10 Chapter 10: The Dark Truth

"Seven years ago, I started "Operation Black storm", and this is where it all began..." said Minato slowly.

All the people in the room were quite curious as to what this operation was, even the Anbu commander didn't know anything about this, nor did Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Mikoto, or any of the others.

"What is this operation?" asked Danzo intriguingly.

"Danzo, you remember the losses our village suffered, in the third great ninja war?" asked Minato calmly.

"Yes, our casualties were very high. If not for the Sannin, or you, Konoha would have lost the war," said Danzo analytically.

"But, we did recover from that war, didn't we?" asked Homura curiously.

"Yes, we did, now our forces are strong, even though we don't have our Jinchuriki, we still have Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Tsunade, Minato-sama, Mikoto-sama, Kagami, Kakashi, Shisui, the entire Anbu force, and all our forces. We are strong," said Koharu firmly.

"That may be true, Koharu-san, but right now we are surrounded from all sides. Our forces will be stretched thin all across the fire country, our enemy has a very large force in comparison to us, and not to mention they have 5 Jinchuriki as well. We are not strong," said Shikaku harshly.

Everyone understood the entire situation, even though they had motivated their people, they still had to face reality. They had very little hope of winning the war.

"That is why, I launched this black ops operation," stated Minato calmly.

"What do you mean?" asked Mikoto curiously, she didn't know what secrets her husband had been hiding till now.

"After seeing the losses we suffered, I came to the conclusion that the days where we fought head on, were finally coming to an end. I knew the other villages hate Konoha since the beginning, and if by some case they joined forces, then we would be on the brink of extinction. So as you all know I brought every reform in our military forces...," started Minato calmly.

Everyone was listening to him closely; it seemed as if their Hokage had indeed thought about a lot of things.

"But I knew it was not enough, so as soon as I became Hokage, I started creating a secret force," said Minato seriously.

Everyone was shocked when they heard that, even the Anbu commander.

"We already have so many divisions of forces, then why did you create a secret force, and why weren't we informed?" asked Hiruzen seriously.

"The enemy knows everything about our forces, and all their tactics, just as we know theirs. So I started this force, in secret, to give our village an edge on our enemies," explained Minato calmly.

"What is so special about this force? What's its name?" asked Tsunade curiously.

"It's called "Blacklight", and they are the first as well as the last line of defense of our village," said Minato truthfully.

Everyone's eyes widened on hearing this, the Anbu were the finest soldiers of the village, and they couldn't believe what their leader was saying.

"But Hokage-sama, Anbu forces, have protected the village with their lives," argued the Anbu commander.

"Dragon, that is indeed true, but "Blacklight" has been running operations behind enemy lines, since the end of the third great ninja war. How do you think I received information about the enemy so quickly, not even Jiraiya-sensei's spy network knows about them," said Minato honestly.

"How strong are these "Blacklight" shinobi?" asked Kakashi curiously.

"Each one of them is worth 10 of our chuunin, they are the best. Even better than the Anbu, the fact that so many of them have successfully infiltrated the enemy ranks, without even Jiraiya knowing, is a proof of their efficiency. I handpicked each and every one of them," explained Minato briefly.

"Tell us about this force in more detail," said Kagami calmly, but he was hopeful that they had such an amazing force; if they could stay below Jiraiya's spy network, then they were the best.

"Blacklight is a group of elite special forces, that specializes in modern warfare, it is unlike any force you have ever seen," said Minato simply.

"Why so?" asked Shisui curiously

"It is a ground, air, as well as naval combat force. They have the most advanced weapons and armor, in short they are the ultimate cobra commandos of this village," said Minato firmly.

"What do you mean aerial, as well as naval combat force?" asked Mikoto seriously.

"They can infiltrate deep behind enemy lines, through air or by sea, in short they can fly as well as swim underwater, with the help of special equipment made for them, right now as we are speaking, Blacklight forces are destroying the primary supply line of Iwa's 1'st combat division in Taki," said Minato with a smirk.

"What!?" yelled everyone in shock.

"Hokage-sama, while I have utmost faith in you, but all of this sounds too good to be true," said Shikaku suspiciously.

"The fact that one Blacklight commando is present in this room, and none of you can feel his presence, proves my point," said Minato victoriously.

As soon as Minato said that, a figure rose from the wooden floor. Everyone's eyes widened, as they realized that none of them even knew, that there was a person in the room.

All of the people were Kage-level, or Jounin level ninja, who had been through wars.

The person was wearing black Anbu pants, he had a black flak jacket on his chest, his hands were hidden by his black gloves, and he was wearing black combat boots.

But everyone's eyes widened when they saw the "Baku" mask on his face.

There was only one person that had ever wore that mask, the most trusted Anbu of the Second Hokage, and the previous Anbu commander of Konoha.

But he was supposed to be dead!

