Summary: It was labelled the Forbidden Scroll for a reason. Sadly, no one thought to tell Naruto what that reason was…

Chapter 1: Return of the Revered

There was a reason why the Scroll of Seals was known to the village in whole as the Forbidden Scroll. Inside its deceptively artless form lay many dangerous and unbecoming techniques that could and would do harm to the countless individuals around it, including the user of the scroll. For an ounce of its power, the scroll would demand a pound of flesh as poetic sacrifice in return. Sealed within its paper were ninja arts and skills unrivaled due in part to their costly, yet devastating force. There were seals that bound human beings and demons of the mightiest caliber to the whims of others. Even a scant few weapons wielded by the hands of legends were rumored to lay within the scroll because of their power and majesty.

But all knew this scroll to be taboo. None would dare to coven the power of greats with wisdom far surpassing their own.

And yet, one did seek out and snatch the scroll from its hidden resting place.

One boy had stolen the scroll from out under the Hokage, both past and present.

But this boy did not come for the scroll in need of either power or glory. No, he absconded the forbidden item for only one purpose.

Acceptance.

Acceptance into the ninja program. Acceptance garnered by his peers and fellow shinobi. Acceptance taken from the citizens around him within the first of Shinobi villages and that greatest of the Five Great Hidden Villages.

Acceptance from all within the walls of Konoha and the world at large.

For this, the boy known to all as Naruto Uzumaki would go to the ends of the planet and back if only to have the people around him see him as he was instead of with eyes haunted by the past, gazes that spoke of irritation and fear, leers which showed the boy their anger and resentment.

Yes, for this to stop, the young Uzumaki child would indeed do the impossible.

All of this was on the mind of the Third Hokage as he rushed forward from his office and out in search of young naïve Naruto.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had never even touched the forbidden scroll but once in his entire lifetime. That one instance was under the command of his predecessor, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The legendary Water-release master had instructed Hiruzen to seal the scroll away in a safe place of his own choosing upon his return to the village. Those were the last words the founder of the Ninja Academy had spoken to Hiruzen in life, right before he had sacrificed himself in acting as a decoy to defeat the twenty elite Kumo ninja known as the Kinkaku Force which had surrounded their seven-man squadron. Tobirama had martyred himself for their lives, having faith that he had trained them, his students well. Hiruzen would not let such a sacrifice go tarnished while he still drew breath in this life.

The fact that he had been taken by surprise with Naruto's unholy jutsu was a very minor oversight in the grand scheme of things.

Rushing forward through the trees and overgrowth, Hiruzen Sarutobi hoped with all his heart that Naruto would stay his hand from curiosity in this instance. Who knows what sort of unspeakable evils lay sealed away from the world within that which was created by the First Hokage and his lady-wife; Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki. Even the legendary Madara Uchiha of the famous Uchiha clan had played a hand in the creation of some parts of the scroll.

And what made Sarutobi drip a drop of cold sweat was the fear of what defenses the scroll could have in order to defend itself from those foolish enough to open its taboo nature. After all, why would the Scroll of Seals have no safeguards when crafted by the hands of masters when they of this generation set in place precautions against Chunin-hopefuls from opening their exam scrolls too early?

And the type of precautions made by Hokage and other Kage-level shinobi were made to be fatal in the least…

Sarutobi heaved himself through the forest with even greater speed, the only ninja keeping pace with him being his former teammates and others of his generation. They were each dressed in uniforms they had not worn in over an entire decade. Each of the four elderly ninja were garbed in full shinobi attire from an era long since passed onto legend and history. Homura and Koharu appeared slightly winded by the journey at breakneck speeds, but Sarutobi and Danzo were not in the least bit exhausted.

Trailing behind their party of veteran ninja were several Jonin and ANBU Black Ops members, a few of which Sarutobi knew were in Danzo's personal guard as well as former members of the old warhawk's ROOT Program. Whether or not Danzo continued his program was no matter at the moment. In any case, this threat to Naruto concerned the entire village, and the Third Hokage knew that Danzo wouldn't dare try anything when Konoha was at risk.

