My Path that Loops

by TenchiSaWaDa

Sometimes our lives seem to loop. Mine just happens to Loop with consequences. OC Self Insert Semi Hiatus

10. Interlude: The Three year Journey

Path 10

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This is a Huge post. I've been working on this for a while .My suggestion, take it in chunks. This chapter is supposed to detail major events that happen in the 3 years. I'm basically condensing about 6 -8 chapters worth of content into a series of Omake scenes.

Word of warning: Most of the chapter is in third person

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Here we go!

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I waited for an hour before I entered the door. Ibiki said he wanted to soften him up. That was fine with me, I had work to do on the side anyways. I had to get a grip on the guilds. It would be hard, difficult, but working with Danzo and Jiraiya would help. I would simply pass them money and they would create 'investors' from vassal villages. It wasn't uncommon for people trying to make it rich by investing in the big name trading companies in Konoha.

All I needed to do was create enough investors and slowly start combining them. Merge two investors here, have one buy out another, even have an investor supersede another investor with fake causes. It would take time, but it was time I had. And I had the motivation to be persistent.

I always thought persistence could be dangerous. Not knowing when to stop, usually led to dire consequences. But, now I know the alternative to that, the other side of the coin.

If I didn't remain diligent, I would lose those around me to ignorance.

I wouldn't let that happen. Which was why I was sitting on a metal bench, scribbling away at a stack of papers. I was creating the companies and portioning out the money, all of my money. Jiraiya had even forked in a couple bucks to smooth out some of the ends. The paperwork was copious, but not unmanageable.

The only other sounds apart from my scribbles, were the sounds of screams and beating. It was actually created a zen like atmosphere.

My writing stopped as the door opened slightly, with a metal creak . "He's ready." A gruff voice said. I placed my papers to the side and put the pen neatly on top.

"Thank you, Ibiki." I said as I stoop up and walked towards the door.

He let me slide in and closed it behind me. I looked at the 'resident' of the room and sighed as I saw his state. Blood was dripping from his forehead and his cheeks were turning blue. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his hands were covered in bandages and chains.

"Good day, Kabuto-kun" I said, as I clasped my hands behind my back. I couldn't stop my grip from tightening, my chest from squeezing. My voice becoming a growl.

"W-who are-" Kabuto started to speak. But, Ibiki walked past me and gave a swift backhand to his face.

"No Questions Allowed!" His voice held a gravelly tone to it, as if it was the manifestation of pain itself.

Kabuto shrunk away from Ibiki.

Broken.

I shrugged at the scene and continued. "Are you the one that leaked the info about Miritashi Anko's mission."

"Yes." the prisoner whispered hoarsely. "I found out while delivering packages."

'He is the mole then.' That made things easier. Though, something about the situation still felt off. How was he receiving orders? Was he working alone? There had to be more spies than just him. I racked my brains, trying to remember the past, the manga. But, it only came back in straws and shards.

"Why assassinate her?" Ibiki continued.

"To examine her body. Figure out how the curse seal was removed."

'He must have had medical records on file.' Pieces in my head fell into place. 'They take down scar tissue, and scar tissue on the neck. Or they could have had Anko's stay on file, but blacklisted. He could've broken in. Which means there is a security leak within the hospital, or poor security in general.'

Hopefully, Tsunade would change that. I had shown her the hospital and she had immediately scrunched up her nose, as if she had smelt something awful. The Hokage had given her full authority to take over the hospital and make it her own. And she did. Already, I heard plans for reformation and retraining of all medical nins and doctors. Apparently, from what I heard when I visited, the hospital was a stinking pile of mess.

"How were you contacted?" I asked

"Through Dead drops and-" He paused.

"We've been through this before." Ibiki started to wind up a swing. "If you hold back information."

Kabuto opened his mouth again, there was a desperate look on his face. He was trying to speak but words didn't come out of his mouth. Something was forcing him to be silent.

"A moment, Ibiki-san." I interrupted. Ibiki paused and lowered his hand. I walked forward towards Kabuto and examined him. I pushed chakra into my eyes, and just underneath my skin. It tingled slightly, a product of my skin disease. As long as I didn't force it out too fast or too much at once, I was fine. Tsunade was helping me with it.

'There' I felt it. The faint pulse in the mouth. A seal. "Open your mouth. Your tongue please." I ordered.

Kabuto shakily complied.

I reached forward and grabbed it, pulsing a small chakra into him. A seal structure appeared right on cue. It originated from his tongue and traveled up his nervous system to his brain. A sleeper agent seal. Why was this familiar?

'A matter for another time.' I made note of the seal structure and saw the lock. Feeling it out with chakra made it easy to figure out the key. The challenge came from knowing that a person had this kind of seal.

I broke the seal and waited for the effects to come. His eyes went wide, breathing shallow, and hands gripped the seats

"Uggh. Uggh" He dry heaved.

Stepping back, I crossed my arms and waited. In an instant, Kabuto bolted upright and gasped.

'Would've scared me, if I wasn't expecting it.' Having something running through your brain was 'damaging' in certain respects. "So?" I asked.

Kabuto looked around, his non-swollen eye stared at me. "Mizuki. The chuunin Mizuki. He was my contact."

A white haired man with a large shuriken. Something to do with a forbidden scroll.

I shook my head as I rubbed my eyes. "Ibiki-san?"

"I am already calling Anbu. Will have a cell set up for him." Ibiki opened up the cell. Two Anbu, with medical supplies, were standing there waiting.

We both exited the interrogation cell, and the Anbu closed the door behind them. I started to pack my things. "Thank you, Ibiki-san. I will have to be there later." I looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, I'll talk to you later. I need to go pick up Naruto."

"From academy?" Ibiki raised an eyebrow, confusion on his face.

I nodded. "yeah, he wants to visit Anko at rehab."

A look of realization crossed his face. "Of course. Thank you for your cooperation."

"I hope this is still off the-" I started.

Ibiki nodded. "Never happened."

I gave a smile and walked past him. I knew my way around here, now. 'Need to pick up Naruto.' I thought to myself, as I picked up my pace. I pushed the thoughts of the traitors to the back of my head. For a later time, now I needed to do some house cleaning.

---

"That's the Hara seal." Her teacher pointed as he traced a line. "You already know that most chakra systems go through there, this is our..." He paused thinking of the word. "CMI, Chakra Manipulation Interface. Stick it onto most chakra systems and it'll work."

"Most?" She asked A bit confused, but immediately regretting it. She had enough information for today, and asking questions wasn't going to help that.. Her head was being crammed full of medical knowledge and seal knowledge. Shishou had upped her training, ever since they had gotten back to Konoha.

Her white haired teacher shrugged. "yeah, charka systems like … mine for instance, have a layer between them. My skin disease. So..." he continued. "I need something special to access my chakra, or I push my chakra to an outside seal and use it that way."

"Oh" Shizune said quietly as she listened. "And, this-" She waved her hand to the huge seal on the scroll. Before, it had looked like scribes, lines and a mess of things. Now, it seemed a bit more reasonable. "is used in surgery."

Toki nodded. "Yep. Tsunade threw it at me to teach you." He huffed, rubbing his shoulder. Shizune winced as she remembered the scene. Shishou did throw it at him, and for a non-shinobi that left a bruise.

Shizune turned back to the seal and stared at it. She only had the barest experience with seals. Mostly with scrolls and diagnoses ones. But, now she had a better grasp of it. Tsunade said she was going to teach Shizune eventually, but this would just help accelerate the process.

Shizune paused as she looked at her watch. 'Time to go' She had to work at the hospital.

"That time already?" Toki asked, while packing up some papers.

"mm" She hummed an agreement. "Thanks again."

Toki rolled his eyes. "This is nothing." The seals master cracked his back and sighed. "Come over for dinner later, bring Tsunade. Jiraiya's in town."

Shizune blinked and let out a sigh of her own. A feeling of dread pooled in her stomach. "You want me to bring her over without telling that tidbit."

Toki chuckled. "yeah."

Shizune let out a sigh of resignation. She loved her teacher, but kami she had some issues. "Where is Sai and Shin?" She asked out loud. She never saw them around when they were doing seals. And she was pretty sure they didn't go to academy and weren't going on missions.

Toki shrugged. "They're doing some self training."

Sai ducked under a swing at his head. He countered with a tanto swing upwards. The blade smacked against the chest gear of his sparring partner, a clean kill. He wanted to smile, be happy at his completion of a difficult counter, but he remembered wear he was and what he was doing. He looked back at emotionless eyes, blank face.

They reset.

Sai swung first now, and his partner countered. It was a constant back and forth, going through the movements. Creating muscle memory. Counters should be instinct, their instructor told them. Attacks should be planned, well thought out, but counters need to happen before even thinking about them. If you are surprised and hit, a counter should be the first thing that should fly out.

Their instructor, A blank emotionless Anbu of Root, stepped forward. His voice flat, dead, and chilling. "That is enough for today. Report back tomorrow at 0600." Sai nodded, bowing his head. His sparring partner stiffly bowed and left.

"Alright, let's head back." Shin said, calling from the side. His face was sweaty, even though he hid his fatigue. They had been training since six o'clock in the morning and hadn't stopped for six hours. This was their substitute for training with Anko-nee. It was their routine, every day. Wake up, go train with Root, come back to eat.

Sai wiped his brow with his sleeve, as he gathered his things. Shin walked up to him and sighed. "Toki wants us."

"Understood." Sai acknowledged. He felt the pulsing in the back of his neck. The seal waiting to be activated. He pushed chakra into the back of the seal, molding it into it's proper shape. A shape that the seal would read and then activate the transportation. It was like being sucked through a wind tunnel, being pulled in one direction so fast.

He blinked and found himself standing in their home. Toki was sitting down at the dinner table, with three cups of tea in front of him. He had a stack of papers to the side, merchant logs.

