Chapter Four: The Hidden Sand Council and the Sixth Kazekage

If there is no cause of death specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

Naruto yawned as he kicked one of the chairs closer to the kitchenette area, sitting down on it as he waited for his toast to pop from the toaster. He tossed the towel away as he finished drying his hair with it, 'Geez, it's so hot here and the showers only work for five minutes at a time, I really need to find some other clothes while I'm here.' Naruto thought as he grabbed his shirt and unzipped the back of it. Naruto placed a finger on the underside of the zipper until he felt a slight pull on his chakra.

*POOF*

Naruto smirked as he pulled an A4 piece of paper from the pocket, all of the seals that had been in the pocket appearing on it instead. Naruto quickly grabbed his already unsealed back pack and grabbed a black singlet version of his T-shirt. He slid the paper sheet into the zipper on the back of this shirt and channelled the necessary chakra.

*POOF*

Naruto double checked that his seals had transferred correctly into his shirt pocket before putting the singlet on. Rather then reseal his backpack, Naruto just pocketed the keys to his temporary room in his pants as he walked towards the door.

*Knock Knock*

Naruto raised a brow at the sound of someone knocking at the exact moment he placed his hand on the doorknob, but he opened the door and smiled upon seeing his Sensei in something different from his usual Jonin outfit. It seemed that Kakashi had traded in the flak jacket and Leaf Standard uniform for an outfit not unlike Kankuro's once was, minus the head-wear and make-up, "Morning Sensei." Naruto said.

Kakashi eye smiled at his student, making Naruto realise that the man wasn't reading from his book, "Hello Naruto, good thing you're ready because there're a few things I need to show you about the Sand Village." Kakashi said as he began to walk away from their rooms.

Naruto quickly closed his door behind after double-checking he had the key in his pocket and began to follow after his sensei, "Such as...?" Naruto asked, trying to prompt Kakashi to answer him.

The two of them got to a simple stairwell, but instead of heading down, Kakashi began to lead them up to the roof as he began to reply, "First and foremost, you need to understand that all villages are very, very different. I'm sure you noticed some of the few key differences in this village in comparison to our own." Kakashi said, earning a nod from Naruto, "But, I'm also certain that some differences completely alluded you."

Naruto scowled at his sensei, "Gee, thanks for having some faith in me sensei." Naruto said sarcastically.

Kakashi just turned with an eye smile, "I have the utmost faith in you Naruto, I just know from experience with new people in this village that this particular difference no one would notice unless you were told about it." Kakashi said as he opened the door to the rooftop.

Naruto raised a brow as they came up onto the roof, "Really? What is it?" Naruto asked as he begun to look around.

Kakashi walked over to one side of the rooftop and came to a stop at a thick black wire that was attached to the railing of the building and gestured to the sign next to it, "These are what I'm talking about." Kakashi said.

Naruto raised a brow as he looked at the sign, "It just says 'Hospital, East Gate switch.'" Naruto said, not understanding, though recognising that it was a similar cable to the one that Temari had shown him earlier.

Kakashi casually hopped up so he was standing on the rail, "That means that this wire leads to the Hospital, and people with a higher level of chakra control can change lines mid-way to head to the East Gate of the village." Kakashi said while pointing into the distance.

Naruto hopped up onto the rail and looked into the distance, seeing the wire disappeared from view due to how far it went, "Umm, are you sure sensei?" Naruto asked, seeing that there was some kind of big building in that general direction.

Kakashi eye smiled at Naruto, but they were interrupted.

"Excuse me? I need to get through."

They turned to a small ninja boy, around the age of twelve, smiling up at them awkwardly.

Kakashi eye smiled, "Ah perfect, yes please go right ahead." Kakashi said to the boy as he hopped off the rail with Naruto.

As the boy hopped up onto the rail, Kakashi spoke, "See Naruto, these are Travel Wires, a common piece of Sealing Technology found in the Sand, Cloud and Mist Villages and the surrounding lands," Kakashi said as the Sand-gennin formed a ram seal to concentrate his chakra, "Each village's wires are slightly different, but they all function the same. First, one channels chakra to their feet as if tree climbing," Kakashi said as the boy nodded to himself and opened his eyes, "Then simply hop on." Kakashi finished just as the boy jumped off the building.

*WOOSH*

Naruto's eyes widened as the moment the boy landed on the wire, he was shooting off into the distance with a gust of wind, "Woah!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran up to the rail.

Kakashi eye smiled at his student with a chuckle, "We don't know the dynamics, but the Sand Village's version somehow gathers a shell of wind chakra around the person and pushes that shell forward as long as they're sending chakra into the seals hidden in the wire. More chakra, more speed. Get it?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto turned to Kakashi and nodded, though his grin fell as he glanced behind Kakashi.

Ryuk was holding his own Death Note and looking out over the Sand village.

Naruto nodded as he stepped back, "Yeah I think I get it, but just in case, you go first to show me." Naruto said as he looked down over the rail, trying to see who Ryuk might have been targeting.

Kakashi glanced over the rail, following Naruto's gaze, "Ah I get it, no need to worry Naruto, as long as you hold the chakra, you won't fall to your death." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

Naruto looked up and hid his reaction by scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Kakashi blinked, 'Huh... he did end up doing that fake smile, Tsunade-sama was right after all.' Kakashi thought as he observed Naruto suddenly acting like he was before the training trip. But then Kakashi shrugged after deciding to go first so that he could take a note of the event on the other side, "Okay Naruto, I'll go first. But remember not to panic if the shell flips you upside down or something." Kakashi said as he hopped up onto the rail.

Naruto nodded before the words registered in his head, "Wait what?" Naruto asked as he turned to Kakashi.

*WHOOSH*

And like that, Kakashi was gone.

"HEY!"

Ryuk looked down to see Naruto's fist swing through his stomach, "Eh? What's up Naruto?" Ryuk asked.

Naruto scowled, "What are you doing?!" Naruto demanded.

Ryuk chuckled, "Hehehe, ya'know, I was gonna kill someone." Ryuk said before looking down again.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, 'Can't touch him...Ha!' Naruto thought as he pulled out a shuriken.

Ryuk gasped as the shuriken knocked the pen out of his hand, "Hey! Why'd ya do that?" Ryuk asked, frowning for the first time.

Naruto glared, "Why'd you try to kill someone here?" Naruto asked.

Ryuk's grin came back in full gleam, "I did it cause I was bored."

Naruto's eyes widened before he nodded, 'I get it, that's why he gave me the notebook to, he wants to be entertained...' Naruto thought, before grinning and leaping back onto the rail, "Hey Ryuk, you're alive right? Like technically?" Naruto asked.

