The smell of tobacco assaulted Nagato's nose as he entered the council chamber. The incense that several aides had lit had proved useless against the chain smoking Nara and the high grade tobacco in Hiruzen's pipe. The council members had apparently grown used enough to it as no one had tried to get rid of the smell even if Tsume looked out of the corner of her eyes at each perpetrator every now and then. Her partner wasn't in his usual spot behind her but Nagato had passed him on the way in. The Hokage's secretary had looked chalked white as he walked in and the shy woman was even more subdued than usual. Only when Nagato had caught sight of the dog lying on the reception couch did he understand what had her so unnerved. Inuzuka hounds were something that took getting used to. Many Shinobi were still terrified of the hounds even after making Chunin or even Jonin. It was too much to expect an untrained civilian to take the dogs in stride. Instead of laughing and telling her to get over it as many others probably already had, Nagato took pity on her and left his bodyguards with her to make sure she didn't die of a heart attack if the ninja hound moved.

"Great to see ya finally join us!" Tsume shouted out in greeting as he walked in. Uncaring for interrupting a councilman's speech on one thing or another. The Hokage was the only one who had to truly listen to every speech.

"My apologies Tsume. I was entertained by your dog and the secretary for too long." Nagato turned towards the Hokage and formally bowed to him. "Hokage-sama."

"Take your seat Uzumaki-san." Hiruzen instructed, taking another puff from his pipe shortly afterwards.

Nagato did as Hiruzen ordered and headed to his seat across from Hiruzen. He personally never understood the Uzumaki's seat placement in the council chamber directly across from the Hokage but it meant something. He would have to dig through the records he had recovered one day to find an answer as asking Hiruzen himself had gained him none. Nagato's thoughts were obviously not focused on the council meeting as he was more concerned about his seat than anything currently happening on the floor. Anything discussed today would be overshadowed by what would be discussed without the civilian council members present. They were forbidden from being present during military matters unless the topic of the meeting demanded their expertise. That would only be during a war council for supply routes and an increase in taxes and the like. Today would hopefully serve to prevent the talks from escalating further.

The look on Hiashi's face though promised otherwise. The man was seething with anger that he might've been able to keep from his face but the man's chakra didn't lie. Nagato didn't know what exactly he could liken his rage to in that moment. He was sure that the other clan heads and Hokage could sense it as well. He looked towards Choza, without his usual bag of chips for once, who simply nodded at his unasked question. The Hyuuga might've thought he hid his emotions well but they each had their own tells.

"Well I believe I shall call this meeting to close if there is nothing else to say. I have heard each of your proposals and shall look into the pros and cons of each of them over the week and give you my answer then. But now I must head to my office to attend to a more sensitive and private matter." Hiruzen rose from his seat with the rest of those present in the council chamber mimicking his actions. "I wish you all good health until we meet again."

Each council member and clan head bowed their head in the direction of their leader and the civilians began to file out with the clan heads following Hiruzen through the door behind his seat into the passageway that would lead to his office. An ANBU member sealed the door behind them while another was slightly ahead of them. Many recognized the silver haired one that stood at the end of the tunnel in the very familiar dog mask. He was a mainstay in the Hokage's office now along with the other members of his clan. Kakashi's upbringing had been unique for someone from the clan but many had looked past it as he became one of their most distinguished members in less than 2 years.

"Everything's in place on your desk Hokage-sama." Kakashi said with a slight incline of his head as the Hokage strode past him. This Kakashi was different than the one many had seen around the village and on regular missions and many felt it was the white armband he wore with the kanji for Hokage Guard Squad across it in black. "The prisoner I captured was rather talkative after Ibiki got started on him. The full report is on your desk but I have a rundown prepared for the clan heads."

"I will see to it Kakashi. Give the clan heads what they need to know."

"As you wish Hokage-sama." Kakashi inclined his head towards Hiruzen even though he was already looking through the report and made his way towards where the clan heads had gathered.

