Preparations

Pitter patter.

Soft rain fell on the day. A cry of a child echoed in the air, breaking through the sounds of the atmosphere.

"Grandpa… nnh… sniffs… grandpa…"

Konohamaru Sarutobi, Lord Third grandson's cried his heart out. He kneeled on the damped dirt, not caring of the stain on his clothes.

Asuma, Hiruzen's son, stood next to him blowing out a puff of smoke from the cigarette he's smoking. He gently placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder, hoping that both of them could get through their loss and grief.

Naruto felt a tugging in his heart, feeling deeply affected by seeing the child crying over his grandpa.

Danzo, Homura and Koharu stood on the other side.

"To think you would leave first…" Koharu muttered with a hint of deep sadness. All of them were in the same squad back in their shinobi days, and had been fighting in missions and wars together for most of their lives. Despite the disagreements in political matters at times and decisions about the village, Hiruzen was still their lifelong friend.

Danzo looked down at the tombstone carved with Hiruzen's name.

Hiruzen, your sacrifice won't be in vain. I will protect Konoha and do what you failed to do.

Danzo still had remorse over contributing to Hiruzen's death. But it was a choice he made, for the sake of Konoha.

Perhaps there were accidents in his calculations, and Danzo admitted it inwardly. But in a way, Orochimaru would have attacked Konoha regardless, and with what had happened, Danzo didn't exactly contribute much to the destruction of Konoha so he didn't feel guilty.

Naruto looked at Lord Third tombstone, and at the thousands of others. The cries and wails of many people losing their family and friends. Naruto looked at Tsuyu at his side. He wondered how he would feel if she were gone. No. He didn't want to think about it.

Tsuyu noticed Naruto's gaze.

"What's the matter?"

"... Nothing."

Naruto felt silly in a sense. Tsuyu was way stronger than he was. If anything, Tsu-chan was the one who would be worried about him. That's why Naruto was determined to be better and stronger.

Naruto turned to the other side, looking at Sasuke meters away. He was standing there, holding the umbrella all alone.

Sasuke still looked lonely as ever… Naruto wanted to pull him to stand near him. He didn't like seeing him lonely. He knew how that felt like… But still, it was only what he felt. He lacked the courage to show his feelings openly for now.

As the funeral ceremony ended, many left, leaving behind some people still mourning over their losses.

Naruto noticed Sasuke was also leaving. He remembered that Sasuke's home was entirely gone, and that it was at the farthest side of the village too. So Sasuke had been sleeping at the temporary camps and Sasuke's home might be the last to be rebuilt.

"Sasuke…!"

Naruto's feet moved on his own, catching up to him.

"What." Sasuke's annoyed voice seemed usual, but it was just the way he talked. He already considered Naruto a friend inside.

"Your home was… well, gone right…"

"... Yeah. It would take some time for the place to be rebuilt."

"Then…" Naruto fidgets slightly, but decided to still speak his heart.

"You can stay over at my place for a while." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. He never had someone slept over in his home, so he was quite nervous himself.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with expectation. Sasuke was surprised at Naruto's invitation, but a part of him wanted to refuse. He just didn't want to open up. It was scary… not after the losses he experienced.

"It would be troublesome. I am doing just fine. I am leaving." Sasuke turned around quickly, wanting to leave. But Naruto quickly grabbed his shoulders.

"Hey! Just stay over!"

"Naruto, I said no."

"Come onnnn!"

"No."

They bantered over and over again, but each time Naruto became more and more insistent, already clinging to Sasuke who's trying to run away. Tsuyu went over to see the commotion.

Tsuyu stepped in finally. "Our house is big enough. Just stay with us." She said casually.

Sasuke bit his lips for a second, looking at Naruto, then at Tsuyu. He turned his face away, and finally gave up and muttered a yes. A part of him felt reluctant, but, a part of him also felt a sense of acceptance.

"Great! But warning, I snore very loud! Hehe." Naruto made a joke trying to scare Sasuke.

"What. Then I refuse." Sasuke turned around, trying to leave again. Though he too was joking somewhat.

"H-Hey! I didn't snore, I swear! I was just joking!"

"I bet you snored so loud the neighbours were complaining, dobe."

"I don't! It's you who does it!"

Tsuyu let out a light smirk upon seeing the two. In a sense, the two are like brothers, she supposes. She wasn't exactly an affectionate person with Naruto and over the years there was a gap between them in that sense. Having another person who Naruto could emotionally bond with would be great to him.

"Naruto, you can return with Sasuke first. I have a meeting to go to."

"Okay!"

Tsuyu then turned to leave, heading towards Root's Headquarters. But as he walked a few meters away from the two, he felt a gaze towards her. She turned her head to see a crow perching on a pole line. The bloody red eyes of the crow met with Tsuyu's eyes for a second before it flapped its wings away.

Tsuyu sighed. It was just a bird…

She didn't think much about it. Maybe she was just feeling a little stressed over all that happened and towards the future that would be coming.

***

"You found a friend…" the figure hidden in a shadow muttered to himself as he saw through the crow's eyes. The same red iris reflected in the figure, though three magatama patterns adorned the iris.

Kill your best friend. And you would obtain the power to even have a chance against me.

