Thank you for your patience and reviews, you make me want to keep on writing!

To express my gratitude, dear readers, especially U3fan, who always reviews, here is another chapter!

P.S.: Thank you XiiiKakashi for giving me a good idea! You made me change my mind last minute!

THW


"It says a lot about a ruler if their people are discontent."

"There is no reason for them to be, Lord Danzo."

"Really?" He cocked a brow in disbelief. "Then endeavor and enlighten me why would someone try and have you killed from the village?"

"I don't know… Maybe he was not from here." She replied and followed him with her gaze.

The elder nodded although still quite not convinced about the truth of her words. He stopped walking back and forth in the Hokage's office and with contemptuous generosity, at length, lowered his eyes at her. "Surely."

"What should I do, then?" She met his gaze from the desk.

"Don't be so selfish. Some of us at the Council voted for you because you had no one to care about. Not even yourself. They liked that."He stopped to conquer that insistent craving of abasement. "But it is also not a secret that I could have done better than you. And now you are disappointing those, who believed in you."

"I'm doing everything I can, Lord Danzo. Searches are ongoing, I poured more money into the strengthening of our borders and we are keeping more people at the gates. The trainings doubled and the educational hours are longer. Everyone is preparing the way they can and it is because I spend my time rotting here in this office."

"Do it better. Or should you be summoned again before the Council?"

"It is not necessary." She replied, urging herself to preserve her composure.

"Mark my words, Hokage-sama, I won't say them again; your irresponsible behavior is a threat to this village and its people. If anything happens to Naruto, or to anyone else because of your lack of self-control and focus, you will be held solely responsible."

"You said that already. I agreed to have Yamato and Sai-kun in Team 7. Now let me continue with my work!"

"Do it better and we will not have to speak again." With that warning, the elder showed himself out.

Tsunade fumed but her anger faded fast away, once the door opened and a face ever so precious came to her sight. "Hey, Kakashi…!" As she saw him, her eyes and lips were smiling welcome at him without pretence.

"I just heard what happened last night." The grey-crowned man spoke, unable to remain strict in demeanor. Worry and joy both rapidly overrode his anger.

"Ah…It's nothing!" She went on with a smile. She was apparently glad he came in, her back straightened as she rose from her desk and her eyes lit up with a sort of brightness only visible when the shinobi was around. "I was careless."

Her perfectly natural voice was grateful to his ear, and soothing. He looked at her all over with an open admiration that she noticed and without concealment, she liked.

"Surely were. How could you let someone walk you to the woods, in the middle of the night?"

She blushed for a moment and glanced away.

"So?"

"Well, he really resembled you." With that confession, she bit upon her full lip to muffle a chuckle. "I am sorry…It is silly for sure, but I was drunk. I had a long day, an unpleasant one and needed to forget it. This is what I do…"

"You run off with silvering men?"

"I mean, I drink…" She returned his genuine smile. "I am glad nothing happened." She uttered the last part of the sentence with a quieting voice. It was becoming harder to keep her focus on the conversation. The man's presence fondled her soul to an indiscriminate joy, it was almost sinful.

He, too, was glad, and a sense both happy and reckless stirred in his heart. "I am glad as well…" With that sentence, he closed the space between them. There was a lift through his whole being as he watched her, slim and supple, grace shining through the dull uniform, almost as though she wore no clothes. He thought of a panther standing upright. Her poise was so alert, one hand upon the desk, one leg bent across the other, the hip-line showing like a bird's curved wing. Wild animal or bird flashed across his mind. For sure, she was something untamed and natural. Another second and she might leap away, or spring into his arms.

"It's not that easy to get rid of me." She spoke as she lifted her gaze back at him.

"I hope not…" It was a deep, stirring sensation in him that produced the images coming into sounds. He stepped closer to her and she waited as if her only wish was to feel him so close. Yes…It could have been the reason, for the thumping of the heart grew loud and frenzied.

He bent lower to bring his own face on a level, gazing straight into her eyes that were fixed upon his lips. "Tsuna…"

"Kakashi…"

The chilly summer day was flaming up. Hot rays hovered over the ancient building veiling them into an embrace of light.

