A/N: New Chapter no Jutsu! Ha! Sorry, couldn't resist. :p


"K-Korra," Hiroshi stuttered, his voice practically squeaking out of his throat.

Korra chuckled. "It's Lady Eighth to you if you please."

He bowed, looking properly chastened. "Apologies, Lady Eighth. Congratulations. I can't think of anyone else more deserving of the position."

"Hmmph," Korra grunted, and made a face that even Hidden Leaf's Chief of Police, Lin Beifong would be proud of, before sliding in to the chair next to Asami, leaning back, and crossing her left leg over the right. Kiss ass, she thought dismissively, taking in the man's appearance once more. How much does he actually know about me, or what's been going on in the outside world while he's been in here? Not much it seems if he didn't know that I'd become Hokage.

He looked older, his hair having faded to grey, and he had lost a substantial amount of weight. His clothes were worn and slightly tattered, though being a standard issue prison outfit of grey shirt, pants and flats, this wasn't too surprising to her. A sealing tag was in place on his chest, preventing him from infusing chakra and using it to fuel his ninjutsu. What little he knows, she reminded herself. Hiroshi had sworn off advancing his knowledge of ninjutsu and really, all things shinobi, after a rogue group of ninja killed Yasuko Sato: Hiroshi's wife, Asami's mother, and her young daughter's namesake.

"Kor-" He began, before noticing her raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat, starting over, his voice quiet. "Lady Eighth. May I ask what your purpose here is? Why choose to visit me now, after all this time?" He looked nervously between herself and Asami for a moment, hoping for answers. "Am…am I to be executed?"

Korra let the silence drag on, enjoying the beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead, before finally deciding to grant him a mercy. "As I'm sure my ANBU agents informed you," she answered slowly. "If you behave yourself here, you will not be harmed." She lifted a hand, examining her nails for a moment, before looking back up at him. "And as for why you're here…I needed to confirm something with my own eyes." She leaned forward, setting her elbows on the table and lacing her fingers together, resting her chin on her hands.

"C-confirm something? What would that be?"

She smiled at him. "Before I answer your question, I have a question for you Hiroshi…Are you frightened of me?"

He stared at her, twitching under her unblinking gaze, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and just where Korra wanted him to be.

"Yes," he answered honestly, voice quiet, and fear evident in his bearing and his face.

"Good," Korra answered, her voice just as quiet, dripping with honey. It was the voice of a predator that knows its prey is cornered, with nowhere to go. She grinned at him, her teeth showing, a predatory smile. "Now then, to answer your question. The short answer is that, you are here because I want you here."

Hiroshi looked nothing but confused, and so Korra continued, with a chuckle.

"But I imagine that doesn't really answer your question, and so I'll enlighten you. To be blunt, I am here to ascertain whether or not you have become repentant after all your time here. Do you truly regret what you've done and wish to make amends, or are we just wasting our time here?"

Hiroshi opened his mouth to speak, seeming to jump at the chance to answer, but Korra interrupted him. "Take care with your answer. I'm a very busy woman with a village to run and a family to take care of." She smiled affectionately at Asami, taking the woman's right hand with her left. Asami returned her smile, but it was strained. Korra couldn't blame her. She'd be stressed too if she wasn't having so much fun at the moment, and so assured that she was in complete control of the situation.

"Yes," Hiroshi spoke eagerly, leaning forward and gripping the table. "As I told Asami, I wish only to make amends for my mistakes. I was a fool, and I regret what I did with everything that I am. Lady Eighth, I am truly sorry for attempting to take your life, and the life of my own daughter. I see now that you two belong together, and in trying to separate you, I was doing exactly what those rogue shinobi did to me when they took my wife. They took the light from my life, and I almost did the same to the two of you." He bowed his head. "I am sorry. With everything that I am, I am sorry."

Korra was silent, observing as he silently cried on to the table. He seemed genuine, but there was only one way to be sure.

"I believe you of course, however," she spoke, tone only slightly mocking, causing Hiroshi to look up at her. "I'm going to need to confirm this, to make absolutely sure."

"C-confirm," he stuttered. "How?"

"I'm going to read your memories." Her tone was one that suggested this was an everyday occurrence, almost as if she were bored, and she couldn't help but enjoy his shocked look, as he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve.

"Read…my memories? How is that possible?"

She tapped her right index finger underneath her right eye. "My Sharingan." She smirked at him. "I can open up your mind and flip through your memories as easily as reading a book with this."

He looked incredulous, and Korra had to agree with him on this one. Many were the times she thanked her luck that she was born in to the Uchiha, and blessed with the power of the Sharingan.

"That," Hiroshi began when he finally managed to speak. "That's…a terrifying ability. The Sharingan is truly a weapon to be feared and respected."

"Indeed." She grinned at him. "But then you know that first hand don't you Mr. Sato?"

Perhaps unconsciously, a hand rose to trail over the scars on his face, a look of remembrance in his eyes. "Yes," he spoke quietly. "I do."

"Good then," she nodded. "Now look at me, and take a deep breath. Try and relax."

"Wait," he interjected, raising a hand.

Korra regarded him with a raised eyebrow, her displeasure at being interrupted clear on her face. "It won't hurt, if that's what you're worried about. Not if you do as I say and relax. If you resist, I'll have no choice but to force you."

He shook his head. "No, that's not it. I was simply wondering if I might ask you a question, regarding something you said earlier."

"Oh?" She was intrigued.

"Yes…You said something about having a family to take care of. Could you elaborate on that?"

"Ah yes," she smiled at him. "I was hoping you would catch on to that." She reached across, taking Asami's left hand with her own left this time, and held their conjoined hands up for him to see, showing off the wedding bands that adorned their fingers. "I was referring of course, to my lovely wife here, Mrs. Asami Uchiha."

"I…see." He had a wistful look in his eyes. "Again, I am glad for both of you. I only wish I had been able, and open minded enough, to attend the ceremony. Seeing one's own daughter married and to be able to give her away to a worthy spouse is a once in a lifetime opportunity." He smiled sadly. "Though I have no one to blame but myself for the missed opportunity."

"It's terrible when one becomes one's own worst enemy, is it not?" Korra smirked at him again. She had been doing a lot of that since this meeting began, but she couldn't help herself. It was just so much fun.

"Indeed," he sighed, seeming resigned to his fate.

She nodded curtly. "Yes, it was quite a beautiful ceremony too, and Asami looked like a goddess in her dress. Though, she always looks like a goddess if you ask me." She smiled over at the raven-haired woman, who despite herself, was blushing, an embarrassed smile on her face. "It's a shame you weren't there to see it."

He said nothing, unable to meet Korra's eyes. It would have been difficult even had her eyes been their normal, welcoming blue. Thus with her eyes sporting the intimidating red and black pattern of the Sharingan, it was a truly terrifying prospect.

"And of course," she continued, knowing what she was about to say would solidly drive home the point she was trying to make. "Had you simply accepted your daughter's choices, and mine, from the beginning…you would have gotten to meet your granddaughter by now."

Instantly, his head snapped up, his mouth opening and closing slightly in shock as he looked between Korra and Asami, eyes wide.

"G-granddaughter," he whispered to himself in incredulity.

"We named her Yasuko. After Mom," a quiet voice came from her left. It was the first time Asami had spoken since Korra sat down.

Korra watched as she went in to her coat, drawing out a picture, and sliding it across the table.

He reached a hand out, hesitated, drew it back, then reached out again, before drawing it back a final time, all while looking from Asami to the picture. Seeming to gather his courage, he reached out with a noticeably shaking hand, gently taking the photo and drawing it towards him. Delicately, he held it between his thumbs and forefingers, drawing it up closer and looking at it as if it were water, and he a man dying of thirst.

"Sh-she's beautiful." He traced her young face with a finger. "She has your eyes Asami, and your hair."

"Thank you Dad," Asami said, sounding genuinely grateful. "She takes after Korra more though."

