Naruto: Rise and Wrath of the Emperor

Prologue, Part One

Four long years had passed since the end of the Unification War.

Four years since the lands of the Western Continent were united under a single ruler since the time of the Sage of the Six Paths, thus leading the people into an era of peace and prosperity.

The city of Kimon was also known as the Imperial Capital. Located twenty miles inland from the Western Sea, and accessible from the Kimon River, which snaked its way halfway through the Northern Continent, ending at its namesake. The Imperial Capital also served as a hub for trade, as did South Ichiyama in the Southern Region.

The nerve center of the Western Empire was the Imperial Complex (think the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Japan). Located at the heart of Kimon City, which served as the Imperial Capital, the two-mile complex sat on the top of a small hill and was heavily fortified, as it once belonged to the late Kimon warlord, Shoko Matsumoto. Now it served as the center of the Western Empire. Spanning two miles, the four-story Imperial Palace, served as the residence of the Emperor and Empress. The top two floors were reserved for the Emperor and Empress, while the bottom two floors were for their guests.

Aside from the Imperial Palace was the Hall of Sovereigns, of which the Emperor, the Empress, and their 12-member Imperial Council - six from the Western Empire's high-ranking samurai and ninja clans and six civilians and nobility who were elected representatives of the people - met three times a week to conduct and manage the government. The House of Sovereigns also contained the throne room, where the royal couple would usually receive their guests, seated on their thrones as well as their joint office.

Speaking of the Emperor, he was inside his office, taking on his greatest foe yet. A foe so devious, so cunning, that it almost made him wish that he was fighting his former teammate, the Akatsuki, the Legendary Sannins, and Hiruzen Sarutobi all at once. A foe so cold and ruthless that even Orochimaru would be sent screaming in terror from its presence.

That foe was paperwork.

{House of Sovereigns - Office of the Emperor and Empress}

"Ugh. I should have known this job had a catch to it. Honestly, I don't see how my old man could have done this. Leading an army into battle was much easier."

The Emperor of the Western Empire sat behind his desk, going through the mountain of paperwork, grumbling under his breath about how his wife was able to escape from the abomination of paperwork while he was stuck with it and the unfairness of it all.

Eighteen years old, he had come a long way since his days as a Konohagakure Genin. He was no longer the loudmouthed knucklehead who screamed that he would be Hokage one day. The years he had spent in the West had changed him. Forged in the fires of war, trained in the ways of the ninja and the samurai. Standing at six feet tall with a wiry, muscular frame, the spitting image of his late father, Minato Namikaze, but had his late mother's trademark temper when roused. He still bore the whisker-like marks on his face - a sign of him being a Jinchuuriki. The young man had blonde hair that was long and spiky like his father with facial stubble on his face, also the same color, and blue eyes showing intelligence combined with ruthlessness when need be.

His style of clothing also changed as well. He still wore orange on occasion. Now he takes to wearing black since it can go with anything. The Emperor dressed simply, as it had reflected on his childhood: a black shirt with a tight collar and sleeves rolled to his elbows, a black vest, pants, and boots. His long coat remained on the hanger, while his black Kage-style hat and mask hung alongside the long coat. The hat and mask were used to conceal his identity, mostly when he traveled abroad, which was often.

The Emperor of the Western Empire, Naruto Uzumaki sighed. "Fuck this," he muttered. Making a cross with his hands, he channeled his chakra and uttered the words, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."