Disclaimer: I am neither male nor Japanese and my name is most certainly not Kishimoto Masashi. Therefore, Naruto and its characters are not mine.

OOI'mOOJustOOAOOLineOOBreak,OOIgnoreOOMe!OO

Crouched in the rafters of the Water Daimyo's palace, Hatake Kakashi silently wondered if he was in the twilight zone. It was the only explanation that made sense, because the nobles of the court were supposed to be sniping and sneering at each other; not amiably remembering past scandals and teasing the younger nobles about possible affairs. It just wasn't right. If he had been a lesser man, he would have been gibbering in senseless terror; as it was, he was mildly creeped out and definitely nervous.

The seventeen-year-old ANBU had been sent by Sandaime-sama to Mizu-no-Kuni, specifically the Daimyo's palace, to ascertain if the Feudal lord was truly planning an attack on Konohagakure and Hi-no-Kuni. One of Konoha's Intelligence Division on a mission in Mizu had heard several drunken captains crowing about "finally getting to beat those Fire bastards into their proper place". The agent had reported to the Hokage as soon as he could with the troubling news.

If true, it did not bode well for Konoha: while not as prosperous as the Land of Fire, the Water samurai and the shinobi of Kirigakure were well-trained and excellent fighters. An invasion would, in the best case scenario, leave the Hidden Leaf with heavy losses and they could not afford that only three years after the Kyuubi Attack. This might be why the Water Daimyo was planning an invasion, even if it did not succeed it would leave Hi-no-Kuni so paralyzed it could not possibly recover its position as the most powerful of the Shinobi Godaikoku for decades, if ever.

The nobles were united, whether about an invasion plan or something else the teen was not sure, but it needed to be looked into. Kakashi crept out of the hall soundless, his mind racing. He needed to know where the offices of the Daimyo and his chief lords were. Any incriminating documents would be found there or in the Daimyo's chambers.

All he had to do now was find a sufficiently timid and unnoticeable servant, bully the information out, and replace their memory with the Sharingan. 'Easier than wrapping my leg bindings.'

OOI'mOOJustOOAOOLineOOBreak,OOIgnoreOOMe!OO

Coming up next:

"I-if I help y-you, s-shinobi-sama, will- will you take m-me with you?"