"Baku?" asked Hiruzen in shock; the man had been his second in command, and had died in the third great ninja war.

"At your service, Hiruzen-sama," said the man firmly and gave a bow.

Baku was a legend in Konoha, he had been through 3 wars, was the most trusted man of the Second and the Third Hokage, the previous Anbu commander of Konoha, as well as the best Infiltration and Recon Special Ops soldier.

Even though the man was in his 60's, everyone could feel his power.

"Baku-taichou, how are you alive?" asked the Anbu commander curiously.

"Baku, you died in the previous war, what is going on here?" asked Danzo firmly.

Minato stepped forward and now stood beside Baku.

"It was true he died in battle, but in reality, the enemy had fooled us, and had captured him alive. He was in captivity for a few months, before I rescued him myself from the prison camp," explained Minato briefly.

"Is this true?" asked Jiraiya cautiously, after so many revelations he didn't know what was true.

"Yes, Hokage-sama rescued me. The enemy tortured me for days to get information until he saved me. When I was in the enemy camps, I realized that even though they had lost, they would not stop, and another war was imminent. After I was rescued by Minato-sama, I told him all about the enemy's intentions," explained Baku briefly.

"So, both of you then formed the "Blacklight" Special Forces, and if your past experience and record are taken into consideration, you must be the commander of Blacklight," said Shikaku sharply.

"Smart as always, Nara Shikaku," said Baku firmly.

"I'll let Baku-san explain the details, he can answer all your questions," said Minato strictly, Baku nodded.

"We want you to explain everything about your force, Baku-san," said Danzo curtly.

"After I returned to the village, I started to recruit exceptional shinobi from all over the Fire Country, as well as the entire world. Men, women, teenagers, and some kids, each and every soldier was unique. They were strong, smart, and some of them possessed Kekkei Genkai too. When I was in Kumo's prison camp, I heard rumors about development of some advanced weapons, so I knew the next war would be very different," explained Baku briefly.

"While Baku was gathering men, I recruited a team of scientists. They developed different types of advanced weapons and machinery for Blacklight," said Minato seriously.

"Let us give a demonstration," said Baku firmly.

He then made a hand seal and 2 shadow clones immediately formed in the center of the room.

"What are you doing?" asked Kagami curiously.

Minato told him to wait, Baku signaled both his shadow clones, who nodded in response.

They jumped further away from Baku, and took out a few shuriken.

Everyone tensed, but did well and tried to hide their anxiousness, but they were surprised when the clones launched a few shuriken towards their castor, and jumped to attack him.

But they were shocked by what Baku did.

Baku suddenly took out a unique looking weapon and fired at his clones. To everyone's shock, the weapon launched a hail of kunai, and before they could blink, the clones were destroyed along with the shuriken they fired.

Baku stood there calmly holding his weapon, while everyone's jaw dropped to the floor in shock.

"What the hell was that?" asked Kakashi in shock, even his sharp eyes couldn't see the kunai that Baku fired at his clones.

"This is a "Kunai Launcher". It launches projectiles at the enemy 10 times faster than a shinobi. It can fire many rounds continuously within a blink of an eye, before the enemy can even realize what happened; it can take out an entire squad. It is swift, silent, and easy to use. It has a clip capacity of 50 kunai per round, and it is one of the most lethal weapons ever invented," said Minato proudly.

"Such a powerful weapon."

"Amazing."

"Hokage-sama, we need to equip all our shinobi with this weapon, it can turn the tide of the whole war," said Danzo eagerly.

"Unfortunately, this weapon is very costly. Each launcher costs us the yearly salary of a Jounin, and the materials used to build it are very rare. The only ones who have this weapon are Blacklight troopers, and even among them, only the most skilled are given this weapon," said Minato disappointedly.

All the people were very disappointed after hearing that, but they could understand it was very costly. They were already facing a huge expense, and they didn't want to add to that debt.

"Blacklight troopers are Para-commands, as well as underwater combat teams. I used my fuinjutsu skills, and created an ink bird, which carries our troops behind enemy lines. From there, they can stealthily land with the help of their special equipment, and take out the enemy. They also have various others weapons like 3D Maneuver Gear, Explosive Bombs, etc…," explained Baku briefly.

The council members were shocked that their Hokage had done such amazing research.

"Blacklight troopers are trained in hand-to-hand combat, ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and Shurikenjutsu. Each trooper has to pass the 3D maneuver course. The numbers of candidates who pass this training course are mere 5%. Those who survive the training, are then divided into Recon, Strike team, Communication team, Medical Unit, and Emergency Task force (ETF)" said Baku curtly.

"Your force is strong, but how many men do you have under your command?" asked Tsunade seriously.

