The Hokage's Will by Airheaded dude

Chapter Ten: Shatter

The Hokage's Will

Chapter Ten: Shatter

'As I write this, I ask myself this question that had plagued me for almost a week:

When have I become so heartless?

As I stood before the room of the one child whom I swore to protect on the death of my successor, I could feel this gnawing sensation in my heart of what I have authorized to my men. I had no other choice. It was that or kill him. I would not shed the blood of an innocent even if it costs mine. Naruto is young, innocent, and untainted. His mother is his sole source of comfort and company. For it to be taken from him… How could I be so foolish?

I have let my wayward apprentice live, I should have been the one to do the sealing instead of the Yondaime. It was my responsibility. I've made many mistakes, many decisions that should have taken a different path. Yet, I find myself doing things that dare do the same atrocities all over again. Many times, the words of my teachers and my student Jiraiya always reminded me when I was younger,

'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.'

I want Naruto to grow without a mental problem, grow up normally unlike the rest of his kind. Not as a weapon of this village, isolated from the family in which I have viewed each and every one of my soldiers and my people. I have been heartless in many a time. But only to the boy that I swore to protect would I be different. His life is more important, the death of his mother is a blow that is hard to recover from in childhood. The boy would become unstable, become even more miserable, for that, I have no choice but to strengthen his mind.

Kushina's death… I find it highly unlikely that Danzo was not involved in this in some way, yet I just can't convict the man and disband ROOT all the same. He has elite followers around him. If he dies, ROOT would cause too much anarchy; his men would not know what to do. It would most likely be a massacre. I will do what it takes to keep this village safe, though as Danzo and I age further and further, death approaches our doors soon, and until I find a way to stop the man, then I might as well have no choice but to keep him alive a little longer. Disbanding his underground forces did not help; I need to cut the head of the snake to kill it.'

-Sarutobi Hiruzen

Tsunade closed her eyes in contemplation. Sarutobi-sensei had a lot of regrets in his life, a lot of sadness emanating from him, how hard it was to actually strengthen his resolve every time he makes a very difficult decision concerning the village, and he faced it, out of all the leaders of Konoha in the past, Sarutobi had the most trying times to test his mettle and worth. Tsunade could not help but be empathic of her mentor's situation. There were too many decisions that had put Sarutobi's leadership to the test. The Sandaime loved his village; he considered them his children as well, seeing as how he was so fond of them.

Tsunade couldn't help but smile as she leaned back on the seat that the current patriarch of the Sarutobi clan lent to her to read Sarutobi-sensei's journals. She recalled herself when she was young, brash and hot-headed, stuck up and conscious about her figure. Together with her, was the pale and stoic genius, Orochimaru, unconcerned for others but still had the heart back then to be with them during trying times. Jiraiya, the mischievous, perverted little bastard that she beat up everyday for peeking on her in the hot springs, she remembered them so well. Then there was their teacher, Sarutobi-sensei, a genius, the mentor of one of the greatest legends within Konoha, the Legendary Sannin. He was younger back then, hair raised back, patient, insightful, calculating yet kind. He was the one who kept advising her to be positive about herself, that her time to bud will come. He was also the one to make Orochimaru walk forward despite the death of his parents. Sarutobi-sensei was the one to bring out Jiraiya's serious side and became powerful himself, DESPITE the fact that Sarutobi also joined the little hellion on their misadventures at the hot springs. Tsunade still seethed at that behaviour of their former master, he may be respectable, but he's still a closet pervert.