Un-beta-ed.

What it Takes to be Hokage

Chapter 32

PAST

"Madara, what would we do if one of us turned traitor?"

Madara turned to Naruto, the blond watching the river as he hugged his knees, something seeming to be weighing on his mind. It was one of those rare moments where it was just Naruto and Madara, the others all out on missions. Madara had almost been sent on one himself, he'd just managed to avoid his father long enough to end up out by the river instead.

The Uchiha wasn't sure what was bugging Naruto, and he wasn't sure the blond would tell him if he asked. The question, however, was a valid one.

There were times where Madara couldn't help but wonder about how things would have turned out had it not been for Naruto. That day when their fathers' had sent Izuna and Tobirama to spy on their elder brothers . . . that would have been the day their friendship ended. Madara knew that as sure as his heart was beating.

"It's hard to say for sure. People have many reasons for the things they do," Madara shrugged. "but an enemy is still an enemy, even if that enemy used to be a friend."

"I'd like to think that someone would talk some sense into me," Naruto whispered, eyes distant and clouded. It wasn't often that the usually positive Uzumaki was so down.

"Have you ever considered what you'd do if you realised you were fighting on the wrong side, that maybe your enemy was your enemy because you were wrong," Madara offered, perhaps not helpfully as the question might only serve to further confuse Naruto.

"So how would we know?"

Naruto's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Madara, a rare seriousness on his features.

"Well for me, I'd ask myself if I was doing anything that my father would approve of. If the answer was yes, then I'd know I was wrong," Madara said, so matter-of-factly that Naruto cracked a smile, eyes crinkling at the corners as a more familiar expression appeared on his face.

"Well yeah, I guess remembering why we're here is a very good indication, isn't it?" The smile faded as the distant look took hold once again. "Let's just hope that those who come after us don't screw it up."

"Trying to tell me something?"

Naruto was silent, gaze turned towards the ground as he frowned in concentration.

"Naruto?" Madara pressed, shifting his weight towards the blond.

"Well no," Naruto began, "not really. I mean I am thinking about someone who would technically be considered a traitor to the village . . . but I could never see him that way. I wonder if I'd still agree with that in a couple years. Would it be a case of naivety? Would it be a case of denial? The problem is, now that I've had time to think things over, something I didn't do a whole lot of before, I'm wondering if there was more to the story. I'll never really know for sure, not anymore."

Madara turned his attention back to the river, "If you're never going to know for sure, then let it go, nothing you can really do about it now."

The distant look didn't leave Naruto's eyes and Madara wondered if he'd ever find an answer that satisfied him.

.0.0.0.

PRESENT

Naruto stood in front of Kurama, not physically but rather only as a projection. Kurama was very much physically there, relaxing in a sunny spot with his head on his paws as his tails swished through the air lazily.

"So when are you going to stop being a coward and end this petty squabble?"

"What makes you so sure I can win," Naruto countered with a huff.

Kurama responded with a sigh of his own. "Don't make me explain myself. You and I both know the outcome of Hiruzen's foolishness, unless your own special brand of idiocy gets in the way."

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he scratched his chin, "You've got me there."

He walked closer to Kurama, lowering himself to the ground and turning his body so that he was leaning against the fox's side. Kurama rumbled his displeasure which Naruto ignored. It wasn't like his body had any physical weight to it so what was the fox complaining about anyway.

It was quiet, peaceful. No one was waiting for him to fix all the problems, no one was asking him to be rescued. He didn't have to watch his words and his actions, being careful not to give too much away while probably making everyone suspicious anyway. He didn't have to think about who his enemies were, and who his allies were.

"Madara won't last very long, you do know that don't you? Even I can tell how fragile his chakra network is, how unnatural he feels." Kurama pressed, worried about Naruto's inactivity. Usually the blond was more do now, think later.

"That's what he gets for using seals to prolong his life unnaturally." Naruto snorted, looking to the side as he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You know, if you really think about it, you managed to prolong your life as well . . . with time travel seals, even if it wasn't intentionally," Kurama pointed out, "But I get it. It's how we know he's going to lose. It's why you kept him out of the fighting as much as you could."

"It's inefficient is what it is. Madara doesn't have small reserves but most of his chakra goes to powering those seals. What kind of moronic seals did he use anyway?"

Kurama didn't reply, leaving Naruto to continue to rant. "I suppose he was desperate, and who was he going to ask to even make those kinds of seals for him. I don't think anyone had the ability to make those kinds of seals and all that."

Naruto stood in anger, pacing. "Well if there's one thing that managed to work out well in all of this. No one managed to find you guys. No one even seems close."

Kurama flicked an ear but otherwise didn't comment.

"And you can talk to me. That's managed to work. We didn't know if it would since you were sealed inside me when I made this place." Naruto paused in his pacing to gesture around him. 'This place' was the pinnacle of all Naruto's sealing ability. A dimensional pocket frozen in time, a single perfect day, to be relived over and over. A place where all nine of the tailed beasts could come and go as they pleased without another living body being able to access it. The only way in was through a seal that took a copy of one's chakra and showed it as a projection in the pocket. There, but unable to do a damn thing. That same seal allowed Kurama to talk to Naruto as he had been after Naruto had gotten poisoned, especially so since it was Naruto who had created the seal.

"But you never came to us. Not once." Kurama turned his gaze to the blond, fixing him with a hard glare.

"I never intended to, Kurama. I promised that the tailed beasts would never again be used by Shinobi and I meant it." Naruto said, his body losing all its tension. "That promise applied to me as well."

"You could probably use your kekkei genkai properly now, without my chakra interfering." Kurama pointed out.

"Yeah, I already tested it out with the toads. I really meant it when I said to Hiruzen he was way in out of his depth."

Kurama stood and stretched, dipping low to the ground as his claws dug into the earth. "Right now, he's winning. This enemy has really chosen their allies well."

A small window appeared, showing Tsunade, Mito, and Kushina battling it out. Naruto studied their fight for a brief moment. "My mother will win. Mito will realise that her undead status will make her the perfect decoy and Kushina will then incapacitate Tsunade."

"As far as I've kept my eye on things, Tsunade still has her fear of blood. Fighting Mito works out for her since Mito won't show blood due to her 'undead status'."

"Still, I stand by my prediction."

A new window showed Orochimaru still struck in the wall. Naruto allowed himself a snicker. It didn't matter what world or reality he was in. He would always find Orochimaru creepy.

They moved on to show Minato, Itachi, and Menma. Naruto frowned. It was immediately obvious that Menma and Itachi had taken some hits. Hard ones. Namikaze Minato was truly one amazing shinobi. He was thrashing the two prodigies, relentlessly. As Menma moved to attack, Minato would simply move to a seal marker. He had placed several in the surrounding area. Itachi was trying his best to remove them but the Uchiha was hardly as fast as Minato was, and as fast as Itachi was removing them, Minato was simply placing more as he went. It was taking all of Itachi's concentration to find the seal markers, remove them, and predict where Minato would show up next with his Sharingan. He probably would have attacked Minato directly, if he was fast enough. At this point, the seal markers wouldn't even be burned away, not if they were placed directly onto the ground.

