Naruto: Menma Chronicles by Redrover117

Chapter 4: A Red Dawn

Land of Fire: Konoha / Eastern Village Wall

Uchiha Itachi was a patient man by nature; the fact that he was willing to wait for his younger brother to grow strong enough to challenge him and finally end his pain could attest to that. Five years ago he had slaughtered his entire clan in a single night leaving only his brother alive to prevent the beginning of a Fourth Great Shinobi War. The Uchiha clan had been planning a coup and he had been tasked to stop them, permanently.

Secretly he still loved Konoha and his younger brother however his current position as a member of the Akatsuki and 'Uchiha Madara's apprentice had placed him at the center of what could possibly be the beginning of a revolution akin to the formation of the Shinobi Villages. When Zetsu had informed them that the Ichibi had been removed from its still living Jinchuuriki and had attacked Konoha, the entirety of the Akatsuki organization had been surprised and in 'Madara's case a little confused. After all it was him that had been responsible for the Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago and now it seemed that history had repeated itself.

"They've escaped complete annihilation but it appears they've sustained heavy losses," commented his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame. The man was a predator in every sense of the word; especially with the giggling demonic sword on his back.

"For such a prosperous village...it's pathetic," Itachi commented as gazed upon the ruined village.

"That's unlike you," Kisame chuckled amused. "So you still have lingering affections towards you home village? Even you have nostalgia, huh?"

"No..." Itachi replied as his Sharingan activated. "None at all."

The Hokage Tower had surprisingly come through the recent Ichibi attack unscathed though that couldn't be said for about three quarters of the village. Unlike the Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago, there was no Sandaime Hokage actively leading the shinobi into battle with the Ichibi until the very end. Without someone of S-rank to hold the rampaging Biju off, it all but annihilated the entirety of Konoha before it was stopped by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"The demon must be killed immediately! We cannot let Sandaime-sama's sacrifice be in vain!" screeched Haruno Mebuki to the assembled councils. "We were lucky that the Kyuubi was ridden from the world last year and we can't possibly let another one of those things in the village! I won't let it hurt my daughter!" the Civilian Council agreed loudly with her words.

"Enough!" shouted Jiraiya as he entered the room effectively silencing the room.

"Jiraiya-sama," Nara Shikaku greeted with a nod from his place amongst the Shinobi Council. "Judging by the fact that you are here, I assume that you have agreed to become the Godaime Hokage?"

"Yes," Jiraiya nodded as he stepped up to the Hokage's seat and sat down. "As much as I'd like to continue my research, I can't let things stay the way they are without trying to do something about it."

"And what about the demon child?" asked Mebuki. "He can't be allowed to live! Not after what's he's done!"

"That 'demon child' as you so eloquently put it is the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage and my nephew," Sarutobi Asuma spoke up with a glare.

"That thing killed the Honourable Grandson and took his form. What if it possesses someone else?" Mebuki countered as murmurs arose amongst the civilians.

"A Jinchuuriki can be a powerful weapon for any Shinobi Village," Shimura Danzo said from his place amongst the three Elders. "Konoha is weakened right now with the Ichibi attack and the death of Sarutobi along with half of the village's shinobi. Having a Jinchuuriki in the village will give the other nations pause, buying us time to properly train him to combat the enemies of Konoha."