thus, ten years were needed. That is the reason they have only taken action now."
Uzumaki Mito spoke with all the grace of a woman who was not spouting utter and complete nonsense.
"Haha! So that was it!" Inuzuka Tsume barked a laugh.
"To think your betrothed made such a sacrifice for the village!" Akimchi Chōza nodded sagely. "Hyūga Neji… he truly is… a peerless genius."
Sitting on the Clan Head Council and corroborating such balderdash in front of those who knew absolutely nothing about Fūinjutsu was an act that almost brought shame to her status, her face, and her reputation. Alas, in the absence of Jiraiya of the Sannin, she was Konoha's foremost Fūinjutsu Expert; thus, there was no one, not a single person here, who would dare to call her out on such words and such lies.
"As such," Mito continued brazenly. "Hyūga Neji's fūinjutsu prowess rivals even mine. For ten years, he strived to develop that fūinjutsu seal in secret, the Inner Cultivation True Seal. It was only after the death of my father, Lord Fourth, that he made a breakthrough and bestowed it on his cousin, granting her the strength to conquer Kumogakure singlehandedly."
They deferred entirely to her authority and her expertise on the matter, and had not even the tiniest iota of doubt about her words. It did not help that the methods set in place by her father, methods of sensing emotion on those wooden chairs, should have communicated the blatant falsities of emotion and tone in her words, had been hijacked. It had been altered by that charlatan, making it so she, and only she, could spout brazen lies which would be detected as Kami's Divine Truth.
"He also applied the technique on his closest friend, Uchiha Itachi, granting a significant increase to his chakra, and alleviating the blindness that occurs as a result of overuse of his Dōjutsu. It is only due to this seal that today, Konoha has the opportunity for…"
Mito continued, reciting off the 'explanation' that she had been given for the rationale as to why, with the power possessed by the likes of Hyūga Hinata and others, they had not taken action sooner to end the war and prevent the loss of life. Many had been asking, and without a suitable answer, it would appear as though they had been negligent, watching Konoha's turmoils passively, and only striking to reap the benefits when Konoha was at its darkest hour.
For indeed, Konoha had been at its darkest hour. The Fourth Hokage was dead, the world was reeling from shock, there were enemies at every corner, and when it seemed as though it was written in the stars for Konohagakure no Sato's destruction, out of nowhere, Hyūga Hinata had arrived with a hand of salvation.
Annihilating a village by herself, and sending the message to the world that Amegakure no Sato's devastation was not a singular occurrence, but that Konoha still had deep, terrifying foundations. Konoha was a land of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, and that one giant had fallen from the sky, only meant it was time for another to rise and take its place.
Whether or not there was any truth to the words or explanation given to her by Hyūga Hinata as to why she and her betrothed had only chosen to act now, Mito did not know, and Mito did not care.
A crow had come, providing information that the task of capturing the Jinchūriki, which was the reason she agreed to be betrothed to Hyūga Neji, had not only been undertaken without her, but it had been done flawlessly.
Mito did not know whether to laugh or cry.
The reason she sought the Jinchūriki for capture was no longer a concern. What need, really, did they have currently, to flee any longer? Grand Fūinjutsu Formation to teleport the entire village to safety?
Who, indeed, was the one that needed safety from whom?
"However, the seal has stringent requirements on who can receive it. It is only capable of being given to those born with a Dōjutsu and those with potent chakra and genius potential. It also cost a significant portion of his lifespan to imbue and as such, can only be considered an S-Rank Forbidden Kinjutsu…"
The two individuals Mito was most concerned about, calling her bluff and seeing through the holes in her story, were Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku. However, neither had any reason to doubt that the emotions being transmitted by her father's invention, these chairs, had been tampered with, and neither possessed any doubts or suspicions.
