(Please Read and Review)

I don't own Naruto. However, I do own the House of Fallen Leaves. Anyone can stay a night there for 5000 Ryo. It has the finest singers, the tastiest sake, the most relaxing hotel rooms. Wait... never mind, the House of Fallen Leaves doesn't exist either.

Chapter 1: The Night of Fallen Leaves

Asuma looked on as the children ran around the fountain, chasing one another. The girl with pearly eyes was being chased after by the brown haired, tattooed faced boy, the girl laughing the whole time. Ino and Sasuke were off to the side, whispering amongst themselves. Asuma suspected they were making plans for the future, when they returned to take Konoha back from the Hokage.

Asuma sat down on his chair, across from the Nara boy. Shikamaru set down the board he always carried with him, and began setting out pieces. The two had a sort of bond since they began living together. Shikamaru kept to himself, staying in his room most of the time. However, the two had played at least one game of shogi a day. The only time Asuma won was the first, because the boy didn't know how to play. Even that victory was a near defeat, won by major piece being sacrificed unexpectedly, resulting in Asuma capturing the knight. After that, however, Shikamaru's skill shot up. The jounin never won again.

As the pieces lay out, Asuma looked at the board, preparing for another beating. However, he enjoyed the games. It was the only time Shikamaru ever really opened up to anyone. The boy stayed in his room, looked at a family picture and hugged it tightly. Shikamaru's parting with his family was harder than the others. Shikaku had sought out Kurenai and ordered her to take Shikamaru away from the village. Kurenai told him Shikamaru started screaming for his family as she ran away. Once in Fukuoka, he closed in on himself. Once, Kurenai had hid in Shikamaru's room and watched the boy literally cry himself to sleep. It broke her heart to see the boy in so much pain. She asked Asuma to keep a close eye on the boy. It had been a little over six months, and Kurenai could still hear his muffled sobs. When outside, he put on a lazy, uncaring facade and stayed by Asuma's side at all times.

Shikamaru layed down the last piece, signalling the start of the game. With it, the boy would open up to Asuma for the duration of the game, "So, Jounin-san. Tell me about the Night of Fallen Leaves. I've heard rumors about it from the locals, but each tale seems about as likely as the next. You were there and fought in it."

He moved his pawn forward in the opening move. Shikamaru always began, in both the conversations and in shougi. Asuma, in all reality, didn't really want to talk about that particular night. However, he learned that if he refused to talk about something to the kids, they'd ask someone else... usually the singer at the House. The jounin shivered giving her the opportunity to sink her claws into another of the orphans. She already had Sakura under her thumb. It was better not to give her another one.

He picked up the knight and moved it into the battlefield, preparing for a long game, "The Night of Fallen Leaves, the Evening Konoha Died, and the Uchiha Rebellion, these all refer to one event, as you no doubt know. It was the night that the Root and Uchiha overthrew the Sandaime's Konoha and established his own. Even I don't know all the details. Why it happened that night, the details were long lost in the fighting. All I know for sure is that dad, the third Hokage, saw it coming."

Shikamaru countered with his own knight, "Then tell me about what you do know about it."

Asuma sighed as his lancer was pushed forward into a newly created gap, "Very well."

(Konoha, 2 years ago, Asuma's POV)

flashback

I had recently returned from my time in the twelve ninja guardians. It was good to be home. I had learned a lot in my time away, and it was great to see the world. But I had missed Konoha. Being home was like a fresh breeze after a long workout. My welcome wasn't warm, however. The moment I entered the gates, the guards eyed me suspiciously, a couple fingering their kunai and shuriken pouches like they thought I'd be trouble. The chuunin examined my paperwork, then passed me though. Their odd behavior stayed on my mind as I walked around the village streets. However, I put it out of mind for the time being. That evening, I dined at Takanaka Q's, the finest Korean BBQ in the village, and then got my hair cut. After that, I returned to my small apartment on the clan grounds.

The next morning, I donned my old equipment and went to the Hokage tower to once again obtain a mission from my old man. The moment he saw me, dad rose from his seat, walked around the desk and happily welcomed me back with a pat on the shoulders. The old man never looked more pleased than at that one moment. He was never one to reveal his feelings, unless something bad was happening. As I walked out, father must have known that he'd never see me again, because he whispered that he loved me as I walked out. I don't remember anything about the mission, I think it was to be a C-rank escort mission from a town outside Konoha, but it didn't matter. Mainly because two hours out, the Hokage tower exploded into a pillar of fire. I abandoned my mission immediately to see what had happened. I wasn't heading out fast, so my return trip only took about thirty minutes at my top sprint.