He was quick to explain it all to them and the general set of responses that were available. They were waiting for a response form Kumo after having sent them a message and what the response included would help them decide the best course of action. The Hyuuga clan head only saw a single course of action though.

"We should raze the village to the ground. They dared to try and kidnap my daughter, the heiress of the clan, to use as some breeding stock on their mad pursuit of power. If they think we will simply allow them to do so unpunished then they are mistaken."

"You are speaking of war Hyuuga-san. Over a single girl."

"Hokage-sama she's…"

"A single girl Hiashi. She might be the heiress of the clan Hiahsi but I am not willing to risk a war over a single girl. I am not willing to risk so many lives over one."

"You would do so if you were in my position."

"But I am not. I am not a clan head and you are not Hokage. Right now I hold the lives of thousands of men, women, and children in my hands. The lives of all of those who reside in the Land of Fire whether it is in the capital, here, or a farm. Their lives rest in my hands and in declaring war I know I would be offering so many of them to the Shinigami before we could even mobilize our forces. In declaring war I will not only be signing away the lives of those under my protection but those in other lands as well. So tell me Hyuuga-san if you still want a war where your clan will suffer more losses than a single girl."

Hiashi remained silent at the Hokage's word and then Tsume started laughing.

"Put you in your place eh Pale eye-dono." Tsume was laughing even as she spoke and Hiashi turned a glare on her that she only shrugged off.

"Inuzuka-san and Hyuuga-san. You will both stop this childishness at once or you will be removed from this meeting. We need to discuss what we are going to do about this situation. I would ask Hyuuga-san for his input as seeing it was his daughter that was almost taken but with his current thoughts that would be foolish. So I will have to seek advice elsewhere. Uzumaki-san what do you suppose we do."

"Hokage-sama I believe that this is unwise." Hiashi spoke before Nagato had sad a word. "Uzumaki-dono has been in the village for only a few years as a clan head. He hasn't had the chance to grasps the politics that we have all grown up around."

"I mean he's right. This is all pretty serious." Hiashi almost looked grateful for Tsume's input. "I'd rather have the Nara take care of it. No offense to the redhead."

"I've already been swamped with work Tsume. The entire force in on high alert and I've been in meetings with Fugaku and the ANBU commander all day over one thing or another."

"Speak Uzumaki-san." The Hokage ordered bringing silence into the room once again.

"I suppose they do have valid points but if I was in this situation I would send a delegation to Kumo to not only work this out but also finalize the peace treaty. It would have to also be a show of force though. A subtle threat to Kumo that something like this won't be tolerated again. I recommend including your students in the delegation Hokage-sama along with anyone else you choose. Jiraiya-sensei puts people at ease and Orochimaru-san is smart enough to ensure the treaty doesn't harm Konoha. They also carry enough power to wipe out large sections of the village if Kumo tries anything on the delegation or themselves."

"So a show of force disguised as a show of peace then?"

"Essentially. It might sound like a mess but I've always had some trouble putting my thoughts into words."

"I believe it could work though." Shikaku spoke. "We get the treaty done with and send a message to Kumo in one blow. A single summon form either one of the Sannin is enough to do great damage to Kumo before they would be able to beat it. That's not even accounting for the Sannin themselves."

"But which one of you will travel with them. I would rather have one of you accompany them to keep them from killing each other."

"I'm sure they could get along well enough on such a delicate mission Hokage-sama."

"You don't know them as I do Yamanaka-san. The two might be best friends but they are more likely to try and rip the other's throat out than anything else."

"I can see to it Hokage-sama. It'll be a gesture of good faith if you send me."

"You are more attached to this situation than you think Hyuuga-san. Sending you would not be wise."

"I can put my feelings aside Hokage-sama."

"Not now Hiashi. Not so soon after you almost experienced the loss of your daughter." Hiruzen rubbed the bridge of his nose as the stress of running the village threatened to knock him over. "We will decide on a delegate once we receive a reply from Kumo. The message should arrive soon as we sent our fastest messenger bird with it. I will see that you all are gathered in my office when that message does arrive." Hiruzen didn't have to add the unspoken dismissal as the clan heads began to file out of the office and into the hallway.

