, think of an average civilian mother fighting off a grizzly bear to protect her children, an older brother lifting a slab of earth or a boulder off of his little sister to save her, and many other incidents where people have gained an unprecedented strength to protect what they love. In fact, think of yourself as well, Kazekage-dono, would you have become as strong as you are now, and leaped over as many obstacles as you have if it were not for the love that you have for your village and your determination to protect it as a result?" Naruto said, once again ending his lecture with a rhetorical question.

"..."

"If right now the only thing going through your mind is that I'm the kage of a foreign country and have no right to lecture you about your jinchuuriki, then, you are absolutely right, and that is indeed an unquestionable fact." Naruto said, once again stunning his compatriots and the Kazekage's, including himself, to silence.

"However, as a human, and as a fellow jinchuuriki, I have every right to be concerned about Gaara-kun's wellbeing. That is all I have to say, I pray that my words will not fall on deaf ears...in any case, thank you for listening patiently, Kazekage-dono." Naruto said with a respectful bow of the head.

"Are you done lecturing me now?" The Kazekage asked calmly.

"Yes, I'm done." Naruto replied simply.

"Then we will be on our way...don't follow or us and don't try to stop us again, Mizukage-san." The Kazekage said with a warning undertone.

"As you wish, Kazekage-dono." Naruto replied, still with a bowed head as he listened to the footsteps of the Kazekage and his entourage, the five suna shinobi walking only a few metres before disappearing together with a shunshin technique, Baki carrying Gaara in his arms as he hadn't mastered the technique yet at the ripe age of three.

'No comment or acknowledgement huh? Well, I guess it can't be helped, it's not like I wasn't prepared for that kind of response anyway.' Naruto thought sadly.

"Heh? That guy totally made you look stupid. Why did you have to go and say something like that anyway? You just lost all the badass points we gained at the summit and more with that lame, one-sided conversation." Mangetsu asked with a confused expression.

"Huh? Was I really saying something that weird? After all, Gaara-kun and I used to be friends." Naruto replied much to the shock and confusion of his comrades.

"Mizukage-sama, Gaara-kun is only three years old is he not? How on earth could you have been friends with him in the past? He probably hasn't even learned to speak and write properly, and more importantly, all four of us together can account for most of your activities in the last three years, how exactly is it that you expect us to believe that you and a three year old were friends in the past?" Hiruko asked skeptically.

'Couldn't he have just asked what I meant? I mean, did he really have to stretch the question and make it so long?' Naruto thought with a mental roll of the eyes.

"Hiruko-san has a point Naruto-koi, did you fall and hit your head this morning or something?" Mei asked with a mischievious smile.

"Hehehehe! It's not like that at all Mei-chan, it's true that Gaara-kun and I used to be friends, but that was a different lifetime ago, in an alternate world so to speak." Naruto replied with a goofy smile, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"I guess he really did hit his head this morning after all. Mei-sama! You must tone it down with the rough sex...aark!" Utakata cried out, finding himself lying on his back against the snow of iron country after receiving a straight hook from the red haired godess.

"My quality time with Naruto-kun is none of your business, got that, brat?" Mei said with a threatening undertone.

"Y-you bitch..."

"Oi oi oi hold it right there, calm down you two. You're gonna give Kiri a bad name if you carry on like that, the others are watching you know." Mangetsu chastised lightly.

"He's not very smart, but he has these moments of genius and wisdom once in a while. In any case, this happens to be one of those times. You shouldn't let your guard down, enemies are surrounding us after all." Hiruko added, his eyes glowing red as he surveyed his surroundings, Mangetsu spotting a tick mark at the underhanded jab at his mental faculties.

'Kuso! Mizukage-sama is a sensor type, Mangetsu has samehada and Hiruko has the fuingan. Mei and I are the only ones that don't have a tracking specialty, I feel so useless right now. How long has the enemy been following us anyway?' Utakata thought in frustration.