When I arrived, the guards, Kotetsu and Isumo, were laying on the ground, dead. I can only imagine they died fighting to keep the gates open for those shinobi returning to the village. A squad of root ninja, about four total, lay mangled on the ground. The metallic clang of kunai and shuriken could be heard throughout the village. I had only one goal, to get to my old man. I raced through the streets and back alleys, hoping that he'd still be alive when I found him. A couple ANBU landed in front of me. They didn't attack right away, so I just kept up my guard. Around us, several buildings had caught fire from the initial attack, and whisps of fire played at my feet. They declared, "By order of the Godaime Hokage, I must ask that you return to your home. There is currently a curfew in effect. Anyone found outside their homes will be considered a threat and to be subdued or eliminated. We will escort you to your home, Jounin-san."

They must not have recognized me. It made sense because I had only returned the night before. Regardless, I firmly refused, "I don't recognize this 'Godaime Hokage.' The words you speak now are treason, unless something has happened to my father. I will not submit until I see him."

The two seemed to look at one another, then back at me, "The Sandaime Hokage has been found unfit to lead Konoha, so Godaime-sama acted accordingly. We have been authorized to neutralize those who resist. This is your last chance, will you comply?"

My reply was an armed resistance. I sprung at the two, swinging my blades at them. They were ready, intercepting them. The two held me up for several minutes, but they never stood a chance. The instant my second foe was done, I sprinted towards the remains of the tower. Between here and there, I helped several other shinobi fight off the Root and Uchiha forces, allowing them to escape.

Finally, I arrived at the smoking ruins. A number of Root ninja were lying on the ground, not moving. They didn't matter. I jumped several times up towards the top of the charred remains of the tower, where I sensed my father fighting. At the last jump, I saw two ninja battling several root and Uchiha back to back. My old man and... 'him.'

end flashback

Asuma grimaced to himself and spat on the ground. He cursed the man to this day, the one singularly responsible for Danzo's rise in power. Shikamaru placed a recently captured knight on the board and asked, "What's the matter, Jounin-san?"

Asuma shook his head, "You really need to stop calling me that. I was just remembering someone. He was Konoha's finest ninja at one time... and its greatest traitor. His name is Itachi Uchiha."

flashback

They stood back to back, covering for each other's blind spots. The old man muttered something to Itachi. Whatever he said, I'll never know. Only... him. I still remember dad's expression to this day. He was sweating all over, his left arm was limp, there were gashes all over his body. He had a peaceful expression even through all that. Dad was preparing to swing his staff at one of the Uchiha, Shisui I think. It was at that moment that Itachi spun around, drew his tanto and drove it through Dad's heart.

In that instant, I lost myself in that instant. I came to my senses a shor time later, holding Dad's body while kneeling on the ground. Dad was smiling, he reached up to touch me, but then, like a puppet with its strings suddenly cut, his hand fell down. My cheeks were wet and my throat sore. I realized in that instant that dad had died, so I screamed out in fury to the heavens. There were still Root and Uchiha surrounding us. My anger and fury turned outward. Every detail of everything that happened for the next hour were crystal clear, and I'll remember them until the day I die. My index finger absently began spinning my trench knives. Itachi stepped forward, "Take heed, Asuma-san. Any further resistance will be put down with extreme prejudice. I will not go easy on you."

His killer intent materialized like a knife, and he flung it at me as such. It was like the images of my death flashed across my vision. I swear, I saw it just as I'm seeing you right now, Shikamaru-kun. I saw myself attacking him, and he slashed my throat with his blade. Not that it mattered. I pushed myself off the hard stone ground of Konoha. It's not so much that I was brave, as I wished to die. My father was dead, my village in ruins, I figured it best that the last surviving loyal jounin of Konoha take the last traitor with it. I sprung at him, screaming. My anger had clouded my senses to everything else. Itachi sighed and slashed his blade at my neck. My death was assured... until someone intervened.

A good old friend, Kakashi Hatake, appeared between the two of us, pulled me below his blade and finally dashed backwards to my father's body. Kakashi's appearance shocked me momentarily out of my anger. He whispered, "Get the Hokage's body and get out of there."

I blinked twice, and then muttered, "Not a chance, Hatake. Itachi killed my father, and he must die."

I tried pushing him out of the way, but Kakashi held me back, "Fool! You can't kill him now. He's stronger than the two of us together. Besides, even if you could, what will that accomplish? Danzo's still alive. Itachi's death will not help us right now. Save your anger and kill the one responsible for it all."

