Chapter 2: Setting the Stage

His guest strode into the room.

Orochimaru looked up from the mission report he was reviewing. When he saw who had entered, a venomous smile spread across his face.

It was a rather haggard man . Stress lines marked a face framed by dark hair, and obvious weariness revealed itself through the slight sag the muscles in his arms. But despite this, he exuded a presence of quiet dignity, of confidence and strength. His poise was perfect, his back as rigid as a board, and countenance composed and neutral.

If Orochimaru didn't already know that the man in front of him loathed him with every ounce of his being, even he would have been hard-pressed to notice his fury.

"Why hello, Fugaku-dono. I have been expecting you."

Uchiha Fugaku, the leader of the Uchiha clan and the commander of Konoha's Military Police Force, said nothing in response. It was only because of the way his right fist clenched for a moment before immediately relaxing that Orochimaru noticed anything.

Truly, these Uchiha had almost inhuman self-control.

Though it wasn't as if the Snake Sannin didn't know why the man hated him so. Just two months earlier, he had been responsible for the exile and disgrace of Fugaku's best friend. It was only natural that the Uchiha hate him for that.

While the Namikaze family's relationship with the current ruling family amongst the Uchiha was not a topic of discussion amongst most in the Village, the higher-ups and clan heads all knew of the close friendship that existed between them. Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto had been childhood friends, teammates and rivals as genin, while Uchiha Fugaku and Namikaze Minato were comrades in war. They had been so close, in fact, that Fugaku had given his young cousin, Obito over to Minato for personal training, something near-unheard of within the generally insular and elitist clan.

In addition to this, after Obito's death, at Namikaze's urging, instead of protesting the implantation of the boy's doujutsu into the young Hatake Kakashi, the Uchiha had taken a radically different approach from the norm: they had taken the distraught boy in as a disciple and aided him in coming to grips with the power his new doujutsu granted him. Thus, while it was obvious that Kakashi was still a stranger to most of them, he still remained an ally, one who would not betray their trust.

However, after Minato, Kushina and Kakashi's exile, this same camaraderie was what had become the clan's crucible. Many had wondered how Minato could have hidden "his" experimentation from the village at large for such a long time.

If Minato actually had been behind the kidnappings, he would have needed powerful allies to aid him, the clans reasoned, and of course, the Uchiha had always been the most powerful of Minato's allies, so suspicion naturally fell on them.

Orochimaru found it quite amusing. Watching these people realize just how restricting and detrimental their "bonds" were was always so entertaining. Watching them cling to these "friendships" of theirs in the face of the destruction they brought upon them was even more so.

What truly topped it all, however, was the way in which he had both personally and professionally hurt the prideful man in front of him on completely false charges, and at the same time, had rendered him completely incapable of retaliating in any way, shape or form.

Truly, watching humans wriggle like worms was one of the greatest pleasures the Hokage knew.

But he could not afford to distract himself with such small morsels just yet. The main dish had yet to be served.

"Fugaku," Orochimaru began, his voice the absolute picture of sorrowful shame. "I know that the past few months have been trying for you and your family. While I spoke in your favor with the councilors and Danzo about your clan-" The Uchiha let out a sudden, controlled breath of air, which Orochimaru realized a moment later, was actually a snort of disbelief "-it seems as if their suspicions will not be allayed that easily," he continued without a break.

"Did you call me here just to tell me this?" The Uchiha asked, barely hiding the disdain in his tone. "If so, I must leave. I have important matters to attend to, and no time to waste here hearing of things I already know about."

Orochimaru smiled inwardly. Disrespect from prey you had already trapped was quite fun to watch. Almost like the futile flailing of a fish caught on a line, right before it was dragged to the surface of the lake, and its inevitable death.

Outwardly though, his face and voice remained even. "Not at all, Fugaku-dono. I have called you here, because I have determined a… solution, of sorts, to your predicament. One that you are obligated to accept."

The man's jaw clenched at the word "obligated", but he moved to listen anyways.

Orochimaru gave a pleased smile in response and continued. "While it has been determined that the Elders will not trust you currently, a perfectly understandable position, given your relationship with Minato, we have also found a suitable compromise."

Fugaku's eyes were piercingly cold, but he remained silent. Orochimaru continued.

"We, the elders and leaders of Konoha, will grant you and your family increased rights, including a larger share of the missions outside the village, and increased living arrangements outside of your clan compound."

The Uchiha Patriarch's eyes shot to the Snake's face in surprise.

"That is… generous, Orochimaru-sama, and unexpected," he said carefully. "It is more than we have been granted at once in the past forty years."