"Really?" Hiroshi didn't sound angry, and Korra was actually able to smile genuinely at him for the first time during this whole meeting. For once, he sounded like a real grandfather, simply fascinated by his grandchild, and eager to learn all about them.

"Yes," Asami continued. "Especially in the eating department. It seems like that girl can put away her own weight or more in food. Plus she hates getting up early. 'Mornings are evil,' just like her mom." She smiled widely at Korra, who returned it eagerly, chest puffed up in pride over her daughter.

"She's got Asami's brains though, thank goodness," Korra put in. She gave her wife a teasing smile, who rolled her eyes, the same smile on her face.

Korra turned her attention back to Hiroshi. "She's prodigious as well. She'll be a splendid Shinobi one day, if that's what she chooses to do. She's got my genes in her, so I have no doubt she'll unlock her Sharingan one day."

"I see," Hiroshi said after a bit of quiet reflection. He reluctantly slid the picture back across the table to Asami, who tucked it away once more in her coat. "I would love to meet her someday, if the two of you would allow it."

"Perhaps," Korra said. "It all depends on what I find in your mind however."

"Of course," he agreed with a nod of his head. He drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, and with firmer resolve, though still a slight tremor, looked Korra directly in the eyes. "I am ready."

"Good. Hold still."

With a sound reminiscent of a sharp blade being drawn at lightning speed, Korra's eyes widened, and her head jerked forward slightly, as she dove in to Hiroshi's consciousness.

Floating in the ether of Hiroshi's mind, Korra could see his brain before her, and she moved forward, not quite walking, yet not quite flying either. Floating forward, the brain shifted in how she perceived it, the organ beginning to ripple and shift forms before her very eyes until it resembled a large book. Once she drew near enough, it was a simple matter to reach out and touch her hand to the cover, which caused the book to shudder, and groan as it opened to her touch.

A bright light began emanating from between the pages, as the massive volume slammed open with a creak of leather, and she focused her mind, searching for the relevant memories. With rapidly increasing speed, and the fluttering of paper, the pages began turning, rocketing forward through Hiroshi's early life, through his teen years, into adulthood, giving her glimpses of the man's life along the way, and finally settling on the specific day Korra was looking for. The day he had decided to end her own and his daughter's life.

Touching her hand to the still image displayed on the page, Korra was enveloped in a sea of warmth as the page blurred and rippled before her, and she felt herself being sucked in. A brief sensation of weightlessness followed, before once again she felt herself on solid ground, the feeling of warm air around her, and the sounds of people meeting her ears.

Opening her eyes, the first thing she noticed was her location. She was in some kind of study, the smell of old books, paper, leather and ink surrounding her. She looked around, the sight of Hiroshi Sato working at his desk meeting her eyes, the light in the room low. Curious, she walked forward, her intransient existence in the man's memories drawing no reaction from the man behind the desk, the pen continuing to scratch away.

Looking over his shoulder, Korra frowned slightly, even though she knew to expect something like this. Hiroshi was writing a letter to Lord Seventh, complaining over the fact that groups of rogue shinobi continued to plague the land, despite the current peace between the Great Nations and their respective shinobi villages. As if that's entirely Lord Seventh's fault, she silently rebuked him.

Reading further, she was surprised to see a request to revoke Asami's shinobi status for, in the older man's words, "Her own safety, and my own peace of mind." Further on, he even expressed his concerns over herself, and the influence she was supposedly exerting over Asami.

Frowning more heavily, she kept at it, reading further as Hiroshi complained about her detrimental effects on his daughter.

This girl, Korra of the Uchiha Clan, the letter read. Is, I believe, and surely you would agree with me in this regard Lord Seventh, a dangerous individual who should be watched carefully. Such a person, with such questionable motives and actions as she, should not be allowed to roam the village freely. Surely you have heard the rumors, as I have, of this young lady's supposed 'love' of both sexes. Such a disgusting practice should have no place in an upstanding village such as this, and at the very least, help should be found for her at the earliest opportunity to correct her grievous illusions.

Such a thought process, it continued. Will have detrimental affects on those around her if left unchecked, and I believe it is already beginning to have such an effect on my own precious daughter. If allowed to spread, this disease has the potential to destroy this village, which our predecessors, and yourself My Lord, have worked so hard to build and maintain. And if allowed to fester here in the Hidden Leaf, it could even spread to the other villages and nations of the world, launching a pandemic bringing about the end of the world its self.

Added to this is the girl's history. As you well know, she comes from a Clan of at best, questionable integrity. The Uchiha have long been known as traitors, murderers and would be tyrants, who once plotted to overthrow the village and take control for themselves. Your own experience with the members of the Uchiha clan, including the traitor Itachi, and his younger sibling, the one time rogue, Sasuke, should have taught you this. Not to mention, the instigators of the recent war, Obito and a revived Madara Uchiha, who throughout his lifetime was responsible for the deaths of countless Leaf citizens and shinobi. Thus, it is my recommendation, and my wish, that the Uchiha Clan be exterminated before they can cause more strife, and plunge the world in to further chaos and hatred. I urge you, Lord Seventh, to act now to protect the village and the world, before it is too late. Eliminate Korra and the Uchiha before they destroy us all.

"Can't believe I have to go crawling to a shinobi for help. And with another shinobi no less," Hiroshi muttered to himself. "They're part of the problem in the first place. The whole system's rotten to the core."

Korra had to take a calming breath, to avoid leaving the man's memories immediately and murdering him. She had been aware of his distrust for her, but hadn't realized the hatred went this deep, not to mention the fact that it extended beyond her to include the members of her recovering, but still fragile clan as well. Though in hindsight, perhaps she shouldn't be so surprised. She was well aware of her clan's reputation in the village and the shinobi world. The villagers seemed to trust her however, (she became Hokage after all) and the members of the clan that currently lived in the Hidden Leaf, so hope was there for repairs to be made to the Uchiha's unfavorable reputation as traitors and murderers. The first steps had already been taken.

The sound of the front door opening caused both heads to turn, and Hiroshi rose from his desk, to go to it. Korra followed him from the office, knowing full well who was on the other side of the door.

It was strange, looking a younger version of herself and her wife in the face when Hiroshi made it to the entryway. It was like looking at a photograph only it moved and talked like video, but it was also right in front of her, and if she wasn't merely an observer in this world, she could reach out and touch herself and Asami.

Having just come from training, Asami wore her red and black jacket, with black undershirt, her brown pants and her sandals. Weapon holsters and tool kit adorned her thigh and rear, respectively, and of course her Leaf headband was snugly secured around her forehead. Korra was similarly equipped, wearing her tool kit, weapon holster, blue sleeveless shirt, brown pants, her fur pelt around her waist, and sandals. Her headband was also present and polished around her forehead. Her hair was done up in the triple wolf tail style she had favored in her younger days, and her customary blue and white armband with blue and white pattern adorned her upper right arm.

The present Korra smiled with nostalgia. Before marrying Asami, and when not performing ANBU missions, this had been her favored outfit. Around the house, or when training, Asami still wore something similar to what her memory currently had equipped.

"Asami," the phantom Hiroshi answered with warmth as he approached the two women, a large smile on his face. "Welcome home sweetie. How was your day?" He turned to the younger Korra. "Korra," he greeted much more coldly, his tone and expression neutral, the barely contained hatred obvious to the current Korra. I just wish I had seen it at the time.

"Hi Mr. Sato," the young her answered with a happy smile and a wave.

"Hi Dad," the young Asami said with a smile. She stepped forward, embracing the man, and Korra watched as his expression changed to one of true caring and happiness. "My day was pretty good. Mostly training. We've got a mission soon but we have a few days off before we have to go."

"That's good sweetie. You be safe out there, understand?"

"Yes Dad." Asami rolled her eyes slightly. "I'll be fine. I'm seventeen. I'm not a kid anymore. Plus, Boruto Sensei takes good care of us."