His words were like a bucket of ice water to the face. My sense came back, realizing Kakashi was right. Itachi would need to be killed, but for the sake of Konoha, that vengeance must be put on hold. Quickly, I placed dad in one of the sealing scrolls in order to safe transport. Just as I finished, a blast of wind sent me back against Kakashi, separating me from the scroll. A young Uchiha walked over calmly and picked up the scroll. My blades were out in a second as the offender began forming handsigns while saying, "I cannot allow you to do that. Danzo-sama ordered us to recover the Sandaime's body."

The Uchiha turned the surrounding area into a hurricane. The air was saturated with chakra when another Uchiha dropped a massive fire jutsu onto the battlefield. The surrounding wind chakra fanned the flames and caused the area around us to explode. Kakashi, however, was much faster than him. In an instant, he dragged me underground, where the fire did not reach us.

Seconds later Kakashi broke through the ground, dragging the Uchiha below while pulling himself up. Kakashi made to kill the trapped ninja when Shisui appeared just in time to deflect Kakashi's kunai. Meanwhile, I used the moment to launch a surprise attack on one of the Root ANBU, breaking through the ground right next to him. While the Root managed to dodge the metal blade, his mask still cracked at my wind chakra sliced into it. It drew no blood, but it must have missed by a hair.

I managed to get a glimpse of Kakashi. He was holding his own against Shisui and two other Uchiha, while I took on three Root ANBU. They wore us down with a battle which seemed to last for eternity, but was only an hour, if that. The bastard, Itachi, stood by and watched the whole thing without doing anything. By the end, the adrenaline had worn off. I felt sweat and blood, my own, mix together and drip down my face. 'It would soon be over. I would be with my father,' I thought. And then, someone else interfered.

"Katon! Hihoko no jutsu!" (1)

We all stopped as a stream of fire surrounded both Kakashi and I. The fire reached up several feet into the air. Kakashi and I first made to escape the ring, but the fire then turned white hot and exploded outward. When the fire died out, we noticed that the opposing ninja had taken up positions on the rooftops of the nearby houses. Another ninja materialized by us. I did not recognize the newcomer, but he was a sight for sore eyes. He had a calm grin on his face as he said, "Well, well. You've certainly gotten yourselves into trouble now haven't you."

Shisui and Itachi, however, recognized him immediately. Their eyes narrowed on the newcomer, who waved as if it were a family reunion, "Yo, Itachi, Shisui, been a long time, hasn't it?"

Shisui spat at the man, "So, this is your answer, you plan on betraying your clan, Daigo. I knew you didn't like what the clan was planning. But to actually go this far..."

Daigo's grin disappeared, replaced with a one of determination, "You should have known it would come to this. Prior to a year ago, I would have followed the clan's ruling to the letter. Everything changed, however, when 'you' made your deal with Danzo, there was nothing more that needed saying. I will never accept him as Hokage."

Kakashi watched the surrounding ninja and said, "This is too hot for us, even with one more, Daigo-san. We need to escape. Once we're out of here, you will tell us everything about what happened."

Daigo nodded, which prompted Kakashi to continue in a whisper this time, "On 'go,' drop smoke bombs and separate. We have a better chance of escaping if we do. Meet at the Sarutobi safehouse. Now, go!"

end flashback

At this point in his story, Shikamaru moved his final piece into position, and muttered, "And that is checkmate."

Asuma sighed and looked around. Surprisingly, all the other children had joined them off to the side, where Asuma had not been looking. They looked at him intently, expecting to hear more of this story. Ino looked a bit annoyed, probably that he stopped his story. Sasuke likewise. Kiba and Hinata, on the other hand, looked excited, ready to hear more of Asuma's tale. So he discarded the spent cigarette and pulled out another. The smoke rose into his face as it took him back to that horrid night.

flashback

Smoke filled the burned and ruined street. We split up, fleeing through the alleyways, attempting to get away from our pursuers. I took a route through my clan grounds, thinking since I knew its paths, I would have advantage when ambushing and fleeing my pursuers. When I arrived, however, I nearly died of heart attack at the sight.