Orochimaru smiled pleasantly. "At the same time, though, we wish for something in return. As such, it has been determined that if you accept this deal, you will give me your older son as my apprentice."

Fugaku's eyes widened in surprise. Before narrowing in suspicion.

"What would be the conditions of his apprenticeship?" he asked.

Orochimaru's smile widened. "Oh just a few things. Itachi, would, of course, have to sign my Snake Contract and go through specific types of training to learn from me effectively, but other than that, there is one other thing…"

And then, the change came as Orochimaru dropped the façade he had been wearing since the beginning of the conversation. The previously pleasant smile widened maniacally and his voice turning almost poisonously sweet, as he widened his arms in a mocking gesture. "Of course, your dear son would also have to live off of the Uchiha Clan Compound, somewhere closer to my location. We wouldn't want me losing track of him on or off our missions, now would we? Clan heirs should all have the utmost security after all."

Fugaku looked confused for a moment, before sudden comprehension crossed on his face.

"You bastard," he snarled slamming his fists on the Hokage's desk. "You want to take my son as a hostage?" The very idea seemed to drive him into a state of utter fury. "I refuse!"

Orochimaru looked at him, drinking in his furious expression, relishing in the small hints of fear he noticed just under the surface: fear the man no doubt felt for his five-year-old son.

And he laughed .

"Kukukukuku…"

Fugaku froze, his rage at how the man in front of him seemed to be mocking him even now seemingly overpowering his capacity to express it. Before the man could start roaring in fury, Orochimaru continued.

"Ah, Fugaku-dono," he said, with false kindness and civility, shaking his head mockingly. "You don't understand, do you? If you reject our generous offer, the elders and I will be forced to restrict your clan's rights even further. After all, if you cannot even trust your own Hokage, how are we supposed to believe that you truly wish to integrate into the village?"

"That's not what this is about, and you know it!"

"I do believe I have no idea what you are talking about." The Hokage made a slight gesture with his hand. "ANBU, please escort Fugaku-dono back to his clan compound. It seems that the stresses of his position are getting to him, and that he needs some rest."

However, as the ANBU who suddenly appeared in the room began approaching him, the Uchiha clenched his fists for a moment, before suddenly, his rage and anger all seemed to just flow out of him as his rock-hard self-control reasserted itself.

The ANBU paused, uncertain, before the Uchiha finally spoke.

"There is no need for that, Hokage," he whispered. "I apologize for my outburst. I shall show myself out."

He turned around and walked out the door, but not before Orochimaru shot one last mocking comment his way.

"I await your affirmative reply this evening," The Snake said over the Uchiha's shoulder. "Do be punctual, please. We wouldn't want to misinterpret any tardiness as signs of subversion, after all."

The Sannin's mocking laughter followed Fugaku all the way out of the tower.

XXX

It was around a minute after the Uchiha had left that a bandaged, one-eyed man melted out of the shadows.

"There is no reason to take a child of that clan under your wing, Orochimaru." He spoke without preamble.

The Snake's poisonous smile turned to fixate on the one-eyed man.

"The power of the Uchiha is a tempting thing, Danzo. I could not resist the opportunity to take it for myself. Just as you have."

The Cyclops' stolen right eye twitched uncomfortably under the bandages.

"The sharingan is but a disposable tool. If I did not have it, I would find another way to compensate." The lie tasted like ashes on his lips.

Orochimaru saw it for what it was, but instead of calling his bluff, his smile simply widened.

"True. We are similar in that way. Both of us take from others what we cannot earn with our own skills and talents. Or at least, we try to. Is that not so?"

Danzo's hand clenched on the head of the cane .

"This discussion is pointless. What are you planning?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "These Uchiha… they are consumed by emotions. Fugaku loves his sons deeply, and as such, he is incapable of seeing betrayal in them. At the same time, Itachi is young, and his mind is still malleable, as are the minds of all such children."

Danzo blinked. "You intend to turn him into a spy within his own family?"

"I do."

A half-truth. That was only one of the things he planned to do with Itachi, after all.

Danzo closed his eye in thought for a moment before opening it again.

"Very well. This is a sensible plan. I give my approval."

Orochimaru smiled. "Now, is there anything else?"

Danzo inclined his head slightly. "I have received word back from the ambassadors. The negotiations are going well."

"Oh?" Now that was somewhat unexpected.

