Promises Kept

A/N: Wow four votes in one day… Needless to say this poll is going better then I had expected. Thank you to those that have already voted and if you haven’t cast your vote yet don’t worry you’ve still got time to let me know what you think I should do.

In case you’re wondering about the current results of the poll the votes stand at: 4 for Teme Sasuke, 4 for keeping the Teams the same, 4 for letting Haku live, 3 for keeping Haku as a male and 1 for making Haku a female.

Again I wish to thank you all for voting but feel I should warn those that vote for letting Haku live that regardless of if Haku’s male or female I’m changing his/her appearance. No offence, I mean Haku’s one of my favorite characters, but the boy/girl needs a new look. Haku’s personality and everything will remain LARGELY intact but the look as got to change. Sorry but I like my characters to be easily identifiable as either male or female. No set plans on what the new look will be yet but I’ll let you all know once I’ve decided.

Now then back to our story.

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Raven pushes the large double doors to the Council Chamber causing them to nearly fly open as he stares across the room from the hallway. The almost thunderous boom caused by the thick wooden doors as they hit the opposing walls at the exact same moment causes everyone in the room including the Hokage to jump at least three inches out of their chair before eyes filled with terror, anger, annoyance and all emotions in between fall upon the man that just now begins to enter the room giving off an aura for confidence and power that not only captures their attention but prevents even the most hardened of those in attendance from looking away.

‘Look at the way they both admire and fear you,’ Hatibi tells him. ‘It‘s like an elixir,’ the Bijuu comments, ‘I had almost forgotten how intoxicating and addictive the sweet seductive taste of true terror could be.’

‘Calm yourself,’ Raven tells the Dragon. ‘Remember it was that addiction that caused you to be sealed in me.’ Hatibi does not answer nor does he need to, Raven can feel the demon’s regret and sadness at being reminded of the events that lead to its imprisonment and so allows the matter to end there. Once he has reached the center of the large semicircle of tables behind which the entire council is now seated he allows his eyes to wander from one end of the table to the other as he tries to figure just how many allies and enemies he has on the council comprised of both civilian and shinobi representatives.

The council is made up of merchants, the heads of every clan within the village, top Ranking Jounin and Anbu as well as the Hokage and his former teammates and most trusted advisors. Following his initial scan of the room Raven now knows that he’s in for a fight, whether he wants one or not. ‘Shibi Aburame, Chouza Akimichi, Tsume Inuzuka, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka and Sarutobi-sama are the only ones I know will help me,’ he thinks to himself after running his mental tally. ‘From what I can remember of Hiashi Hyuuga as long as something doesn‘t pose a threat to either his clan or his clan‘s standing in Konoha then he could careless what others do. Got to convince him to help me keep Naruto or at the very least keep him from seeing Naruto‘s training as any type of a threat to the Hyuuga Clan. Damn I hate politics.’

‘But we‘re so good at it,’ Hatibi purrs inside his mind before chuckling at its own joke. ‘Neither the Hyuuga nor the old man‘s advisors will be a problem,’ the demon tells him, ‘Unless I miss my guess they’ll more then likely abstain from the vote. No the problem’s going to come from the civilians as well as many of the shinobi that still harbor old grudges from before we left for our training.’

‘Don’t forget the ones that will blame me for not being here to help when Kyuubi attacked,’ Raven reminds him. ‘As fucked up as it seems you know there will be those that will try and twist this around and blame me for Minato’s death by saying I should have been here to fight the Kyuubi myself instead of allowing him to die. Of course the more sadistic of them will try saying that you possessed me and that we planned the whole thing with Kyuubi so that we could kill the fourth, destroy the village and take over the world,’ Raven growls mentally while maintaining a mask of indifference that would make both the Uchiha’s and Hyuuga’s jealous. In fact it was doing just that as the Head of the Uchiha Clan almost glares at him.

“I’m curious,” Raven finally says after what seemed like an eternity to those in the room but was in actuality only a minute, “Why are there civilians present for what is in my estimation at best a military matter?”

The Hokage takes a puff of his pipe before addressing the man he and his wife raised as a son. “Is this a military matter Raven-kun?” he asks in a gentle tone. “I thought we were here to discuss your adoption of Naruto.”

