The Lives Worth Saving

Chapter 52: To the Land of Hot springs part 2

"Right," He started, noting the attentiveness in every shinobi's expression. "I'm sure you all know Uzumaki Naruto?"

There was a rush of murmurs around the room before Anko spoke up. "He's the demon brat, isn't-"

The kunoichi abruptly cut herself off when cerulean eyes froze over and pinned her with an icy stare. From her right, Kakashi's typical lazy drawl wasn't so lazy anymore. There was just the slightest edge of steel underlying his voice as he spoke.

"Maa, Anko, that 'demon brat' is my student."

It was strange, a detached part of Anko's mind thought. Sharingan no Kakashi was famed for his detached nonchalance and cool head in any situation and often showed nothing but disinterest in everything not directly related to the immediate safety of Konoha. The man was hard-pressed to care about anything on a good day. And yet, here he was, defending one of his students for something Anko had said that she hadn't even meant as an insult. She wondered if Haruki had anything to do with this change.

"That's not what I meant," She snapped back, mostly at Kakashi because Haruki wasn't even frowning and she could already feel the chill trickling down her spine. She almost pitied any poor fool who pissed him off enough to receive the full brunt of that glare. "I've got nothin' against the kid. I can tell a child from a demon, Hatake."

Anko breathed an inward sigh of relief when
Kakashi relaxed enough to eye-smile an almost-apology at her. She shot an irritated glare back before turning to Haruki again to check his expression. The frigid stare was gone, replaced by his typically neutral expression again.

"What about him then?" She asked, not quite able to hide a scowl from surfacing on her face.
Haruki had the decency to look apologetic for a brief moment and Anko settled back down with a huff.

"Well then," Haruki continued, his gaze sweeping around the room. "As you know, Naruto is the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. But right now, all he knows is why this village hates him so much," Cerulean darkened to indigo as he spoke. "He doesn't understand the Kyuubi's power, nor does he realize how strong he can become if he manages to work together with the fox."

"Wait, wait, wait," Asuma straightened from his seat, something like alarm flashing across his face. "We don't want Naruto to use that demon fox's power."

"Why not?" Haruki immediately countered, and several in the office noted the way his shoulders squared, as if preparing for battle. "The Kyuubi's chakra is just another source of strength one can use. The Uchihas have their Sharingan; the Hyuugas have their Byakugan; the Aburames have their kikaichuu; the Inuzukas have their dogs. Naruto and Kurama are no different. Working together, they could become very strong."

"...Kurama?" Asuma frowned, confused.
"The Kyuubi's name," Haruki answered shortly, leaving half the room looking nonplussed. "If Naruto can work together with the fox, his potential would increase even more and Konoha would become that much stronger."

"The Kyuubi tried to destroy Konoha twelve years ago," Tsume cut in flatly, eyes narrowed. "I've got nothing against the brat; my own son is friends with him, but who knows what that monster would do if he could influence the boy."

Haruki opened his mouth before closing it again, mentally calming Kurama as growls resonated in his mindscape. 'They don't know yet,' He reminded the fox.

'Then tell them. This is degrading.'

"Alright," Haruki said aloud, glancing sideways at the Hokage. "I think I'll have to go further back and tell you something else then. Old man, you remember what I said about who was really behind the Kyuubi attack?"

Sarutobi nodded thoughtfully as his gaze swept over the occupants of the room. He had been told of the real mastermind behind several disasters hitting Konoha but he suspected that there was still something Haruki was holding back from him. But the former Hokage had said nothing more on the subject so Sarutobi had not pushed. He trusted Haruki to tell him when he needed to know. "Tell them. But this is an S-class secret. Word of this must not get out."