"I spent the last 7 years searching for exceptional shinobi, and trained them hard, it takes 2 years to fully train a Blacklight trooper. I have 700 battle ready troopers right now, excluding deep cover agents who have gotten close to enemy higher command. My force follows one code: either annihilate the enemy or die trying, and we never surrender no matter what. With the number of troopers I have right now, I can destroy Iwa's entire army," said Baku confidently.

"With just 700 men? Are you kidding?" asked Koharu mockingly.

"Koharu-gaki, these troopers have gone through such hell, that none of you have ever seen. You do remember that I was the first Anbu Black Op of Konoha. Tobirama-sama trained me well. So I advise you keep your mouth shut," warned Baku dangerously.

Koharu immediately shut her mouth; Baku was not someone with whom you messed. The man was Koharu's superior officer, had served three Kage's, and lived through three wars. So if he said that he had such a lethal force under his command, then it was wise not to question him.

Jiraiya decided it was now time to ask a few questions to his student, why didn't Minato tell this to him?

He was his teacher, as well as the spy master of Konoha.

Minato looked at his teacher, he knew Jiraiya must be feeling betrayed as he didn't tell him.

"Sensei, I know what you are thinking, but I did this to protect our village," said Minato gently.

"You don't trust my spy network, have you lost faith in my abilities?" asked Jiraiya angrily.

"Not again," thought Tsunade tiredly.

"I never doubted your abilities or your network, but I could not place the entire burden on you. You and I both know that spying on 4 great shinobi nations, finding Kushina, as well as looking out for all internal threats to our village is not an easy job. I just divided the work, in order to keep the village safe," said Minato honestly.

Jiraiya just gave a nod, he didn't like it, but what Minato said was the truth.

However Hiruzen was a former Kage, and as such knew that to prepare such a lethal advanced force would have cost a fortune.

"Minato, where did you get the money from to prepare Blacklight, as well as for their missions? We were already using all the funds we had, as well as the Daimyo's financial aid in preparing our armies. I know the records; you wouldn't be left with any money after we spend it on our army. How did you create Blacklight?" asked Hiruzen with a frown

Minato just gritted his teeth, leave it to a former Kage to figure it out. He didn't want this truth to come out, but now everyone was looking at him.

"I struck deals with many crime lords, I'll allow them to smuggle drugs, liquor, and some other illegal stuff into Fire Country in small numbers. In return, they would pay us huge amount of money as taxes, everything was allowed except prostitution and slavery. Gato Industries was one of our primary financers. We also caught wealthy merchants who performed illegal trade; we gave them the choice to either provide money, or risk their lives and business," explained Minato shamefully.

Everyone couldn't believe what they just heard; they never expected such things from a man like Minato.

But the one who was most shocked was none other than Mikoto.

She couldn't believe her husband had did all this, now she understood why he never came home for days.

"So you ran an extortion racket in your own country?" yelled Mikoto angrily

Minato dropped his head in shame, he had done a few things in life, that he was ashamed of. This was one of them, and right now he couldn't look his wife in the eye.

No matter what reasons he had, Mikoto was a righteous person, and he knew, the trust she had in him was now broken.

"Yes," said Minato sadly.

The rest of the people didn't even dare say a word, because they knew both Minato or Mikoto would slice their heads off, if they interfered.

"How could you..? I trusted you...and you did this!" said Mikoto with tears in her eyes.

Kagami didn't know what to say, on one hand he was angry at Minato for breaking his daughter's trust, but his rational side knew his son-in-law had did, what a Hokage should have done.

But still he was a girl's father, and his daughter mattered to him more.

Shisui just remained silent; he just didn't know what to say.

"He did the right thing," said Baku firmly.

"You shut up, both of you committed grave crimes, drugs, liquor, extortion, what righteous reason do you have to justify your actions? You must have done things even more horrible than this," said Mikoto accusingly.

"We did, we had to make a choice. The lives of a few hundred against the lives of all the people in Konoha, as well as the Fire Country. Minato made his choice, he chose to do something that would forever haunt his soul," said Baku aggressively.

"The reason Minato Namikaze is entrusted with Konoha's safety is because he has the balls to do what is right. He succeeded where the Shodai, as well as the Sandaime failed. If there is someone who can bring change, it is that person who is ready to make sacrifices, someone who can throw aside their humanity to defeat the enemy. Someone who can't sacrifice something can never change anything." said Baku furiously.

"But-," said Tsunade but was cut off.

"The information that you received about Iwa's advance… do you know, how you got it?" asked Baku sternly.

"No, tell us," said Tsunade curtly

"Five of my best troopers died to get this information, their names would never be remembered, their end was not glorious. They died in the shadows, believing that their sacrifice would give hope to their people. None of you have any right to protest; Minato is doing the right thing, his son is doing the right thing, and that makes him better than all of you," said Baku sternly.

A shiver ran down Mikoto's spine, her husband was sending her child into "Blacklight".

"Minato Namikaze...," said Mikoto with barely restrained anger.