"I should…We need to get back to work." He endeavored to speak more formally, although aroused instincts lay behind. She drove him mad with primitive needs when all the Konoha beauties left him cold. And the thrill struck with unerring aim at the very root of that unrest he had always known in the state of life to which he was called. The woman and himself were somehow kin. The wanton feeling broke loose in him. In two seconds, while he stood in front of her, these thoughts passed through his mind. But he did not at first give utterance to any of them.

"I cannot focus on work anymore." She said, looking fearlessly into his face. "I've been dying to feel you ever since the training grounds. Why were you so long to notice?" This outspoken honesty was hardly what he expected, yet in another sense he was not taken by surprise.

"It crossed my mind, a million times. But I am a gentleman."

Her eyes were very penetrating, very lustful, and very frank. He felt her as bewitching and divine as some fawn that asks plainly to be stroked and fondled. He resumed with the truth: "I did not know whether you wanted it or…-" when she interrupted with impatience:

"I do." And, before he could choose one out of the several answers that rushed into his mind, she did an impulsive thing; her soft lips collided with his own in one long deep kiss.

The blood rushed to his head and his palms sweated as he returned the invitation of the mouth. He kissed her softly over and over. He stroked her lips with his own in deep, luscious motions until she parted them for little moans.

Standing as he was, he slid his hand a little lower and grabbed the soft grey stocking upon her thigh. The woman released another moan, this time escaping deeper from her bosom; it was sheer desire that gave sound.

Kakashi rained kisses all over her lips, her chin and her long, pale neck. Within that moment, he forgot the place, the time, his own identity and hers. Thought was irrelevant and instincts broke forth in both.

Her hands rushed on his sides and commanded his body closer to hers. She embraced him, caressed him and sought to reclaim his mouth again and again. The slim fingers hurried as if time was vanishing into nothingness. They worked their way through his uniform and pulled it off his frame.

The shinobi, have no doubt, was a masterpiece. His skin was like warm sand, and the touch was harsh from fighting. Traces of undesired battles glistened on the chiseled chest as the sun rained its rays on him. She became lost in the fort of his shoulders and the warmth of his body enflamed her. His large hands worked so naturally over her thighs and in between them as if they were meant for lecherousness.

The ground swept from beneath her feet, the sunrise with it. She muffled her moans into his chest and pressed her glistening forehead against him. "Oh Gosh…" Tsunade whimpered in building ecstasy. She forgot her duties, the people working only a dozen meters away, even her brother's name and her own into the bargain.

She was carried away upon a great tide, the man always with him. She left the shore-line in the distance, already half forgotten, the shore-line of her education, learning, manners, social point of view— everything to which her grandfather had most carefully brought her up as the child of an old-established shinobi family. This man had torn up the anchor. Only the anchor had previously been loosened a little by her own unconscious and restless efforts. . . .

Where was he taking her to? Upon what island would they land? She screamed her pleasure against his skin but he did not leave her rest for so long. Kakashi's fingers curled into her hair and yanked her pretty head back into his sight.

The afterglow lit up her face; it fell on her long loose hair and tumbled blouse, turning them amber. She looked not only soft and comely, but extraordinarily beautiful. The strange expression haunted the deep eyes again, the lips were a little parted, the firm breasts heaving slightly, joy and excitement in her whole presentment. And as he watched her, he knew that all he had felt was due to her close presence, to her atmosphere, her perfume, her physical warmth and vigor. It had emanated directly from her being.

They stood for a moment, framed in the glare of the sun. Then, two arms were flung around his neck, long, soft thighs about his waist and her weight upon the desk. Kakashi inhaled the heady scent of earth and flowers, and reclaimed her mouth in passion. The hips moved with a riotous glory of wild animals who romped with an impassioned glee beneath the sun. Intermingled, their groans and moans rose into a foam of delirious song that broke against the clouds.

