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Smoothing down his kimono, Naruto's kage bunshin strolled back to the head of the table, winked at Gaara along the way, and knelt once more. He and Gaara would have to decide later what to do about Kabuto's escape. Somehow, the little rat had gotten wind that they were coming for him—some ANBU must have been incautious, despite their warnings about Kabuto's true level of danger. Either that, or there was another leak somewhere.

Draining what little soju was left in the boss' glass, the clone turned back to Shibi and Sasuke. "My apologies again for the interruption. What were you saying, Shibi-dono?"

Shino's father seemed to consider him for a moment from behind his dark glasses. "I was just commenting to Uchiha-kun that I had heard little of him attending functions such as these," he answered finally, turning back to Sasuke. "My son's observations of you in the Academy were that you were very driven and academically-inclined, but that you would not appreciate being approached. Why? Because you had made a point of brushing off any overtures of friendship from others in your class."

Naruto had a feeling Shibi's hidden eyes had darted to him again.

Sasuke frowned—he probably thought it was a carefully-blank expression, but in reality he was only twelve and didn't hide his emotions nearly as well as he thought he did. "Your son's conclusions were…fair," he grumbled, "If not very comprehensive." He leaned back slightly to allow the servers to clear the table in front of him. After a moment, he added grudgingly. "I was uninterested in fans. And any moment that I was not learning or training felt wasted. I still believe that in general, but…" He too glanced at Naruto, who obligingly pretended not to notice.

That was very interesting. The boss would be delighted to hear about that hesitation. Probably it was his sharp increase in strength that had caught Sasuke's attention, but anything that kept the Uchiha out of Orochimaru's coils was welcome.

…Speaking of, he really needed to find out where the hell Orochimaru was. He mentally underlined it on his to-do list, even knowing there was too much else ahead of it.

"Shino had few observations of you to share, Uzumaki-san," Shibi added, his sunglasses reflecting the light sharply as he turned back to Naruto. "Why? I believe he may have considered you a known quantity."

Realizing that Shibi was waiting for him to make a comment, Naruto said lightly, "It simply goes to show that we must always remember to look underneath the underneath, as Kakashi-sensei likes to remind us. As for his comments regarding my teammate… There is a great deal more to strength than in fighting, I think, and a great deal more to life than revenge."

Between them, he saw Tsunade's eyes narrow, though she didn't break off her conversation with Hiashi about the usefulness of the Byakugan in the hospital. Smiling, he took a moment to refill her soju, and to top off Hiashi's barely-touched glass.

Hiashi inclined his head and did the same for Naruto.

"I understand many Hyuuga feel that assisting in hospital work is beneath their pride," Naruto said suddenly, breaking into the latter conversation.

Hiashi's eyebrows creased, but he gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement, apparently curious where Naruto was going. They both ignored the tic that appeared in Tsunade's eyebrow.

"But the Hyuuga are one of our remaining noble clans, and what more noble profession is there than healing?" Naruto said slyly. Hiashi's lips pursed slightly, which on a less dignified man might have been considered a pout. As it was, it seemed like almost an expression of amusement. "Of course," Naruto added, "I wasn't brought up with much understanding of my clan–" here every adult from Konoha concealed a wince, "–so I cannot speak much to the pressures of living up to expectations, but it strikes me that as nin we should take more pride in our abilities than our history."

The entire group was listening now, some with more restraint than others. Gaara looked amused, though likely no one else could see it. Kurotsuchi's eyes were wide, if slightly glassy from drink, and even Roshi had raised an eyebrow.

"So a family legacy means nothing to you?" Sasuke asked, sounding offended.

"On the contrary, it means a great deal—have we not just finished a meal from my clan's homeland? But to address the spirit of your question, Sasuke-dono, why should it matter what someone from my clan has done in the past, if I cannot live up to it? And if I surpass my family, why should I be held back by presumptions about the family name?"

There were a few grudging nods from around the table.