Raven nods to the only father he as ever known. “Hai, tousan it is,” he admits, “But I still fail to see why the council should be involved. It was the wish of the boy’s mother that I raise him upon my return to Konoha.”

“Do you honestly expect this council to take your word, monster?” one of the civilian merchants asks. “For all we know you could be conspiring to slaughter us in our sleep.” Before the man could utter another word against Raven he found himself suspended against the wall behind him by this throat.

All eyes in the room were once again upon Raven as he held the man up with his left hand. “You will hold your tongue or lose it sir,” he warns the man before dropping him to the ground. Standing over the now cowering man he addresses the others, never once taking his eyes off the man trembling at his feet. “If I had any desire to destroy this village I would have already done so,” he tells them. “I have more then enough power to destroy this entire country myself if I wanted.”

Closing his eyes, Raven sighs tiredly as he moves back towards his spot in front of the council allowing the man’s friends to help him back to his seat. “I grew up the exact same way Naruto did,” he tells them never once opening his eyes. “I was hated and beaten by the village I was born to, cast out into the streets by the very people that had cursed me with this burden.” He can hear and almost feel the shock and dismay his words cause in those that had not known the full story of his origins. “When I was only five years old the Elders of my village ordered my assassination and if it hadn’t been for tousan finding me in the forest that night I wouldn’t be here now.

“He took me in and gave me a home, but more then that he gave me a family that truly loved me and didn’t fear what their neighbors or the council thought. Growing up in the Sarutobi household I learned many things the most important being the 'Will of Fire' and how it connects every person in this village to each other.” Raven maintains his mask as he mentally smiles at the silent contemplation his carefully chosen words have caused nearly every member of the council.

“I became a Konoha shinobi and dedicated my life not only to the protection of this village but to the safety of her people. It was during the last Great Shinobi War my secret was revealed and this very council tried to do to me what my first village had done,” he growls causing many in the room to retreat as far from him as their chairs would allow. “I fought, bled and nearly died protecting my friends, comrades and this village from enemy shinobi and the thanks I got was three teams of ANBU ordered to kill me.” His eyes suddenly snap open revealing green reptilian slitted eyes as he looks around the table, holding the gazes of those that would cause Naruto harm for a few moments before moving on to the next.

“I was enraged at the betrayal this village had shown me and would have gladly torn the council to shreds along with the ANBU sent to carry out the deed if it hadn’t been for tousan, the boy’s mother and those five right there,” he says pointing towards Shibi Aburame, Chouza Akimichi, Tsume Inuzuka, Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka who were all seated together. “They are the ones that held ‘ME’ in check not the Hatibi. Hell at the time Hatibi could have cared less what happened in the world as long as I survived so that it could continue to live.”

‘Okay now you’re laying it on a little too thick,’ Hatibi warns him, ‘And ditch the eyes you’re trying to convince them not make them piss their pants.’

‘Ah… but I’m having fun,’ Raven pouts mentally while maintaining his mask of righteous anger. He closes his eyes again and takes another breath giving the illusion of calming his nerves and allowing his anger to subside when in actuality he was waiting for the perfect moment to play his trump card. “I apologize for losing my temper tousan,” Raven says as he opens his normal onyx eyes to meet the Hokage’s warm smile. “I will not allow this council to do to Naruto what was done to me.”

“Answer me Hiroku-san,” Hiashi asks attempting to restore order to the meeting. “What do you intend to do with the boy?”

“I will Raise Naruto as my son the way is mother wished for me to,” Raven answers honestly. “I will prepare him for the Academy and continue to care for and train him until the time when he is able to care for himself.”

“And what of the Kyuubi?” Hiashi asks, “What will you teach the boy in regards to the demon?”

“If it is possible I will teach him how to harness its power without losing himself to the Bijuu,” Raven says, “If that is not possible then I will teach him how to contain the Nine Tails so that it can not harm anyone ever again.”

Hiashi nods at Raven’s answers before looking to the rest of the council. “As this matter does not concern The Hyuuga Clan we have no objection to the boy’s adoption.”

“NO OBJECTIONS??,” one of the council members yells, “Weren’t you listening? He just said he’s going to teach the boy how to free the Demon.”