From the aid of the desk, he laid her upon the cold ground, now glowing with the heat of orgy. She was breathless and panting, her sweet limbs aglow with the excitement of a building climax, her pulses beating with tumultuous life— helpless and yielding against his strength that pinned her down.

She screamed her joy whenever he merged into her, long, thick strokes fulfilling an exquisite law of worship.

They belonged together in some free and open life, natural, wild, untamed. Life was flowing about them now, rising, beating with delicious tumult in her veins and his. They wished the moment would never end.

He kissed the long neck, felt the voluptuous breasts, and they swayed in a natural mist of energy. There were great motions, like a forest shaking, like mad rivers flowing, cornfields rushing to the wind, yet his kisses, his touch were gentle because of love.

They came in blessing. With a deep, loud cry, there came joy. Kakashi's body fell atop hers in tenderness and lingered a moment upon her ecstatic heart. There was peace, sweetness and happiness, but above all, — there was life.

For a long moment, it was quiet as of a dawn. And then, knocks upon the door sounded. "Just a minute! Don't come in!" Tsunade shouted and both sprung from the ground, grabbing for garments that lay about them. "Dammit." She muttered under her breath and endeavored to tame her tousled golden locks. "Get behind the desk, Kakashi!" Her order was clear, and the man obeyed with a soft laughter. She threw his shirt after him and with the clearing of the throat, she said, "Enter!"

"Erm…Lady Hokage…"

"Asuma-sama…How can I help you?" She spoke with a gentle note of authority.

"I was informed about inimical activity at the Fire Temple."

"Yes. One of the tombs had been robbed, if I remember correctly."

"What happened to that mission? Was anyone sent to investigate?"

"About three days ago I sent a team to gain information. It seems one of the members stole the head monk's body for hell knows what purpose. That is all I know."

"Are you planning on sending a backup team?"

"Yes, but I planned a meeting for this afternoon…I thought I'd ask-…"

"Ask me."

She looked at him sharply. "Oh…Uh… Okay…" She fixed her piercing though kindly eyes on the man's face.I will have more teams cover the area, but you should be tracking the main line. The documents should be around somewhere…Here you go…Every report is here." She paused a moment, so as to hand the heavy folds of paper to the man. Then she looked back up at the shinobi with a graver expression than she had yet worn. "If you can leave tonight, you should find the Akatsuki members by morning."

"Thank you,…" He said but the sentence felt to be left unfinished.

"Something else is bothering you..." She stated on a kind tone.

"I uh-…It is a bit of a personal nature…I just…It may be a bit soon but if anything happened by the time Akatsuki is defeated…I need to know that Kurenai will always be safe."

"Of course…" She did not wholly comprehend the meaning behind his request but it troubled her all the more. She made an internal note to get into the end of it. "I will make sure she would always be out of danger." As she added, her whole being radiated kindness, intelligence and desire to help even though she did not yet know how.

The midday sun began to burn.

And immense sigh of relief proceeded from the man. "Thank you, Lady Hokage." Asuma relaxed his tightened muscles and bowed in politeness. "I will have these papers read and the people gathered by night."

"Very good. Be careful. We don't know what we are up against exactly."

"Of course."

She paused a moment and drew breath. "Wait, Asuma-sama!"

"Yes, Lady Hokage?"

She resumed with a sudden rush of words "I give you two days. Have the men scattered around, but you come back and report to me personally. If you don't, I send a backup team to your last known location."

He nodded in the positive and showed himself out.

"What do you think he meant by that?" She turned her face towards the grey-crowned shinobi.

"I don't know, Tsuna…" He admitted whilst fixing the garments upon his frame. "It did not sound good. I will check on him later today. But first, I have to see how Naruto-kun is doing with the training."

"He was quite eager at the beginning, wasn't he?" She stated with a soft smile. She felt happy, the second he was around her. It was simply impossible to hide it.

"For sure. But to be frank, it won't take long and he shall surpass us all."

"I feel that too…And it's troubling now, considering the situation with these cloaked bastards."

