Chapter 17: The Dark Truth

In a dark room sat one man in a small chair.

He sat there all alone in the darkness of the office, he couldn't sleep. He was restless, anxious, worried.

He was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The third Hokage of Konoha and the God of Shinobi.

Huh, what an undeserving title. This was the worst night of his life, this night was even more brutual the the Kyubi's attack 15 years ago. That day they had fought against a Biju together.

But tonight, blood was being spilled in Konoha.

It was the blood of its own shinobi. It was not being attacked, but instead two of their loyal shinobi were killing their own comrades.

A tired sigh escaped from Hiruzen's lips, he felt rotten, he was ashamed of himself. He just wanted to go back in time and tell his sensei he didn't want to be a Hokage.

When he had become a Hokage he had sworn to protect Konoha, but even he was a human in the end and the mission that his surrogate grandson and his comrade were performing on his orders was the biggest and the most dangerous blackops operation in the history of Konoha.

It was the first SS rank mission, ever in the history of the Hidden Leaf village.

A cold shiver ran down Hiruzen's old body when he tried to think about what Naruto was going through right now.

That boy was killing his own friends, his teachers. his superiors and his own brothers in arms.

A tear rolled down Hiruzen's old wrinkled face as he knew this was just the beginning of Naruto's suffering. There was so much pain ahead for the blonde boy that it broke Hiruzen's heart.

He was furious at Danzo, he was the one who had done all this. But a part of Hiruzen blamed himself too, he was the one who had tolerated Danzo and his actions in the past and now he was paying the price for it.

The road to hell was paved with good intentions.

Today Danzo would meet his end along with his Root forces. Hiruzen was sure about it that Naruto would succeed, but he was also worried at the same time.

He had entrusted everything to the boy alone and he never hesitated. He was doing all of this considering it his mission to protect the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hiruzen knew he could just cover up this entire mission but he needed a sacrificial lamb.

Operation Ghost.

A suicidal mission with little to no chance of making back alive, but in order to protect Konoha from its real enemies Naruto will be branded as a traitor.

This was a very dirty game which Hiruzen knew he was playing. He was gambling with Naruto and Sai's life on the line.

He still remembered the last meeting he had with Naruto.

(Flashback : A few Hours Ago)

Hiruzen stood in his office, he was in his Hokage robes. It was very late but tonight was very crucial and the survival of Konoha was on the line.

Beside him stood his Anbu commander in his uniform. The man was stoic as usual and was standing in attention.

In front of him was his youngest Anbu captain and surrogate grandson Naruto. He was in his battle gear and his face was covered by his falcon Anbu mask, Hiruzen couldn't see how Naruto was doing as his feelings were hidden behind his mask.

But one thing Hiruzen could clearly see was the look in Naruto's eyes. They were dead and were not having a shred of feeling in them.

"Falcon, are you and your comrade ready for the mission?" asked the Anbu commander sternly

"Hai, Taichou." said Naruto seriously

The Anbu commander then motioned Hiruzen to further continue the briefing. Hiruzen gave a nod but instead of just standing in his place, he went forward and now stood in front of Naruto.

He put a hand on the young boy's shoulders in order to give him some comfort.

But Naruto's body was cold and stiff as a machine, his heartbeat was calm. It was as if he had made his peace.

"You are the commander of this operation Falcon, as planned you will silence the enemy tonight once and for all." instructed Hiruzen in a calm voice.

"Understood." said Naruto curtly

"But you and I both know that the real enemies are out there and we need to find and destroy them. You know what I mean." said Hiruzen curtly and Naruto nodded.

The contents of his mission were a top secret which no one was entitled to know. This was the only reason that he and Sai were executing Operation Ghost alone.

The less people that knew about it the better. Even though the Anbu were trusted soldiers of the Hokage but there were reports of many spies entering their blackops forces.

They didn't know who was a friend or who was foe. They were in total darkness here and the only ones they could trust was themselves.

"As of tonight, you will be branded as a S-ranked nuke nin and one of the biggest traitors of this village along with your comrade Sai Satou." said Hiruzen firmly, his voice was harsh but he knew this was necessary for the greater good.

"If you get caught, or if any of the details of this mission are leaked. We will deny any acquaintance with you and will disavow you and your actions. Is that clear?" asked Hiruzen strictly

"Yes, Hokage-sama." said Naruto firmly

"You will infiltrate behind enemy lines, you are the only ones who can do this. Find out the truth and report everything you can. The survival of Konoha depends on you boys. There are dark times ahead and the only ones I can trust is you." said Hiruzen sadly

"I will not let you down, Hokage-sama. I promise that even at the cost of my life I will do my duty." said Naruto honestly

Hiruzen embraced Naruto in a warm hug, words couldn't describe how broken his old heart was. This might be the last time he would be seeing Naruto. He had watched the boy grow up, how he had become strong, his love for his precious people and now this.

He wished none of this to happen ever again.

Naruto didn't return the hug at first and just stood motionless, but after a few moments his feelings started to surface. He knew he may never make it back alive from this mission and this might be the last time he would be seeing his Jiji.