"I believe I had warned you those twelve years ago against being so soft with the Kyuubi Jinchuriki," Danzo remarked without humor, his lone eye boring into the side of Hiruzen's face. Sarutobi did not give him the satisfaction of an outward expression. His face remained stony and unreadable even while he wanted to clench his teeth and sock Danzo on the chin. That x-shaped scar of his was a good target at the moment, "But you chose to give him free reign of his own life. Now the village as a whole is in jeopardy of what may lie within the Forbidden Scroll of Seals and who might stumble upon the Uzumaki boy to take it."

Homura and Koharu nodded in agreement, both with a sheen of sweat misting their foreheads.

"Though we agree with Danzo, Hiruzen," Koharu began while Homura continued.

"It is not as though we would have done the unspeakable to the boy. He is the last of the Uzumaki line and his heritage is more than enough for us to see that he is a special case without holding the Kyuubi inside himself." Homura finished, "He could have been trained, for one."

"To end up as young geniuses normally do?" Sarutobi countered, his gaze slicing across the three advisors, "I'm sure we would all have liked another Itachi Uchiha, or perhaps even one more Orochimaru in our midst. But then, what would we have done when Naruto discovered the truth and turned against the village like the two named?"

"That could have been averted!" Koharu argued, but was ignored.

"I could have unlocked his potential as a Jinchuriki and molded into a proper ninja." Danzo threw in only for the other three to shoot him dirty looks.

"Your ways are too rigid for someone like Naruto," Hiruzen spat, not bothering to conceal how deep under his skin Danzo got this time, "Lady Mito was a Jinchuriki herself, the first ever of the kind. She created many techniques and wrote much on her time as a sacrifice to keep Konoha as the major power. It was her findings that passed on to young Kushina which showed that Jinchuriki need emotions— positive emotions— ones like love and kindness in order to function properly. You, Danzo, would have deprived the boy of both and doomed us all."

"And let us not forget that only an Uzumaki has the vitality to survive both the sealing and use of the Kyuubi's poisonous demonic chakra. Lady Mito stated that to us, and little Kushina as well." Homura growled with much agitation. Too many branches and leaves were in his way, and only furthered his annoyance as it reminded him of how out of season he truly was.

"And again be reminded that young Naruto is the last of the Uzumaki, Danzo." Koharu tacked on, just in case the old hawk had anything planned, "We watch him very closely when he's not pulling pranks like this one."

"This is more than some mere prank, woman," Danzo snarled back at her, but she sighed.

"Threats to the village will always rear up their ugly heads, whether external or internal. Planned coups, traitors, and theft of rare heirlooms are nothing in the face of we, the veteran shinobi. They are all to be taken with a grain of salt." Had they all been fifty years younger, she would have stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry, but she was an elderly woman now and had to always remain a pillar of grace and wisdom.

It was as Lady Mito had done for her as a girl, after all…

Any further conversation was interrupted when in the clearing up ahead began to glow a soft white light, which exploded into view quicker than any were prepared for. An invisible pressure covered everything for miles. It caused the ninja to pause for a brief moment atop the tree branches. Both within Konoha and many miles well beyond the village's walls, the feeling of dense air awoke practically everyone in the village. From old to young, from civilian to ninja, from beast to fowl, the entire village was frozen at the sight of the illumination taking place a mere mile outside of its nearest wall. Ninja and residents alike were tense as they prepared to be on such an alert not seen since the Kyuubi attack over a decade ago. Many if not all the adults in Konoha believed this was the release of the demon itself and that the brat they had all despised had been killed somehow by an enemy of the village only to release the demon he held prisoner. Opinions on Naruto's wellbeing were quickly reversing as some villagers and ninja dropped in prayer that this was merely a slip of the seal and that the boy would pull through to once again carry the burden of jailing that most terrible of the nine great demons.

Such thoughts were further strengthened and some resolves were shattered when a large spire of energy erupted from the forested region outside the village, scaring away all manner of creatures within the general area. Beasts and birds scattered in all directions, all too fearful to face this entity they knew from instinct alone possessed overwhelming power.