"Hey guys." He said, not looking up from his work. The past few months had been like this. He would constantly be working, writing, dealing, and reading. He would, of course, take time to see how they were doing, but Sai could always see him thinking about something else. Distracted, or focused.

He didn't mind though. Toki had a lot of work to do. And it was there job to help him.

"What do you need, Toki-nii." Shin asked, sitting down at the table. Ever since Naruto had called them his brothers, they had begun to call Toki, 'nii-san'.

Sai went to his seat and waited patiently. This was the bump in the schedule, when things changed. Usually it was just sleep, wake up, train, hang out with naruto, and then repeat. Routine. Simple, easy. But, every so often, Toki would send them out on errands. Their first one had been to collect Mizuki, a fresh academy teacher, just starting his job. They conferred with Iruka, faked a illness on behalf of Mizuki, and took the man for a nice chat with Ibiki.

Toki's pen stopped it's furious race over the paper. He gently set it down and reached for his tea. "There's been a development with our trading lines to Wave."

Development meant trouble, meant they needed to take care of things, meant that they needed to use lethal force.

"How many?" Shin asked for the both of them.

"Estimated thirty hostages, Enemy count probably around 10. A runner got back to us after hiding under the wagons. Take the rest of the day off. We're having dinner with Tsunade and Shizune, so you can leave tomorrow morning."

"Understood" They both said automatically. At first, it had seemed strange for him to order this kind of strikes. But, they had gotten used to it; they had to.

Shin sipped his tea and nudged Sai. Sai got up to go use the shower first.

Shin waited for his 'brother' to leave the room. "Toki-nii. Is this development a test?"

Toki, who had picked up his pen again, paused. "Test?" Toki blinked owlishly, but after a moment he gave a wry smile. "In a sense. But for me, not you."

Shin felt confused at that. "You?"

"Danzo."

'Oh' Shin thought to himself. No wonder only their trading lines had been hit. This wasn't the first time their lines had been hit by seemingly random bandit attacks. But after the second one, Toki had figured out someone was behind this. And it was only two days later that Toki had marched up to Danzo and told him to stop.

It seemed like Danzo wanted to keep pushing Toki.

"The man wants to keep me on my toes." Toki rubbed his eyes. "Such a waste of time." He sipped his tea, and leaned back in his chair. "At least he listened to my request of not killing them."

"Should we give the bandits the same courtesy?" Shin asked.

"Kami no." Toki scoffed. "If they surrender, sure. But, take them out as you see fit. Their lives are no where near worth yours or my traders." Toki placed his arm on the table and leaned against it. "This is becoming a hassle. I need someone to micromanage Wave for me." He thought out loud.

Shin shrugged. "Alright then, I'll get cleaned up now, Toki-nii."

Toki nodded and, with a sigh, continued his paperwork.

---

"Alright hand in your tests everyone!" Iruka called out the class. Some students groaned, others blew a sigh of relief, and a few others were indifferent. Nevertheless, the papers were shuffled to the edge of a row and passed forward. Iruka walked over and collected all of the papers with a small sigh. "Alright" He looked back to his class. "Have a good day, see you next week!"

Happily the children rushed outside of class. Iruka didn't mind them as he walked back to his desk. He might as well get started on the grading.

"See you later, Iruka sensei. I'm going to go eat some Beef Ramen." Naruto called out as he rushed past .

Iruka nodded. 'Beef huh' He thought to himself as he flipped through the papers. 'There you are' he saw Naruto's test as he grabbed sheet and pulled it to the front. He scanned the test, running through the answers. Some of the answers had been left blank, some of them had the wrong answer on them, but there were a few correct ones.

But, that wasn't what Iruka was looking for. He looked down at the bottom right of test and saw a scribbled message. To most people, it was just gibberish, the frustrated scribbles of a student who was doing poorly. Or that was what Mizuki thought, before he was 'taken'. Iruka had helped with his capture.

No, the small scribbles were a little code they had invented between the two of them. Beef, Four letters, Ever fourth letter. B meant, ignore the B's in the string of words. Iruka wrote the string and took out the letter and looked at the new message.

I got all of it. It was super easy this time.

Iruka chuckled as he looked at it. He knew that Naruto had been faking his grades after he had met his caretakers. Anko said she had trained him. And Toki seemed to be a seals aficionado. So, It would make sense for Naruto be soaring above the other kids. But he wasn't.

So, after one class, he called Naruto and asked him about it. Naruto explained that he didn't want to stand out, but Iruka insisted he needed to be evaluated.

So, they developed this system. Iruka wouldn't even bother grading Naruto, instead he would grade him separately. The tests were simple, child's play for Naruto. The spars would be little more than going through the motions. Every so often, Naruto would stay after class to take a 'remedial' test or have a 'practice' spar with Iruka.

'I guess I'll have to take your word for it' Iruka thought as he sighed. He grabbed Naruto's test and tossed it into the trash. 'Now time for the real work' Iruka thought as he looked back down at the real paperwork.

---

A trust?

'It wouldn't be unfounded' Mako thought to himself. Trusts were the common dirty deal among trading guilds. 'it would explain the price changes. They're all simultaneous.'

Mako was reading through the lists of manifests, as well as income reports. It was required by the Konoha guild that one document and send in reports to the main guild. Anyone part of the guild could access these records, with permission of course. It was to make sure everyone was playing fair, and no one was taking too much power.

It was an unspoken rule amongst traders: 'take as much as you want, but never all.'

And the reports recently looked a bit off. 'More than off.' Mako sipped his tea as he scanned the generalized reports' Prices shifted quickly and too decisively, among ten out of the fifteen major trading companies. It wasn't some stuff either. Food prices cut down to two-thirds of their prices, which was a huge cut. Food was a staple, a go-to money making business, kunai and jutsu proof. Everyone needed food and you could charge high for it. The Daimyo's put a ban on raising prices too high, and even gave money to guilds to keep them low.

The lower the prices, the more money was given. But, the money one could make, with high food prices, dwarfed the Daimyo's ryo. 'This makes no sense.' Mako rubbed his eyes. He probably wasn't the only one tackling these issues. He had gotten messages, in letter form, from investors to lower certain prices too.

Their money was good, so he didn't question it. And it wasn't like he was loosing money either. The money trading around was good, great even. People flocked to certain things, as the winds changed. But, as soon as something got popular, the investors and almost every other good, would charge a bit more.

'But there's too many people involved to be a trust' Mako reasoned. Genji and Masa hated each other's guts. They would never work together. So, it must be the investors. But, there as no way the investors were the same. That amount of money and power you needed to just even shift a couple prices, no one could do that in a short amount of time.

'Even the Hokage's advisers stepped in to suggest things.' Mako remembered the old adviser with the cane, Danzo. He had come in on one of his lunch meeting with Toki. The lunch meetings were more personal than business though. Danzo had come in and suggested to Mako that he shift his prices towards more Iron from Iwa, because it was cheap. Next thing he knew, his investors were pushing for Iron imports and so were the other guilds.

A knock on his door jarred Mako from his thoughts. White hair and red eyes pocked into the room. "Hey Mako, ready?"

'Speak of the shinigami' Mako smiled at his friend.

"yeah, I'll be right there." Mako piled up the reports into a tidy pile. 'Maybe if a person, a single person, was behind all these investors. That could do it. But who' Mako shook his head as he started to walk out the door for lunch. He would have to figure out who this was another time.

---

It took a lot to surprise him. He wasn't arrogant in believing that. It came with decades of experience, of practice at discerning things. He usually caught onto things faster than they would develop. From a small rebellion he quelled, in the Hokage's name, to the movements of Iwa in the Third Great War. He caught on easily. It was logical, domino effect and so on. They were very few things that surprised him. Things like Yoshina's Pregnancy, then having twins, and the attack of the Kyuubi. These things surprised him, stopped his thoughts to a screeching halt, even scared him a bit.

And once again, he was surprised.

"I assure you." His partner in the negotiations said. "the prices are legitimate. And The Signed document is clear. There is already a record of it in the Merchant's guild"

Shikaku watched as the young white haired, red eyed negotiator leaned back. His voice was quiet, slow, methodical. It dripped with a venom, a poison that was slowly suffocating the other man. " If you would like to contest the validity of these documents, when you have no right, and the integrity of your allies." He paused, letting the word sink in. Every syllable he spoke, drained a drop of blood from the other man's face. "By all means, let us walk down to Lord Hokage's office and ask him. Would you like that, Suna Ambassador."

Shikaku noted the ambassador's demeanor dwindle, like a lit candle in a hurricane. He wouldn't last long. They had been engaging in talks for the last few days. The suna ambassador had approached the talks with a heavy, haughty, hand. They demanded privileges as Konoha's "allies". It wasn't a bad approach, Konoha was coming to Suna after all. It was a blunt way to get bonuses out of the alliance, but still very effective. The Suna ambassador entered the negotiation, with a heavy flourish, and demanded that they receive a discount on goods. Expensive goods. It was almost unreasonable. It was a fishing play, trying to see how much Konoha would go.

That was two days ago.

"I-" The ambassador stuttered as he stared at the documents. Three sheets of paper listing the Trade agreement from the guild, Agreement to ship to Suna, and the signed authorization from the Hokage. A process that should have taken months, all done in a couple of days.

'Trying to recover' He thought to himself. They had him on the back foot, or on his butt. They needed to capitalize. "You have your requirements. We would like you to sign." Shikaku paused. Grabbing the final sheets from the folder, that his partner brought. "You did say you would sign immediately."

The talks were recorded and sent to both the Village's Kages and Daimyo's. A way to 'Insure things' went as planned.

If the man went back on his word, well... There were worse things than execution.

All color had drained form the man's face. The previous fire in his eyes gone, his shoulders slumped. "I understand." His voice barren like the desert he lived in.

Shikaku pushed the pen and paper towards the man ."Sign please, and give my regards to your Kage." Shikaku politely smiled at the man. The Suna ambassador picked up the pen, hand shaking, and signed messily. Shikaku took the paper from him and signed it himself. As he finished the pen, in the Suna's ambassador's hand, clattered against the table.