In the end, their lack of understanding of the fundamental capabilities of Fūinjutsu was the cause of this, such that they believed it truly could do anything and everything. However, Mito could not blame them. In a sense, the limits of fūinjutsu were only the limits of imagination and skill. In theory, one could seal even entire worlds and universes with fūinjutsu; one could seal anything, and everything, so it was not out of the realm of possibility for them to believe her words.
If there was a thing you did not understand?
'Fūinjutsu' was the answer.
"This is excellent news!"
"Where is Hyūga Neji now? We have to thank him!"
"...My betrothed is currently making plans to move and permanently settle the Hyūga Clan in what was once Kumogakure no Sato."
The Clan Heads were silent. The news had come like cold water pouring down on all of them.
"You mean…" Nara Shikaku broke the silence. "He wishes to establish his own village? Just as how Uzushiogakure no Sato was a village primarily of the Uzumaki Clan?"
"Yes. However, he calls it a Sect," Mito answered. "Not a village."
"Sect…?" Yamanaka Inoichi tested the word.
Murmurs travelled quickly.
"Whether it is a Sect or a Village or a Nation is irrelevant," Aburame Shiba spoke up. "What matters is that he will be its founder, is that correct? Its leader?"
"That is correct," Mito said, nodding.
"So, this is the true reason behind why you betrothed yourself to him," Nara Shikaku said astutely. "By becoming his wife, this… Sect, he intends to establish, and Konoha, will become tied together in an alliance. A union. Just as your predecessor, Uzumaki Mito, allied Uzushiogakure to Konoha by marrying Hashirama."
"Oh? So that was the case?"
"Mito-sama, your foresight is amazing!"
"So that was why!"
Looks of amazement and heaps of praise and adoration were thrown upon her, and Uzumaki Mito's back almost chilled with sweat.
That was why he asked for…?
In truth, she herself had not understood, exactly, what the true purpose was behind asking for her hand in marriage as a reward for capturing the Jinchūriki. He had, at the time, clearly possessed equal, if not superior, political power to her. Yet, now… she understood.
Does that not mean that… then, already… he'd planned on…?
He must have already planned on capturing the Jinchūriki, even at that time. Planned on taking Kumogakure no Sato, and long planned on leaving Konoha and establishing his own force.
How far does that man's vision extend…?
Mito had never planned on calling off the engagement, but now, she could not even if she wanted to. Their union would no longer be a union between mere clans, but between powers, and the latter was far more important due to its political necessity.
"If that is the case," Nara Shikaku said. "We are left only with the final matter to address. The vote for the position of Fifth Hokage, so we may have someone represent us in the upcoming Shinobi Leader Summit."
"Is there even a need for a vote?" Inuzuka Tsume scoffed. "One of our main candidates is planning on establishing his own village… Sect, whatever he calls it. That leaves only one other person."
"Inuzuka-san makes a fair point, Shikaku," Inoichi chuckled. "It would be faster to ask if there is anyone here who is opposed to the choice of candidate."
Shikaku slowly nodded. "If there is anyone, speak now, and provide your reasons before the Clan Head Council."
The room was silent. Not even the representative of the Shimura Clan had an objection, which had all the others looking at him in surprise.
"What?" Yoshito barked defensively. "You won't find any objections from me. It's about time someone like that was in charge of the village."
"Then, we are all in agreement. By unanimous vote, for the first time in its history…"
Shikaku announced.
"Konohagakure no Sato has elected its Fifth Hokage."
XXXXX
The ceaseless downpour in Tetsu no Kuni battered everything that had made the sour mistake of neglecting shelter. Temari was amongst that number. Neither she, nor her brother, nor her father had foreseen the arrival of the rain. They had sensed no indication that their voyage towards the Land of Iron would be met with disagreeable weather. None. Not a shift in the winds, not a gradual accumulation of clouds, nor the fleeing of birds or the rumbling of thunder.
As they crossed the borders of the Land of Iron, the sun had receded mystically behind the clouds, and the downpour came instantly. In seconds, they were soaked. Her hair, her fan, and her clothes, which clung tightly to her skin.
