It had been three days since the end of the Konoha civil war.
The list of dead were in the hundreds.
The list of wounded hadn't been compiled yet.
After the defeat of the Hyuuga clan Naruto organized whatever troops he could and placed them on guard duty in and around Konoha to keep any from leaving, and to keep spies from entering. The longer he could keep news of the civil war under wraps the better.
It came as something of a surprise the boon that Naruto had been granted by Danzo's death however. The dead had been gathered by the survivors of Danzo's Root Anbu, a group which was far easier to keep in line now that the old war hawk was dead. They were also quite…obedient now that they had no master to follow. They were fast becoming Naruto's primary black-ops specialist. He was tasking them above most to keep the reports of the carnage he had caused under wraps, especially that of the clan heads.
He had also acted accordingly, accepting missions no lower than C rank and no greater than B rank to keep the currency flowing while hiding the ninja he was assigning the missions as Chuunin, when in reality they were Anbu and Jounin from both his faction and the surviving ROOT Anbu. While their currency had been cut nearly by half of their former intake Naruto estimated that if they could keep word of their condition a secret for at least two weeks the next stages of his plan could be taken into action.
He stood from his chair in what had now unofficially become his office. The Hokage's office, so as not to stir up unwanted resentment from some of the remaining citizens he had decided to wait before declaring himself the Gondaime.
He remembered what had happened just the other day when he had stepped into this office again after the Hyuuga estate..
Jiraiya had been waiting for him, his clothes slightly torn and bloody from the battle he had been involved in.
Flashback.
The toad sannin stared at the blond teenagers slightly disheveled appearance and tossed him a hat that was on the table beside him. Naruto caught the piece of headwear with a lazy hand and stared at it blankly, the symbol of fire staring right back at him.
He looked back at the Toad sannin. "Congratulations." He said simply.
"Hn." Naruto said staring at the symbol for a good long while nt really knowing what to say or feel.
The toad sannin stood and walked up to the blond. Placing an arm onto his shoulder he spoke seriously. "I think…if you ever feel like you don't know what to do just ask yourself…'What would he do in this situation?' And the answer will come to you."
That said he continued walking, opening and closing the door with a soft click.
Flashback end:
He looked over to the hat that rested at a stand. He stood and walked over to it, he took the article of clothing and stared at it again for a few moments.
'Am I worthy of this?' He silently contemplated. He walked to the balcony and stared out at the city of Konoha. He remembered that he had done this once before. A few years ago when Sarutobi was still in office. Back then the streets were vibrant with life.
Now however it was all but barren, people stayed in their homes, fear keeping them in place. He narrowed his eyes slightly at that. He turned and replaced the hat again on its stand.
'Not yet.'
He turned and sat down at the desk. No, he would not wear it yet.
Hinata, Hanabi and several Hyuuga's that were formerly from the branch house stared at the charred remains that was once the pristine estate of the mighty Hyuuga clan.
Now reduced to a smoking, blasted ruin
Hinata knelt and wiped some ashes from a picture on the floor before picking it up, seeing it was a picture of one of the branch members she set it on the night table, leaving it there for whoever might want it.
She silently walked through the halls of the estate, her sister and two other branch members following her. She was now the clan head, something she was forcing her mind to wrap itself around
She moved past the splinters that remained of the door that led into the council chamber of the Hyuuga elders, bloodstains and slashmarks as well as small craters caused by explosive notes marred the inside of the circular chamber. She looked at the walls for a long while seeming in silent contemplation.
Hanabi looked down sadly. "Its seems so much colder now." She remarked rubbing her left forearm.
One of the older branch members, a man in his mid sixties with thinning gray hair and short goatee spoke. "Yes, it does seem so."
Another, even older man spoke up, he had a bushy moustache and large beard that reached his chest. His name was Kojihiro. "It is not as it was." He remarked walking up the stairs with the sound of his cane hitting the white marble floor echoing from the walls.
"No. It isn't.' Hinata said kneeling and picking up a small stone and pushing it aside, revealing a white flower that had survived the massacre. She smiled sadly. "But…perhaps…that is for the best."
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