Ryuk raised a brow but nodded, "Yeah, why?"

Naruto grinned, "That means that on some level, you must have chakra, though I think it's vastly different to mine. So that means I have a few things to show you." Naruto said as he channelled chakra to his feet without the use of a hand seal.

Ryuk grinned, "The chakra stuff that let's you do ninja stuff? I can learn that?" Ryuk asked as his grin widened, 'Hehehe! If I learned this stuff then I could have way more fun back in the Shinigami Realm.' Ryuk thought.

Naruto nodded, "Follow me as fast as you can, but if you get lost, follow this wire. Let me show you what chakra can do." Naruto said before turning and leaping off the building.

The moment his feet touched the wire, Naruto felt a sudden absence of breeze of any kind as the Wind Chakra shell enveloped him. He shot forward, making everything around him nearly blur and giving him a great view of the village as he passed over it for about twenty seconds.

At one point, Naruto saw a few white lines on the black wire before crossing with another wire and continuing on, then Naruto looked down as the orb had only a few more seconds left of travel.

Naruto looked up as the orb slowed slightly before the shell dispersed, pushing Naruto up into the air slightly so he glided over the railing of the Hospital roof automatically.

Naruto looked up to see Ryuk nearing the half-way and Kakashi lowered his book, "Very good Naruto, though it did take you a few seconds, is everything alright?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto grinned as he begun to hear Ryuk's mad cackling approaching them, "Yeah Sensei, just got a little nervous is all. That was awesome." Naruto said with a smile.

Kakashi eye-smiled in return and walked over to the corner of the building, "Good, you ready to go again?" Kakashi asked as he stepped over to a group of wires in a row.

Naruto nodded as he approached, looking at the signs, "Yeah I am, tell me where we're going, let me see if I get this right." Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded, "Okay, we're going to the Ninja district from here to get a few necessities before heading to the Sand Council chambers. We have only an hour so there is a slight sense of urgency needed." Kakashi said as he stepped aside.

Naruto nodded as he heard Ryuk arrive, "That looks fun, how can I do it?" Ryuk asked before seeing Kakashi, "Aww, get rid of him and talk to me!" Ryuk said.

Naruto shook his head with a chuckle at Ryuk's behaviour before pointing to one of the right-side wires, "Shinobi Sector?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi looked down at the sign and blinked, "Huh? Oh yeah, I didn't realise they had different names for it here too. I wonder if that's new." Kakashi muttered to himself.

Naruto nodded before looking up at Ryuk and winking, "Okay, let's go Sensei!" Naruto said before leaping up onto the wire.

*WHOOSH*

#########

Kakashi led Naruto down from the small watchtower in the centre of the Shinobi Sector, "Right, now we just need... that was easy." Kakashi said as he looked up at a sign.

Following his gaze, Naruto saw a large sign in the shape of a Shuriken, the international sign for a Weapons Shop. Naruto nodded as he began to follow Kakashi as Ryuk's shadow was over him.

*Ding-a-ling*

"Welcome to the Desert Eagle, feel free to look around." A young man said from behind the counter before going back to his customer.

There was three people in line to get served, but nobody else in the store looking around. So Kakashi nodded to the left side of the shop, "Okay, first we need to see what Shinobi suit you're most comfortable in." Kakashi said as he led Naruto away from the door.

Naruto raised a brow, taking a glance at the fan on the wall as they past it, "Why do I need a Shinobi Suit from here? I'm a Leaf ninja." Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded with a chuckle, "Yes, but as you've noticed it's very hot here and you're sweating more then anyone else in this store." Kakashi said.

Naruto glanced at his Sensei and realised he was right. Even though Kakashi was wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt, he didn't seem hot at all, "Huh, why is that?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi gestured to the four basic male outfits of the Sand, "It's a special material that filters all the heat and kinda feels like you're wearing nothing. Great for daytime, not so much for night time." Kakashi explained.

Naruto raised a brow and looked at his Sensei, "So...you're feeling naked right now? Doesn't that feel uncomfortable?" Naruto nearly whispered.

Kakashi shrugged, "No, I feel like I'm wearing a mask, headband, belt and shoes." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

Naruto decided he didn't want the black onesie suit.

#########

Naruto put his old outfit in the new sealing scroll he brought before standing up and putting it in his ninja pouch, "Y'know, I actually really like this." Naruto said with a slight smirk at his new outfit.

Naruto now wore sandy brown set of pants and long sleeve t-shirt. He had seen a purchasable upgrade that would have some instant storage seals on the pants, he thought it was a great idea, so after purchasing them, he applied the seals himself and Kakashi helped him form it into a permanent seal. Now his kunai and shuriken were sealed along the bottom of his shirt and at his thighs while the Sand village – weapons, puppeteers and sealing ninjas being the main force – had a very similar shirt to his old one, except that there was a zipper on both sides of the pocket now. And finally, since it was pretty hot, Naruto had decided to wear his black headband as a belt. His ninja sandals were the same black as the headband.

Kakashi eye smiled at Naruto, "It quite suits you. Now, we should get going." Kakashi said.

Naruto nodded, "Right behind you Sensei." Naruto said.

The two of them moved back up the tower as Ryuk trailed behind the two of them, Naruto followed Kakashi as the Copy Ninja leapt up onto the wire, Naruto landing only a second behind him before shooting off as well.

Naruto smirked as he rode the wire only to hear Kakashi's shout from the distance, "Hold on!"

Naruto raised a brow before he suddenly realised his orb of wind flipped under the wire, allowing someone coming the opposite direction to pass upside with no trouble. Naruto was flipped back up as Kakashi channelled less chakra to slow down next to Naruto, causing the two of them to be standing on opposite sides of the rope with no problem, "You okay Naruto?!" Kakashi yelled to the blonde.

Naruto nodded and channelled more chakra to his feet and shot ahead, "I'm great Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed as he sped towards the Kazekage building to meet in the Sand Council Chambers.

About ten seconds later, Naruto's chakra shell dispersed and he landed on the rail, quickly dropping off of it as Kakashi's wind chakra shell dispersed and placed him on the rail too.

Kakashi hopped off and eye-smiled at Naruto, "You're a natural Naruto, you really know how to go with the breeze." Kakashi said before leading the blonde towards the door on the roof of the Hokage tower.

Naruto grinned, "Well I am a wind user Sensei," he began before tilting his head in thought as he took a few longer strides to walk next to his Sensei, "Did Jiraiya give you my training report?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded with an eye-smile, "Yes he did, and I must say that it's rather impressive. Have you seen the report?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto shook his head as the two of them made it to a stairwell, "Can't say I have, but it's impressive right?" Naruto asked with a slight smirk of confidence.