Nagato would have followed them if Kakashi hadn't stopped him from exiting the room as well. The masked man simply pointed towards where the Hokage sat and bowed out of the room to stand guard in the hallway. Nagato wondered what reason Hiruzen had to dismiss Kakashi from the room as someone assigned to the Hokage's guard was to remain around the Hokage during their entire shift. None had been present during the events of last night simply because Hiruzen wanted all hands on the search and had been surrounded by clan heads within the office along with ANBU coming and going from the tower to deliver reports and orders.

"How may I be of service Hokage-sama?" Nagato asked as he took a seat at the Hokage's desk.

"I want you to be the delegate." Hiruzen had never enjoyed skirting around the edge of something when it wasn't necessary. He always preferred being direct with people. "You are far more suited than anyone else to do so. You are the perfect choice to handle this matter."

"Why me? Why not someone like Uchiha-dono or Yamanaka-dono?"

"Fugaku does think about the wellbeing of the village but he doesn't function well outside his own environment. He rarely speaks in council meetings because he doesn't care about anything more than making sure the police force remains funded. Inoichi is an interrogator and is skilled at making people talk. Usually by way of his clan's techniques. He isn't as good at listening. Both of them are swamped with this manner anyway. They can't step away from their duties. The police force needs to be combed over for potential moles as the patrols, of not only the police force but also standard shinobi, seemed to have been tampered with. Someone should've been around the Hyuuga compound at the time of the abduction but no one was. Fugaku and Inoichi are determined to find out what exactly happened to make it so. In short, those two cannot leave the village for anything until the current matter is settled."

"What about Aburame-dono or Akimichi-dono?"

"Shibi is too much of an introvert to see to this. Can he accompany the delegation? Yes as he does have a talent for taking in information others might miss. His clan is skilled at information gathering and his skill level is among the best. He also unnerves people though. The kikachu his clan relies on for their techniques are powerful creatures but they also make people uneasy. He can't be the person who talks to Kumo but he can accompany that person. We need them at ease when the treaty is drafted. Choza isn't someone who is suited for these situations either. He is more suited for a show of strength. I know he wouldn't cause an incident but he is far too trusting of people. I would call it naivety but I know that he has shown why one shouldn't abuse his trust several times. Still he is simply not suited for something like this. I can't risk him allowing too many concessions."

"Inuzuka-dono?"

"She is far too hot headed and brash. She is someone I would send on an assignment that would fit her talents. She makes people feel easy around her and is a good commander for that reason but she doesn't have the sensitivity to diffuse a situation like this." Hiruzen let out a small laugh before continuing. "In fact she's more likely to make this situation worse. The Raikage isn't someone well known for keeping his temper in check and the last thing I need is to have Tsume set him off over one thing or another."

"So why me then Hokage-sama? Orochimaru is more than capable to do this himself and fulfill both the position of negotiator but also as a show of strength. He is more experienced than I in these matters and has a reputation he can use to his advantage. Jiraiya could also accomplish both but his manner would take longer than Orochimaru's as he could hardly sit in the meetings long enough to get ture progress done."

"Both of my students could do it but they can't be relied on to solve every single problem that arises with Kumo. An beyond for that matter. They and I are both old and have long outlived the expectations of a Shinobi's lifespan. I would like to give someone else the chance to establish themselves as a diplomat. Someone who has already shown the capability to convince people to his side and can keep a calm head against anyone. You also aren't attached to this situation as the others are. I can trust you to not come into Kumo with too strong of a bias."

"I do still want to level Kumo Hokage-sama." Nagato's face never changed from the rather neutral expression he wore but the words came out with enough force behind them to make Hiruzen momentarily forget that. "I know of what would've happened to Hinata if they had managed to escape the village with her and can't help but picture an Uzumaki in her place." Nagato's knuckled turned white as he gripped the fabric of his pants. "But I have also seen war firsthand. A war between any of the Five results in utter ruin for whatever ground was selected to play host to the fighting. The others may have been on the battlefield but they didn't have to see it afterwards and the destruction that was left long after the peace treaties were signed."