"Good day." The man whispered at them. He stood and quickly left the room.

"Hmph." The young man to his right grunted. He reached over and clicked the recorder off. "that was a thing."

Shikaku held in a chuckle and a smirk. He started piling the files together and sealed them into the proper scroll. He would need to drop it off at Hokage's tower for Copy and distribution. Shikaku looked at the his partner, Nakamaru Toki, had him really interested. Toki gathered his own things, and started putting them into his worn out bag. Judging by his left hand, it looked like he was in a rush. He had picked up a few tics about Toki, over the few months the had been working together.

"Going to pick up Naruto?" Shikaku inferred. Toki had complained to him about not being able to pick up the Jinchuuriki from academy. He had heard that the foreigner had been taking care of Konoha's outcast.

"yeah. Wanna come?" He asked. "I'm sure you have questions." He said as-a-matter of factly.

Shikaku nodded, taking the accusation in stride. He grabbed the scroll and stored it for safe keeping. They left together, in a companionable silence.

They exited the Anbu command center, next to the Hokage's tower. Walking side by side, they entered to the Hokage's tower and walked to the back desk. A elderly man with thin glasses looked up at them. A wicked grin graced the older man's lips. "Ah, I see our conquering negotiators have returned."

"Eh. Not that much of a victory, Homura-san." Toki shrugged. Shikaku noted the lack of sama. "It wasn't much of a fight."

Homura laughed at the brusque. "My boy. If Konoha ever lost to Suna, I'm sure all the Previous Hokage's would turn in their grave."

Shikaku smirked as he took out the scroll and placed it on the desk. "All finished and signed."

"Good, good" Homura stood up and grasped the scroll, looking at it as if it were a new toy. "Now, Off you go. I have to see Sarutobi."

"Of course." Shikaku bowing slightly.

Toki merely nodded his head. "See you later, Homura-san."

'Later?' Shikaku caught on. Homura nodded and waved his hand at them. They both left without saying another word.

Shikaku had met with Toki on multiple occasions, especially after he brought back Tsunade. He had heard rumors that it was because Anko had been attacked. But, apparently it had been blacklisted by the Hokage and Danzo. The two had enough power to block out the Jounin Commander.

Either way, being friends or partners with powerful people was one thing. Bringing back Tsunade, a person with every right to leave Konoha, was beyond having some good connections. There was actual power behind that.

They continued on, taking the smaller roads towards the Academy. Maybe, Shikaku theorized, it was because Toki wanted to avoid people, or maybe it was because he felt that their conversation should be private.

"How did you get the prices changed, so fast." Shikaku too initiative. The ambassador had demanded a price cut of fifty percent. A price change that would take years to do. Toki had somehow forced it in a couple days.

He shrugged at he question. "I asked a couple people to start exploring bits of their storage. Only a bit, so it was actually quite easy to get a lot of it at a cheep price."

"You asked?" 'Ordered, manipulated?' Shikaku resisted the urge to rub his chin. That meant Toki had weight in the merchant's guild. Only way for an export to happen. But, for multiple people to just listen to him. And for all of them to agree.

"yeah." Toki continued explaining. His voice light, as he looked ahead, completely unfazed by the obvious interrogation. "I'm an investor in the guild."

'used guild. He is investor of all of the guild? I thought that was impossible' Shikaku thought. It was hard for someone to take control of the guild. Most of the guild members would catch on and then cut off anyone who tried.

'Most investors don't have that kind of pull or access.' Shikaku let it go and continued on. "And the Hokage signing the trade route? I assume you set up a meeting with him to discuss the Hitako border and the protection detail for the Caravan." That would take weeks to set up, let alone discuss.

Once again, the young man brushed it off with a shrug. "I walked in and showed him my plan. He gave me the ok yesterday night."

At that, Shikaku felt himself halt, his body stopping alongside his mind. Even he, the jounin Commander, had to set up a meeting with the Hokage. Even if he created a plan, the Hokage would deliberate over it for days and weeks. The Nara stood there planted, contemplating what he just heard.

"Something wrong?" Toki looked back, seemingly concerned at why Shikaku stopped.

The elder shinobi gathered his wits and pressed forward. Toki continued on as if nothing had happened. "how is Shikamaru?" Toki asked politely. "Naruto says he's fun to talk to."

"Did he?" Shikaku questioned back. 'that was something he had to look into.' They had reached the academy. Many parents were bustling around, gathering there children. His son's class had a lot of Clan children. Inuzaku, Hyuuga, Uchiha. Many of the civilian parents grabbed their children and left, while the older shinobi veterans talked with their comrades, children at their side.

Inoichi and Chouza were talking quietly, while their kids were in a small cluster. That small cluster drew Shikaku's attention. Shikamaru was smiling, as he talked in the midst of the group. He was alongside Chouza's boy, Choji. Ino was talking to a pink haired girl, off to the side. The Uchiha boy, Sasuke, was next to Naruto, who were both talking to Shikamaru. He noted their comfortable stances, their open palms, and square shoulders. They trusted each other, all of them. In a short time, they all had garnered trust in each other, surprising for a such a small group and at a young age.

"Oh! Shikaku, You finally came out of your dusty hole. You lazy sack." Inoichi greeted loudly, waving to him. Chouza smiled as he looked over, giving a friendly wave. Shikaku lazily waved back, barely lifting his arm up. The group of kids, however, looked up at the distraction.

"Eh! Nii-san!" Naruto shouted out.

'Nii-san?' Shikaku blinked, today was full of surprises. He wondered what the Yondaime would think about this development.

Toki smiled back, walking forward towards the group, hands shoved in his pockets. "Hey. Just chilling?"

Naruto smiled. "yeah. We were thinking about going training on the weekend."

As he walked towards his old teammates, Shikaku noted Shikamaru groan, but with a small smirk. His boy muttered troublesome, but nodded to Chouji.

Toki, now, stood in front of a small semi circle, created from the group. "So, all of you guys?" He looked around at the group. Shikaku knew the look on Toki's face. Appraisal. He was quickly identifying and going through their characteristics, their relationships, and backgrounds. He did it himself. Toki was cultivating relationships, all of these kids would benefit well from Toki's help and, in turn, they would help him later.

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head and smiled. "yeah, We're all friends."

"that's good." Toki smiled.

'Geniune' It rang loud and clear in his head. He was genuinely happy for Naruto. Shikaku couldn't help but chuckle, sometimes he was too leery.

"Hmm? Rare to see you laugh, Shikaku?" Chouza commented.

Shikaku shrugged as he watched the group continue to chat along. Toki had brought in the Sakura and Ino, from the side, and engaged them all in school topics. He asked about their opinions, listened to them whine, and even joked with them.

"It's not often I don't get the right bead on someone." Shikaku nodded towards Toki.

Inoichi raised an eye brow. "Him?" Chouza and Inoichi gave boy, by their standards, an evaluating look. Their eyes sharpening, jaws sharpening, a far cry from their 'civilian' faces. They toned down their world weary expressions, and suspicious glares for their kids. Or rather, their kids allowed them to do it. It gave them a tether to hang on and drag them back to some semblance of humanity.

Shikaku was thankful for that.

"I heard he was a contractor. From Jiraiya. But that's all I can get from the rumors." Inoichi commented. Inoichi would know about Toki's position. He was, after all, the prior spy master and lead interrogator of Konoha. The spy master position had been given to Danzo and the interrogation was now led by his student, Ibiki. The Jiraiya bit though, that was probably Inoichi digging in..

"He's a seals master too." Shikaku informed them, letting them digest the information.

"Is it safe? To let him near, Naruto?" Chouza asked quietly.

'Always thinking about the kids.' Shikaku noted. It was one of Chouza's good points. "yeah. Apparently, the Hokage gave him approval of it. And he apparently can visit the Hokage quite easily. And discuss with him. The Hokage probably trusts his decisions."

Inoichi raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Hooo." He breathed, sounding impressed. "The negotiations?" Shikaku had come to them for help on how to approach Suna. He always liked the opinion of his former teammates.

"He finished today." The Nara head shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets and slouching.

"He?" The Akimchi head asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Just him." Shikaku confirmed.

Inoichi cocked his head to the side. "I remember you complaining, again, about outrageous demands."

"Demands that were met. In two days." Shikaku grumbled. Inoichi's constant berating of his ritual complaining, was …. annoying.

"That kind of pull... and to be able to talk to the Hokage within a short time..." Chouza murmured, rubbing his chin.

Shikaku remembered the talk between Homura and Toki. The 'casual' mention of seeing him later. The lack of an honorific, unfitting between a subordinate and adviser. All of it pointed to one thing"He may be at the level of an adviser." Shikaku finished. "Homura treats him as an equal."

"Interesting." Inoichi hummed. "He doesn't seem the secretive type." And for Inoichi, that was saying something. Having analyzed countless people, from the petty criminals to the top of the line shinobi, his read on people was spot on.

"He's nonchalant about it. " Shikaku paused as he looked at a newcomer.

"Ah, Hello there, Itachi-kun." Toki nodded towards the older brother of Sasuke.

The off duty Anbu nodded back. "Hello Toki-sama. It is good to see you as well."

An annoyed look passed over Toki's face, but was soon replaced with a resigned look. "You/re never going to stop calling me that are you."

"One gives respect where it is due." Itachi continued on. Sasuke had made his way over to his brother. Shikaku noted the Sasuke's ease, showing his familiarity with this situation. It seemed odd, strange even, that a shinobi would give that much respect to a civilian.

"Well, I don't want to hold you up." Toki rubbed the back of his head. "Tell your father that I'll stop by in a couple of days. As soon as the stuff with-" Toki sighed. He shook his head as he stopped himself. "Anyways, I'll bring over the files of potential candidates and liaison later. Also, tell him I have some ideas for the joint missions."