They moved away from the fight as Minato landed a solid blow to Menma's face. That was going to leave a mark.

The next scene showed Team 7 and Haruto, just about wrapping it up with the enemy forces. It was somewhat one sided when you had the Uchiha clan on your side. Haruto's mastery with his chains was also rather impressive. He had the concentration needed to form several strands, direct them accurately and carefully, where they would wrap around an enemy and solidify. That was a technique that usually took several minutes to a few hours complete, never mind seconds. Naruto couldn't help the proud smile.

Then the screen showed Madara and it was clear he was starting to feel overwhelmed. He wasn't relying on his Sharingan, he wasn't even using jutsu all that much, trying to dodge and weave his way around the jutsu being thrown at him all the while trying to find the opening that would allow him to take either Jiraiya or Hiruzen down.

"If you don't make a decision, you'll lose him," Kurama's grumble was soft, understanding, "Why are you hesitating?"

Naruto sighed, shoulders slumping as he muttered, "I'm still trying to find it, the creature, the one behind all of this. It hasn't shown up yet."

Kurama's hum rumbled through the air as he responded, "Hn . . . if you haven't found it yet, then you know what that means."

The statement settled into the silence, layering the growing unease.

"That it's not here. . ."

"If you're right in assuming that Hiruzen had planned to seal the chakra into his own pathways, the creature may have planned to wait it out, until that foolishly ill-informed decision cost Hiruzen his life and the creature could then swoop in and claim his prize." Kurama offered, and Naruto couldn't help but agree.

The screen shifted views once more, showing Naruto's own limp form wrapped in the medical tent blanket as Danzou tried to sneak his way out of the Uchiha compound. Naruto had let him up till now, content with the knowledge that the man really had no clue as to what, or rather who, was waiting for him at the border of the camp.

"Alright Kurama, I've made my choice."

.0.0.0.

The seals getting into the Uchiha camp had been some really descent ones but why was it that most people forgot to cover ground under an encampment. The Shodai had covered that aspect when he'd designed the defence seals for the village, but for most places that relied on seal, they always forgot the ground.

Danzou could see the hole he'd made. It was so close that a short dash would be all it would take for him to be out of enemy lines. Yet, he was careful. The last thing he needed was to be caught so close to his goal due to amateurish mistakes.

He cautiously lowered Naruto's body to the ground, intent on getting into the hole he'd made first. He was careful to lower himself into the hole so that he was on his stomach, intending to pull Naruto's body along with him. If he were to go onto his back, then pushing his way through might have been easier, but trying to get to Naruto's body wouldn't have been easy.

He was about to reach for the blanket wrapped Namikaze when a whisper shivered in his ear, breath washing over his skin like a million ants. "I don't think you should be here."

In the next moment he felt himself yanked through the layers of earth covering his tunnel and thrown to the ground, where he landed with a groan.

"Uchiha Obito's special ability, to be used in extreme emergencies. I'd say this counts as an emergency." A cold voice stated casually.

"And just so you know, we could have let you go a few more miles. I mean with Shisui's speed, you really wouldn't have gone far. I was almost going to put you into a genjutsu first, just to see you waddle your way across the grass plains with an imaginary body, buuuut Shisui said that my laughing would have given it away." Another, more relaxed tone added.

Danzou got to his feet, noting two Uchiha staring back at him. Shisiu and Obito, both known throughout the shinobi ranks, both rightfully feared six ways from Sunday.

Obito was something of a mystery to Danzou. They'd never managed to recruit him, even though he'd been one of Minato's students. Somehow the little brat had always managed to play the fool. Perhaps, they'd been too quick to write him off.

Before another blow could be exchanged, the entire battlefield froze as a chakra signature like no other washed over their senses.

The blanket shifted and Namikaze Naruto stood, dusting himself off before raising his head, golden eyes raging back at those present. He focused his chakra, mouth pulled into a thin lipped frown before he quite literally disappeared from sight.

A gentle tap on his shoulder later and Obito found he could not move. In his line of sight he saw a seal form on Danzou's shoulder as well, where the older shinobi also froze. He'd appeared as though the minute he'd noticed Naruto move he was going to try and make a mad dash towards Hiruzen.

Naruto's speed was unmatched in this world. Before anyone could do more than land from jumps or straighten their posture out of attempted kicks and punches, Naruto had hit them with a direct paralysis seal.

Three breaths later and every living person present, both enemy and ally, were standing, completely and utterly unable to do anything other than breath and blink.

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched as the Shodai approached him, taking his time as he walked across the grass plain. He stopped just out of Hiruzen's reach, even though the older Shinobi couldn't move.

Naruto stood in front of Hiruzen, eyes cold just as they blazed with the colour of the sun. "I haven't always been the hero, done the most honourable thing. You try, you really do, but when you have a whole village of people to protect . . . well then you do what you have to."

His eyes weren't the only physical change on Naruto's face. Red lines streaked over his cheeks, dripping down as though he'd been crying tears of blood. Red rimmed his eyes, making the gold all the more apparent. This was Naruto's sage mode transformation.

"I won't make the mistake of letting my guard down again. I'd merely been hopeful up till now that we could resolve this peacefully, without fighting. That's why Madara calls me naïve," Naruto said, shoulders slumped as he looked to the side. "But you failed to realise that he also listens to me. You failed to take into consideration that I was, and still am, the Shodai of the greatest village the Elemental Nations has ever seen. This title does not come without its own fair share of enemies." He turned a hard glare on Hiruzen once more.

If Hiruzen wanted to reply, he could not. There was not a force in this world that would allow him to open his mouth and have his say.

"You didn't want to listen to me earlier, so allow me to take the pleasure of explaining to you how things are going to go." Naruto continued, "These seals, won't wear off when I run out of chakra. My sage mode, isn't going to deactivate unless I want it to. See sage mode is powerful, beyond measure. Yet it has a very glaring weakness, other than being so difficult to master. It runs out. It's directly proportional to how much chakra you have but no matter how large your reserves are, it still runs out. Five, maybe seven big jutsus in and poof you have to recharge. Not easy to do in the heat of battle."

Naruto pretended to be very interested in Hiruzen's clothing, not caring if the man was listening or not. He wouldn't be able to tell anyway since Hiruzen couldn't change his expression. "I solved that problem temporarily when I was sixteen, fighting to avenge my Master's death. Still, I wanted a better, more permanent solution." Naruto flicked some dust off of Hiruzen's shoulder.

It was hard not to take the man seriously, to not listen to his every word. It was such a stark contrast to the almost happy-go-lucky approach he'd been using thus far. Hiruzen was hard pressed to compare the cold, cynical version of Naruto to the gentle man he'd grown up knowing, and see any similarities between them.