"I'm glad," the man's smile remaining, though Korra could see his distaste, carefully hidden of course. Now she knew it was because of Asami becoming a shinobi and her association with other shinobi, mainly herself. "You know how important you are to me. It's my job to worry." He reached out and stroked Asami's cheek with his hand, moving a lock of her hair behind her ear.

The current Korra bristled, remembering how at the time, she hadn't minded so much, but now, the thought of the man touching her love made her angry.

"I know Dad," Asami held his hand for a moment affectionately. "I love you too. Korra and I are gonna hang out in my room ok?"

"Alright sweetie. Let me know when you're ready to eat." He moved aside as Asami and Korra entered the house proper, hands entwined and Korra didn't miss his glare at the back of her younger self's head as soon as she and Asami weren't looking.

"Bastard," the current Korra muttered.

She and Hiroshi watched the memories of herself and Asami ascend the stairs after taking off their shoes. She could see Hiroshi's fists clenching and unclenching the entire time, and he paced angrily back to his office. Korra followed.

Once inside, he proceeded to pace back and forth in the center of the room, muttering angrily to himself about Korra, and how she was corrupting his daughter, while making large, frustrated hand movements. His anger coming to a head, he stomped to the desk and shoved everything off on to the floor, save the letter he had been working on.

"I have to act now," he muttered to himself. "I have to save Asami from that Uchiha trash. Have to make her see her for what she is, that she's being used."

The present Korra rolled her eyes. I was never using her. Frankly, I'm surprised someone so wonderful actually wanted me.

He stalked from the office, and Korra followed him as he tromped up the stairs and knocked on the door to Asami's room. From Korra's memories of the day, she could recall that she and Asami had spent the time cuddling and watching a movie, and generally enjoying each other's company with some making out thrown in for good measure. All in all it had been a pleasurable day until Hiroshi had knocked on the door.

She watched as he did so, and Asami answered.

"Dad," Asami answered, poking her head out the door. "What's up?" She smiled at the man.

"May I speak to you a moment dear?"

Korra frowned. The way he spoke to her and the false smile on his face angered her. If he had been honest with the both of them from the beginning, so much pain and heartache could've been avoided.

"Sure Dad," Asami answered, slightly confused.

There was a moment of silence. "Alone," Hiroshi clarified, gesturing for her to step out in to the hall.

"Everything ok out there," Korra heard her own voice ask from within the room.

"Everything's fine babe," Asami answered, turning her head back in to the room. "Dad just wants to talk to me for a second. Don't go too far," she added with a playful giggle.

"Don't be gone too long," her past self answered. "It's cold here without you."

Korra could see the young Asami blush as she laughed. "Be right back," she assured her.

The present Korra gave a sigh and a shake of her head. If only she had known then what she knew now. She would have never let Asami leave that room, or at least, she would have gone with her.

Asami stepped out in to the hallway, closing the door gently, and looking at her father in slight confusion. "Dad," she questioned. "Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine sweetie," Hiroshi assured, making the present Korra gag. "I just wanted to talk about you."

"Me?" Asami raised her eyebrow.

"Yes." Hiroshi nodded his head. "You're getting older now and you're getting to that age where you may want to consider finding someone."

"Finding someone? What do you mean?" Asami looked wary.

"I mean finding someone to form a relationship with," he took one of her hands in both of his. "Like I found your mother. There are plenty of fine young men in the village, and if no one here interests you, I'm sure there's someone in one of our allies' villages, or maybe one of the larger cities, or perhaps a minor land that would suit you."

Asami frowned at him, gently pulling her hand from his. "I can't do that Dad. You know I'm with Korra. I'm not interested in anyone else."

"I just thought you might want something more permanent." He tried to take her hand again, but she moved it out of his reach. "You may want children one day as well, and then what would you do?"

Asami frowned slightly deeper. "There are options Dad. We could adopt, or get a donor, and who knows what medical ninjutsu could be capable of. I'm sure Sakura Sensei knows a thing or two about our situation. It's not like we'd be the first same sex couple to ever want children."

"So you plan to make a family with her?" Hiroshi was scowling now, and he sounded irritated.

Asami sighed. "We haven't thought that far ahead, but we're fairly serious about us Dad. Korra and I are together and we plan to stay that way."

Asami turned and started to re-enter the room, but Hiroshi grasped her elbow. "Asami, think about this," he urged.

"Let go Dad." Asami sounded annoyed and she glared at her father.

He did so, but stayed close, well within Asami's personal bubble. "Asami, just think about it. Surely you want something more meaningful and lasting."

"More meaningful?" Asami sounded indignant now. "You think what Korra and I have isn't meaningful?" Her hands were on her hips now, her gaze downright hostile.

He shook his head. "I just want what's best for you Asami. This isn't it." He gestured towards the door. "It's not real. She's using you."

"Using me?!" She shoved him back. "How dare you! What Korra and I have is love Dad! Our relationship is real, just like what you and Mom had and you have no right to say otherwise!"

"Don't bring your mother in to this! You can't compare a true, pure relationship between a man and a woman in love to…to this! This farce!" He waved his hands angrily as he spoke. "She's a woman and so are you! That is not how the universe works Asami! It's against nature! You should be concentrating on finding a husband and raising a family, not playing at being a ninja and being seduced by some misguided Uchiha whore! She's playing you! She probably has you under some type of genjutsu making you think you're in love, when the reality is, love of this type is not possible! It's wrong!"

The door opened and the young Korra peeked out in to the hall. "What's going on? Asami, is everything alright here?" Her face showed concern for her girlfriend who currently had tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Asami took a deep, calming breath, bringing herself under control. "Everything's fine Korra. In fact we were just finishing up." She took her girlfriend's hand. "Let's go to your place huh? Tonraq and Senna I'm sure would be HAPPY to see us." She looked pointedly at her father.

Korra glanced between the two, sensing the awkwardness. "Oookay. Sounds good."

"Wait," Hiroshi interjected, getting in between the women and attempting to guide Asami away, to the protest of both her and Korra. "Asami stop."

"Dad, what are you doing?" She glared at him, shoving his hands off her shoulders.

"I'm keeping my promise to your mother. I'm protecting you from threats like her." He pointed at Korra.

"KORRA, is not a threat Dad," Asami insisted.

"That's what she wants, you to think," he hissed through his teeth. "It's how people like her work. They get inside your mind, infect your thoughts and before you know it, they have you convinced you're in love." He placed his hands back on Asami's shoulders, who looked at them distastefully. "But it's a lie Asami," he insisted in a whisper. "It's not true."

Asami shook her head slowly, once again reaching up and slowly removing her father's hands from her shoulders. "No Dad. You became the lie when you stopped believing in love…when you forgot about Mom, how you felt around her, how the world just stopped whenever she so much as looked at you, because that's how I feel about Korra."

"Awww, thanks babe," Korra spoke from the door. "You're gonna make me cry over here." Dramatically, she wiped a tear from her eye, which made Asami smile.

"Bye Dad," she said, giving her father a sad look as she began to walk away. "I'm going with Korra now."

"Wait, stop!" His voice sounded desperate now, and he grabbed Asami's elbow. "I forbid you to see her!"

Asami scoffed, tugging her elbow free. "You can't do that. No matter what, we'll find a way to be together." She smiled over at Korra, who smiled back. She began to walk away again, joining hands with Korra as they headed downstairs and slipped on their sandals.

Hiroshi followed, and stopping at the foot of the stairs, stared at them for a moment, before letting out a breath. He ran his hands through his hair, straightening it, and adjusted his suit on his body.

"Wait," he said again, now in a much calmer voice.

"Ugh," Asami groaned, turning and rolling her eyes at him. "What now?"

"Korra," he spoke, addressing her past self. "You're a reasonable woman, yes? What will it take for you to leave and never come back, to just…disappear? I have money, lots of it. It's yours if you want it."

Korra raised her eyebrow in disbelief at him.