"Of course." Itachi nodded, as he bowed once and started to walk off. Sasuke waved to Naruto, who waved back.

"The Uchiha?" There was a hint of disbelief in Chouza's voice.

'The Uchiha indeed. That means he has ties to the embassy" Inoichi murmured.

"He is from Kumo" Shikaku commented. In the time he worked with Toki, he picked up a couple things. He always poured tea with his left hand, always moved out of the way for women and elderly. Bowed slightly to a visiting monk, and even stepped slightly aside for him. All of these pointed to someone who was in a monastery. The prayer beads, he saw one time in Toki's bag, had a particular pattern, one common in Kumo. Finally, the timing of his appearance and the Kumo Embassy. He had heard Asuma, who was retiring from the Twelve Guardians, that there was a white haired negotiator.

"Well" Inoichi grunted. "Another puzzle, for another time."

Shikaku nodded. Shinobi's hated puzzles. They all understood the necessity. But, puzzles were synonymous with hidden information. Hidden information, usually, led to danger. Having a set landscape, especially for a Shinobi's workplace, was necessary for survival.

The three of them gathered their kids. As Shikamaru lazily made his way to his side, he overheard something.

"Neh, neh. Is Jiraiya-sensei here?" Naruto said quietly. Quietly enough that the other kids would not notice.

"Hmmm, yeah. He dropped off some notes for me. Why?" Toki turned to start leaving.

Naruto walked after him, lacing his fingers behind his head. "I wanna spar him. It's kinda boring holding back all the time."

Toki snorted. "Your fault kid."

"Hey dad." His son's voice jolted him from his eavesdropping. He covered it with a yawn, but he was sure his son had caught on. Shikaku looked down, to see his son, also, looking at the leaving pair.

"Come on, kid. Let's go pick up your sister from civilian school."

Shikamaru nodded and sighed. "Troublesome." But judging by the inflection in his tone, he was actually looking forward to it.

The father and son walked towards down the back streets of Konoha. They avoided the main road, by Shikaku's guidance. It would take longer to go through the back roads, but that was Shikaku's intention.

"What do you think of him? Of Naruto?" Shikaku asked. He wouldn't sugar coat or work his away around to it. It was better to ask it.

Shikamaru shrugged. "He's interesting."

"Elaborate" Shikaku asked.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed. "He hides his strength. He could easily win all his fights. But he always chooses to lose. He leaves answers blank on his test. And writes in a code that only Iruka-sensei knows."

'Iruka.' Shikaku blinked, he remembered the Ex-anbu. But why him? "How did you figure out he wrote coded messages."

"It's always on the bottom right of Naruto's tests." Shikamaru explained. "And Iruka-sensei always takes Naruto's paper out of the pile. No matter what. He doesn't even write anything when he evaluates Naruto."

'Special treatment? no.' Shikaku thought about it. Iruka wasn't that complex of a shinobi. Nor was he bias when it came to his subordinates. The man had a 'heart of gold', at least, for a shinobi. He must have known about Naruto's deception and was intentionally book keeping the Jinchuuriki's real score.

"Anything else?" He prodded.

Shikamaru scratched his head as he thought. "He knows seals. He reads scrolls in class about them"

This didn't surprise him. Toki was a seals master, it would be obvious that he would learn. And judging by his connection to Jiraiya, that had to help as well. But, to learn from two seals master. And apparently spar with one of the Sannin. He had, long ago, connected Anko to Naruto. Their escapades were whispered amongst shinobi as a rumor. But, the rumor, of her training the boy, seemed to hold merit. But, even with all this information, he knew one thing rang out clearly.

He would need to watch Nakamaru Toki.

"There you are" A voice called out to them. "You're so late."

"Sorry, sorry" Shikamaru called back, amusement in his voice. "We took a detour, 'Kako."

Shikaku shook his head and pushed the thoughts to another time. Now, he had to get his twins home, before his wife yelled at him.

---

Sai wiped his blade against a dead's man clothes. 'Disgusting' he thought as he wiped the blade. He was cleaning up the last of the bandits. They were from another attempt at the trading route. Danzo had repeatedly 'ignored' Toki's request to leave his trading routes alone. Toki ignored it now, because he wasn't killing anyone, but now it was becoming aggravating to come out here. Sai honestly wondered how many bandits Danzo had under his employ.

He and Shin had collectively killed over a hundred bandits, over the past year. Some of them were a mix of ex-gennin, and even some chuunin. Finding them was simple enough, the chakra signatures from the hostages gave it away. Taking them out with a surprise attack and then following it up with a few skirmishes was pitifully easy now.

"Hello again, Savior boy." An older man, who was tied up on the ground, said. His voice was slightly bored and held a tint of annoyance.

"Daisuke-san." Sai bowed in greeting as he cut the man's ropes. "Apologies for showing up late. We had to eat before coming here."

"I told your boss that I wanted compensation. Getting captured and held hostage, is not part of my job description." The trader huffed out. He had been captured and held hostage for over 2 years now. And it was comical to watch it happen. He had become so used to Sai and Shin sweeping in, that he made banter with his captors. It made for a great distraction. Though he was still pissed at being held hostage.

"Boss has promised an extra 10,000 Ryo for you, at the completion of the trip." Shin called out, as he started releasing the other hostages. They all thanked him and continued to gather their things, ignoring the dead bodies. Honestly, they were all numb to the sight of dead bodies, after seeing over the years.

"And if I get captured on the way back?" Daisuke complained.

"Another 10,000 for you then." Shin shrugged as he sheathed his rope dart. It had become his weapon of choice as he realized he had the chakra control for it. Anko, who was getting back into training, was helping him manipulate it.

"Aww man" Another trader complained. "You got blood on my sack. I told you not to get blood on my sack, Sai-kun"

"Sorry, Sorry," Sai bowed in apology.

"Anyways." Daisuke reached into his pocket. "I was able to snag something off of the leader's person."

"Oh?" Shin raised an eye brow. The old man was a quick thinker under pressure. Sai had mentioned to him in passing that they believed someone was behind these kidnappings, but there wasn't much to go on.

"A letter. I believe your boss wanted it?" Daisuke held out a neatly folded letter, it seemed out of place for a bandit to have.

Shin grabbed it and opened it. Scanning the contents quickly, Shin felt a smile grace his lips. 'Finally.' Shin looked up at the older man. "Thank you for this, Boss has been wanting this for a while." Shin bowed in thanks and nodded to Sai.

They both pushed chakra against their necks and waited. It only took a moment and then they were whisked away. Sai blinked twice, reorienting himself quickly. Having the ground, ceiling, air, and even pressure change so quickly on you, it disoriented them. But, they had gotten used to it after extended usage.

"So?" Toki asked, from his desk. It was still littered with paper work and books. A picture of all of them was on the side. It had taken forever to grab Tsunade and Jiraiya. But in the end, Shizune had convinced them and everyone gathered for Naruto's Eleventh birthday to take the picture. It had been the tipping point for Tsunade's acceptance apparently. She and Shizune came over for dinner sometimes. Shizune, who was still studying under Toki, dropped in to check up on Sai and Shin.

Shin showed Toki the letter. His older brother and caretaker opened and scanned the contents. With a small smile, Toki turned around and took out a new sheet of paper. He wrote quickly and folded it neatly into a square.

"Give this to your instructor later, I want to meet with Danzo." Toki smiled.

Shin smirked. "Does that mean you won?"

Toki chuckled, leaning back in his chair. His red eyes looked up at the ceiling. "yeah, I can finally end this charade of his. Now I know where he's getting all of his loyal servants. And now I got material on him." Toki turned to Sai. "Make a copy of the letter, send it to Jiraiya. I want him to have a back up copy."

"Understood, he is in Mizu right now?"

"yeah, He's setting some stuff up for me." Toki said as he turned around to continue working. "Thank you guys for your hard work"

Sai and Shin stalked off to go clean off the blood from their weapons and clothes. Sai couldn't help but smirk. Danzo would be really surprised when he found out that Nii-san had dirt on him.

---

He should've left the room immediately. Just for one word, one reason: safe. The inn smelled nice. There were only a few people here. A man and a woman, probably a couple, were talking quietly to the side, drinking tea. The only other group, of four men in heavy coats, were talking quietly. The dirt and grime on them, as well as the scars and muscle structures, marked them as construction workers. He had seen the set up for a bridge a couple miles back. The bar tender, who had grey hair, was facing away from them, washing some dishes. The Bar girl, young, probably in her early twenties, was attending to the men, pouring out hot water. The tables were spaced out, so that conversations were hard to overhear. The nooks and crannies were well lit. All of it screamed safe and private, which meant trap, at least in his book.

He turned his head behind him, ever slightly. He watched as his new tag along, who was dirty, tired, and ragged. They had just been training in the wilderness, developing her Kekai Genkai. She had done well and he wanted to reinforce a positive influence. He wasn't worried about her health, her Kekai Genkai made her immune to the common cold. He knew a couple things about Elemental kekai Genkai from his days in the rebellion.

His eyes returned to his problem. The bar girl was chatting pleasantly to the men, asking them about their work. Bartender still hadn't noticed them. It was too dangerous, this felt like a set up. He was about to turn and leave when he heard a small, muffled cough behind him. 'Dammit' he growled in his head

"Come on, Haku. Let's get inside." He muttered, walking through the door.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Haku replied as she shuffled forward.

They trudged into the small inn and passed by the girl. She waved happily at them and greeted them. "Welcome to our Inn. I will be right with you." She said as she finished pouring another cup of hot water from her pitcher.

Zabuza nodded to her and simply and made his way towards the left. Why? The left was away from everyone else, secluded, so that he could put his back to the wall and put his blade near him. Zaubuza sat down, quietly motioning for Haku to do the same. For the few short months they had been together she had gotten used to his commands. Shortly after, the bar girl quickly put down two cups and started to pour hot water into them. She gave both of the ma small smile.