Taking a breath and looking back at Sasuke, he continued, "Am I to take pride in the famed Fuuinjutsu prowess of the Uzumaki clan? What right do I have to be prideful, when I had no hand in making that legacy? What respect do you imagine I should have been accorded before I learned Fuuinjutsu myself? We are shinobi, and more importantly, this is Konoha, where a talented orphan can play to his strengths, become Hokage, and inspire countless nin thereafter."

Ah, but was he referring to his father, or to himself? He caught Gaara's eye and did his best not to smirk. His impromptu address finished, Naruto clapped his hands once. "Dessert!" he announced, as the servers brought out pastries stuffed with red bean paste, and confections like spun-sugar wrapped around candied nuts or chocolate. There was also a large pot, not just of tea, but of Kawa coffee — a taste he and Gaara had acquired during the Edo Tensei War.

The tension around the table broke easily as people tried out the mostly-unfamiliar drink and confections, before most dismissed them for the more recognizable pastries.

"So you place personal pride higher than family?" Sasuke persisted. Most of the table seemed to be at least half-listening.

Naruto sighed. "The only family I have known in this life is seated across from me."

Everyone's head snapped toward Gaara, and then back.

"Not by blood," he added. "At least, I don't think so. He does have red hair, but the Uzumaki can't be the only redheads in the elemental nations, right?" He lapsed into a thoughtful silence, then shook his head slightly. "Anyway, speaking more broadly, what should be more important? Family? Or honor?"

Nobody had an immediate answer.

"What do you choose when those two come into conflict?" Naruto persisted.

The whole table had gone quiet.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and finished softly, "What do you when you choose differently than the rest of your family?"

Naruto, still in his Kitsune disguise, watched the two Akatsuki carefully. The next few minutes could make or break a lot of his tentative plans, depending on the actions of the two rogue nin in front of him. Of course, he hadn't expected this particular incursion in the new timeline, since Sasuke hadn't been marked by Orochimaru. Then again, he himself was not out of the village with Jiraiya because Tsunade had already been recalled.

He spared a moment to wonder how the old man had convinced her, while Itachi and Kisame studied his carefully relaxed posture. Of course, he could explode into action in an instant, and all of them knew it, but the projection of an appearance of ease was more important amongst powerful nin than the reality, being a symbol of extended trust.

"My, he's an interesting one, isn't he Itachi-san?" Kisame said finally, letting his hand slip back off Samehada's hilt for the moment. Probably a good sign for much the same reason. "Do you know each other?"

Itachi did not reply, his slowly-spinning red eyes boring into the holes of Kitsune's mask. Naruto cheerfully avoided his gaze, switching between watching Kisame's hands and Itachi's shoulders for any signs that might give away an attack.

"Nope!" Naruto answered the question instead. With both the ease and subtlety of long practice, he began to hold his body completely still so as to become one with his surroundings. "I was not inducted into ANBU until long after Uchiha-san left us." A true statement. It had been almost four years from now. "I have to assume that some of our bolt-holes were not collapsed and sealed properly, or maybe they were cracked by Root. Hard to keep an eye on the Darkness all the time, as I'm sure you can imagine." Itachi's shoulders tensed infinitesimally. "I gather that's what brought you home, Uchiha-san?" he added conversationally.

Itachi again said nothing.

"You know, I was joking before. Does he actually give you the cold shoulder like this all the time?" Naruto asked Kisame, who chuckled.

"Rather a lot at first, but we've been partners for a while, you know. Got to trust each other a little bit," he said with a pointed smile.

"Only a little?" Naruto smirked. "I thought the Seven Swordsmen were all about teamwork? I know Konoha is."

"A good teammate is hard to come by," Kisame lamented, still grinning. "Is it any wonder I left? But Itachi-san has pulled his weight so far; I guess I can't complain."

"Good, that's good," Naruto said. He shifted his attention back to Itachi even as his senses expanded to encompass the the world to beyond the reach of his eyes. "Your brother is currently at dinner with the most prominent clan heads of the village, as well as three fully-stable jinchuuriki. We became aware of a plot by Orochimaru to mark Sasuke-kun with the Cursed Seal of Heaven during the Chunin exams, but that plan seems to have been abandoned. Orochimaru's spy, Yakushi Kabuto, fled the village over a month ago. None of us has seen or heard from him since, and I assure you, I am aware of every living thing in this village." He paused to let his point sink in, then added, "Even if that plan were to be executed, I successfully removed the same Cursed Seal from another shinobi of this village less than twenty minutes ago."