This time Naruto moved to Madara, "The clone he 'killed' wasn't just a clone. It's a solution to my problem. What's the point of a clone that can die, but doesn't disappear when it does? Other than helping me with my problem of being in two places at once, it collects the natural energy around us, and sends it directly to me. As long as that clone remains motionless, I can enter sage mode anytime I want, for as long as I want."

Naruto waved a hand in the air, a motion of shushing someone who wasn't even talking. "Now I know what you're thinking. All you have to do is destroy that clone." Naruto smiled the gold in his eyes leaking out, leaving only the most piercing shade of blue Hiruzen had ever had the misfortune of being scrutinised with. "I still have an open contract with every known ninja summon in this world. I have the ability to cancel any existing contract at will." For emphasis to his words, Naruto tapped Jiraiya's forehead, seals spreading from the tips of his fingers, and a connection with toads dissolving instantly. "Why? Because I built those contracts. I just left UzumakiTakashi's credentials on the scrolls. He died when he shouldn't have, and I felt obligated to complete his work. That doesn't change the fact that I can and will summon every single ninja summon, all at once, and still be able to hit you with several of my best jutsu."

Naruto's eyes brightened to the gold from earlier once again. Madara felt a tingle on his shoulder and a moment later he could move again. "You know, Naruto, you sound like an utter ass right now."

Naruto could feel the anger in Hiruzen's chakra, the denial. But there, just bubbling under the surface of all that was the panicked realisation that maybe, just maybe, he'd been betrayed.

"If you're waiting for that creature to appear, it's not here." Naruto's tone was softer now, his gaze slowly warming. "I don't know what it promised you Hiru-chan, but it's wrong."

Naruto released the paralysis seals, the shinobi on the plains behind them giving off a sense of relief as well as a healthy dose of fear. Naruto ignored them, and offered a hand out to Hiruzen, a peace offering, albeit a guarded one. "You never would have won this, Hiru-chan, I didn't even tell you about all the seals I could have spent the next couple of hours applying to your, and all your supporter's, bodies."

Hiruzen entire body seemed to slump as though some great weight had been added to his shoulders. There really was no denying he'd been thoroughly beaten.

"Sensei?"

Jiraiya was uncertain, waiting for Sarutobi's orders.

Hiruzen took Naruto's offered hand. "You better be right, Naruto-sama."

Naruto felt the deep sense of duty in Hiruzen's chakra. He knew that without a doubt Sarutobi Hiruzen really had been acting with the best interests of Konoha in mind.

Too bad a small grain of truth was all it took to make a bag of poison seem appealing.

"Oh, don't you worry, Hiru-chan. Unlike that old man behind me, I don't have any problems keeping up with my previous level of skill. I'll be sure to remind the Elemental Nations of that fact in a week or so." Naruto grinned widely, Hiruzen momentarily blinded by the absolute positivity Naruto was usually known for.

It was in that moment, that all-consuming magnetism drawing Hiruzen back to his childhood to when he'd first met the man whom his father so respected, that the Sarutobi realised what a fool he'd been.

He closed his eyes, and smiled sadly. The creature was probably stirring up trouble in other hidden villages. That was a given. Zetsu was its name. He'd promised Hiruzen the world but all Hiruzen had wanted was Konoha.

With Naruto-sama back with them, with the Shodai aware of threats such as Zetsu, Hiruzen knew that they would be fine, something that Naruto had been trying to tell him from the start.

.0.0.0.

Later that night, with the Uchiha clan back in their village compound, and all Hiruzen's supporters safely behind bars, Naruto was free to face the multitude of questions being aimed at him.

Just because he was free to do so, didn't mean he was around to answer. For the moment at least. Some things were more important, such as saying good bye to an old friend.

"So Naruto, I seem to be leaving you with quite the mess to clean up." Mito smiled mischievously and Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Keep that up and you won't be allowed to leave until all of this really is sorted."

Kushina was waiting silently by the doorway, unsure if she should enter or not. She wasn't entirely up to date with the current events but she knew enough to know that Mito knew her son, that he really was familiar with the Shodai and that there was a close bond between the two.

Minato had been temporarily stripped of his title as the Fifth, the knowledge having not yet been made public as there hadn't been a formal decision as to what to do with the man, and his position. It was likely however, that Minato would not be the Hokage for much longer. There was something wholly unsettling about having a leader that had been manipulated from his genin days. The decision would be left up to the council.

Mito cupped Naruto's cheek, stroking the newly formed whisker marks with her thumb. "Perhaps we didn't give you enough credit, perhaps we should have told you all those years ago. Still, Hashirama never did forgive himself for taking you away from those you'd once cherished so dearly."

"I suppose Tobirama was the brains between those two." Naruto smiled sadly. There wasn't a right answer in this situation. It didn't matter if he had stayed of if he had come back to where he was now. In either scenario he lost out on some form of family.

Mito pulled her hand away, looking to Kushina to start releasing the jutsu.

"I hope to see you again, Naruto-chan." Mito said, moving backwards.

Naruto didn't reply, looking away as Mito's face dissolved.

.0.0.0.

Standing in the empty trial room, Naruto had long since concluded that the first test had never been meant to be passed by anyone other than himself. Mito had been trying to find out if he had returned and she'd received her answer, keeping it to herself yet entrusting the blond to do what was right for Konoha.

Naruto had never managed to find out when the Edo Tensei had been performed, and how long the Uzumaki had been in the world of the living unnaturally, but he knew that whatever had happened, Mito would have heard about his clearing the first trial, and would have known without a doubt that her time travel seal had worked.

"Naruto-kun?"

The Namikaze turned to the door, seeing Sakura waiting nervously. They hadn't been told about his status as the Shodai, with most of the forces believing it had been a ruse thought up by Madara to fool Hiruzen. Naruto hadn't protested, enjoying the quiet. He would let the world know soon enough, he just wanted a few important people to know first.

The rest of this world's team 7 was soon to join Sakura and Naruto beckoned them closer. "Come on over guys, we're just waiting for a few more people.

"You've been a hard shinobi to find these past two days." Sasuke commented drily.

"Ah, well, been tying up some loose ends. I'll tell you about it after we're done here." Naruto scratched at his cheek with a small smile.

Arashi said nothing, not knowing what to say, or even why he was there. Tatsumaki wasn't there and Naruto didn't want him to be. He preferred the boy when he didn't know who Naruto was.

Minato, Kushina, and Menma arrived soon afterwards. There was a clear divide between the three and Naruto noted wearily that it was going to take some time to heal the wounds.

Minato had been allowed a temporary absence from his holding cell at Naruto's request. At the current moment he looked extremely uncomfortable.

Naruto wanted to talk to him, wanted to ask him so many questions. Why didn't Kakashi get drafted over to their side? Why didn't Menma? What had they told Minato? How much was his choice, and how much was his twisted sense of duty to the village? How much of him believed in his own family?

Yet, he didn't. Naruto kept his mouth closed and looked away.

Madara arrived, led by Haruto who seemed not to know where to look. Naruto still hadn't gotten a moment to talk to the man.

Hiruzen, and his three students were the last to arrive. Naruto hadn't bothered with Danzou. The man had never appealed to him and he hardly felt the man needed a personal explanation.

