Strength of Stone
"Tsuchikage-sama, are you sure that that this is a good idea? Those tree-huggers are liable to notice the fact that the boy is missing." a hooded man asked his shorter partner as they jumped from tree branch to tree branch.
"Akatsuchi, Konoha is in disarray – they have just been attacked by the greatest of the Bijū. They won't recover easily from an attack by the Kyūbi no Kitsune. Is this not the best opportunity to take the boy? We have time – they will be too busy to trying to rebuild as quickly as possible. They cannot afford to look weak, especially with Ē. Remember, Kumogakure no Sato never demilitarized after the Third Shinobi World War – if they smell blood in the water, they will strike. It is the best moment to grab the child." answered the shorter man.
"You are right, Ōnoki-sama. Especially if what you hypothesize is true…" answered Akatsuchi as the village they were discussing neared into view.
Meanwhile, in the above-mentioned village, a man sat in his office sat with his fingers steeped and his large hat covering his eyes.
Minato, Kushina, why did you have to die? Ugh, I am too old for this… In any case, I will need to announce Naruto's status as a Jinchūriki…
"Sir!" a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Ah, Kakashi-kun, good. We need to announce Naruto-kun's status as a Jinchūriki to the village. They are liable to not take it well, so I am assigning you a long-term mission. I want you to protect Naruto-kun from the shadows – we cannot do it openly lest Danzō use it as an excuse to accuse me of favoritism and try and manipulate me into not protecting the boy." Hiruzen stated.
"I understand Hokage-sama.," answered the white-haired man, "May I inquire as to why we do not simply announce that Naruto is Sensei's son? That will prevent any of the villagers from feeling any resentment toward him – they worshipped Yondaime-sama."
"A good question, Kakashi. The answer is this – firstly, Iwagakure no Sato hates Minato-kun, and if they find out that he has a son who is the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, they will do their best to kill the poor child. Also, Kumogakure would kill to get their hands on the son of the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkōand Akai Chishio no Habanero, especially if he is the Jinchūriki of the greatest of the Bijū. Moreover, should the villagers learn that the child is the son of Minato, they will try to spoil him, causing him to grow up to be a spoiled brat with an over-inflated sense of superiority, which is dangerous for any shinobi." answered the Shinobi no Kami.
"How do you know he is going to become a ninja, Hokage-sama?" asked the former ANBU curiously.
"Kakashi…do you honestly think that I would let the son of the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō and the Akai Chishio no Habanero, as well as the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune waste that potential on being a civilian?" asked the Hokage with a condescending look.
"I understand Hokage-sama." answered Kakashi.
Meanwhile, in an underground base, yet another old man was making plans regarding the life of the 5-day old boy.
Hiruzen is probably making plans to announce the identity of the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, the fool. Does he not realize that the foolish civilians will not see the potential of having a Jinchūriki as a weapon? I will never realize why Tobirama-sensei chose Hiruzen as Hokage instead of me. Moreover, a shinobi should have his abilities hidden. Why that old fool would want people to KNOW what the abilities of one of his ninja are, I cannot understand. I will need to try and gain control of the Jinchūriki, but there is no legal or official means for me to do that. I will need to try and manipulate the boy, gain his trust…
"Dajimu! Tera!" Danzō called. Two figures appeared in front of him in a kneeling position almost completely soundlessly – only a veteran shinobi would have heard them arrive.
"Hai, Danzō-sama." the two shinobi replied in unison.
"You two are being given a long-term mission. You will cease observations of Mitarashi Anko, and begin keeping tabs on Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. You will defend him from any attacks by hostiles, but you will make certain that you are not noticed. Is that understood?" the leader of Ne ordered.
"Hai, Danzō-sama." they replied emotionlessly, before using Shunshin no Jutsu to leave the room.
Naruto Uzumaki… you will be Konoha's…and mine…
Timeskip – 2 days later
"Ōnoki-sama, do you know when we will find the boy?" Akatsuchi asked his Tsuchikage, as they sat in a restaurant under Henge no Jutsu eating Okonomiyaki.
"I have a hunch, Akatsuchi. The attack happened about seven days ago, correct? Therefore, we look through the orphanages that recently have had the greatest influxes of orphans –Sarutobi would want the boy to be unnoticed, knowing his idiotic 'Will of Fire.'" replied the Tsuchikage.
"Pardon me sir, but what does the Will of Fire have anything to do with the boy being placed in the most populated orphanage? Why wouldn't the Hokage simply adopt the child?" asked a confused Akatsuchi.