He wasn't sure, but he thought Itachi's eyes widened slightly. The 'traitor's' hands shifted slightly within his cloak.

"So, if your business today is with the Darkness, I'm afraid it will have to be passed through one of his messengers. I cannot allow you to step further into the village where you will be detected by more than just me. Don't be too worried if your little carrier pigeon doesn't bring you a reply, though, because I'm planning to blow the ceiling off the old cyclops' little hidey-holes soon. Orochimaru is next, if I can figure out where the hell he currently is, between his many laboratories in Rice Fields. It would be best for you to cheer me on from a distance."

Kisame reached for his sword again, though slowly enough that he plainly wasn't intending to draw immediately. "You know," he said silkily, "That almost sounded like you threatening us to stay out of your way, when as far as I can tell, you're just one nin."

Well. So much for being subtle, Naruto gave a mental shrug. Gaara's going to kill me.

Kurama laughed.

"I did mention the three fully-stable jinchuuriki, right?" he asked pointedly. "I have personally met with three more who have also agreed to work with me. As for the last three…well, I can only be in so many places at once. Can anything stand up to them all? Your leader doesn't seem to think so."

"If you're familiar with Leader-sama's goal, perhaps we should bring you back with us," Kisame interrupted. "We certainly can't just leave you here, knowing as much as you do." His grip tightened on Samehada.

Naruto didn't move, remaining relaxed and still. "Your leader's plan is doomed because the jinchuuriki are ready for him. And I don't think you actually care because you know perfectly well that an unstoppable weapon will never create peace, only fear. So one has to wonder what you're doing with Akatsuki at all, Hoshigaki-san."

"Ah, I just want to see a world of truth," Kisame's grin widened.

"That sounds tempting," Naruto admitted. "But I think I'd rather see a world of true peace. Wouldn't you agree, Uchiha-san?" He finally turned his head, just slightly, so that Itachi could see his eyes - yellow and barred like a toad's.

There was a long pause, but just when it seemed Kisame was about to draw, Itachi finally spoke. "We're going, Kisame."

The shark-man released his sword and turned smoothly on his heel, as if he'd intended to do so all along, though he glanced back over his shoulder. "This was a very interesting conversation, Kitsune-san," he rasped. "Try not to die before we can have another one." He leapt back in the direction they'd come, and an instant later, Itachi vanished after him using Shunshin.

Naruto let out a long breath and, once he felt them cross the walls, began releasing the nature chakra he had collected, bleeding it back into the biosphere and feeling his awareness shrink once more.

With a muted rush of chakra, Jiraiya flickered into view on the branch beside him. "What happened?" he asked sharply. "I felt you emitting nature chakra."

"I managed to talk my way out of a confrontation," Naruto said enigmatically. "Now, since you're here, and the night is still young…" he gave a feral grin under his mask. "What do you say we grab some shovels and spend tomorrow shining some sunlight on Konoha's Roots?"

Jiraiya huffed at the pun, but followed as Naruto hopped off.

The rest of the table had broken off into individual discussions once more. The host, Naruto, was discussing taijutsu with the Hyuuga and the Aburame, with the brooding Uchiha apparently listening closely. Roshi had engaged the Inuzuka on the subject of tracking, while playing a round of shogi on a board the Nara had unsealed from a scroll.

Kurotsuchi reached for her glass, but it slid out of her reach. Blinking in confusion, she saw a few grains of sand crawl out from under it, like ants. Following their path, she met the cool teal eyes of the redhead to her left, who was holding a cup of water to her instead.

"I beg your pardon," Gaara said politely, "but I remember too well the morning after my first night drinking soju with Uzumaki. You may well thank me, tomorrow."

Monotone though his voice was, there was a small sparkle of amusement in his eyes, and she remembered something. "When Uzumaki got that message a moment ago," she said in a low voice, taking the water, "you laughed when he came back. Why?"