The only creatures not fleeing from the impending source of terrifying energy were the Hokage and his ninja, from Jonin-rank to Danzo. None of them missed a step when the shockwave of that power sailed over them and caused the forest to shake with the force of an earthquake. No, they were all still on the move, and when they arrived at the massive spiraling tower of energy, they saw Iruka and Mizuki watching the spectacle with fear and awe.

Before the Hokage and his advisors could demand answers from either Chunin-ninja, the tower of energy began to thin, condense, and retract downward from where it had exploded out into the open air above. When the energy died down enough for them to see clearly, everyone in the clearing, armed with weapons and the use of destructive techniques at the ready were shocked to see four children floating slightly off the ground. The four children looked to have fallen within a peaceful slumber, levitated above the soil and floating just above reading distance from the open shimmering of the Scroll of Seals.

The four children crumbled to heaps of bodies on the ground at the same time as the forbidden scroll did.

Iruka moved forward in worry, dashing over to his students, and flipping each of them over in order to check for a pulse. He sagged with great relief as in each of them resided a steady beat that pumped rhythmically under his fingertips. It seemed they were just unconscious.

None of the children appeared to be altered by any ill effects that scroll had put against them. Sasuke Uchiha still appeared to be without a scratch on him, aside from a bruise that was forming on his right cheek. Sakura Haruno looked to have been pushed by the scrape on her right arm, but nothing else was out of place. Naruto Uzumaki was now snoring slightly louder than usual, but nothing was wrong with that unless he started choking on his own drool. And Hinata Hyuga was resting comfortably, using the Uzumaki boy's chest as her personal cushion with a smile on her face.

When the energy around them all finally retracted to the gentle hum of nature, Naruto's eyes were the first to snap open. His cerulean blue orbs looked to have carried the sky for themselves, selfishly hording the endless blue within their depths. Next to him Sasuke's own eyes flared open, glimmering with the fleeting passage of crimson before they narrowed in onyx black while he rose from the ground. Sakura and Hinata awoke in unison, glancing at their surroundings once before Naruto helped Hinata up and Sakura rose slowly with caution in her every action. Naruto was stretching and yawning openly, appearing not at all concerned with all the shinobi around him or even aware of them as he moved his limbs for comfort. When he finally did take note of them surrounding him, he smiled wider and gave each of them the look of a father seeing his children all present for a special occasion.

"A good rest befits a shinobi no matter their prowess," Naruto proclaimed, grinning childishly after a short bark of laughter escaped him. Everyone around him gawked at him. "Wouldn't you agree, Iruka-sensei?"

"Naruto… you… you…" Iruka snapped at that point, overwhelmed by how lighthearted Naruto was acting in the face of their situation. "YOU LITTLE IDIOT!"

He smashed his fist into Naruto's head, sending the boy to the ground. But what shocked the teacher was that Sakura was beside him, her actions mirroring his own.

Yet, her words had been different.

"Hashirama, YOU FOOL!" she had bellowed in a voice that did not show the normal annoyance Sakura held for Naruto, but the exasperation of years with an individual one knew closely.

"Hmph, always the soft one," Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms with his eyes narrowed on everyone around him. Sasuke glanced around, his constricted gaze moving to everyone in the clearing. He stared around at them all with a bored expression, as though they were insignificant specks of dust that deserved nothing short of a brief wind to blow them away from his sight. The young Uchiha cracked his neck from side to side, still eyeing the various shinobi in front of him. From Jonin to ANBU, to Danzo to the Hokage, to some of the various clan leaders that now stood behind their village leaders. However, when he looked at Iruka, who he paused to look at for a small moment, Sasuke gave a small nod to the man, making Iruka nervous of what that meant.

Then Sasuke's unimpressed gaze fell on Mizuki, who had silently been trying to slip into the background. Sasuke raised his hand to his mouth, and everyone tensed at his sudden movement.