"A fair question. The Will of Fire is the belief that love, teamwork, and cooperation is the key to peace, yes? Well, here's the genius of this plan. The most populated orphanage is likely to not have very good facilities as well as not very many resources. This serves several purposes. For the first, it would provide subconscious survival training – the boy would have to try to establish himself as the Alpha immediately in order to receive the most food and attention. The second is even more ingenious. Sarutobi advocates that all shinobi of Konoha, as well as all of the civilians are all one big family. If you place one such as him with those who are unfortunate while telling him that Konoha is one big family, the boy is quite likely to grow up believing that he should try to help Konoha as much as he can, thereby creating the perfect weapon – strong and completely loyal to an idea. Knowing Konoha, they will treat the child as a "demon" and ignore and revile him. If Sarutobi implants an idea into the child's head that the Hokage is respected by all, and that he is like a father to all of the children of the village, that creates an even stronger bond between the Jinchūriki and Konoha. The attention-starved child in him will want the respect and recognition that comes with being Hokage, and the Messiah in him will want to become Hokage so that he can protect and improve the lives of his 'family.'" answered Ōnoki. Akatsuchi was quiet for a few moments, before speaking.
"That is…a genius plan. Much as I do not wish to complement him, the Sandaime Hokage is a very intelligent and cunning man." he said with admiration.
"He is not known as the Purofessā for no reason." Ōnoki replied. As the two sat and talked quietly, they noticed 2 men jumping from roof to roof. The strange thing was that they did it soundlessly – there was usually at least the tiniest thud that a well-trained shinobi like the Sandaime Tsuchikage could detect. The two men wore ANBU masks, but instead of Katana, they wore, tip less (as far as the duo could see) tantōs.
"Kyūji! We wish to pay and leave. What is the cost?" asked the Tsuchikage.
"364 ryō kokakyu-san." replied the waiter. Akatsuchi dropped the required amount, as well as an extra 73 ryō for the waiter. Silently they exited the restaurant and followed the two silent ninja. After a few minutes, they had followed them to a secluded area, whereupon reaching it the two ANBU stopped.
"We know that you are following us, Iwa-nin. I assume that you are here in order to gain control of the Jinchūriki. You cannot be allowed to take him with you." one of them said.
"If you understand that we are Iwa-nin, and you know why we are here, then you cannot be allowed to tell your master. I am assuming that you are members of Ne, and you serve Danzō. Prepare to die." Ōnoki said. At this, Akatsuchi attacked.
"Doton: Domu!" Akatsuchi called as he made the Hebi hand-sign. His skin became darker, and harder, and he altogether became colored like stone.
"Doton: Kengan no Jutsu!" he called out next as rock surrounded his hand and he rushed at one of the ANBU catching him in the gut by surprise. The ANBU flew back a few paces, righting himself in the air as he did so, and landed on his feet, drawing his sword when his feet touched the ground. He pushed off, and flew at Akatsuchi slicing at him with his tantō, which Akatsuchi blocked with his rock-covered arm. They engaged in a Taijutsu match, with neither being able to gain the advantage. Akatsuchi had the defensive capabilities of the Domu, whereas the ANBU was too fast for Akatsuchi to land a hit on him. Meanwhile, the other ANBU attempted to attack the disguised Tsuchikage who merely avoided each attack making sure that at least one leg was touching the ground.
"Why do you not strike back? I can sense a large amount of chakra from you – you are obviously a powerful shinobi." the ANBU asked.
"The reason is very simple – I was making sure that there was nobody in the vicinity." the disguised Tsuchikage replied.
"Ah, Chikyū Kenchi Parusu. A very useful technique, which you Iwa-nin use fairly often. But why did you need to make sure that there is nobody here? Your partner seems to have no reservations about attacking mine." the ANBU inquired.
"Simple – my techniques are very easy to recognize. Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!" the Tsuchikage called, forming a cube that engulfed both of the ANBU's, before the glowing core inside the cube exploded, engulfing both of the ANBU, destroying them utterly, reducing them to dust.
"Thank you, Ōnoki-sama. I did not want to use any very powerful jutsu for fear of being noticed." Akatsuchi said dusting himself off. Ōnoki merely grunted, gazing into space.
Where were they going? The village gates were in the opposite direction, what would Ne be doing in the village? They are usually deployed outside…Wait a minute! Knowing Danzō, he wants control over the Jinchūriki, so he would send his agents to keep track of the brat and protect him, as well as attempt to convert him at some point. It's a good thing I got rid of them; it will make snatching the boy easier…
"Akatsuchi, while we were in the restaurant, did you find out anything?" the Tsuchikage asked.
"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama. The orphanage that has had the greatest influx of orphans in the last 5 days or so is Onjō Orphanage. It is our best chance." Akatsuchi answered.