One corner of the boy's mouth twitched minutely. "Whatever the message was, it was more urgent than he implied," Gaara revealed. "He replaced himself with a kage bunshin so as to answer it in person."

Kurotsuchi blinked. "You mean–?" She looked back at the head of the table, where Uzumaki was biting into what Roshi had stated was called a kkultarae.

"Indeed. I confess, I don't know what the emergency was. We have quite a few irons in the fire, as I believe the Fire country saying goes. It cannot have been dangerous, though, or he would not have gone alone. …Probably."

"'Probably'?" she repeated.

"He has a fondness for dramatics."

"Hey, yo, big bro!"

"B, how many times have I told you to use the door like everyone else?" The Yondaime Raikage, called A as the first among equals in his village just as his predecessors had been, pinched his nose in irritation as his adoptive brother slipped in through the window.

B smirked. "Your assistant's desk is a blockade. I know she's sharp as a blade, but she's made it too hard to reach ya when I want to meet'cha to get a plan okay'd."

"If Mabui tells you I'm busy, it's because I'm busy," A growled, glaring at the scroll that was unrolled on the desk in front of him.

"Ain't like you to say you're busy if you're just here readin' yourself to a tizzy," B frowned, crossing the room to lean over his brother's shoulder. "What's got your hair all frizzy?"

Rolling his eyes, A surreptitiously ran a hand over his hair as B read the report.

B whistled. "People comin' from near and far to watch them cool exams in Konoha."

"That came from our informant in Konoha less than an hour ago," A said. "Their Chunin exams ended in a victory for a brat less than six months out of their Academy. All three of the Kazekage's children were defeated, two by him. And the winner is described as blond-haired and blue-eyed, and capable of teleporting like the Fourth Hokage. And, as if all that weren't enough news, the Tsuchikage showed up in time to witness this in person! If I didn't know better, I'd think Sarutobi was trying to start a war!" He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.

B was still reading. "Both young fighters seemed enthused, showed off jutsu they never used, cloaks of glowing chakra oozed out to make them shine… This was Suna's One and Konoha's Nine."

A paused at that, his mind working to interpret B's always-tortured rhymes. "One and Nine… Jinchuuriki?"

B smirked, dropping the report and nodding. "I think we gotta know more, best we send someone who can keep score, speak for Kumo and its kage, and weigh the real naiveté of whoever made this play."

A rolled his eyes, reached up, and gripped B's face with his Iron Claw. "I see what you're driving at, but I am not sending you out to scout this. You wouldn't know subtlety if it shaved your beard."

B flailed and jerked free, straightening his shades. "If it ain't me, though, who you think is fit to go?"

A paused, realizing he was about to complete a rhyme himself…but it would smash his brother's plans to run off at the same time, so it was worth it. He smirked. "Who else? Go bring me Yugito."

B's shoulders slumped. "You the boss, bro."

A failed to notice the smug look on his brother's face as he slipped out of the window again.

The rest of Konoha's rookie genin had parted ways after dinner, still floored by what they thought they might have discovered. Shikamaru was, naturally, wondering if there was more evidence that could support or debunk their theory. Chouji seemed deep in thought. Shino was as inscrutable as ever. Kiba…already seemed to have put the the matter to the side, in favor of acting his age when Ino hooked her arms through Sakura's and Hinata's elbows and announced that they were having a sleepover.

"You sure you don't want a little more company?" He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

Hinata, blushing, poked her fingers together, but Ino merely scoffed and flipped her hair dismissively. "Your approach needs work, Kiba; now let's see your departure."

Sakura giggled, and they turned a corner before the Inuzuka could come up with a retort. They heard him sigh, then grumble at his dog as Akamaru no doubt teased him.

Ino's house wasn't far, and as they strolled up to the door, Sakura pulled her arm free of Ino's grasp. "You haven't invited me to a sleepover in years, Miss Piggy. What's changed?"

Ino shrugged, fishing out her key. "We all thought we knew where we stood before today, right? Everything's been shaken up. Why not change more? We never got to hang out with Hinata-chan before, either." She pulled the door open and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, not quite meeting Sakura's eyes. "And…I missed my best friend, you know?"