"The Kirigakure Rebellion has agreed to give us the Sanbi in return for our aid with overthrowing Yagura. I may also take this opportunity to-"

Orochimaru shook his head firmly. "Do not play your hand too far, Danzo. Sabotaging them might aid us in the long run if successful, but if our attempts were found out, we would have far too much to lose and too little to gain. We cannot afford to give up what little trust they give us if we are to expect them to hold up their end of the bargain."

Danzo gripped the head of his cane tightly for a moment, but acquiesced with a slight bow. "Very well. I see your point."

And then, he raised his hand into a single seal, and disappeared a moment later in a swirl of leaves.

After he was certain that no one else was there, Orochimaru chuckled to himself. Things were already moving as he had planned.

The Sanbi was ultimately meaningless. The power of a bijuu was not something that the Sannin could ever truly make his own, and so it held little interest to him. It was simply something he gave to Danzo, so that the dog would not go sniffing where he did not belong.

It truly was quite amusing, how the Darkness of Shinobi thought he was privy to all of the Fourth Hokage's plans.

But in the end, he was no different from the others in the village, just a puppet dancing on the Snake's strings.

When Orochimaru moved, there was always more than one reason.

And while Fugaku saw only one, and Danzo saw only two, Orochimaru was the only one who knew the entire plan.

Ten years.

In ten years, he would have had enough time to perfect his latest jutsu.

In ten years, he would have had sufficient time to prepare Itachi.

And in ten years, the Uchiha heir's beautiful young body would be just ripe for the taking.

XXX

The barkeeper looked up as the bell rang on the door, and a stranger walked in.

He was tall, and the way the long cloak he wore hung down around him marked him as a male.

Beyond that though, the bartender could not see anything about him. A dark hood over his eyes covered the top half of his face and the entirety of his hair. The only distinguishing feature that he could see under the hood was a strong jaw and thin lips pressed into a line as the hood slowly swiveled about, scanning the bar.

The hood stopped when it came to rest on a certain table, and then, with a purposeful walk, the stranger began to move towards his objective.

XXX

Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin felt her eyes narrow involuntarily as the stranger walked over and joined the small group of men she was playing at the table.

This man was no civilian.

She saw it in his gait, the way that he seemed to just glide over the floor instead of walking. She saw it in his hand, the way it seemed to hover over his waist, no doubt ready to pull out a kunai at a moment's notice. She saw it in the way the muscles of his upper body tensed whenever the gazes of the many patrons around the establishment passed over him.

She saw it… and she knew he wasn't trying to hide it.

And so, she laid down her cards.

"Fold," she said, and started counting up her winnings (and, she noticed with some considerable surprise, they were actual winnings rather than the 'losings' she was used to). She had begun to rise from her seat when the stranger arrived. Smoothly, she finished getting up, then turned away and immediately started making a beeline towards the exit.

She was stopped before she'd taken two steps as a strong hand grabbed her wrist, preventing her from moving another inch forward.

Almost instinctively she tensed, drawing chakra into her hand, planning on dealing a strike to the stranger's stomach, one that would undoubtedly have left him in the hospital for weeks. But before she could move…

"You sure you want to do that here, with all these people around?" the stranger murmured into her ear.

Tsunade froze. Not because of what he had said, but because of the voice he had said it with.

She recognized that voice.

"Minato," she growled.

And Namikaze Minato, face still hidden under the hood, simply smiled.

XXX

"Well then," Tsunade asked, taking a sip of her saké, "what can this poor old drunk do for you, oh mighty Yellow Flash of Konoha?"

In the aftermath of their confrontation in the bar, the two of them had retreated to the small room that the Sannin had been renting during her stay in the city. They were sitting around the small dining table.

The blonde man smiled. "Do I need an excuse to come over to visit my dear old aunt? Wouldn't want you to grow too old and die of old age on me, now would we?"

Tsunade grinned. "Brat," she said fondly.

Minato blinked, and then tilted his head quizzically. "You don't know," he said. It was not a question.

Tsunade frowned. "Know what?"

"How long has it been since you've spoken to a ninja from Konoha?" The man asked.

The Sannin blinked at the sudden change of subject. "Several months, maybe a year now. Why?"

Minato stared for a moment, then sighed. " Well . This is going to make things awkward," he murmured.

"Huh? What're you talking about, brat?"

"I fled the village," the blonde man responded without preamble. "You are right now talking to the Leaf's youngest-ever S-Rank missing-nin."

In an instant, the entire atmosphere of the room changed. Tsunade's fists clenched and her teeth grit together.

"What did you do?" she snarled.

