Chapter 35

Darui read through the files Ay-sama handed him, some confirmed details and a lot of conjecture about a specific Chunin; one Uzumaki Naruto. If even half of what the elite Jounin read were true, the boy would be a monster when he fully matured. Darui had no issues admitting as much, even if a mere boy mastering all five nature releases seemed highly doubtful without the aid of a kekkei genkai. But, once again, if even half of this were true now the boy was every bit the prodigy his father had been, assuming Minato Namikaze was his father.

A potential S-class shinobi or the identity of a Jinchuuriki were always things to be on the lookout for. Darui wouldn't deny this was valuable information, if true. However, Ay-sama was going to completely overreact given the information. Where Darui saw a child with a good deal of potential, Ay-sama saw the justification to follow his greatest ambition. An ambition with real costs, and what would be the justification? Konoha prepping a superweapon with a grudge against Kumo? Even if the kid did hate Kumo, not that Darui would blame him, that wasn't Konoha's way.

Ay-sama managed to convince much of the forces it was Konoha that attempted a doublecross during the Hyuuga incident but there were enough senior ninja to know that was a lie. Those that did felt a great deal of shame. Yes, a ninja does what they can to better their village and complete their mission but kidnapping a little girl under the banner of peace went beyond dishonorable. If you have no standards you're little better than animals and Darui believed there had to be some lines you wouldn't cross just for power.

"Say what you want to say, Darui," Ay demanded and his number two frowned in response.

"There is still time to call this off, Ay-sama."

"Why would I want to?" Ay asked but didn't wait for a reply. "Before the hidden villages my clan went where they pleased, conquered people and took lands. We were never meant to be holed up on some mountain. Hashirama and Madara changed the game, both too powerful to be opposed. We had to unite with others just to keep up. Tobirama, not as powerful but more intelligent and ruthless. Truly we were never as strong as we were then. How much of the Kinkaku Force did we lose to him? And who was his replacement? Sarutobi Hiruzen, the God of Shinobi. Only to follow up with Minato-"

"Whom you respected."

"I did respect him and acknowledged his abilities. Just like my father and the others did for the other Hokage. We've had to stifle ourselves because of it, because of them. But now, there is a short window. They are lulled by peace and won't protect their next generation as they should. We can cripple them and finally be the rolling storm we were always meant to be," Ay said, reveling in a sense of destiny, his chance to finally surpass his father by making Kumo greater than it ever had been.

"And lose a lot of good people to the cause. We have more than enough now and are under no threat from anyone," Darui pointed out.

"It's not good enough. Konoha has gotten to define the modern shinobi age for too long, it's time that's stopped. Kumo will be the uncontested best and we will prove it."

Darui said nothing in response, reasoning there was no point. Ay, the Jounin thought, had a false sense of destiny. He wanted to, again, go to war with Konoha for no reason and very little reward. The total destruction of a major hidden village hadn't happened yet for a reason and Konoha hadn't lost a war yet for a reason. Darui would fulfill his duties and tried to guide those under his command to the best of his abilities but he wished Ay would reconsider

The Sandaime had mellowed as he aged, seeing the value of a strong and secure Kumo. The man didn't dream of conquest, of triumph but the periods of peace they enjoyed. Ay ignored that, focusing on who his father was as a much younger man. It wasn't for Kumo. Ay was treating Kumo as if it existed for him, not as if he existed for Kumo but the power of self-delusion had convinced him otherwise. Darui would perform his duties and protect his comrades as Kumo was more than its Kage and his childish whims.

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Onoki read over the file once more. Truly, he didn't care. It was a single boy from the most peaceful major village. He'd be more than happy to ignore his existence and if his shinobi should find out about the boy he'd order them to do the same. Iwa may hate the Yellow Flash but they had no time for a pointless grudge. It was war, the blond bastard only did what he should have. The problem, Onoki thought, was Kumo.

He knew Unruly Ay. The only leader that didn't demilitarize after the last war, one of the reasons Onoki used the Akatsuki. It wasn't easy to ignore the organization was housing a traitor to him and his village but they were useful for the most difficult jobs his forces weren't prepared for yet. Ay would likely see this as an opportunity. The man was predictable and that it hadn't gotten him killed was a testament to his power and Kumo's might. Iwa and Kumo could only ally because Konoha separated them, if not for that Onoki knows Ay would see him as a threat and target.

The question became could he use this to benefit Iwa? He didn't need personal glory, he'd earned enough throughout his life but he couldn't avoid considering beneficial options. It was rarely easy, but war did offer opportunities if you were keen enough to see them. More importantly, the threat of war offered untold opportunities. Maybe it was time to form some new alliances.

Onoki couldn't make the first move, of course. Konoha and Suna would have to come to him. His ninja wouldn't like it, their pride still damaged after the last war. Onoki could understand this but pride was like anything else to a shinobi, to be useful until it wasn't and then ruthlessly discarded. A soft alliance with Suna and Konoha could be profitable. It would stop Ay in his tracks. It would also give Onoki time, time to train Kurotsuchi and plan his exit. His old bones had gotten used to peace. But it was a luxury and if war presented the better option for Iwa then he would take it. That was his duty, his burden.

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His most loyal ANBU kneeled beside his desk. He must have been confused but he hid it excellently. Itachi truly was one of the best shinobi Konoha had ever produced. It was a source of both pride and shame for Hiruzen. Itachi could have been the first Uchiha Hokage if not for so many things, so many decisions. If only he'd been more resolute when dealing with Danzo, if only he hadn't allowed the Uchiha to isolate themselves. If only, if only. Nothing could change what happened, it was as trite an observation as it was true but since his resignation, Hiruzen had so much more time think. No, not think, process. To come to terms with the totality of his second reign as Hokage. Failure would be his assessment.