"That's right," he continued eagerly, misinterpreting her reaction. "Just name it. Any amount you want. Just say the word and it's yours." He pulled a checkbook and a pen from the inner pocket of his suit, clicking the pen open, and poising over the open checkbook. "So…how much will it take for you to disappear for good, and leave my daughter alone?"

Korra stared at him for a long while, so long in fact that he began to appear to grow confused at her lack of response. And then she began to laugh, and laugh hard. It took several long moments for her to calm enough to speak, and when she did so, it was in a tone that oozed disappointment.

"Wow," she chided. "Just, wow. I did NOT expect this today. I've experienced a lot of things in my short sixteen years, but this…this has got to top them so far." She looked up at him, shaking her head, a sad smile on her face. "I had so much respect for you. So much respect for you, before today. I thought, 'Wow. There's a man who has his shit together. There's a man who understands what's important in life, who has his priorities straight. He's a good man, an intelligent man, a man I'd be proud to call my father-in-law…And then, you had to go and pull this." She gestured with her hand. "And all that respect I had for you just went out the window." She fluttered her hands. "Poof, there it went. I mean honestly, one minute I'm, 'An Uchiha whore," and I'm corrupting your daughter, and the next I'm, 'A reasonable woman,'" and you're trying to bribe me. Bribe me!"

She laughed, putting an arm around Asami's shoulders, and smiling at her, before turning back to Hiroshi. The present Korra, watched with a smile on her face, remembering what was coming next.

"Well, I don't know what world you come from Mr. Sato, but in my world," she jerked a thumb at her chest. "There's no amount of money, or fame, or anything…that could make me give up Asami." The two young women smiled at each other, a blush evident on both of their faces.

"Look," Korra continued, her tone becoming conciliatory. "I'll be the first one to admit I'm not perfect." She placed a hand on her chest. "And my clan doesn't exactly have the greatest history, but for some reason that I can't fathom, this beautiful perfect woman loves me anyway." She gave Asami an affectionate shake. "And I love her back, with everything that I am. We're happy Mr. Sato. ASAMI, is happy, and that should be enough for you."

Hiroshi was silent for so long, that even the present Korra, who already knew how this played out, was holding her breath in anticipation of his answer. Then he spoke. "Asami," he said quietly. "You feel the same way?" He pointed underhand at Korra.

She raised her head, sticking out her chin confidently. "I do," she confirmed, and shared a brief smile and giggle with Korra.

He began shaking his head slowly, his eyes closed. Stilling his head after a moment, and letting out a breath, he spoke, quietly. "I see. It's time then."

"Time," Asami questioned. "Time for what?"

Hiroshi opened his eyes, looking intently at his daughter, and continued in the same quiet, intense tone. "Time for you to make a choice Asami. This GIRL whom you claim to love and who claim's to love you back," he scoffed at this. "Or me, your own father, who helped give birth to you, who raised you, first with your mother, then on his own since you were six. The man who TRULY loves you with no reservations, who held you while you were sick, comforted you while you were scared, and encouraged your every dream and effort. It's her," He pointed at Korra. "Or me." He placed a hand to his chest. "Please Asami," he held his hand out, a hopeful look on his face. "I urge you to make the right choice."

Asami's eyes remained closed, her head tilted towards the ground as she mulled over her father's words. "Well," she said after a while. "When you put it like that…I guess the choice is obvious." She opened her eyes and looked at her father, a sad smile on her face.

Hiroshi let out a large breath, his body relaxing, and he smiled at her. "Oh sweetheart, thank you. I know it wasn't easy, but you made the right choi-"

"I choose Korra," Asami interrupted, pushing his hand away gently. "Honestly Dad, I do love you. Really, I do. It's true that you raised me, and helped me and taught me so much, and loved me at one point, and I'm grateful for that…but Korra makes me happy now, and if you can't see that…then you aren't that man anymore. You're not the same father I once had." She turned away from him, walking slightly towards the door, before turning back, that same sad smile on her face. "Goodbye Dad. I'll have someone come by to collect my stuff later. I love you."

Hiroshi's breathing was becoming increasingly harsh, his hands clenching and unclenching rhythmically, his eyes closed, chin tucked in to his chest. As his breathing reached a climax, his head suddenly snapped up, his eyes opening to reveal maddening anger within them, and they were dead set on Asami.

"You, ungrateful, insolent, child! I now see there is no chance to save you!" Spittle flew from his mouth and he waved his arm across his body. And before either woman could react, there was a kunai knife in his hand. No one knew where it had come from, and he was lunging for Asami, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and stabbing hard with the other, driving the weapon in to the daughter he had just claimed to love's stomach.

While Korra screamed out, "No!" All Asami could do was gasp, falling backwards as Hiroshi released her, the kunai coming free with a spurt of blood and a horrible squishing sound, dripping blood on to the floor as Hiroshi stood there gasping, his eyes wild, darting about every which way.

Korra's reaction was instant. After catching her love's limp form, she gently laid Asami down, before standing herself. In the next instant, Hiroshi Sato was flung down the hallway at great speed, Korra's shout of, "Rasengan!" echoing throughout the house, the swirling ball of chakra hitting Hiroshi directly in the chest, and sending him flying down the hallway, slamming in to the wall at the end.

Even so, she didn't put all her power behind it, though she did feel a few bones crack. She had killed on missions before, that was nothing new, but for all his flaws, this man was still Asami's father, and she couldn't bring herself to kill the man, even if he had shown no such restraint as he attempted to kill his own daughter. Asami would never forgive her for that, thus she would never forgive herself.

The present Korra cringed. This part was hard enough to recall on her own, even without it playing out in front of her in perfect clarity.

At one end of the hall, Korra attempted to treat an injured, and largely unresponsive Asami with what bandages she could scrape together, and her limited knowledge of first aid. At the other, a stunned and injured Hiroshi Sato, groaned and began to move around as he attempted to make sense of the situation and get his body, currently resting upside down against the wall, working again.

It took quite a while, but Hiroshi managed to get to his feet, and begin making his way back towards Korra and his bleeding daughter, stumbling and bleeding himself. Weakly, he threw a shuriken towards the young Korra, who knocked it away with her wrist contemptuously, and he paused as Korra's eyes looked up at him, sporting the intimidating pattern of the Sharingan.

"Y-you," he croaked, coughing up blood. "I…I'll kill you. You stole my…daughter. You ruined her."

Korra sighed, shaking her head at him. "You drove Asami away yourself." She gestured at Asami's limp form, currently bleeding all over the floor. "This is your fault."

Hiroshi attempted to throw another shuriken at her in response, but the weapon fell short. "I'll kill you," he reiterated. "Uchiha…trash."

"You're hurt," Korra attempted to reason with him. "And Asami's hurt. You both need medical attention."

Hiroshi's response was to pull another Kunai from his suit, and, gathering strength, he rushed at Korra, yelling as much as his damaged body would allow him to.

Korra sighed again. "Fine then. Don't say I didn't warn you. You forced my hand." Her eyes shifted once again, with the same metallic, "ching."

The present Korra watched, equal parts proud and saddened that it had come to this between her and a man she had once held such respect for. She couldn't help but shiver slightly, even as the phantom Hiroshi, stuttered in his advance, his fear telling him to stop, but his anger driving him on. Though Korra couldn't blame him. After all, she could see just as well as he had that day, the Mangekyo Sharingan pattern displayed in her younger self's eyes. A star pattern, much like that of Sasuke and Madara Uchiha. But then that's what you get I suppose when you can trace your heritage directly back to Madara Uchiha, and beyond that, to Indra, eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths.

The memory of Hiroshi kept advancing, and the memory of Korra sighed one last time, before her right eye widened, the left eye closing. "Amaterasu!" A thin trail of blood trickled down from her eye, even as Hiroshi let out a terrifying screech, his body engulfed in searing black flames.

The young Asami stirred in the young Korra's arms, and the intransient image of Korra remembered the intense feeling of joy and relief that flowed through her at the sight of those green eyes opening.

