About before…sorry I uploaded the same chapter twice. Sorry, sorry for anyone who was disappointed. :(

Remember this is semi-AU. Kaede gets a back story! Yay!

Zombie Love

Chapter 10: That Cat

"Oh gods," Konohamaru held the crying shinobi in his arms, "What did he do?"

Naruto sniffed, "What hasn't he done?" He looked up with red eyes. His eyes widened and he shoved away. "He hasn't done that though!" Naruto laughed coldly, "Come on lets go I need to get his scroll to the Hokage. He pulled it out of his pocket and showed it to the younger boy.

"What is it?" Ko asked.

Naruto frowned and growled under his breath, "It's the cause of the damn plague." He took off before Konohamaru could ask any more questions. "Let's get to the Hokage's office."

It was a strange scene in that appeared before her. Two AMBU held Uchiha Sasuke. One held a very angry cat…well actually the cat was holding on with claws and teeth growling as if her life depended on it. "Fucking cat!" The man was about to strike the animal. "Stop!" Sasuke barked out. He struggled a bit and the men roughly forced him to the floor of her office. Immediately the cat squirmed out of the man's grasp and was on the back of a large masked Ninja who was pinning her rescuer to the ground. She was hissing and clawing. She buried her teeth into his shoulder.

"Kaede, stop!" Sasuke ordered. The cat let out a hiss before she slid down the man's back raking her sharp claws as she went. She squeezed her way between Sasuke and the guards and curled up on his back tucking her tail and growling a warning to the two men. Tsunade stood from her desk staring wide eyed and slack jawed before she hardened her features.

"What in all the hells is going on?" Tsunade bellowed. The three ANBU looked toward her the one with a bleeding hand stood straight, "Hokage-sama, We have brought the traitor Uchiha Sasuke to you per the request of Sarutobi Konohamaru." They forgot to mention Naruto who had been left alone with that very same dangerous criminal. She paused frowning, "I already know about that. Konohamaru sent word. Naruto was the one whom intercepted him in the first place. Where is he?"

"We left him at the scene," The one with no injuries that was helping to hold the unresisting Uchiha.

"Get up you ass. You do realize that the Uchiha could have sliced you in half long before you got to my office if he was planning on running." Tsunade knew. She sensed the difference in powers. Sasuke could have easily taken the three of them out without breaking a sweat and they were elite. The only rival in power she recognized, other than the three sannin, was Naruto.

"So Uchiha," She spat distastefully, "What brings you here. I would have thought Orochimaru had long ago run through your body and moved on to the next big talent."

"There were complications…" Sasuke said from his resting place on the floor. Finally the idiots were climbing off him. He pushed himself up to kneeling position but remained there. He was exhausted and felt no need to get up.

"What pray tell were these complications?"

Sasuke looked at the floor, "I was ill when the time of transfer came. The transfer would have destroyed my body. I had confronted my brother and lost. My comrades were all killed and I was left out in the wilderness for a week. I had a severe infection when Kabuto found me. He carried me back to Orochimaru's lair and I was ill for over a month with a chest infection and pneumonia. By the time I was well again he had been forced to find another substitute body. I suppose it was lucky on my part, but I stayed because I have not accomplished my goal."

"Foolish boy!" Tsunade erupted, "You're goal to seek revenge has caused nothing but misery for those who care for you!" She pounded her desk.

There was a timid knock on the door and Shizune peeked in. She looked exhausted as did the Hokage, "Naruto and Konohamaru are here Lady Tsunade."

Naruto pushed past her, "Good morning Granny."

"I thought I told you not to call me that!" She yelled at him frowning. Then she noticed his disheveled state, "What happened to you Naruto?"

"Tsunade, you and Sasuke and I need to talk…Ko can stay as well since he is already privy to some of the info." Naruto sounded as if he were ordering the Hokage around.

"…But Hoka-" One of the ANBU spoke up he wore a hawk mask.

Tsunade held her hand up, "Leave us." Shizune frowned but followed her order. The black ops cleared out not wanting to be on the wrong end of her temper.

Naruto stood, "I'm no good at barriers but we need to have a sound barrier put up." He looked toward Konohamaru who smirked and began setting up the barrier to protect them from eaves-dropping shinobi.