"Come out now! Hokage-dono! That is, if you don't want your actions to be viewed as a contravention of the cease fire treaty we concluded not even one hour ago!" Naruto shouted out, causing the Hokage, then Kushina, Jiraiya, Hiashi, and finally Shishui to walk out from behind the trees that they were hiding behind.

"Don't worry, Naruto, we wouldn't do something so underhanded. Kushi-chan insisted the we at least see you one more time before we head back to the village. To be honest, I also wanted to see you one more time before our departure, after all, there's no telling when we'll see each other again, nor what our circumstances will be when that time comes." Minato said.

"You're concerned that the battlefield might be the location of our next meeting huh?" Naruto asked bluntly.

"Unfortunately." Minato replied.

"Hn, don't worry, you won't be harmed by my hand or any of my subordinates for as long as you have Kushina-sama's favor. If you were to lose that favor however..." Naruto trailed off dangerously.

"Are you threatening Hokage-sama?" Shishui asked, the black tamoe of the sharingan spinning around his pupil menacingly.

"Just a warning. If he or the members of his village should harm the matriah of the Uzumaki clan, there will be consequences." Naruto said.

"Then take this as a warning, if you become a threat to Konoha, I'll stop you!" Shishui retaliated.

"Stop me? By that, do you mean that you'll use your ocular powers on me? To make me and Kiri enslaved to Konoha perhaps?" Naruto asked retorically.

"W-what?"

"I know about your ocular power, the Koto Amatsukami. I know everything that happens under the sun and the moon in this world. I've dedicated myself to creating the greatest spy network in the world. Let me fill you in on a little secret, that jutsu, Koto Amatsukami, will not work on me. Furthermore, you should be more concerned about the enemies you have within the village than the ones you have outside. If you think someone like Danzo and Orochimaru will sit idle when they find out about your ability, then you're very naive." Naruto retorted.

"Y-you...how do you know so much about me? About Konoha?" Shishui asked.

"It's not just Konoha. I told you didn't I? I know everything about everything that happens under the sun and the moon." Naruto reiterated.

"..."

"This is not the direction I hoped our meeting would take, but now that we're here, something's been bothering me about you, Naruto. I was going to brush it off and try to forget about it, but I changed my mind because of something that Nii Yugito and Mabui said at the summit about you and I resembling each other, and also what you said a few moments ago about you knowing Gaara-kun in a different lifetime" Minato said.

"Really? Well, what is it?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Hmmm...lets see, how do I say this? Well, are you from the future? And if so, are you mine and Kushi-chan's son? Also, if those two conditions are true, then why did you choose to join Kiri and not come back to Konoha? Is it because you were afraid of the consequences of us finding out about who and what you were?" Minato asked with a dead serious tone, causing surprise and confusion between his and Naruto's entourage.

"What the hell are you talking about Minato-koi? Are you listening to yourself right now tebane! This is crazy talk dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed in shock.

"No! Actually, it's not as crazy as you might think." Jiraiya said suddenly.

"What do you mean, Jiraiya-dono?" Hiashi asked curiously.

"The elder toad sage once told me a prophesy about the future of the world, Minato knows about this too, that's probably why he has come to the conclusion that he has right now." Jiraiya replied.

"A prophesy? Not that I believe in prophesies, but what did he say exactly? And how is the Mizukage involved in all of this?" Hiashi asked curiously.

'No way! There's no way the prophesy could have lead otou-san to that conclusion, I mean, how? The only thing it says is that one of Jiraiya's students will be the child of proshesy, who will either become the harbinger of destruction of the bringer of an everlasting peace. I'm not Jiraiya's student, well, I am, but nobody except for Shion-chan knows that. So how? Is it possile that...no...no...could it be? Did the prophesy change when I came to this world, or was it just different entirely in this alternate world?' Naruto thought with trepidition, anxiety starting to creep in as he waited for Jiraiya's explanation, although he did well to hide it from any onlooker.