The figure already made a plan in his mind. To prevent Akatsuki's goal from accomplishing, and for Sasuke to be safe and gain power at the same time. Though it would be some time before he could approach them.

Tsuyu, it seemed I had to be selfish. Perhaps you would come to kill me as well…

He remembered how the talk he had with Tsuyu did change a part of his thinking. How the village, without his family, wouldn't be worth living in. Sasuke was his only family left, and unfortunately, he had to take another's away for his own...

The red eyes glowed as the 3 magatama pattern spun and combined into a three-pronged windmill constantly spinning, containing deep killing intent.

***

Tsuyu was unaware that the chill behind her back was not from the gloomy weather. As he entered Root HQ, he quickly kneeled on one knee seeing Danzo already waiting with Captain Kaito.

"Tsuyu, from now on you would be dismissed from doing missions for ANBU. You are to train and focus on gaining strength. You lack combat experience against high-level opponents that you would meet on the battlefield as the jinchuriki. I had arranged for a different Jonin-level combat specialist for you. Absorb all you could. After your spar, I will guide you with your ninjutsu and fuinjutsu."

"Yes!" Tsuyu agreed outright. She, too, had the same plan in mind. She didn't feel strong enough to face the upcoming war.

"And I would like you to accompany me to the council meetings at some point upon my instruction. You have a bright mind. I would want you to learn more than just being a shinobi - but as a part of a bigger war that would come." Danzo already considered Tsuyu as a successor of some sort, as he took her as his personal disciple. He would want Tsuyu to know the brutality of war - though Tsuyu already did.

"For now, you can spar with Kaito. I will return after a meeting."

"Yes, Danzo-sama!" Tsuyu saluted as Danzo left. Kaito quickly led Tsuyu to the training hall to begin their training. Kaito, as per instruction, didn't hold anything back, even using his blades to ensure Tsuyu gained as much as possible.

Tsuyu wasn't a coward either. Despite cuts and injuries, her healing factor and medical nin nearby always kept Tsuyu's condition in check. Tsuyu never complained, as she was willing to go through this pain to gain strength for herself and to survive, eventually.

"Kaito-senpai, I could use shadow clones to fight with the other's aswell. Please allow me. It would accelerate my learning."

Tsuyu just had the thought. Kaito thought for a second and nodded. He called on the other Jonin-level shinobi around, and Tsuyu divided almost half of her chakra to create 2 other shadow clones that would last for a very long time fighting.

In the evening, after some rest, Danzo came to guide Tsuyu in Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu. Danzo was one of the people that was well versed in Fuin Shiki - proven by the fact that he mastered Reverse Four Symbol Sealing on his body, paralysis sealing, and even the seals implanted onto the tongue of each Root member were embedded by him personally.

He wanted Tsuyu to master Flying Raijin the most. But from what he observed, Tsuyu's intelligence was very high, but it couldn't reach the level of Minato and would take a few years if Tsuyu only solely focused on it as he observed Tsuyu's training with the seals. But it would be inefficient, as the need for battle power cannot wait.

Danzo sighed inwardly. Even he couldn't use Flying Raijin despite trying to learn it for years. Hiruzen, whose intelligence was also very high that he could learn and master all nature transformation, also couldn't use it.

So, while he felt disappointed that Tsuyu wasn't a genius enough to learn it fast, he didn't put it to heart.

"Tsuyu, I had a suitable forbidden Sealing Technique for you. You had a high spiritual energy, and I believe you could use it very well. It was called the Mad Puppet Sealing Technique. You would be able to use it on the enemy to use your soul to infiltrate and control the movement of their body once you placed the seal on them. But you also could control your own body with your own soul, no matter whether your body was torn apart or poisoned as long as your mind and will remain strong."

The technique was a derivative of Spirit Transformation technique, though it was a downgraded version due to needing a seal to be performed. But the seal also acts as a pseudo chakra string towards the body physically, thus creating a puppet out of one's own body or the enemy. As long as a jutsu didn't affect the chakra network deeply enough, Tsuyu's strong chakra could theoretically overpower most control and paralysis effects by forcefully puppeteering her own body, even with torn muscles and broken bones.

Tsuyu's eyes brightened at hearing the offer. She did lack countermeasures against various poisons or techniques that could lock her down.

"Thank you for your generosity, Danzo-sama." She bowed in respect.

"You are the hope of Konoha's future. The enemy villages already made their movements from what our intel gathered. We should only have a few months before Kumogakure makes their move first."

Iron ore shipments, rising arms production, a surge in sailing ships carrying cargoes, forge orders in the Land of Iron and neighbouring countries, and black market reports all point to one conclusion: every nation was preparing for war.

Kumogakure, being the strongest out of the 3 other nations, would definitely make a move first - and Iwa would follow, with Suna joining the last or possibly in alliance with Iwa in this war. At least, that was what Danzo and the council thought.

"You can return now and learn the basics of the jutsu first. Once you do, I will guide you further tomorrow."

"Yes, Danzo-sama. I will do my best."

Tsuyu returned home to read the scroll and further practice. Despite her body being out of stamina from the bloody fights she had in the morning, she never stopped. She will survive this, she thought.

***