Sasuke growled and stood he wasn't going to be outdone by some upstart brat. He took the other half of the room furiously forming hand seals. He worked quickly around the perimeter of the room and soon met Konohamaru. Sparks flew from their eyes and their jutsus…instead of melding together they seemed to be fighting for supremacy. Naruto smacked his head and Tsunade gave him a sympathetic look.

'So the Uchiha is jealous, and Konohamaru isn't exactly a temple of understanding,' The woman nearly snorted in her amusement. If the situation didn't seem so grave she would have thrown the lot out of her office (excluding the Uchiha whom she would have arrested and taken to prison).

"Enough!" She slammed her fists into the desk and shook the entire room. The Uchiha glared and Konohamaru flinched. Naruto rolled his baby blues. "Uchiha, sit down before I have you carted off to a nice dank cell under the prison. Konohamaru allow Uchiha's chakra to take over! His seal is stronger." Konohamaru's face fell. Sasuke took a seat quietly and respectfully. Naruto took the seat next to it but avoided looking at the man he loved but whom had hurt him so deeply he may never be able to forgive him. Konohamaru took the only seat left which was a brown leather sofa in the corner of the office on the left flank of Tsunade's desk. From that position he saw half a dozen empty sake bottles hidden carelessly behind a stack of papers.

Tsunade sat and placed her elbows on her desk she laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her knuckles. Her ample cleavage pressed into the desk.

"Naruto," She paused and looked at him, "Have you been crying?"

"No!" Naruto sent a warning glance to Konohamaru who wisely kept silent.

"Well anyway tell me why we shouldn't I have the traitor Uchiha executed?" Tsunade still was looking at the other blonde in the room.

"He has important information about the plague," Naruto explained. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a scroll, "According to Sasuke Orochimaru ordered him to open this scroll which unleashed the plague. It's no ordinary illness, but I didn't get much more out of him before the guards arrived and interrupted our little reunion." The disdain in his voice cut Sasuke deeply but he kept his stoic expression.

"Well Uchiha please explain to us everything," Tsunade ordered and he opened his mouth. She interrupted to add one last thing, "Be careful of your words because your life depends on it. I know you are powerful but between Myself, Naruto, and Konohamaru we could hold you long enough for the entire ANBU squad to be summoned.

Kaede jumped up on Tsunade's desk and hissed at her baring her teeth and then she jumped into Sasuke's lap and curled up. "…And what's with the cat."

"I'll explain everything. Firstly I wanted to say that I was sorry. I didn't know what that scroll held when I broke the seal, but I was hoping it might have clues on how to neutralize the curse it held." Tsunade agreed gruffly. Then she let Sasuke continue. He retold the last week of his life not leaving anything out. He explained that touching the scroll supposedly gave the person immunity from the illness.

He remembered slaughtering those empty husks that had been farmers and common people. He felt ill remembering those lifeless shells. He told of the abandoned farm house and finding Kaede and the undead woman, and how Kaede has already saved his skin twice; first from the old lady, and then from the dark energy in the forest that he could still sense.

He was white faced as he finished and his stoic image had slipped as he gulped down saliva that was collecting in his mouth.

"…And Orochimaru doesn't know that the scroll he had burned was a fake. I had a terrible feeling since I broke that seal so I used empty scrolls I had found locked away in the vault and I copied the scroll just in case he wished to look at it, but I made it slightly imperfect so he would not be able to use the seals to recreate whatever monster I had unleashed...And you feel it don't you? Something ominous is slowly approaching the village. Based on its speed I'd say you have four or five days to prepare. I do not think it has innocent intentions." Sasuke warned. He felt like throwing up at the thought of what such an awesome power could accomplish. It didn't seem intelligent or friendly it felt…

"It feels like starvation. Like it needs to feed a deep hunger," Naruto spoke out the way he spoke left no room for argument. I know that feeling. I have experienced it. Naruto swallowed. He looked between the three other people in the room.

"We need Jiraiya, I wish Sarutobi-sensei were still alive, but Jiraiya would be our next best bet. How can we locate him quickly? Naruto when was the last time he contacted you?"

"I got a letter from him before the plague hit the village. He was in hot spring territory, but he was about to leave there. He didn't say where he was going he actually didn't know. We could send some trackers to the hidden hot springs village. Damn it's a day and a half travel if you run nonstop. Could we have Sai fly on his ink bird?"

"I don't know, but we could send a copy of the scroll with him and send some tracker-nins on the ground as well."