"Yes, I'm impressed about many things in the report, more so of a little factor that I believe you are still unaware of considering how he used to to his benefit."

That caught Naruto off guard, "Eh? Like what?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi paused for a moment as they got to the bottom of the stairwell, "He knows how angry you got with everyone who ignored your letters or things of the like because you talk in your sleep sometimes. More then half the scroll he gave to Tsunade-sama and then onto me was word-for-word recounts of your conversations." Kakashi explained calmly.

It took Naruto a few moments to process that before his cheeks flushed red, knowing full well what kinds of dreams males his age tend to have every other night. Naruto was about to speak up with he saw Kakashi turn to a large door they were about to pass by.

Kakashi eye smiled at Naruto, "Best behaviour now, this situation could potentially lead to war." Kakashi said calmly as he dropped that bomb on Naruto, 'I say potentially...it could happen, I mean, probably not, but there's maybe a two or three percent chance they could decide to attack us in the leaf.' Kakashi thought to himself completely logically.

"What the hell?! You can't just drop a bomb on me like that." Naruto said before shutting himself up as he saw Kakashi raising his hand.

*Knock Knock*

Kakashi eye smiled as the deceptively large door swung open slightly, allowing a Chunnin to stick his head into the hallway and frown at them with a nod, "You're over an hour late." He said with a scowl directed at Kakashi before opening the door wider, "Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf!" the man announced loudly.

Naruto rolled his eyes, 'Typical Sensei.' Naruto thought stepped in behind his Sensei and his eyes widened at the massive hall where twelve people in white cloaks sat at high desks looking down at the two of them. Kakashi bowed, so Naruto followed his lead and did the same.

An old bandaged man seemed to look down at them through his bandages, "Hm? They are late. They shall sit aside until we come back to their issue." he said rather rudely.

Naruto raised a brow as the woman next to the bandaged man spoke up, "Oh shoosh," she said before turning to the leaf nin, "If you don't mind, would you take a seat for us? Your mission and the details are second on the list for today's matters." She explained.

Kakashi and Naruto simply nodded and moved to the side to take a seat is the chairs the conducting chunnin gestured for them to take, making a smile grow on Naruto's face as he saw someone he recognised, "Huh? Matsuri?" Naruto asked softly.

The tired looking Matsuri looked up at Naruto and smiled slightly, though it was obviously forced, "Hey Naruto." She said in return before going back to hugging her stomach.

Naruto went to sit, but Kakashi purposefully sat next to the woman, "It'll be fine miss, noone will take the child away from you." He basically whispered into her ear.

Matsuri's eyes widened and she stared at Kakashi in shock, "H-how did-"

"Silence."

Everyone went quiet at the soft but deep voice that carried gently through out the entirety of the hall, emanating from a seemingly hairless man on the end of the row of council men and women.

That's when Naruto noticed the lone chair in the center of the room.

The councilman who had first addressed stood, "Light-sama, it has been decided that you will succeed Gaara as Kazekage, you will be-"

"On my way out thanks." Light said with a sigh as he went to get up from his chair, only to fall back down as the chains that held his wrists and ankles held tight.

The councilman slapped his manilla folder on the desk in front of him, "Light-sama! This is a matter of the utmost importance! You have been asked to be the leader of this village!" the councilman shouted.

Light sighed as he slumped back into his chair, "But I can't be the Kazekage you old farts, don't you think I'd have already-"

"Light."

The entire council went quiet as everyone turned to one of the two people sitting on the high desks closest to the waiting chairs, the old man was the one that stood, causing Naruto's eyes to widen in recognition.

Light scowled, "Ebizo-Sensei, please don't make me." Light said in almost a whine.

Ebizo smiled kindly, "I'd never make you do anything Light. You know that." he said.

The was an intense silence for a few moments before Light groaned, "For fuck's sake." he complained as he slumped further into his chair.

The first councilman nodded as if he had won an argument of some kind, waving his arm dramatically towards the scowled Light, "If you'd like, I can personally do the paperwork for you since you're obviously a little overwhelmed." he said as his ANBU ninja appeared around Light to unlock him.

A burst of wind chakra wound around Light for a moment until he stood up calmly, the chair and chains cut into pieces as if slashed hundreds of times and the ANBU all got a scratch on their masks.

Light glared at the councilman, his eyes holding power and promise as a second burst of wind chakra threw the remaining chunks of metal and wood away from him, "Not a chance retard, like I'm gotta let your Clan's grubby hands on that responsibility." Light said calmly as the ANBU stepped back.

Ebizo smiled, "Is that a yes?" he asked.

Light nodded as he raised his hand towards the hat that was sitting on the one chair higher then all the others, pulling it with nothing but a sudden suction created by wind chakra that carried it to him in a second. Catching it with his left hand, Light brushed back his hair with his right rand before putting it on his head, "Yep, I'm the Kazekage." he said while pretending to enthusiastically punch the air.

Naruto blinked owlishly at the new Kazekage, recognising his Ramen-loving friend, 'Woah, I guess he wasn't kidding about that wind chakra stuff, the air felt heavy to breath for a moment there.' Naruto thought in shock.

Light began to calmly walk up into the air as if he was climbing a set of stairs that only existed where he walked, "So, my first duty as Kazekage is to choose my advisors, so, I'd like to reinstate Chiyo and Ebizo as the advisors and get these two out of the way.

The first man and woman who had spoke out stood up in shock, the man losing his cool rather disrespectfully as Light approached them, "What?! You can't fire me! I'm the only one who knows how to run the ANBU!" he exclaimed.

Light paused on his 'staircase' as he stood just in front of the two ridiculously tall throne tables, he glared at the two of them before pointing at the woman, his finger a mere centimeter from her forehead.

All the council members gasped and Naruto looked up startled as suddenly Kakashi was standing protectively in front of him and Matsuri.

The woman stared in fear at the finger aiming at her forehead, 'Please don't kill me, please don't kill me.' she thought in fear.

"You are to take take over Chiyo's spot as the overall mission mediator, I trust you can do that for me?" Light asked calmly as he poked her head.

The tension in the room was suddenly gone as the woman sighed in relief, "U-umm, I can t-try." she said in fear.

Light put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's okay Midoko-dono, I know that this old lub took a lot of the credit for your work. Even if you aren't sure of yourself just know that I am," he said before looking over to his Sensei, "Right Chiyo-baa-sama?"

The old woman next to Ebizo smirked, "Quite right Kazekage-sama." she said as her and Ebizo slowly stood.

