Two weeks after the Uchiha arrived, a rather small boat, with a single person in it, was spotted on the horizon.

I was the first person to reach the shore after the alarm rang out.

Ryuunosuke was the second. "Who is it?" He demanded.

"The Sandaime," I responded. "He's alone and, as far as I can tell, unarmed."

"Why?" He asked as Natsuki and several Uchiha, including Fugaku, arrived.

"Why what? Who is it?" Fugaku demanded.

"It's the Sandaime. As far as I can tell, he's unarmed, at least, he's not carrying any weapons that can channel chakra." I repeated

"Why?"

"Why are you asking me? For once, I'm not the one who started this."

Kagami landed behind me, setting me on edge.

"He's not going to attack, if that's what you're worried about."

"You're right. What color flag is on the bow? Kichiro, you're the only one who can see that far."

"It's blue shade nine. If you'll excuse—"

"Not so fast, boy. The blue flag means Iwa declared war on Konoha."

"I haven't forgotten color code," I snapped back. "I'm not part of leadership decisions, so I'll be leaving."

"No, you won't, you'll be talking to him."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "No, I most certainly won't." I retorted coldly and jerked myself free.

"He has a point, Kichiro," Fugaku placated, a hand around my arm.

"A point? I don't care what point he has, I'm not—"

"You will do as you're told," Fugaku snapped.

I jerked my arm free. "Make—"

"Enough!" Ryuunosuke interrupted. "Kichiro, you were the first here, you should see this through."

"I came because I thought there was someone attacking. Like it or not, I'm the first and best line of defense this village, well, camp has. The past two, almost three months of training proves that. There is no threat, so I'm leaving. I'm done with whatever politics this will be."

"The only reason the Sandaime would come here alone is if he wanted our help," Fugaku reasoned. "This decision will affect you most of all, Kichiro. I refuse to believe you would stand by and allow Konoha to be destroyed."

"Now that the defensive seals have been set up, Konoha is the only threat to this island Natsuki and I can't handle," Ryuunosuke continued when I hesitated.

"Konoha needs medics more than fighters," Kagami finished.

I crossed my arms, not quite convinced.

"You've brushed up on your Fūinjutsu, you could pass as a master." Ryuunosuke coaxed.

"If we decide to help Konoha, only you and a section of Uchiha Chuunin, maybe an ANBU, will be dispatched, that's all," Fugaku continued.

"I'll stay, but I won't talk with him."

"You're acting like a child, Kichiro," Ryuunosuke admonished quietly.

"No, I know the limits of my self-control."

They couldn't fault me for that.

(-_-)

I wasn't entirely sure how they managed it, but somehow they convinced me to act as the mediator of the meeting between Nagato, who arrived late, Fugaku, and the Sandaime. Nagato wasn't comfortable allowing the Sandaime onto the island, so I was then tasked with pulling an island from the ocean floor for everyone to sit on, complete with a rectangular raised platform that would double as a table for us to sit around. At high noon, the four of us settled around the table. Unbeknownst to them, I abused the faith they put in me and hid seals under the earth that would glue everyone else's hands to the table and butts on the ground if they frustrated me.

Well, the seal would apply to Nagato and the Sandaime. I had nothing against Fugaku, aside from his arrogant attitude as a teenager, but I wasn't going to fault him for his past arrogance. In fact, before Minato died, they could have been called friends, and he was pretty chill for an Uchiha. The only thing I outright disagreed with the man on was the way he allowed the clan to exercise increasing control over the lives of his sons and wife. Even then, I couldn't fault him for it, since he ceded the control for the benefit of the clan as a whole, allowing petty losses in exchange for what seemed to be disproportional gains for the clan, especially under Minato's tenure.

To be perfectly honest, in comparison to most leaders I interacted with, Fugaku was my favorite. He was a good leader. Trustworthy. Stubborn. Considerate. Benignly manipulative.

"Everyone sit," I ordered as everyone arrived. They warily knelt around the table, Fugaku opposite me, Nagato on my left and the Sandaime on my right. "Ground rules: No raised voices. No threats of any kind whether they be veiled, verbal, physical, or implied. If you must fight, keep it on the verbal front. I reserve the right to make up rules as I go. My word is law for the duration of this meeting. Any questions? No? Good, then begin." I sat back and listened, my face impassive.