Minato's resolve had hardened a little after Baku's speech, and he now looked at his wife coldly. He didn't know if his wife would stay with him after this, but he had to do this.

"Are you sending my little boy, into this suicide force?" asked Mikoto furiously.

"He volunteered for it," said Minato emotionlessly.

Mikoto couldn't believe her husband was saying this; this was not the man she loved.

"He is a child, Minato. I will not allow this!" said Mikoto firmly.

"You have no authority, Naruto is a registered shinobi of Konoha, and as such he is an adult, he has the right to make his own choices. And he has made his choice, besides you cannot over rule the decision of the Hokage," said Baku seriously.

"Why do you need Naruto so badly?" asked Shisui worriedly.

He didn't want his nephew to get killed, and Blacklight was **ing dangerous. He knew if something happened to Naruto, Mikoto would not be able to bear it. She loved her sons to death.

"Naruto has a power which has not been seen since the Nidaime Hokage…," said Minato slowly.

"What do you mean?" asked Tsunade curiously, what had her uncle got to do with this?

"I sent a sample of Naruto's genes, and his blood sample for testing. When he unlocked his chakra I knew he had some hidden power in him. I also sent Itachi's genes and blood for testing," said Minato shocking Mikoto further.

"And?" asked Danzo curiously.

"Both of my boys have great power in them," said Minato a little proudly.

"What kind of power?" asked Kagami curiously.

"Naruto has the ability to control water; the results revealed he will be a master of Water Style. The biologist believes he will surpass Tobirama Senju very soon, also his body shows indication of a Kekkei Genkai...we are not sure what it is. Also he is smart, and has the ability to motivate people in impossible situations, he is just the kind of soldier, we need in Blacklight," said Baku proudly.

Before Mikoto could protest, Danzo cut in again.

"And your younger son?" asked Danzo curiously.

Minato gritted his teeth in anger, couldn't the man just give him a break? He was already dealing with a pissed of wife.

"He has the ability to mold fire, his chakra is strong too, but weak in comparison to his brother. Whether he has a Kekkai Genkai or not, we are not sure, but he too is exceptional like his big brother. Out of both the boys he has more chance to activate the Sharingan," said Minato silently

"I want my son out of this mess, right now!" demanded Mikoto

"The only way you can get him out is if he refuses to join Blacklight himself, there is no other way," said Minato tiredly.

"I'm going," said Mikoto firmly.

"Wait-," said Minato hurriedly.

Mikoto turned around to face him, and gave him the most murderous look, one which she gave to her enemies.

"I won't let you sacrifice my little boy, not for Konoha, and not for anyone!" said Mikoto furiously.

She then stomped out of the room, banging the door roughly.

None of the people knew what to say, until Jiraiya got a thought.

"Man, women look so sexy when they are pissed off," said Jiraiya with a chuckle.

He then took out his little notebook, and started writing something.

The entire room was flooded with KI, the air grew cold, and everyone was shocked to see a dark aura around Tsunade.

"Jiraiya-baka…," said Tsunade too sweetly.

"Oh shit!" said Jiraiya in panic.

Tsunade gave a hard punch to Jiraiya's face that sent him flying into the wall.

Everyone just sighed tiredly, it would take another hour, before Jiraiya woke up, and they could continue the meeting. While Minato and Hiruzen smacked their foreheads in frustration, both of them had the same thought in mind.

"Kami-sama, really hates us!"

(With Mikoto)

Mikoto walked through the streets of Konoha.

Everyone was quite surprised and shocked, as they realized that she was **. Small cracks were appearing on the ground she walked.

Her chakra was flaring dangerously.

No one dared to get in her way, as hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

She still couldn't believe that her husband had did all that. She was a person who always valued morals, while Minato was the opposite.

She could even forget what he did, but sending her son straight into the gates of hell!

She didn't even care if he could surpass the Nidaime, or if he had a Kekkei Genkai, even if he was the smartest person, in the world she would not allow him to go.

How dare that little blonde idiot, volunteer for this? Was he out of his fucking mind!

He sure was, otherwise who would agree to join, a black ops force that were more dangerous than Anbu, "Voluntarily".

One thought was only running through Mikoto's mind,

"Naruto Namikaze, I'm going to kill you!"

(With Naruto)

He was frustrated.

For the past two hours, he was trying to find a girl, as well as a boy, on his father's orders.

What was the girl's name?

"Mik...Damn it, I forgot again!" thought Naruto angrily.

The locals had given him the location where he could find these two persons, but the road was very confusing.

He then turned around in an alley, and to his surprise and shock, he found his target.

There she was. However, Naruto was shocked when he saw her face.

"She looks beautiful," thought Naruto with a light blush.

He then remembered the name, as well as the details the locals had given him. Everything was matching, he decided to do what he came to do.

"Hey, are you..."

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