"The prophesy was that a student of mine will transcend time and space itself in order to change the world and rewrite the past. It is also foretold that time and space will be rendered irrelevant to him, as the past will become the future and the future will become the past. His task will be to form a string that connects the two together but at the same time his heart will forge the sword that will severe the the strings of hatred that pull the world into an everlasting dance of pain and suffering. In other words, the child of prophesy is meant to bring peace to the world. The prophesy does however end with a warning, that the child of prophesy must beware that he doesn't lose himself to the enemy that he is battling within his own heart, for if he were to lose that battle, it could mark the end of the world as we know it." Jiraiya explained.

"Is that it?" Mei asked incredulously.

"It may sound stupid to you, but you don't know the elder toad sage like I do. He would never make something like this up." Jiraiya replied irritably.

"Let us pretend that we actually believe in this nonsense of yours, Jiraiya. That still doesn't explain how you would come to the conclusion that Mizukage-sama is the child of prophesy, and it certainly doesn't support the theory that the Yondaime Hokage is Naruto's father, especially when you factor in the age difference." Hiruko retorted.

"I also don't know how Minato came to that conclusion, but he must have a reason." Jiraiya replied, causing everyone's attention to suddenly divert to Minato.

"First, you have to understand how prophesies work. The prophesy you just heard was a dream that the Elder Toad Sage had about Jiraiya-sensei role in the prophesy, and therefore, everything that pertains to it is directly linked to Jiraiya-sensei's relationship with the child of prophesy. However, since I too have met and am indeed close to the elder toad sage, and since I too am meant to have a role in the prophesy, the elder toad sage inevitably had a dream about me too." Minato explained, pausing momentarily to gather his resolve before deciding to continue, only for Jiraiya to interupt him.

"What do you mean, Minato? Do you mean to tell me that there's more to the prophesy than what I know?" Jiraiya asked incredulously.

"Yes there is. The elder toad sage told me not to speak about it to anyone until the time was right. He said I'd know when the time came, and I believe now is that time." Minato explained.

"I see..." Jiraiya trailed off thoughtly.

"So...what did say to you dattebane?" Kushina asked with trepidition.

"He said that my first born would be a son, and that he would become a toad summoner just like me. He also said that he would change the world, that he would either bring an everlasting peace to the world or become a harbinger of destruction." Minato explained.

"But our first born is a girl...wait...is there something you're not telling me...!" Kushina said with a life threatening tone.

"Huh? N-no! Kushina, I've never been unfaithful to you, and I never will! Besides, like Hiruko said, I'm not old enough to be Naruto's father." Minato explained.

"Then why are we..."

"Let me explain, I was getting to that." Minato cut in, causing Kushina to nod her head reluctantly, having no choice but to suck it up and listen to what her husband had to say, at least for now.

"If you put Jiraiya-sensei's and my prophesy together, everything makes alot more sense. I am married to an Uzumaki, Naruto resembles me alot, and his last name is Uzumaki. That's where the theory of him being my son comes from, in other words, that's where one can infer that Kushi-chan and I are his parents. Secondly, the prophesy states that my son is the child of prophesy, Jiraiya-sensei's version states that the child is his student, and my version states that my son will be a toad summoner just like me. As Jiraiya-sensei is also a toad summoner, then we can infer that the child in my prophesy and the child in Jiraiya-sensei's prophesy is the in fact one and the same person. Does everyone follow up to that point?" Minato asked retorically, taking the silence that followed as a sign that everyone was in fact up to speed before taking things where he left off.

"Now, Jiraiya-sensei's version talks about the past becoming the future and the future becoming the past. And it also states that the child of prophesy will trancent time and space in order to link the past and the future together. This clearly refers to time travel."

"What!" Utakata exclaimed incredulously.

"Please, allow me to finish, I know what it sounds like, I felt the same initially. But if you really think about it, when would the past become the future and the future become the past? Doesn't such a state of mind only apply, hypothetically, to a person who lets say, travelled to the past?" Minato asked retorically.