"Excellent. Good work." the Tsuchikage responded, "We will capture him tomorrow. Meanwhile, we will investigate a hypothesis I have."
Timeskip – next day.
Ōnoki woke up at around 6:00AM the next morning, as he saw that Akatsuchi had already awoken and was eating a fairly large breakfast that the Tsuchikage joined him for.
"What is the address of Onjō Orphanage, Akatsuchi?" Ōnoki asked after he finished chewing a mouthful of omelet.
"307 Sukuinushi Road." Akatsuchi replied.
"Excellent. We will take the boy at night, when there is less notice. Now, we need to check out a lead I have." the Tsuchikage replied, drinking a glass of water.
"A lead, sir?" Akatsuchi asked in a confused tone.
"I believe…there may be another Senju." Ōnoki said.
"Ummmm, sir? Konoha no Namekuji Tsunade-hime is a Senju." Akatsuchi said carefully.
"No, Akatsuchi. Tsunade WAS a Senju. She is dead." Ōnoki replied with no small degree of satisfaction.
"Dead? But…what? How? When?" Akatsuchi said in total shock.
"Akegoda Sabukawa ran in to her in a village a few weeks ago. She was drunk off her ass in a bar, as usual, and was completely depressed. Akegoda tried to take the chance to learn some information about Konoha. He learned much more than he thought he would. It turns out, when Tsunades lover, Dan Katō, died, she fell into a depressed state. During that time period, she had a one-night stand with a man whom she got pregnant by. However, apparently she could not bear to keep a child not of her dead lover, as she felt it was dishonoring his memory. So, she dropped the baby off with the father, despite knowing only his address. After that, she did her best to forget about the kid, but every year she gets drunk and depressed even more than usual. After learning that, Akegoda, being a Iryō-nin (Medical Ninja), slit her throat with Chakra no Mesu." Ōnoki said.
"But how did he get the drop on her?" Akatsuchi asked.
"She was drunk, and had not had sex in a loooooooong time. Akegoda took advantage of the opportunity. After he finished the carnal activities, he slit her throat." Ōnoki replied with a small amount of embarrassment.
"What about her apprentice? Shiz-something, I think her name was." Akatsuchi asked.
"Shizune, yes. Akegoda slipped her a poison – she died in her sleep." Ōnoki answered.
"So, do we know anything about where to look for the kid?" Akatsuchi asked.
"Yes the address of where she left the kid is 49 Taki Road. Funny thing is, she did not remember anything about the man, only the address of where she left the kid." Ōnoki replied, "So that is where we are going to be going in the meanwhile, while we wait for nightfall."
"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama. Now I understand why you wanted to do this personally." Akatsuchi said.
Taki Road
Knock, Knock. The Henge'd Tsuchikage knocked on the door of the apartment building.
"Hai, Kon'ichiwa?" an old lady answered the door.
"We would like to look at room 49, please? I believe that one of my relatives used to live here, could you tell me who used occupy those rooms, and where he currently lives if he does not live there?" Ōnoki asked.
"Hmmmmm, well, the current tenant only moved in there a few weeks ago, let me check who used to live there. Do you have a time period?" the old lady asked.
"Yes, around the end of the Second Shinobi World War, and a bit after." Akatsuchi replied.
"Hmmm, well, let's check the records, shall we?" the old lady said, and led them to a room inside the building, "I keep accurate records of all of my former and current tenants to make tracking them down easier in case they do not pay me, so we should have information on whoever use to live in that room." as she was saying that she started opening a file cabinet, "Room 49, you said? Let's see, the tenant before the one I have now lived there for about 1 year, and before that it was unoccupied for 9 years during the Third Shinobi World War. That was after Garuda Sadefawa occupiedthe rooms for about 3 years, before him the rooms were unoccupied for 8 years. Now, who was the tenant before that? Oh, goodness! I never even noticed!" the old lady exclaimed.
"What? What did you find out?" Ōnoki asked in excitement.
"Apparently, the tenant before Garuda-san, and before the 8 year unoccupancy period, was a man by the name of Fuyuki Namekaze! Yes, now I remember! A child was dropped off here about 21 years ago for Fuyuki-san! That must have been Yondaime-sama! To think, I had Yondaime-sama live under my roof!" the old lady said in shock.
"That's…not possible! You are saying that the man who used to live here was the father of the Kiiroi Senkō?!" Ōnoki exclaimed.
"Hai, hai! I remember that a little while after the child was dropped off, his father, Fuyuki was killed on a mission and poor little Minato was dropped off in an orphanage. How sad…" the old lady sighed.