"This'll warm you right up." She winked at Haku, who nodded gratefully. She turned back to Zabuza "I'll Come back with some Menus and if you want to sleep the night, give Naki" She thumbed back to the bartender. "A holler"

She left towards the back entrance, as Haku looked between the cup and Zabuza nervously. Zabuza watched the men on the other side carefully, they weren't keeling over, so that was a sign. The missing nin grasped the water and sniffed it. No, obvious sign of poison and he didn't expect any major assassination attempts on him. They were, after all, in the middle of nowhere.

He nodded to Haku. Haku, taking his approval, happily slurped the hot drink down. Zabuza set his drink down. He had to stop a flicker of a smile from reaching his lips. Maybe having a tag along wouldn't be so bad after all. Zabuza was about to lean back and fully settle down, when he felt it.

Sharpness. An Instant tenseness. Intent.

Zabuza's eyes snapped to the door the girl had just left. Red eyes stared back at him. Zabuza shifted slightly to his right, near his sword. The red eyes exited the door. The man facing him had white hair, was wearing tidy practical clothes. No weapons or discernible muscle. But he radiated danger.

The white haired man walked quietly towards Zabuza's table and stood in front of him. He was relaxed, palms open, and no discernible nervous tics. But, judging by the sharp gaze and the respectful nod in greeting, he seemed aware of the danger Zabuza posed to him.

"Hello Zabuza-san" He said quietly, as if he didn't want anyone to overhear him. His voice was polite, soft, like a gentle breeze before a hurricane. "I would just like to talk. There is no need for" He motioned towards Zabuza's hand, which was creeping towards the hilt of his sword. "violence." He finished by raising his palms open. It was the general sign of peace.

Haku had gone silent, wide eyed, still. The sign of fear. She stared between Zabuza and the man, trying to figure out what to do. Zabuza almost clucked in disapproval, he needed to train her on controlling her emotions. Zabuza focused on him, trying to draw a bead. The guy's heartbeat was stead, eyes not dilated,, he seemed to be telling the truth. He wasn't a shinobi for sure, but the man still felt dangerous, why?

"Fine lets talk" Zabuza leaned back in his chair, letting his hand fall to his side, underneath the table. He had to learn more before he made a move. Lack of information was the kunai in the back for any shinobi.

He nodded slowly, sitting down at the table. "I am here to discuss business." The man wiped away stray crumbs from the tabletop. "We have a mutual friend, Eto."

Images flashed in his head as he remembered. A girl with black hair, almost shape face, and a wicked smile. Laughed a lot. Always had coffee for returning shinobi.

Zabuza's blood ran cold. Eto. A name he hadn't heard for a long, long time. She was the reason why he was still alive. She was a simple manager, an admin, a civilian pencil pusher in Mizu. Mei had introduced her to him, they were friends. When Yagura was purging people, she had been the one to warn him. She had gotten Mei and him out, using a boat, favors, and blackmail. In the end, she told them to run and stayed behind. Did she get caught? Where they trying to fish out info? A sick feeling entered his stomach, like oil had been slathered on his throat. He had to play it off, had to disconnect himself from her. If he denied everything, maybe it could discredit anything they had on her.

"Don't know who you're talking about." Zabuza gritted his teeth.

The man shrugged. "I thought you'd say that. But we'll need to talk in a more private setting." He knocked on the table twice.

The room fell silent. Quietly. Deathly silent, like a graveyard. The couple on the side stopped their conversation and got up. They went out of the door immediately. The construction workers packed up their stuff, not saying a word, and left just as quickly. Finally, the bartender put down his cup and rag; and went to the back. The girl came back in carrying a large tray of food, several plates on it. She was silent, even solemn, as she placed everything down on their table. There were many dishes, fried fish, rice, some soup. Her cheerful demeanor gone, replaced with a reserved, almost fearful expression.

""Is everything to your liking, Toki-sama." She bowed to 'Toki'.

Zabuza could hear the quiver in her voice.

"Just fine" Toki waved her off. "Send the others in. And take the day off. You will find the agreement at the bar later."

"Hai." Her voice just above a whisper. She bowed once and left. There was still a silence as she left. Only moments later did two boys, about Haku's age, entered the room. They were pale, dark haired, and fit. Without a word, they sat down on either side of Toki and waited.

Zabuza evaluated them the moment they stepped in. And he didn't like it. These were shinobi. The small hidden bulges in their jackets, and pants. The Sharpened and active chakra running quickly under their skin, ready to be drawn at a moments notice. They were developed, trained, and highly lethal, if Zabuza had to guess.

"Now." Toki coughed as he straightened in his seat. "let's discuss business" He reached over and passed plates around. Haku jolted slightly as he set down a plate before her. Toki didn't seem to notice. "I am Toki, Toki Nakamaru. I mean you no harm." Toki started to place food on the kids plates, including Haku's. Haku stared at it in fear, as if it would draw a kunai and attack her.

"As you can tell." Toki chuckled slightly, as he started to put food on his own plate. Zabuza, in turn, started to put food on his. "I am not a shinobi." The two boys started eating quietly. But" he shrugged as if he was resigned to the fact. " I am not without protection." Toki slowly, deliberately ate the fish. He paused chewing slowly, as if savoring the taste. He ate with a regal patience that reminded him of Yagura. It made him want to smash the guy's face in all the more. "Or power." Toki finished.

They locked eyes. And the Missing nin felt a grating feeling. It was as if someone had started to gently scrape a Katana against his neck, any pressure, any movement would slice his neck cleanly.

"What are you here for?" Zabuza growled out. He was never good at this cloak and dagger shit.

Toki chuckled. "I am here to make a deal. Eto recommended you to me."

"I don't know any eto." Zabuza repeated.

"I'm not holding her or anything. " Toki shrugged. "She's still spying in Mizu. Still safe. I merely made contact and exchanged info for Jiraiya."

"What." Zabuza felt his gut drop and his head spin. Eto? Jiraiya of the Sannin? She was a foreigner. She did move fast for a civilian. It made sense for her to be a spy. The dominoes started falling, clearing the way to the truth. But what did that mean? What did this mean? The gravity shifted for Zabuza, world tilting and imploding.

Seconds went by

A minute

Zabuza took a breath, settling himself. He slowly took his chopsticks and placed food on it. Reaching up and pulling down the bandages from his face.

"So?" Zabuza took a bite of the hot food. "What do you want from me?" He grinned wildly as a new feeling crept up his stomach and throat. A bubbling feeling, something that filled his arms and legs with energy. Excitement.

Haku started digging in the moment Zabuza took a bite.

"I want to contact Mei Terumi."

'Knows her full name' Zabuza noted. "I don't know-"

"Please" Toki interrupted him. "Let's stop the dancing. If we're going to be business partners. We need to have a bit of trust." Toki sipped some hot water. "Also," Toki nodded to himself. "I have associates in all camps of Mizu."

'He has people in the rebels' Zabuza thought to himself. 'He has people in the capital!' The reach... that was more than just power. Who the hell was this guy? Why wasn't he in front of every wanted list? This guy should be in a Bingo book. Zabuza glared at him and then paused.

'Oh.' Zabuza chuckled as he continued to eat. 'That's right this guy isn't a shinobi. He isn't on anyone's radar.'

So, apparently Mei's rag tag group of fighters had become something big. If they were worth having a spy in.

Toki sipped some water as he motioned to one of the boys. The paler and younger one took out a letter addressed to Mei. "An offer for her." Toki pushed the letter to Zabuza.

"And what do you want with me? I'm pretty sure you could've just delivered it yourself or through your spies?"

"I want you to work for me." He leaned forward his red eyes staring into Zabuza's.

"Heh." Zabuza leaned forward as well. He felt his grin widen. "What did you have in mind?"

His instincts were right. He should've left the room immediately

---

It was a small glance, a small flicker at the corner of his eye. But, it caught his attention. Blonde hair moving at high speeds. He turned and reached out with his senses. Two charka signatures fighting. Curiosity got the better of him as he decided to scale the tree lines and head towards the training grounds. He was in the back areas, training away from most of the Konoha population. He liked the solitude, even after leaving Anbu.

Hatake Kakashi looked at a very interesting sight.

Blonde hair fighting white hair. An academy student fighting one of the members of the Sannin.

'What the hell?!' Kakashi looked at the scene with incredulity. He watched as his Teacher's son, Naruto, race across the field at his opponent. Jiraiya held his ground, crouching low, face grim. Naruto lashed out with a hammer strike. Jiraiya blocked the strike and countered with a swift palm strike. Naruto spun around, the blow cleanly missing him. Lashing back out with another kick, Naruto pushed forward. Jiraiya stepped backwards, letting the kick fly harmlessly past him.

Naruto jumped back to recover. He was panting slightly, Kakashi noted. But, what was also interesting, was that Jiraiya was slightly sweating. They had been moving at incredibly high speeds. Higher speeds than any academy student should have the right to.

Naruto kept his fighting stance low, it reminded him of Anko's. Jiraiya took a breath and raised a palm, flicking it in the universal gesture of 'come on.' Naruto smirked as he dashed forward again. He kept himself low, small, and dashed from side to side. Not the approach of an amateur.

Naruto lashed out with a kick. It swung wide, as Jiraiya ducked. But, Naruto followed it up with another kick, which the the older shinobi had to block. Naruto used that chance to grab Jiraiya's arm. Using it as leverage, he attempted to smash his knee into Jiraiya's chest. But, his opponent as too fast, catching the knee with his other palm. Jiraiya turned around and lashed out with his arm.

Naruto, not expecting the sudden change in momentum, flew over the training grounds. He bounced off the ground several times and came to a halt against a tree.

"Owww!" he groaned, as he slowly stood back up. "Man, Jiraiya-sensei. That was soooo mean."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and sighed. "Pain will teach you a lesson. Your strikes were reckless, you need to cover your chest more. And, at least try to recover in mid air."