Her brother was no better for wear. Purple paint dripped down his face, running freely down his cheeks and his chin. The make-up and war-paint he applied to his face were neither designed nor intended to be effective in water. No one who manufactured such things in Sunagakure no Sato, a land with scarce, nearly non-existent rainfall, would bother taking care to ensure cosmetics were waterproof.
Their attires, likewise, were not meant for rain. At the forefront, her father, Rasa, had taken to applying a small layer of gold dust above his head to prevent his Kazekage robes from getting wet from the downpour. A privilege he neither afforded her nor her brother, and a privilege Temari would never ask or expect her father to offer. Not since their youngest, Gaara, vanished without a sound or without explanation.
Her father's temperament could only be called uncharitable, and not even the swift, instant execution of the shinobi on duty the night of her brother's disappearance had done anything to elevate his charitability.
Raindrops fell in muddy pools and congregated into several disparate, yet interconnected puddles. They trampled upon them, their open-toed shinobi sandals slowly getting caked with mud and dirt. They arrived at the first checkpoint, finding a small squadron of the Land of Iron's Samurai forces. Wearing their masks, clad in their unusual, full-body armor, and having katanas affixed to their sides, the group had halted them as they approached, drawing their weapons sharply.
"State your name and business, immediately!"
The Kazekage's robes and hat were adorned on her father, and it was clear they could see who he was. Yet, they asked as though they did not know, or as though they did not care. Temari stepped forward, cursing under her breath as the downpour intensified.
"You stand in the presence of the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato, Rasa, and his chosen elite guards. We are here for the Shinobi Leader Summit."
The Samurai at the helm turned to the others and then turned back to them as if annoyed. "Another group that bothered to attend?"
Bothered to attend…? Temari shifted. Her eyes darted to her brother, and her brother's hands moved slowly to his pouches, where his sealing scrolls, and thus, puppets, were kept to avoid the downpour. At the front, her father's demeanor changed.
"What does that mean?"
"I'll show you," the Samurai said. "There are others that came before you. Do not attempt to start anything within Tetsu no Kuni. Genbu-sama does not tolerate it. Follow me, and be swift."
The Samurai led the way forward, leaving no room for questions or explanations. Samurai and shinobi had scarcely ever gotten along, but the lack of courtesy and respect towards the Kazekage was something that grated Temari. She swallowed down her words of discontent, moving forward. Her brother followed, and her father did as well.
Genbu…? The name did not ring any bells. Was the lord of the Land of Iron not called Mifune?
Had there been a change in power? Temari had not heard anything about it.
Thunder rumbled overhead. The wind picked up. The intensity of the downpour made it immensely difficult to see beyond a few feet in front of her, and made the task of keeping up with the Samurai more problematic. Yet, the Samurai had no problems trudging on through the horrid weather, as his helmet and visor protected him from the worst of it.
Temari thought to apply a layer of chakra above her head to keep away the rain, but as the Kazekage's bodyguard, she needed to ensure her chakra was enough for any threats or foes they would face, of which, going into this event, she did not doubt there would be many.
"Does it always rain like this here?"
Her brother, Kankuro, asked the Samurai, cursing under his breath. He was the one least enthused about the rain. The rain would be a hindrance to his techniques, the weight of water increasing the weight of his puppets, thus adding difficulty in maneuvering fine-tuned control. The chakra expenditure would increase, and his combat effectiveness would reduce overall.
Temari was the same. Many wind style techniques would face resistance in the rain due to conflicting winds, and even her father's signature gold dust technique would have difficulties forming under such a downpour.
Shinobi from Sunagakure no Sato generally hated the rain. It got everywhere, stuck to everything, and made their tasks and jobs unnecessarily harder.
The Samurai at the front did not bother to reply. He did not seem the talkative type. However, as if annoyed by the question, he moved even faster, forcing the shinobi trio to quicken their own pace.