Huh, Minato thought, a bit stronger of a reaction than expected…

Outwardly, though, he remained completely impassive. "I am accused of kidnapping and systematically experimenting upon and murdering over six hundred civilians and shinobi of Konoha by the Fourth Hokage himself," he calmly said, as if the death of several hundred men, women, and children was not something that was especially shocking . Then, he shrugged and leaned back . "In other words, treason."

Minato was barely able to react in time to leap out of the way, landing on the ceiling with catlike grace at the same time a fist with over a hundred tons of force behind it struck the chair in which he had been sitting a moment before . The unfortunate piece of furniture was completely obliterated, rocketing backwards in so many fragments that identifying the resultant rubble as having once been a chair would have been an exercise in futility .

However , rather than the fear one would have expected from a man whose life had come within less than a second of being utterly shattered , Minato's face was instead twisted in a small, triumphant smile.

"Just as I thought. You still do care."

The words doused Tsunade's sudden rage immediately.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "What are you doing?

"A good question, but not the one you really want answered, now is it?"

The Sannin's fists clenched together, this time even harder than the last.

"Fine," she spat out. "What do you want me to do?"

Dropping back down to the floor, the small smile on Minato's face grew just a little bit more before he spoke. The barest flash of his white teeth began to peek through.

"I want you to become Hokage."

XXX

For a moment after the Namikaze's insane, absurd declaration, there was only silence. Then, Tsunade opened her mouth.

"No."

It was short, curt, and punctuated with the tight fury at the very idea that the man had suggested she do such a thing.

But even after that firm, pointed rejection, the smile on Minato's face did not waver.

"Come on," he responded. "Won't you at least listen to the rest?"

"It won't change anything," Tsunade bit out .

"Then it won't matter whether or not I tell you, now will it?"

"No, it won't. Now leave, I won't be seen consorting with a missing-nin and give Orochimaru a reason to force me to go back."

She almost missed the look of uncharacteristic fury that quickly passed over Minato's face at the mention of her teammate's name; right before he schooled his features back into that benign smile he had worn from the beginning of their conversation.

Despite herself, Tsunade began to feel curious .

This has something to do with Orochimaru ?

"Orochimaru- san , huh… It all comes back to him in the end, now doesn't it?"

"What are you saying?"

Minato sighed. "Those accusations of treason I just mentioned… I should probably preface this by saying that I was framed." He closed his eyes sadly, and continued. "But the crime was real. Someone did kidnap and murder those people. That someone was also the same person who framed me."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Now that she thought about it, doing something like that did seem rather uncharacteristic of the young man in front of her. But still, there were only a few people who could turn a war hero like the Yellow Flash into a scapegoat, and even fewer who could create accusations that could stick, accusations that would cause the man to flee the village.

In fact, she could only think of…

Two …

Such …

People.

The Sannin's face rapidly went pale.

"No…" she whispered, disbelief painting her voice.

"Yes. Orochimaru-san was the one who experimented on and killed those people. He was the one who framed me." Minato smiled bitterly. " He was the one who tried to have my wife and my student assassinated when I moved to confront him."

"Y-you're lying. There's no way-"

"Isn't there?" He cut her off. "I assure you, I was just as disbelieving as you were when I first figured it out, but after I saw that…"

"That?" Tsunade asked, almost hoping he wouldn't answer.

"Two months ago, on the day I was exiled, was also the day when I found where Orochimaru-san had been conducting his experiments. When I went there…" Minato shuddered involuntarily. "It was like a scene out of hell. Corpses everywhere, the scent of blood choking the air, and the screams and moans of the dying… But the worst part…"

He took a deep breath. "The worst part was that child he was operating on when I walked in. Tsunade," he said, and the Sannin drew back against her will, "I watched him cut out a living child's heart, a boy no older than Nawaki was when he died, while he screamed for mercy, and when I confronted him about it, he called it 'beautiful'. He's gone completely mad. He needs to be stopped."

"N-no! That can't be true! Orochimaru would never-" The declaration was nearly a scream now.

"Would he? Can you honestly say that, knowing him as you do?"

Tsunade froze.

She wanted to deny it. Orochimaru wasn't just her teammate; he was one of her best, one of her only friends. She had known him for over twenty years, and in that time, he had earned her faith and trust.

But then again, because of that long association, she also knew that Orochimaru had always been somewhat twisted as well. The man held a fascination with death that went beyond the ordinary, and the way he had moved, the way he had acted during their last meeting a year ago…

She still shuddered at the memory.

Something had been wrong with him. Something so well-hidden that she doubted that even she would have noticed it had she been interacting with him on a daily basis for the time before that, but it was there, no matter how hard she had tried to deny it in the days following.