"Yes that certainly would make sense, as that person's past experiences would have in fact occured in a future date from the present moment, and what he does in the next five minutes would technically be a past event as he would be coming from a time much further ahead. Hence the past becoming the future and the future becoming past. That is ofcourse, hypothetically speaking." Hiashi cut in.

"Exactly. Also, the Naruto here is a space-time ninjutsu master. How ironic don't you think? Wouldn't you say this is a case of...like father like son'? And if you disagree, then also consider the part of the prophesy concerning the child transcending space and time as a double meaning, refering to him travelling through time and also his space-time manipulation ninjutsu." Minato explained.

"..."

"That might still not be enough to convince you, but consider everything you know about Naruto, consider everything he said at the summit, consider how he spoke to the Kazekage just now, and consider what he said about him and Gaara being friends in a different time and life." Minato added, causing everyone's eye to widen in sudden realisation, especially at the part about his words concerning Gaara.

'Kuso! That was reckless of me, I shouldn't have said that even if I expected everyone to dismiss my words as a joke. No...actually, there's nothing I could have done about it, how was I supposed to know that the prophesy had been altered in this world. No! I'm making excuses aren't I? Alot of other things were altered, some proactively by me, and some on their own, like Natsumi's birth and Kakashi's death for instance. I should have figured that the prophesy would be different too.' Naruto thought angrily, frustrated with himself for his lack of foresite.

"Last but not least, I should probably tell you about the book Jiraiya-sensei wrote and published about twenty years ago. It is a book called The Gutsy Ninja. The book is about a young man who wants to stop the curse of hatred that permeats our ninja world and find a way for people to one day truly understand each other. The book emphasises the young man's unwavering determination to create a peaceful world and his refusal to abandon his ideals. Now, the most important thing that you must know about this book is that Kushi-chan and I intended to name our child after the character in this book if it were a boy, and the name of that character is...Naruto" Minato said, only for his eyes to widen in surprise at what just transpired right in front of his eyes, the Mizukage's entourage seemingly turning against him all of a sudden, Mangetsu with his sword pointing at Naruto, and the others each holding a kunai against a vital area, even Mei.

"Hey! What are you doing dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed in horror.

"Just who are you exactly?"Utakata asked with a sinister undertone.

"When a man learns to love, he must bear the risk of an even greater hatred. Do you understand, Utakata? Your love for me as your Mizukage, as your cousin's saviour, as your mentor, and as your surrogate brother is the cause of the hatred that you're feeling towards me right now, because you believe that I have betrayed you. The same goes for all of you." Naruto said calmly.

"Nice try, Mizukage-sama, but if I remember correctly, you said that you had been travelling with a sage who had died to protect you, and that this sage taught you alot of things. Isn't it ironic that Jiraiya also happens to be a frog sage?" Mangetsu asked retorically.

"Don't you mean toad sage?" Naruto retorted.

"Don't get smart with me! Just who the hell are you exactly? You may think that the Yondaime Hokage is manipulating us, and maybe he is, however, too many things he said are true. The stuff you said at the summit? The stuff you said to the Kazekage? What you said about you and that ichibi kid? Your name and surname? Your obsession with Kushina? And your resemblance to the Yondaime Hokage? Just what is all that exactly? Do you really expect us to believe that it is all a coincidence!" Mangetsu exclaimed angrily, having started of in a rather soft tone, although the malice was always there.

"Yes." Naruto said simply.

"Yes what?" Utakata asked aggressively.

"Yes I expect you to believe that all of it is a coincidence, a coincidence around which the Yondaime and his sensei were able to to weave a completely bogus story to turn us against each other, and succeeded with overwhelming ease." Naruto replied with a stone face, causing both Utakata and Mangetsu to grit their teeth angrily.

"So you're going to deny everything huh?" Mei asked.

"I have nothing more to say. Kiri doesn't tolerate traitors, lower your weapons now or face the consequences." Naruto said with a threatening undertone.