They ran for about an hour, through the rain, before a gargantuan, multi-colored, military tent appeared in the distance. A small squadron of samurai stood guard around and in front of it, each and every one having their hands kept at their weapons. The air was thick with tension as they approached, and the samurai, their masked faces standing under the rain, turned to them concurrently.
Her brother shot her a look. She shot him one in turn. The Samurai of Tetsu no Kuni were undoubtedly expecting something to happen at this event, and their numbers had made it clear they were there to suppress it, when it did.
"In there," their guide said. "You will find your… peers."
The guide turned around and left, chakra bursting at his feet as he dashed off into the rain. The trio from Sunagakure regarded each other before her father took the lead, marching forward, and they, his bodyguards, followed swiftly behind him. They walked through a lineup of armed Samurai, all silent, motionless, as if made from statues, until they arrived at the entrance to the large tent, a space large enough for three people to enter side-by-side.
Temari tensed as they entered, escaping the thunderous downpour and blinking to adjust to the light within.
There, within the tent, there was a great round table, surrounded by fifty-two chairs. However, of those fifty-two chairs, only two were filled.
One, having an old, short, squat, and balding man wearing the robes of the Tsuchikage,
The other was an equally short, young man with gray hair and pupilless pink eyes, wielding a staff and wearing the robes of the Mizukage.
Behind the Tsuchikage were his elite guards, a young woman and a man, whereas the Mizukage had no one behind him.
Both individuals turned as they entered, and the old man, the Tsuchikage, let out a defeated, tired snort. "Tch. So, you're here, gold-brat. Thought you'd flee for the hills like the others."
"Ōnoki," Her father said. "You're making less sense than usual."
"Look around, brat," He gestured to the empty chairs. "What do you see? What don't you see?"
"The others."
"There are no others," Ōnoki exhaled. "You…" Ōnoki paused. "Didn't you get the letter?"
Her father fell quiet. Temari's thoughts were racing. Her gaze darted to her Father. Letter?
"Your jinchūriki went missing, didn't he?"
Temari stiffened. Kankuro's hand moved to his scrolls. Her father, Rasa, burst out with killing intent. "How do you know that?"
"Same thing happened to us," Ōnoki grumbled. "We got a letter with a gift inside. Couldn't believe it when I saw it. There should have been one for you."
"He's the same as me," the Fourth Mizukage said. "It seems you did not receive one either."
Ōnoki scowled. "The moment those yellow-bellied cowards that call themselves leaders got that blasted letter and saw what came with it, it was over. They surrendered. All of them. Everyone from Kusagakure to bloody Nadeshiko Village."
"What letter?"
"A letter from the Fifth Hokage."
Temari's brows shot up. Her father voiced the same thought that ran through her mind. "Fifth?"
"You heard me, brat."
"Konoha has already decided on Namikaze's successor?" Rasa asked tersely. "Who?"
"Me."
Thunder boomed outside. A man wearing the white-and-red hat and the long robes of the Hokage was sitting in a chair within the room, his left leg crossed over his right. The hat obscured his features, tilted down. His fingernails were painted black, his right hand was extended, and a pitch black crow with red eyes rested atop his index finger.
Every single shinobi present leapt to their feet simultaneously, drawing their weapons and flaring their chakra. Temari's heart leapt into her throat. She pulled out her fan, doing what she could to stop her heart from bursting.
Where did he— when…? I didn't even sense—
She could not sense the man's chakra. It was as if he were not truly there, as if it were a projection of some sort, rather than a man who was real and who was made of flesh and blood. There were no traces of his arrival, nor were there any traces of his presence.
No, he…
She quickly came to a conclusion, the same one every other person present came to at the same time.
He had been in the room from the very beginning.
He had been in a room filled with three Kage and other high-level Jōnin chosen as bodyguards, yet not a single person noticed him.