The first councilman spluttered once more as he finally began to think again, "W-what about me Kazekage-sama? Shall I take over the academy for Lord Ebizo?" he asked.

Light swung his hand.

The council member shouted in shock as he was sucked out the suddenly open door before it slammed shut behind him, his hand coming to a stop as he pointed towards the waiting chair, "I know who shall be replacing Lord Ebizo while he is my advisor, the obvious choice is her." Light said while pointing to Matsuri.

The Sand Chunnin looked up with wide eyes as everyone turned to her, "E-e-excuse me?" she stuttered out.

Light smirked, "Well Matsuri, I'm not going to let a pregnant woman out into the field, and considering he will inherit his father's bloodline he will need special guidance. As such, I believe these next six months is a perfect time for you to learn how to handle young ninjas and children. Then once the child comes you will get all the assistance you need to look after him properly. Any questions?" He asked.

There was a second of silence as Light's words began to sink in, but only one of the younger men on the council seemed to disagree, "But the child should be put in a special training program, and what qualifications does this girl have to teach the next generation anyway?" He asked.

Light turned in mid-air and waved to his chair, surprising everyone by lifting it up to him so that he could sit down in mid-air as the chair floated behind Chiyo and Ebizo, "Cause shut up, you made me the Kazekage so deal with it. I'm gonna do things my way or hit the highway." Light promised with a grin before waving for Matsuri to come forward.

The girl stood nervously and approached the center of the hall. Since there was no chair any more, she stood nervously as her right hand rested on her stomach, "Ohayo Kazekage-sama." Matsuri said softly.

Light smiled down at her, "No problem, so, what were you originally brought here for today?" he asked.

The chunnin mediator stepped forward for the formal introductory, "Lady Matsuri! Chunnin ranked Sunagakure Shinobi! She has been brought forward-"

"Fire him." Light said suddenly.

The Chunnin mediator looked up in shock for a moment, "What did I do?" he asked.

Light shrugged, "You cut off the person I was talking to, your voice is annoying, and I never understood the whole mediator thing, I mean, isn't that what you're here for Matsuri? To sort out something with us?" He asked.

Matsuri nodded, smiling slightly as she felt the Kazekage was on her side, "I-I was summoned here by Onigato-sama..." she said with a glance towards the door.

Light grinned, "Let me guess, he wants you to let his family raise you child." Light said, certain that he was right.

Matsuri merely nodded.

Light sighed, "Can I get an ANBU agent in here?" he asked.

*POOF*

Light smiled at the ANBU that appeared in a puff of smoke next to Matsuri, "Wow, that was easy." he muttered to himself before looking to his advisors, "Hey Baa-sama, what do you think?" he asked.

Chiyo shook her head as a small smile grew onto her face, "Matsuri should be given the rooms in which Gaara-sama bought for them before he passed." Chiyo said, causing many to look at her in confusion.

Matsuri looked up with wide yet hopeful eyes, "Rooms?" she asked in confusion.

Ebizo nodded before speaking calmly, "Gaara-sama had some renovators do over two of the rooms in our grotto. He wanted a peaceful place for you to relax throughout your pregnancy." Ebizo said.

Tears came to Matsuri's eyes, "B-but what about my flat?" she asked.

At this one of the councilmen who hadn't spoken up yet decided to chip in, "Unfortunately Matsuri, the flat was actually owned by Gaara and upon his death it went back into the hands of the village." the man said.

Naruto raised a brow as he turned to his Sensei, "That's kinds fucked, what about his family?" he whispered.

The hall was quiet as Kakashi turned to Naruto and sighed, 'Why Naruto?' Kakashi thought with a mental groan.

"What was that tree-hugger?" one of the older councilmen asked angrily.

Naruto was silent for a moment as everyone either stared at him in interest or glared angrily, but seeing Light wave him forward, he realised he really did have to say something, "Umm, since it was his flat then shouldn't it be given to those he would've wanted to have it? I mean at the moment Temari is staying in the Kage house, but as soon as Light-sama was announced at Kazekage doesn't he get the place?" Naruto asked.

Light nodded and spoke before the others could, "I see, so you think we should give it to Temari." Light summed up.

Naruto shook his head, "That's not what I'm saying. I'm that's what Gaara would've wanted isn't it? Didn't he leave a Will behind somewhere?" Naruto asked.

The council was quiet for a moment until Light looked down at them, "Well? Has anyone looked for a possible will?" Light asked.

The council was quiet until the ex-moderator raised his hand, "Umm, his will is locked in the Kakiru vault." the man said quietly, still processing the fact that he had been fired.

Light clapped loudly, "Hey he's useful! You know stuff yeah?" Light asked as his chair zoomed down to land loudly in front of the Chunnin.

The man stepped back, "U-ugh, yes I do, I am – was – one of the Kazekage's assistants before he decided on a permanent assistant." he explained.

Light grinned, "Congrats! You're hired again, this time you're my permanent assistant, sound good?" he asked.

The chunnin blinked for a second before grinning and saluting, "Hai Kazekage-sama!"

Light then turned to Naruto, "Thanks 'Ruto," Light said with a grin, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow at the nickname, "Looks like these tree-huggers have some good ideas, Kakashi-san, feel free to chip in any time." Light said pointedly, meaning he was thankful for Naruto's words, but a Gennin really shouldn't speak out in a formal council hearing.

Naruto took a seat again as Light's grin faded and he began to fly back up to his position above Chiyo and Ebizo, "Cool, now," he said before nodding to his new assistant, "Can you go check this vault and bring me the will to my office for me to look over once this is done yeah? Until then, just chip in if you find it useful." Light said calmly.

"U-Umm, excuse me Light-sama."

Light looked down at Matsuri once more, "Right, ANBU dude, can you help her move houses? I'll pay you extra for a C-rank if you do it in less then five minutes." He said clownishly, causing the council members to collectively sigh in disapproval as the Kazekage's assistant disappeared out the door.

Matsuri's eyes widened as the ANBU disappeared, "Are you sure Chiyo-sama? Ebizo-sama?" she asked.

The old woman nodded, "Yes girl, it'll be nice to have someone new up there." Chiyo said with a slight glare at her boring and chuckling brother, Ebizo.

Light clapped, "Alright! That's done and dusted yeah? Let's call it home time." Light said as he began to drift up out of his chair.

The only other woman on the council pointed towards the door, "Actually that's just the first two items, we have another one to take care of immediately and the last issue is a private one to be discussed in your office with... well I guess now it's with Chiyo and Ebizo instead of me and Onigato." she said as she pulled out a clip board.