"Madara, please hold!" Naruto said, confusing and shocking the crowd of ninja that bore witness to his three words.

"And why should I do so, Hashirama?" Sasuke questioned with boredom as he prepared to end the life of a man.

"We should allow him to explain his misconduct first, then have his judgment passed by counselled decision." Naruto answered easily enough, slowly frowning at the dark-haired Uchiha.

"You are much too soft…" Sasuke muttered, but did drop his hand back to his side.

"Are the implications here true!" the Third Hokage thought as he watched Naruto and Sasuke's interaction, "Could the hidden trap of the forbidden scroll really be what I think?"

"Mizuki-sensei," Sakura had stepped forward with a hand on her hip. Her jade-colored eyes narrowed upon Mizuki as though he were an insect that deserved to be crushed under the waves of the ocean, "you stand accused of the abuse of power in the exploit of deceiving a student into misconduct and forbidden action. Your other crimes are second to this, but the most important is your betrayal of the village for the pursuit of power. How stand you against these accusations as I, Tobirama Senju of Konoha, act as judge?"

"You aren't the Second Hokage, and I'm not being judged of anything, you stupid little girl!" Mizuki spat, the whistle of metal cutting through the air alerting all in the area to the shuriken flying towards Sakura.

"Sakura, move!" Iruka cried out, but was stunned into silence when Sakura raised a hand and causally caught the weapon within her grasp. He was even more shocked when she scrunched her face in effort and shattered the shuriken into pieces that pooled into a small mound at her feet.

Koharu moved forward to berate the teacher, "Mizuki, what is the meaning of this nonsense?"

Iruka whipped around to address the elder, "Lady Koharu, Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the scroll. He planned to take the scroll and frame Naruto for it before killing him!"

"Is this true, Mizuki?" Homura asked with a severe expression on his face. Even Danzo looked angered at the mention of the treacherous actions.

The silver-haired Chunin scoffed at the elders, "Of course it is! I've waited and planned for so long!"

Sakura again spoke up, reminding everyone of the presence of the four children at the center of this scandal. "Then you admit guilt to your transgressions?"

"Will you at least repent for the trouble you have caused, Mizuki-sensei— Wait, no, I am incorrect." Hinata spoke for the first time since rising, her voice quiet and respectful at the same time strong and firm. She shook her head, her long dark hair swaying with the motion while she gazed upon Mizuki with a somber expression. In front of her she clasped her hands together with a dignified air, "No, you no longer deserve the title of an educator. Am I not accurate, high-traitor Mizuki?"

"Why you little…" Mizuki growled, but in an instance Naruto had stepped in front of Hinata, his face one of fortitude as he locked gazes with Mizuki.

"You have deceived me, Mizuki-san." Naruto was still showing the man a small measure of respect despite all that had occurred so far, "But why? Could you have not gained power through ties with the village?"

Mizuki looked momentarily surprised. Then he got over it as he snarled and yanked another of the giant shuriken from off his back. "Don't even breathe in my direction you filthy demon brat! Once I kill you, I will become more powerful than any of you fools could possibly imagine!"

He hurled the shuriken at Naruto, who stood unflinchingly in front Hinata and watched the large metal star race toward him.

"Naruto, watch out!" Iruka attempted to jump in front of Naruto, only for the blonde to shake his head.

"You have truly fallen too far for redemption in this life." Naruto turned toward Sakura even as the shuriken came at him, "Sakura, pass judgment."

Sakura spoke only one word which echoed around the clearing, "Execution."

Flames hotter than molten lava raced forward to meet the shuriken in midflight. They flew all the way up toward Mizuki, who in his surprise only had time enough to drop to the ground where the fires ran over his back and burned the rear side of his uniform to cinders. His flesh was charred and blistering as he screamed out in pain unimagined.

And it had been done with a single breath blown from Sasuke's mouth.

"You… you… fucking demon!" Mizuki had lost all composure at this point.

"You're off your mark… Sasuke," Sakura said, her expressionless face turned toward the Uchiha heir.

