Hokage

(POV Minato)

Another day, another meter tall stack of paperwork. When I first wanted to become Hokage, I wanted to be seen around the village, help train our ninja, and negotiate peace treaties between other villages, but ever since my first day, I have been doing mostly paperwork. It gets so bad that I do paperwork in my sleep now.

Thankfully, these times are relatively peaceful, and we even have a deligation from Kumo coming in a few days to sign a treaty of friendship with us. I had even squeezed out enough time to have lunch with my wife, Kushina, and her grandaunt Mito.

Mito has been getting on my case recently since she wants me and Kushina to have another kid so she can have more grandchildren. Wasn't my son Naruto enough. Ever since the attack on the leaf village by Madara, she has been adamant about 'preparing for the future', but I know she just wants to dote on Kushina more when she is pregnant.

"Hokage-sama!!!"

As I was finishing a lunch of Iruka Ramen with Mito and Kushina, a Jonin stationed at the front gate appeared, breathing heavily. I imagined that there might be an emergency situation for him to have run here with his full might so fast, so I quickly stood up and made my way to him so he could speak. I prepared to use my [Flying Thunder God] technique to teleport to the gate immediately, but what he said next, made me nearly fall over.

"Lord Hokage! Ladies Uzumaki! Please don't be alarmed but Lady Tsunade has returned with her kids!"

"""HU!?!"""

...

(POV Haruka)

I was baffled. I knew that there was a chance that since the Uzumaki Clan was around, either the 9-Tails attack wouldn't have happened, or it would be different, so it was possible for Kushina and Minato to be alive, though I didn't really hear anything about it, so I had assumed that the canon events were still the same.

I looked around the room as I saw that there was no Danzo or Hiruzen's old advisors present but I assumed they hadn't made their entrance yet, since they were probably caught off-guard. I was surprised to see Jiraiya and Mito, however. Jiraiya was a decently handsome guy, and if not for his perverted nature, he would probably already be drowning in women. Mito, on the other hand, was a complete shock. She didn't look like she had aged at all past her early twenties. As a matter of fact, she looked younger than Tsunade.

I could also tell she wasn't using any kind of transformation technique, as her chakra flow wasn't as unnatural as Tsunade's is. I had gotten used to it during our travel, but when we had first met her, my sensory abilities labeled her as somehow wrong. I couldn't place my finger on it, but her chakra felt unnatural. Now I understood why.

"Hey Minato brat, geezer, perv, and Grandma! I'm back!" Tsunade said as she confidently strode into the room, completely forgetting all manners and customs.

"Pardon our intrusion," Shizune said meekly as we followed behind. While the others stood behind Tsunade, I stood to her left, though slightly behind as well.

"Lady Tsunade. I must say it is a pleasure to see you again, though I must say that your visit is unexpected" Minato said with a serious, yet formal tone.

"Indeed. I had wondered when you would come back for me Tsunade! I was beginning to think you had forgotten about little old me." Jiraiya said in his stage-play-like voice.

"Trust me Jiraiya, if I could forget you, I would!" She snapped back. Jiraiya looked shocked and went pale as Mito and Kushina laughed out loud. Minato could be seen with a giant sweat drop on the side of his head while Hiruzen smiled softly. The rest of us just had awkward smiles on our faces while we fake laughed.

"Now onto business," Minato said with a fake cough. "Lady Tsunade, while I am always happy to have you in the village, what made you have this change of heart?"

Tsunade's face returned to a neutral expression before she smiled softly. "I met an interesting kid who needed my help but ended up helping me more than I thought possible."

I looked at Tsunade for a moment before returning my sights to the table of powerful people who would be deciding my fate. I saw that Jiraiya and Hiruzen were eying me up while Kushina and Mito looked at me with gratitude. Minato had a neutral expression.

"Anyway, this brat here Haruka has gotten himself quite the posse of brats who wanted to live in Konoha, but it seems they know of the dark side of this place and wanted me for protection," Tsunade said, throwing me under the bus. Minato raised an eyebrow while Kushina and Mito had a sour look on their faces. They obviously knew I was talking about either Danzo or the Hyuga since my white eyes were clearly visible to them.