Light grinned, "See? Proving yourself useful instantly, I like it." he said as he floated in front of her to take the offered clipboard, smiling at her surprisingly happy face before reading from it, "Huh? It's all the proposed meetings for the next fortnight..." he muttered before throwing the board towards his advisors.

The woman nodded, "Yes it is, I believe Chiyo-baa-sama will now be taking care of these duties instead of me." she said with a smirk as she began to realise she still had all the power and pay as her previous position, she just didn't have to do as much paperwork.

The old puppet master groaned as she looked over the list in front of her and Ebizo, "I gotta do this every two weeks?" she complained as Light laughed as his chakra floated to the center of the room and levitating around a meter above the ground as he pointed at the two in front of him.

Light smirked as he nodded to his friend, "What're you here for Ruto?" he asked.

Kakashi looked between the two of them in confusion for a moment as Naruto stood, "Umm, Sensei said we're to do a joined report for the mission since the only time Kakashi-sensei wasn't around I was." Naruto explained.

Light tilted his head in thought, "Mission?" Light asked.

Kakashi cleared his throat as he stood next to his student, "The attempted Kazekage retrieval mission." Kakashi explained.

Light's brows shot up as his chair began to retreat slightly towards the center of the room again, leading the other two forward as he began to speak, "Gotta be honest, I have no clue about what the mission was supposed to entail other then the obvious." Light said with a chuckle.

It was at this time the oldest of the group cleared his throat, "I decided you weren't to know of the mission. If you knew you would've gone and our strongest secret weapon would not only have been known to the world, but it may be killed before we can fully harness it's power." He said with a dark and quiet intensity.

The atmosphere in the room was suddenly heavy as the words sunk in. Then a thick killing intent covered the room, aiming directly at the old man.

Everyone's eyes widened as Naruto stood, shaking as his slitted red eyes bored into the old man's own.

Suddenly, Kakashi was standing in front of Naruto, his Sharingan eye glaring into Naruto's as the tomoe span.

#########

Mindscape.

Kakashi gasped as he landed as if from a great fall inside the Cage Room of Naruto's mindscape, rolling up into a standing position as he looked up, "Oh shit, it worked." Kakashi muttered as he breathed heavily and felt the sudden heat.

The Kyuubi looked down at Kakashi as he walked up to a wide eyed Naruto that was being held in place by the red chakra slowly, "S-sensei?" Naruto asked, not being able to move unless with great difficulty.

Kakashi didn't say anything more as he formed the twelve hand seals that had been taught to him from his Sensei's scrolls, "SEALING ART: PALPABLE TENSION!" Kakashi shouted before aiming his hands ahead of him.

A seal glowed from the stitching in his new gloves, packing the seal full of his own chakra before the glowing focussed and his chakra began to burst out in pulses.

The pulses seemed to bash against the Demonic Chakra and make it recoil quickly, forcing the red chakra wrapping around Naruto to be torn away without even ruffling the boy's hair. One more pulse as Kakashi stopped beside Naruto and the red chakra was pushed back into the cage.

Naruto gasped, his eyes returning to blue.

#########

Naruto gasped as he looked into Kakashi's eyes, "S-sensei?" Naruto asked quietly.

Kakashi simply put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, stabilising himself as he used Naruto to balance before eye smiling at his student, "It's okay Naruto, we'll discuss this afterwards." He said.

Light's chair landed a fair distance behind Kakashi in the center of the floor, giving Kakashi the chance to lower his headband as Light walked over, "Yeah, we're discussing this afterwards. No, you can't skip on this." Light said seriously before turning back to the scared shitless council members, "This meeting is S-rank secret already, so yeah, that didn't happen." Light said casually before flying up without the chair this time to be standing in the air in the middle of the council.

The council was for the most part stunned completely silent, except for Ebizo who seemed to have absolutely no reaction to the situation, "Kakashi-san, would you please begin with explaining the mission assignments of your team and then talk of the mission specifics." Ebizo said with no room for fuss.

Kakashi nodded as he walked forward, trying to hide his sudden weakness as he sat in the chair Light left behind, "Naruto here was the first one to receive the mission specs, his mission was to do what is best by his friend as far as I can tell. Whereas I was given the mission to make a team of three and catch up to Naruto so we can all locate Gaara and the targeted Akatsuki members involved in the Kazekage incident. Upon arriving at the cave another re-routed team from another mission arrived and then helped us with unsealing the cave so we could make it to our targets. That team had little-to-no impact on this mission and half the team had chakra exhaustion so I had the other two members take them back to the Leaf village ASAP to ensure their safety." Kakashi began.

"Then my squad brought the Kazekage's body back here to the village after the destruction of Sasori and we think Deidara, though we're honestly not sure about the second one. Would you like me to detail the battles for you?" Kakashi asked the council.

Light shrugged, "Sure I guess, but to be honest Deidara is the one that took our Kazekage, we would like to hear as much as we can about him." Light said suddenly serious.

Kakashi nodded as Naruto noticed the council focus intently on the masked man, "Upon our entrance to the unsealed cave, Deidara picked up the Kazekage's corpse and began to flee the area. The second in command – Yamato – and Naruto here stayed to make sure Sasori couldn't escape as my other student Sakura and I were the ones to chase Deidara. Upon our exit it was more or less just a chase. Though we couldn't try to attack him since it may have hurt Gaara since at the time we assumed he was alive unless we knew for certain the opposite was true. Deidara didn't have that restriction and after him attacking us continuously, I managed to take the man's arm and force him to change course, giving Sakura the chance to throw a tree at him before we-"

"Hold on, throw a tree?" One councilman asked.

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, a tree, as in she ripped it out of the ground and threw it fifty plus meters to hit Deidara in the back. The man was forced to abandon his bird and then we had the advantage until he nearly escaped. It was at this point that Yamato arrived and used an earth jutsu to bury the explosive underground before it could hit us. He almost escaped again by using the cover of the explosion, but Naruto's arrival and subsequent attack brought him back down. Sakura gathered the Kazekage to try and heal him as Deidara seemed to explode in a suicide attack which Yamato neutralised in a slightly less successful version of what he had done previously." Kakashi finished with an eye-smile, "Is that all Kazekage-sama?" he asked Light.

The new Kazekage's eyes narrowed at Kakashi's choice of words, "Can't help but notice you said 'seemed to explode', you obviously doubt it was really him, why is that?" Light asked.

Kakashi rubbed his sore neck as he shrugged, "Actually I was convinced it was the real Deidara until after the explosion and Yamato said that the one that exploded had only over-active chakra in it. Therefore, it was probably-"

"Just a clone..." Light finished with a frown, "Bummer, well at least that means us sand ninja have a chance at bringing Deidara justice." Light said seriously before seemingly losing himself in thought for a few moments.