"The world's minor shinobi villages have sworn allegiance to Konoha," he spoke softly. "Only you two remain."
"Two?" Ōnoki frowned. "There are three of—"
Yagura was gone.
Temari's pupils shrank.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, had simply vanished from where he previously stood.
Or, was…
Was he ever here?
No one could tell. No one could be certain. Whether Yagura had ever been there or whether the Fifth Hokage had simply made him vanish without a sound, not a single person could be certain of which case it was.
"The Leader of the Mizukagure Resistance Forces, Terumei Mei, accepted Konoha's conditions, in exchange for deposing Yagura."
The crow on the man's finger cawed.
"Only two shinobi villages remain outside of Konoha's influence."
The room fell into a terse silence.
Her father's voice came slowly. "What does Konoha want?"
The Fifth Hokage lifted his gaze. The room collectively tensed. The terrifying red-eyes of the Sharingan rotated slowly, and not a single person in the room dared to meet his gaze. Not her, not her brother, not father, not the Tsuchikage, nor his guards.
No one, absolutely no one, dared to look into the man's eyes.
This… Temari's heart raced. This… is the Fifth Hokage?
Temari bit her lip.
It just had to be… him.
The Prince of Crows.
Uchiha. Fucking. Itachi.
"Konoha wants stability," he replied, "And unity."
Ōnoki growled. "And for that, you massacred Kumogakure? My spies say they were butchered to the last man!"
"For that, we set examples to show what happens to those who challenge the peace to come," he countered. "Amegakure was the first. Kumogakure was the second. Do you wish to see if your villages will fare better?"
Temari swallowed. The words did not sound as though they were a threat. They did not. Yet, they were the most threatening thing she had ever heard.
"If we are to accept Konoha's terms, what becomes of us?"
Temari whipped her neck over to her father. She was not the only one. Her brother followed, as did Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage.
"You! Gold-brat! You can't seriously be—"
"Konoha has the power to crush us underfoot, old fool," Rasa snapped. "Open your eyes. We are at a change of the times."
"Your villages will continue to exist. Administered," he continued. "You will both serve as Ministers under Konoha's oversight. Local governance and cultural stewardship will remain yours."
Rasa paused. "You'd make us puppets."
"Puppets," Uchiha Itachi said, "Or corpses. Those are your options."
Ōnoki snarled. "Do you really think you can—"
"I can."
Temari could not breathe. Killing intent flooded the room from the man in front of them. The world spun, and she collapsed to one knee. She, her brother, and the Tsuchikage's guards all followed, dropping to their knees.
Then, it receded.
She sucked in sharp, deep, desperate breaths of air all at once. Her entire body trembled. She was a Jōnin, an Elite of her Village, yet, against that Killing Intent… There was no doubt in her mind.
The Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Itachi, could kill every single person present, and he could do so with ease.
"Another damned one…" Ōnoki muttered under his breath, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. "Another monster like Uchiha Madara… damned Uchiha… what do they feed you wretched bastards?"
Rasa let out a breath. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If we agree… what guarantee do we have that we won't face Kumogakure's fate?"
"Konoha has no interest in being a lord of graveyards."
Uchiha Itachi rose to his feet, as if the meeting was over, and began to fade away into a collection of scattering crows.
Ōnoki balled his fist. "You… tell me, does Konoha really wish to conquer the shinobi world?!"
An answer came not from the Fifth Hokage's lips, but from the caws of the thousands of crows that flew in varying directions.
"We already have."
XXXXX
"Oi… teme…"
"Stop calling me that."
"...Are you sure we're not in a genjutsu, or something?"
"Tch. Who would waste time putting you in a genjutsu?"
Overlooking the village on the top of the Hokage Monument, Naruto squinted as he saw all the way to the gates of Konoha, where hundreds of people had lined up. They all had different headbands and flew different flags. The Land of Hot Water, the Land of Sound, the Land of Ice, the Land of Wind… there were more than he could recognize, and all of them came with large entourages of presents and gifts. Entire carriages filled with food, money, resources, and more wealth than he had ever seen, and ever known possible.