"Oh? Haruka-kun. Why did you go out of your way to find my precious disciple instead of coming to us. Konoha would accept orphans without a second thought." Hiruzen asked.

"That is because everyone besides Karin and Amaru has Kekkei Genkai" I say.

"I know you seem to possess the Byakugan, but what other Kekkei Genkai does your group possess?" Minato said as he piggybacked off of Hiruzen's question.

"As you know, I possess the Byakugan, but I also possess swift release and bone release, though you would probably know it as Shikotsumyaku," I say as I slowly extend a bone blade from my palm.

"Haku is from the Yuki clan and possesses ice release, while Guren has crystal release," I say as I gesture to Haku and then Guren. "Jugo, on the other hand, possesses a natural energy Kekkei Genkai, and the only living sage I know, who can help him, master that energy is the Toad Sage Jiraiya," I say. This last part was a lie. I didn't need Jiraiya's help with this, though Jugo could benefit greatly from the help of someone with [Sage Mode].

"I see," Minato says. It seems that he is thinking about something complicated since his face slightly shifted to a frown before returning to a neutral expression. I can almost guarantee that he is thinking that this will cause complications between his and Danzo's relationship.

HIruzen and Mito must be thinking the same things, as they both have frowns on their faces.

"Haruka-kun" Mito speaks up first. "You are clearly not from Konoha, and your friends do not have Kekkei Genkai that originate within the Land of Fire. Who are you?" She asks as she narrows her eyes.

"My name is Haruka Kaguya. I am the son of Kosai Hyuga and Kotsuzui Kaguya and heir to the Kaguya clan" I say, formally introducing myself. All the adults in the room, including Hikari and Honoka, are stunned. The destruction of the Kaguya Clan was a major event in the Shinobi world and even if I had Shikotsumyaku, that didn't mean that I was the heir to the recently destroyed family. If someone were to get their hands on me, my pure bloodline could resurrect the clan in another village.

Furthermore, I was the child of a particularly famous Hyuga Clan member who was presumed dead ever since the Third War ended.

"I see. You must have come from the Land of Water then. You couldn't go to Kiri since they are hunting Kekkei Genkai users recently, and you couldn't go to Kumo or Iwa because of their notorious breeding program. Kosai-chan was also deployed in the Land of Water when she went missing" Jiraiya commented to the side.

"Indeed. I believe there is quite a bit of value in having them stay here, though the potential for conflict with Kiri is also very high" Hiruzen says as he looks at Minato.

"It will also cause Danzo to become more hostile with us. His recent actions have been increasingly bold and in the open. Not even the civilian council can protect him anymore and his public image is in the dirt right now. If he learns of this, it may lead to the outbreak of a civil war" Mito comments.

"There is also the fact that he brought Tsunade back to us. From what she is spouting, she may even be returning as a Shinobi. Am I correct Tsunade?" Hiruzen states. He is quietly trying to divert attention away from his old friend, as even though he can no longer protect him in the open, he still wants to at least deflect the attention away from him, though everyone in the room can see through his attempts.

"That's right. I have recently made peace with my past and have overcome my fear of blood. If Konoha accepts him, I will resume some light Shinobi duties, though I want to adopt Haruka-kun and his friends if at all possible. I owe him a lot" Tsunade says.

This was the moment I was planning for. I knew accepting me into the village would be a long-shot without Tsunade, but with her vouching for me, and publically acknowledging me, they know that in addition to my potential benefits I can offer the village, they will receive the aid of a Kage-level shinobi. Any sane-minded individual in Konoha would see that we were a greater future asset to the village than Danzo.

Minato was silent for a long while, while deep in thought. "Very well. We shall accept them as full citizens of Konoha." Minato said as he stood up.

"I, as the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, acknowledge Haruka Kaguya as head of the Kaguya Clan, and authorize the adoption of Haruka Kaguya and his companions by Tsunade Senju. Effective immediately!" He said as everyone from my party bowed with respect., even prideful Tsunade bowed.

"""Thank you, Lord Hokage"""

"I shall see that the Uzumaki are taken care of as matriarch of the Uzumaki clan. I also want to see my darling granddaughter after so long" Mito said.

"Very well. In that case, this meeting is adjourned" Minato said as we exited the office.

...