"Asami," the young Korra spoke quietly, lovingly as she stroked the side of her face, her attention fully on the injured woman in front of her, even as the father burned and screeched like a steaming teapot on the periphery. "Asami, can you hear me?" She leaned over, searching those green eyes for a sign of recognition.

"K-korra," Asami stuttered, coughing from the effort.

"I'm here 'Sami," Korra assured her. "I'm right here. I thought you were dead, but you're ok now. You're ok." She smiled at the prone woman, tenderly stroking her cheek with a thumb.

"N-not quite. You c-cant get rid of me…that easy." Asami smiled back, making Korra give a teary laugh despite herself. Asami turned her head, letting out a little strained gasp as she took in her father engulfed in flames. "D-don't…kill…"

"Shhh, no one will hurt you. I promise. I'll keep you safe. You're gonna be fine."

Asami shook her head, raising a shaky hand to cup Korra's cheek. "N-no. Don't k-kill…Dad…p-lease."

Korra hesitated, looking between the burning man, and her injured love, before sighing. She couldn't resist the pleading look in those green eyes.

"Alright," she conceded. She turned to Hiroshi, focusing her chakra again. "Kagutsuchi." The flames extinguished themselves, leaving Hiroshi to fall to his knees, and face plant hard in to the wood, a pathetic whimper passing his lips, as his body made hard contact with the floor. The sound of sizzling skin could still be heard. Like meat on the grill, it sizzled and popped.

Both the present Korra and the past Korra turned their heads as the door burst open, and Police Force Shinobi, lead by Lin Beifong filed in to the room.

Lin took one look at the situation and demanded, "We heard reports of a disturbance coming from this location. What the flameo happened here?"

The memory of Korra stood, a limp Asami in her arms, and even the stoic and unflinching chief of police startled at the sight of Korra's Mangekyo Sharingan blazing out at her. "She needs medical attention. Now," the young Korra insisted.

Lin glanced between the injured Asami, and the half dead Hiroshi, before turning and sticking her head out the door. "I need medical shinobi in here now!" She turned back to the young Korra, as medical teams streamed in around her, taking an injured Asami from a Korra, reluctant to relinquish her, and another team gathering around her would be murderer of a father. "I don't know what happened in here kid, but I sure hope you can give me an explanation." Lin crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Korra.

"It's a long story," the memory replied with a sigh and a hand through her hair.

"Try me," the Chief insisted.

Here they memory began to fade, and dissolve, Hiroshi having lost consciousness at this point. How he hadn't done so until then was a shock to Korra.

Korra found herself once again, floating in the ether of Hiroshi Sato's mind, the giant book representing all his stored memories and experiences open before her, a still image of Korra and the Chief facing each other, Korra's Mangekyo Sharingan on display, filled the page.

She focused her mind, searching for the next relevant memory, the book beginning to hum once more, the pages flipping faster and faster, until settling on an image of Hiroshi, standing in a jail cell, scars still raw, his arms raised up above his head and a crazed expression on his face.

She dove in to this memory as well, touching her hand to the page and feeling herself sucked in as before. As expected, it was a long and enthusiastic rant from Hiroshi. He ranted against Korra. He ranted against the Uchiha. He ranted against the, "Injustice present in the Leaf," the corrupt and outdated system of Shinobi and their villages, and the supposed corruption of the Leaf Police Force, as well as the betrayal of Asami, and numerous incoherent exclamations of rage.

Korra imagined that many of his memories from this point on would follow a similar fashion. And she was proved right, as she urged the memories to move faster, then faster, and faster still, fast-forwarding through Hiroshi's early months in prison. They were comprised equally of angry screaming and tantrums so bad that he lashed out against anything, including the walls, bed and floor of his cell. Sometimes the guards had to come in and forcibly sedate him to prevent injury to himself.

Equally present, were the long periods of sullen silence, where he did nothing but sit in the cell, curled up in to a ball, oftentimes refusing to eat or drink for days at a time. This often led to the same result, with the guards intervening, and force-feeding him.

Then the meetings with the prison psychologist began. The early meetings went much like his early days in the cell: angry, continuous shouting, or stubborn, sullen silence.

After some time, she began to notice a change. Less and less did Hiroshi come to the meetings and rant and rave and rail obscenities at the man. More and more often, came the sullen silence. The guards would lead him in to the room, where he would take his seat, and sit without speaking, his gaze fixed on the ground.

However, it was a different type of silence than before after a short time. From sullen, it seemed to be becoming more and more reflective. And this was shown in the silences in the cell as well, which were becoming more and more numerous, as the angry yelling and ranting and the beating of his fists and feet against the walls diminished. And when it did occur, it seemed less genuine than before, almost halfhearted, as if it was simply expected of him at this point.

The game changer came perhaps a year and a half in to his incarceration.

Korra slowed down the memory to normal speed, as she could sense the difference already from this meeting compared to the others, as soon as Hiroshi walked in to the room.

"Good morning Mr. Sato," the psychologist greeted as he always did. "How are we feeling today?"

Hiroshi was silent for so long as he sat in the chair, resting his elbows on his legs and looking at the ground, that Korra began to believe that he wasn't going to answer. But then he spoke, hesitant and quiet, but it was something.

"Confused," he said.

Even the psychologist looked momentarily surprised and Korra couldn't blame him. She hadn't expected him to actually respond.

"Really," the psychologist responded, his professional face returning, masking his surprise. "Confused about what?"

Hiroshi briefly looked up at him, before returning his gaze to the ground. "Everything."

The psychologist nodded briefly as he jotted something down on his notepad. "I see. Could you elaborate on that? Is there something more specific that confuses you?"

Hiroshi sighed. "My daughter…and Korra Uchiha."

"Your daughter is Asami Sato, correct?"

"Yes," Hiroshi confirmed with a nod. "That's correct."

"Mhmm, I see," the other man nodded again. "You mentioned Korra Uchiha."

Hiroshi looked up at him again. "Why is that? Can you tell me how she is connected to your daughter?"

The bespectacled man ran a hand down his face. "I fought with her…about a year and a half ago. She claimed to be in love with my daughter…and Asami claimed to love her as well."

"And what do you believe?" The psychologist raised his eyebrow.

"I'm," Hiroshi hesitated. "I'm not sure. Not anymore. I thought I understood how the world worked, but now…"

"Oh? Why is that?"

"The way she looked at me, Asami that is…and Korra too." He let out a bitter laugh. "It was like they hated me." He let out another long sigh. "And the more time I have in here to reflect, the more I'm beginning to agree with them." There were tears beginning to gather in his eyes. "I-I did something terrible…something that no father should ever do to their child." He wiped at his eyes, the tears beginning to flow. "I…I killed her." He was basically sobbing now. "I killed Asami! My own daughter! I'm a terrible parent! I failed her and Yasuko's memory! I killed her, and then I tried to do the same to Korra!"

There was nothing but the sound of crying and sniffling for some time, as Hiroshi cried in to his hands, the other man offering tissues, which he accepted. It took some time, but Hiroshi calmed after a while, simply sitting, and sniffling in to his hands occasionally.

"Would it surprise you to learn," the younger man broke the silence. "That Asami Sato isn't dead?"

Hiroshi's head snapped up immediately. "What?"

"She survived your attack. According to the report I received on the incident, Korra performed first aid, which kept her alive long enough for medical shinobi to administer treatment."

"S-so you're saying she's not dead? She's alive?" A few fresh tears rolled down scarred cheeks.

The younger man nodded. "Yes. I'm told she made a full recovery within a few weeks and has been back in the field since then. Sakura herself treated her at Korra's insistence."

"Korra did that?" His words were practically a whisper.

"So I hear."

"…I see…" Hiroshi looked thoughtful. "Can I see her?" He looked imploringly at the other man. "I…I want to see her. I NEED to see her. I need to make things right with her…or at least as right as I can." he dropped his eyes again. "If she can even stand to look at me again."