"Hokage sama," Sasuke spoke up, "If it is true, that the scroll gives immunity to any who touch it I suggest you touch it as well. I am worried that too much handling might damage it but that may be the only defense against whatever is out there."

"You may be right. You say one only has to handle the thing?" She asked Sasuke nodded. "Please bring the scroll to me Naruto, Konohamaru come here and touch it okay?" Naruto stood and approached the desk. Konohamaru did the same. Naruto handed the scroll over and Konohamaru touched it.

"Uchiha will be staying with me," Tsunade announced, "I want the two of you to go home and rest."

"Yes Hokage-sama," Both of them nodded. They left. Sasuke looked disappointed as if he was hoping by some slim chance that He would be leaving with Naruto but Tsunade is no fool, "Uchiha I don't trust you why would you even think I'd let you near Naruto unsupervised?"

"Pardon me Hokage sama," Sasuke looked shocked.

"Not in your wildest dreams. This," She held up the scroll, "This hardly makes up for your crimes against that boy. I don't want you hurting him."

"I don't plan to," Sasuke argued.

"Did you plan any of it? Naruto has searched for you. He has pined for you but now that you are hear I can tell he is far from happy. You hurt him one too many times. He is the most forgiving person I know but everyone has their limits," Tsunade yelled at him. It stung. It really, did to think that he has messed up his last chance to make amends and be with Naruto in any form. His heart broke. His face went from white to gray.

"At least I can see remorse on your face. Is it real?" She asked seriously.

"Yes, I regret everything I have done to him, if only for his sake. I don't know if I will ever be strong enough to defeat my brother but I was too weak to realize what a treasure I had in my grasp. Naruto is worth all of the Uchiha line combined."

"Good it's nice to know that someone else besides Konohamaru, Sai and Sakura appreciate him for what he is." She sat back down, "Listen I do not want to see you rot in prison, you were only a child when you ran away. I appreciate that but you will have to answer for your crimes." He nodded obediently this whole situation had humbled him somewhat. He still hated the little prick Konohamaru's guts but he had no right to interfere in Naruto's life.

"About that cat," Tsunade spoke softer, "May I have a look at her?"

Sasuke stood and held Kaede in his arms she stretched and purred. He began to hand her over but she growled at the lady, "it's fine Kaede she won't harm you," he looked at as if warning her that he would not be responsible for himself if the cat were hurt.

"Most certainly not, but Sasuke you speak to her as if she understands you."

"I think she does." Sasuke answered and handed the cat over. Kaede didn't resist but she didn't purr or nuzzle the woman like she had Sasuke and even Naruto.

Tsunade looked her over stroking her fur. The cat made no attempt to move which was unnatural because most cats arch into pets as if on reflex. Tsunade looked in her right ear then her left, "Ha, there." She folded the cat's ear. Kaede allowed her thought a soft growl escaped her. Sasuke noticed a tattoo on the inside of her ear. It was shaped like three comas connected by a thin black ring they surrounded a small dot. "That looks like the sharingan," Sasuke spoke almost in awe.

"There was an Uchiha that had tamed a feral cat when I was a child. It was said to be the offspring of the two tailed demon and a common house cat. It had stores of chakra that rivaled an elite jounin. The Uchiha's name was Hyou. I remember her because she and I went to academy together. She was looked down upon by her clan because she didn't possess the Sharingan, but she was a talented shinobi in her own right. She found the cat that is likely that one's great-great-grand father. It was a feral yellow tabby tom cat. It became quite famous in the village. It had been dubbed the little demon of Konoha. Many had attempted to capture the little beastie because it caused so much trouble. One day Hyou found the cat in the trash behind the academy. Someone had managed to injure the thing and somehow she coaxed it out. The cat scratched her on the chest just below the collar bone but she managed to calm him and tend his wound. After that the animal followed her everywhere. She was on a genin team like I was and the cat kept following her on missions. She had gotten a warning from her sensei to get rid of the cat but she couldn't. She went to the only people she could thing of for advice. The Inuzuka. They certainly did not like the idea of helping a cat but Hyou was persistent. The head of the Inuzuka Clan at the time (Tsuma's father, I think) allowed her to observe their training and within a month the Cat was approved for missions. She called him Leiko because he was so full of himself. The car was tattooed with the image of the sharingan by one of the Inuzuka. They put her mark in her cats ear like they do their dogs I do not know why they didn't put the Uchiha fan in its ear but I suspect Hyou of that there was a lot of animosity between her and the rest of her clan over her inability to use the blood line limit and yet she still insisted on becoming shinobi." Tsunade stopped to breath and Sasuke started asking questions he had never known of a cousin or aunt named Hyou.