He gently embraced his surrogate grandfather, a lone tear slipped from his eyes but it was never seen by anyone in the room due to his Anbu mask.

Both the men broke the hug after a few moments.

It was time for goodbye.

"Do you have any last wishes?'' asked the Anbu commander silently, somehow his voice was not harsh this time but was calm and a little sad.

"I have one." said Naruto firmly

"Speak freely." said Hiruzen kindly

"I want you to spare one Root Anbu." said Naruto hesitantly it was as if he feared the worst.

"Impossible, no one is going to be spared. These are your clear orders." said the Anbu commander harshly, his voice had a little anger in it now.

Hiruzen didn't lash out on Naruto, in all these years he knew the boy didn't ask for anything without a reason.

"Who is this person?" asked Hiruzen calmly

"Hokage-sama.." said the Anbu commander in protest but froze in fear when Hiruzen leaked a lot of KI and gave a cold look to him.

"SILENCE WOLF!" said Hiruzen loudly

The Anbu commander immediately shut his mouth, if the Hokage wanted to do something then he had no authority of raising any kind of protest.

"Her name is Rei." said Naruto calmly

Hiruzen was quite surprised when Naruto mentioned a female's name, what was going on?

"Why do you want to spare her? What is she to you?" asked Hiruzen suspicously

"She is..." said Naruto sadly

"Go on" said Hiruzen kindly

"I cannot tell you now Jiji...you'll understand everything when you see her." said Naruto in a begging voice

"Is she willingly taking part in Danzo's mission?" asked Hiruzen seriously

"Yes, but she is innocent. Please...I beg you just spare her Jiji." said Naruto sadly and dropped on his knees.

Hiruzen was now really shocked, Naruto never begged for anything. What was this person to him that he was begging to save her.

"You are free to spare her life." said Hiruzen seriously after a few moments.

Naruto's face immediately lit up in surprise and happiness. This was the first time Hiruzen could see some happiness on the teenage boy's face tonight.

"Thank you." said Naruto gratefully and gave a short bow.

"But she will be interrogated first and put under strict supervision by the Anbu blackops. I do trust you but until I can see for myself I cannot trust this girl." said Hiruzen firmly

"I understand." said Naruto calmly

Naruto then got up and gave one last salute to Hiruzen and the Anbu commander. He then turned around and got ready to leave.

Lots of feelings were running through Hiruzen's heart.

"Jiji...protect Rei. If anything happens to her..." said Naruto dangerously

"Falcon..." said the Anbu commander sternly

"I WILL UNLEASH THE NINE TAILED FOX ON THIS VILLAGE." said Naruto darkly and looked at both Hiruzen and the Anbu commander with his mangekyo sharingan.

"Is that a threat soldier?" asked the Anbu commander sternly, his hands were already on his sword and he was ready to kill Naruto if necessary.

Naruto turned around and told 4 words that further shocked Hiruzen and the Anbu commander.

"THIS IS A PROMISE!" said Naruto darkly and vanished with a shunshin

Hiruzen and the Anbu commander just stood there in shock.

They were walking on thin ice now.

(Flashback end)

Hiruzen just didn't understand why was this girl so important to Naruto?

That boy was willing to kill everyone but her.

What was she to him? Was she his friend?

Did Naruto love that girl?

So many possibilities and no answers in sight. But Hiruzen knew he just wanted one thing.

"Please come back alive."

"Kushina Uzumaki"

Kurama was shocked, his eyes were wide as saucers. Had he heard it right?

"What has she got to do with any of this mess?" asked Kurama irritatingly

"Its her chakra that is powering this curse mark. Danzo's normal curse seal which everyone in Root has cannot be applied to me because of you being sealed in me. And there were only two person in history who could keep you sealed with just the power of their chakra." explained Naruto briefly

"Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki." said Kurama silently, some things were starting to get clear in his mind.

"Yes, those two women had such strong chakra that even you were helpless. Jiji told me about this and even though I am their descendant I don't have such powerful chakra like theirs, the only thing that is holding you in me is my father's seal which he made with the help of the Shingami." said Naruto calmly

"But both Mito and Kushina are dead. I watched both of them die in front of my eyes." argued Kurama in confusion

"Yes, they are dead." said Naruto sadly

"Then how does Danzo possess Kushina's chakra?" asked Kurama curiously

"I don't know...When I interrogated Torune in my genjutsu I came to know that in the past Danzo did something with my mother. You remember our talk with Koharu?" asked Naruto seriously

"That old bat you killed? What has she got to do with this?" asked Kurama seriously

"She mentioned that Danzo had a secret base in the village which only he and Orochimaru knew about. Knowing Orochimaru and his twisted experiments he must have helped Danzo in making this type of curse seal. But I don't know when Danzo put this curse seal on me." said Naruto in confusion

"But how come those bastards get your mother's chakra if she was dead?" asked Kurama angrily

"(sigh) You forgot Kurama. Jinchuriki are not normal humans, their bodies are different. Even after their deaths their chakra network remains active for a few months. Its just like the human brain, whenever a person dies the brain remains alive for a few months and runs on the little energy that it has in its nodes. Jinchuriki's chakra network is the same. The Uzumaki clan possessed a very strong chakra as they were related to the Senju and were the direct descendants of the Sage of Six paths." explained Naruto in detail

"I see, now it all makes sense. That Uchiha tablet you read was indeed very helpful. The Sage really left his legacy behind." said Kurama seriously

"Indeed." said Naruto firmly

A small smile came on Naruto's face as he remembered the things he had found when he had read that ancient tablet.