Ebizo spoke up after a moment of silence, "So this Naruto will tell us of his battle with Sasori?" he asked, bringing everyone's attention to Naruto.

Light nodded to his new, suddenly nervous friend, "Yep, what'cha got for me Ruto?" Light asked.

Kakashi went to stand up from the chair, but Naruto rested his hand on his sensei's shoulder to stop him before taking a few steps ahead of Kakashi.

Naruto looked up nervously, he hadn't ever been the subject of a council meeting, especially in another village, but after watching Kakashi he had a pretty good idea of what he was supposed to do, "Upon our team's division, Captain Yamato and I attacked Sasori, he was vastly powerful, but eventually – after slowly wearing him down with a combination of my clones distracting and attacking, Yamato was able to use a secret technique to bind the puppets, giving me the chance to decapitate Sasori with my scythe." Naruto explained before placing his hands behind his back as he finished.

Chiyo seemed angered at the statement, "Hold on, a mere scythe would never make it to my grandson, and what was this binding technique you mentioned?" she asked, her voice raised as an order for Naruto.

Naruto had heard Chiyo loud and clear, but after moving his hands behind his back, he remembered a certain scroll he had in his pocket, 'Maybe... I guess it's the best way to get their focus off me and my Death Note.' he thought before reaching into the pocket of his ninja pouch.

"This scroll was in the head of Sasori's Master puppet. I don't understand how, but he had transplanted his mind into this scroll and his life force into only his heart and the heart itself into some kind of sustainment unit," Naruto began, ignoring Chiyo's question in favour of stunning everyone with this new revelation.

Kakashi looked at the scroll with a single wide eye as Light flew down to stop in front of Naruto, "This... is really his mind?" Light asked.

Naruto shrugged and casually opened the scroll, causing everyone else to recoil as if expecting a trap, "From what I can tell from the seals, they are basically transferring senses from what was his Master Puppet to his sense receptors that were all made into seal form somehow." Naruto said before rolling it back up and holding it out for Light.

Light looked down at the scroll in awe as he took it from Naruto's grasp, "Naruto...this scroll will have everything Sasori's been doing for years as well as vital information of the Akatsuki and so many other subjects." Light said before slowly unravelling it and taking a look at the first seal. His eyes widened, "This...!" he said intensely before looking closer at the seal.

The young council stood slightly, "What is it?" he asked.

Light turned so that it was facing him, "Its definitely Sasori, this is the same basic translation code we used back before he... took out the rest of our team." Light said seriously

The young man sat back and swallowed nervously as the air in the room seemed to shift slightly, there was a moment of silence before they all heard the door begin to creak open.

Light's assistant stuck his head in the door, "Hi, I umm, got the will." He said awkwardly, holding up a black a4 envelope.

Light nodded and waved the man over to him, swapping the Mind Scroll for the will as he spoke, "Good work, now go find Mikado and have him come here with his analysis stuff." he ordered.

The assistant raised a brow as he took the scroll, "Umm, Mikado the Lawless?" he asked.

The council were stunned quiet as Light grinned, "Yeah that's him, stupid name though," Light said before nodding towards the scroll, "Wait, give that back." Light said absent-mindedly and took it.

The assistant sighed as he saluted his boss, "Yes sir." he said before jogging towards the door once more and leaving.

There was another moment of silence, giving Kakashi the chance to focus back on Naruto, only to see the boy had retreated behind his Sensei, avoiding the spotlight of attention as much as he could, 'Another thing that's changed about him, he used to do anything to get attention.' Kakashi thought with a sigh.

Light flew up to the middle of the room again as he looked around the council room, "Uhh, I'm pretty sure that this stuff is like, Sand Village only stuff so..." Light said as he smiled sheepishly at Kakashi and Naruto.

Kakashi nodded as he stood, stumbling slightly before Naruto grabbed his arm to help him balance, "Right Kazekage-sama, I thank you for inviting us here and would like to extend the Leaf's congratulations towards you personally for achieving such an honourable position within your village." Kakashi said with a slight bow, Naruto quickly copying him awkwardly.

Light grinned, "Hehehe, well thanks I guess." he said with a slight chuckle.

Ebizo leaned forward slightly, "Light-san, that was an official welcome." he said softly.

Light stiffened, "Oh," he said before facing Kakashi full on and bowing back slightly, "Congratulations accepted, I hope to have many more years of peace with the Leaf." Light said, suddenly serious for the one line before he was back to his usual self, "Feel free to rest up more before you go, you look like you need a rest Kakashi-san." Light said with a grin.

Kakashi eye-smiled at the Kazekage, "Thank you Kazekage-sama, though I'll have to ask for a place in your ninja barracks as my student and I didn't bring enough money for an extended stay at the hotel." Kakashi politely requested.

Light watched Kakashi's formal attitude with wide eyes, 'How does he know to do this stuff? Is it like normal in the Leaf?' Light thought before glancing at Naruto, 'Hmm, maybe not.' Light thought for a moment before a grin covered his face, "Tell ya what, if you guys don't mind waiting outside then we can just head straight to my office and sort out everything then?" He offered.

Kakashi nodded, "Sounds good Kazekage-sama, we'll look forward to your audience." Kakashi said before turning and walking towards the door.

Naruto went to follow when Light's voice made him pause, "Hey Ruto," Light said, causing Naruto to turn to him, "Ramen later?" Light asked with a friendly grin.

Naruto smiled back, liking the fact that he seemed to have made a very good friend, though not so much that now everyone on the council had their eyes on him, "Fuck yeah." Naruto said exasperatedly, before a hand flew up to cover his mouth.

Light laughed as a few of the older councilmen gasped at Naruto's words, but Kakashi had dragged Naruto out of the room less then a second later.

Kakashi sighed as he closed the door behind the two of them, "Five more seconds Naruto, you couldn't have held back for five more seconds?" He asked rhetorically as he rubbed his head as if he had a headache.

Naruto grinned sheepishly, "Hehe, sorry." he said as he scratched the back of his head.

Kakashi looked up at Naruto and sighed again before glancing to their left and seeing a row of seats. Though he raised a brow as he saw that there was already someone sitting in the chair furthest from the door, 'I wonder why she's waiting out here rather than in there.' he thought to himself before walking past Naruto to take a seat.

Naruto blinked in confusion as Kakashi seemed to ignore him and sit down, though Naruto was the one who got distracted as he noticed who Kakashi was looking at, "Temari-chan." Naruto exclaimed softly before walking over to her.