"So, I'm sure you all have plenty of questions, and really there's no easy way to do this so I'm just going to start. Please try to keep the questions to yourself and if you still have any by the time we're done here, feel free to hit me with them." Naruto began, "What I'm about to tell you is the greatest secret ever kept by the founders of our village."

Naruto focused his chakra and directed it towards the seal matrix in the ground, allowing him to restructure the room. The benches that had once served the purpose allowing people to watch the trial shifted and sank away, leaving the room without obstacles around the walls.

"This place, used to be a private training room." Naruto started, waving a hand over the expanse of the room. "Create new seals, new jutsu, practice blacksmithing, that kind of thing." He walked over to one of the walls, relieved when everyone following him without him having to tell them to do so. "It was also a place to relax, wind down from the pressures of being someone important." Naruto gently ran the tips of his fingers over the wall's surface. The once blank wall rippled before a painted image settling into place.

"It's crude, nowhere near a professional level, but I wanted a way to tell my story. Even if no one was meant to hear it." Naruto smiled sadly as he looked at the image of a village that had appeared on the wall. Those looking wouldn't immediately recognise the resemblance the image had to their home. "The history books talk about the Shodai having come from a faraway village, where his parents died when he was very young. The Uzumaki had been astute enough to guess that perhaps, the Shodai had lost his parents a lot younger than what he was willing to admit that he had. They never pressed him about it though."

Naruto gestured to the wall, finally looking at those around him, seeing the confusion on their faces only grow when he announced, "What no one ever knew was that the Shodai was from a village called Konohagakure no Sato."

Did Konoha's name come from the Shodai's original village? Did the place of his birth inspire their village?

It was only in the next moment that Sakura gasped, hands moving to her mouth as she noticed one important detail in the wall painting. Sasuke took greater care in observing it as well, noticing that the painting had a monument depicting five stone faces.

Four of the five faces were very familiar, even if they were in the wrong order.

"The Shodai's village was destroyed," Naruto said, tone dipping as his chakra pulsed with a weighty grief. He touched the wall again, and the image changed, showing the village as nothing but a ring of rubble around a crater in its centre. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back track to a little before that." Naruto moved to the next wall.

When the image rippled into appearance the shock in the room became so heavy it was almost physical. "The Shodai's parents were two powerful shinobi, who loved each other deeply. Uzumaki Kushina, who came from a village that no longer existed, and Namikaze Minato, a man highly praised for his genius." The image showed Naruto's parents, facing each other, looking happier than Menma had ever seen them. There was a red thread running through the image, almost connecting them in a way. "It was a time of war, for most of their lives, and Minato garnered many enemies due to his skill on the battlefield. However it was that same skill that allowed him to become the Yondaime Hokage at a very young age, following the end of the Third Great Shinobi War." This time the image changed to show the young blonde wearing the white and red haori, with the Hokage hat. "Their happiness would not last long."

"The Shodai's parents loved their village. Loved it enough to die for it. It was that great love that meant on the day of the Shodai's birth, he lost both his parents to the village. But the Shodai didn't know this for a very long time. See, his father's great skill and plentiful enemies meant that the orphaned baby was given his mother's name, Uzumaki, in order to survive without fear of retaliation from those enemies. This decision was made by the Sandaime Hokage." This time Naruto touched the third wall, revealing the aged Sarutobi as a peaceful grandfatherly figure. "When the Yondaime lost his life to protect the village, the Sandaime resumed his duties as the acting Hokage and took it upon himself to raise the orphaned Uzumaki child."

Naruto paused for a moment, not wanting to meeting any gazes, not wanting to encourage any questions just yet. He squared his shoulders and carried on, moving back to the second wall. "See what no one at the time knew, was why and how the Shodai's parents had died. Uzumaki Kushina was special, she had the Uzumaki bloodline, making her a viable candidate for a very important task. She had a beast sealed within her, where her bloodline suppressed the chakra of the beast. Without going into too much detail about the beast itself, I will just say that it's one of the beasts Hiruzen was so eager to get his hands on." The image changed to show Kushina with Kurama's silhouette in the background. "The term used to describe such a person was called a Jinchuriki, a human sacrifice. There were at any given time, nine Jinchuriki in the Elemental Nations. All the hidden villages had them." If time travel hadn't crossed their minds by now, then Naruto was sorely underestimating his crowd.

"My mother had taken over from Uzumaki Mito, who had been the first Jinchuriki of the tailed beast. However, the seal that kept the tailed beast sealed within her would weaken during childbirth. My father had been fairly adept at basic sealing and had been present during the birth in order to keep the seal from breaking. It was a highly classified secret, my existence, and the status of the weakening seal. The whole thing was done cautiously just in case the worse came to worse. It worked, the birth went smoothly and I was born into this world, happy, healthy and above all, loved." Naruto had slipped and used direct possession pronouns. He didn't care at this point. This part of the story was important.

The image had changed to show his father smiling as Kushina embraced a tiny baby Naruto.

"However, there was a man who knew about the secret, a man who should not have known." Naruto's tone and face darkened. "He used baby Naruto as a hostage, took Kushina and Minato saved his son, and still weak from labour the man broke the Jinchuriki seal." The image changed to show the rampaging nine tails.

"What was then known as the Kyuubi ran amok, destroying all in its path. Years of anger and hatred had built up within the beasts and it relished the chance of freedom, the chance to inflict its suffering upon the people who had caused it. This part was easy for the villages of Konoha to understand, it was easy for them to remember. This was a night many people lost loved ones. It was a night many people feared, harbouring a special hatred and rage for just this event."

The image changed to show a masked man. "The person who had released the Kyuubi also had a very important ability, the ability to control it." A single hole in the mask flared a brilliant red, three sipping toemoe completing the look to make it unmistakeably an Uchiha. Here Naruto looked to Madara. "I never told you this part, Madara." He let out a shuddery breath. "The man fought my father, and lost, retreating to continue his plans another day. This man, had another important ability, to become intangible. That part is important because he wanted the world to believe he was Uchiha Madara, when he really wasn't." Naruto could see the recognition on some faces that the masked man had been Uchiha Obito. "He wanted the world to believe he was Madara because that part was easy to convince. You see, Uchiha Madara was a traitor to the village, and even his own clan. Even if this was a good forty, maybe fifty years after Madara's time and Madara was believed to be dead, killed Senju Hashirama many years earlier."

"But that part of the story isn't important." The image changed to show the sealing of the Kyuubi. "The Kyuubi had been sealed away because of its destructive power, more to keep it out of the hands of the enemy than any real desire to use that power for the sake of the village." Naruto paused, studying the image of his parents, a claw pierced through their chests as they strove to protect their new born son. "See when the beast a Jinchuriki holds is extracted, they die. The fact that Kushina hadn't died immediately spoke only of her skill and vitality. She was really amazing. She might have even lived if the beast had been sealed back into her in time. But my father knew the masked man would be back, he knew that the man had some pretty big plans that needed to be stopped. Up till that point, no one had managed to control the power of the Kyuubi, merely contain it. So my father used a really powerful seal, one that came with a heavy price, and cut the Kyuubi's chakra in half, a yin and yang half, sealing only half of the Kyuuib's power into his son so that he would have a chance to beat the masked man . . . to stop him. In exchange, it cost him his life, and my mother died soon after."