The bodies of my fellow clansmen lay scattered at the entrance. My brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and everyone I ever grew up with lay there, deceased. Not everyone from the Sarutobi clan was dead, however. Someone was screaming from one of the houses. I dashed through the compound towards one of the buildings. Danzo's guards couldn't stop me as I tore through the front door with my knives. Beyond, two Root pushed my nephew's head into a sack. His name was Konohamaru. I remember that he wanted to be Hokage. I moved to free him, but they were already out the back door as I made my move. I gave chase for several minutes through the compound, but all it did was allow time for the other ninja to catch up. My pursuit was cut short by a massive amount of Root reinforcements. Barely giving them the slip, I met up with Kakashi and Daigo to discuss what happened and future plans. The apartment we arrived at was the Sarutobi safehouse, unattached to the name in case the worst happened. To this day, I don't know how Kakashi knew about it.

Kakashi planned on leaving town right away. He would to seek out the other ninja who fled the village during the early days of the resistance. Daigo, however, had already made plans that he wouldn't disclose. He left quickly after that, and I wouldn't see him again for a couple weeks. I stayed in Konoha, hoping to find leads on Konohamaru.

end flashback

(Fukuoka, general POV)

Asuma breathed in the smoke fumes and then breathed out. He looked to the sky, where the sun hung overhead, "And that, children, is where we end the story."

Hinata and Kiba whinned at that while the rest looked displeased. Asuma grinned at them, "Kurenai-okaasan is making lunch for us. She'll be angry if we don't make it back. Besides, Shikamaru-kun, that is where my story of the Night of Fallen Leaves ends. Ask around, though. The others at the House have their own stories. I'm sure with the right coaxing, you can have them tell you their stories. Start with the bouncer. He's a good friend of mine, and you know him as well. He always visits on your birthdays and has great presents for you. Though he's often so late that he misses out on the actual party-"

Hinata and Kiba both shouted excitedly, "Kakashi-ojisan!"

Asuma smiled as he watched the those two run along home, discussing how they would approach each employee of the house. Asuma chuckled at that. The poor copy ninja always hated that name, though he never showed it to the kids. He relaxed as he continued on after them enjoying the moment of peace. His mind landed on Konohamaru for a minute, but it was a dark thought. His smile disappeared for a second and a shadow came over his face. The boy... he never found him, even during the year with the Hyuuga. By now, he believed well and truly the boy was dead. However, in the back of his mind, he feared something far worse had happened to him...

Someone began pulling on his sleeve, which snapped him out of his dark reverie. He looked down and saw that Sasuke and Ino were still there. Shikamaru, apparently had followed after the other two orphans. The boy asked, "Asuma-san, would you teach us how to be ninja?"

Asuma wasn't surprised. Both Ino and Sasuke wanted to return to the village more than anyone else. They missed home and their family. He merely chuckled and said, "Sure, why not?"

(The next day, Road to Iwa)

Four Root ninja raced along the path towards Iwa. All of them had masks on their faces. Daigo smirked to himself as he watched them race onward through the trees. He had already prepared the battlefield in advance, thanks to Jiraiya's source. Whoever this person was, he was good. He jumped along the branches overhead, passing them quickly and then landing right in front of them.

The four Root stopped in their places as Daigo completed his hand seals, "Ninpo, Fushimi Inari-Taisha!" (2)

His hand landed on the ground in the middle of the massive road, sending black seals in all directions. 32 red gates slammed down out of nowhere on the ground along the dirt road. One of the root muttered, "Th-this is...!"

Daigo continued giving his calm smile, "You are now on my field of battle. Give up, as it will be less painful for you." The sun shone through the narrow cracks in the gates, cracks that weren't big enough for people to slip through. The jounin stepped in front of the genin, pushing them back and making them run off. Daigo smirked, "It's useless, I've looped the space within these gates, there is no escape." The genin suddenly stopped as he realized they faced Daigo's back. The Root jounin swung his sword at the gate, attempting to cut through it. The blade got stuck in the wood of the barrier, forcing the swordsman to back off.

The genin, however, took the moment to attack. One stepped to the front and began throwing several kunai and shuriken at Daigo's backside. The Uchiha traitor ducked the metal storm and spun to the genin. His hand lashed out, slamming into their guts, sending them several feet backwards towards the end of the red gates. However, they appeared on the other side of the root jounin. The shuriken and kunai, which the Root jounin dodged this time, slammed into the back of the genin. Only one remained capable of fighting as he rose and took an unsteady step forward towards his foe.

Daigo's hand withdrew two kunai from his back pocket, connected by a metal wire. On that wire, Daigo had attached a round flash bomb. A second later, the two kunai went flying. The root jounin threw two of her own kunai, deflecting them. However, the flash bomb tore off and went flying at the enemy anyway. The bomb went off at point blank range, blinding both ninja.

