Chapter 278 - Daichi's Request & Investigations

Hiruzen looked at the Genin in front of him and clasped his fingers. "Speak your mind Daichi."

The Genin looked at the Hokage's calm expression and he had a feeling the old man had an inkling as to what he was going to talk about. 'I need to make sure this doesn't sound like a demand. I have to take the diplomatic approach and see where that leads me.'

"Naruto deserves to know the truth about his parents."

'So he knows. I suppose that shouldn't come as a surprise to me.' Hiruzen calmly gazed at the boy and was quiet for several seconds. Seeing that Daichi had a similar stoic face, the old man asked him a question. "I won't insult your intelligence by pretending not to know what you're talking about. I'm curious though. How did you find out?"

"I did some… extensive research during the last few years. And I did study about the human body and genetics with Lady Tsunade. Inherited traits such as eye color, hair color, shape of the cheek bones, earlobes. They're easy to identify. I found a few pictures of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki and noted the similarities between them and Naruto." Daichi decided to be straightforward and answered the kage.

"You realize that their connection to Naruto is a highly protected secret right?" Hiruzen's tone had a slight edge to it but Daichi stood firm and wasn't intimidated.

"Yes. It's why I haven't shared this with anyone but you since I found out." Daichi replied in a cool, calm tone.

Hiruzen let out a deep breath of air and leaned back in his chair. After a few moments of silence he spoke. "You're right. He deserves to know the truth. But do you think this is the correct time? Do you think he's ready right now?"

'He's testing me.' Daichi kept a calm face and after a couple seconds of silence he replied. "Right now, tonight is not the time. He already has a lot to process. But excuses can always be found to delay this conversation with him. The sooner he knows the better."

"Why do you think that?"

Daichi looked at the old man and slightly narrowed his eyes. 'This guy. Asking me a question he already knows the answer to.'

Daichi kept his thoughts to himself and indulged the Hokage. "The secret about the Nine tails was kept hidden from him. I'm assuming you were waiting to tell him about it after he reached a certain age or rank. But that didn't happen. He found out about it in one of the worst ways possible. It was only luck that everything worked out in the end... If an enemy finds out about his lineage and uses it against him in the field like today, there is a chance he might not be so lucky that time. He needs information to make informed decisions about his life..."

Hiruzen looked at the boy silently contemplating his next move. "I'm aware of the situation and I understand your concerns Daichi. But right now, the truth about Naruto's parents must remain a secret. I will tell him when he becomes stronger and more mature. This is for his own protection."

"He is strong. He is stronger than you think." Daichi said with a small tone. "Enduring the hatred of an entire community since childhood without even knowing the reason and the fact that he can still genuinely smile and be good to others… It might not seem like much from an outside perspective but that takes an unbelievable amount of willpower and strength."

Hiruzen internally sighed and his clasped palms slightly tightened. The secret about the Nine tails getting out was one of his many failures in the last decade. As Hiruzen sat quietly, Daichi's next words somewhat shocked him.

"But I guess such is life for those like him. All Jinchuriki are hated by their villages after all…" Daichi said, looking straight at the Hokage.

The old kage didn't expect the boy to know so much. 'Jinchuriki aren't exactly a secret but ordinary people and most Genins and even some Chunins shouldn't know about it.'

"How much do you know about Jinchuriki?" Hiruzen asked the boy

"From what I found, I was able to paint a rough picture. They are used as weapons of war. Have incredible power and can change the tides of battle. But despite all this they are feared and hated by their villages. Some see them as walking time bombs."

Daichi revealed a broad outline of his knowledge and nothing more. 'If I tell him specifics like their identity or that the Hidden cloud village treats Bee better he'll get a lot more suspicious and cautious. This vague answer is better.'

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes as he looked at the boy. "I see you've been poking around where you shouldn't."

"I did a lot more than just train medical ninjutsu during my time at the capital. I wanted to know more about the world. About the life I was stepping into and the enemies I might come across. Information is a valuable tool after all…"

"Did Kensei help you with this?"