Hinata flushed cutely, bowing to Ino as she started to take off her sandals. Sakura toed her own off as well, and they followed Ino upstairs as she called a greeting to her mother. They took turns in the shower, borrowing Ino's spare bathrobes, and settled down in her room. Hinata, who had gone first, was sitting behind Sakura to brush out her hair when Ino arrived and plopped onto the bed on her stomach.

"So, out with it, what do you think is up with Naruto?"

Hinata seemed to freeze up, the brush pausing in Sakura's hair for a moment, before she resumed. "I- I haven't seen him around the village much," she admitted. "The last time I remember was…about a month ago? Around when the other Exam competitors arrived. I saw him, and he…he surprised me. I…" she blushed darkly. "I don't remember much more. I woke up back at home."

"You think he brought you home?" Ino asked, rolling over and nudging Sakura aside so Hinata could brush her hair next. "He must have, right?"

Tying her own hair back in a braid for the night, Sakura shifted up against the headboard and brought her knees up to rest her chin on them.

Hinata's blush did not ease, though her hands remained steady. "My father said as much. He mentioned having tea with Naruto-kun. And…he said Naruto-kun was hosting a dinner with most of the clan heads tonight."

"That must be where Daddy is," Ino mused. "Have you noticed anything else?"

Sakura thought hard. "He seems…more confident, I guess," she put in quietly, fiddling with the end of her braid. "During the Second Exam, he basically took charge. I didn't think much of it, since Sasuke-kun agreed with him, but… We camped out near the tower for four days before anyone even came near us. When they did, Naruto took off alone and came back with the scroll we needed, and covered in blood. He…he said he killed them."

The three of them considered that. Rationally, they all knew that shinobi were killers, but Sakura was pretty sure nobody else from their class was blooded yet.

"Did he seem okay?" Ino asked, thinking of her father's lessons in psychology. He was, after all, attached to the Torture and Interrogation department. "I mean…the first kill is supposed to be really rough."

"He wasn't acting any differently than before," Sakura replied. "He just said it was time to get in the tower."

"Naruto-kun, he…" Hinata licked her lips hesitantly. "He never shouts in surprise anymore."

Sakura blinked. Hinata was right; she didn't understand how she could have failed to notice the absence of Naruto's earsplitting 'NANI!?', but he hadn't done it in at least a month. She thought of his tension in the Forest, his casual explanation of apparently killing an enemy team by himself, and his reaction when Sasuke tackled him after the Second exam. Naruto apparently now reacted to unexpected circumstances with a quip, or at most a furrowed brow.

"Sasuke-kun confronted him after he came back with the scroll, but he was…just really calm the whole time. Like he was in the tournament, too," Sakura finished. "And…did they tell you he was the one who found you all in the Forest?"

Ino, tying off her own braid, whipped her head around. "Wait, what?"

Sakura nodded. "We hadn't been there more than five minutes when he suddenly started yelling for a medic, and his clones carried in your team and our senpai—the team with the boy in the green jumpsuit, and the girl with the twin buns–"

"And Neji-nii-san," Hinata finished.

"Yeah," Sakura said. "I don't know how he knew, but he just barked orders until he found a medic, and gave them a summary of injuries before he went to take a shower."

"I remember," Hinata said slowly. "He threw open the cafeteria doors and shouted…" She chewed her lip. "I remember being so startled. It was…commanding. Like he expected to be obeyed."

Ino tilted her head even as she gently slapped Hinata's hands off the brush, taking charge of brushing the Hyuuga's shorter hair herself. "Well, given what we've guessed about his family…" She trailed off. "I hate to say Kiba's right, but he really does have a point. I can't imagine this having been kept a secret. And yet…"

"The evidence does seem to fit Shikamaru's guess, though," Sakura sighed, burying her face in her knees. "I feel awful for all the times I hit him, now." Unseen to her, Hinata's mouth opened, a small crease between her eyebrows, but she hesitated when Sakura continued. "And that makes me feel even more horrible, because…if the only reason I feel bad is because he's someone different than I thought he was…then I'm the one in the wrong, aren't I? I'm an awful person."