Naruto huffed as he brushed dirt off him. "Whatever" Naruto walked up to the older man. "None of the other kids can even block one of my strikes. They're so boring." Naruto crossed his arms.

'Boring' Kakashi thought. He heard Naruto was in the middle of the pack. Not too strong, not too weak. Just average. Was he hiding his grades? But, a teacher would've caught on already. Or were the teachers in on this plan?

Naruto shoved his hands on his pockets. "So what's next. Jutsu?" There was an eager look on his face.

Jiraiya shook his head as he sighed "Nah, I need to go talk to Toki. Some business stuff."

Naruto seemed to sober up and sighed. "Fine, but we need to get Ichiruka."

Jiraiya laughed at the demand. "Your brother already gave me money for it."

Naruto cheered as he started to head off to Ichiruka. As he did so, Jiraiya turned ever so slightly to Kakashi's position. Kakashi stiffened as he realized he was found out. It shouldn't have come to a surprise, but he was not used to being found out. Jiraiya placed a finger to his lips and a wink.

Tell no one.

Kakashi nodded slowly, knowing that Jiraiya could see him. With that, Jiraiya turned back and followed after Naruto. Kakashi hummed as he tried to replay the scene in his head. Things were certainly more interesting.

---

The few years he's known his father, he never knew him to be a harsh father. He was strict, hard on his kids, and asked for a lot. But, he never asked for more than they could give. He never punished them for something they didn't do. Nor, did he withhold information he thought was unimportant.

That's what Itachi remembered when he was called into his father's office. Before being called, he had been training Sasuke for his gennin exams, coming up at the end of the year. Sasuke was growing wonderfully strong and slowly. It was something that Itachi savored while watching. Sasuke had so many things that he struggled to get. Good, true friends who were in his life. Memories of goofing off and having fun as a child. A bright future and not knowing what was going to come next.

Itachi was happy for him.

"How is Sasuke's progression?" His father's voice was light, prodding, and curious. "Is he prepared?"

Itachi nodded, hands clasped behind his back. "Yes Father. No doubt he will be the rookie of the year."

"Even though Uzumaki Naruto is clearly stronger."

Ah. Uzumaki Naruto. As much of an enigma as his 'older brother'. It was said you could find similarities between brothers, and it would still hold true between the them. The few times where had given in and sparred with Naruto and Sasuke, he noticed Naruto compensating for Sasuke. Adjusting his speed, covering his weakness, as if he had worked with other people before. It confused him, until he saw Sai and Shin. Toki's 'bodyguards'. They were obviously Anbu level. He noticed their slight reactions, hidden twitching, things that came with Off duty Anbu.

"Naruto is strong." Itachi agreed. When he had tried to pressure the boy, force him to reveal his true strength. Naruto did something surprising. He lost. He faked his weakness and fell down on his butt, laughing it off. That showed strength. To have the discipline to continue to hide one's strength. It showed a mental capacity beyond his years.

"Yet, he hides it." Fugaku murmured. "Unexpected given his lineage."

'What.' Itachi froze. His father knew Naruto's parents? But, he was an orphan during the Kyuubi attack. And, no one had laid claim to the boy. Almost as if. The cogs started working in his head, grease being added to them. 'It's as if he was being protected.' "Do you know his parents?" Itachi asked, but it was obvious that he was asking more than just that.

"Yes, We were close friends." Fugaku replied carefully, his voice betrayed the meticulous word choices.

Naruto's parents were dead. But, they were also important. That meant he was an orphan and stayed one, for a reason. Itachi nodded slowly. "I believe he hides it because of Toki-sama."

"I do as well." Fugaku agreed, before shrugging. "It is difficult to understand his motivations, but it is quite effective at pulling up a screen in front of others eyes." Fugaku's eyes traveled towards his desk, to the papers he had been working on. "I am recommending that Sasuke be placed on the same team as Naruto. I believe their relationship will allow Sasuke to grow further." Fugaku looked back to Itachi, as if asking or wanting his approval.

It confused Itachi. Why would he want his approval for a matter that only the head of the Uchiha clan should want. Itachi answered nevertheless. "I think it is a good idea, Father."

Fugaku nodded. And then, the Head of the Uchiha clan spoke to Itachi. "Nakamaru Toki, He is powerful and influential. I am sure you are aware of his involvement with the embassy."

The embassy. The increased workload of all the Uchiha clan had been evident. Everyone was busy, and even the retired folk got back to work. Gone was the quiet, serene peace in the Uchiha grounds. It was usually bustling with activity, people running about to try and get tasks done. The respect for the Uchiha clan had also grown. Being the official liaisons for Konoha, it showed faith and respect from the upper echelons of Konoha. But, his father had been the one to tell him that Toki had been the one to recommend them. He had also been the one to secure the deal with Kumo, according to the Daimyo.

"Yes" Itachi nodded. He was very much aware.

"Then you know, unspoken or not, that we are indebted to him." He continued. "Do not mistake this as a simple favor, that man." the Uchiha head leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Does not deal with trivial things. If he comes to us, it will be for something dire and could very well put the clan at risk."

"I understand" Itachi nodded.

"Good." Fugaku nodded. "I have been asked" he sighed "to ask you to remove yourself from Anbu."

For a moment, it felt like the world stopped. For a fraction of a second, it felt like the person in front of him was an imposter. For a heartbeat, Itachi was still with shock.

"Why?" He managed to say. It felt rough to push the word out of his throat, like his body was locked up with some kind of binding jutsu.

Fugaku merely clasped his hands in front of him. "A recommendation from the Hokage."

'The Hokage?' Itachi thought that was strange. It seemed unlikely that the Hokage would sideline one of his best operatives. Itachi wasn't arrogant in saying he was one of part of the top echelon of Anbu. He knew the records and he held some of them.

Fugaku nodded. "He has asked you to follow Hatake Kakashi to step down as Anbu captains and moved you to be Jounin Instructors."

That was strange. He always wondered about Kakashi-senpai's career in Anbu, and when it would end. He never expected to leave that soon after him. But, why as jounin instructors? Surely their talents were better used out on the field?

"The Hokage's reasons are his own." Fugaku answered Itachi's unanswered question. "But, He came to me to ask you. That shows that we have his respect. Any of the elders' complaints will be nullified by that."

Itachi nodded, another step forward for the Uchiha clan.

Fugaku returned to his papers. "Goodnight, Itachi."

Itachi bowed his head. "Goodnight father."

---

Kakashi rubbed his Jounin Vest with trepidation. It was standard issue and pretty much brand new compared to other Jounins. Which annoyed him slightly. He was used to the solid armor, more security, and a bit more barren. The Shinobi vest was the epitome of usability. Scroll holders of all shapes, kunai holders, pellet and pills holder, the list went on and on. Even after a couple of years or so, it was strange not having a scroll that simply held onto all of it.

The ex-anbu walked into the bar, his appointment to catch up with old friends.

"Ah there you are!" A voice called at the back of the bar.

His eyes immediately snapped up the source, evaluating the angles, the exits, and the weapons on each of the person. Suffice to say, he stopped himself after a moment, but walked over with a lazy wave. "Hello Asuma-san."

The fellow Jounin huffed as he poured tea into a cup. "Just Asuma. I heard you failed another team?"

Kakashi shrugged. He didn't know how he should be adjusting. You weren't just kicked out of Anbu all the time. Most people went straight into retirement, straight into some office job, straight into survival mode. Not many were put onto a jounin instructor role. So, Kakashi had no problem kicking his feet back and saying 'no' to every team he got. Besides, he was waiting for the right team to come up. But either way, being back in the civilian population was interesting. "They weren't ready." He turned to the other seated member and nodded. "Kurenai-san, congratulations. I heard you and Anko passed your promotion test."

The newly minted Jounin nodded back to him. "Kakashi-san." She said politely. They had met in passing a couple times, when he bumped into Toki. Their interactions were cordial at best, though Anko did most of the talking.

"-and your fire of youth are still burning." Someone said. 'Wait what?' Kakashi thought as he turned towards the last person at the table. "Oh, Gai. Sorry Did you say something?" 'Zoned him out again.' this was becoming a habit.

Gai glared at Kakashi and grumbled something under his breath. Kakashi sat down at the seat, grasping the cup set for him. "Where is An-" He started but stopped as he felt someone run in.

"Sorry, I'm late" The other newly minted Jounin came in as she walked in. She was dressed in standard pants with a purple shirt and her Jounin vest over it. Anko smiled wide at them, as she grabbed a chair from an empty table. She sat down unceremoniously and huffed. "Dastardly duo needed to grab some stuff from Konoha General." Konoha General hospital. But...

"Who is this Dastardly Duo?" Gai asked. "They sound very ..." There was a confusion on his face, as he didn't know how to put the description into words.

Anko chuckled at Gai's confusion. "Sai and Shin. They're my little brothers. Well Adoptive really." Anko shrugged as she grabbed a cup and started pouring out some tea. Kakashi took the time they were all distracted to drink all of his tea. A swift tug down and gulp made it simple enough.

But, those two reminded Kakashi of something. "They're shinobi. Aren't they?" He remembered their movements, their posture, and their training. At first, when he saw them with Toki, he thought they were civilians. Seeing pick up Naruto, who was training with Jiraiya, made him think otherwise.

Anko controlled her features well, the smile never left her face. But, his old Anbu senses caught her hand tightening around her cup. "yeah, They are."

Kurenai looked interested in that. "When did they graduate. They seem so young?"

Anko shrugged, and looked thoughtful, as if trying to remember. But, Kakashi chalked it up to stalling. "Don't know." Anko said. "Toki was the first one to bring them in. You'll have to ask him."

"Toki-kun?" Kurenai asked surprised.

"Not surprising." Asuma murmured as he sipped his cup. Kakashi caught on to that. If he remembered correctly, ...