Daichi shook his head. "No. I found out about all this on my own."

Hiruzen was keeping a close watch on Daichi's chakra and realized that he was telling the truth. He inwardly groaned as he gazed at the boy. 'Kids today. They think they know everything.'

"We're getting off topic. About his parents… Are you going to tell him?" Hiruzen asked the Genin.

"I will after he passes the Graduation test with his team." Daichi replied, looking straight at the kage.

"And if I told you not to…?"

"Are you making it an order?"

Hiruzen was silent for a few moments and then spoke. "Yes. Let Naruto focus on himself first. He already has enough on his plate. Don't tell him anything."

Daichi looked at the stern face of the kage and sighed. He nodded his head and spoke. "I will obey your orders."

"Good… Now about Mizuki. What have you learned from your fight with him?" The Hokage asked changing the topic.

"He's definitely in contact or had contact with Orochimaru. I'm pretty sure he's the one who gave him the formula to create the drug that induced such a transformation."

"It could also be someone else… That's a possibility isn't it…?"

"It is possible but Mizuki himself confessed that his power was Orochimaru's doing. If I had to make a guess I'd say Mizuki wanted the Forbidden scroll as an offering so he could join Orochimaru's protection after leaving the village."

"I see… What about his condition right now? Will he survive?"

At that question Daichi was silent for a few moments before answering. "His cells have suffered serious damage and his lifespan has severely decreased. He won't live past a few months in his condition. If additional stress is placed on his body then that time frame dwindles even more."

"I understand." Hiruzen nodded. He would need to tell Ibiki and Anko to adjust their interrogation tactics. 'It seems Inoichi will be better suited for his interrogation.'

"Is that all Daichi?" Hiruzen asked, seeing the thoughtful expression on the boy's face.

"No sir. There is one more matter I would like to speak with you about. It's more of a request."

The kage was silent and nodded his head.

"Kakashi sensei. I think it would be best if you assigned him to Sasuke's team."

Hiruzen sighed hearing that. "I take it this is because he awakened his Sharingan during the fight."

Daichi nodded. "Yes. There is no one else that can teach Sasuke to utilize the Sharingan. I've already learned plenty from Kakashi sensei. But now I think he would be better suited to lead Sasuke."

Hiruzen looked at the Genin's face and understood that Daichi gave this matter a serious forethought. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Daichi nodded with a resolute gaze. 'After everything that happened in the forest, I know for sure this old man will place Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura together. But right now there is no Jonin I trust with them other than Kakashi. He's the key that made Team 7 special. And after a whole year of sparring with me, he's a lot stronger than his canon counterpart. So even if something unexpected happens I can count on him to protect them. If today has taught me anything it's that I should be prepared for the worst case scenario.'

Hiruzen was silent and then nodded his head. He had been thinking along those lines ever since the incident ended. "I'll speak with Kakashi and make a decision in a few days."

"I understand."

"If that's all, you're dismissed. I have much to attend to."

Daichi nodded and left the room. Outside he saw Sasuke waiting for him.

"Did everyone else leave?" Daichi asked his friend.

The Uchiha nodded. "Iruka sensei took everyone home. I said I'd wait for you here."

Daichi nodded. "Come on. Let's finish that report so I can get some sleep."

Sasuke smirked and the two left the tower.

—-

Leaf Correctional Facility.

'I thought someone turned traitor and helped them escape but this… Still, I can't rule out that possibility.' The member of the Hokage's guard platoon looked grim as he surveyed the scene.

Special Jonin Raido and several of his colleagues examined the bodies of Kirai and the two other guards in the ground. 'Why did the prison have such a small number of guards? Shouldn't there have been more?'

A medic ninja examining the bodies spoke up. "Kirai died with his throat slashed and from examining the wound I'm sure a sharp ninja wire with Wind chakra running through them was used. The other two have poison in their system but they came from another direction."