The silence stretched for a moment.

"We've all underestimated Naruto before," Ino said finally. "And we've all been surprised by him more than once. Just because this was a bigger surprise than usual… Is he really a different person than we thought? Seems like he's still pranking people who underestimate him, don't you think?"

Hinata giggled, and despite herself, Sakura followed suit.

"You'd think we'd learn," Sakura hiccuped a little, trying to hide that she'd been crying a little. "But we just keep right on selling him short, don't we?"

Hinata smiled. "Not anymore."

"I thought you wanted me to keep an eye on Danzo?" Jiraiya questioned the next morning, even as he settled into a crouch next to a meditating Naruto.

Naruto didn't answer for a moment, busy regulating the nature chakra he was taking in once more. When he opened his eyes, orange pigmentation shaded around them as if it had always been. His blue irides had turned amber, and his pupils were barred, like a toad's. Jiraiya seemed to goggle at an apparent twelve-year-old using Sage Mode perfectly, even if he was still in henge to make him look eighteen.

"I assumed you already were," Naruto corrected him calmly, summoning half a dozen kage bunshin, which scattered around the area to begin meditating as well. "But when I got home after seeing you, there were three Root in my apartment. They broke through the first layer of my security and sprung the second trap."

"You're certain they were Root?" Jiraiya said slowly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Blank masks and kan-hexagram seals on their tongues…I'm pretty sure. The fact that they were inside also means that Danzo ordered them in specifically. They wouldn't have gotten through the first seal without being told what to do—it requires lateral thinking and Root have that capacity tortured out of them as a rule."

"A seal on their tongues?" Jiraiya mused. "No wonder none of our former-Root allies will tell us about what they did in his service."

"You're thinking of Yamato-taichou?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya blinked. "Who?"

Naruto frowned at him, then seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, he wouldn't have that handle yet. Um, I think his previous codename was Tenzou? The guy with the creepy eyes."

Jiraiya snickered. "Most people would identify him by his jutsu, you know."

Naruto merely shrugged. "Who cares; we're talking about the same person. Anyway, yeah, Root all have a cursed seal on their tongue. If any of them tries to speak about anything incriminating related to Danzo or Root, their entire body will be paralyzed. It's trickier to remove than the Cursed Seal of Heaven mostly because of its location and the included killswitch failsafe."

"You can still remove it, though?" Jiraiya confirmed.

Naruto snorted. "Obviously. But there's an easier way: They'll all disappear once we kill Danzo."

Jiraiya's hand dropped onto his shoulder immediately. "Naruto, we can't assassinate a Konoha shinobi just for having other nin under his direct report."

Naruto scoffed. "It's illegal to impersonate ANBU, even if you're ANBU yourself. Hell, especially if you're ANBU yourself. Root also aren't an officially recognized branch of the Konoha shinobi corps, meaning he's in command of a private army against the Hokage's direct order. And he's marked Konoha nin against their will with a cursed seal that contains a suicide radical. All of which could be overlooked if he wasn't obviously planning to take the hat for himself. He betrayed Sanshouo no Hanzo during the Third Shinobi World War and directly caused the creation of the current incarnation of Akatsuki. And if he had nothing to do with the Uchiha Massacre I'll swear off ramen for a month." He pulled away from Jiraiya's grasp. "Finally, I don't know what the deal is with that arm of his, but there's some unnatural chakra in it that's definitely not his, which screams Orochimaru's experimentation to me. And…given how after Sasuke killed him in the other timeline, he was shouting about stolen Sharingan the next time I saw him, I'm not willing to take any chances."

Jiraiya's lips twisted, but he shook his head again. "If you can break hexagram seals so easily, there's no need to kill him. Don't tell me you modified and added extra stuff to Hiraishin and never figured out a knockout tag."

"Of course I can make a knockout tag- And hey, what do you mean 'extra stuff'? The only thing I did was make the flash of light orange instead!"

Jiraiya smirked. "Naruto, your father was called 'the Yellow Flash' because all his enemies saw before they died was his hair. The jutsu doesn't make a flash of light; that would be terrible for stealth."