"That is why you are going Nagato." Hiruzen offered a sad smile as Nagato looked at him. "You are not only the leader of a prominent, if only recently revived, clan thus showing a respect to Kumo by sending you rather than a simply delegate. You also know what war can do and won't let your emotions get the better of you here. You will work your hardest to ensure not only Konoha doesn't look weak but also that the world isn't sent into another war. The other's know only of what Hinata's fate would've been had she been captured. They have known her since she was born and I have no doubt that they understand Hiashi's anger, picturing a member of their clans in the place of his daughter. Their thoughts turn to war all too easily with little regard for the consequences such an action brings. They will think of some surely but they will only focus on the potential losses their clans might sustain should it happen. I think of the losses to not only Konoha but the Land of Fire as a whole. You think even beyond me as I was raised here and you were not. I can't see past the borders of the land. Having seen everyone outside as an enemy until proven otherwise for so long. You on the other hand don't. You think of those who have homes on what will become battlefields, the deaths that will be caused by simply being caught in the crossfire. The scars the land will bear. Those who will grow up near fields littered with weapons and mass graves. You think of the consequences long after the war is done. That is why it must be you."

"But…"

"I will not hear it Nagato. Jiraiya's reports have told me how Kumo hasn't demilitarized itself. It produces much more shinobi a year than was agreed to in the treaty of the last war. It should have been stopped immediately but we only sent warnings thinking it would make Kumo stop and attacking now to force them to stop is foolish. It should have happened long ago when word first reached our ears. Now it is simply too late."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Do not share what I am about to tell you with anyone else Nagato."

"I would never betray your trust Hokage-sama."

"Konoha is weak. We could barely survive an attack by Iwa let alone Kumo. We would be crushed or just barely survive the war to be left as scraps for whoever chooses to be our vulture." Hiruzen didn't pause to let what he said sink in as he instead pressed on. "We cannot survive a war with anyone as we are. We are stretched thin defending our borders alone. More than half of our forces have not seen war and we lack the commanders to lead one. My decision to lead the older shinobi against the Kyuubi might indeed turn out to be my greatest folly if we do go to war. We lost men and women who had years and decades of battle experience. They might not have been able to serve on the front themselves in a war but they could bring advice to the new generation. Pass on tricks they had learned to survive on the battlefield. We simply cannot afford a war with Kumo. They have the numbers and more of their own veteran shinobi alive. The rampages of their Biju are nothing compared to what the Kyuubi did to us. We lost more in one night than they have in decades.

"You must avoid a war with them Nagato. You and only you can do this. I do not expect the others would be capable of such. They would throw us into our own grave if they went. I need you to avert our destruction Nagato. Ask of me anything in return and I shall give it to you."

"Hokage-sama I did not know how strongly you felt about my appointment to this. To have someone like yourself confide in me is a great honor. One I think myself wholly undeserving of. I still think of myself unworthy for the task but I will see to it."

"I believe you are more than worthy for this Nagato. You can are the perfect choice as I have said."

"I will do my best to prove your faith in me correct Hokage-sama."


Nagato sat in his office. Completely alone. There was no Naruto tugging on his legs to get him to play with him and neither one of his usual shadows were standing behind his chair facing him standing against the wall by the door. He had asked not to be disturbed by anyone and they had reluctantly seen to it. The words Hiruzen had spoken were still in his head even after hours of throwing himself into his work, trying to forgot about them for even a single second. Hiruzen had put a terrible amount of trust in him and Nagato didn't want to think about what was going through the Hokage's own mind when he could barely keep his thoughts in control. Hiruzen might doubt himself now about being so honest with Nagato but he wouldn't betray his trust. He wished he could tell someone though. It would take some of the pressure from off his shoulders. He would turn to his usual group of confidants but this information was too sensitive to share with them. His next choice was his sensei and his teammate. They had no doubt earned the Hokage's confidence as well but they both were patrolling the land, laying traps for spies and making sure no one tried to leave the Land of Fire in a rush. They were on a mole hunt and border defense until the Hokage himself recalled them. They never had and never would answer to anyone else.

Kumo was looming on his thoughts like a shadow though. His thoughts wouldn't stray far before they were ripped back to it. He knew things were different in Kumo. Vastly different from how things were done in Konoha. The Raikage wasn't as levelheaded as he had come to know Hiruzen and the Kazekage to be in his rare villages to Konoha as a sign of goodwill. Jiraiya had told him how the Raikage was quick to anger from what his spies had managed to learn within the village. He would usually cause damage to his office but on the rare occasion he did take his anger out on the nearest person to him had shown he wasn't afraid to use overkill. Nagato did not want to fight the Raikage. He was a powerful shinobi but he would be forced to use the Rinnegan in a fight with a Kage and that would mark him as a target to everyone.

He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think about what to do, who to take on this trip, what to ask of Kumo, and what to give in return. He could very well be walking into a trap organized by Kumo. All of this could be a set up to eliminate whoever was sent by the Hokage as a declaration of war. He and the rest of the delegation could be butchered before they even saw Kumo's walls and then all hope for peace would be lost under the mountain of ashes the war would create. Thinking of that made another memory claw its way to the surface of his mind. It wasn't about Kumo for once but it was unwelcomed all the same.


People ran screaming from what the town center had become. All their fortifications had been useless as shinobi from both sides broke through it with ease with jutsu. The town was valued for its position on the hill. It could be defended and could view an approach from all sides. The shinobi had swept their defenses aside in short order, breaking through them as if they were nothing. The hours spent designing, building, and carefully placing them were wasted as they hadn't even lasted for a minute. They and the wall both burned. Everything burned. Someone had given the order to raze the town if the enemy had taken it and both sides were eager to deny the other a victory. They cared little for the people whose homes they were burning. For the people that were killed by their jutsu and weapons. They didn't exist to the shinobi. Their lives didn't matter to them. All they wanted to do was win a victory over the other side.

They were caught between two unrelenting forces. Being crushed underfoot and between them as they rushed at each other. Not sparing them a glance. Not giving them a chance to escape. This wasn't their people and no retaliation would come from the other side even if they were all killed.

Someone was supervising an evacuation now. It was a miracle itself that they could be seen through the smoke that threatened to choke them and the sounds of the fighting that deafened everything else around them. They were shouting for them to help their neighbors and the people they had known all their lives. Trying to reclaim order over what was chaos. No one listened beyond saving themselves. Or perhaps he was remembering it wrong. Maybe they did help the wounded away. Offering a shoulder of support for them to lean on or carrying them if it was bad enough.

Or maybe his memory had actually censored it. Men, women, children, and anyone who couldn't move fast enough trampled underfoot by the crazed crowd. People throwing their friends and family to the fire to try and escape themselves. Climbing over each other and sending one another back down in a desperate bid to escape the chaos.

Perhaps everything was a lie and Nagato held no memory of the event because it hadn't happen. His parents could have simply left the town in pursuit of better horizons. Horizons that would still see them dying only years later in front of the son they had sought out a better future for.


Nagato banished the memory wish a shake of his head. He only knew that it was from the beginning of the 2nd Shinobi World War because he had been born around that time. The village was something that reared itself anytime a situation was like this. If his thoughts turned to war the village would manifest itself in a dream. It had changed as time went on though. What happened, who was attacking, and the survivors always changed. He could never learn what exactly had happened or even if it had happened. He didn't remember his parents ever mentioning something about it even in hushed whispers. Of course he had barely known his own parents before they were taken from him.