"Why are you here?" Nagato began.

"I'm not stupid enough to believe no one told you what color that flag is," the Sandaime responded coldly.

"Why are you here?" Nagato repeated. "The war has nothing to do with us. Konoha broke the treaty with the Uzumaki when she imprisoned and tortured Kichiro and Naomi, as well as attempted to subvert Naruto."

"Naruto is not—" the Sandaime started to protest.

"He carries the Uzumaki name, he is part of our clan."

"Minato was a shinobi of Konoha! The Uzumaki and Konoha have equal claim!"

"No, neither have claim," I interceded. "Minato joined the Uzumaki clan when he married Kushina, but they didn't cede the rights to their children or possessions to either the Uzumaki or Konoha. As their highest ranked closest living relative, I have full custody of Naruto and their possessions until Naruto turns twenty-one, at such time all rights are ceded to him."

All eyes snapped to me. "There was no record of a will upon his death," the Sandaime retorted.

"Minato had no need to leave a will. Under both Konoha and Uzumaki law, everything fell to me, exactly how he intended it. If you want to control Naruto, you have to control me first and everyone here knows how well that will turn out. The topic is closed. Sarutobi, I believe you were asked a question on the purpose of your visit."

Both Nagato and the Sandaime seethed, but let it go.

"I am here because your clans left Konoha severely compromised."

"You have my assurance that none of Konoha's secrets have left or will leave the thoughts of the individual Uchiha who own them, they will not even be divulged with myself. The order was given the moment we fled Konoha," Fugaku stated.

"The same holds true for all the Uzumaki aside from Kichiro," Nagato finished.

The corner of the Sandaime's eye twitched. Too late, I realized what was going on, not that I would have stopped it to begin with. "Codes have been changed and potential leaks sealed off from your clans. Only Kichiro has potentially crippling intelligence and the ability to figure out the current codes."

"I could dismantle your village in a few hours with a few words, old man," I clarified.

The Sandaime swallowed nervously, confirming the statement. He knew I would never do such a thing, but still, the threat was there. I had too much access to the village during my stint as ANBU General and my time as one of the village's medics.

"They're not going to let you off the hook unless you ask them directly, maybe even beg." I told him when the silence started to drag on. "If your anger and apathy was directed at specific people, then I wouldn't stand for it, but you managed to shove two entire clans under the umbrella of 'enemy' just by association. Go ahead and beg for their help, Sandaime-sama, because you've squandered the mercy I'm willing to give you."

He folded his hands and rested his elbows on the makeshift table.

"Four days after the Uchiha left, Iwa declared war on Konoha, immediately followed by Suna and Kiri, but this time, the three made an alliance. Once again, we are facing a war on three fronts but this time, Kumo refused to assist because without the Uchiha, without our stars of the previous war, we have no one to hang our hopes on. I am too old to fight, and the most promising shinobi of the next generation have nowhere near the experience or the natural affinity for the kind of leadership we need."

"Sakumo is still young enough to lead troops, and within a few months he can train his son and others to help."

Everyone around the table stiffened.

"Tsunade and Jiraiya are still fully capable ninja and with both skill and experience in leadership. You now have a general for all three fronts," I concluded.

"Kichiro, your sensei, Hatake Sakumo, died from his injuries shortly after you left the village." Nagato informed me softly.

For the briefest of moments, my impassive façade cracked. I looked down at my hands. After a few seconds, I forced the grief to wait and looked up.

"Minato was planning to appoint Nara Shikaku as Head Jōnin once his son was a year old. He has a reputation for laziness, but he's one of the best minds the village has to offer and a better shinobi than he lets on. He could have been Hokage if someone made him do it." I half-shielded my face, unable to control my expression.

The Sandaime didn't expect my proposal, but considered it anyways. "You're six years removed from Konoha yet you're still more familiar with Konoha shinobi than I am." He commented.

I didn't respond.