Naruto touched the image of his parents one last time, moving to the one of the Sandaime. "No one knew about the masked man. They'd died before they'd had a chance to tell anyone about it. There were suspicions, there were speculations, but as much as the general population knew and was permitted to know, was that the Kyuubi had been a natural disaster, and the little blond baby with whisker marks on his cheeks had arrived the same time as the beast had disappeared. See, with Minato's enemies being a concern, and Kushina's weakened seal being a concern, the information about their son was kept very hush hush. No one knew who he was, where he'd come from, only that he existed after the Kyuubi. A few angry shinobi who'd known that the Kyuubi had been sealed into the baby let the secret out. All the hatred and fear of that night was compounded and directed towards the object they believed was the cause of it all, the tiny, helpless baby that didn't understand any of it."

Naruto looked towards Hiruzen, "The Sandaime did his best to help where he could but once information is known, you can't take it back. The best he could do was forbid anyone from openly talking about it in the hopes that the younger generation would forget the sadness of that night and move past it. It didn't work. The parents of those children simply told their children lies, telling them not to talk to or be near the boy." Naruto moved to the next wall, an image of a lonely crying Naruto appearing. "So you see, the son of the Yondaime Hokage grew up lonely, hated, and very much confused as to what he'd done to deserve such treatment. He acted out, demanding attention from the adults who tried very hard to ignore his presence. Silly things from painting their shop windows to just generally being loud and obnoxious. Anything to make them acknowledge that he existed." The image changed to show the eyes of the villagers that had haunted him for years. "Eventually the little Uzumaki was enrolled into the Academy where the teachers in the Academy hated him, and the children in the Academy ignored him. He didn't do well, not knowing that he would never have the chakra to pass the simple Bunshin exam to became a genin and with no one willing to explain the concept of too much chakra to him. Still, he was desperate to be acknowledged, his limited world of experience teaching him that only important people got acknowledged and he therefore decided that being Hokage would fix all his problems, making it his ultimate dream."

The next image was one of Naruto's sickly shadow clones. He didn't bother to mention the Sexy no jutsu, or the outrages prices he was charged when it came to buying his food. The image changed to his meeting of his Academy Sensei.

"Eventually, the sad little Uzumaki boy was given his last chance to become a genin, and he was placed in Umino Iruka's class. The man didn't want to teach the little Uzumaki boy at first, having lost his parents on the night of the Kyuubi attack. He understood that the boy in front of him was not the beast that had killed his family, but the boy was everything that represented that night. It was rough at first, with Iruka almost giving up."

The image changed to Iruka and Naruto sitting at Ichiraku Ramen, having their first bowl together, with Naruto looking deliriously happy. "But, in spite of their rough start, the two managed to become as close as brothers, Iruka developing a deep bond with the little Uzumaki."

"Slowly, the little Uzumaki managed to make some friends, well not immediately friends, more like troublemakers in arms." An image of a young Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, and Akamichi Chouji showing on the wall.

"Now the important part of the Kyuubi Incident, as it had later come to be known, was that the man who'd started it all was an Uchiha. Even if no one knew this for certain, they could speculate on it and suspect it. After all, Uchiha Madara had been the man to use the Kyuubi against Senju Hashirama. This wasn't something the little Uzumaki was involved in directly, but it was something that directly affected someone very close to the little Uzumaki." Again Naruto looked to Madara. "I never told you this part either."

A new wall image was revealed, showing a young Uchiha Sasuke, happy but aloof as several academy students were shown behind him seeming to cheer him on.

"Little Uzumaki was terrible at school subjects, desperate for attention more than he was paying attention to his studies that no one would bother to help him with anyway. But little Uchiha Sasuke was different. He was the top of their year, loved by all, and most importantly, adored by a loving family. Everything the little Uzumaki wanted." The image rippled to show Sasuke besting Naruto at their taijutsu match.

"However, that all changed for the little Uchiha. In the upper levels of the village, a suspicion had started to take root, forming a chasm that had perhaps been started back when Senju Tobirama had first taken the Hokage position. Without getting into too many specifics, in the space of a single night, the entire Uchiha clan was massacred . . . all of them, except for little Uchiha Sasuke." A new image revealed Uchiha Itachi.

"No one knows what really happened on that night, maybe they never would have found out. All that was clear was that Uchiha Sasuke was now every bit of an orphan that the Uzumaki boy was, except with a burning rage to kill his own brother."

"Life in the Academy went on and when it came time to graduate into full-fledged genin, the little Uzumaki boy failed his exam." An image of Mizuki appeared. "The little Uzumaki was devastated. A trusted adult told him that he could still pass, if he took the Forbidden Scroll in the Hokage's office and learned a jutsu from it. Which is exactly was he did, not knowing that the words had all been lies. From the scroll he learned the Kage Bunshin jutsu, something he had a particular knack for since he had more than his fair share of chakra. It was also on this night that he finally learned the truth of his hated existence. He was a Jinchuriki and there was a furious beast sealed within him." The image of Mizuki changed to show his more sinister side, and Iruka's protection of Naruto. "On that night Iruka saved the little Uzumaki's life and the boy saved Iruka's. It was also how he earned his headband, displaying an ability to adequately use a clone jutsu."

An image of their team announcements came next.

"Team placements put Uchiha Sasuke and the little Uzumaki in a position where they couldn't ignore each other anymore." Naruto looked towards Arashi, "This team placement, by the way, only exists because the Uzumaki clan had been decimated long before the little Uzumaki had been alive, so much so that he didn't even know what his clan name meant, how much prestige it should have held. He was one of very few Uzumaki, scattered around the Elemental Nations."

An image of Kakashi appeared, holding up two bells with his infamous eye smile. The difference in this image compared to the man standing in the room was his left eye was covered. Naruto spoke of their genin exam, how teamwork had been emphasised.

An image of Konohamaru and their brotherly bond was fondly but briefly explained.

He moved on to their mission in Wave, how that mission being mislabelled had probably been what had cemented their team the most. Sasuke almost dying, the awakening of his Sharingan, the bridge, Haku, Zabuza, it was all so important to who Naruto was as a person, he had to tell it, to document it in some way.

The next story was their meeting of Gaara and his siblings. Naruto was sure to really emphasise the madness in Gaara at that point in his life. He needed the people in the room to understand that Jinchurikis were not an ideal solution.

The chunin exams were mentioned to place focus on Orochimaru and Sasuke's curse mark, as well as Naruto's meeting of Jiraiya.

The invasion was hard for some to watch as it showed the full extent of Gaara's psyche, as well as the death of the Sandaime.