The psychologist let out a little sigh. "I'm afraid I can't allow that." He held up his hand to forestall Hiroshi's argument and his stricken look. "At least not yet. You haven't been cleared for visitors quite yet."

An eager look came over Hiroshi and he tapped a fist against his open palm. "Then there's hope. What do I need to do to get cleared for visitors?" He clenched his fists in anticipation.

"Finish up your sessions with me, upon which I will declare you mentally stable and fit for visitors. Until then, we'll keep working like we did today. Today was a major breakthrough though, so don't get too discouraged. More sessions like today and I'm sure you'll be ready in no time." The man offered a small smile, the first Hiroshi had seen from him.

Hiroshi couldn't help but return a small, somewhat sad, but eager smile of his own.

The guard interrupting made both of them turn as the man entered the room.

"Time's up," he said. "Let's go Sato."

Hiroshi gave a small nod and rose from his chair, turning to the psychologist. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "And…I apologize. I've said some very cruel and hurtful things to you in my own anger that you didn't deserve."

The younger man shook his head. "No need. It's not the first time I've been insulted by a patient, and certainly wont be the last." He let out a small chuckle. "I've even been physically assaulted in the past. Trust me, this is nothing, water under the bridge." He waved his hand dismissively. "We'll start fresh tomorrow."

The men smiled at each other and Hiroshi turned to follow the guard, before pausing and turning back. "Wait. What's your name?"

"It's Bataar," the man answered quietly.

"Thank you Bataar," Hiroshi said again, genuinely, with a bow.
Bataar gave a nod of acknowledgement, and Hiroshi followed the guard out of the room.

Korra followed the pair out, and back to the cell, where Hiroshi sat on his bunk and pulled a picture of his family from his breast pocket. She watched, as he caressed the young Asami's face with a finger, as well as her mother Yasuko, a small smile on his face.

"Huh," Korra exclaimed quietly with a curious tilt of her head. "Maybe he's genuine after all." Of course, she would have to examine more memories to be sure, but as far as she was concerned, Hiroshi Sato's chances had just increased.

She moved on to the next relevant memories, looking through and finding more and more signs that Hiroshi had made a turn for the better. She watched his continuing sessions with Bataar, the two men becoming rather close, and Hiroshi confiding in him his various fears and hopes for the future.

She saw Bataar clear him for visitors, and watched him write his first letter to Asami, waiting eagerly for a response, and his disappointment when none came. He didn't allow it do discourage him for long however, as he tried again, and then again, and yet again. Each time, no response came, however Hiroshi kept trying, and Korra began to feel a certain empathy for the man.

She watched his memories, all the way up to Asami's first, then her second visit, and that's where she stopped. Withdrawing herself from the memories, she was once again floating in the ether that was Hiroshi Sato's mind, and she let the massive book close before her with a smile on her face. It rippled again, changing appearance, assuming the form of Hiroshi's brain once more. Satisfied, she extricated herself from Hiroshi's mind, blinking slightly as she readjusted to being back in the real world and her own body.

"Korra?"

She turned, seeing Asami's concerned face staring at her.

"I'm fine 'Sami, and so is Hiroshi," she nodded at the man across the table, who groaned, placing his head in his hand and swaying in his seat slightly. "Though he may be a bit dizzy for a while."

Asami took her hand in both of hers, rubbing her thumbs across the back. "So," she ventured hopefully. "Did you see what you needed to see?"

Korra smiled reassuringly at her wife, squeezing her hand. "I did."

"And you've made your decision?"

Korra nodded. "I have." She stood, and Hiroshi looked up at her. Suddenly, she snapped her right hand up, her fingers forming the Seal of Confrontation as she focused her chakra, her eyes fixed on Hiroshi.

Simultaneously, Asami gasped and cried out, "Korra!" as Hiroshi tensed, grabbing the edge of the table to steady himself, and backing away slightly while still in the chair, his jaw tense.

"Release!" Korra lowered her hand, a smirk on her face as the end of the seal tag on Hiroshi's chest lit up, the paper burning away from the bottom up. She looked down at Asami's shocked face, squeezing her hand, before glancing back over to Hiroshi, who wore an equally shocked expression on his own face. "Congratulations Mr. Sato," she spoke in to the silent room. "Consider yourself on probation."

Hiroshi stared at her, wide eyed and gasping, his chest heaving up and down, and body shaking from adrenaline. "Wh-what," he stuttered. "You're letting me out?" His voice was quiet, his face hopeful.

She nodded. "I am, but as I said, you're on probation, so there's nothing stopping me from throwing you straight back in if I see a need. Do yourself a favor and behave, and don't give me a reason."

He nodded, standing. Placing his fist in to his open palm, he bowed. "Thank you Lady Eighth, for this opportunity. You won't regret giving me this chance. I promise I won't let you down."

She gave him a curt nod. "See that you don't." Turning to Kuvira, she nodded. "I think we're done here. Let the warden know he can send the paperwork to my office, and I'll have it back to him by tomorrow."

Kuvira returned her nod. "Yes ma'am." She vanished in a blur of color.

"The rest of you will provide an escort for Asami, and Hiroshi on the way home," she told the other three agents. All three gave short bows of acknowledgement.

Korra turned to Asami, a tender smile on her face. "Is this alright with you sweetie?" She rubbed her thumbs over Asami's hand affectionately, helping her stand.

Asami gave her the widest, sweetest smile, which just made Korra's insides melt. She loved it so much whenever Asami smiled, especially when she was the cause.

"It's fine Korra. Great actually. Thank you for giving him a chance. I know that can't have been easy for you. It wasn't easy for me either."

"Anything for you my love," Korra assured her, leaning up and pressing her lips to the taller woman's. Asami eagerly returned it and Korra's chest swelled with pride that such an amazing woman could possibly be hers. She glanced out of the corner of her eyes to see Hiroshi watching them. He looked slightly uncomfortable with this display of affection, which made Korra smirk even as she continued the kiss. Their eyes met and Korra looked at him, her eyes sending a message that said, "Get used to this because I won't limit myself just to avoid making you uncomfortable." Even as she watched, he swallowed and gave a small nod. Good, she thought. Then we understand each other.

The kiss was broken, only when each woman, unfortunately needed air, and Korra could see a flush covering Asami's cheeks which made her smile. She enjoyed the effect she could have on Asami, just as much as the effect Asami had on her.

"You're sweet," Asami told her, cupping her cheek with a hand.

Korra bounced her eyebrows. "Just call me cupcake."

Asami snorted. "That was so corny, even for you."

"You love it," Korra countered.

"I do," Asami confirmed.

"Ready to go?" Korra chuckled.

"Yeah." Asami nodded.

"Alright," Korra nodded towards the door. "Why don't you go on ahead and I'll catch up in a second. I'd like a minute alone with your father if that's ok with you?"

Asami looked concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine 'Sami. Nothing will happen, I promise. Trust me." It was Korra's turn to cup Asami's face affectionately.

Asami smiled at her again, relaxing. "I do. Always." She nodded. "Ok, I'll be waiting for you at the front door."

"See you soon my love." Korra leant up and pecked her wife on the cheek, and after a last smile, Asami turned and left the room.

For a moment, Korra simply stood, looking at the door and smiling after the love of her life, before growing serious again. Then, in a blur, she moved, and in an instant, Hiroshi found himself pressed up against the far wall, Korra's hand around his throat and his feet off the ground.

Jerking in surprise, the two ANBU agents reached for their weapons, concerned for their Hokage's safety, but Korra waved them off.

Her eyes shifted, her Mangekyo Sharingan activating with the telltale sound of metal on metal. And she spoke, with vitriol and passion soaking her voice, "Let me make something abundantly clear to you," she snarled up at a shocked Hiroshi, through bared teeth. His eyes were wide and he struggled to breath.

"This is your one and only chance to prove yourself to me, and the only reason you're not already dead is because you're Asami's father and for some reason, even after everything you did, she still loves you. It would hurt her to see you die and I couldn't do that to her. But don't mistake my love for Asami for lenience. You make one slip up, one mistake, put one single toe out of line, and I will END. YOU." She paused for breath.

