The village had grown by the time that we returned the next day. After I met with Homura, Koharu, Shikaku and the daimyo, my duties as Hokage were thrown at me full force. My face was already half done on the Hokage monument. The council had already set about procuring weapons and rations for the war. Each clan had been ordered to make a list of all shinobi that would and could fight.
I walked into the finished Hokage's office, making my way up the long winding staircase. They had recreated the same plan as before. I had to laugh a little, even after eight years of not setting foot in the village and I still remembered it. I ran my hand along the hall, letting it hang for a moment on the door knob to my office. I filled my lungs and held it as I slowly opened the door. It was near identical to the previous office. I looked around the room, each of the previous Kage's faces stared back at me. I sat at my desk for the first time, the files of every shinobi in Konoha who could fight in the war littered the room. I needed to come up with some form of strategy for the war and branch it out. First, I would need someone below me to be directly in charge of each division of shinobi. Second, I would need a head of each division. A medical division would be the utmost important. I sighed, moving to sit on the floor with the files. I began to flip through all the ninja, taking out all of the medical ninja and putting them into one pile.
I looked down at a girl with two buns named Tenten, her specialty listed as bukijutsu. I took out all the weapon's specialists, noting that all of them had either fire, water, or earth chakra natures. I put them into another pile – it was quite small, so if I kept this group together I would have to pull more into it. I began to sort the other shinobi into similar piles. The clans were an issue, due to their very similar styles and chakra natures they always fit together. That was not good. I jumped as tapping began at my window. I spun my head to see a hawk sitting on the ledge, a note attached to its leg. I opened the window, the hawk instantly landing on my hand. I used my free hand to undo the message. I threw my head back with a groan – the Raikage had called for a meeting of the Alliance in his village in three days' time. Already? I closed the file and dropped it on my desk. I had been working non-stop since we had arrived back inside of the village yesterday. I pushed the chair away from the desk and left the office, locking the door behind me. I made my way into the main area of the village to see the progress that was growing. There was now a new Torture and Interrogation building and library. Ichiraku ramen had newly reopened. Most of the main center had been rebuilt. It was coming together surprisingly fast.
"No way! You trained Makoto too?" I cocked my head. That was definitely Takao that yelled, but another of my sensei's were here in Konoha? I made my way out of the center towards where the visiting carpenters had pitched their tents. I stood beside a tree as I surveyed the area. A big group had surrounded a campfire to the right of the camp, but two figures stood just outside of the tree line to the left. One was obviously Takao due to his signature hair and burly stature. I felt a twinge of excitement for the figure next to him. Long pale green almost white hair, piercing yellow eyes. The shoulders, where arms should be, were marked with old scars. Sonya of the Cloud had taught me to perform ninjutsu in the case that the arms became unusable, and taijutsu involving only the legs.
"Oi!" I called, making my way towards the two. "Are my sensei's having a bonding moment without me?"
The two looked up, smiles growing larger as I approached. "Finally got time after work?" Takao mocked.
"Hey," I said pointedly, "the freaking Raikage doesn't know how to take 'no' for an answer."
Sonya laughed, "he never got denied as a child. And none of his advisors want to go against him either." She paused for a moment, looking me over carefully. "Damn. We can say that we trained the Sixth Hokage now. Man do I feel old."
I shook my head, "Sonya, you're twenty-three. You're golden. Takao has to worry on the other hand." We both eyed him before we burst out laughing.
He looked horrified and began to play with his hair roughly, "no! Is there another grey hair? I'm not that old yet."
"Oi! Koto! Oh, Takao – is this your wife?" Naruto ran over, hand slyly on his chin. Sonya pulled a disgusted face while Takao stood there trying to explain that his wife was beautiful, but so was Sonya.
"I'm Sonya," she cut his blabbering off. "I trained Makoto as well."
He looked at the three of us excitedly, "what did you teach her? Can you teach me too?"
Takao laughed, "have you mastered basic taijutsu?" Naruto's face fell. "I created the bear style of taijutsu."
"As you can see, I lost my arms protecting my teammates on a mission when I as a genin. I learned how to fight using legs alone and how to use ninjutsu without seals." Sonya explained, creating a clone of herself.