His struck the desk with an open palm as he leaned back in his chair in anger. He had barely known his mother and father before they were taken from him. The thought hurt him more than any other did. He could remember their faces well enough but little else came to his mind besides the same faces only frozen in death. He couldn't remember family trips and the like because none had happened before the war found them again, or for the first time. He didn't have any pearls of wisdom from his father or whispered words from his mother to turn to later on in life. Advice born from experience was lost to him as instead he suffered hardship until whatever innocence he had was dead

"I never would have made it without Yahiko and Konan." He was forever grateful towards his two friends. He would never have survived not only the war but the turmoil Ame became afterwards if it hadn't been for them. He wouldn't have met Kushina, butted heads with Minato every time he saw them because he always thought that he wasn't worthy of his new sister, and he wouldn't have become Naruto's godfather. Something that he could've gone without fulfilling but accepted nonetheless.

Kushina had been the driving force behind him finding the scattered members of the clan and bringing them to Konoha. Uzu had been his first choice but the once great village had been in ruins. Its invaders had paid for every step taken into the city but the numbers had simply overwhelmed the city. Kushina had told him how the survivors had settled into a nomadic lifestyle until they settled somewhere she never told him, she had only told him how to message them. They had joined him in Konoha when he had asked them though so the point was moot. He remembered how happy she had been to see when he had showed her the clan compound. She had ordered Minato to name him the godfather of the unborn Naruto then and there. He still wished he had been in the village when he was born but he was called away.

He had been with Jiraiya on their way back after tracking down a group of Uzumaki in Kiri when the Kyuubi had attacked and by the time they had received word it was already over and Hiruzen wore the Hokage's hat again with an orphaned newborn in a crib beside his desk. Nagato always wondered what the world would like had he been there. He knew of only one thing that could've contained the Biju but it would have done a large amount of damage to the village as well. Perhaps even more than the Kyuubi even did. He wondered if he would have had the will to even do it. What would the people think of not only him but also the other Uzumaki afterwards? He didn't know and hoped he was never had to reveal such a technique. He still remembered the first time he had used it.

"What you thinking about?" a newly arrived voice questioned him interrupting his thoughts. He fought the urge to blow the source of the voice out of his office in what he would later claim as defense.

"How did you get in here?" he questioned the new arrival with poorly hidden laughter at how angry his bodyguards would be when they learned someone had gotten inside his office after he had asked them to keep everyone out.

"Well the front was blocked so I just came in through your window back there. Nobody really questioned it so I figured Arashi and Ryuu were just being pricks again." He leaned the large sword he wore on his back against the side of Nagato's desk even as he sat himself on it. "Challenged Ryuu to a fight to see if I could get in that way but he said something about me having an unfair advantage. You should really have Yamato examine those sticks up their asses. Maybe he can do something about them."

"I'm afraid that's something you have to ask him yourself."

"Maybe you could do it. You know copy the whole wood thing with the god eyes."

"I admit to have tried and succeeded to some extent copying some techniques thought of as strictly kekkai genkai."

"They're still kekkai genkai idiot. I swear sometimes you're as stupid as the day I met you." he would usually hit Nagato's head for something like that but only shook his own head. "Being able to use something like that when you have god eyes doesn't change what it is."

"I think I've come rather far." Nagato gestured around him as proof but his guest only snorted.

"Sure you're a clan head and all but where's the fun in that. All you do is sit around all day in this stuffy office or in council meetings. Boring!" he tapped his foot against the blade leaning against the desk. "I on the other hand get to look for the wielder of the legendary Kubikiribocho and challenge him to a fight one day."

"I don't think that's a fair match Yahiko." Nagato shook his head at his friend's obsession with beating the owner of the legendary weapon and how he would take any job that got him close to Kiri on the off chance he crossed paths with him. "They have a legendary weapon. I believe that one can repair itself with the blood of its victims."

"Well mine's pretty special too. The seals you helped me put on it puts it in a league of its own."

"Have you decided on a name yet?' Nagato questioned practically already knowing the answer.

"Not yet. It's getting close though."

"You said that same thing 3 years ago."

"I was forging the legend for it. This is legendary sword making 101 here Nagato."

"I thought first you name it and then you make a legend for it."

"Well it's the advance course where you do it backwards. This way a faker doesn't spring up with a fake sword that just has its name. It's nameless and the swordsman has orange hair. That's unique enough for now."

