The divide.

For the first time in a while, Naruto woke up somewhat late.

Karin's head lay on his chest, still asleep. He really didn't feel like leaving the bed right now. He slowly woke Karin up.

She really wasn't a morning person, tending to babble incoherently for her first moments awake. Nevertheless, she grinned once she realized what she was laying on.

"I could get used to this." She said.

"Same here." Naruto answered. "But I should get going. I'm still supposed to be in Konoha."

"…Are you in a real rush?" Karin asked, staring into his eyes. What she was asking for was pretty obvious.

Naruto hesitated. "Aren't you supposed to be recovering…?"

She scoffed. "I'm good enought for this, in case you couldn't tell yesterday. A bit too late to join you in Konoha without raising suspicion, though."

"Definitely." He deadpanned.

"So…? Leaving so soon?" Karin asked again.

"…Yes. But I'll be back tonight."

"Good."

He grinned at her, pulling her into a kiss.

"Don't tease me, then!" She said, cheeks red. Still, her smile reached her eyes.

The Council concluded their meeting in the Tower.

Danzō stayed.

"I have stood still while Hiruzen's foolish optimism poisoned Konoha's well for decades." Danzō said. "I won't stand for this, too."

Fugaku didn't bother hiding his distaste for the man. How many times had he wished he could simply replace him with Itachi and be done with it?

Somebody that would take the actions Konoha needed from the shadows was needed, there was no doubt about it. Unfortunately, Danzō was the one most qualified to run the ROOT program, as of yet. Itachi was rising through the ranks, but if Fugaku were entirely honest, he wasn't ready yet.

There was still too much compassion in his heart. He could harden himself when needed, but he would still favor peace, which in the times they were living in might be too problematic a choice.

"Orochimaru is one of my trusted ninja." Fugaku said simply. "If he puts his trust in this young man, I shall do the same."

"He is building up power for his own ambitions. How can you trust him… either of them to be loyal?" Danzō said, squinting his good eye. "There has been nothing holding Orochimaru to Konoha for years."

"He still holds this place dear and his loyalty is not in question." Fugaku closed his eyes. "He cares for its people, too, if in a… pragmatic sort of way."

"Sarutobi has not been able to keep him in check for more than a decade. Tsunade is lost, drinking and gambling her life away. Jiraiya might be his only real link to the village, and while he is one of our greatest assets… He is almost never here."

Fugaku said nothing.

"And you think this will keep Orochimaru loyal…?" Danzō spat.

"I trust him." Fugaku glared at him. "When has he ever given us reason not to?"

"He is a loose end." Danzō shot back. "One we can ill afford. I suggest we rein him in… or get rid of him altogether."

"…Are you suggesting killing one of our strongest ninja?" Fugaku's eyes were cold. "Out of fear?"

"Fear?" Danzō stared back. "This has nothing to do with fear. Indra is an unknown, one that you let loose in our village."

"He's being watched."

"Uchiha Toru is no Shisui." Danzō spat.

"And he doesn't need to be."

They stared at each other, antipathy obvious.

"Orochimaru is a rabid dog. He will turn on us. I suspect he already is."

Fugaku sighed. Danzō would not move, this much was obvious.

"No. I consider this discussion over. You may leave."

Danzō tightened his hand around his cane.

"You must act now. I won't stand for it!" He said, voice hard.

"…You won't stand for it…?" Fugaku's eyes turned red. "Do not overstep your bounds."

Danzō glared at him. Fugaku continued.

"Your fears, your constant paranoia are not pragmatism, Danzō. They would have us surrounded by enemies in no time, make no mistake."

"And what would you know of it..?" Danzō said, quietly. "An Uchiha." He spat the word as if it were a curse, showing his true feelings on the matter.

"Corrupted by Hiruzen's foolish idea of keeping peace at any cost. Had I known how poor of a Hokage you'd be from the start, I would have opposed your nomination."

Fugaku's patience had reached its limit for today.

"There is a reason Lord Second picked Hiruzen to be Hokage, instead of you. Do not forget that." Fugaku said, tone hard.

Danzō's eye widened. For him, this was as close as he'd get to a true display of fury.

"And do not forget you had no choice in the matter of me becoming the Hokage. No matter how much you may hate me… or my clan, for that matter — as any fool would notice…"

Fugaku glared at him, before finishing.