"You went with him on the trip." Kakashi stressed the word.

Asuma nodded. "yeah, He had a lot of shinobi connections for a civilian. He even knew a member of the Golden Horn by name."

Kakashi blinked. That was something.

"Bah," Anko waved her hand. "Can't a guy have friends." She waved her hand as she called a waiter over.

Kakashi allowed the change of subject and slightly obvious misdirection. They all ordered their food and made small talk, though Kakashi mostly droned it out.

"So, Who do you think you are going to choose for your Team next time?" Gai asked him, there was a seriousness in his tone that Kakashi couldn't ignore.

This coming graduation would be his year. Kakashi shrugged as he pretended to think about it. "I'm considering a list."

Kurenai shrugged. "I want to take the Hyuuga girl. I heard she has some issues that I think I can work on."

Asuma shrugged as he also answered. "Pops wants me to grab the Ino-Shika-Cho group. Some kind of Legacy going on there." Asuma finished off his bowl of rice before continuing. "I heard that things got really interesting too, Uchiha Fugaku even went to the Hokage to make recommendations." Which translated into asking for a specific team to be made. That didn't happen often, if ever.

Anko shrugged as she finished her tea. "Doesn't matter. Whoever gets Naruto will be in for a surprise." She smiled wickedly.

Kakashi remembered the yellow haired brat, sparring with one of the Sannin. Talking about complex Sealing theory and seemingly acting beyond his years. "Why do you say that?" Gai asked.

Anko merely grinned. "He's probably already at Jounin level."

Asuma snorted as he heard that. "You rate your little brother too high there. Come on really?" Being a Jounin involved a lot more than just being strong. It involved tactics, awareness, teamwork, and so on.

Anko merely leaned back, a small smile on her face. She seemed reserved especially for the topic she was talking about. "He already has a good mind for tactics, and has already worked in a squad before. His patient and he already knows how to balance options. He gives me a run for my money in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu." She shrugged as she continued. "Sucks at Genjutsu, but there are probably" Anko tapped her lips as she thought about it. "only four or five people that can match him in Theory."

"Theory?" Gai asked, his voice holding his disbelief.

"Seal theory." She answered.

Asuma snorted. "Get out, Seal Theory. The kid's grades would've been out of this world if he knew anything about Seal theory. Even I only know the bare minimum."

Kakashi thought about it. What Anko said, it wasn't totally false. He had seen Naruto's skill level when he fought Jiraiya. Jiraiya had actually tried at some points, had actually had to block at certain points. And, when Naruto was talking about seals, Kakashi had no idea what it was about.

Anko shrugged, not caring if they didn't believe her. "Eh, you'll see."

Kurenai looked thoughtful. "Why do you say four or five others?" Kurenai thought about it out loud. "there's Hokage-sama. Jiraiya-san, and I can't list anymore."

Anko shrugged. "Tsunade-sama is also good at seals."

"And the other two?" Gai asked. Kakashi already knew one of the two and the last one he could probably guess.

Anko gave a wide grin. "Secret~." She sung happily.

Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the childish display, instead he changed the topic. But, he would definitely follow up on Naruto. If the kid was that good already, then...

He guess he would put in his own recommendation for the teams.

---

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Lord Kaneko, sat at his desk, reading through the many reports. He had to admit, Konoha was thriving. Not as well as it had during post Third-war, but it was still significant. Trade routes were being opened up, as the merchant guild somehow adapted a more aggressive policy in price manipulation. Staple produce was exported heavily, so much so that they cornered the market now in Timber.

It was interesting.

And he knew the cause as well, one young man. He had been asking about the boy, ever since the negotiations with the Land of Cloud. The boy had guts, that was for sure, a bit naïve though. Hiruzen had put him as one of his advisers. No official title though, honestly both he and Hiruzne believed it would just hamper him.

The kid seemed to work better in the background.

Though, he needed to cover his tracks a bit better. The boy had made a slip up, diverting attention to Wave. Taking up Gato on an offer and then diverting some food and supplies through the company to the poor country. Wave wasn't particularly rich in anything, nor was it beneficial to even do anything about it. It could be seen as a benevolent mood, and that was it. The kid's naivete was still showing like a sore thumb.

It was child's play to look at the figures and see one of the main players, in the guilds, made a move. From there, you could eliminate investors, and partners. Lord Kaneko knew, from the Hokage's reports, that the boy had set up a couple investment companies and was manipulating from them. All of them untraceable, of course. Jiraiya of the Sannin knew how to cover both their tracks, but Jiraiya still had to report to his sensei.

'What's interesting' Kaneko sighed as he sifted through more papers, 'is that he chose Gato though.' There were at least five other companies, more reputable and secure, that he could have gone to. He could have even started his own company, like he did with his investment companies.

There must be reason, but he couldn't see it. 'He did initially talk with Gato through-' A lightning bolt of realization hit him. Lord Kaneko shifted a couple papers and found the records for trade routes to Suna. 'Same company. Yasu Corporation.' They had bought their way through Suna and had gotten their hooks into Suna's economy. They had did it in a very short time, because they were selling commodities from Mizu.

Kouki, another trading guild from Konoha, had also made a similar trade. But, it took mushrooms and other herbs from the mountain areas and gave them to Grass and Rain. These companies were essentially the middle men between nations, and one of their small investors was Yasu.

'My, my, my. Marking your territory.' The daimyo leaned back in his chair as he went through the list of investors. Yes, all of them had an investor names Yasu, a small insignificant investor, but it signified he had taken over the company. It wasn't a mistake either, it was a message to anyone looking.

The boy was fortifying the relationships on Konoha's sides using money. "Should've tried to make him a member of my court." Lord Kaneko muttered. 'The only ones that didn't have trade going between them was Rice and Hotsprings.'

They had two extremely popular commodities, Wheat and Tourism. Civilian focused goods. This was right up his alley, and he chose not to take them. It wouldn't even be hard, Rice and Hot Springs were known to be open to trade and friendly. So, why?

"Kaneko-sama." A knock at the front of his office. The Daimyo looked up to see Isamu, his most trusted adviser, enter. He and Isamu grew up together in the court, different houses, but Isamu helped Kaneko rise to the top. For that reason, he made Isamu his front man, and Isamu enjoyed playing the part.

"I apologize" Lord Kaneko said. "I was distracted and did not hear you enter the room."

Isamu shrugged. "It is nothing. I merely wanted to bring you lunch." Isamu showed a small tray carrying a bowl of rice and some meat on top. Neither of them were gluttonous eaters. "You missed it by a hour or so."

The Daimyo blinked as he looked over to the clock. Indeed, he had missed lunch, lost in his thoughts. Shrugging, Kaneko waved Isamu forward.

"Thank you." Kaneko placed the tray in front of him. As he grabbed the chopsticks with his right hand, he held out a stack of papers in his left.

Isamu grasped them and started to sift through them. Sitting down, Isamu's eyebrows rose with every page turned. "Someone's making moves. You were digging through this?"

"yes." Kaneko swallowed as he leaned back, grasping his tea. "The boy negotiator."

"Ah" Isamu nodded as he looekd through it. "He is quite proficient. To do this in so little time."

"I suspect Danzo has something to do with it. Some of the deals were completed a little to quick. And Jiraiya seems to have given him access to his network."

"Powerful allies." Isamu noted. He could be a threat.

Kaenko nodded, sipping his tea. "But, allies that ground him to Konoha. He seems the loyal type. I do not worry for his loyalty but his plans?"

"You figured something out?" The Daimyo's adviser inquired.

Nodding, the Daimyo pulled the last piece of paper he had been looking at.

"Rice and Hot springs. They aren't part of his network of trade?" Isamu murmured.

Kaneko chuckled as he finished his meal. "Yes. Tell me. What are you doing when you are preparing your borders. Ensuring that they will not back stab you."

A pause. Kaneko watch as his old friend work through the motions, going through the same thought process as he had.

Isamu looked up, solemn. "Preparing for war."

The Fire Daimyo nodded. "Grand plans indeed."

---

'Bored' She thought for the hundredth time. She stretched out on the roof, letting her 'cat' instincts take over. Lounging out on a perch under the sun was becoming a habit of hers, one that she liked. Though she really did hate the obsessive desire to be clean all the time. When she was tracking a person in the mud, she had to bit down on her kunai to stop from running to a nearby lake and cleaning herself off. It was a 'transition' period for her. Becoming a full fledged Jounin and mastering her Nibi form, she had done a lot in the past two years. Still, she was …

"So booored" She drawled out as she looked at the passing clouds. She tried to match clouds with animals and things she knew, but it wasn't as fun alone, without another person.

"Up here again?"

'What' The Jounin arched her neck back so she could looked behind her. "eh, Dad, What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you same, Yugito." The Daimyo of Lightning Country said. Walking down the side of the roof, and sitting at he edge. Her father sighed as he looked out at his country.

"It's changing." He said, quietly. "My city, my country it's changing again."

Yugito sat up, folding her legs in and grasping them. It unnerved her sometimes, to see her dad like this. He was always so calm, collected. The rare moments he showed the wear and tear on his body and mind, it scared her a bit.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll be here." Yugito smiled wide.

Arashi Nii sighed as he looked at his daughter. "Will you?"

Yugito felt her self shiver at that. "What do you mean?" She couldn't hid the trepidation in her gut. This was not a normal conversation, this was not a good conversation. She knew her dad, she was close to him. And she could see the tense lines on his face, his hands gripped tightly.

"I've been finalizing the embassy for Konoha."

"Oh." Yugito remembered Toki sending letters to them. He would send them along with packages. It was always in two piles. One pile was Official documents from the Konoha Negotiator and court. The other pile were letters from Toki . They held his real words and even said to reject a couple of Konoha's claims.

"I got a recommendation from Konoha." Arashi said. "To send a group to Konoha for the joint missions, and they will send a group to us. A Jounin group for a long term stay, Chuunin for delivering messages, and Gennin for minor border missions."

