Chap-42 Union

On top of the tallest towers of the Royal Castle stood a young man in golden armor. There was a proud smile on his face which was as bright as the new crown on his head. Unlike the one's worn by the dozens of Daimyo before, this man's crown was circle in shape set with big square cut pale rubies. On his back where once rested a simple black cloak was now replaced with a stark white haori that had a roaring red dragon in the center.

A few weeks ago many people didn't know this man but now almost the entire world did.

He was Naruto Uchiha, First Dragon King, Ruler of the Land of Fire.

The said dragon descendant smiled widely when he saw the dragon banner of his clan finally being unfurled at the top of the Royal Castle. He looked down and saw thousands of Uchiha and their allies proudly watching the moment. Most of them were roaring, hundreds were crying and few were simply watching their dream be fulfilled before their eyes.

A dream for which millions of Uchiha had perished over thousands of years.

He looked at his five oldest friends currently standing around him with identical smiles on their faces. When they glanced back at him, he couldn't help but whisper...

"It's finally over..."

Most of the Kinsguard members knew it was far from that but at the moment looking at how happy their new King was, no one decided to point that out. Not even realistic Itachi.

Apart from the group of friends there was one other man present who was intensely staring at Naruto.

"Look at them. Uchihas and Senjus actually standing together side by side, it's still hard to believe" admitted Naruto,

"Do you know how to keep it that way, my king?" asked Daen Nara seriously, making Naruto look at him curiously.

"By being a better ruler than the one before me" confessed Naruto sincerely, earning a nod from the Nara leader.

"That is good, my king. But what makes a good leader?'' questioned Daen, and his eyes were not just fixed on Naruto but his friends as well.

"Someone who cares about the people..." suggested Shisui,

"A man who rules with iron strength..." suggested Takeshi,

"Someone who is fair and impartial?" offered Kagami, earning a consenting nod from Mikoto revealing she shared his thoughts.

Naruto listened to his friends and couldn't help but wonder that they all had presented valid points. However, it also made him worried for all those qualities were very rare to find in one person, much less in someone like him.

"A wise man"

He blinked at Itachi's suggestion said in the Uchiha's ever calm voice which earned a firm approving nod from the Nara who saw the young Uchiha in a new light before turning towards Naruto.

"Your grandfather was a man who cared for the people enough to propose peace to the Senjus but in doing so he became blind to reality and his family was murdered for his mistake. Kento Senju and Tajima Uchiha ruled with an iron fist and while their people remained safe during their reign they became hated by many men, the same was the case with the former Daimyo who we overthrew. Hashirama Senju is a fair man but he lacks foresight and cannot judge the true worth of a person" explained Daen briefly and was pleased when he saw realization dawn on the young King's face.

The Nara leader approached towards the edge of the wall and was soon joined by Naruto as they both looked at thousands of former enemies staring up at them.

"You have all the right qualities and temperament to be the ruler this country needs, Naruto. But you must be wise in every decision you make and always take the opinion of other men but in the end make decisions that you think are best for your people. The war might be over but the grudges and hostilities between these two factions will take a long time to subside. Most of them will soon start asking you for more lands, more wealth, more resources for their loyalty. How will you deal with it?" asked Daen patiently,

Naruto went silent as he watched his people, only now did he realize the true enormity of the responsibility that now rested on his shoulders. He had so much power in his hands but had no clue as to how he could use it best.

Daen carefully watched the young king, he was a good person and a better leader than most who had come before him. However, he had a fatal flaw.

Naruto was the youngest child of his family, a spare heir. Unlike Madara, he had never learned how to lead a clan much less an entire nation. Winning battles was one thing, making sure dozens of ninja clans didn't tear each other apart at the first chance was a whole different matter. Naori Uchiha might have made him a little well aware about politics, but unlike Madara who learned from Tajima and knew the game better than most, Naruto had never received that privilege.

Still there was a hidden leader inside the boy, a fact he displayed by his next words.