"Was that a purposeful remark on my name, Sakura?" he shot back with a small grin, but the grin grew wider when she scowled harshly at him.

"Teme," she growled, and turned away from him.

Naruto walked through the clearing to where Mizuki was writhing in pain on the ground. The expression on his face was deeply somber, as though Mizuki was his family and it physically hurt him to see the man cut down.

"Have you no more love in your heart for the village? Has the Will of Fire dwindled in your spirit into nothingness?" Naruto asked in a shushed tone, kneeling down a few meters in front of Mizuki. The silver-haired Chunin glared up at him with much hate in his eyes, but Naruto's eyes only held pity for the man, "Do you hate me so much for the Kyuubi sealed within me that it would turn you against the whole village?"

"Don't talk down to me you demon spawn! You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!" Mizuki spat on the ground at Naruto's knee.

Naruto shook his head slowly, "No, Mizuki-san, I am not. The Kyuubi is peacefully at slumber within me, but you are the unsettled one around here. The seal used to hold the Kyuubi was of Uzumaki design and uses the soul as an anchor to imprison the jailed fox beast. But you have spat upon your comrades and all the people of Konoha with this great betrayal, Mizuki." Naruto looked ready to cry for the man. He placed his fists to the ground, knuckles digging into the dirt as he bowed lowly. His forehead just barely tickled by the low cut grass. "Please, tell me, have you no desire to repent at all?"

Mizuki's grin found its way back onto his face, "A demon bowing to me is its rightful place, but all of Konoha are fools for squandering the power that's sat in its lap since the Founding Times. I will have the power of the Scroll of Seals! I am proud to say I have no Will of Fire within me! Who needs weak-minded drabble like morals or teamwork? All that matters is power and trampling on the backs of those too weak to grasp it!"

"Truer words never spoken…" Sasuke muttered with a small smirk on his lips.

The jade green eyes of Sakura Haruno usually contained happiness, but in that instance they had hardened into gems of frozen fury, "Your attempts to aggravate us are duly noted, high-traitor Mizuki. One who throws away friendship and trust just for power spits upon the Will of Fire and defiles the village. Ones such as yourself have no place instructing students, or being entrusted with the next generation!" Sakura slide a foot forward, her eyes narrowing on the downed ninja, "And that is something I cannot stand for!"

"STOP!" Sarutobi commanded, seeing Sakura form a single seal with her right hand. It was half the signal for the ram seal, a seal which usually started off destructive jutsu. "Mizuki will be taken into custody!"

"I highly doubt that," Sasuke said, his arms crossed again as he gazed over at the Chunin. He then glanced at Sakura for her words.

Sakura sighed when she saw the look that Naruto was sending her. "This man has hurt my brother with both his words and actions. My earlier judgment of execution was made rather… hastily. He is no threat to us. There is no reason to take his life."

"And again," Sasuke scowled, raising a single finger from off his crossed arms, "I highly doubt that."

"SASUKE!" the sharp cry from the kneeing form of the blond Uzumaki made everyone still on the spot.

What rooted them to the spot even further was the monstrous presence of his chakra bearing down upon their necks.

The boy the village knew as Naruto Uzumaki was always a bright and exuberant child. Sure he could be highly brash, inattentive, and heedless to formality or social standings, but he was also very endearing to those around him. Even if his long list of childish traits were annoying and he gave people disrespectful nicknames, the blond still kept his chin up through daunting isolationism and was a genuinely kind and sincere boy.

However, the person in front of them was not Naruto Uzumaki. This was a force of nature. While still a very kind and caring child, this boy was not half as hyperactive or restless. He stood tall in their presence, and in the same scene had bowed low in desperation for Mizuki to change his ways. At the current moment, his personality was overbearing and forceful, dwarfing them all with a heavy dose of his existence as even non-senor ninja could feel the weight of his chakra in the air around them. It was thick and heavy as his body flittered with the sheen of blue energy. The immensity of his power bore down on their shoulders, making the knees of the lesser ninja tremble in order to remain standing while a few were forced to the dirt when Sasuke's onyx eyes clashed against Naruto's cerulean blue orbs.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, the two sharing in some unseen contest of wills. Sasuke scowled deeply at Naruto, but the blond's face was one of steadfast resolve.

