Chapter 14 - Danzo's Folly

Chapter 14 - Danzo's Folly

Minato wasn't sure if it was a good idea to send the boy out there in his state. Kakashi was exposed and vulnerable. Yet something told Minato that Kakashi could make it through. Then he would take that dammed mask away! All he had to do was make it through one more mission. A dangerous and fool-hardy one. Minato reminded himself as he ate dinner.

Dinner had been a relatively quite affair. Minato wasn't that interested in talking. Kushina was didn't seem too talkative either. The minutes ticked by as they ate but hardly a word was spoken. It was as frosty in the room as it could be. It was almost as if they had just fought.

It suited Minato since he didn't want to speak but it was unusual for Kushina. Normally, Minato would ask her what was wrong but right now he couldn't deal with her problems too. He had too much on his plate. He was worried enough already. He didn't push. He barely even noticed. They remained silent.

As he ate his mind wandered back to when he sent Kakashi on that stupid mission. He would be a liar if he said that there wasn't a certain amount of punishment that went into the affair. He was angry at Kakashi. He was hurt. But he still cared about that boy. He shouldn't have put him in harms way like that. He knew that was part of the job but he shouldn't have done it like that. If he dies. Minato shook the thought from his head. No, stop it. Kakashi is a shinobi. He's ANBU. Death is a part of the job.

The mission was clear. Minato created a false document detailing plans to meet with Fugaku in secret. This 'meeting' was to take place tonight. When Minato would be alone and vulnerable. Minato made sure to choose one of the most isolated spots within the village for this 'meeting.' That way it would seem more real and more sinister.

It would present the perfect opportunity to kill Minato and blame the Uchiha. Creating chaos that would end in Danzo becoming Hokage. Minato knew of the man's feelings towards him and his ambitions. It sickened him what he would go this far to become Hokage. Then again the man generally made his skin crawl. He would never, ever trust Danzo.

Of course, Fugaku would never be meeting him. Neither would Minato. Kakashi would be taking his place. He assigned Rabbit to play the role of Fugaku. Next to Kakashi, Rabbit was his most trusted ANBU. Well, maybe not now. Minato would be playing back up. It was a strategy that Danzo would not be expecting. Hopefully it will work.

A shrill cry broke his thoughts. Naruto was wailing with all his might. Kushina ran to soothe the boy. She said, "Hey, what's the matter?" She picked up their son and brought him over to his chair. Kushina became more animated as she prepared their son's dinner. It was almost as if nothing was wrong.

Minato immediately felt guilty about not noticing her mood. Clearly, she was troubled and her inconsiderate husband hadn't bothered to ask why. "Kushina . . ."

She never looked at him. Instead, Kushina continued with her task. She waved him off as she said, "Don't worry about me, Minato. I'm fine. Just be-careful, okay?"

Minato kissed her on head then promised, "I will." Then he left.

Kushina closed her eyes. She knew her husband was about to do something dangerous, something he couldn't talk about. It worried her - a lot. This was part of being a shinobi. This was part of being the Hokage's wife. She accepted that a long time ago. She couldn't help but be worried. He'd better come back. Naruto isn't going to grow up without a father. She thought at husband. Remember that Minato: He's not going to grow up without you! Kushina returned to her work. She would need to keep herself busy tonight.

Kakashi delivered the false message to Danzo. He did his best to pass it off as the real thing. He allowed some of his regret to seep through. It made his performance all the more convincing. Danzo appeared to accept this intel but Kakashi couldn't be truly sure. They would have to wait and see.

It was almost midnight; the time of the 'meeting' was near. Kakashi was waiting at the meeting spot. He was disguised as Minato and was waiting for Rabbit to appear. Kakashi was to play Minato and Rabbit was to play Fugaku Uchiha. If anyone knew how to pretend to be Minato Namikaze then it was Kakashi. He was like a son to him. A son that almost betrayed him. He pushed that thought away. Now was about the mission. Kakashi could easily pretend to be Minato, but he couldn't fully copy his jutsu. That could be a problem when the fighting started.

It was comforting to know that Minato was nearby. Shortly after dinner Minato had set countless tags in the area. They were the men's lifeline. They were their link to Minato. Neither man knew where their Hokage was, but they knew that he had their back. He would protect them if things got ruff. Which was a situation that usually didn't happen for the ANBU.

Fortunately for the men, they didn't have to wait long. As soon as Rabbit reached Kakashi they were ambushed. Fifteen ANBU jumped out and attacked. They drove the two apart then focused their attention on Kakashi. They truly believed that the Kakashi was the Hokage. Ten men surrounded him including the boy he met recently then fired everything they had at him.

Before their jutsu could hit Kakashi was teleported away. For one second they hesitated. They didn't know where he had gone. Shortly after Fugaku disappeared the same way. They should have been ready for this but something wasn't right. That's when they saw them together. Two Minatos and one Fugaku. They had been tricked!

Kakashi and Rabbit released their transformations. A second later a large group of ANBU surrounded behind their attackers. They were the back up that Minato ordered. Their attackers knew that it was over. They couldn't fight all these men and the Hokage at the same time. It was futile. They wisely attempted retreat but found their exit blocked. Minato wasn't going to let them go so easily. He wanted prisoners. He wanted proof of Danzo's treason.

Minato used his speed to overwhelm Danzo's men. He was able to capture most of them without seriously harming them. Most importantly he managed to catch the boy Kakashi spoke of. He was truly amazing. Even at his young age he gave his Hokage a run for his money. It was difficult to subdue without harming him. It was essential that he not be harmed. The Leaf needed the wood style user desperately. Minato had no intention of killing the child. He would die before he would that. A gift Minato refused to give Danzo. Luckily the boy was quickly subdued and the battle ended without anyone dying.