Daigo took advantage of the attack instantly, using the flash to approach. His fist went forward, slamming into the genin's stomach, dropping him like a rock. The Root jounin, however, proved more resilient. She managed to avoid the Uchiha's second punch and counterattacked with her blade even while blinded by the light. The blade whistled as it nearly decapitated the bartending jounin. Daigo suppressed his surprise, instead ducking her attack and bringing his fist up. It connected with the Root ninja's wrist, sending the blade flying into the wooden barriers.

Daigo didn't waste a second as he used the momentum from that attack to twist his hand, grab her wrist and slam his second hand into her midsection. He felt a couple ribs give way under the attack. His foot connected with her ankle, forcing her to a knee. Finally, he leapt off the ground, swinging his foot overhead at the back of her neck with an ax kick. The attack connected, sending the jounin into the land of the unconscious.

The battle was over in less than five minutes. The rogue Uchiha sighed and dusted himself off as the barriers exploded into smoke. He gave a loud whistle, which signaled his team that the battle was over. As the smoke cleared, Aoba and Genma were now standing around the Root ninja. Genma carried two of the genin while Aoba carried one. Finally, Daigo himself took on the jounin. Two departed for another resistance base, where a well known medic would hopefully be able to break the genin's conditioning, while Daigo traveled back to the House, where Ibiki would enjoy a new toy to break in.

(House of Fallen Leaves)

Iruka tried to relax, but found he just couldn't do it. He was tasked with manning the bar while Daigo was out on mission. He'd never worked at a bar. It was supposedly simple: take the orders, fill the glasses with sake or beer, and collect the money. However, sometimes the customers got violent or asked for cocktails, which he had never made before. It was worse when the customers were ninja. Once, Iruka had to call Kakashi over to deal with an Iwa chuunin heading to Kumo for an escort mission. His buddies nearly got in a fight with some of the locals who were regular customers. Kakashi managed to break it up and sent the Iwa nin to his room.

Daigo had left the night prior and Jiraiya had given him a quick rundown on how to manage the bar. However, the owner left that same day. Raido walked up to him and gave a grin, "So, how are things going here?"

Iruka sighed, "Difficult. I've never done things like this before. I don't know how to make a Fuji Sunset or Bonsai Buddy cocktail. Most of the customers are disgusted with the concoctions I put in front of them. I told many of them that the regular bartender was out sick for the day, but still..."

Raido gave a wide grin, "Don't worry too much. Just watch your customers closely. Sometimes, they just need someone to listen to them. I know you'll do fine, sensei!"

Iruka grumbled as the waiter walked away. Seconds later, a man walked through the sliding doors, ignoring Sakura completely and went straight for the bar. The man grabbed at a menu, while Iruka greeted him, "W-welcome, valued customer. What will be your order for today?"

The customer hadn't looked surprised at Iruka, "You're not Daigo-san. Where is he?"

Iruka looked away, somewhat put out, "D-Daigo-san is out. Is there anything I can get for you?"

The customer was an older male who seemed to be a travelling merchant. However, from the state of his clothes, he seemed that his job didn't bring in much money. In fact, he almost seemed on the edge of bankruptcy. The older man glared at him. "Then go get him. I don't want anyone else to serve me than Daigo."

Iruka cursed himself silently on the inside. Instead, he said simply, "I'm sorry sir. But I misspoke. Daigo is in, but he has taken on sick. What exactly is so important that you need to see him now?"

The man looked away, clearly frustrated, "Nothing. Get me the usual."

Iruka looked confused, "What would that be?"

With that, the customer got angry, "Get me a Shochou melon citrus."

He sighed at that. Another cocktail, no doubt. Well, he could try to make it anyway. He pulled out some melon and oranges, used the juicer to remove the juice from the orange and blended the melon together with the orange juice. Finally, he poured a glass of Shoicho and put the blended concoction together. (3)

The man looked at the... glass... with a dubious expression. He muttered, "That's not what I asked for. You didn't do it right."

Iruka gave a kind smirk, "Try it out anyway."

The man took a small sip. His eyes rolled into his head as he began gagging. Iruka got the customer to take a drink of water, which cleared the culinary disaster from his throat. He glared at the glass and whispered, "Worst cocktail I've ever had. I'm not paying for something I didn't order."

He relaxed a bit and slid the glass back across to Iruka. The chuunin teacher asked, "Is there something wrong sir?"

The man snorted, "Besides your dangerous and harmful cocktails, yeah."

Iruka took the failed cocktail and cleaned it out with water, then started wiping it clean with a rag, "Does it have something to do with your business failing?"