"And it won't be quick either. My wife and my daughter are my entire world. They are my life, and you hurt either of my girls, Asami or Yasuko, and I will make you experience a pain the likes of which you've never experienced before on this Earth. I have an entire village full of shinobi at my beck and call, many of whom are highly skilled in the art of torture, and I assure you, by the time I'm done with you, you will be begging for me to grant you death before the end. DO. YOU. UN-DER-STAND. ME?"

With sheer terror in his eyes, and a face that was rapidly changing to blue, Hiroshi managed to nod.

"Good," she growled, her voice deeper and more threatening in that one word than before. She dropped him, and he hit the ground, gasping for air, a hand touching his tender throat. "You will be watched twenty-four seven by ANBU agents, especially when you're around my family. If you leave the house, ANBU will escort you. Everything you do and say, everyone you interact with, anything you buy or sell, and everywhere you go will be reported back to me."

He looked up at her, still gasping for air.

"Don't screw this up Hiroshi. You know what my eyes can do first hand, and they've only gotten stronger since then." She turned to the three ANBU, pointing at the prone man. "When he recovers, bring him." The trio exchanged a look before nodding at her. She took a deep, relaxing breath, allowing her Sharingan to deactivate, returning her eyes to their normal blue.

Korra nodded briskly and swept out of the room, her cape billowing behind her.


"You summoned me Lady Eighth," Kuvira spoke respectively. She stood in front of Korra's desk in full gear, hands clasped behind her back, feet spread slightly.

"I did," she answered, and she couldn't help recalling the similarities between her last interaction with Lord Seventh and now. Déjà vu, she thought with a slight grin, before becoming serious once more.

She sat at her desk, hands clasped on top of an open map. Reluctantly, she had to leave Asami behind after meeting up with her in front of the prison, after ensuring that she and Hiroshi would be escorted home by ANBU agents. A Hokage's job was never done and there were matters she still had to see to today.

"I have a wide ranging mission for you, and I need you to assemble several teams."

Kuvira nodded. "Of course ma'am. Where will they be going?" She leaned over the map, examining it.

"This is an A-Class mission, that could easily become an S-Class, depending on what you find. The Hidden Frost, Hidden Waterfalls, Hidden grass, and Hidden Rain Villages," Korra said while pointing to the map each time. "Have all reported their leadership missing, believed murdered, all within the last few weeks, and all within mere days of each other."

"I see." Kuvira nodded, showing she understood.

"These villages have reached out to the Leaf for aid, and so I'm sending your teams to investigate this matter. Your mission will be to investigate the missing leaders disappearance. You'll be working in concert with several standard teams I'll also be sending in. If you can find the leaders themselves, preferably alive, that would be ideal. However, as this seems unlikely, due to the widespread nature of this occurrence, and the similarities between the reports, your next objective would be to find the ones responsible for the disappearance and bring them to justice. I trust, of course, that best judgment will be used in apprehending any criminals you do happen to find. This is a delicate matter as I'm sure you're aware. If it's mishandled, it could become an international incident. And thus, if you do happen to find those responsible, your orders are to attempt to determine their identity, monitor them, and inform me immediately of your discovery. Is that clear?"

"Absolutely ma'am. When will we depart?"

"As soon as possible," Korra answered. "Today ideally. I want this sorted as quickly as possible."

Kuvira placed her hands together and bowed. "Your will Lady Eighth. I'll see it done."

"I know you will Kuvira. That's why I'm trusting you. Your code name for this mission will be, 'The Great Uniter.' Oh and one more thing. I want you to handle the situation in Hidden Rain personally. Our relationship with them is still shaky, and it wouldn't do for a less experienced agent to cause an incident."

"I understand ma'am. I'll take care of it. My teams and I will depart today.

"Very good Kuvira. You are dismissed."

With a nod, Kuvira was gone, vanishing out of Korra's office without a trace.

Letting out a breath, Korra tapped the button on the intercom sitting on her desk. "Send in the next group."

"Yes Lady Eighth," came the voice of an aide. She couldn't remember the man's name at the moment, but was sure it would come to her later.

In moments, her door opened again, and four shinobi filed in to the room. Korra looked up, smiling slightly as the children, now adults themselves, of some of the most famous and powerful ninja of the pre-war and immediate post war eras entered her office.

She watched for a moment, taking in the four people in front of her. Cho-Cho Akimichi, Boruto Uzumaki, Mitsuki, and her own former Sensei, Sarada Uchiha all stood in her office awaiting her orders. It's strange, she thought. Giving orders to these four…especially Sarada Sensei. It still feels like I'm the one who should be standing on that side of the desk when I'm in front of shinobi like this. Smiling slightly, she shook herself out of her musings. You're Hokage now, she reminded herself. The whole village looks to you, including these four.

"Thank you all for coming," she began. "Excuse me if I get right to business, but I have new missions for your teams." Cho-Cho said nothing, looking at her as she put a handful of potato chips in her mouth. Mitsuki blinked, and…Is that a second set of eyelids? I suppose anything is possible considering his parentage.

"Where are we headed Korra," Boruto asked her. "Hopefully it's nowhere lame." He grinned at her and she couldn't help but smile. He's so much like his father.

Sarada sighed, adjusting her glasses with her index and middle finger. "Really Boruto, Korra IS Hokage now. It's Lady Eighth. Can't you show a just a little bit more respect?"

Boruto looked slightly embarrassed, rubbing his neck. "I guess you're right. Heh heh. Sorry Kor- I mean Lady Eighth. It's still new for me, you being Hokage and all. It's still like you're just Korra, the little girl running around the village and claiming she'll be the greatest shinobi ever and re-build the Uchiha Clan."

Korra smiled at him. "It's new for me too," she admitted. "It's like I was telling Bolin. It's strange giving orders to formerly senior ninja such as yourselves. I mean really, I look up at the great stone faces and I see my own face up there. MY face. It's startling, and honestly I'm not sure I deserve to be up there with the legendary Hokage of the past such as Lord First and Lord Fourth, Lord Third, and of course your own Father, Lord Seventh." She looked down at the desk for a moment, before looking back up. "But I am," she continued quietly. "For whatever reason, Lord Seventh deemed me worthy enough to be his successor, and now the village looks to me to guide it. It's odd, and it will take some time for me to come to terms with it, but in the meantime, all I can do is my best."

Boruto smiled back at her. "Well for the record, I'm glad my dad named you the Eighth Hokage. I used to think Hokage were lame, but you're pretty cool."

"Well coming from Lord Seventh's son, that's a pretty large compliment." She smiled at him, only slightly mocking, making him laugh.

"For the record," Sarada put in. "I'm also glad you became Hokage. One of the proudest moments for a teacher is to see their student succeed, and to see that student surpass them. And you've certainly done both. Case in point, I'm proud of you Lady Eighth."

Korra smiled at her, blushing slightly. It always felt good to receive praise from Sarada Sensei.

"Thank you Sensei," she said rather quietly.

"Excuse me." Attention turned to Mitsuki, as he spoke in his oddly quiet and liquidy velvet voice. "I apologize for interrupting, but didn't you say you had a mission for us Lady Eighth?"

Korra cleared her throat, focusing. "Ahem, yes of course. I did." She turned her attention to the map. "Recently, four hidden villages in lands bordering the Land of Fire asked for our assistance in a delicate matter. The Hidden Rain, Hidden Waterfalls, Hidden Frost and Hidden Grass have all lost their leadership. All of them went missing within a short time span and these villages believe that they were murdered."

"So you want us to go and find out what happened is that it," Cho-Cho spoke up for the first time.

Korra shook her head. "Not necessarily. That's the ANBU's job. I'm sending a team to each village to investigate behind the scenes. Meanwhile, your job will be to operate in the public eye. You will each take your team to one of these villages and make sure the people see you."

"And what do we do once we're there?" The question came from Boruto.