"What if another orange haired swordsman shows up that uses a giant sword? Or perhaps two regular sized ones?"

"Then we shall battle to death because there can be only one!" Yahiko had stood up on the desk with the sword raised high as he pointed it to the heavens, his face set in grim determination. Nagato was only thankful that he had requested his office ceiling to be larger than normal. If it had been normal sized the blade would've punched right through it into the floor of the next room. "And then I shall forge both weapons into a single ultra-sword!"

"It would still be a regular sword Yahiko." Nagato knew it would be better to stop this tirade now before Yahiko got too into it.

"No it would be greater! I would take the power of my fallen foe as my own!" Yahiko continued on as if Nagato hadn't said anything.

"Yahiko…" Nagato warned him, growing annoyed at his view being obstructed by his friend.

"There lies the path to becoming the strongest in the world…" Yahiko seemed lost in his own fantasy.

"Yahiko…" Nagato could always throw him across the room but then Yahiko would want to fight and he didn't need trying to explain why it had happened on top of everything else he was dealing with.

"-and beyond." Yahiko finished his speech with in the same pose that he had started it in and Nagato had had enough.

"Get. Off. My. Desk." Nagato debated turning his arm into a chakra cannon to add credence to his threat but it proved unnecessary when Yahiko hopped down and actually sat in the chair across from him this time. It was almost too good to true until Yahiko placed his feet on the desk as he leaned back with his hands behind his head. "I suppose it will do."

"So all joking aside." Yahiko's expression turned serious as the lightheartedness his friend was known for vanished. "How are things here? I was barely back when I got Konan's butterfly."

The three of them had come to rely on Konan's paper manipulation to send messages between them as they were easily overlooked by anyone else and the jutsu allowed it to find its target with 100% accuracy each time. Konan had outdone herself with it and although she preferred using a butterfly for it she was capable of using a number of different paper creatures.

"It's all true. Hyuuga-dono's daughter was almost kidnapped by Kumo in the middle of the night and now I have been chosen as the delegate to try and smooth all of this mess over."

"Well I didn't know the last part. Why you though?"

"That's the same question I asked Hokage-sama and he gave me a myriad of reasons why I was the only one suited for the job and why the others were not."

"So he left the great Nagato with no way out." Yahiko let out a low whistle. "Very impressive for the old man."

"I doubt it was that hard for him Yahiko."

"Maybe it wasn't. The old man still did something impressive."

"And what might that be?"

"Making a god do what he wants." Yahiko's smile was back as he knew how much Nagato hated being called that. He never saw himself as above everyone else and definitely never as some divine being.

"I'm sure Hokage-sama doesn't care much for that. Just like I don't care much for that nickname."

"It's not lie it isn't true Nagato. I mean all the stories paint Rikudo Sennin as a god."

"And they are just stories." Yahiko actually fell out of his chair from laughing and Nagato simply collapsed against his desk with a groan, realizing what he had said too late.

"I thought you would be the last one to call them stories. I mean the proof's literally in you."

"I'm sure some of his feats are exaggerated."

"You told me about a technique that can make another moon."

"I told you and Konan that in confidence."

"And I haven't spoken a word about it to anyone else."

"How can I be sure?"

"You could read my mind. With your mind reading powers. That you have. Along with everything else. And all those things you can summon out of nowhere."

"Chakra rods. They're called chakra rods. And I can only read your mind with a huge risk. If you lie I can take your soul remember."

"You're proving my point here Nagato."

"I…"

"I rest my case." Yahiko crossed his arms over his chest with a victorious grin on his face.

"I'm a sore loser." Nagato tipped the chair over with a wordless Shinra Tensai and Nagato had no way of keeping himself righted as his arms quickly uncrossed and flailed wildly in a desperate attempt to keep himself upright. He seemed to have won the fight for balance even if the chair was precariously perched after having done so. He sent another victorious grin towards Nagato. Nagato used another Shinra Tensai to completely knock him over and send him to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ow." Was all Yahiko said from his place on the ground. Unseen to Nagato who was content to look through the papers on his desk until his friend picked himself up from the ground.

