Chapter 10: Concurrence

AN: I do not own Naruto or any of Masashi Kishimoto's characters. All I own are my original characters and ideas, stunted and as in disarray as they are.

Small time skip of two years here. At this point we're four years until the Kyuubi's attack. Hariken and Anko are eight years old.

"Speech."

'Thought.'

"Attacks (Translations)"

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Hatake Kakashi stared at the note with his name scribbled out in what looked like the kanji of a child. He'd found it folded neatly in half and stuck to the front door of his apartment by an old rusty senbon, and took it down, not bothering to read it. This wasn't the first note that was left by one of his fellow squad members, but never with a throwing needle in such a state of disrepair. Usually they just wanted to invite him out to eat without having to wear their masks, so he ignored it. This time was no different, and Kakashi pocketed the note without a second glance. If his teammates wanted his attention so badly, they'd come personally. The old senbon still bothered him ceaselessly, but he tried his best to put it out of his mind.

That was a week ago. Now, Kakashi sat at his table idly spinning the needle and looking at the poorly handwritten note. After much hesitation, the last Hatake flipped open the paper.

His two black eyes scanned the rather lengthy note, easily deciphering the symbols once he recognized the writing and realized who'd stuck it to his door.

Hey Kakashi. The note read. I know it's been two years since I've last seen you, but I just wanted to say hi and check up on you. I'm sure you know about what happened about my move to the Uchiha compound. But if not, I'll tell you the short version: after the assassination attempt, the Hokage and everyone in the house got super worried. What ended up happening was the Hokage pretty much telling the Uchiha clan head that we had to live in the Uchiha compound for protection. Ever since then, I've been cooped up in here. They even got an Academy teacher from the Uchiha clan to teach me so I didn't have any reason to leave.

Anyways, Hokage-sama and Kaa-chan made this plan up to have me and Anko personally trained so neither of us gets hurt like I did again. Apparently the Hokage thinks it's best to send one of his old students to train me. Kaa-chan said it was something about the Will of Fire, I think. So I've got Orochimaru-sensei here looking over my shoulder as I write this.

Here the ink smudged, as if the hand that wrote it was trembling slightly. He's not happy I mentioned him.

It's boring here without anyone to spar with like you and I did. There's this one other Uchiha kid my age, but he really doesn't like to spar that much. His name is Obito, you know him? He's… strange for one of them. He wears these bright orange goggles and whenever I see him he's always helping someone. Not that that's a bad thing, just, different from what I've seen from the Uchiha.

Kaa-chan is fine, if you wanted to know. She's taken up calligraphy and is always bugging me to improve my own writing, which is annoying. Anko has started the kunoichi classes the Academy teaches, and I swear she's trying to kill me. If I have to eat another onigiri because Kaa-chan thinks it's 'cute,' I might stab Anko. What I wouldn't do for a bowl of Ichiraku ramen right now. I hate to admit it, but that place is actually one of the places I miss the most during my time away from the rest of the village.

Anyway, there's not much to do in my free time. I'm almost always doing something, whether for Orochimaru-sensei or Katamari-sensei, so I really don't have much time to do anything.

Orochimaru-sensei is giving me this weird calculating look, so I need to finish this up. That look is never a good thing.

I miss having my old sparring partner, Kakashi. If I remember correctly, your face was nice for letting out some frustration. Maybe we can sneak me out of here some day so we can beat the crap out of each other? I'm looking forward to our next fight. Our last one never had a winner.

See you later, then, I guess, maybe?

-Hariken

With that awkward conclusion, Kakashi placed the letter off to the side, staring blankly at nothing. There he sat for a good minute before shaking his head and getting up from his chair.

He didn't know why he donned his coat to go out into the rainy Konoha spring weather, but Kakashi felt like he should be training.

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I stared deeply into the four cups of tea on the table in front of me. All of them were identical innocent-looking pink ceramic cups sitting in a row, but the contents were far more menacing. My hands hesitated over one of the cups, before I drew them back. This was a grueling test. One that could possibly kill me. I didn't dare grab the wrong one.

Orochimaru-sensei sat on the other side of the table, watching my every move with eyes sharper than that of an eagle's. Whenever my hands hovered over one of the teacups, his lips would twitch ever so slightly in amusement. I knew he could control his expressions completely, so there was no way he wasn't playing mind games. I'd broken into a cold sweat about five minutes ago.

Anko sat next to our sensei beaming brightly, either oblivious or sadistically enjoying my plight. I leaned more to the latter. Anko was taking on traits of our sensei faster than I thought she would be. I'd already found her playing with the odd dead mouse or bird, kunai in hand, a few times. While it was worrying to see my friend change, even so slightly, I knew that it had to happen. My eyebrows knotted in frustration, 'Does she really have to become like him though?' I thought. 'Anko isn't that influential of a character in the anime… she doesn't have to act like Orochimaru, does she?'