"Your fingers," Naruto said slowly, his eyes sharp enough to cut steel as they bore into Sasuke's soul, "relax them… please."

Ever so slowly, Sasuke allowed his scowl to grow in distain while his index finger lowered back into resting atop his crossed arm. As soon as the action was completed, the weight of Naruto's chakra disappeared with the same abruptness that it had manifested. Chunin ninja like Iruka breathed easier from the disappearance of the heavy feeling in the air while the Third Hokage felt like sweat-dropping as he recalled the last time he had felt so uneasy in the company of another human being.

With his task done, the blond Uzumaki turned back to Mizuki, who had apparently went unconscious from the sudden shock of being so close to Naruto's power. Indeed, he had gone a step too far. The ground at his knees had even cracked apart to reveal a spider web pattern of cracks in the terrain. While he had impressed and terrified the people around him, Naruto felt apprehensive that he had allowed himself to slip like that.

It was just that, sometimes Sasuke wanted to be a little too dark and fire-happy when it came to justice…

"Heh, heh…" Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly as he stood from where Mizuki lay unconscious on the ground, "You all have my deepest apologizes. I didn't intend to be so imperious just then. And it looks like I might have undone Mizuki-san in my clumsiness. Heh, heh… Again, I am very sorry."

Naruto bowed to the assembled crowd, but Sakura was fast upon him, whacking him over the head for his show of softness.

"Don't be so weak-hearted, big brother." Sakura chided, her face stern and measured, "You must show them your resolve."

Naruto looked at Sakura, smiling despite the mess he had caused, "Right." He nodded, then turned to the crowd led by the Hokage, "But again, I'm sorry if I made any of you uncomfortable."

"Weakness…" Sakura and Sasuke grumbled in unison, then shot each other murderous looks.

"I am glad your kind heart has not diminished in the least, my husband," Hinata smiled softly as she came to stand at Naruto's side, holding gently to his arm.

The two shared a brief glance, Naruto grinning like a loon and Hinata blushing ever so slightly before they turned as one to address the shinobi forces that stood in front of them. Sasuke stepped to their side of the clearing, make the trio of teenagers into a quartet as he too eyed the ninja, but with far less attentiveness than his three colleagues. Behind the four, Iruka allowed ANBU operatives to take Mizuki's prone form into custody as the Hokage silently kept his attention split between watching Naruto's group and seeing the capture done. The scroll was approached with great caution, the ANBU agents resealing it with great care.

"It has been a long time," Sarutobi started off the conversation, standing with one hand clasped behind his back as the other put the now lit tobacco pipe to his mouth, "Hashirama-sensei, Tobirama-sensei, Lady Mito Uzumaki, and Madara Uchiha. I trust that you are all feeling well to once more be amongst the living."

Naruto's happy grin threatened to tear his face in two. Sakura narrowed her large green eyes into slits and placed a hand on her hip while she observed the Hokage for his next move. Hinata closed her eyes peacefully and relaxed as she stood beside her love. Sasuke only grunted and folded his arms again as he dared anyone to move an inch in protest to their presence.

"You are mistaken, Hiruzen," Sakura corrected, stepping from behind Naruto, "we are not reincarnations of those named four, but merely shades of them for the moment. In a few hours, we will disappear into the background, and these four children will remain."

Homura looked deeply curious, "Please, illuminate how this came to be, Tobirama-sensei."

"Gladly," Sakura shut her eyes as she worked her mind for a simplified explanation to the matter. From what she recalled, Homura was never as quick a study when it came to theory as Hiruzen had been, "It was the Scroll of Seals. Or rather, the trap I had placed inside the scroll in the event that should any enemy dare take the scroll, they would be caught in its snare and the scroll would remain secure."

"The scroll was rigged?" Danzo questioned, but moved on, "Then what was the trigger?"