"Feel free to return to your seat whenever you feel you're ready to."

"Will do."

"Thank you."

"What I do buddy."

Nagato didn't know how Yahiko knew he was in distress but his friend had a knack for showing up and simply being himself until Nagato could forget about whatever was troubling him. Yahiko didn't know exactly where his thoughts had been when he had broken, as climbing in through a window as opposed to using the door would always be to Nagato, into his office to talk to him but he had helped him push them aside. He knew it was only a temporary solution to the problem but with a clear head he was better prepared for whatever was in Kumo's response. That would dictate how he would approach them with his own terms.

"So how much longer until its show time?" Yahiko asked him as he sat himself back in a newly righted chair. "I mean it should be any minute now right?"

"Hokage-sama said the clan heads would reconvene whenever he received Kumo's response."

"I guess I'll stay here until that happens then. Keep the workaholic company." Yahiko began spinning a shuriken on the tip of his index finger as he settled into the silence he knew Nagato preferred when working.

"I appreciate the offer but it's unnecessary." Nagato spoke even as he read through a mission report one of the Uzumaki had been on. "I can handle my work alone."

"Well Konan's still stuck in T&I so I'm here until she's free." Nagato almost laughed at how their blue haired friend had found a calling under Ibiki's tutelage. She hadn't told them exactly how she managed to get prisoners to talk and they had never asked. Preferring to remain in ignorance of her methods.

"I thought she was going to join the regular forces soon? Maybe take a Genin team?"

"No snot nosed brat is going anywhere near her on my watch."

"You can't be afraid of a Genin Yahiko. It's insane."

"She'll fawn over the kids and they'll get the wrong idea."

Nagato's retort was on the tip of his tongue when he felt someone enter the compound. Not through the gate as was standard procedure but by jumping over the wall. He rose from his seat and all Yahiko needed was a look before he grabbed his sword and fastened it back to his back.

"There it is." Nagato kept his voice level but his hand slightly trembled and he crossed his arms across his chest, hiding the trembling within his sleeves.

"Are you nervous?" Yahiko must have seen it as usual.

"A little." Nagato offered a weak smile and Yahiko placed a hand on his shoulder with a large grin.

"I have faith in you Nagato, and more importantly the Hokage does. We both know you can handle whatever crazy crap Kumo might say."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence."

Yahiko shook his shoulder before speaking again. "Nope not to me. You aren't going into respectful clan head mode with me. We've known each other for too long for all those formalities and crap."

"You're right." Him, Yahiko, and Konan had a friendship that had seen them all leaning on another when they were at their lowest and sitting on each other's shoulders when they were at their highest.

"Damn right I am. You've got this Nagato."

Yahiko hugged his friend and Nagato returned it before the orange haired man moved to his side and threw an arm around his shoulders. He began steering him towards the door to his office when Nagato had remained standing at his desk.

"Now let's go greet this messenger then. I'm sure Arashi and Ryuu will let me pull bodyguard duty for a while." Nagato and Yahiko laughed at that.

"I'd think they would sooner let Naruto handle it."

Still laughing the two went out to greet the Hokage's messenger.


AN : Well that was chapter two and I have to say I had a lot of fun writing Yahiko. But how was it?

I put some references to pass events to not only show some of Nagato's changed backstory but also of some other things. This chapter did run longer than I thought and that was mainly due to Yahiko and Nagato's interaction. And before someone calls me out for them being OOC, think about it. The main event that changed Nagato into Pain/Pein didn't happen as Yahiko is still very much alive. Take that as you will. It definitely changed more than anyone could expect.

There's definitely more to come and hopefully this time it'll be quicker. No promises though. This thing fought me tooth and nail and some other projects also fought for my attention.

And please someone tell me how I did with the Hiruzen and Nagato scene. I felt like I showed why Hiruzen chose Nagato but something in the back of my head is nagging me that it could be better.

That's all for now and I hope you liked it.