The man looked up at him in surprise, "How did you-!"

Iruka gave a small grin, "Doesn't really matter how I knew. Why don't you tell me about it?"

The man huffed, "Well, recently, I was working in Wave, leading a nice business. Then, a business tycoon came in and forced a number of us traders out of town. I was one of them. My wife left me shortly after. I've been trying to make it as a travelling salesman, but it just hasn't really worked out. I came here about a month ago, and Daigo took an interest in my wares, especially my weapons. Business started picking up slightly, then Danzo Shimura from Konoha, you know the new Hokage, started putting pressure on the fire Lord to put sanctions on who the weapons can be sold to. Daigo would have been able to give me, good advice, on how I can continue to run my business without going under again."

Iruka caught him at good advice. The man wanted to make a deal with Daigo, starting some work as a small time black market dealer. Iruka gave a small grin, "Well, I'm sure Daigo will be able to give you good advice on your business. Have you given thought to what you're about to do? Dealing in the black market is dangerous, after all."

For the second time, the man was shocked, "H-"

Iruka didn't look up from the glass, "Say no more. I won't tell anybody. He'll be sure to be back to work in a couple days, and you can talk about it then. Meanwhile, stay and enjoy the atmosphere as long as you want."

Iruka put back the glass on the shelf and gave a grin. The man looked at him in awe, then gave a sad grin back, "Yeah. You're alright. Can't make a drink worth a flip, but you're good with people for sure. What's your name, barkeep?"

He replied, "Iruka. Pleased to meet you."

Ibiki walked down the long corridor towards the darkened interrogation room. Hopefully, Daigo would return soon with a strong Jounin. The strong ones were always the most interesting to break. With Jiraiya out contacting the other resistance cells, that left Kakashi and himself in charge of everything. Ibiki sighed. Very few people came down here to visit him. It was kind of depressing at times, but not so much. He enjoyed his job, learning the secrets of others, dealing with the shadier part of the shinobi world. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and muttered, "Are you quite done following me?"

The sound of scampering on the roof rung in his ears, confirming the identity of his tail. His hand shot into his coat as he spun around and launched the kunai at the intruder. It stuck right in front of him, causing the intruder to panic, "A-ah-aaahhh!"

The chakra holding him up fluctuated, resulting in the boy's fall from the roof right on his back, "O-owwww!"

The boy stopped whining as a large shadow loomed over him. Ibiki did not look amused as he held a kunai and several feet of wire menacingly, "We'll start with the simple questions this time, how did you get down here Kiba?"

Kiba looked up and grinned, "Ah, well, can't tell you that, eh, Ibiki-sensei."

"I'm not your sensei, start talking!"

An aura of fire started radiating off the former Torturer and Interrogations head. Kiba backed up a bit, "I just... used my chakra to walk across the ceiling, and slipped in when no one was looking."

Ibiki sighed, not believing him for a second. Personally, he suspected the singer. After she took in Sakura, that woman had been trying to match up the orphans with a potential sensei or father figure. Ibiki would drag that woman to his interrogation room and break her, but she came pre-broken. He got back to the task at hand, "I knew I shouldn't have shown you the tree walking exercise..."

Kiba gave his usual grin, "It's just so much fun! Ever tried running on the ceiling, or across walls? Seriously, it's a thrill you won't forget anytime soon."

The interrogator began dragging the kid towards the nearest exit. His hand went for the radio he always wore around his neck. Pressing the button, he muttered, "Kakashi, I have some trash that needs to be taken out."

Minutes later, Kakashi arrived and finished dragging Kiba out the employee door and undoubtedly to the exit. With that, Ibiki walked back towards the interrogation room. When he thought no one was looking, he gave a small laugh and smirked. The kid was getting better, that's for sure. Sooner or later, the boy might actually succeed in sneaking up on him... but he would have to learn how to disguise his scent before that day would ever come. Kiba may not have a dog, but he certainly still smelled like it.

(One day later, outside the Capital)

A perverted chuckle rang out as the old, lecherous man walked along the road. There were two women, one on either side of him, travelling through the lands, hoping to arrive at the capital before the sun went down. The two women were drawn to him by his fascinating stories of his adventures. Of course, they had met on the just outside of town, after they had spent the afternoon at the hot springs.

They thought it was coincidence, but Jiraiya had planned it this way, especially after spying on them. Mentally, he made notes to himself about the two women, thinking how to put it into his glorious new novel, Icha Icha Resistance. Any female jounin worth her keep knew better than to let the old man within a mile of where they were staying. But he was crafty, so crafty that many of the nations he visited never even knew he was ever there after leaving.