"That's a lot of red tape." Yugito thought out loud. It mean people had to guard the visitors, make sure everything was ok, make sure they didn't go anywhere they weren't supposed to. No wonder her dad was stressed.

"What did Toki say?" She asked, curious of Toki had recommended anyone.

The Daimyo nodded. "He recommended a couple Jounin groups. And to ask for a yearly rotation of Jounin. I think he's on the fence about it."

Yugito shrugged. Knowing Toki, that idiot always had some kind of contingency if it all went to hell. Having a foreign group stay in your village could step on a lot of people's toes. Having them stay for a year, it was all about keeping damages to a minimum.

Yugito leaned against her dad. "So, Who did he recommended."

Arashi chuckled. "You really want to know?"

Yugito nodded against his shoulder. And the two spent the rest of the day talking on the roof.

---

'This isn't good,' I thought to myself with a sigh. The numbers didn't add up. It was one thing to take a cut off the top, but it was another thing entirely to take the cut and not listen to my instructions. I glared at the sheet, it ruined my perfect evening. Sai and Shin had come home for Lunch early. This allowed me to go visit the Hokage. We talked about the possible Gennin teams and their instructors. The Hokage seemed receptive to my recommendations and had even commented that Kakashi was looking forward to teaching Naruto.

And then I go back to my notes on Wave.

'It all goes to shit' I grumbled as I looked at the numbers and the report from my man there. I had been carefully collecting a network, similar to Jiraiya. Except, my little network contained only high class Shinobi or people with power. I had to be selective of who I tapped to work for me. It wasn't out of bias. Jiraiya had shown me how much information could be gotten from a simple trader down in Rice. How many rumors a bar keep could listen in on.

No, The reason why I focused on high level executives of Companies, Nukenins who were at least rated B, and a slew of Underworld Leaders, was for raw pushing power. When the time came, I needed to force a villain. Force a way to create a gigantic, treacherous, evil villain. That way, when all of Konoha's allies band together to defeat the evil, then they would be united. Then, I didn't have to worry about the alliances being shaky.

I couldn't rely on my previous knowledge, not anymore. I had changed too much, things were moving too quickly. I knew Tsunade had become Hokage in the Manga, that I remembered. I remembered people dying, important ones. I knew about the invasion, about Sasuke defecting, about Akatsuki coming in and screwing everything over. But all of that was useless to me. Sure, the knowledge was cool and all, but it's not what I wanted. I didn't want people to die, just because some ink on a book said so. I didn't care about the villains, heroes, defeats and triumphs. To me, those events are what could have been. The What-if. And, I hated what if's. My life, no matter how strange and weird it was, was my own. And I wanted the people around me, the people in my life to be happy. I wanted them to live life without fear of war, of pain, of suffering. Sure, it was a lofty one, and sure probably wouldn't be succeeded in my time. But...

Somewhere along the way, I had decided to do whatever I could to make that a reality.

Even if I had to bury myself in filth.

'I've given him enough warnings.' I let out a sigh of frustration. I thought the man I dealt with could be trusted to do business. I thought he could be trusted to treat the people of Wave with dignity. It seems I was wrong. My informant there had given me a detailed report on the travesties that were being committed in Wave. It was a red flag for me, one that had to be dealt with immediately.

'But, it came at horrible time.' I thought bitterly. Naruto's graduation test was tomorrow. I wanted to be there to celebrate with him. 'I'll have to deal with this tonight then.' I wouldn't miss his graduation, and this problem would be dealt with swiftly.

I pushed chakra to the back of my neck. Allowing the seal to mold the chakra into a complex structure. Once the entire structure was full, I flipped the switch and the seal activated completely, bringing the structure to life. Two pops sounded off behind me, as two new people entered the room.

"Guys." I called out, as I turned around to face Sai and Shin. Sai had kept his hair short, wearing a white t-shirt with a black jacket and pants. The newest addition his attire, the brown gloves, were a gift from Anko. Shin, on the other hand, grew his hair out. He wore brown cargo pants with a dark green shirt, Anko's gift of steel mesh underneath.

I stood up and held up the report. "We need to go to wave. Suit up with Masks and full gear."

Shin nodded and left to their room to grab their armor and weapons. Sai let out a long, dejected sigh. "Ahhh come on Toki-nii, we just got back from training."

I chuckled at his complaint. "We need to get this done, because Naruto's graduation is tomorrow."

"yeah, yeah." Sai mumbled. "he's gonna pass easy. Anko-nee would string him up by his balls-"

"Language" I cut him off. I didn't want these guys to swear so flippantly. Didn't know why, but it felt wrong for them to swear. Just did. Couldn't explain why.

Sai flushed and nodded. "Sorry"

I shook my head and walked over to the door. "Get suited up" I told him. "I'm going to make a few rounds, meet me at the usual spot."

"Roger Boss!" Sai chirped. I rolled my eyes at the moniker. They called me Boss as the codeword to our associates. Sai and Shin did some courier work and decided to call me Boss to refer to me. It caught on with my 'spies' and they all just referred to me as boss now.

I walked outside and headed towards the Hokage tower. I wasn't visiting the Hokage, however. It only took me ten minutes to stroll to the back of an unimpressive building, next to the Hokage tower. I placed my hand on the back and pushed chakra into the hidden seal. Within seconds, I was surrounded by Root Anbu.

"Boys." I said, looking around. 'Usual guards' I noted. "Need to speak with the man downstairs."

They didn't respond as one of them grasped my shoulder and whisked me away. I, once again, felt the disorientation of moving too fast. "Ugh. Never gets old" I groaned as a I blinked, trying to stabilize myself. The air had changed as well, it was a bit more damp, and definitely felt underground. I turned around and saw my partner in crime.

"Danzo." I greeted with a smile.

"Toki" He nodded back, his face stoic. I think 'don't give a shit' was Danzo's default personality. But, now I knew that was not the case. It was more like, 'I will kill you if you cross me'.

Working with him on multiple projects, securing Suna by blackmailing the right people, and even getting the Daimyo of the Wind to bend a bit, made us work very closely. Even before the negotiation talks, Danzo had met with the Wind's Daimyo. Apparently, the Wind's Daimyo was, quoting Danzo, 'a greedy bastard'. So, we had simply adjust prices, guess what he wanted, and hid a storage of things. When the Suna ambassador presented his demands, we simply gave them our excess.

"I'm making the final adjustments to Wave." I informed him.

"Good, very good." Danzo nodded. "Now all that's left-"

"Is the reparations for hassling me." I cut him off. He wouldn't get away from the topic, not this time. I had put up with too much shit for him to walk away from continually harassing my trade lines.

Danzo paused. "I hassled your trade lines? I don't-"

I simply showed him a neatly folded letter. It was old, but the information on it was still very legible. "From one of your hires." I had been lucky when Sai and Shin found it. It gave me a connection to Danzo. And any connection, in this business, painted those involved with a red mark. "these men were paid by Ringo no Ki." I continued. "An investment company recently started. Tracing the money lines, they come from a small benefactor in Konoha. Guess whose name I found on that?"

Danzo didn't say anything. His hands were clasped on top of his desk, waiting for me to finish.

"Now, let's settle this." I said. "So we don't have to involve the Hokage. And explain that Konoha traders died because you wanted to test me."

Danzo leaned forward. "What do you want." There was a hardness in his tone, he knew I had him. In all honesty, I think he was more mad at the bandit than at me. In this business, sloppiness got you killed or worse, in debt.

"I want to handle Mizu with Jiraiaya." I told him.

"You and Jiraiya?" He questioned.

I nodded. This had been the endgame. I needed Mizu on our side. Having three of the Major Hidden villages allied was powerful. But, having four would make world changing shifts. Jiraiya and I had debated a long time on who to grab, Mizu or multiple vassal villages. Both would take investment but Mizu was, by far, the more riskier prospect.

Danzo let out a sigh. "Fine, is that all?"

I gave him a smile again. I could feel him shoot daggers at me. "Yes, Thank you for your time." I pressed chakra on the back of my neck, accessing a different seal. I felt myself being pulled away, as I was reverse summoned.

"How did it go."

I blinked again as my surroundings changed. I was back in my apartment, Sai and Shin were not there. I looked over to my left, and on my couch I saw Jiraiya. Letting out a sigh, I sat on my couch. The fluffy cushions and soft pillows seemed to suck the energy out of my limbs as I sagged into the couch.

"We're clear."

Jiraiya nodded and chuckled. "Well, now we can move freely with Mei."

I nodded. "I can finally get around to meeting her." I had only contacted her through Jiraiya's messengers. Too dangerous, with Danzo watching, to meet her in person. I didn't want Danzo meddling. I wasn't a fool to think that he would just pick up his things and leave, but now I could slam him if he tried to interfere. A simple mention at the next adviser's meeting would be enough for Sarutobi to sniff Danzo's actions out.

"We have enough safety nets in place." I informed Jiriaya. "After I finish my business tonight with Wave, I'll start digging my way into Mizu."

Jiraiya nodded. "I'll set up a meeting. Do you want me to be there?"

I shook my head. "No, I want to talk solo. Better to feel her out before I make any conclusions." Having Jiraiya there would be a show of suspicion. It could mean that I feared for my life. I could try and twist Jiraiya's presence as a show of trust, but anything could be misinterpreted. Better to eliminate the possibility of a misread, and just go Sai and Shin.

"You know." Jiraiya thought out loud.

"What?" I asked.

"When we first planned this brat, I thought you were actually going to declare war on Rice first" Jiraiya said. We had been investigating Rice and the new village being set up there. I had a niggling feeling that something important was there, but I couldn't remember.

"Eh," I shrugged. " Rice is not a problem. They're small fish right now. I want the big one."

I leaned forward in my seat, clasping my hands. My plan, my hard work over the last three years had culminated into this. I looked up at Jiraiya.

"I want the the Mizukage."

---

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