Raido nodded and stood from his spot. As he looked around he noticed several more bodies around the prison. But these were prisoners based on their outfits. "Get me the logs for the prison."

A chunin nodded to Raido's orders and disappeared. As they investigated the area the chunin returned and handed Raido what he wanted.

'Kirai was the one with the most senior authority in the prison. He must have known or at least suspected something was wrong.'

Raido examined the document and went through everything with a keen eye. 'Kirai was the one who put in the request for minimal guards on this day and he also made the request for the new recruits to be assigned today… That can't be a coincidence… So that means he knew…'

Raido turned to the Anbu ninjas near him. "Kirai is involved in this prison break. I'm not sure how… I'm going to his home to investigate."

The Anbu ninja nodded and turned to his colleagues. "Let's bring his friends and other guards for questioning. We need to find out if anyone else is compromised."

Raido and a small team of Chunins left the prison and soon reached Kirai's home. He quickly scanned the area and made sure there were no hidden traps and then entered the building.

"Search every inch of this place." The chunin under Raido nodded and began going over everything. Raido looked around and as he was about to head into Kirai's bedroom a chunin called out to him. "I found something."

'That was fast.'

"It's not a trap. I've checked." The Chunin said, holding up a small scroll.

"Where was it?" Raido asked the man.

"It was in his desk. It wasn't locked. The note on top of it that says 'If anything goes wrong'..."

Raido took the scroll and opened it. He examined what was written and his eyes widened as he kept reading. "That fool." He couldn't help but curse as he finished reading. .

"What is it, Raido?"

"That idiot Kirai is one of the reasons we're in this mess. He helped Mizuki." He turned to the chunin and handed him the scroll. "Take this to Lord Hokage and update him on the situation."

The Chunin nodded and vanished with the body flicker jutsu.

—-

Interrogation Department.

In a large room, the prisoners who fought Iruka and his students were unconscious and strapped to a table. Several Yamanaka members were going through the memories of Seijo, Haroshi and Zefrek with Ibiki and Inoichi Yamanaka overseeing the whole process.

"It's still surprising that those kids were able to subdue these three without getting seriously injured. It seems the new crop of graduates might be better than I thought." Ibiki said as he looked at the three ninjas who were having their minds read.

Inoichi had a small smile as he recalled the scene of hugging his daughter at the Hokage tower. "Yes. You know, I was worried for a while about my daughter's graduation and Genin days but now… Those fears are somewhat gone."

Then Inoichi's smile slowly left his face. "I still can't believe Mizuki would have the guts to do this. He was a teacher at the academy. We should have caught him sooner."

"There was already suspicion about his involvement in a death during a mission he participated in, a few years ago. We had no concrete evidence but Lord Hokage felt that limiting his movements was the best option at the time." Ibiki replied in his gruff voice.

"There are rumors among the Jonins that he's connected to Orochimaru."

Ibiki had a grim expression as he nodded. "You'll need to find that out and anything else he knows. Due to his poor condition I can't employ my best tactics so Lord Hokage has asked you for this. We need to know if Mizuki's attack and everything else that happened tonight was just a distraction or not. If he's planning an attack on the village, things could spiral out of control quickly."

"Lord Hokage has already put the village on Level 1 emergency alert and increased the patrol units and Anbu teams stationed around the village. Mizuki is being prepped for interrogation as we speak. I'll head over and begin once I have a report from the team here."

At that moment the Yamanaka member going through Zefrek's memories ended his jutsu and went to Inoichi and Ibiki.

"Report." Ibiki ordered and the shinobi told them what he had found out. After sharing what he knew the ninja went back to work.

"So he's been preparing for months…I have something special in mind for Zefrek for all the mess he made." Ibiki said with a chilling grin.

Just then a Chunin came into the room and bowed. "Captain Ibiki, Master Inoichi. Lord Hokage has ordered all team captains of Chunin rank and above to convene in the tower as quickly as possible. He also specifically asked for two of you."

"We understand." Ibiki nodded and glanced at his friend.