"Konoha needs help," the Sandaime addressed Nagato and Fugaku. "Konoha needs your help. She won't survive without you. On behalf of my village, I beg you to send help!"

"Why should we help you?" Fugaku demanded. "You were planning to kill us. How do we know this isn't some ruse to make another attempt on our lives?"

"Kichiro can tell when someone is sincere. Ask him if I'm telling the truth. Konoha will not turn against you, never again."

They looked as me. "There has not been any intentional lies or deliberate misinformation or misdirection on anyone's part. Any untruths were spoken out of ignorance. No one here means anyone else any harm."

That incited an exchange of wary looks because I had shared far more than anyone wanted to admit. Nagato sent me a glare that insisted we would have a conversation later. It went over my right shoulder, but the message was clear.

"That doesn't change the fact that you had a massacre planned against my clan," Fugaku snapped.

"I severely miscalculated and allowed the wrong people to whisper poor advice in my ear for too long without reprimand. The persons who contributed to my lapse in judgement have been dealt with. I formally apologize for the damage done to the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku nodded his acceptance.

"Nagato-san, I also formally apologize for my actions against your sister, Naomi, and regret that the problems between myself and Kichiro have affected your clan."

There was a long silence.

"An apology doesn't fix the past." Nagato coldly rejected the apology and stood. "If Kichiro wishes to help you, even after the harm you've done, attempted, threatened, planned, and even thought, then I will not stop him. I cannot stop him. But while I live, the rest of the Uzumaki clan will have nothing more to do with Konoha."

Nagato turned on his heel and marched back towards the island.

The Sandaime's expression turned desperate. "Nagato-san, please don't!" He stood. "Konoha needs every shinobi she can muster, please! Innocents will die without your help! Not just ninja, but if Iwa, or Suna, or Kami-forbid, Kiri makes it past our lines, civilians will die! They'll tear families apart, steal and conscript their children!"

Nagato stopped. "You should have thought about your people before you hurt my clan." He resumed his march.

After a minute the Sandaime returned to his seat.

"I am aware a small number of Uchiha chose to remain in Konoha, all of them a part of your ANBU. I will return to my clan and communicate to the Jōnin and Chuunin what you said and Konoha's situation. I will offer them the choice of assisting in the war. If anyone volunteers, you will have help, but it will be the decision of each individual." Fugaku stood and followed Nagato.

For a moment, the Sandaime forgot I was still present, and stared after them in anguish. His trip here was a massive gamble and he just lost worse than Tsunade ever did. A few volunteers were nothing compared to an army, albeit a small one. Tears were even visible in his eyes as his head fell in his hands.

I did not expect Nagato to completely turn his back on Konoha and if I was perfectly honest with myself, I felt bad for the Sandaime. He had an impossible job. Part of the problem was no one's fault but his own, but at the same time, he was well past his prime. He should have been home spoiling his grandchildren, doting on his wife and making a nuisance of himself to his children, not commanding a village in an age that wanted nothing more than to leave him as a relic of history.

Finally, he looked up at me.

"You've made a lot of mistakes, old man, foremost of which are hanging onto that hat of yours for this long." I told him. "You're not too old to fight, Kagami is older still and he's in near-perfect condition, aside from the effects of his Mangekyō. You're dying."

He stiffened. "How did you—"

"I've seen you at your worst, old man, and as much as I hate to admit it, I've seen you at your best. Like it or not, I know you better than anyone except your wife, Kagami, and perhaps your students. Who else knows?"

"Only you and Tsunade," he replied, defeated.

"Not your wife?"

"No, not yet."

"Your body is just failing, isn't it? How long have you known?"

He nodded. "About a month."

"I see. And your successor?"

"Three out of my six candidates are dead. Jiraiya hasn't stayed in the village for more than a few days at a time since Minato died, the village has all but forgotten him, or outright detests him for some of his—tendencies. Tsunade—she isn't the same person she used to be. She's lost her faith in peace, she doesn't believe it could solve anything."

I looked down at my hands folded on the table.

"I want you to succeed me."

I froze. "You hate me."