Surely, the things I had to handle are deadly. I don't want to change anything too much, but I don't even know what's been changed so far. 'Argh! I need to deal with this tea first! I can think philosophy and changing the future later, when I'm not being watched by eagle-eyed shinobi.' I thought, shooting a glance at Orochimaru, who hadn't moved a muscle since I last looked at him. Fresh sweat cropped up on my brow. Kami, it was like being stalked by a predator.

I quickly averted my gaze to the four teacups. Three of the four cups contained a poison Orochimaru had discovered disguised in the tea, one that was nigh untraceable except by the most elite of the elite shinobi.

The last, however, had tea brewed by Anko.

I had a three-in-four chance of not dying today. I could do this. My forked tongue darted out, tasting the anticipation in the air as I reached for the leftmost cup. A mote of dust flew into my eye and I blinked to clear it, momentarily blocking my vision while I rubbed my eyes.

When I opened them again there were ripples in the four glasses.

My eyes narrowed and I reached for the second cup in from the right. 'Fine then, be that way Orochimaru-sensei.' I thought. He must have switched the cups on me. Still sure of my chances, I raised the cup to my lips and took a tentative sip. It was like the weight of the world had lifted from my shoulders as I tasted the exquisitely-brewed tea of Orochimaru's make. I lived, for now.

I then tipped the cup back to take a deeper drink.

And proceeded to almost choke on what seemed like old leather, pencil shavings, freshly-crushed insects, and about a pound of honey. My face screwed up into a fixed smile out of reflex, and I'm sure my expression was nothing close to the satisfied look I was trying to portray. With much struggling, I managed to swallow, feeling like my tongue just got violated. "I-it's g-great Anko-ch-chan!" I said, trying not to retch. By Kami, it was not great. How on Earth did she manage to make a cup of tea this bad? Did she wash the teapot with mud?

If possible, her smile got even brighter and the joyfully evil gleam in Orochimaru's eyes shone. With shaking hands, I set the cup back onto its saucer and picked up another one, desperate to cleanse my taste buds. I took deep drink of the warm liquid and coated as much of my tongue with it as possible. When I finally had the taste out of my mouth, I sighed gratefully. 'At last… something that won't kill me if I drink it.' I thought, taking another drink of the poison. "Anko." Her warm chocolate eyes looked to mine, "How do you do it? I just have to know your secret to making your tea." I said, trying to figure out just what the heck she managed to do to the poor leaves.

She rubbed her neck, "Well, I found this one bush, and Katamari-sensei said that there's lots of green teas made from freshly-picked leaves. So I took a bunch of them from the bush when Orochimaru-sensei asked me to make some tea." Her expression grew more evil, and I felt a growing sense of dread. "The color wasn't right, so I stirred in some soy sauce to make it black like what it's supposed to be." She frowned in faux-frustration, "And then it still didn't look right! It was too dark now. So I put a little bit of flour in the cup. Then, it finally looked perfect." Her face changed back to a brilliant smile, "I know how you like sweet things, so I stirred some honey in."

"Anko." I said, deadpan. "Did you, by chance, try the tea you'd made for me?"

She crossed her arms, "What kind of person do you think I am? I'm not going to drink the tea I made for you." She stated. I slid the saucer over to her and gestured for her to take it, but Anko turned her nose up at it. "And I'm not drinking it now either. You already had some, that's just gross Blue!" She said. Even though she had this angelic, innocent look on her face, the glint in her eyes and the twitching of her lips gave her away.

'Why that little…'

I was about to respond with some old dirt I had on her when Orochimaru-sensei cleared his throat softly. We both tensed at his voice. "As amusing as this is, I did not take you out of the Uchiha compound for tea and to play with Hariken's mind." He said smoothly. "There is something important that must be done, and you are both coming with me."

Anko and I briefly met eyes. Of all the things Orochimaru-sensei could have said, this was perhaps the last thing we would've expected. "I would normally have no reason to take you two with me, but councilman Tsukuda Satoshi specifically asked for me, and that you would come along. Make no mistake, I am no dog to be summoned at his master's will." He hissed. Orochimaru was his own master, even though nobody in the village knew it at this point. "This little call has the potential to be very beneficial for me." His eyes narrowed dangerously at us, "I have no patience for fools, so you will both act as I have trained you to, or you will find a new sensei." He promised.

"Afterward, you will come with me to see the Hokage." Orochimaru looked right at me, "Consider yourself fortunate that you're wanted enough by not only the Hokage, but the councilman as well. This desire allows you to… twist events in your favor. We leave in five minutes, prepare yourself." He said, standing.