"Indeed…" Kakashi nodded, acknowledging the alarm in her voice. "Tsuna." He called her name as he faced her. Her sweet eyes traveled to the direction of the sound and he planted a kiss upon her lips. "Find me, if you need anything."

"I will." She uttered against his warm mouth and planted a caress upon his cheek.

The day henceforth passed rapidly. The woman locked herself up with hundreds of documents, reading, signing, re-reading, throwing aside most of them. Chaos was forming over the lands, and the harder they fought against it, the more futile these attempts became. The Akatsuki's power was undeniable, and unfathomable. Having a step behind, Tsunade knew that each and every mission initiated to halt them was most probably resulting in loss of shinobi.

In all honesty, she did not have too much faith in Nijuu Shoutai; Asuma will not stop the cloaked devils. She only hoped, that at least he would return. No, she was certain that he would return, somehow. Even if no one else survives, he cannot be lost to this war. He was a Sarutobi, after all.

Then, her thoughts traveled to Jiraiya; their farewell was too abrupt, too heated. Should she have been kinder to him, it was too late to ponder.

"He was always under surveillance when he needed it, trust me!" Yesterday's words suddenly broke forth in her mind and she tossed the book she was reading aside. "Always under surveillance…" After a pause that prolonged itself into minutes, she rose from her chair and crossed the room and unlocked a drawer in a bookcase, taking out an old folder with a symbol belonging to the Root Division. "Surveillance…"

Having read it through to make sure there was nothing in it requiring her attention, she threw it aside and went on with her previous thoughts. Within five minutes, however, it was back at her again. That restless thing called "between the lines" fluttered about her mind. Her interest about Akatsuki suddenly faded. Somewhere, somehow she felt disquieted and disturbed.

At first, she returned at the desk to persist in her work, forcing herself to concentrate, but soon found that the information read within the folder gained authority over her attention. Once or twice she glanced up, expecting to find someone in the room, that the door had opened unobserved.

But all was quiet as death. "Dammit, Tsunade." With a vexed sigh, she parted to the bookcase and took the folder again. Studying the sentences brought, however, no revelation, but increased confusion only; for while the uneasiness remained, the first clear hint had vanished. In the end, she placed the papers back and upon impulse, headed out to the Elder's quarters.

Fearful of making the smallest sound, she retraced her steps on tiptoe.

The heat was afflicting during the day, but at this late hour, the cool north wind blew pleasantly down the open windows. She rushed past several offices, never making a sound.

Danzo's chamber was heavily managed; there was an abundance of luxurious furniture placed with precision all over the room. The cold late summer air was closed out through few narrow windows. There were two generous oak tables and a few smaller ones against the crimson walls with capacious drawers. He certainly liked a lot of company. Mechanical devices for holding books, perfect lights and a stillness as if at a church looked uninvitingly at the intruder.

She fastened her steps towards the bookcase at the farthest corner, having been suspiciously hidden from ordinary sight. Dozens of books lay scattered about all of them with the same insignia, Root Division. How many minutes had passed, she could not tell as she stood there, in the darkest shadow of the chamber, but the strong scent of age oozing from a figure a few steps away at length gained her attention.

"Not even my concubines are allowed to walk in here without agreement."

She stopped short. Their eyes now made pretence impossible, for the truth had slipped out inevitably, stupidly. "I'm onto you, Lord Danzo."

The elder's lips turned to a sick smile and he looked searchingly into her eyes before he answered. "Choose your words wisely. Your friend Orochimaru is not here anymore, to save you this time." He seized the moment to batter at those guardian shrouds within the soul, which ward off madness by dulling the memory of unutterable things.

She made no answer, but all the fiendish ghouls shrieked inside her head and tore at her heart as in that same second there crashed down upon her mind that fleeting avalanche of soul-annihilating memory. She knew in that second all that had been; she heard the frightful begs emanating from her own throat, felt the cold touch of the katana piercing through her back and recognized, most terrible of all, the unholy abomination of a father that stood leering down at her as she withdrew her sullied body from his own.