In all, They caught ten out of the fifteen attackers. Minato hated letting any get away but he had enough for now. He had proof of Danzo's treachery. He had the strange wood style boy. He would use that to his advantage. He just had one more hand to play.

Minato ordered the men to be taken to intel. He ordered them not to be interrogated. Instead, they were to be secured until further notice. Minato wasn't going to have his mind pulled apart if he could help it. It was something very distasteful to Minato. If it made him weak then so be it. At least he was still human. At least he could still face his wife and child. Still be the man that they looked up to. He was still Minato Namikaze not some monster.

War forced him to do unspeakable things. Things that still kept him up at night. Minato refused to add torturing and killing a child to his long list of sins. How could he expect Naruto to become a good man if he did that? He had to show his son the way. Minato was committed to protecting any child. No matter where they were born and who they were associated with. Even if that gave his enemies the opportunity to strike.

After leaving his men to deal with the prisoners, Minato returned to his office. He suspected that Danzo would be there. The bastard was cocky enough to believe that he had the upper hand. How wrong he was.

How Minato hated that man. He used his student to betray him. He tried to use that same boy to kill him. And if he had succeeded, he provably would have recruited the boy to be among his 'foundation.' A place that Minato intended to shut down. What they were doing there was unspeakable to be sure. It would put an end to it if it was the last thing he did.

Minato enjoyed Danzo's expression as he arrived in his office. The man truly believed that he was dead. He entered as if nothing had happened. He was 'surprised' to see his 'old friend' in his office so late. Upon seeing him, he pretended to be concerned as he asked,

"Is something wrong?"

Danzo was off guard. He did not expect Minato but he couldn't let his enemy know his weakness. Minato was not fooled. He knew what he had tried to do. He would not forgive him for it. One day he would pay for his crimes. That day was not today though. Today, a message would suffice.

"Only a minor matter, Lord Hokage."

"Huh. You know a strange thing happened tonight. A some of my men were ambushed while inside the village." He looked the man straight in his eye then asked, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

"Of course not, Lord Hokage."

Minato wasn't going to let up the attack. "I see. I am surprised. Information is your speciality, Danzo. I am surprised that you do not know about it. After all, the safety of the village is paramount. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course, Lord Hokage."

"Good. I was worried that you were losing your touch Danzo. You seem to be surprised that I am here. I know that it is late, but this is my office. Why wouldn't I be here?" He waited for an response but received none. So, he continued the assault. "Unless there is some reason as to why I shouldn't."

"No of course not."

Minato smiled. He had him now. "That's a relief. I was starting to think that something was wrong. I am fine by the way. And so is my family, all of my family. Including Kakashi."

At the mention of Kakashi's name Danzo knew that it was over. Minato knew everything. Tonight was a trap and he fell right into it. Danzo would never underestimate the Young Hokage again. That is if he survived this night. He could feel the Hokage's his killing intent. Minato meant business.

But just to on the safe side, Minato wanted to make sure that Danzo got the message. "I know about Kakashi. I know about tonight." He let those words hang for a few moments before speaking again. "I know that you are used to dealing Lord Hiruzen so I will to explain this to you once. I am not him. I do not take treason as kindly as he would. And I certainly do not take kindly to those who harm my family. All of my family!"

Minato slowly walked over to his seat. He made a show of sitting down before continuing, "You never be Hokage, Danzo. Tonight has proven that. And if you don't know why, then you never will." He picked up a book on his desk then opened it. He pretended to read as he said. "You can pick up your men at the Interrogation Force. You find them unharmed and ready to go." He made it clear that his audience was over.

Danzo started to leave before Minato stopped him. "Oh and about the boy, the Wood Style User. The village has need of his abilities. Would you be so kind as to send him to me tomorrow afternoon?"

Danzo did not look at him. "Of course."

"Good. Please inform him of the transfer."

Okay, so I have been building up a few reviews that I wanted to talk about. I am collecting reviews from a few chapters then responding. They are below:

Chapter 10 - LittleChomper

this story is...light. i don't know but i feel that this will be really happen if minato and kushina alive and i really really like it.

i can't wait for the next chapter!

Thank you for following me! Yeah each chapter is short, but that way I can post weekly versus monthly or bimonthly. Or inconsistently, which is what I fear. Actually, each chapter is typically closer to a scene in a movie than a traditional chapter. When the scene is over, so is the chapter. There are exceptions to this rule (like the chapter you just read), but generally this is true.

This chapter is long for the format I chose but it is still short compared to a traditional chapter. Which I have created before. I am not certain what form my next long piece will take. However, I'll worry about that when the time comes!

I think when I first read this comment a couple of weeks ago, I think I thought that you were saying that you didn't think that this would really happen. Or that they would really do that. After re-reading for this post though: I realize that you were saying the exact opposite. So, thank you for your comment and I hope to hear from you soon!

Chapter 10 - a certain reading fan

So now kakashi is naruto's guardian, good for him!

Poor, Poor Kakashi. I really beat him up in this fanfic. First, he fails to save his sensei (even though he lives), then gets all sad over it (see Chapter 10), then he gets mixed up with Danzo. You might think that I don't like the character! Nothing is further from the truth. I do like Kakashi a lot and I plan to make him a central figure in this fanfic. He will come back time and time again. I am not certain as of yet, how big of a role characters such Sasuke will have. I am not a big fan of Sasuke and well this is really about Minato - not Naruto. So, his role in this is yet to be determined.

Anyway, keep reading!