"Oh! Teach me how to do that!" Naruto beamed. Takao and Sonya began to walk through the trees towards away from the temporary housing units.
"Are you able to tell where each nerve and muscle in your hands are connected to your brain stem and where in your brain that nerve is moved by?" Sonya asked, dispelling the clone.
His face fell. "Is it really that technical?" He looked up at me.
I nodded. "I'm still not very good at it. I need my hands to be bound before it will work." Sonya shot me a disapproving look. "It's tough."
"And you're going to be glad that you know how if you ever get captured," Sonya said pointedly.
"Yeah," I mused, thinking back to all the instances that I allowed myself to get caught, "it has."
"You see – wait, what?" Sonya gawked. "Miss 'Master of a Thousand Styles' allowed herself to be captured?" She stopped in her tracks.
"Not against my will of course." I shrugged, "it's a great way to infiltrate."
"I think we need an exam," Sonya growled, attacking me.
I leaned over the railing of the temporary housing, a cup of tea mixed with sake in my left and a bag of ice against my left check in my right. "Who beat you up?" A voice laughed to my right. The floor was empty when I arrived.
I turned to see Shikaku leaning against the wall. "Funny." I took a sip of my drink.
"Seriously." He pulled himself up off of the wall and moved to stand beside me. He eyed my tea cup.
"Two of my old sensei's are here to help the village. One of them decided it would be fun to have a sporadic 'exam'." I sighed, adjusting the ice.
He laughed. "and who won?"
I pouted as I drank the rest of my tea. "Sonya fights with only her legs and she's mastered ninjutsu despite having no use of her arms." That perked his interest. "I haven't mastered using jutsus without my hands still."
"That's quite a useful skill," Shikaku mused. He was already trying to figure out how it worked.
I played with my cup. "I've already started working on the war preparations. A's called a meeting in his village in three days' time. Would you go as my 'escort'? I want to introduce you as our head strategist."
"Really, me?" He chuckled, turning to look at the almost completed sunset. "Of course I'll go. We leave tomorrow?"
I shook my head. "It's at noon so we'll leave at eleven."
"Right, your new teleportation jutsu." He closed his eyes. "Shikamaru told me about a few of your new tricks."
"A few?" I asked, raising my brow.
"That teleportation jutsu that made Shikamaru vomit, the trick with your bracelets, that you can also wield a sword, you've worked on making yourself immune to poisons, and you are somehow able to tell when 'Madara' is near." He looked at me, his mind running.
"Is that all?" I sighed. "And they're not just bracelets. They're chakrams. Where is everyone anyway?"
"Moved into their new homes." He smiled. "The larger families, clans, and a few others are still in the temporary units." Wow, everyone was working so hard.
"Since we're the only ones here I can tell you that I really don't think that he's actually Madara. I've fought him a lot and the only similarity between the two is the sharingan." I said, shifting the weight between my feet. "I have two theories. One, he's just using Madara's name to insight panic. Or two, he's being manipulated by Madara."
"So you believe that Madara may still be alive, but he's not the masked man."
"Sort of. They may have met at one time or another, just enough to allow the ideals and plans that he has to sink in. But option one seems a hell of a lot more plausible. We'll know the real answer soon enough."
I sat in the free chair, Shikaku moving to stand behind me.
Mei frowned, "why the change of guard, Makoto? The other two were so cute!"
"This is Shikamaru's father, Shikaku. He'll be the head strategist." I explained, stretching am arm out over the desk.
"Let's end the greetings and get on with the meeting. First, we must discuss the Eight Tails and the Nine Tails jinchuurikis. Then we'll move on to the data we have on the enemy's base of operations and military strength." Mifune interjected.
The Raikage gave me a harsh look, he didn't like that order. I sighed, "a few of my ninja have located what seems to be a base of operations. It may be a trap; I am waiting on further intel."
"We have also organized search teams and are gathering information." The Raikage spoke. "From now on we need to pool any information gathered."
"Then, let's appoint an allied team to deal with organizing the information." Mei suggested. We all agreed.