Kakashi raised a brow again as he watched Naruto walked over to Temari and fall into the chair next to her, causing her to look up at him and smile slightly, showing the two of them that she had had tears in her eyes just moments before.

Kakashi turned his head away and looked down, 'I know they're only a couple of rows of seats away from me, but maybe this is a good time to give them some privacy...somewhat.' Kakashi thought to himself before leaning forward in his chair and pulling out his new book from his pocket, 'Definitely the right choice.' he thought with a quiet perverted chuckle.

Over with Temari and Naruto, the boy had decided to just sit quietly unless she felt like talking, also, he wasn't really sure what to say, but he glanced over to the side of her face again as he saw her trying to secretly wipe the tears from her face. He couldn't hold back the sad expression he felt crawl onto his face while he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it out to her, "Here, they'll need you in there soon." he said casually.

Temari looked up at him again before looking at his outstretched hand and taking the small cloth, "Thanks." she said as she gently pressed it against her eyelids and cheeks.

Naruto raised a brow before remembering that Jiraiya did the same when he wore make-up to make sure he wasn't recognised, 'Geez that man sweated a lot." Naruto thought to himself with a slight smirk at the memory of his botched disguises.

There was silence, but it lacked any tension or uncomfortable feelings. It was a comfortable silence of understanding and support.

After a few minutes of the silence, Temari sighed and turned to Naruto, about to say something which he could tell had been weighing on her mind, but it was at this moment the door to the council chamber opened and Light himself stuck his head out.

"Temari, we're ready for you." Light said softly before retreating inside, leaving the door open.

Temari sighed before glancing at Naruto, earning a friendly and supportive grin from him, "You'll be okay Temari. If you need me I'll be here." Naruto promised causally, though she heard the conviction in his tone.

Temari blinked before smiling and relaxing her tense shoulders, "Okay." she said simply before turning and marching into the council room.

The moment the door closed, Naruto noticed the comfortable air around him diminish as his gaze slid from the closed door to Kakashi, who was looking at him with obvious curiosity. "What?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Oh nothing, I was just wondering about how you did that." Kakashi murmured.

Naruto stood up and shrugged, "Did what?" he asked.

Kakashi's expression didn't falter as he watched Naruto calmly, "A woman nearing the verge of tears, under the pressure of a village, potentially losing her home, and you just got her to march in there as if she could conquer the world after only a few short words." Kakashi said before turning back to his book.

Naruto blinked for a moment before grinning, "I did nothing, it's all her," Naruto said before looking at the closed doors again, "She just doesn't see it yet." Naruto said softly as he stared at the door.

After a few moments of silence, Kakashi glanced up from his book to see Naruto looking at the door still with a calm smile on his face, 'He's changed near completely now, and ever since we got here he seems to be even calmer and more relaxed... is it the people? The place?' Kakashi thought before looking down at his book again and smirking slightly under his mask, 'Or maybe he's having an elemental melding, Asuma had the same thing the first time he traversed the land of wind, maybe Naruto's is just happening faster.' Kakashi thought before focussing on the book and causing his eye to widen as he turned the page.

"H-Hokage-sama?!" Kakashi whispered in shock as he stared at the drawing in his book.

Naruto snapped out of his daze as he glanced down to Kakashi, "Hm? You say something?" Naruto asked in a very Kakashi-like manor.

Kakashi's book snapped shut and he looked up at Naruto, "Umm..." he thought before opening the book slightly and memorising page forty-three before looking up at Naruto and having the book snap shut between his fingers again, "I wonder when we'll next see Hokage-sama next and sort this out, I mean, there's some things I want to check while we're here." Kakashi said.

Naruto nodded before falling back into the seat next to Kakashi, "I guess... I hadn't really thought about what seeing Baa-chan again would be like, or even when..." Naruto muttered before smirking, "But one thing's for certain, I'm going to write her once we get back to the hotel." Naruto said with a nod of affirmation.

Kakashi nodded before he suddenly sat tall, "Oh! Naruto, I can't believe I forgot, but I have an apology to make up for." Kakashi said before pulling out a small notepad from his pants pocket.

Naruto raised a brow as he watched Kakashi flip through all the way towards the end, stopping on one of the last few pages to come to a standard Storage Seal with the number 08 written at it's base. Kakashi channelled his chakra into the seal and a small scroll popped out, "Part of my time back in ANBU was used as a recovery ninja, locating and getting back old documents and such," Kakashi said as he passed the scroll to Naruto, "Tsunade-sama and I agreed that this would be a good reward for you once you return." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

Naruto looked the scroll and blinked at it in confusion as he opened it slightly to read the first line, "Tailed beast bomb..." Naruto muttered in confusion before looking at Kakashi for an explanation.

Kakashi leant back in his chair, "This scroll contains the Fourth Hokage's studies of the Tailed Beast Bomb. That's the name us humans gave to the strongest chakra-blast attack a Bijuu can do. It turns out his idea for the Rasengan was based off this chakra-blast, more then that though, the discovery of this scroll lead to the discovery of the fact that the Rasengan isn't even finished yet." Kakashi explained.

Naruto was nodding appreciatively until he heard the last part, "Wait, what? The Rasengan isn't finished?" Naruto asked, shocked that his most powerful attack was incomplete.

Kakashi nodded and placed a hand on the scroll as Naruto moved to open it, "I think we'll look at this later, who knows who is within earshot." Kakashi said with a pointed head tilt towards the window opposite them before eye smiling, "Besides, I want you to know that I did plan on writing you back, but after Tsunade heard that Jiraiya caught wind of Akatsuki, she figured that it was best to maintain silence. Obviously no one was able to reach you to tell you this, but yeah." Kakashi finished simply with an eye smile.

Naruto got the message and closed the scroll, tucking it in his pocket as his eyes narrowed slightly at the window, 'Geez, that's why noone was replying?...wait a second...' Naruto thought before looking up in thought and turning to Kakashi, "Thanks Sensei, but I was wondering, when was it that Baa-chan made that rule?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi looked up in thought, "Umm, I think it was a week or so before I finished my time back in ANBU, so you would've been gone for... about two years already." Kakashi explained.

Naruto looked forward with a saddenned expression, 'So they actually could've written... Kakashi-sensei was the only one that reached out, well, except for that one letter from Anko-sensei, that was weird.' Naruto thought with a slightly perverted thought, his chuckle bringing him out of another near-emo moment as he shook his head.

Kakashi glanced over at Naruto, seeing him shaking his head and chuckle, "What's the joke?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile.