"I need to make these bitter enemies see a common cause to fight for. Our nation is rich and powerful, but there are still pockets of royalists who still oppose my rule. Maybe I should start putting them down with the help of my bannermen?" asked Naruto seriously,

"Very good. Choose the ones who seem most tolerant and keep the most bitter ones far apart. For example, one of the Daimyo's cousins is raising an army to overthrow you in the eastern side. The threat is small unlike the Damiyo's uncle who has mustered close to 6000 mercenaries. How will you deal with them?" asked Daen seriously,

Naruto tapped his chin as he glanced at the various ninja clan members, unknown to him all his friends and Daen were keenly observing his every move.

"Sasuke Sarutobi is a good and brave leader. Have him muster a force of 8000 ninjas to put down the smaller enemy army. His forces should be made up of Namikaze, Yuhi, Sarutobi and Akimichi warriors. Make sure to keep the Shimura and Inuzuka far away from each other as well as the Sarutobi. As for the Daimyo's uncle, have Hashirama Senju muster up a force of 10,000 ninjas made up of Uchiha, Senju, Hatake and Yamanaka warriors. As for the Inuzuka and Shimura, have their warriors start scouting missions on different sides of our borders alongside the Aburame clan. With these many clans allied together we'll run out of resources in a few years and we have to expand now. I can unite these bitter sides behind that cause easily, Hashirama has also suggested that I build a ninja village where eventually these clans can learn to live together. Madara will use that village under his power as Hokage to control our military. But all of this shall happen only after the wedding" explained Naruto briefly,

When he looked back at his supporters he saw his friends were openly gaping at him while Daen was smiling at him proudly.

"What?'' asked Naruto hesitantly, had he made a mistake somewhere?

Daen could not help but admire the boy's intelligence. He might not be as cunning as his Father when it came to politics, but Naruto had the ability to understand people. From the Uchiha side, the Namikaze and Yuhi were the most tolerant clans who could work very well with the Sarutobi and Akimichi.

On the other hand, having the mighty Uchiha and Senju join together to defeat a powerful enemy was enough to give them a challenge. And if one thing those two clans liked was a worthy foe, they might just work together to put the Damiyo's uncle down.

At the same time, the Inuzuka and Shimura were one of the most dangerous and bitter clans. They were the ones most opposed to this peace, by sending them to the borders Naruto was allowing time for this peace to settle in.

The boy was also aware that a war of expansion would unite these clans. Their coalition was now the largest and most strongest faction in the world with most of the powerful clans united under one banner. The remaining elemental nations were divided between hundreds of smaller ninja clans and feudal lords who were constantly at war. The Senju and Uchiha factions would gain great wealth and resources if they decided to expand their kingdom.

Building a ninja village would take time but the plan Naruto had suggested would provide ample opportunities to these bitter sides to work together for their mutual benefit. It might just give birth to the first flames of unity...

Of course, the whole move could backfire but it was a risk which had to be taken.

Daen found himself being wrong in the few times of his life. Naruto Uchiha might just manage to bring peace...

"Those are very good ideas, my king. But I advise you to give these clans some reward for pledging themselves to your rule..." suggested Daen,

"What should I do?" asked Naruto seriously, Daen had been one of the Daimyo's most trusted advisers and knew how to run a country better than most clan heads.

"Start making appointments in your royal court. Give the most powerful clans important positions and new lands, the lesser ones wealth and a chance to earn fame under this new regime. I have a few suggestions if you would be willing to listen..." offered Daen,

"I'd like that very much" replied Naruto with a sincere smile,

"Then I'll wait for you in the courtroom. For now, I hope you enjoy with your friends..." said Daen kindly,

With that the scarred man walked away leaving Naruto and his friends alone. When the King turned back, he saw his friends staring at him with surprise evident in their eyes.

"That was quite heavy..." joked Takeshi, making everyone except Itachi laugh out.