"…You are nothing more than a man who dwells in the shadows. Hiruzen knew it as well, and whatever else he saw in you, I cannot say. Do not presume you can interfere in matters beyond that."

Danzō's face went entirely blank.

"…Get out." Fugaku sighed.

Both of them had lost their tempers, here. Danzō… was Danzō, of course. But he expected better of himself.

It was not the first time they fought, either.

Danzō shot him a last unreadable glance before leaving through the door, his cane echoing in the empty hallway.

Naruto appeared in his old basement.

As far as he knew, Konoha's sensory unit focused more on the people coming in and out of the village by passing through the barrier they had set up in a dome around it.

Hopefully, that would mean his entry hadn't been noticed, since he had teleported himself right in.

Well, if they did, he'd have to give a few explanations he wasn't really looking forward to. He summoned a few clones, expending the least amount of chakra he could.

All twenty of them disguised themselves. They would sneak out of the house over the next few hours. The Summer Festival would be starting in a few days, so they probably wouldn't be too noticeable.

His only real goal in Konoha was finding the Fourth's safehouse. For this, he'd need to cover a lot of ground. He likely had only a few days, the Hokage's invitation to stay being a temporary thing.

So there he was, walking the Leaf's streets alone, once more.

Hours later, he hadn't made any progress.

Naruto had searched for hours on end, with no real clue as to where he should go next. One by one, his clones faded out as well, until no more remained.

The sun was setting, and there was a sweet floral scent in the air. Naruto was waiting by a bridge over water, one that was mostly out of view. He heard footsteps behind him.

Naruto steeled himself. He set a short-range soundproof barrier.

"You know, old man… I was expecting you to show up a bit earlier." He said.

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke. "I had trouble believing it was you at first. But your chakra, your true chakra… Biwako and I must be the only people in the world, aside from that masked man, to have felt it... before you disappeared."

Naruto turned to face him.

"…How you've grown, Naruto." Sarutobi said, his voice thick with emotion.

"And you've gotten much older… Sarutobi."

Hiruzen sighed. "This is not going to be a heartwarming family reunion, then?"

"You got that right."

Ever since Fugaku had told him about Orochimaru's latest project, Hiruzen had felt that things were about to change.

Oh, there was a storm on the horizon already, and finely refined instincts told him that it wouldn't be long before a Fourth Great War started.

What he didn't expect was to see someone rise from the dead.

Five years.

It had been more than five years already.

He and Biwako had weathered the loss with the resigned acceptance that life-long shinobi tended to develop. Those who managed to cope, at least.

When people died, they took a lot of hopes, dreams and love with them. Despite himself, and his reservations, he had started to put his faith in Naruto, back then.

Konohamaru had been inconsolable, and Hiruzen had to focus on the living, so he had pushed his own grief aside to take care of his recently orphaned grandson.

Years had gone by in the blink of an eye.

And then, one day, Biwako had come to him, pale-faced, muttering something about having felt Naruto's chakra in Konoha.

Not Sarutobi Naruto's, which was different in feeling, and intensity… but the one he had been born with, as the son of Minato and Kushina. Touched by something otherworldly.

He had to know for sure.

But now...

Seeing him so strong and healthy brought all these feelings of loss back.

He didn't look like the boy that had been raised in the Sarutobi compound. The face was too different, the hair long and blond, too. The whiskers he had been born with were once again visible.

And the purple eyes were a change.

So was the height, — he stood at a bit more than one meter ninety — as neither Minato nor Kushina had been anywhere this tall… or broad.

The gigantic chakra presence, dwarfing his own, reminded him of his own sensei. His confidence, his garments… This was Orochimaru's handiwork.

Naruto was a young man, now. A strong one, at that. Hiruzen felt emotion well up inside him, again.

"It's good… to see you. Alive and well." Hiruzen began.

"No thanks to you." Naruto said flatly. "Your convoluted plans would have had me dead at thirteen."

Hiruzen winced.

Naruto continued. Hiruzen could see that he was seemingly calm. "Now… Is it the time where you tell me that everything you did was for my benefit… or for the benefit of the village?"

"It might not seem so…" The old man started. "But everything I did was what I thought was the best choice, at the time. In hindsight… I have been wrong about many things."