"Yes. I know this makes me one of the worst people to walk this earth, but even though I dislike you, I need you. I need you to fight this war, lead these troops. I need you to become their leader, to replace me." There was a long silence. "You're absolutely right. My body is just failing. I don't trust the other doctors, not even Tsunade, to make sure my last words are properly recorded and my last wishes upheld, and I don't want my death to become a village spectacle. I may dislike you, I may have heaped suffering and pain upon you and wished even more, but I know the kind of man you are, and I know, without a doubt, that you are someone I can trust, no matter what I've done to you."

"And if I refuse?"

"I'll cross that bridge if I come to it."

"How do I know this isn't some twisted trick?"

"You can see I'm telling the truth, Kichiro-kun."

"You were telling the truth when you swore to give me the respect I deserved and removed the Shitagau."

"I listened to the wrong voices and I regret that."

"You listened to your former teammates, Danzō and the other two."

The Sandaime's eyes narrowed. "There's no way for you to know that."

"I helped lead Konoha for almost a year. Minato had me go through your personal notes whenever he wasn't sure how to handle something and look for a precedent. Your teammates made as many, if not more decisions than you did."

His eyes hardened. "Those were my private notes, stored in my home! How did you even get in?"

I shrugged. "Minato gave them to me, I dunno where or how he got them; I really didn't want to know when he found them and I never asked."

"So you know everything then."

"Yes, I know almost everything, good, bad, and ugly, that has happened in the village since the Shodai died until I was separated from Minato during The Attack."

He laid a heavy hand on my shoulder. I struggled not to tense at the touch. "I can't command this war, Kichiro. This will be the fourth war I've lived through and I just can't handle that many more lives on my conscience." A long silence stretched between us. When I gave no indication of answering him, he finished. "I'll wait on the mainland where you landed with the other orphans for three days."

He released me and started walking back towards his boat. I released the chakra holding up the earth and headed back. Nagato waited for me behind a tree and followed when I passed. "What did he say?"

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."

"I don't care about the details, just the subject."

"He wants me to be the next Hokage."

Nagato stopped and I kept walking. He caught up just before I reached the Uzumaki neighborhood.

"And your answer?"

"I don't know yet, but I will be helping with the war. The man doesn't deserve to live through a fourth war and lead a third."

"If you want my advice—"

"I don't."

"Don't accept. You have Naruto to think about. Don't leave to fight."

"I'm not going to listen to you, so shut up before I do the opposite of what you want out of spite."

"Kichiro—"

"I mean it, piss off!" I marched away from Nagato and thankfully, he didn't follow.

I wandered around, watching everyone work. I stopped by the training ground several times to check on Naruto, not that anyone knew I was there.

After a few circuits, I included the Uchiha camp, the Uchiha on guard eyeing me as I wandered past. I knew better than to try and hide from them. For some reason, I felt pulled towards a deserted area. I resisted the pull. I knew better than to follow strange impulses. It had obviously been far too long since I was in the field. Once, I would have immediately dismissed a Genjutsu, but this time, I tried to ignore the feeling.

It wasn't until my imagined surroundings faded and I found myself standing in a deserted clearing that I realized something was up and tensed defensively. Naomi materialized several feet in front of me.

"Nagato told me what you decided and what the Sandaime offered."

"You put a Genjutsu on me to try and get me alone."

She nodded and touched the tree nearest her. A barrier appeared.

I rolled my eyes. "You can't keep me here, I can leave at any time with Hiraishin."

"Are you sure about that?"

I double checked my connection with my seals, only to find them too faint to latch on to.

"I won't let you go back. I'll keep you here by force if I have to."

I bristled at that. "What will you tell Nagato?"

"For all they know, you've already left and they don't even know I'm still here, well, the little Uchiha heir does, but he won't say anything."

I stepped forward until I was only a few inches away from Naomi. She stared me down, even though I was several inches taller. After a few seconds, I inspected the seal. "Not a bad job, but you won't be able to sustain this for more than a day or two, less if I fight you."

She gritted her teeth.

"I don't care what you think about the Sandaime, but innocent people are going to get hurt and killed if I don't."