"Don't take it lightly, fool. A king must never sit easy..." chastised Itachi,

"Calm down, Itachi. Everything will work out...just give it time" advised Kagami patiently,

"Yeah. Stop being a pain in the ass..." teased Takeshi,

Naruto could not help but smile on watching his friends bicker with each other. It reminded him of the fact that while many things had changed, he still had his friends. He was surprised when Mikoto asked the boys to leave him alone with her, they all glanced at her and Naruto suspiciously with Takeshi even sending a warning glance at his sister before they all left.

When they were finally alone, Naruto stared at his former lover hesitantly...

While they had ended their relationship peacefully, it still didn't make him feel less guilty. But he was relieved when she gave him a warm smile as she stepped beside him...

"I hope you are okay with all this..." said Mikoto honestly,

"It's crazy but needs to be done. But as long as I have my friends and family with me, I'll try to make this work" replied Naruto sincerely, making her smile again.

"I know you will..."

"Mikoto, I-"

"You are a good man, Naruto. And a great friend to have, but the distance between our status in society is too large now. Most of all every clan will be watching your every move and there are more than a few who would want to overthrow you. They might just use any means to do that..." warned Mikoto,

"Then we'll deal with it together" promised Naruto, but it only made her smile falter.

"I'm afraid you don't understand. I am your past and most might not know about what we shared, but if I stay near you then some of them may just find out the truth and use it against you" cautioned Mikoto,

"But we ended it!" said Naruto angrily, why was she saying such things to him? He couldn't lose her after so many years of having her by his side. Mikoto was a dear friend first before she became someone he dearly loved and he was not willing to be parted from her any further. Had he not done more than enough for the sake of duty and peace?

"I cannot be near you, Naruto. I have seen the way Tsunade looks at me and I know she knows about our former relationship. She may trust you in time but not if she sees my shadow following you around everyday" explained Mikoto patiently, desperately trying not to feel guilty as she saw despair in those eyes she loved.

"What are you saying?'' whispered Naruto hesitantly,

"I am leaving the Kinsguard"

She felt as if someone had stabbed her right into her heart when his eyes became moist first before they were consumed by rage, hurt and betrayal. Her eyes widened when he wildly grabbed her shoulders and looked at her with such fury in his eyes...

"You cannot leave me! I don't care if I am King or if someone tries to use our past against me. You are my friend and anyone who tries to harm you...I'll burn them all!" promised Naruto murderously,

She was stunned by his rage but it also brought tears to her eyes. He might have ended their relationship for the greater good, but the love he had for her was clearly visible in his enraged eyes. It only made her decision even more harder...

"You don't understand-"

"THEN MAKE ME UNDERSTAND!" he yelled furiously right into her face,

She roughly pushed him away and turned around to run only to have a strong hand grip her arm. Before she could wrench free, he pulled her back and slammed her harshly against the nearby wall. Their faces were inches apart from each other and it was then she saw the pleading gaze of his. Mikoto broke as tears slipped from her eyes...

"I let you go for the sake of your duty. Now you have to let me go because I cannot watch you be with someone else for the rest of our lives. I might just kill Tsunade someday in rage..." said Mikoto darkly,

"I can't" he whispered, but she could see he was losing the battle.

"You have to. You chose your path...now let me choose mine" she begged,

She saw his broken gaze and his trembling lips but most of all she saw his desperate attempt to not cry. She hated doing this to him but this peace was important for the future of the Uchiha and all the citizens of the Land of Fire, she could not stand to see it destroyed just because of her.

Most of all, she might very well kill the Senju Princess if she ever made Naruto feel sad in any manner.

None of this was fair and not what both of them had ever wanted. But then again, life was never about what you wanted atleast in this era...

"Then go..."

The words were said in a brief whisper but she heard them nonetheless. Without waiting he turned around and walked away never looking back once but his angry strides and clenched fists alongwith his thunderous aura was enough to let her know he was devastated.