"That's the beauty of it. You have no real duties once you're there. Your main job will be to make sure the people see the Leaf has a presence there, that we're taking this issue seriously. Talk to people, help them in their daily lives if they need it and generally maintain a sense of calm and order. You're there to make sure the people know that we care. If you do happen to find anything regarding the disappearances, report it to the ANBU and let them handle it."

"I see," Cho-Cho said with a smile.

"That's clever," Sarada put in.

"Don't worry Lady Eighth. Just leave it to me, Boruto Uzumaki! I'll take care of everything!"

Korra chuckled at this. "Hopefully there will be nothing for you to take care of Boruto, but I appreciate the enthusiasm."

"I mean no disrespect Lady Eighth, but do you think sending teams of Genin for this is the correct route to take?"

Korra turned to Mitsuki, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

"Simply that if our purpose is to show the people of these villages that the Leaf is taking their issue seriously, would it not be more prudent to send more senior shinobi. Due to the nature of the problem, I believe it may be perceived as an insult to send Genin, as many may feel they lack the experience and discipline to handle such an issue."

She sighed lightly. "Yes I see where you're coming from Mitsuki, and I can assure you that I spent a lot of time debating this very issue. The way I see it is that there's two ways this could go. The first being as you described, the people could see it as an insult and come to the conclusion that we aren't taking the issue seriously, that we don't care. The second outcome, the one I'm hoping for, is that they see it as reassurance. As if there isn't a need to send more senior shinobi, and that they have no need to worry. Besides, even in this day and age, our Genin have often proven to be superior to most other nation's Genin, their Chunin and even sometimes, their Jonin."

Mitsuki nodded. "Sound reasoning ma'am. It will also seem less threatening. We are a Great Nation after all, and sending more superior shinobi may send the wrong message, as if we intend to take over, and fill the current power vacuum."

"Exactly," Korra replied with a smile.

Mitsuki bowed his head. "I will speak no more on the matter."

"I'm glad you're thinking deeply on the matter. It just goes to show the quality of Hidden Leaf shinobi. Now as for your individual assignments," she pointed at the map as she spoke. "Cho-Cho, your team is heading to the Hidden Frost. Boruto, your team is going to Hidden Waterfalls. Hidden Grass will be Mitsuki's team and Sensei; your team's target is Hidden Rain. The head of the ANBU is going to be there, so rendezvous with her if need be."

There were nods of agreement all around and a few, "Yes, ma'am's"

"When will be leaving," Sarada asked.

"In at least two days," Korra responded. "That should give the ANBU teams a head start, and they should be in place by the time you arrive at your intended villages. Again, if you run in to any trouble or discover anything, relay it to the ANBU agents in place and let them handle it. One more thing," she added. "The Genin on your teams don't need to be informed of the true nature of the situation. In fact it would probably better if they weren't. As far as they're concerned, this is a training exercise, set up to build up their skills in situations like this, and I'd prefer it to stay that way. If the truth comes out during your mission, however, then it can't be helped, and I trust you all to handle it effectively. Understood?"

More head nods and affirmative statements followed.

"Keep in mind that the Alliance will be informed of our deployment so there is a possibility that they will wish to send teams of their own, especially the Hidden Cloud, as the Hidden Frost is in a land that borders them. The Stone and Sand may also become involved, so if we get reports of movement from them, you will be informed accordingly. Now if there are no questions, then I believe we're all set here."

There were none, and with bows, the four took their leave, filing out of the office. The last one out, Sarada paused, sharing a last smile with her former student, turned Hokage.

Letting out a breath as soon as her door closed, Korra sat back in her chair. I hope I made the right choice here, she thought to herself. She looked up to the wall, to the picture of the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju. It was no secret that in regards to past Hokage, he was her favorite. She idolized him, and had from a young age, reading all she could of him and his exploits in his formation of the village and his constant battles against her ancestor Madara Uchiha. She often had long talks with Lord Seventh over tea, who had been lucky enough to meet the man when he had been reanimated during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Even Sasuke had given some input here and there when he was actually in the village, though he wasn't much of a conversationalist, as opposed to Lord Seventh's open and approachable attitude.

"What would you have done I wonder," she spoke out loud. "You who is so often referred to as, 'The God of Shinobi.' I wonder…would you approve of me, an Uchiha in the position of Hokage, which you yourself established?" She smiled. "Probably, seeing as you originally intended for Madara to become the First Hokage. Your brother however…" her gaze shifted to the photo of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the man known for his mistrust of the Uchiha Clan. A mistrust which, judging by the actions of many of its members during his time and later on in history, may not have been all that misplaced.

"I wish I could talk to you, just once," she said, looking again at the First Hokage's portrait. "That would make me so happy, to talk to my hero, and my idol." She sat in silence for a while, contemplating. It wasn't impossible she supposed. She knew the basics of the Reanimation Jutsu the Second Hokage had developed and Orochimaru had perfected. Hashirama's DNA would be required, and that would be easy to obtain, in her position. It would require a body as well, to serve as a vessel for the soul. That too would be easy enough to get. There were still rogue ninja roaming the lands and bandits of all variety as well.

Hell, she had an expert in the Jutsu here in the village in Kabuto Yakushi, the shinobi who had used the Jutsu during the war to cause such chaos amongst the ranks of the Allied Shinobi Force. He may be reluctant to help her in the matter though, as he had reformed and would most surely hesitate to delve in to something of this nature again.

Of course, there was also Orochimaru, the only other known Shinobi who had mastered the Jutsu, but she wouldn't involve him unless she had no other choice. He may have been quiet these many years, but that still didn't mean she trusted him.

But that wasn't the main issue. No, what really stopped her was the principle of the thing. The Reanimation Jutsu was classed as a forbidden Jutsu for a reason, especially with all the trouble it caused in the last war, especially when Madara Uchiha had broken free of Kabuto's control and nearly brought the world they knew to an end.

She also had no idea how Lord First would react to being summoned once again from the afterlife, merely to be pelted with questions from someone like her. From what she had gathered, that had been much what Sasuke had done during the war, but the seriousness of Madara Uchiha's revival had mitigated it. With the world in crisis, Hashirama had gladly set Sasuke to rights and helped to save the world once more. This time however…there was no revived Madara, no world ending crisis on the horizon, no reason to pull the man from his peaceful rest other than her own desire and selfishness.

She shook her head. "No. Best to leave the dead to their rest." Her eyes shifted, moving down the line until they landed on the last, and most recent photo, that of Lord Seventh. "Besides," she continued with a smile. "Why rely on dead heroes from the past? Especially when there's one right here in the village that's still living, that you can talk to?"

She nodded her head with confidence. It was decided then. On her way home she would swing by and speak to Lord Seventh briefly if he was feeling up to it, before picking up Yasuko from Mako, and meeting Asami and Hiroshi at home.

Smiling, she turned to her computer, pulling up the most recent requests for missions the Leaf had received, and beginning to filter through them, determining which teams she had available, and which would be suitable for each mission. "Lord First," she murmured. "Lord Fourth, Lord Seventh, and all the past Hokage. I will always respect you, and draw from your wisdom and experience. But this is my time. I am Hokage now, and it's my job to protect the village. I swear I'll do it, with all my brains and all my power; I will protect the village and the people who live here with everything I have and everything that I am. Till my last breath I swear it." She looked over at the pictures of herself, Asami and Yasuko, and the pictures of herself, Mako, Sarada, and Bolin on her desk. "And I won't have to do it alone either." Filled with a restored confidence, she went back to work.


A/N: Wow, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer it seems. This one was about twenty pages and well over thirteen thousand words. And it was all so worth it. This has to be my favorite chapter yet. Of course there are only two other chapters so far but still! Anyways, this was a super fun one to write and don't worry, we'll be getting back to the Red Lotus next chapter. Yeah, remember them? They're still around and still up to no good, and that's no good for our heroine. Hope you all enjoyed, and as always, reviews are encouraged and appreciated!