Naruto's month long trip with Jiraiya to find Tsunade came next, with his learning the Rasengan and meeting Uchiha Itachi for the first time taking centre stage.

The next memory Naruto had felt important enough to share was Sasuke leaving, his promise to Sakura to bring Sasuke back, and the mission to go after the Sound Four.

The fight at the Valley of the End.

The training trip with Jiraiya.

The return to Konoha.

The mission to rescue Gaara as well as the realisation of just how big of a threat the Akatsuki were.

Gaara's resurrection.

Meeting Sai.

Meeting Yamato.

The mission to meet Sasori's spy that turned out to be Kabuto, which later turned into a Kyuubi induced rampage.

Seeing Sasuke at Orochimaru's hideout.

Asuma's death.

Learning about wind nature and creating the Rasenshuriken.

Avenging Asuma's death.

Deciding to go after Itachi as a means of getting to Sasuke as well as the Akatsuki.

Being too late as Itachi is killed by Sasuke and Sasuke evading capture by the Konoha team.

Naruto finding out about Jiraiya's death and going to train with the toads.

"And now we came full circle to the village being destroyed." Naruto stated hoarsely, having been talking for a long time." The first image of the village nothing more than a crater appearing again. "While I was training with the toads, the leader of the Akatsuki had attacked the village looking for me, well for the tailed beast inside of me. I arrived in time from my training to see my home destroyed."

An image of Pein and his bodies was shown.

Naruto carried on, showing Hinata, her desperate attempt to help him and his subsequent rampage.

He showed his father, arriving in time to save him from himself.

He showed Nagato and their conversation about peace just before the man gave his life to bring those Naruto loved back to life.

The rebuilding efforts, and Tsunade's incapacitated state.

Then came the announcement that Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki and Danzou decision to label Sasuke a missing-nin.

Naruto's fight with Danzou, and his discovery of the wooden cylinder.

He carried on, showing his arrival in the past, his meeting of the young Madara and Hashirama. He detailed how they'd bonded, trained and dreamed of building Konoha once again.

The memories were incomplete as Naruto had been interrupted. He stopped when he got to the part where he discovered he had the Uzumaki bloodline.

"So anyway. I think it's safe to assume that you know the rest." Naruto drank some water as he looked to the ground. He waited a moment before looking up and stating, "So the greatest secret ever kept was that Uzumaki Naruto was a time travelling ninja from the future and here I stand as the boy in those images who experienced every hardship because of a tailed beast no one understood, as the man who help build this village, and as the boy who was raised as Namikaze Naruto. And if it's alright with you all, not that you get a choice, I'm going to go have a nap while you guys let that all sink in."

Naruto shunshinned out of the room, trusting those that needed to be back in lock up to get back to lock up. He reappeared back in his room, exhausted and eager to put his head on his pillow.

.0.0.0.

Kushina approached Minato's cell quietly, not sure if she even wanted to be there in the first place.

The world Naruto's memories had shown her were something of a delightful dream as far as she was concerned. The images of her and Minato had looked so happy.

Was there a chance that they'd be able to have that in this world?

Minato being in the cell was nothing more than a formality. The man really could break out if he wanted to. Nothing had been added or changed to take away that ability.

She pressed her hands to the bars, Minato looking up from the book he'd been given permission to read. His expression was soft, more carefree than Kushina could ever remember seeing it.

"It's been so quiet, so peaceful in here, I almost don't want to leave," Minato said with a grin. "I can't remember the last time I'd had the time to read a book."

He put the book down and stood, approaching the bars where Kushina waited. "I've been thinking about those memories too. Wondering if maybe, that could be us."

Minato seemed like he needed to say what was on his mind, relieved to even be given the opportunity to say the words at all. Kushina hadn't visited him since the war on the grass plains, not being able to face up to the question of just what exactly were they to each other.

"Can that be us?" Kushina pressed, "Because when I needed you on that battlefield you chose them."

"I chose them because I thought he'd murdered my son."

A swelling silence took over, Kushina feeling her chest grow heavy, each breath coming more painfully than the last.

"I want us to be together for us, not for the agendas of those around us." She whispered, feeling her eyes prickle.

Minato gently placed his hands over hers, pressing close to the bars. "I would very much like to be a family, one uninfluenced by village and clan politics. Spend time with our sons, get to know who they are now. It's not too late for that. My love for you had never been forced by my sensei. Strongly encouraged yes, but never forced."

The question in his eyes was clear. Did Mito force her?

"Mito was also rather insistent on you, the flaky looking nerd on Jiraiya-sama's team, but I grew to love you all on my own." Kushina assured with a soft smile. "I think maybe, somewhere in all of what happened, I forgot that part."

Minato suddenly disappeared from the cell, reappearing next to Kushina where he pulled her into a rough hug and kissed her as sirens blared around them.

Naruto suddenly appeared looking exasperated, and also looking as though he'd just woken up, otter hat munching his head and everything.

"Can't you two just do that inside the cell?" he grumbled before touching their shoulders and sending them inside the cell so the alarm would stop.

They laughed as Naruto disappeared again. Perhaps there was a chance for them as a family after all.

.0.0.0.

Naruto, now dressed and decent, appeared in front of Sarutobi's cell. He stood for a moment, silent, while watching the old man that reminded him more of the Sandaime Naruto had grown up around than the man he'd been a few days ago. There would be no easy way out for Hiruzen, but there was at least hope for redemption.

"I'm going to take you to a room with your students in it. I want to try to understand your reasoning a bit more, since I forced my reasoning on you by showing you my life."

Hiruzen had been seated by the window, enjoying the small view this afforded him.

He stood slowly, finally looking his age as he approached the bars that had opened upon Naruto's approach.

"I'm not sure what I can tell you at this point." Hiruzen mused.

"Why you fought so hard for your beliefs, what it was that converted your students so thoroughly." Naruto replied, placing a hand on Hiruzen's shoulder before taking them to a room where Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya were already waiting.

"I know there have been hardships, but I don't believe the other villages hating Konoha would have been enough to convert all your followers." Naruto began, seating himself at the small table set up in the middle of the room.

"What purpose does our being here serve?" Orochimaru interrupted, asking his question politely, yet firmly.

"Nothing." Naruto replied simply. "You're here for my own curiosity. At any rate, your fate has already been decided. This won't change the outcome."

Naruto kept his gaze on Orochimaru, his features neutral. "I can already guess that you joined because your teammates did. You don't really have any personal claim in the matter." Naruto continued. "Your parents are still alive, and you don't have an unhealthy obsession with science, as you did in my past."

"No, I don't have a personal stake in the matter, but Tsunade-chan is my teammate and we stick together. Not to mention, Nawaki-kun was my student." Orochimaru offered with a cold smile.

"Nawaki went on a mission that didn't end well for him." Hiruzen offered. "You see, he was only a genin when the mission I sent the team on went horribly wrong. The mission was mislabelled due to falsely provided information and as a result they were wholly unprepared for what came next."

PAST

"Sensei, the map says we should be arriving soon."