"Maybe a barrier won't hold, but you taught me plenty about poisons and I can keep you drugged and bound." Her outline blurred as she lunged forward. I barely managed to sidestep the sudden assault. Her eyes widened as she missed, and she tried to hit me as she passed, but I grabbed her wrist before she could deal any damage.

"Naomi, you're not a frontline fighter, you don't have a chance against me."

"That's where you're wrong," she retorted, producing a pair of sticks from somewhere.

"Those are my sticks!"

"These are your sticks that made you the strongest shinobi Konoha ever produced."

"The sticks have nothing to do with my strength," I stated, rolling my eyes.

"You have no idea what they are or where they come from, do you?"

"What?"

"The Shodai and Uzumaki Mito made these," she explained.

"I know, but what does that have to do with—"

"They're covered in seals, seals to amplify someone's abilities. You spent over a decade channeling chakra into them, making them even stronger. I know how to tap into that and it makes me stronger than you could possibly imagine."

I rolled my eyes. "Clever deduction, but you've completely missed the mark."

Without warning, Naomi appeared behind me, swinging one of the sticks at my head and the other towards my leg. The stick was sturdy enough to break my femur if I let it land. Even if it did land, it wouldn't cause much damage.

I struck one of Naomi's wrists, followed by the other, but the straps were around her wrists and it wasn't enough to take the weapon. A second later, she countered, putting me on the defensive while I analyzed her attacks. She was fast, too fast for me to see properly, forcing me to rely on my instincts and track her chakra signature.

After a few seconds, I felt her frustration of not being able to touch me rise. "Naomi, I sparred two against one with Minato and Kushina on a regular basis and won more often than not. You can't beat me with speed or strength. You need superior skill, which you don't have yet."

She stopped abruptly, several feet away, breathing hard. "You haven't even attacked yet."

"I was good enough to be Hokage, do you have any idea what that means? No power-up from your weapon or my own handicaps can close that gap, Kage are so much more powerful than Jōnin it's not even funny. My lack of practice while I was raising Naruto only increases the chances of you getting hurt, not your chances of winning."

She glared at me. "Natsuki managed—"

"That was a spar, with handicaps, where I was teaching her, not trying to win."

She ground her teeth.

"Being strong, even when fighting, is so much more than having all the jutsu. It's more than being faster, stronger, or even smarter. It's about fighting for more than yourself and what you care for. Konoha teaches a lot about teamwork and bonds, but even that limits people. It's more than yourself, its more than your precious people, it's about everyone, even your enemies. What makes Kage strong is the way they can care for everyone, even their enemies."

She scoffed. "Then the Sandaime must be one pathetic ninja."

"Quite the contrary," I smirked, baiting her.

She rolled her eyes. "You're telling me that the way he treats you, the way he treated me makes him stronger‽"

For the briefest of moments, anger and frustration clouded her concentration and I moved.

She blinked and I was behind her, one arm around her neck and both sticks in my hand. "Let go and take off the straps," I ordered her quietly.

"How did you—"

"Those sticks are alive, that's what makes them so strong, they're embedded with the Shodai's will, his will to defend Konoha, never harm it. There are seals on them, lots of seals that can do many things but I've never touched them. You have it all wrong. Now give me my weapons back, preferably before you hurt yourself or they recognize you as an enemy of Konoha."

Author's note: So, I'm not dead. To be perfectly honest, I haven't wanted to post the last few chapters of this. As I've said a few times before, I finished writing this entire thing before I posted the first chapter. To post these last few chapters makes me feel like I'm closing a door to a part of myself that, wretched as I was when I wrote this, is an important part of my history and a step on the way to the person I'm trying to be now.

I haven't been reading much fanfiction lately. I've been working on writing a few, but I can sincerely say that my life has finally begun. Like, my adult life with a future that I couldn't see before. Admittedly, it's also a life that has far too little time for fanfiction and some of my other hobbies, but a good one all the same. I don't want to leave this behind, nor do I want to leave this unfinished. This story is already far more popular than I ever dreamed it could be.

I'd like to give a very sincere thank you to everyone who has, as one exceptionally eloquent reviewer said, "given this story its due chance." Thank you for your time, and to those of you who have reviewed, thank you for your courage to say so.