All meant to be given in celebration of the official coronation of Konohagakure no Sato's Fifth Hokage, in celebration of the end of the war, as Konohagakure no Sato was, officially, the one and only "Great Shinobi Village."
Not too far away from him, workers were dangling off the side of the mountain with rope, beginning the task of chiselling a new face onto the side of the Hokage Monument for the first time in years.
"Feels like a genjutsu, 'ttebayo…" Naruto muttered. "...You're sure?"
A finger flicked his forehead hard.
"Ouch! Oi!" He grabbed his forehead. "The hell was that for?"
"Does that feel like a genjutsu?"
Naruto grumbled under his breath before he lay flat, his legs kicking off the top of the Fourth Hokage's head. His gaze went up to the cloudy skies.
"When tou-san and Jiji died, I thought… thought… things would only keep getting worse, y'know? Like… the war… Konoha… like we didn't have any… I thought…"
Birds flew overhead and landed on his forehead. A white dove. Naruto's brow twitched, but he didn't bother chasing it away.
"I thought our lives'll only keep getting worse, and worse…" he muttered. "...That this is it. This is what it means to be a Shinobi… to just… keep losing people… and keep fighting in pointless wars until you die. Die…. without even leaving behind your body for your kids to bury."
"You lost hope."
"Didn't you?"
"I trusted sensei. And Itachi-ni," Sasuke said. "Itachi-ni… has always been stronger than I suspected he was. And sensei… I can't even imagine how strong he really is."
The dove on his forehead took to the air, and Naruto scratched his head.
"Can't believe you're also going to be related to a Hokage too… that's so lame, ttebayo."
"Shut it."
"You're totally stealing my vibes, teme."
"You have no vibes to steal, idiot."
"Don't tell me you're gonna say something like, you plan to be the Hokage…"
"I'm going to be the Hokage."
"...that's so lame, teme."
"You're asking for a beating again!"
Naruto rubbed his nose with his index finger, grinning.
"Say… teme."
"What is it, Naruto?"
"How did he do it…? Your brother? Make everyone surrender?"
"He sent a letter stating that Konoha has all Nine Tailed Beasts…" Sasuke paused. "And each village was given a piece of the Raikage's body with the letter. Some, an eye, some, a thumb, others, a finger."
Naruto sat up, scrunching his nose. "He sent the Raikage's body?"
"That's what he told me."
The Fourth Raikage, a Kage, one of the Strongest Shinobi in the world, of one of the Strongest Hidden Villages in the world, had his body butchered and mailed in a letter to the world's leaders as a message.
Naruto shuddered. "...Your brother can be really scary, teme."
"Hn."
"So… it's true? Sensei created a powerful fūinjutsu seal… and with it Hinata-chan took out Kumo, all by herself?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Huh."
Naruto leaned back down.
"Sensei can be scary, too."
"Hn."
"Oh? Is that what my cute little disciples really think of me?"
Naruto stiffened. Sasuke sat up as though he'd been stabbed.
"S-Sensei?!"
"Sensei!"
They looked around, yet they could see no sign, or clue, or any evidence that Hyūga Neji had been present. However, there were now two smooth jade plates present in their hands.
On his jade plate was the name Uzumaki Naruto, and on Sasuke's was the name Uchiha Sasuke.
A small note was attached to them: These are your identity plates. They will allow you to pass the Six Desire Confounding Lake and Heart-Disturbing Fog. Do Not Lose Them.
Underneath were a set of words.
When you two are ready… come visit.
You are, after all, the Core Disciples.
"Core… Disciples?"
Naruto turned the Jade Name Plate around. There, etched on the back with fine, strong characters and excellent calligraphy, were the words:
Heavenly Palm Sect.