Naruto snorted. "Oh? I thought this was the shinobi way. Lie, steal, kidnap, blackmail… kill. There's only one of them that doesn't apply to what you did."

"Naruto…" He grimaced.

"And to some extent, I died for the village already." He shrugged. "Well, considering that's what I signed for when I was… what? Six years old? It was probably deserved, wasn't it? I gave my written consent, after all. Paid in blood."

"…"

"And even then, you pushed me, roped me into it, when all I wanted was to study in peace. Back when I was too blind to even realize it. But then again… that was your way of ensuring both the village and you accomplished their goals, wasn't it? A jinchūriki loyal to you… and the village, by proxy."

Hiruzen said nothing.

Naruto interrupted him. "I have one question for you. Well, several, but... I find it very hard to recall what I wanted to say in the first place."

He could understand that. Things could go haywire, no matter how prepared you were, when emotions got involved.

"What is it?" Sarutobi asked, full of dread.

"Did you ever plan on telling me? About my parents. The real ones. Not the whore… not the drunk. Not the ones I cried for at night, while you and your wife played distant grand-parents." Naruto gritted out.

Hiruzen closed his eyes.

"At some point." He admitted.

"Once you were sure I was truly loyal, then."

There was no denying that. He nodded once.

"Do you remember how the clan used to see me, before they found out I actually had some talent, some use? They felt I'd amount to nothing. Just like my 'father'."

"It's not…"

"I admired you. You used it to make me a willing servant to the village. What sort of loyalty do I owe them?" Naruto continued.

"I..."

"You're going to say you raised me, trained me." Naruto folded his arms. "It is true, and I am grateful for it. But... you gave me the bare minimum. I was a child. I craved parents, the occasional hug... Some approval, from time to time. Not just a distant matron like Biwako's idea of parenting. Not just a grandpa who mostly interacted with me to train me."

Naruto sighed, looking surprised that it had come out himself.

"Are you telling me that with all the power you had, you couldn't even find a single couple willing to take me in...?" Naruto asked. "Or was there a more sinister reason for that? Did you need me to be grateful, loyal to you specifically...?"

No answer came.

"That's what I thought. But... Never mind that. You did raise me." He admitted. "I wished things had been different, but..."

"But they weren't." Hiruzen nodded. "I wish the same thing, too. And your feelings are valid. We have failed you, in this."

They stared at each other in complete silence.

"I was never the greatest parent." Hiruzen admitted. He had been... and still was too much of a shinobi for that. "There's a reason Asuma is rarely around. Biwako and I made all of you strong, but..."

Decades of being the leader of a shinobi village had definitely not helped. The greater good of the village always trumped personal feelings.

"I was better at raising soldiers than children."

"Yes. And that's what you did with me. Everything was made to make me consider only one possibility. Becoming a shinobi. Did you want me to become a stronger weapon? Like Gaara… or any other jinchuuriki?"

Naruto breathed out, before continuing.

"It's a perfect little loop you have here. Protect your friends. Your team. The people you care about. All of them just so happen to be shinobi too."

Hiruzen said nothing. It was the truth, if put in the worst possible way. Naruto, being who he was, would have to become strong. His fate had been sealed at birth.

"Did you plan on telling me about the Nine-Tails sealed within me? Or did you plan to wait until I was eating out of your palm, as well?"

"Naruto…" Hiruzen said quietly. "I understand your feelings, but…"

Naruto had to restrain himself, keeping his voice down. "What about the fact about the fact that I would have had someone to actually take care of me… If you didn't let them all die. What about my mother's family?"

Hiruzen paled.

"…Who told you..? Orochimaru did." He sighed. "Of course he would."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I know you probably didn't do it out of pure cruelty. I think I know what you're going to tell me, even. That there was a war going on. You couldn't spare the troops, likely. Is that it?"

"I… I had heard the rumors of forces gathering." Hiruzen admitted. "I decided it wasn't enough. Uzu had defended itself for so long, it could likely manage. So when they asked for help formally... it was too late."

"And Whirlpool died because of you. I get it. But hey, at least, Konoha didn't waste any troops. Who cares about their allies of a half-century..?" Naruto shrugged. "The short-term good of the village is more important."

"There's not a day that goes by where I don't feel regret over it." Hiruzen said, quietly.