"That would be the opening of the scroll, Shimura-kun." Hinata answered, taking over the conversation gracefully, "Within the scroll's unravel was a seal of my own design. If not being viewed by the Hokage, then it would ensnare the thief in an illusion. However," Hinata's pale pupil-less eyes slid over to where Sakura was looking at her from the corner of her own eyes, "it would seem that my seal was tampered with and perverted. Your work, I would presume, Tobirama-chan?"

"That is correct," Sakura admitted, no shame or remorse in her voice, "The illusion Lady Mito had instilled within the scroll would have simply made the thieving party return the scroll to Konoha before committing seppuku in order to atone for their crimes against the village."

Gasps were heard as Sarutobi and his council's eyes widened at what could have become of anyone foolish enough to steal the forbidden scroll.

"Not to worry, though!" Naruto exclaimed, his smile bright as ever, "For all of Tobirama's deplore actions, I have to admit that this one is the best of the bunch! Ha, ha!"

"Shut up, brother! You're interrupting the explanations!" Sakura barked, feeling slightly embarrassed by all of Naruto's remarks.

Naruto went and sulked at the base of a nearby tree. While the younger ninja were confused and stunned by this from the supposed God of Shinobi, Sarutobi and his advisors didn't even bat an eyelash at the odd behavior.

They had seen it far too often to be affected.

"Yes, I did tamper with the seal, almost completely reworking it to ensure the survival and benefit of the village at large." Sakura went on with her justification, hip pivoted outward while she scowled at the multitude of ninja in front of her, "In simple terms, the seal was redrafted so that when a thief opened it, then a charka from one of the four of us would latch onto the person or group. I kept the illusionary details, but made it force the trapped individual into one thing."

"And that one thing was?" Hiruzen asked, feeling both curious and hesitant.

"Inflexible devotion to the village." The stony expression on her face and the flat declaration of her words ensured to all present that she was dead serious in her claim.

"But then…" Sarutobi felt a little lightheaded at the prospect that his predecessor could do such a thing. He had always believed that Tobirama-sensei was above brainwashing people into loyalty toward the village. Had he been wrong all this time?

Had Danzo been right all along?

Sakura held up her unoccupied hand, "Stop yourself there, Hiruzen. I already know what you'd like to say." If possible, Sakura's face hardened even further, "But this was not a matter of right or wrong, good or evil. It was a matter of village security. I was the Hokage of the village when I possessed the scroll and changed its Ensnaring Seal of Justice into the Trap Seal of Cardinal Lies. The village came before my own humanity and ideals. However, to ensure the individual was not completely lost, I placed the chakra of myself, my brother, Mito-san, and Madara into a combination seal which would then work with the compulsion array. While obtaining the unquestionable loyalty of an enemy, they would also obtain the chakra of one of the four founders of the village and then be of great benefit to Konoha. This was my will as the second shadow which protected the village. This was the will of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage of Konohagakure."

The assembled ninja all stiffened or otherwise gaped at Sakura Haruno as she proclaimed her final words. Everyone from Iruka to the ANBU ninja standing around the elders looked shocked to their core by this news. Even Sarutobi could not hold onto his pipe, having dropped it as the full weight of those words hit him like a lead hammer to his stomach.

His teacher and team leader had not only hoped to brainwash an enemy, but also basically infect them with the memories, abilities, and consciousness of the founding members of Konoha.

And all so the village would be able to profit off what could have been a disaster.

A cold lump dropped into the pit of Hirzuen's stomach. While it was an ingenious strategy in speaking, it fell short in terms of basic human compassions and free will. How could his mentor be so callous, even at the favor of the village? Erasing a person, no matter if they would return to themselves within hours or not, was shameful and devilish in Sarutobi's view of the world. He would not erase Orochimaru's persona just to make him come back as a loyal ninja. It was because Orochimaru was so… himself that for the very reason Sarutobi took a shine to the young genius in the first place. Taking away the core of someone's freedom of choice was barbaric.