It was crazy. He was the Hokage. It didn't make any sense!

But, that small voice at the back of her head noted, if he really was responsible…

She shook her head. It didn't matter. That damn village didn't matter either. It was someone else's problem. Let Namikaze deal with-

"Shizune," the man in question whispered, his voice cutting through the deafening silence like a sharpened blade.

That single word shattered her entire chain of thought.

Shizune.

Dan's niece.

Her last reminder of the only man she had ever truly loved in her entire life.

Who was now just a few years older than Nawaki had been when he died… under Orochimaru's command.

Shizune, who, if what Namikaze said was true, was now in very real danger of becoming one of Orochimaru's new victims .

"You arrogant, manipulative, bastard," she spat out.

If Minato was affected by the insult, he didn't show it, simply continuing to stare at her impassively, waiting for her decision.

"What's to stop me from just going there and taking her away?" she snarled.

Minato raised an eyebrow in disbelief, as if asking her if yes, she really thought that he hadn't planned for that contingency.

"In that case," he murmured, "I would be forced to leak information to Danzo's Ne ANBU that you were seen in contact with an S-Rank missing-nin of the Leaf. Even if your status would protect you from most of the consequences, you would be forced to return to the village regardless, along with Shizune."

Tsunade nearly cursed out loud. Of course Namikaze would have accounted for that possibility. The man always had contingencies for his contingencies.

"I could just refuse to go back, even then," she tried to spit, though it came out sounding more like a plea. "I could just abandon her."

And at that, Minato closed his eyes and smiled.

Kindly. Compassionately.

Mercilessly.

"But you won't, for the same reason that you won't betray me to Orochimaru without confirming or overturning my argument first."

His eyes opened, and he stared at her with an intensity she had never seen in them before. It was like staring into a pair of blazing sapphires, twin suns burning into her mind.

"Because you are a good person, Tsunade, and good people are always driven to do the right thing, no matter how much they wish not to."

And at that, Tsunade of the Sannin, the strongest woman in the world, whose name had been feared at all the corners of the elemental continents during the Second Shinobi World War, slumped back, defeated .

XXX

Clack… clack… clack…

The rhythmic sound of wood striking the earth filled the air through the near-empty clearing as the man passed.

His long, silver hair hung around his head, framing a face which could have been etched out of stone, in spite of the long laughter lines lining its sides. Each measured tap of the geta on his feet as he moved forward let out another sharp clacking sound into the silence. To his side, a boy with brown hair wearing a stylized mask held pace with him, sometimes jogging to catch up to the man as his longer strides carried him ahead.

Both of them remained silent. They had nothing to say to each other.

Two months.

Two months since he had come back to the village, and found out that his student had become a missing-nin.

Two months since he had begged Orochimaru to let him pursue the boy.

Two months since he had last visited the Great Toad Sage, asking for advice, after discovering that Minato had removed himself from the contract.

Two months since he had left in pursuit.

One of your students, Jiraiya-chan… one of your students has gone bad. The Sage's voice echoed in his skull, as if it had just been yesterday.

He had analyzed and ripped apart the statement as much as he could, but nothing could divert him from the incontrovertible conclusion.

The Yellow Flash was his last living student.

And Jiraiya knew his duty.

The Toad Sannin would find him, and when he did, he would perform the last act he was allowed, as his teacher.

He would kill Namikaze Minato .

A/N: And now, nearly a year after the first chapter was published, I give you the second.

Hopefully, the next one won't take nearly as long.

I guess the first thing I have to give is an assurance. Jiraiya has very good reasons for trying to kill Minato, beyond the prophecy of the GTS, because no, he is not going to try and kill his student over some vague prophecy.

I haven't elaborated upon these reasons yet, but they are there. Take that as you will.

Also, a massive shout out to Ser Serendipity, my beta. If you haven't read his story, Not Sick yet, do so. Now. You won't regret it.

Brilliant fights, characters who are in-character, to the point where he literally seems to set a new bar for what "in-character" means, logical and intelligent explanations for why people behaved the way they did in canon, an Itachi who actually gets called out on the horrific acts he committed without losing his utter badassery, confrontations that really should have happened in canon, and last, but definitely not least, massive amounts of the Power of Friendship.

And don't be put off by the first chapter. It's not a Sasuke bashing fic by any means. Quite the opposite, in fact (and considering that I am a complete Sasuke fanboy, I think I know Sasuke-bashing when I see it).

Well, now that I've got my shameless rec out of the way, without further ado, I welcome you to the true beginning of Rights of Succession.

It's going to be quite a ride.