Orochimaru looked behind him with a smile. He knew the way. Of course he did, but the skill was important for the boy to learn.

He was a promising child, enough so to be promoted early and then entrusted into Orochimaru's care as a personal student. This mission was a nice one, easy enough. They were meant to retrieve a merchant's scroll that he'd left behind at an inn. Hiruzen had agreed that the mission would be simple enough for the two of them, something to get Nawaki out of the village.

It was a nice inn too, with renowned hot springs that Orochimaru was looking forward to.

"And how much further does the map say we should go?"

Nawaki concentrated with a hmmm, "If we keep going at the pace we're currently using, then maybe an hour or so."

Orochimaru smiled. Indeed it was only an hour or so. Tsunade would have been proud. The boy was eager to please her, having idolised her for many years. It was only the close relationship he had with the older Senju that put him into close contact with the boy, enough so to see his overwhelming potential and then recommend his early graduation.

He'd been Orochimaru's pupil for little more than two years at present and so far he'd progressed marvellously.

When they arrived Nawaki excitedly and distractedly looked around the entrance while Orochimaru checked them into the room their client had been staying in. He'd leave the boy for now, after all, he was allowed to have some fun.

"What do you say we go to the hot spring in a bit? The scroll should be quick enough to find?" Orochimaru asked and Nawaki beamed brightly at the suggestion.

The client had hidden the scroll under a loose floorboard, having heard rumours of being followed by bandits for the very item. Orochimaru couldn't image what would be so valuable on a merchant's scroll that bandits thought fit to steal but he wasn't there to question the client.

Sure enough the scroll as where the merchant said he'd hidden it and Orochimaru tucked it away into his supply bag.

Nawaki had been chattering non-stop since they arrived, taking in the splendour of the inn. It was typically a lot fancier than any of the places they usually stayed in, having only been permitted the short stay for the mission.

"Oh wow Sensei, did you see the vase, and that rug? It was so pretty. Kaa-chan would kill to have a rug that pretty. I wonder how many missions I'd have to do to save up for one. Hey do you think Tsunade-niichan would like this place? Maybe I can bring her here as a surprise one year. It's not too far from the village. What about Jiraiya-san? He'd probably scare all the ladies away. . ."

The boy was so excited that he didn't even notice the other Shinobi at the dining hall. The other ninja didn't pay them any mind, so Orochimaru didn't let it immediately worry him. They may have been jonin that where trying out the famous hot springs while in the area themselves. He tried not to profile them as enemy just yet.

"The food is amazing Sensei! Did you try the noodles, I think they're freshly made? And the flavour is just awesome. We should really get Yondaime-sama a thank-you gift for letting us come here rather than ordering us to just sneak in and get the scroll that way. And did you see the dessert options. I haven't even heard of some of those? Do you think Yondaime-sama would protest the mission bill if I got two desserts? Do I even have space in my stomach for two desserts? . . ."

It had been a while since Nawaki had been so childlike. He was skilled at his profession and sadly that could make a young child grow up all too quickly. Orochimaru had done his best to keep the boy innocent for as long as possible, for Tsunade's sake. She fretted over the boy endlessly.

After dinner, they finally made their way to the hot springs, Orochimaru sighing at the delicious temperature of the water as well as the golden silence that washed over him. Nawaki's chattering had died off a minute or two ago. He'd raced ahead of Orochimaru and into the water so he could 'get the best spot'.

"So, Nawaki, did you get a good spot?" Orochimaru asked, eyes closed as he relaxed in the water. The steam was thick, making it hard to see where Nawaki had chosen but that didn't mean his ears wouldn't hear the boy's reply.

A reply that didn't come.

Orochimaru was instantly aware, turning his head this way and that, trying to squint through the steam as well as taking note of any ripples in the water.

"Nawaki? Answer me!" Orochimaru called, walking further into the hot spring.

He didn't see the enemy that came at him from behind until it was too late. He was grabbed from behind and dragged away from the hot spring. "Don't worry about your little brat. He'll be well taken care of." A voice snarled in his ear.

Orochimaru jerked his body, trying to dislodge the hold but they kept their grip. He growled and forced an arm towards the needles in his hair that had been used to keep it tied up. The needles also served a much more sinister purpose.

He stabbed the enemy in the eye, not deep enough to kill the man but enough to make him let go.

Orochimaru spun around, holding the two needles like weapons. "Where is my student!?"

"You're too late. By now that little Leaf brat is long gone." The man spat at him, clutching at his eye.

Orochimaru recognised him as one of the shinobi from the dining hall. He hadn't seen a village marking but it didn't matter.

"Why? Why did you take him?"

"Because, he's Leaf." The word was said as though it was a poison in his mouth. "And we had a conflict of interest in our missions. Thanks for the scroll, Leaf scum."

Orochimaru charged the needles with chakra before flicking the needles at the enemy. He dashed away, not caring to even end the man's suffering, assured in his knowledge that he wouldn't be pursued.

The room had been ransacked, his equipment bag still intact, the scroll still in place. Why? If they'd wanted the scroll, and sacked the room for it, why was it still there? Orochimaru threw on his gear, leaving the scroll as a problem for later. He could still track Nawaki's chakra if he hurried.

. . .

He found the boy, not too far from the inn, still naked from the bath, shivering from the cold and in a pool of his own blood. His hands and feet were tied, with several bruises forming on his body, the blood appearing to come from a stab wound in his leg.

A cut tendon so he couldn't run even if he wanted to. Arrogant bastards had only cut one.

There were three enemy ninja with him, digging through a bag they'd taken from their room. There were several items Orochimaru recognised as belonging to him or Nawaki, their enemy having seen fit to take those items as well, for whatever reason.

A little medical kit was laughed at before being thrown towards Nawaki with a teasing jap that the boy looked like he needed it.

Orochimaru had seen enough. He leapt towards the enemies, dragging them away from Nawaki so the boy didn't have to see the brutality he was about to inflict on the men.

He killed them without mercy, without consciousness for their suffering, hurrying back to Nawaki only to see him in a half seated position, the small medkit pried open and Nawaki shoving a familiar pill into his mouth.

Orochimaru forced his fingers into Nawaki's mouth just as he was about to bit down on the poisoned tablet, feeling the teeth break the skin of his appendages and wincing. Nawaki screamed around the fingers in his mouth, not having realised who had stopped him, and tried to shove Orochimaru away.

"Stop, Nawaki, stop it." Orochimaru dug the pill from his mouth and threw it away, pulling the boy close to his chest as the boy wailed into his vest, finally realising he was safe.

. . .

Many leagues away from the inn, Orochimaru tended to Nawaki's injuries. He'd left the boy only once to get the remainder of their things from the inn, including Nawaki's clothes, as well as to summon a hawk and send it to Konoha with an update on their mission.

Nawaki'd dislocated his thumb in order to escape the bindings on his wrists, his severed tendon the biggest concern Orochimaru had, as well as a few choice bruises that may indicate more serious injuries.

Satisfied with the work for now, Orochimaru turned away from Nawaki, leaving the cave to find some fresh water for the trip back. He'd seen a stream on his way to the cave, and didn't expect to be long.

Nawaki hadn't said a word the entire time, Orochimaru not daring to ask for fear of what the boy would say.

As he exited, Nawaki finally broke his silence. "Ne, Sensei, at least we still have the mission scroll."

He turned to answer the boy, a smile of relief on his face, seeing Nawaki holding the scroll. "What was so important in this scroll that those guys wanted it anyway?"

Orochimaru sensed the exact moment the trap triggered.

He took a step forward just as the shock wave of a massive explosion slammed into his chest and he was flung backwards.

. . .

Present

"When Orochimaru regained consciousness, he was in the Konoha hospital." Hiruzen said, fingers knotted together as his tone softened. "Nawaki survived the explosion, barely, and at 12 years old he was told his career as a Shinobi was over, his dreams of following in his grandfather's footsteps and becoming the Hokage gone as well."

"Tsunade was the one to get there first after receiving Orochimaru's message, throwing pieces of rubble haphazardly in her haste to get to her brother. When she found him, it damn near killed her." Jiraiya added. "The sight of someone you hold so dear, looking like that, well it changes a person."

"It wasn't long after that, that we were approached by the creature, Zetsu." Hiruzen concluded. "What he offered, seemed the best option, after too many of our Shinobi met fates such as Nawaki's. Some worse, some not as harrowing yet no less terrible."

Naruto was silent, noticing that Tsunade hadn't said a word, but not requiring that she do so. "I hear that you are married, Tsu-chan." Naruto stated softly, with a genuine smile at the idea. "You fate, after the events of recent times, is to be sent to the Konoha Orphanage. You will tend to the children there, while running a medic-nin training clinic. Your days as an active shinobi have been ended."

She stared at him with a wide, open mouthed shock. Naruto didn't give her time to reply, looking instead to Orochimaru. "Your fate, will be to join the Research and Development Department. I'm sure you'll have a special knack for it. You will also, no longer be an active shinobi."

"Jiraiya, your fate will be to take on a genin team. Train them, pass on your wisdom, and nurture them to be better." Naruto paused, taking a moment to look at the table before addressing Hiruzen, "And finally your fate will be to have all your active duties taken from you. Your son will take over as the clan head, your contacts will be cut off from you so that you cannot influence outside events, while you remain in your clan compound for the rest of your days, and your job will be to train Konohamaru into an exemplary shinobi of Konoha. All of these fates were decided with great care. We do not wish our enemies to see a divided Konoha, we do not wish to let the enemy think we have weakness in our ranks, easily influenced members among our strongest. We also chose these fates to give you the opportunity to redeem yourselves, to fix your mistakes, to grow a generation of people who know better."

Naruto stood then, moving to the doorway and leaving without another word, not bothering to close the door on his way out.

.0.0.0.

"So you don't think a sudden change in Hokage shows signs of problems in paradise?" Madara questioned drily as Naruto hummed a silly tune, sitting atop his own head.

"Nah, I'm here." Naruto grinned. "They can't see it as problems when the Shodai never retired."

"And you plan to resume your position?"

Naruto frowned. "I have to. What kind of example would I be setting if I didn't?" he grinned once more, "Besides my parents have decided to focus on their relationship. Should have seen Arashi's face when they announced he was going to be the next clan head instead of Kushina. Lucky for him I'll be doing his training."

"You? Training people? It's laughable."

"Oh come off it. You'd benefit from training a new clan head yourself." Naruto pouted, sending the laughing Uchiha a glare. "But not Itachi. I want that one for the next Hokage position."

"Oh? Why Itachi?" Madara sat down next to Naruto, his interest piqued.

"Because he doesn't see the world as we do. He doesn't see the world as our enemies do. I think the new perspective will be good for the village." Naruto said, eyes distant as he surveyed the village below them.

"What gave you that impression, in all the time that you spent with him?" Madara was curious. "Itachi hadn't acted much throughout this whole ordeal, simply following orders. Not exactly Hokage material."

"Oh no. He's perfect. He never acted because he saw above the matter. Menma was too close to it because it was his family. Everyone else was too close to either side of the war," Naruto said, "And he kept a very level head no matter what happened. I feel like that says a lot more than passionate, burning, Will of Fires. After all, Hiruzen believed he was doing what was best for the village. Not to mention, Itachi's abilities will allow him to see through the attempts of Zetsu. It's safe to assume that the creature can live fairly long. We can't assume he'll be hiding forever."

"He'll have Menma at his side, of that I can assure you. The two are peas in a pod." Madara said.

"Oh Menma's been having an identity crisis since finding out he didn't exist in my past. I give it another two days before he snaps out of it." Naruto chuckled. "The blow to his ego might be good for him."

"He is a rather odd man, isn't he? Worse than Tobirama." Madara answered.

"Ah well. At least Tobirama grew out of it. Perhaps Menma will too."

The two were silent for a moment, enjoying each other's company.

"Well then, Madara, it appears we managed to accomplish our dream." Naruto whispered.

"Yes."

"It's beautiful."

"Yes."

"We need to work on your seals, so we can ensure it stays that way."

"No."

"No?"

"No. I've lived long enough. My time is done here, Naruto. I've done what I needed to do."

Naruto didn't know how to respond. Madara was perhaps the only person who understood him in this world. Truly knew who he was.

"Don't fret, you'll be plenty busy in that Hokage positon. I've seen your father running around like a lost child some days. You won't even have time to miss me." Madara joked.

Naruto tried to smile, tried to let the mood stay light. "Sure. Konoha sure had grown bigger than we thought it would."

"And you still have Sasuke-kun. The brat tells me you promised to train him."

"Sasuke. . ." Naruto sighed. A boy that in this world represented everything he'd never had, everything he could have had with his own Sasuke.

"You'll be okay." Madara squeezed his shoulder. "Good bye, old friend." Madara stood, dusting himself off before walking away.

"Good bye, Madara." Naruto whispered, sensing the flow of chakra to Madara's seal stop, watching as the Uchiha disintegrated. "I guess you're not giving me a choice."

"Oh stop whining, I'm still here. Always will be." Kurama grumbled in his mind. "Now let's go get some ramen. I know you want some. It's been nagging you all day."

Naruto stood with a grin. "Sure. I finally found Ichirakus."

"Besides, you can't be all mopey when you meet with the other Kage a few days from now." Kurama continued.

"Yeah. That's true. I wonder how they'll take the news about my presence."

"Doesn't matter. Just use my chakra to force them into submission."

"Maybe. But at the end of it all, we'll make sure no one destroys what we worked so hard to create."

Naruto could just feel Kurama grinning, and allowed himself to grin as well. Maybe, just maybe, things would be awesome once again.

.0.0.0.

END

Thank you for sticking around to see the end of this fic. I started this fic many years ago and it may not be the ending many were hoping for but it's an ending and with all the mental and physical challenges I've faced over the years of writing this fic, I'm proud to say I never gave up on it.