But in the cosmos there is peace as well as bitterness, and that peace is love. In the supreme terror of that second, she forced her brain to forget what had mutilated her soul, and the burst of blackened memories vanished in a chaos of echoing images. In a deep sigh she swallowed all that was emotion and returned into the moment of speaking.

"I heard he is dead, anyway."

"Surely." She said dully, knowing the Serpent better than that.

Danzo turned his face a moment to look at other things in the room. He picked up a book and examined its cover as though he had made an important discovery, while he resumed in speaking. "What were you hoping to find in those folders?" This was plainly addressed to her.

"The Saindaime always questioned the use of the Root Division. We never troubled ourselves with that. But now you send me Sai-kun, and Yamato-san and Kakashi…Lord Hiruzen was right. What you have been doing to these people and who knows about the others…It is certainly not legal."

"You cannot end the Divison, Tsunade."

"Tsunade-sama." She corrected his audacity. "And I can, if I want to."

"Nobody would believe you. The Council will propagate me over you, if it comes to a second vote." As he spoke, he neared.

"Why would they do that?" At first, she was sure as hell he was but lying, a weak, ridiculous attempt to intimidate her.

"I received an anonymous letter this morning. It states, that you have been neglecting your duties over your personal life's interests. That you prefer indulging yourself in your primitive desires than saving this village." Here, he paused and delighted in the pitiable sight of her. With a building courage in his heart, he continued more fluently. "Halt me when I am wrong, Tsunade, but I do remember myself seeing you quite absorbed in the company of men. In addition, this morning you were found beside a man, on the ground, hell knows after what kind of coitus."

"This is bullshit." She stammered in her attempts to avoid expressing the thought that hid in her mind.

"It will serve as a well-founded evidence if you keep pressing me to start a personal war with you."

She couldn't say a word, for she was too furious. Her hands gripped the papers within her hands so tight it was feared that she would tear them. However unwholesome the moment was, she knew it was not yet over, for the man's eyes betrayed what lay behind that muffled smile of his. "What else is in that letter?"

"Oh, now…" Danzo smirked with audacity. "See, it is not only you would be risking her position but Kakashi too. It does change your attitude, doesn't it? You wouldn't want him in the middle of these horrible accusations, would you? Who knows how someone like him would react."

The last sentence made her heart skip a beat. "Pardon me?"

"I assume you spent way too much time here to put some pieces together. You were digging into his past, and thus into my past, you Senju whore."

"That's right." She swallowed the atrocity and resumed, keeping her calm demeanor. "It was you who ordered his mother's execution, not the Sandaime. He was always a coward when it came to the matters of the heart."

"I did. But it was too late. That bastard was born. It took me a few more years, but at last I attained my goal and eliminated the father as well. They were just not supposed to exist."

"That's why, you—…"

"Used him? Manipulated him? Of course. Kakashi is a precious weapon. Now that he is grown up, there is no way for me to get rid of him. I'd realized that in time and did what fitted me best. His powers equal with the Tailed Beasts', who wouldn't seek such advantage to possess?"

By degrees she commenced to feel an overwhelming anger but she endeavored to keep a relatively calm demeanor. "Why would you possibly need that kind of power?"

"That is none of your business."

"It is mine."

"Why? Because you two are screwing? Oh please." He laughed.

"Because your actions may influence Konoha's peace! From what I see is that you have been pulling all these strings since Sandaime had become Hokage, for hell knows why! You have this unknown enemy you wish to destroy and no life in this village is worthy of your mercy. That, Lord Danzo, can't stay unperceived anymore. As I said and I repeat, I am onto you."

"I will destroy everything and everyone dear to you. Including Konoha, if I must."

"That's why I will never let you take charge!"

"We will see about that, Senju whore." His words sounded more of a prediction than of a threat.

The opening of the door, to her great relief, interrupted them. One of the elders, Homura entered. "Oh, Lady Hokage…"

He bowed to both of them with a brief word of apology, looked round him, and withdrew, and with his departure the conversation between the two came naturally to an end. Tsunade, to avoid further tension followed him out.