But obviously Tobirama-sensei had disagreed, at least when the village was put in jeopardy. And so Hiruzen hung his head. There was no sense arguing with Sakura, even if she did possess his long dead teacher's memories, prowess, and persona. In a few hours, Sakura would return to herself and be a better shinobi in serve to the village.

Yes, there was no sense arguing with a dead man. Especially when he had made a dark decision that Hiruzen could say honestly he would not have even thought about enacting.

Just one more failing he had made as Hokage when compared to both his predecessors and late successor…

"You look quite glum, Hiruzen!" Naruto beamed at the Hokage, "Its not as if we're the real Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara, and Mito-chan! We're still Naruto, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, and Hinata-chan! We'll just be really great and talented shinobi after this ordeal has passed."

Sarutobi sighed before bending down and picking up his pipe. Sasuke watched him with the gaze of a hawk sizing up its competition. Hinata's eyes had opened a while ago, standing with the poise and grace of a woman thrice her age. Naruto looked the same as he always did, grinning and happy, but there was a weight lifted from his shoulders that Sarutobi had never noticed to be there in the first place on the young blond boy. Sakura looked grim and serious, but in her eyes the Third Hokage could see there was a glimmer of softness, like a stone that gave way to a malleable metal. He wondered if any of these four would ever be the same again. Perhaps they would be worse for this experience and never want to become ninja?

But, perhaps they would be made stronger for this type of mental and emotional hardship?

Hiruzen sighed again as he looked down at his pipe, then stowed it away within his attire. He could not be sure what would be the reaction to this ordeal. He would merely have to wait and see like the rest of the audience here.

"If all the trivial conversation is done with," Sasuke's onyx eyes appeared as bored as could be, "then maybe we could get back to the village and stop all the ninja I'm sensing from running around like morons in what is a pathetic search party attempt."

"Oh," Naruto slammed his fist into his open palm as though struck by an idea, "so that's what they're all doing! I thought they were playing Shinobi Tag!"

"We've told you, husband," Hinata did not sigh or groan, but smiled indulgingly at her love, "the ninja from the Hidden Waterfall village was not making a new game for ninja. He was trying to kill you."

At this Naruto pouted and crossed his arms with defiance, "But he had such funny attacks. They came from carnival masks sewn to his flak jacket. I simply assumed he was playing a game. He must have been playing a game, because if he weren't, then he wouldn't have given up after I tapped him."

This time Sasuke groaned aloud, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers as he shook his head slowly from side to side, "You punched through the man's chest and masks, sending him hurtling to the ground that happened to be almost a hundred meters below the two of you. I've told you, people do not play games like you and I do, Hashirama."

Naruto blinked twice, "Maybe, but then how do explain him playing the same game again in one of the war skirmishes I happened to be fighting in?"

"Because he was, once again, attempting to end your life, brother." Sakura spat harshly, narrowing her eyes at Naruto while her arms crossed over her chest. "Now let's leave this place and return to the village. Do this at once!"

The bark in Sakura's tone had the nearby ninja on their toes as they fell over themselves to get back to the village, especially when the Hokage said nothing while choosing to instead simply follow the command of a twelve year-old kunoichi. Koharu and Homura looked a little panicked as while they maneuvered their way back toward the village, they kept glancing back at Sakura as though she were the devil at their heels. Sasuke and Naruto raced each other back to the village, shooting off like rockets and causing a shockwave of speed as lesser ninja were knocked from their path by the sheer force. Sarutobi and Danzo shared a look, both curious and frightened that Konoha's greatest rivalry had somehow been rekindled. While it was amusing to see the interactions of Konohagakure's founders once more, things were far from ordinary with the drastic new changes to four of the ninja school students. These alterations would need to be explained, or at the very least concealed, in order to keep the other ninja villages from rash action.

But that could all be handled tomorrow, on the dawn of a new day. At the moment, Sarutobi needed to take charge of the current problem and stop his ninja from their frantic searching over nothing.

Ugh… He should have never come out of retirement…

Perhaps it was still not too late to hand the title over to Danzo… Hmm, food for thought…

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