"Doesn't look like it, considering what happened to the survivors… and how nothing is taught about it in Konoha."

"That's…"

"For the good of the village, huh. As always. I expect that." Naruto nodded. "Ever the Kage."

"…If it's apologies you want, I will give them to you." Hiruzen bowed low, his head close to the ground. "I did many terrible things, over the course of my life. As a Kage, as a man. For all I did to you, the lies, the deceit, I apologize, Naruto. I am terribly sorry."

"Please get up, old man." Naruto said, looking directly in his eyes, a conflicted expression in his eyes. He didn't want to see this. "I… have forgiven you already."

"…You did?"

"I won't deny it, I'm still… angry about it." Naruto gritted out. "Scratch that. I'm furious about it, even after I had a long time to think it over."

Hiruzen waited for him to continue.

"But... You protected me, and you shielded me from some of the world's dangers. I lived to see another day. And I wasn't alone, in the end. I wouldn't be who I am today… I wouldn't have met the people I did… I wouldn't have been able to get out of here if you hadn't taken the decisions you took... no matter how much I might hate it."

Naruto bowed to him.

"And for this… I thank you."

"Naruto…" Hiruzen said quietly. He probably looked like the frail old man he actually was. But for once, he didn't feel like taking part in any sort of verbal jousting.

"I did not come here to lay blame." Naruto continued.

"…What did you come here for, then?"

Naruto thought about it.

"There's something I'm looking for." He settled for this.

"From me?"

"Answers, truth. Can you promise to answer honestly?"

He saw the old man hesitate. In the end, he let out a sigh and nodded. It was likely sentimentality.

"Yes. Ask me whatever it is you want to know."

"This is a matter of the utmost importance. More than just my own life is at stake here. It's about stopping Akatsuki, as well." Naruto said, his face tight, noticing Sarutobi's eyes narrow as well.

"The masked man with the Sharingan...?" Sarutobi asked, surprising him. "Orochimaru mentioned him. If he really is the same man... He's very likely to be the one who's responsible for your parents's death, as he released the Nine-Tails. He claimed to be Uchiha Madara, but this could well be a lie, after all."

Naruto said nothing, taking some time to think about it. He had been called Tobi, and that's how he saw him anyway. Madara or not.

"I see." He nodded. "I... I never knew my parents, so it's hard for me to think about this clearly... but this changes nothing. Unless you have something more specific to tell me about him. We will take care of him anyway. That's a promise."

Sarutobi nodded slowly. He had nothing more to tell, then.

"That's not your question, is it...?" He asked.

"No." Naruto's eyes turned hard. "Where is the Fourth's safe-house?"

He saw Sarutobi recoil. "You know about it? How?"

"It doesn't matter, right now. Will you answer?"

Sarutobi hesitated again.

"…They've been destroyed. Both of them." Seeing Naruto's face darken, he continued. "I have recovered anything we could salvage, including Minato's research and most of his scrolls."

"I see. Will you give them to me, then?"

"Are you planning on harming Konoha?"

"No. I want them to leave me alone, so that I can live my own life in peace."

"They might come after you anyway once they discover you are Minato's son." Sarutobi admitted.

"And I will tell them to fuck off, when the time comes. Respectfully." Naruto said, arms folded. "I want nothing to do with Konoha. I have given my life for the village once, already. That's more than enough."

"It might not stop them if they find out." Hiruzen warned.

"Who's going to tell them? You…?"

Sarutobi paused. He sighed. "…No. I won't tell. Fugaku knows about who you really are. He thinks you are dead, though. But he's a smart man, he might realize soon."

"That's another reason why I don't intend on staying here for long." Naruto shot back. "Now… Will you give my father's legacy?"

"…The techniques Minato was studying were dangerous ones. It's yours, but… The information within these scrolls…."

"I don't care. What will you decide? Will you give them to me or not?"

Unbeknownst to them, there was a man listening in on them, his chakra entirely hidden, as they concluded their conversation.

Sound didn't carry outside of their bubble, of course… But reading lips was something any spy worth its salt had mastered.

There were a few things he would need to report to his true master.

And he would have to feed a different version of it to the man who thought he worked for him.

XXXXXXXXXXXAuthorsnote.XXXXXXXXXXXX

Thanks to :

AkiraAkatsuki

and

Russianfox , for the support it is greatly appreciated.