The chunin left and Inoichi sighed. "This hasn't happened in a while. But then again with everything that happened today, it's not surprising. It seems the Anbu squads will be keeping an eye on things till this meeting is over."

The two interrogation specialists headed to the Hokage tower and soon saw numerous ninjas gathering.

—-

With Kakashi and his group.

"We managed to capture most of them. The remaining few are hiding in the forest. The tracking teams will find them soon." The copy cat ninja said as he handed over an unconscious prisoner to the patrol squad.

"Man, I was looking forward to a relaxing day before the team assignments started but I guess it can't be helped." Asuma said as he secured his knuckle dusters into his pouch.

The Jonins suddenly heard the sound of a hawk flying above their heads and quickly began making their way back to the village.

"You know, I'm actually looking forward to teaching. They have potential." Kurenai gave her thoughts as she jumped through the trees.

"Well, they are clan heirs and they've had better training. I guess a certain level of skill is expected… But still… They sure did surprise me." Asuma said with a chuckle. He was looking forward to taking the Ino-Shika-Cho team under his wing.

The former guardian twelve ninja then turned to the silver haired Jonin who was engrossed in his orange book. "Hey Kakashi. I overheard the kids talking earlier. They said Sasuke's Sharingan awakened. You think dad's gonna switch you to his team?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure what Lord Hokage's decision is going to be… Guess I'll find out in a day or two." The silver haired ninja replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"But do you think that's fair to Daichi? Switching you with someone else right now… Would that affect his performance in the field?"

"Kurenai makes a valid point Kakashi. You've known him for a year now. What do you think?"

At Asuma and Kurenai's questions Kakashi became silent and thought about his student. He had a small smile as he knew Daichi could handle it. "He'll be fine. He's a mature kid and knows that it's the logical thing to do. Even if it's another Jonin leading him, it won't affect his performance in the field."

The Jonin's quickly reached the Hokage tower and made their way to the meeting room. As Kakashi entered the small hall, he saw the Hokage at the front with the two elder councilors behind him. He also noted the presence of Ibiki, Inoichi and other major figures including the Anbu captain.

'There are a lot of people here but they must be squad captains. To call for this meeting so quickly... It looks like Lord Hokage wants to make sure no one spreads the wrong narrative and no blame falls upon Naruto.'

Asuma, Kurenai and other Jonins looked around and noted the presence of several important individuals. 'This meeting will either be short or really long…' Asuma inwardly sighed as he stood and looked at his father.

Hiruzen looked at the people present and decided to get started. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I'll be quick. I've called you all here to update you on the current events that took place in the village. The Chunin Mizuki was the one responsible for all the chaos tonight."

All the ninjas paid close attention to the kage's words. Most of them only knew bits and pieces of information so far.

Hiruzen turned towards Inoichi's direction. "Tell us what you've found out from the prisoners."

The head of the Yamanaka clan stepped forward and revealed his findings. "From reading Zefrek's mind and going through his memories it looks like Mizuki approached him months ago. He wanted Zefrek's help to take control of the prison on this day and cause chaos in the village while leaving with the Forbidden scroll. Their plan was to go to Orochimaru and hide under his protection. This was all Mizuki's plan. He deceived a prison guard to get access to the prisoner and Zefrek killed that guard. Zefrek also found a couple of people and formed a team. The explosions that occurred around the village were the doing of another group of prisoners. Mizuki supplied them with ninja gear shortly after the Genin exams were over and Zefrek had four prisoners set off the explosives to divert our attention."

Hiruzen nodded and turned to Raido. "Share with us what you have found."

The Elite bodyguard nodded and began speaking. "Kirai was the prison guard who was compromised. I've searched his house. He had a vendetta against Naruto and agreed to help Mizuki. They began planning this since last October. Kirai was the one who requested minimal guards at the prison today. Mizuki would have Naruto steal the scroll and have him come to the Eastern Canyon where the escaped Zefrek would kill him and Kirai would capture Zefrek. But obviously things didn't go that way. Kirai noted down the details in a scroll as a contingency in case anything went wrong and we'd know what happened. As far as he knows there aren't any other guards involved. I don't think he knew about Mizuki's connection to Orochimaru."