"Th-thank you, Oba-san…" Akatsuchi said in shock, "If we need any more information, we will be sure to come ask." At this, the two Iwa-nins left the apartment building.
"Unbelievable…the Destroyer of Stone was of the Senju bloodline…" Akatsuchi muttered in shock.
"Not completely unbelievable, Akatsuchi. If you remember, the Senju clan was known as "Sen no te o motsu ichizoku". They were well known for being prodigies in many fields of the Shinobi Arts. It is entirely feasible that he was a descendant of that particular clan. However, now we do not have much to go on when it comes to any of his possible children…" Ōnoki explained, "Come, let us scout out the orphanage."
Timeskip – 3:07AM
Two shinobi ran up the side of Onjō Orphanage, reaching the 3rd floor and entering through a window into a room.
"Take the kid, and slap a Silencing Seal tag on his mouth." the shorter shinobi whispered.
"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama." whispered the taller one, doing as ordered, "Tsu-tsu-tsuchikage-sama!" he whispered hoarsely.
"What?! Be quiet!" the Tsuchikage whispered harshly
"Look at the child!" Akatsuchi whispered.
"I had thought it would so, but I had never truly believed it…He actually made his son into the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune…" the Tsuchikage whispered.
"Tsuchikage-sama, do you know what this means?" Akatsuchi stuttered.
"Yes…we could potentially have the GREATEST shinobi of all time…the blood of the Senju and Uzumaki, as well as the chakra reserves of being the Jinchūriki of the greatest of the Bijū…Let's go! Quickly!" Ōnoki ordered.
Meanwhile, a certain silver-haired Jōnin was sitting in front of the Memorial Stone, mourning the loss of his sensei, and the last of his old team when suddenly he felt the seals he had placed on Naruto's room trigger.
Naruto! Someone is trying to harm Naruto! No, I will NOT let the last reminder of Sensei I have to be taken from me! Kakashi thought frantically as he made the Ram seal to use the Shunshin no Jutsu to try to get to the orphanage as fast as possible. He had to use it several times, but by the time he got there, Naruto and whoever took him were gone.
"Shit! Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Pakkun!" the teen shouted.
"Yo, Kakashi, what's up?" the dog said raising his paw.
"Pakkun, Sensei's son has been taken, we need to get him back! I must get him back!" Kakashi yelled.
"Why don't we notify the Hokage? He could help us!" Pakkun stated. Kakashi thought about it for a second, and while he did, Pakkun saw the tortured madness in his eyes.
"Y-yes, you're right. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Kakashi said, summoning a small dog, "Go to the Hokage! Tell him that Uzumaki Naruto has been taken, and that I am tracking him as we speak! Go! Now!" The dog nodded once, before rushing towards the Hokage building. Meanwhile, Kakashi gave Pakkun a scrap of Naruto's clothing. Pakkun sniffed it, and immediately rushed towards the window.
"Kakashi! They came via the window – the scent leads down!" Pakkun stated urgently.
"Shinobi…follow them, Pakkun!" Kakashi ordered. Pakkun nodded once and ran, Kakashi following him. They ran through the village, with Pakkun occasionally stopping to sniff the ground with Kakashi growing more terrified by the second.
"Kakashi, the smell leads outside the village!" Pakkun said.
"Kuso! Hurry!" Kakashi yelled. When they got past the village gates, Kakashi pulled out a kunai, and started marking the trees every 50 meters or so.
With the Hokage
Being bitten on the foot by a small, yet sharp set of teeth awakened the Hokage.
"Ah! What the hell?!" the Hokage jumped out of bed.
"Oi! Hokage! Kakashi says that one Uzumaki Naruto has been kidnapped! Kakashi is following him, but he is requesting backup!" the small dog that had jumped on his bed barked urgently.
"Naruto!?" the Hokage said in disbelief, "Shit! Mizuko!" he called his secretary.
"Hai, Hokage-sama?" she asked, running into his room.
"Assemble all Jōnin for a briefing, along with all ANBU! I don't care if they are asleep or on vacation! I want them all here! We have a Class 5 Situation!" the Hokage ordered.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the secretary answered, saluting. She ran back into her office, and used the Kuchiyose no Jutsu to summon 40 cats, "Get every single ANBU awake, and have them get every OTHER Jōnin and ANBU awake and in front of the Hokage Residence! Now!" the cats immediately ran in all directions. Meanwhile, the Hokage got out of bed and put on his old armor – the one he wore during the old days of the Second Shinobi World War.
Minato, Kushina, I will not let your legacy be taken from Konoha!