His travels were, of course, for preparing his novels. There were so many beautiful women, so little time. Often, he wrote about his own tales of stupidity and charm coated in a nice lie to keep himself looking good and a true lady's man. More often than not, he was rejected by the girls, given a slap across the face and shoved on his way out the door. His lecherous grin disappeared just as they arrived outside the capital. His face became solemn for a minute. Deep down, however, his books were just the cover for what he was truly doing, spying and organizing the resistance.

Jiraiya was the head of the largest resistance cell. Here, however, in the capital, the second largest cell existed. He was to meet the cell leaders here to confirm plans for the immediate future of the resistance. His feet stepped forward, into the city where many important decisions would be made.

(Konoha, Rebuilt Hokage Tower)

Danzo looked over the reports again and blinked. There were resistance cells throughout Konoha. While most of his advisors stated that the ninja would be fools to remain in Fire country, Danzo knew better. The ninja who left, while traitors to the true ninja way, cared deeply for Konoha.

The root's victory, while certainly decisive, was a bitter sweet one. Many powerful ninja loyal to the Sandaime had managed to escape, most notably Jiraiya and Kakashi. The leader of Torture and Interrogations and his assistant abandoned Konoha as well, leaving the entire division in disarray.

There were a few traitors in the Uchiha clan who disapproved of Danzo's appointment to the position of Hokage. All but one were rooted out, the sole escapee being Daigo Uchiha. The brother of Obito Uchiha, the blackest sheep of the Uchiha clan, he hated Danzo with the intensity of the sun. When he learned that Danzo would become Hokage, it shouldn't have been a surprise that Daigo wouldn't approve. But to turn traitor on the clan over the issue, it was a shock. Two more Uchiha were convicted of undermining the Hokage's authority not one year ago. They'd been kept under house arrest with their chakra and sharingan sealed ever since. Only due to Itachi's intervention did the two avoid the death penalty.

The Ino-Shika-Chou were constantly a thorn in his side. However, if the three disappeared suddenly without reason, they would be held up as martyrs. They had already been replaced on the council and were no longer clan heads.

The problems were almost endless. It was only due to his constant work as Hokage that the entire village didn't revolt.

Danzo stood up and began walking through the tower, viewing the new construction work. The tower was still being worked on, even though most of the work had been completed by now. It was larger than the previous tower, and was painted a dark wooden red. The interior was designed more on the basis of the ANBU, allowing the Root ninja to fade into the darkened corners and watch those asking for missions closely. There was an occasional window to allow for more lighting during the day, and quick escapes should they prove necessary in case of invasion. On the mountain outside one of the windows, Danzo's face had been added as the godaime Hokage.

He scoffed at the mountain, thinking that his work spoke for itself and he didn't need the face to prove he earned his hat. While Sarutobi was the hokage that basked in the light, he was one who protected it from the dangers in the darkened alley. Whole villages that might have threatened Konoha one day suddenly disappeared overnight. Missing ninja were virtually non-existent with the Root around, eliminating the potential for betrayal. The civilian council, which often caused endless nightmares for the Hokage, was brought to heel with either bribes, outright blackmail or disappearances. Discontent from its greatest clan virtually disappeared overnight as the Uchiha were integrated directly into ruling the village. Itachi was appointed Jounin Commander, replacing Shikaku Nara, and given Naruto Uzumaki to train to be the perfect Root weapon.

Well, Naruto did turn out to be a great ninja, but certainly he was no root. It was no matter, as the boy did well on most of his missions anyway. Besides, there were a couple black sheep within the Root as well. He could handle one more. As the War Hawk gazed out the window, one of the Root genin teams were making their way back to the tower down main street. He made his way silently back to the office, where Homura and Koharu waited patiently to present more missions.

(Forest of Death)

"Focus, Naruto. If you don't, you may very well die here."

Naruto jumped backwards and ducked the slash of Itachi's blade. The blonde merely smirked, "You keep saying that, Itachi-sensei. But I know you won't kill me. Besides, you can't anyway, as my 'furry friend' won't let me die."

Itachi ignored the boy, instead inclining to thrust his blade at the boy. Naruto spun around the blade and brought his hand across in a sideways chop. Itachi stepped to the side, only for his right shoulder to suddenly burn. He ignored the injury, now finally activating his sharingan. Sure enough, Naruto's hand was covered in wind chakra, though it seemed odd. Most of the time, it just was a mass of chakra, but occasionally the chakra seemed sharper at a point. His eyes narrowed, "You've been practicing your elemental manipulation, I see."