Overhead the stars were brilliant in a sky quite dark, and there was so little wind that the chilliness sneaked past the garments, making her tremble as she ran. She longed for a nepenthe to calm herself, a balm for the aching soul to forget. Imprisoned thoughts came back with devastating force and she fought as she ran to ward off the hideous past, which pressed so close to her sanity. A momentary annihilation of her strength occurred and she fell like a fawn shot dead upon the ground. Her tears flew endlessly and she did not endeavor to hold them back; it was the only way for the soul to regain its peace.

She did not know the time nor did she care. She did not look where she collapsed, either. It all went down without her control.

After some time, she was certain there were footsteps nearby.

"Is everything all right?" Came a voice soft like silk. Albeit she did fight it, she could not resist helping her, for the woman kneeling in front of her suffered in a condition of indescribable chaos. Not knowing whether she was mad or sane, sober or drunk, but certain that she was all alone, in the middle of the night; her sight was pitiable beyond measure.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing. It's nothing." Tsunade cried and hurried to brush her tears away. She was saved by a merciful embrace that came unprecedented. "I am so sorry. I am not supposed to behave like this."

"Not on the street, Hokage-sama…" The other replied with politeness sounding in her voice, tinted with a slight concern she herself despised to notice. This was not the plan.

Tsunade regained some mental strength and wiped her eyes once more. "I must look pathetic, Rin-chan…It wasn't my goal…Please, if you could…Keep this between us, all right?" She implored, her mind stunned and chaotic as it was. With a bow to express her gratitude, she continued to stumble along the road.

"It's me, who's sorry…" An immense wave of self-hatred and disgust came crashing down the other's soul. Could it be…that she was the cause of such suffering? Did her means of hurting her succeeded this much? At any rate, that joy she felt yesterday when composing that letter was now wholly dissipated. Instead, remorse took its place and left her in war with herself.

The next morning, the office was gorgeously ablaze with light that came through the open windows. Tsunade groaned with a wry face and pulled her cloak over her head to shut out the rays. She must have fallen asleep from fatigue, for it was with a distinct sense of awakening that she heard the voices of shinobi passing the corridors and mingled utterances echoing in the hallways. The woman groaned and pretended she heard nothing at all. She still felt drowsy from last night and wished not to face the torments of consciousness for a while.

Time passed and her head slowly drooped awkwardly upon the sofa on which she lay. She woke in cold perspiration when the cloak was too tightly wrapped around her face it was impossible to breathe.

Vexed, she rose and brushed her hair with her fingers. She walked to the window and watched the darkening sky with a contemplating look. Even in the day, something was off. Something was fearsome. Horrible. The sun shone weirdly and palely above the towering hills. A closer scrutiny filled her with sensations she could not express, for the vast vaults of heaven, roared a violent storm's arrival, breaking over the horizon at any time.

Uncanny, vague sounds echoed in the wind outside. She pulled the curtains together, dazed and nervous, and sat at her desk. With an intense desire to rid herself from any thoughts, she pulled out a bottle of sake from the left drawer. "Finally, some peace." She sighed, half relieved, when several knocks resounded at the door. It was one of those few times someone actually did bother to knock. "Come in."

"Hokage-sa-sama…" One of the messengers stepped in. She looked alarming even to someone who had already seen the worst. The pale eyes commenced to glaze fishily at her, whilst underneath the white skin, no pulse seemed to generate life.

"What's wrong Sachiru-san?" Tsunade rapidly sprang from her seat and aided the woman to the sofa.

Her sallow cheeks paled and the thick lips fell open to utter something incomprehensible.

"I didn't understand, dear…What happened?" Tsunade repeated her question and pulled a blanket over her shaking frame.

"Asuma-sama…is dead."

Upon the news, Tsunade's heart gave a distinct leap. Her lips formed themselves into unregenerate shape. She gasped: "Good God! This can't be true!" For something unholy, something wicked as a secret sin, struck there before her eyes in the patch of blazing truth.

At first, shocked to the bone, she then grew frantic; and when in the darkening chamber she stood alone, she had sworn to the hundred gods that at any cost she would make everyone pay for it.