With Kakashi
"We have them, Kakashi!" Pakkun yelled, just as they saw the two shinobi.
"Damn, he caught up with us!" the shorter one grunted, "Ah, my back!"
"Pakkun, stay back. I will deal with them." Kakashi said coldly, "Whoever you are, give me the boy, and surrender. I am Sharingan no Kakashi, you have no chance against me! If you come quietly, I will merely maim you and take you to the Konoha T&I Department."
"What a generous proposal, Hatake. However, do you really think that you can take me?" the short shinobi said, coming forward, dispelling his Henge as he did.
"Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki…" Kakashi said, as fear crept into his heart. He knew that he would not leave this fight alive, but he was determined that he would not let his sensei's son be taken from Konoha. He raised his hand, and raised his headband, revealing his Sharingan.
Obito, Sensei…Protect me.
"Chidori!" Kakashi yelled, as forming the hand-signs, as his hand was engulfed in lightning chakra.
"Heh, very well Hatake. I will enjoy killing you, the student of Namikaze." Ōnoki smirked, "Doton: Chidōkaku!" he yelled, lowering the ground several hundred meters, "I will not let you escape this hole. Katon: Endan!" he said, exhaling a massive ball of fire at Kakashi, who was running at him. At the speed he was going, all Kakashi could do was jump through the fireball, coating his body with a thin layer of water chakra, escaping with minimal burns, however, when he attempted to pierce the Tsuchikage with the Chidori, all he hit was a Doton Kage Bunshin which dissolved into mud.
"Kuso! Where is he?! Left? Right? Above?" he whirled frantically around.
"Below!" a sound came, as he was suddenly pulled underground, a kunai being jammed into the lower back of his spinal cord.
"AAAAAAAAAARGH!" Kakashi yelled, as he stopped feeling anything below his waist.
"So, the famous Hatake Kakashi at my feet. Amusing, isn't it. I must admit to feeling a distinct amount of pleasure at killing the student of the man who crippled my village. I want you to remember this. I want this image seared into your head, for the last few moments of your pathetic life. I want you to know in your last minutes that you failed. The son of your precious sensei will be the one who destroys your village, and extinguishes your precious Will of Fire. I want you to know, that your village will be wiped off of the map and erased from memory. The only time that your village will be mentioned is when it is talked of as an example of the strength of Stone. Die, Hatake Kakashi. You, have, failed." the Tsuchikage said with relish as he pulled the Konoha Jōnin from the ground, kicked him away, and used Katon: Karyūdan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet) to immolate him.
Kakashi's last thoughts were, I am sorry sensei I failed you. But now, I am coming. Rin, Obito, I am coming to join you at last…
Tsuchikage-sama = Lord Earth Shadow
Bijū = Tailed Beast
Kyūbi no Kitsune = Nine-Tailed Fox
Kumogakure no Sato = Village Hidden in the Clouds
Jinchūriki = Power of Human Sacrifice
Hokage-sama = Lord Fire Shadow
Yondaime-sama = Lord Fourth
Iwagakure no Sato = Village Hidden in the Rocks
Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō= Konoha's Yellow Flash
Akai Chishio no Habanero = Red Hot-Blooded Habanero
Shinobi no Kami = God of Shinobi
Shunshin no Jutsu = Body Flicker Technique
Ne = Root
Henge no Jutsu = Transformation Technique
Purofessā = Professor
Sandaime Tsuchikage = Third Earth Shadow
Kyūji = Waiter
Kokakyu-san = Customer
Doton: Domu = Earth Style: Earth Spear
Hebi = Snake
Doton: Kengan no Jutsu = Earth Style: Stone Fist Technique
Chikyū Kenchi Parusu = Earth Sensing Pulse
Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu = Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World
Technique
Jutsu = Techniques
Onjō Orphanage = Warm Heart Orphanage
Sukuinushi = Saviour
Konoha no Namekuji Tsunade-hime = Konoha's Slug Princess Tsunade
Chakra no Mesu = Chakra Scalpels
Taki = Waterfall
Hai, Kon'ichiwa? = Yes, hello?
Oba-san = Old Woman
Sen no te o motsu ichizoku = The Clan with a Thousand Skills
Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Pakkun = Summoning Technique: Pakkun
Kuso = Damn
Sharingan no Kakashi = Kakashi of the Sharingan
Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki = Ōnoki of Both Scales
Sharingan = Copy Wheel Eye
Chidori = Thousand Birds
Doton: Chidōkaku = Earth Release: Moving Earth Core
Katon: Endan = Fire Release: Flame Bullet
Doton Kage Bunshin = Earth Shadow Clone
Katon: Karyūdan = Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet