A/N: Welcome to Reverence, everybody, the third and last installment of this series! And no, that is not subject to change. This is the last one and I can say that with confidence because I've run out of bad guys to incriminate n.n; Well, enjoy Reverence, everybody!
Dearest Hokage-sama:
I do hope that you realize just how foolish a mistake it is to house those two former Akatsuki members in your village. If you haven't quite noticed, which is possible since the people of your village seem to enjoy clouding their own minds with talks of friendship and trust, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi are criminals.
Haruno may have been your spy, but she didn't seem all too inclined to return to your village once we found her out, so she must not have much attachment to it. I'd imagine somebody with no emotional or physical ties to their place of residence would have no problems with watching it be destroyed, wouldn't you?
Now, I will say this very nicely, something rather challenging what with my patience hastily reaching its limits; return Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi to me and Konoha will remain standing. I'm sure you'd value the lives of your villagers more than you would two people who don't even want to be there, am I right? Then deliver them to me, I'll have one of my fine Konoha spies tell me your decision.
But, for now, I'll leave you with the knowledge that, if you do not comply and deliver to me that which is rightfully mine to kill, it will be war and your fine little village will pay the price for that mistake.
Taw-Taw for now!
Members of the Akatsuki
Tsunade sighed, sitting back and placing the letter on the desk. She bit her lower lip for a few moments, drumming her fingers on the desk unconsciously. "On one hand," she said after a long silence, "It would be rather stupid to allow a war to start over two people."
Shizune nodded, petting Ton-Ton's head as she listened attentively.
"But, on the other, the Akatsuki is just going to want more and more and more and sooner or later we won't be able to give them what they want in order to avert a war. If we were to hand over Sakura and Itachi, it would only appease the Akatsuki for a short while and then they'll be after Naruto again."
"That's right," Shizune agreed with a nod, "So, in a way, why should we kiss their rear ends only to have a war on our doorstep anyway?"
"Exactly," Tsunade said with a nod. "I may not care much to have Itachi back in our village, but Sasuke and Sakura seem to be quite attached to him and I doubt they'd be of much use if we were to exterminate him. Sakura would probably go on another rampage for revenge again."
Again, Shizune nodded in agreement.
The blond pursed her lips and ceased the drumming of her fingers as she went back to the issues at hand. She murmured mostly to herself, "'Fine Konoha spies', huh?" She nodded her agreement to whatever inner thoughts she'd had and then turned amber eyes to her apprentice, "Alright, Shizune, alert all of the shinobi of an impending war and then send me as many able-bodied Genin as you can manage on such short notice. We're going to give the Akatsuki our answer in a big way."
A/N: Uh-ohs, sounds like one of those crazy plots that always backfires in comedy movies! ... Did I say too much?
Anyway, I'm sorry for the shortness, but it is a prologue and I thought it would be more mysterious to end it there! ;D