Naruto nodded and smiled, "Yep! Figured it best to be able to surprise my foes if they think me disarmed and tied down, when I cut my bonds and capture them."

Itachi muttered, "Even though you should kill your targets. Survival must come first, after all."

Despite his efforts, Naruto still remained a hyperactive, happy child. He wondered if it had something to do with himself. Naruto was overlooked by many of the academy instructors for the longest time, but now that he was focusing on the boy, teaching him everything...

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu! (Fire style: Grand Fireball technique)"

A massive fireball shot forward and slammed against the boy. Naruto screamed in pain, but eventually the attack died down. He was severely burned from head to toe, especially burned where he had the wind chakra clinging to his hand, but his injuries were already healing at a remarkable rate. As his injuries healed, Naruto shouted, "Sensei, you psycho!"

Itachi tilted his head, giving a small smirk, "What? You'll be fine. Keep your guard up, my foolish apprentice. I told you before to focus."

(The House of Fallen Leaves)

Sakura waved at the rest of the staff members. The evening was upon them, and for the younger staff and civilians it was time to rest. However, the girl had other plans. Sakura swore vengeance night of Fallen Leaves to kill Danzo and the rest of the Root and Uchiha. For what they had done to her and her family. His father and mother would not rest in peace until they ended up face first in a shallow grave.

The door closed behind her as she walked to the center of the room. There was a lantern hanging overhead. The room was massive, large enough to hold several people comfortably. However, Sakura shared a room with one special person. The one who had saved her from that horrible night, who had given her reason to keep going even after she watched Danzo's men murder them, who had killed those men when they tried to take her. Sakura didn't know how she did it, but big sister got the designer to build the room solely for the two of them. This room was now used as both their housing and a dojo.

A female voice spoke out from the darkness, "Are you ready to continue from yesterday?"

Sakura, standing in the light, nodded as she slipped into her taijutsu form. For an instant, the woman appeared in the light, chuckling to herself, "Good girl, Imouto. (4) I'm going to increase the difficulty this time. Sure hope you don't die, otherwise I have to find another to teach."

Sakura nodded and muttered, "I'm ready, Anko-oneesama. Bring it on."

Anko's smile rose more as she said, "I'm sure you are."

Then, like a shadow, she faded once again into the darkened surrounding. Sakura held up her kunai and prepared for anything and everything.

(Please review)

Another chapter from your friendly Detective Redfield. I've been working on chapters for Naruto Dimension, Dueling Hokages and this chapter. It's not easy, let me tell you, having to keep each story separate. There is danger of the stories bleeding over. This chapter was finished first because of how I'm doing this story. I created a timeline of important events. The trick is filling in between the events, which is why it took so long to update, even though my new system is working infinitely better than my previous one. I've gotten 5000 words on Dueling Hokages and about 3000 for Naruto Dimension. I'll keep working on them, hopefully having them out soon.

Each character has a story. Asuma, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Shisui, and even Naruto have stories to tell. Some might have more than one to tell in the future. Each character has a unique perspective on that awful night. For example, Asuma's story led him through the Sarutobi clan, where he witnessed the aftermath of Danzo's massacre. In the next chapter, we might hear Kakashi's tale or maybe Anko or Sakura's. Remember though, each character is telling from their own point of view. There are things they don't know about. For example, Asuma doesn't know what happened to Konohamaru. He has his suspicions, which this time he kept silent. But those suspicions may or may not be correct. Also, anything mentioned as a rumor may or may not be correct, as it is in real life.

Jiraiya's meeting will probably not be shown. I'm only doing it to show what he's doing for the next couple "days." Once again, I hope you enjoyed my OC. I'm going to make sure I don't over use him.

(1) This jutsu is a bit harder to explain its name. I was unimpressed with the names that people have come up with on this site, including my own names. So, I did more research, and came up with this name: hi - blazing,hoko - a dog like tree spirit. Basically, I translate it like this: the fire dog spirit of the trees. Yeah, crappy translation, but a better Japanese name.

(2) Fushimi Inari-Taisha, a shrine located within Kyoto, Japan. It contains thousands of torii gates (see wikipedia) along the various paths to smaller shrines in the area.

(3) Don't try to follow my directions to make a cocktail. After I wrote those directions, I read the actual directions. Iruka did it completely wrong in this story. He's a terrible bartender, at least without any training.

(4) Imouto is younger sister in Japanese