An Honored Shinobi

by Yidkirkin

When Asuma is killed fighting Hidan, his funeral is postponed until after the other Akatsuki are dealt with. It is several weeks later that a small group of people receive notice of his death, and must make their way to Konoha. Will they come to terms with Asuma's death, and will they get to know the ones he left behind? Asuma is Harry. Canon pairings mostly. It's abandoned, guys.

1. Prologue

An Honored Shinobi

by: Alfred Juumonji

Disclaimer: I don't own these works.

Lunary, for some reason your review gave me new inspiration. I'm very grateful for it.

Prologue: During the three year time skip.

Tsunade sat in her office, an empty sake mug near her right hand and three stacks of paperwork near her left. An irritated expression was painted on her face as she stared at the person opposite, and with each tick of the clock her annoyance only seemed to grow. The silence surrounding her was almost oppressive, and her guest had already begun to sweat nervously. Finally the Hokage let out a great sigh, and fixed the other woman with an evaluating gaze.

McGonagall straightened in her seat, having been anxious for the entirety of her visit. The woman she had met scarcely an hour ago was supposed to be the leader of the entire village, and to tell the truth, the witch was feeling very intimidated. But she wasn't about to leave with her tail between her legs. She had promised Albus her success, and she wasn't going to let down the man she respected, regardless of her exasperation as of late.

"How long will he be needed?" Tsunade's question held an air of reluctance to it, but McGonagall was unperturbed.

"We will have to employ him for a year at the least." She answered promptly. "I'm not sure if Albus will need him for any longer, but normally a few candidates for the position can be found every year. This year was abnormal in that respect."

"Hm…" Tsunade still looked irritated, but less so than before. "…and Shizune briefed you on the payment rates?"

McGonagall's mind briefly flashed to a thin dark haired woman with a piglet before she responded. "Yes, and Albus agreed to it all. Shizune, was it? She was quite helpful."

Nodding, Tsunade made a small motion with her hand, and McGonagall was startled when a masked individual appeared from seemingly nowhere. The ANBU ignored her in favour of his superior.

"Hokage-sama?" He asked without hesitation. Tsunade nodded once more.

"Hawk. Please go get Sarutobi Asuma for me."

"I apologize, Hokage-sama, but Sarutobi-sama is currently out on a short scouting mission. He's expected to return sometime tomorrow morning." Tsunade sighed again and moved a stack of paperwork away from the edge of the desk.

"In that case, please tell Shizune to prepare a room for McGonagall-san here, and tell me when Asuma returns tomorrow." The ANBU flickered away swiftly, leaving the two women in a somewhat awkward silence. Tsunade took a sip of water and looked at McGonagall again.

"I'll send Shizune to fetch you tomorrow, McGonagall-san. But I must tel you this," The Hokage placed her chin on one of her palms, giving the impression of relaxation. "Sarutobi Asuma is a trusted Shinobi in this village. I am not letting him take this mission out of any sort of feeling of goodwill."

McGonagall was momentarily offended, but Tsunade held up her other hand. "The reasons I am sending him are of a different sort. Firstly, is because of his relation to your people. This is something that cannot be forgotten, and he deserves to at least have the opportunity to see his origins. Luckily, despite numerous threats to the village, we are in a time of relative peace, so that is another consideration I made towards your case."

"…and finally, his students do need some time to grow, without him here. Hopefully this will give them that." McGonagall looked ready to say something, but that was the moment that Shizune entered the room, carrying Tonton in her arms.

The discussion over, Tsunade stood and accompanied her guest to the door, waving as they disappeared down the stairs. When she reentered her office, she caught sight of the picture of her late Jonin instructor and predecessor, and went to sit on the couch just below it. As she stared up at Hiruzen's younger and more serious face, she let out her final sigh and dropped her head back onto the cushion.

"I wonder if you knew this would happen when Asuma came to you, sensei." When no answer came, Tsunade only smiled and went back to her desk, hoping that if she finished her paperwork in time that Shizune might tolerate her having a drink later on.

Hopefully you liked this rewritten version, considering it used to be a half assed letter/drabble thing. I'll update soon, so keep watch.