Hiashi glares at the man with his opal eyes as his faces convey the slightest hint of anger, which for a Hyuuga is paramount to contained rage. “I heard every word he said clearly. He will teach the boy to either be like himself or to completely seal the Kyuubi away for good. Either way it does not consern my Clan.”

“Hiashi’s right,” Inoichi says, “Raven-san’s service record speaks for itself and if the rumors of his recent actions are true then he is already as powerful as the Sannin if not the Hokage himself. Plus he’s also a Jinchuuriki like Naruto who, to my knowledge, has over twenty years of experience in controlling his Bijuu. I can’t think of anyone more qualified to raise the boy.” He looks over towards the Hokage before speaking again. “The Yamanaka Clan fully supports Raven’s petition to adopt Naruto Uzumaki.” After Inoichi’s pledge of his Clan’s support Shibi Aburame, Chouza Akimichi, Tsume Inuzuka and Shikaku Nara also pledged their Clans’ support as well.

While Raven was touched that his friends had stood by his side the vote from the remainder of the council did not go as he would have liked. After the final vote was cast the result proved to be that two thirds of the council stood against Raven’s adoption leaving Raven with no other option then to play his trump card.

What happened next shocked not only those that had voted against him but also those that had supported him, Raven laughed. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this but oh well,” Raven says as he pulls out a rolled up document out of one of his coat’s inside pockets and hands it to the Hokage. “Tousan could you please read this for everyone,” he askes.

The Hokage nods giving Raven a knowing smile as he unrolls the document before retrieving his reading glasses from inside his robes. Once his glasses are in place he begins to read the document aloud to the Council.

‘The Last Will And Testament of Kashina Uzumaki’

I Kashina Uzumaki being of sound mind and expanding body, hehe I’m seven months pregnant, do here by leave all of my worldly possessions to my as yet unborn son Naruto Uzumaki in the event of my death. Should his father no longer live at the time of my death then I entrust the care and safety of our son to Raven Hiroku upon his return to Konoha. Should Raven be unable to fulfill this obligation then this duty shall fall to Kakashi Hatake who if also is unable to comply with this request shall pass the well being of my child to whomever the Hokage deems worthy.

Signed,
Kashina Uzumaki

Witnessed By,
Kakashi Hatake
Sandaime Hokage
Asuma Sarutobi

Notarized By
Yondaime Hokage

“That Document is obviously a forgery,” one of the council nearly yells. “Who is this Kashina Uzumaki and how come we’ve never heard of her before and who is the boy‘s father and why hasn‘t he come forward to claim his brat?”

“This document is not a forgery,” The Hokage replies. “I remember signing my name to it the day Kashina wrote it. As to who she is, she was a Chunnin from the former Whirlpool Country that came to Konoha following its destruction during the Last Great Shinobi War. Sadly she passed away shortly after giving birth to Naruto. As for the boy’s father… he unfortunately perished while battling Kyuubi, his will has not yet been discovered."

“That settles the matter then,” Shibi Aburame says as he begins to rise from his chair. “The boy’s mother clearly named Raven-san as his legal guardian. As the document as been authenticated this council no longer has any say in the matter.” As he moves to leave the Hokage adjourns the meeting declaring Raven Naruto’s legal guarding in accordance with Kashina’s will much to the disappointment of the opposition and the delight of the supporters.

After everyone else has left the room Sarutobi looks at Raven with a proud smile. “You know you could have just shown her will in the beginning and saved yourself all the trouble of the hearing,” he tells his adopted son.

“Now where’s the fun in that tousan?” Raven asks grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

“Some things will never change,” the Hokage laughs as they walk out of the Council Chamber together.

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A/N: So what do you all think? Not too over the top was it? Oh well Raven's done with the council for now though they're not done with him just yet. Next Chapter Raven finally visits the graves of Naruto's Parents and meets up with Asuma for the first time in nearly six years. Should be fun so I hope you all will keep reading to find out what happens next.

Also remember that it is still not to late to cast your vote on how you think the story should proceed. Fair warning you if you don't vote I don't want to hear you complain if this story doesn't go the way you want it to, you've got no one to blame but yourself. And if you do vote but the story still doesn't go the way you want it to then I do appologize and hope you continue to read as I will make every effort to keep this story as enjoyable as I can for everyone.

Later,
~Raven~