"There's no need for you to fight, besides, you can't honestly expect me to sit idly as you slay my son right in front of my eyes do you?" Minato said dangerously.

"Y-you..."

"Listen!" Minato said harshly, cutting Utakata out before he could say what he wanted to say.

"There's only one way to resolve this. Give us a dna sample from Naruto and we can verify with a dna test if he is my son or not." Minato suggested.

"Don't be stupid! Konoha are known to heavily invest in dna experimentation. You guys have been experimenting with Senju Hashirama's dna for years now and I won't even mention Danzo and Orochimaru! Hiruko, you know this better than anyone else here! Do you honestly believe that they want my dna to simply confirm a fictional theory?" Naruto said in disgust.

"He certainly has a point. There's no way we're handing his dna over to you guys. Why don't you rather give me your sample instead, and we'll verify if you really are his father." Hiruko countered.

"Like hell we will! Like we would trust you with something like that after what you did in Konoha dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed.

'Perfect! Just as I thought, no one will trust the other enough to exchange dna, this way, a paternity test can never be conducted!' Naruto thought.

"You see now? This was only a plan to steal my dna and use it to replicate my powers, or least to artificially create mini me's to enhance Konoha's strength. That's why they asked for my dna but refused to give theirs for the same reason they wanted mine. Now stop acting stupid and let go of me before I have you all executed for treason!" Naruto said angrily, the group of shinobi under his command hesitating slightly before silently agreeing with each other that they should probably back down, all four of them letting go of the blonde Uzumaki at the same time.

'Hn, that was easier than I thought, perhaps I still command more fear and respect than I thought, honestly, I was starting to get worried my subordinates didn't think much of me.' Naruto thought wearily.

'Still, I never would have imagined things would turn out like this, a changed prophesy, dad actually connecting the dots and figuring out that I'm from the future, my own comrades practically turning against me? Kuso! This just gave Kiri an even worse reputation, we didn't display any unity at all. I can forgive them for having their doubts, but I can't forgive them that easily for not keeping their emotions in check at least until we were alone. I'll have to punish them somehow for this.' Naruto thought furiously.

"It's fine." Minato said, effectively breaking Naruto out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"It's fine Naruto, we'll be leaving now, and you don't have to admit to anything. I just want you to know that we too want to find the answer to true peace. You're welcome to contact or even visit me at anytime of your choosing so that we can discuss it, and honestly, I wouldn't mind if you and I were to come to some kind of agreement, perhaps an alliance of sorts?" Minato suggested.

"I'm sorry, but you and I will have no deal for as long Orochimaru, Danzo, and R.O.O.T still exist. Konoha can't be trusted until such a time those entities are purged." Naruto said firmly.

"If that is your ultimatum, then forget about it!" Jiraiya said tensely.

"Who died and made your Hokage, Jiraiya?" Hiruko asked irritably.

"You...you're even worse than anything Danzo and Orochimaru have been accused of, you know what...we just might accept Naruto's proposal if he agrees to purge you in return." Jiraiya said with a sadistic smirk.

"Hn, nice try, but that's not going to happen, I've commited no crimes against Kiri, and Jiraiya..." Hiruko trailed off.

"What...?"

"That's Mizukage-dono to you, not Naruto. It would be best that you know your place in the world." Hiruko taunted.

"Or else what..?"

"That's enough sensei!" Minato said with a warning undertone.

"Tche..!" Jiraiya huffed indignantly, eyes narrowing in frustration.

"Naruto, is there really no other way for us to resolve this?" Minato asked with a tender heart.

"I'm afraid not." Naruto replied with a stone cold face.

'I'll have to have Natsumi take care of Danzo when she grows up a little. If she takes well to my training, and the training she will undoubtedly get from mom and dad, then she should be able to take care of him. Fuka will handle Orochimaru when he officially takes the reigns in Oto. Then it is at that time that I will aproach you for an alliance, otou-san.' Naruto reasoned out in his mind.