"Lady Tsunade, what happened to her? How could this cat have the same mark? I never knew of Hyou."

She felt a pang of pity. For the first time since he had gotten to her office she saw a lost child rather than a missing ninja. Sasuke was so desperate for anything to grasp on to in regards to his family. She smiled sadly, "I suppose you wouldn't you were young…when your clan was slaughtered. It is not a story for little ears."

Sasuke frowned at the reminder of his loss but he understood she was only explaining things to him and not doing it to intentionally hurt him.

Hyou was chuunin rank when she took a lover. The young man was not an Uchiha. He was her genin team mate. His name was Takahashi Shou. He was a popular young man in his day and had a similar problem to you in that girls flocked to him. He on the other hand had only had eyes for Hyou long before they were team mates. Hyou like all Uchihas were blessed with good looks."

"I think of it as a curse actually," Sasuke interrupted.

"Well fortunately you weren't cursed with charm," She retorted, "Anyway where was I? Oh Hyou, Hyou was quite the beauty but she was cold and hard so none of the boys dare approach her except Shou. He wasn't the brightest shinobi but he was brave and strong. He was a fighter and she was stealthy. He chased her all over the village, but she always evaded him. Then they were place in a team together with a Nara boy. I don't recall him he was rather quiet, but the team was one that had been called into question two genius ranked ninja paired with a ninja of average intelligence who happened to be a strong fighter, but they made it work.

Well they were stuck together and Hyou thought she would not survive to the chuunin exam with the idiot hanging odd of her. The cat helped some it seemed to have a jealous streak a mile ling when it came to Hyou. Poor Shou got the worst end of Leiko's claws more than once."

"Well?"

"What?"

"If they hated each other than how did they end up becoming lovers?"

"I was getting to it you brat. Now shut it! Okay I'll skip to that their first mission out of the village they were attacked by bandits and the idiot Shou took a sword through his ribs to save the cat. He said it was because he loved the cat's master that he had done it and Hyou couldn't help but have some feelings for him after that not that she let on for a long time."

"After they became Chuunin she admitted she returned his feelings and they planned to elope. The Uchiha clan would not stand for an outsider marrying one of their women even if they considered her a disgrace she still carried the Uchiha blood. She and Shou ran away and Hyou's father tracked them down. They were caught in the act of making love and Hyou's father tore her away from Shou wrapped her in a blanket and dragged her home kicking and screaming. Shou disappeared that night and there were many rumors the two most popular theories were that he ran away or that the Uchihas had him killed for defiling one of their own. Hyou ran away, she took Leiko and the clothes on her back and nothing else. She left her Hitai-ite and they were never able to track her down. She was presumed dead but no body was recovered so the clan chose to forget about the disgrace of the Uchiha clan."

"Then that old woman…could she have been Hyou?"

"I do not know that but it is highly possible. The cat is evidence of that." She let the cat go and it flicked its tail in the air and gave her a haughty look before jumping onto her Sasuke's lap.

"The cat is possessive it seems," Tsunade smirked.

"Hn," Sasuke wasn't amused.

Tsunade cleared her throat and straightened up, "Now for this scroll, you made a copy before can you make two perfect copies?" She asked.

"I can I memorized the seals with my sharingan." I don't understand how that could have caused this but whoever sealed it away must have been very powerful.

That or could a group have done it together?"

"I don't know."

"We need another brain or two," Tsunade leaned back in her chair, "We will call the Naras in the morning, but for now I think sleep is in order, especially for you, and a shower. You are rank…no offence."

"Hn," Sasuke frowned.

The woman took him to her home. She had a guest room and she trusted him enough to not watch him every second. She had decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being, but Orochimaru on the other hand was going to pay dearly if it was the last thing she did…

"Chu!" Orochimaru sneezed as he and his faithful assistant Kabuto made ready to leave, "Someone's thinking of me." He sing-songed in a crazy voice and grinned evilly.

{Hope it was okay…the chapter but more specifically the useless back story.}