Naruto stared at him, mouth hanging. "Do you have any idea how long I slaved over that?" He demanded. His eyes flickered from right to left and back, focusing on nothing as he went over the sealing formulae in his head. "That added at least two more layers of calculations and codes!"

Jiraiya cackled at the look on his face. "I know! It took me a while to sort through your notes and figure out why they were so overcomplicated."

Naruto bashed his head against a tree, causing the bark to crater under the impact and the trunk to groan under the stress. "Fine," he grumbled after a moment. "We'll hit as many of them as possible with knockout tags, including Danzo. But as a caveat…if he really does have a Sharingan and tries to activate it, we can't afford to take any chances with him. I don't like killing, Ero-sennin, but I'm honestly not convinced he isn't too dangerous to be kept alive."

Jiraiya gave a heavy sigh, resting a hand on his godson's head—a bit more of a stretch in the henge than it was at his current natural height. "Naruto…you were Hokage in wartime, but we're not at war right now. You're seeing the most ruthless option because that was what kept you and your allies alive in the other timeline, but peacekeeping calls for a different approach. I have no doubt that a shinobi as old as Shimura Danzo is extremely dangerous, but between you and me, do you honestly think we can't handle one old cyclops?"

Naruto, as usual, made no motion to remove his godfather's hand. He turned that over in his mind for a moment, before Kurama abruptly cut in, He's right and you know it.

I know. Part of me agrees with him, but another part is screaming that leaving enemies alive just lets them stab you in the back later.

Would you rather be the you from the war, or the you that redeemed Gaara? Kurama asked rhetorically. I think we both know the answer, so quit wasting time pretending you have a dilemma.

"Yare yare," Naruto grumbled aloud. "Impatient fox. All right, Ero-sennin, we'll play this your way. Come on."

Shortly after the sun rose, Han and Utakata made their way toward Ishigakure, making certain not to move too quickly and ensuring they were visible from the road. Ishigakure itself drew into view quickly; a tight ring of stone huts with thatched roofs in the shadow of a mesa, surrounded by farms and crude aqueducts to irrigate the badlands.

They had obviously been seen—which was intentional on their part—and Utakata counted at least three nin shadowing them by the time they reached the near side of the fields, and when they entered the square, there was a welcoming party headed by a frowning quinquagenarian. Clearly the oyabun, considering the large curved saber made of clear glass he held easily in his hand.

Walking into a Hidden Village, even a minor one, and finding the reception committee holding bared weapons was never exactly a good sign, Utakata mused, walking calmly behind Han with his hands in his pockets, the fingers of his left hand tapping a distracted rhythm on his bubble pipe.

"What is your business here, strangers?" the Oyabun demanded, eyeing them suspiciously and running a thumb along the back of his glass blade.

Han came to a halt some five meters away and inclined his head. "Well met, Dousame-dono. I am known as Han of the Steam Armour. It has been many years since I visited this Village. My companion is called Utakata. We are only travelling." The larger man's halting speech patterns smoothed out, as usual, the longer he spoke at a stretch. "Our path brought us nearby. We had no wish to raise suspicions by attempting to pass in stealth. We hoped to simply buy food and continue on our way."

Dousame's eyes swept over Han's bulk and Utakata's leaner shape, a step behind and to the side. He seemed to focus on Utakata's kimono, and then his eyes, before returning his gaze to Han's armour-clad form. "Strangers are not welcome in Ishigakure," he pronounced harshly. "Particularly blasphemers."

Before they could wonder what he meant by that, Dousame took a step to the side, revealing a stocks that appeared to have been recently constructed. It was carved with all manner of seals, mostly relating to chakra restriction and binding, meant to weaken anyone trapped in it to the level of a civilian.

Twisting her arms weakly against the restraints was a slim young woman, with olive skin and bobbed, layered hair the color of mint leaves. Her orange eyes met theirs in a mixture of shock, misery, and almost undetectable hope.

Han froze, even as steam started to waft from every joint in his armour. Utakata felt himself stiffen as well, unable to hide the reaction. "Nana-san…" he hissed under his breath, curling his fingers around his pipe.