"I see..." Minato trailed off, a sad expression adorning his facial features.

"Good, we'll be leaving now..."

"Wait!" Kushina exclaimed, with remarkable speed jumping into the blonde and crushing him with a loving embrace, the blonde Uzumaki reflexively wrapping his arms around her too.

"What's wrong, Kushina-sama?" Naruto asked softly.

"I...prophesy aside, I'm not going to write off the possibility that you're my son, in fact, I...I'm 99 percent sure of it now. I'm felt a strong connection to you since the day we met, I mean, I even asked you on that same day if you could be Natsumi's surrogate brother. You were so happy when I asked you, and you accepted without any hesitation, do you remember?" Kushina stuttered, tears free falling from her eyes as emotion overwhelmed her.

"Yes, I remember." Naruto replied.

"Well, maybe I'm just a hormonal and emotionally confused bitch, or maybe it really is a mother's intuition, but I don't need a dna test to call you my son, and I'm sure Natsumi-chan won't need one either to call you big brother. I just want you to know how much I love you and how much I think about you all the time. So please, I don't want to see you and Minato-koi fighting, and I don't want Kiri and Konoha to go to war either. To go to war against you...I...I wouldn't be able to bare it dattebane!" Kushina wailed, burying her face at the crook of Naruto's neck.

For the onlookers, both of Konoha and Kiri, the scene was so touching and the emotions on display were so powerful, pure, and real that it left them under no illusions as to whether Minato's theory was true or not. It was plainly obvious to anyone looking on that this was a mother and son, a real mother and son. One would have thought that this realisation would be a concern for the onlookers, and would be cause for suspission and doubt for the subordinates, especially those of Kiri. However, the opposite was actually in effect, the sheer beauty and purity of the love between mother and son enough for them to resolve in their own hearts and minds to do everything in their power to support their leader, and to prevent a war from breaking out between the two nations, because to them, hell was the only place waiting for them if they allowed something so pure and beautiful to be tainted.

Chapter End

Wow okay no actuall battles in this one and not much story development in terms of time, but certainly there was some in terms of character intentions, motivation, revelations, and growth. This was more of a set-up chapter though I have to admit, and I apologise to those who were expecting an epic battle or some sort.

Anyway I'm not a fan of incest in the real world, but I dunno, I'm getting a weird vibe between Kushina and Naruto. I'm aware that there is indeed incest in canon as clans aim to keep the secrets of their jutsu and bloodline limits within the family and to stop it from being diluted, however, this is mother and son here so I'm a little jittery about writting it.

I think it's time I confessed to yaw on this issue, especially to those that are also readers of my at the moment one chapter story 'Demonic Slavery'. This is the reason I haven't updated that story, because I clearly stated my intentions to have Kushina and Naruto's sisters and aunt as a pairing but I chickened out, or rather, couldn't bring myself to go through with it.

I feel bad because I feel like, as an author (pretend author), I should be able to give the readers what they want/need, especially when I promised it to them beforehand. Anyway cousin incest aint an issue for me, I can write that no problem, I do however struggle with mother-son/brother-sister incest.

Anyway, enough of that, Kushina aint a slut so she aint gonna cheat on Minato, especially not with her son. So even if I was a fan, the only way for that to happen would be if Minato died, which I am currently not sure when it is gonna happen, or if it even will happen.

Last but not least, I've started typing a Hunter X Hunter fanfic and I was wondering if there are any of you interested. It has a minor cross over with Naruto and Yu Yu Hakusho, by that meaning, I've taken some characters there that have powers that can fit HxH seemlesly and deployed them as characters there. In other words, those characters (in the fanfic) aren't from the Narutoverse or from Yu Yu Hakusho verse, they are from the Hunterverse.

Anyway the name of the fic is called Sennin Hunter (Sage Hunter) with Gon as the main character.

That's it! Sorry for the long AN.