The Uchiha, Hizashi Hyuuga, Orochimaru and Naruto. He'd strained his relationship with Kakashi, another potential Hokage that Hiruzen failed to nurture. He'd fractured his relationship with Jiraiya; if not for, unintentionally, instilling the need for his approval, Hiruzen knows Jiraiya would have cut off all contact or flaunted his orders. So many wrong choices or, worst yet, situations he convinced himself he had no choice at all. Tobirama had been merciless in his brief talk and Hiruzen could see the disappointment in the man's eyes.

Hiruzen shook himself from his internal musings so he could receive Itachi's final report, "Speak, Itachi-kun."

"Sandaime-sama, as ordered, I tracked down where that large contingent of Oto shinobi traveled to," Itachi started. Hiruzen made sure to have people in Oto that could report their movements and when he received word that dozens were being ordered to the same location he knew his student was up to something. "On arrival, I found dozens of Oto ninja dead from various wounds. From the looks of the battle, it appeared they faced only one person. I noticed what appeared to be the remnants of noxious gases being emitted by the corpses. I continued my investigation of the Mountains' Graveyard and came to several conclusions upon finishing my search."

"And what are they?"

"I believe the location to be a base for the one that called himself Madara, the man that recruited me and killed most of the Uchiha. I believe Orochimaru somehow discovered his base and ordered an assault. I further believe she knew enough of his abilities to know those ninja were marching toward their deaths and she had them ingest a toxin of some kind that would be released should they suffer a flesh wound. As the alleged Madara was not there, I do not know if his body was disposed of or if she has it somewhere."

"So, she may have a fully functional Sharingan?"

"It is possible, yes."

"This… this isn't good," Hiruzen whispered. He wasn't one to panic but this was a worst case scenario if there ever was one.

"With due respect, Sandaime-sama, I disagree. Madara was both ruthless and powerful. He never left me with an opportunity to kill him or I would have. If Orochimaru has managed to subdue or eliminate him then that is for the better."

"Maybe so, Itachi-kun, but we do not know her motivation. Her with a Sharingan… I fear what she could do with such an ability. What she will do. If she grew adept enough she may be able to control Naruto-kun"

"Implantation of a Sharingan is not without detriments, as Kakashi-senpai has shown. Besides, I believe her motivations are quite obvious. As stated previously, she appears to be grooming Naruto-kun to be her lover. It was why she has shown such an intense interest in his development but given her psychological profile, she would not tolerate being second to him."

"The problem with that is while Naruto is talented, he hasn't demonstrated anything that should make him rival her. Maybe in several years with just the quantity but a large number of original ninjutsu wouldn't justify it as she has a large number of her own," Hiruzen argued back.

Itachi debated whether he should violate this law or not. He believed the Sandaime needed a clear picture so he wouldn't continue obsessing when it wasn't warranted. He had a great deal of respect for the man but could see that his need to see Orochimaru as the ultimate villain was leading him to ruin.

"Sandaime-sama, do you know that Naruto-kun can use [Lava Release]?"

The questioned shocked Hiruzen, on top of everything else Naruto-kun had a kekkei genkai? "No, I didn't know he had a bloodline."

"He doesn't," Itachi responded. "Neither does he have the [Hyoton] kekkei genkai but I have seen him perform jutsu of each with no lava streams nor snow around to manipulate. Those breakthroughs I was unwilling to report was that, Sandaime-sama. Naruto-kun has found a way to use sub-elements without having a natural affinity for them. If I had not seen it with my own eyes or heard Orochimaru confirm Naruto's nature affinity didn't match with [Yoton] I wouldn't have believed it. This is why Orochimaru could see him as a rival, he's broken through a barrier we've all taken as law."

Everything inside the former Hokage wanted to reject Itachi's words. He'd tried to perform sub-elements himself, having peaked at his combination method. It was no small feat and very, very few shinobi could mimic it. That a mere boy could do what he'd failed to was almost unbelievable, except he knew Itachi to be impeccable and would not reveal this if he were not sure. It would make Itachi's argument make sense but Hiruzen was now more curious about how Naruto managed to hide it for so long. Surely someone knew and would have spread word. How did such an achievement go unreported? Was Naruto truly so isolated that no one could even spare a moment to see the remarkable?

No, someone had to know and kept it under wraps. The Sandaime recalled the mission debrief when Team 7 and 8 returned from the Land of Snow. Kakashi and Kurenai had hidden it well but they were trying not to reveal something and that Kakashi didn't allow his students to be there… as if he was concerned one of them would overshare. Kakashi used to be one of his most trusted agents, had he alienated the man to this point?

He cut off that train of thought, this was no time to indulge in guilt. He needed to think as this added a new wrinkle. Even if Itachi was right, and Orochimaru's goals didn't extend beyond her interest in Naruto-kun, it would still drive her to become more powerful if she managed to match his progress. At least now he could give Kabuto some direction in terms of what to look for, what to report on.

"Thank you, Itachi-kun, for everything. As Tsunade is the Hokage now, this will be your last assignment for me and as always, you maintained your enviable level of excellence. Please continue to do the Leaf proud, my boy."

"Thank you, Sandaime-sama," Itachi said before disappearing in a shunshin.