Hiruzen nodded and Raido stepped back. He then addressed everyone. "Mizuki and his three accomplices were defeated by Iruka and the new Genins along with Daichi. The forbidden scroll is secured. He's currently in interrogation."

Homura, who was standing to Hiruzen's right, looked at the Captain of the patrol squad. "Have all the prisoners been recaptured?"

"Almost. We were able to catch most of them. But there are still a few in hiding. But the tracking squads are on them. It's only a matter of hours before we have everyone under custody." The squad captain replied.

"What about the civilians?" Koharu asked.

"They're safe. Since the damage the explosions caused are minimal we're also in the process of rebuilding the destroyed structures. It'll be completed before morning."

Hiruzen nodded and then gazed at the head of the Leaf village barrier division. "Has anyone entered or exited the barrier?"

"Aside from the few prisoners that escaped, no one has left. And no one suspicious has entered. We're keeping a close eye on it."

The man replied and Hiruzen turned his attention to the rest of the ninjas. "Good. I'll be keeping the village on high alert. As you may have heard, Mizuki has ties to Orochimaru. We don't know if he's directly involved in this or if he plans to do anything in this chaos. So be on high alert. I'll lift the emergency protocols in the morning if nothing happens. Until then be prepared for anything. Dismissed."

As everyone left, Hiruzen went back to his office. As he opened the door he saw Danzo standing near the window. The old kage had a frown as he looked at the man. Danzo was gazing at the village through the glass window and he had a stoic gaze.

"Danzo. This is a surprise. I didn't think you'd be here." Hiruzen spoke with a slight edge as he gazed at the man.

"Circumstances have changed…" The old warhawk said nothing more as his eyes roamed the village. He saw many teams moving about and slowly turned to face his old teammate. "If Mizuki had escaped with that scroll, it would have had terrible consequences for the village. I'm glad he was stopped in time."

"Why are you here?" Hiruzen asked calmly.

"Despite what you may believe, I have the village's interests at heart."

The old kage visibly sighed and shook his head. "I don't have time to hear this. I have a lot to deal with." He went to his seat and started going through the documents.

"I'm aware…" Danzo said with a slightly narrowed eye. "I know you have my men in custody. I would like you to release them."

The old kage raised an eyebrow as he looked at the one-eyed man standing in front of him. "I have no idea what you're talking about? And since when do you have any ninjas under you? I thought I ordered Root to be disbanded that night all those years ago."

Danzo looked into Hiruzen's eyes and realized that the man was angry beneath his calm facade. "Let's not waste anymore of each other's time. You know that Root is still active. You'd have to be completely incompetent if you didn't. There is a reason I sent those two to sabotage that mission."

Even without the specifics, Hiruzen knew what he was talking about. "Are you here trying to justify your actions? Justify why you refused a direct order from me?"

"Yes."

Hiruzen was slightly taken back by the calm yet firm reply. His gazed steeled as he stared at the man. "You have some nerve... Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you in chains and in interrogation alongside that traitor Mizuki right now?"

"I'll give you two. Right now you have more important things to focus on than me and the Root. Orochimaru is a dangerous man. You'll need to keep your attention on him."

Hiruzen clenched his jaw as he heard the man. Danzo then slowly took out a scroll from his sleeve and placed it atop the desk. "That's the second reason. Read it when you have the time. You'll understand why I do what I do… I won't take up any more of your time… Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen's eyes were on the plain scroll that was in front of him even as Danzo left the office. He reached out and slowly opened it and began going through. His eyes widened and he gritted his teeth as he looked at the information in the scroll but soon he calmed down and he had a stoic gaze.

'He always has an excuse... I'll need to find out and see the authenticity of this information before I make a decision. But that can wait.'