He had found a solution to cure his blindness. Now he just had to be patient and wait for the right time to gather his resources.

Before embarking on this mission he had found out about every truth of his life. Hiruzen had told him all about his ancestry.

Words couldn't describe how shocked Naruto was when he realized he was the great-grandnephew of Uchiha Madara. The man was a legend and was the most powerful Uchiha in history.

He was totally surprised that his father Namikaze Minato was an Uchiha, even Kurama was shocked.

Though the Biju was furious when the truth came out and didn't talk with Naruto for weeks. But with time he calmed down and understood that Naruto was not like Madara but just was related to him.

It was not his fault.

"Kurama, how was my mother able to control your power. You are the strongest Biju in this world, your power is immesaurbale. How can she just hold you down without the Reaper Death Seal of the Shingami?" asked Naruto in confusion

"It's because her chakra was poisonous." said Kurama sagely

"Poisonous?" asked Naruto in confusion

"Kushina was one of a kind. She was able to hold me down with the help of her chakra chains primarily." explained Kurama

"Chakra chains?" asked Naruto curiously

"Yes, they were the strongest types of chains that got power from her chakra and her life force. She did have a seal too but I was helpless against the power of her chakra chains." said Kurama bitterly as he didn't like when someone overpowered him.

"But your chakra is so powerful." argued Naruto

"It is, but Kushina and Mito's chakra destroyed my chakra in small proportions. Kushina's chakra chains were like acid, they burned my energy and if I tried to move they would slice my skin off like acid. They had extraordinary power, also a Jinchuriki's chakra is harmful to another Jinchuriki and it seems that Danzo knew this." explained Kurama briefly

"So he somehow utilized my mother's chakra to empower his curse seal and increase its strength. My mother's chakra destroyed your chakra and it seems Danzo curse seal's mechanism destroys my cells which can ultimately lead to my death. The more I use your chakra the more my cells burn, in a way he has restrained me from using much of your power." said Naruto bitterly

"You got the hang of it. You didn't think that he would trust you to be loyal to him, did you?" asked Kurama sarcastically

"No, that man may be a lunatic but he knows people better. So this was also one of his counter plans to stop me if I betrayed him." said Naruto analytically

"One of?" asked Kurama in confusion

"Yes." said Naruto angrily

"Does it have something to do with that girl, what was her name, Rei?" asked Kurama curiously

"Yes, I had asked Sai to find out about the base that Danzo and Orochimaru had used in the past." said Naruto seriously

"And?" asked Kurama anxiously

"He did find the base, it was right beneath the Naka River." said Naruto shocking Kurama

"An underground base in a river, it must have been very costly and dangerous to make such a base. What did they want to do in it?" asked Kurama anxiously

"Sai found the truth." said Naruto darkly

"The truth?" asked Kurama confusedly

"Danzo created my replacement." said Naruto shocking Kurama to the core

"You don't mean..." said Kurama hesitantly, he couldn't believe what he just found out.

"Yes..." said Naruto sadly

"I'm sorry..Naruto." said Kurama sadly for the first time in his existence

"Now you understand why I cannot kill her." said Naruto with deep regret in his voice

"Did Danzo use...?" asked Kurama slowly

"Yes...it is exactly what you think it is." said Naruto angrily

"I see" said Kurama silently

"He created someone whom I can never kill...and if my life is an example she must be very strong. That bastard he made me kill my brother, my friends, my teachers, my comrades and now this atrocity. I swear it on my life Kurama I'll kill that bastard even if it costs me my life." said Naruto darkly

"We will kill him tonight. I, Kurama promise you to get your vengeance tonight." said Kurama with determination

Naruto slowly got up, he was in pain but his will to fight, his will to kill Danzo was stronger than ever.

"Naruto..they are coming." said Sai seriously

The smoke started to clear and there stood in front of Sai and Naruto the entire Root Anbu force.

There were approximately 200 of them left and all of them were ready to kill.

Fu and Torune were in the front and were leading the forces.

Sai and Naruto looked at each other, both the boys nodded.

This was it, this was their final fight with Root, one which they will not lose at any cost.

"Let's do this Sai" said Naruto fiercely

The Root Anbu started charging towards them at great speed.

The KI went of the roof.

The tension increased.

The heartbeats became faster.

The sound of footsteps on the ground was getting louder with each passing moment.

Naruto's Mangekyo Sharingan flared dangerously and his chakra went of the charts.

The pain didn't matter.

He was fearless.

He was ruthless.

He would not fail.

He would not stop.

"Get ready for my Final SUSANOO!" yelled Naruto loudly

Naruto Uchiha's quest for vengeance had begun!