It was later that night when Minato was meeting with a certain Uzumaki in his office overlooking Konoha.

"It is good to have you back Honoka. I was beginning to think your mission to keep an eye on Danzo's movements had gone array" he said as he looked at the barefooted Uzumaki.

"Yes, well, he tried to pull a fast one on me and kill me with all of the other researchers, but thankfully, Haruka-kun was there. Speaking of which, he seems to possess the same unique jutsu you do" Honoka said as she revealed one of Haruka's [Flying Thunder God] kunai.

Minato narrowed his eyes at this. "Where did he learn this?"

"I was able to see him reading out of a large scroll similar to the Forbidden Scroll we have here. He also has a substantial amount of wealth and other valuable accessories. It is only a guess, but he may have the riches and treasures of the Kaguya Clan with him. He also seems to possess another space-time jutsu able to store items with a non-standard method."

"I see. It is fortunate that he did not suspect you. How are the summoning creatures we were watching out for?"

"Haruka-kun is extremely intelligent. He was able to purchase all three and steal back his money before we left. He even knew exactly where Lady Tsunade would be, even though he had never set foot in the Land of Fire before. He was also able to recognize my sister's predicament in Kusa." She hesitated before asking "If I may be so bold Hokage-sama, why did you send her on that mission?"

"I am sorry we had to put her through that. I know she doesn't remember her mission because of the seal we placed on her brain, but it is for the best that she remains ignorant. Kusa has significant ties to Danzo, so if worse comes to worst and he was to flee Konoha, he could become their leader in the shadows before we could get him back. Then the only way to secure the secrets he knows would be if he was assassinated on the inside. So we sent one of the best assassins in the Anbu who Danzo still doesn't know about to the village, so all it would take is a trigger word and she would kill him. I wasn't expecting her to go with her daughter though."

"I see."

"Back on topic. Haruka-kun seems to want to be here and hasn't intentionally hidden or lied about any important information pertaining to his past, so I think we can simply monitor him for now. I hope that one day he can become a true citizen of Konoha like the rest of us."

"One last thing, Hokage-sama."

"Hmm?"

"Haruka mentioned that he wanted to get another member for his party to Haku-chan, but that he had to wait until he 'dealt with a pest'. I think he plans to move against Danzo before inviting this person. He also sent off two clones north. He was either headed to Taki or Iwa and my bet is Takigakure. It is possible that he was planning to take their Jinchuriki since reports say that they treat their Jinchuriki poorly and Haruka seems to have a hero complex to rescue people in need. This is how he saved Amaru-chan, Guren-chan, Haku-chan, and Jugo-kun. I think running into us was just a happy coincidence."

"I see. If he does acquire the Jinchuriki, it may be for the best. Iwa has been very aggressive of late due to their hatred for me killing so many of their troops and even if Kumo is pretending to be friendly with us, our Anbu report that they are currently building up their military might to pre-war levels."

Honoka flinched slightly. She knew that Konoha was seen as the strongest ninja village and Kumo and Iwa were trying to challenge that, but she didn't know things were this bad.

"Hokage-sama. If I may ask... Is there going to be another war soon?"

"Possibly. If Danzo betrays us and leaks our secrets to Kumo and Iwa, then most likely. The Kazekage Pakura will most likely ally her village with us in the case of war, and Kiri is likely to sit it out because of their weakened state due to their Kekkei Genkai purge, but their Mizukage seems to be very aggressive and irrational, so it is not impossible that they would join in later.

Ugh! I never knew how stressful it was to be Hokage. No wonder Hiruzen is so attached to Danzo and the others from the civilian council. He needed his friends for emotional support. Anyway. Honoka, I declare your S-Ranked mission as a success and will arrange for your payment tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."

Honoka smiled softly before she turned to walk away. As she looked back to see Minato pondering over a pile of paperwork, she smiled once again before calling the Hokage's attention.

"Hokage-sama"

"Hm?"

"Haruka once told Lady Tsunade, when she said she didn't want to be Hokage because of the paperwork, that the Hokage must be pretty dumb since they don't use Shadow Clones to do it faster. Perhaps you should take his advice." She said as she walked away leaving Minato stumped.

"HOW COME I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT!!!" He shouted as the Honoka disappeared into the darkness.