"I've begun work on sorting my shinobi into possible divisions. If you can get me your shinobi lists as soon as possible I'll put together an intelligence team." I said, forcing my tired eyes open. Everyone nodded.
"And how do you know what may work? You've never fought in a war." The Tsuchikage said smugly.
"Just because I was not born early enough to fight in the last war does not mean that I did not get caught up in the crossfire of your own petty civil wars." I countered. "Especially your last one."
"Now, where do we hide the jinchuurikis?" Tsuchikage asked pointedly.
"I've already decided on a place to hide them. I think choosing a place here, in Kumogakure – which doesn't have a single member in the Akatsuki – is appropriate." The Raikage proposed.
My eye twitched, "I agree, but for other reasons."
"What other reasons?" He growled.
"Just because your village has not produced a single Akatsuki member yet does not mean it never will. Nor has your village not produced its fair share of other unwanted and rogue shinobi. Most of the fighting, I suspect, will happen within the Land of Fire, Sand, and west." I explained. "Now, where do you have in mind? I propose Turtle Island."
The Raikage blinked at me a for a moment in surprise. His anger at the first part of my spiel had diminished. "How do you know about that place"
I shrugged, sinking into the chair. "I found a lot of unexpected places while I was training."
He gave me a skeptical look, but nodded. "I'll organize their travel arrangements."
"Lady Hokage," the Raikage spoke. "Please stay a moment longer. Shikaku can wait outside, it won't be long."
Shikaku want to open his mouth, but I jumped in. "Just a little while. I do have to deal with rebuilding a village as well." He sighed but nodded, exiting the room with B. "Told you he was alive."
A stood, moving over to the window. "That you were. How were you that certain?"
"A fight that could take down B would be too destructive to not notice," I stated as I crossed the room to join him.
A laughed. "You're right about that. I know you've traveled every nation, but how were you able to find Turtle Island? It's not easily reachable."
"Remember when B went missing for three weeks four years ago? Then. He thought that the waterfall could help me." I explained loosely. "Should help Naruto out though."
He grunted. "Why would he think it would help you?"
I turned my back to him and began to walk towards the door. "Ask those ninjas that kidnapped my parents eight years ago while they were on a mission from the leaf. The two Furiyami." I opened the door and left down the hall. A calling after me.
"What did you do now?" Shikaku sighed as he caught up to me.
"Just answered a few of his questions. And gave him something to think about." I shrugged. "Ready to go home? And to make sure you close your eyes this time?" He nodded. I performed my jutsu, two black swirling circles in front of my feet. We both stepped inside. The same feeling of a slight gust and I stood beside Shikaku – who had his eyes still tightly shut – just inside the gates of Konoha.
"Welcome back!" Izumo and Kotetsu waved from their post.
"Thanks," Shikaku said, putting up a hand in acknowledgement.
Shikamaru sat with me in my office as I went through the ever growing stacks of paper work. A knock sounded on the door. "Come in!" The door opened and Temari stepped in carrying a large parcel. "Come for a visit now?" I asked with a sly smirk.
"The ninja registration information that you requested," she said looking over my desk for a place to set it. Her lips parted in shock. "Gaara doesn't have nearly this much."
Shikamaru stood from his chair and took the parcel from her, "it's because of the rebuild." Temari nodded, biting her lip.
I placed my pen down, "do the two of you want to play a quick game?" The two looked at me confused. I stood and walked my way around the desk. I took the package from Shikamaru and placed it down beside my desk where I could easily reach it. I turned back to them and placed a hand on each of their lower backs and led them towards the open door. "It's called the 'let's get to know Shikamaru' game!" I pushed the pair out of my office and locked it quickly.
"Ma-Ma-Makoto!" Temari stammered. "What is it that you think you're doing?"
"Forcing the two of you on a date," I smirked. It was suddenly quiet on the other side.
"I'm going to kill you!" Temari began to bang away at the door.
"You can kill me after the two of you spend at least the next two hours alone with each other," I was so dead.
I heard feet shuffle. "Just make sure you're at dinner tonight this time." Shikamaru sighed, "let's go." I went back to my desk, preparing to work through the night for a second time.