Naruto looked up at Kakashi and grinned, "Nothing really, just remembering my fifteenth birthday." Naruto shared.

Kakashi blinked, 'His birthday...' Kakashi thought absent-mindedly.

The two Leaf ninja turned towards the doors of the council chambers as Temari marched out the door with her head hung low. She moved to walk the other way, but suddenly stopped as she felt a pair of arms embrace her from behind.

"What do you need?"

Temari closed her eyes as she leant into Naruto's hug, she was quiet for a moment as she tried to form what she was thinking into words, "I... I wish..." she whispered.

As if physically feeling the pain in her voice, Naruto cringed, holding her tighter, "Stop wishing, just stick with what's really happening, what you can actually do here," Naruto said softly as he loosened his grip, giving Temari the option to step away if she wanted, "What do you need?" Naruto repeated.

Temari leaned further into Naruto's hug and sighed in exhaustion, "I just... need to help someone." Temari whispered in return.

Naruto raised a brow, "Okay, anyone in particular?" Naruto asked.

Temari shrugged as she shook her head, "No, I mean...Ugh" she said before stepping out of Naruto's hug and turning to him, her expression obviously showing her growing anger, "I was always the strong one, people came to me and my family for advice but the moment I walked in there... they looked down at me with...with..." She started, though she was having obvious difficulty finding the right word to express how she felt.

"Overbearing Sympathy."

Naruto and Temari turned to Kakashi as he looked up at Temari with an eye smile, "Sorry guys, but I think for this particular topic I may have to intervene in your little moment," Kakashi said as he stood, "Temari-san, when others know that you've lost someone precious to you, especially when it's someone they looked up to, they want to do everything in their power to make you feel better but nothing will make the pain of their loss easier." Kakashi said rather harshly as he stopped next to the two of them.

Naruto glared at Kakashi, thinking that the man had to be wrong, but Kakashi continued with true empathy, "But you aren't the only one who's going through this, there are those of us who know exactly what you are going through, then again, there are also those who are far worse off then the two of us Temari-san." Kakashi said before looking at Naruto.

Naruto's glare faltered as he thought about Kakashi's words, not understanding exactly what was happening, but knowing that whatever it was, it was a struggle for Kakashi to share.

Naruto turned back to Temari, to see the young woman looking at Kakashi with wide eyes, "Who... who was it for you?" Temari asked Kakashi softly.

Naruto raised a brow as he suddenly felt very out of his depth, but with Kakashi's next words, he more then understood.

"Firstly, my mother, taken from us when I was four, my earliest memory is of her dead face protecting me from an axe wielding Rock ninja. My father ended his own life a few years after. My first team, my first ANBU squad, and one of my first students. Many people can be lost either through death or being misled." Kakashi said calmly, showing how much he's lost.

Naruto stared at Kakashi in shock, 'Sensei... I had no idea...' he thought before looking down in guilt and sadness.

Temari's eyes began to tear up some more as her anger was suddenly gone, "How did you..." She began softly, not knowing how to finish.

Kakashi eye smiled and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, causing Naruto to look at his Sensei in shock as Temari stared at Naruto, "Naruto and Sakura are still here, they need me," he said seriously before scratching the back of his head, "And I have a comrade called Maito Gai, he's... well he needs help, seriously." Kakashi said with a jokingly exasperated sigh.

Naruto blinked, still stunned at the loss Kakashi had to go through, and yet he didn't make any vendettas like Sasuke, or bury himself in alcohol like Tsunade, Kakashi just... handled it.

Feeling a grip on his hand, Naruto looked back to Temari to see her smiling up at him, "Yeah, I have Naruto too," she said before blinking the tears away, "And I guess Baki and Matsuri as well." She said as she wiped her eyes.

Naruto smiled, 'I never would've thought of this, Kakashi-sensei really is a genius...' Naruto thought before he began to think a bit more into it, '...Is that because he's seen so much? I've never thought about it but... what did Sensei do in his time with ANBU before Team 7 was put together.' Naruto thought.

Taking a step back, Temari pulled Naruto a step with her, "I know what I want," she said to Naruto before smiling at Kakashi, "Thank you Hatake-Sensei." Temari said formally.

Kakashi eye smiled as he looked down at their joined hands, knowing the pull that any form of companionship has after the immense pain of loss, "No problem Temari-san, Naruto, be kind to her." Kakashi said as a dismissal before turning back to the council chambers, "I will be coming to get you though, so don't get carried away." Kakashi said as he fell back into the seat he was in before.

Naruto blinked in confusion before feeling another tug on his arm. Naruto decided to just follow Temari, knowing that she needed something and hoping he could help in some way.

As Temari turned the next corner, she opened the first door and pulled Naruto in after her, Naruto raised a brow at what seemed to be a completely empty break-room of sorts. The moment the door closed behind her, Temari's entire demeanour changed, once more showing the emotionally vulnerable woman hiding just under the surface.

Naruto quickly pulled her into a comforting embrace, hoping to help with the pain somehow as Temari silently cried into his chest.

Naruto closed his eyes as his own tears built up, though he tried to take a deep breath and suppress them, trying to give his all to Temari first and foremost as the time slowly rolled by.

##########

Half an hour later, Kakashi looked up as the doors to the council chambers opened. Light stepped to the side of the door, shaking everyone's hands as they walked through and walked past Kakashi, some nodding to him while a few seemed to ignore his existence, 'Well, I guess that's fair considering the last Great Ninja War, my team and I did take down multiple squadrons from the Sand specifically.' Kakashi thought before glancing over to the closing door.

Light nodded to the last man and closed the door, waiting for a moment before sighing as he was finally alone with Kakashi. Light glanced to Kakashi and did a weak grin, "So... how's it going Kakashi? I haven't really seen you since... what, the whole Catching the Lightning Blade incident?" Light said with a slight laugh.

Kakashi nodded as he stood, "Still to this day, you're the only one to have blocked it and lived," Kakashi said before eye smiling, "Do you still want us to meet you in the Kazekage's office?" Kakashi asked calmly.

Light nodded, glad that Kakashi wasn't a ninja that held grudges, "Yeah that sounds good, give me... ten minutes." Light said before walking off, walking backwards as he waved to Kakashi, "Cya then."

Kakashi eye smiled until Light had left the area, causing the man to turn around and look off in the direction Naruto and Temari went, 'I can give them another five...' Kakashi thought before looking out the window opposite him, 'So far this has been the absolutely, most stressful holiday I've ever had.'

##########

Chapter End.

Naruto and Kakashi will be spending some time in the Sand. Naruto is learning some deep stuff and the Sixth Kazekage had been instated.