"It appears we'll need to build more stocks," Dousame said, voice cold, speaking as if his capturing the two of them was a given.

"No need!" called a rough, strident voice. "Blasphemers are my business. In fact, we'll take all three of them off your hands! Why, I'm so generous, I won't even slaughter your two-bit backwoods fucking village when we leave."

Not foolish enough to fully turn his back on Han and Utakata, Dousame nonetheless twisted to see who was speaking. Drawing near from the opposite direction that the jinchuuriki had come were two more figures. The man who'd spoken wore his silver hair slicked back and a robe half-open like Utakata's, revealing a Yugakure hitai-ite around his neck. The man beside him was taller, with his features almost completely hidden by a head-wrap and mask held in place by his Takigakure hitai-ite. Both men's hitai-ite were slashed, proclaiming their bearers to be rogues.

More alarming to the jinchuuriki, however, were the red clouds visible on both their robes.

"I'll have to head to Earth country to collect your bounty, Dousame Kagami," said the second man in a deep, gravelly voice. "Fifteen million ryou is worth the trip, if only barely."

Upon hearing the voice, the girl in the stocks' eyes widened until white was showing all around her irides. She began to struggle more desperately even as the grey-haired man shouted at his counterpart.

"You free Nana-san," Utakata murmured to his companion, taking a surreptitious step to the side.

Han nodded, the steam thickening around him. "Upon your mark."

Utakata slowly withdrew his bubble pipe and lowered his body into a ready position, filling his lungs with air.

"Now!"

A/N: This chapter is wicked overdue, and got pushed back an extra week because a RWBY story took its place in honor of the late creator's birthday. To make up for it, my next upload will be the next chapter of this story. Which should be chock-full of action, to make up for how talky this chapter ended up being.

Kagami Dousame of Ishigakure and his Glass Release (玻遁 'haton') kekkei genkai, I have unapologetically stolen from the excellent story Kaibunkage by djghostwriter18.

Fixing a plothole regarding Hiraishin that a reviewer (IAmN0tDead) pointed out forever ago: I misunderstood how the 'flash' worked because at the time of writing the old chapters I'd never seen Hiraishin used in canon. So…I get to pass my misunderstanding off onto Naruto. Author's privilege.
Also, to the other reviewer (Gokotai Taiga) who pointed it out: it appears that Kishimoto went and gave Yagura a canon last name at some point in Boruto. I don't particularly like the direction the author decided to take the series since the introduction of Kaguya, so I haven't kept up. I'll see about changing the name I gave him ('Midorikatabami') to the canon one ('Karatachi') in the previous chapters, though FFN makes it a hassle to edit published things.

I promise to calm down on the 'Uzu Is Korea' thing after this.
Desserts: Hwangnam-ppang (황남빵), a small pastry with a filling of red bean paste, traditionally stamped with a crysanthemum.
Kkultarae (꿀타래), a dough made from honey and malt-sugar kneaded and pulled into hair-thin threads, then wrapped around a variety of fillings.
For my readers who don't drink; soju (소주) is a Korean liquor that is generally around half as potent as traditional 'hard' liquors like vodka or whiskey. It also tends to be very smooth as long as its well-made, and most popular brands are very sweet—and sometimes fruit-flavored. As such, since it isn't harsh in either taste or alcoholic 'burn', it's easy to lose track of how much you've had, especially in company, and overindulge. Gaara probably saved Kurotsuchi from an unpleasant hangover.

Also, I made a shoutout in Chapter 6 when we hit a thousand follows, but after that I kinda stopped thinking about it; I just knew in the abstract that this was my most popular story. But, well…while I haven't been paying attention we're now pushing 4000 follows on FFN (and broke 3000 favorites too), plus over 500 bookmarks on AO3. That's…wow. Jeez.
I don't mean this to sound like I'm soliciting, but the numbers only really sunk in for me when I realized that if just half the followers of this story pledged a dollar, it would literally be more than I made in an entire month at any job I've ever worked. Goddamn. You guys rule.

Damn, I write long author's notes.

Special thanks to my patrons Gade, Ran, and Cody!