I nodded gravely, 'No joking around now. Any attention I gather from the higher ups in Konoha is bad.' I thought. My presence has already created too many waves in Konoha. It was quiet for a while, with me being hidden away by the Hokage in the Uchiha district and the ending of the Second Great Shinobi War, but I had a feeling things were about to ramp up again. My feelings weren't unfounded either, because the Third Great War started around this time. I'm also acutely aware that 'Councilman Tsukuda Satoshi' never existed as well. Just like the Umi no Dokuhebi clan's lack of existence. Something fishy is going on. I took a deep breath and leveled my expression while I saw Anko do the same, masking her cheerful personality under a blank facade. It was scary how quickly she did that. I often wonder how much of her is genuine, and how much is a mask, but I'm really not that different so I never ask.

Orochimaru regarded my flat look and nodded. "Good, you're both ready. Let's go."

I took a quick look around the café we'd commandeered, trying to burn the sight of one of the only places I'd seen outside of the Uchiha compound into my memory. As there was nothing but the fan-emblazoned buildings of the compound to look at, the change of scenery was nice.

We all stood as one and left the small café, making sure to step over the unconscious forms of the man who owned the shop and his daughter on the way out. They'd tried to stop us from coming in, but no citizen could get the upper hand on one of the Sannin. There was always a price to pay for absolute secrecy. Orochimaru saw only an inconvenience, but I knew murder was all too easy for him. He would have even relished it, if he wouldn't be branded a criminal for doing so. Everyone knows Orochimaru was always a bit… twisted.

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Tsukuda Satoshi was a powerful man. Perhaps the most powerful man in the village of Konoha not a shinobi. He didn't need knives or chakra to do his bidding, because he had his mind. With that mind, he cultivated a grand business, and spread it all over Hi no Kuni, taking over many other businesses with it. His success wouldn't have been thought to come from one of his background, but there will always be anomalies in the world.

The son of a prostitute and a drunkard gambler, nobody acknowledged the child. They only regarded him for what he was, but not who. While others wasted away their time at bars and pubs, the sickly boy would watch the owners from the shadows, observing all the underhanded tricks and business tactics they used. Always learning, always watching.

As a teen, and for the entirety of his life for that matter, Satoshi was in tune with the socioeconomic trends of both the shinobi world and the civilian world. He saw things nobody else did. For example, at one time he noticed shinobi all wearing a certain type of sandal and made sure his clothing stores had plenty in stock. At the same time he made sure to have the old design looked at and improved. While he, himself, did not look at the sandal personally, his power was great enough that he had inventors and innovators do it for him. Even at a ripe young age.

But unlike most big businessmen, he was not hated for what he did. In fact, Tsukuda Satoshi was loved by the people. He provided them with food when they needed it, the clothes they wore in cold winters, the caravans to trade in other nations, and so much more. He was loved to the point they unanimously elected him to take a seat in the Konoha council, to a position of power almost equal to the clan heads. He humbly accepted the seat, despite not wanting it, and used it to make the lives of the people of Konoha better. At this very moment, new irrigation systems were being dug in the farmlands of Hi no Kuni.

But not all was sunshine and rainbows with Satoshi. No, at times he was doing deeds and making deals that couldn't possibly be further than the image of generosity and kindness he projected. This had been happening more as of late, with the recent ending of the Second War. Something had to be done, with all the crooks, bandits, thieves, and any number of vermin running amok in Hi no Kuni.

Though he detested money going out of the hands of the citizens to hire mercenaries of all people, the might of Konohagakure was diminished from this war. A war of fools squabbling for a few miles of dirt and stone. He never condoned that war, in fact he was quite against it, despite all the other businessmen latching onto the idea desperately to line their own pockets. None of the council, even the militaristic Shimura Danzo were for the war. How it even happened in the first place was a mystery to Satoshi.

Thieves and outlaws weren't the only ones reaping from the war, either. Satoshi had taken a serious look at his finances once a money leak had been reported, and discovered that thousands of ryo were disappearing daily for mysterious reasons. Sadly, Satoshi knew exactly who it was that was stealing the money. A Kusagakure native by the name of Maeda Reizo.

It was out of an utter lack of time and other people that Satoshi hired him, and now the time has come to get rid of Reizo. The man was in charge of providing raw materials for Konoha's arms, and transporting the finished product to Satoshi's stores and warehouses. When the war was raging, Reizo was absolutely vital to keeping Konoha armed, but now, with the war over and his treachery revealed, Satoshi needed to use more… underhanded methods to deal with him. Reizo was no longer needed, and another man could be trained to take his place.

This would be done in time, but the man has to be dealt with first. The problem was, Reizo was too deeply entrenched into Satoshi's businesses to simply fire. That's why he called upon one individual that he knew was subtle. A man that he called upon quite frequently for secret works. He'd never failed Satoshi, and had become one of the his most reliable colleagues.

The fact Orochimaru had two unofficial apprentices only helped in the long run. The two children would learn to be as ruthless, secretive, and efficient as their master. For Konoha to have what amounted to two or even three of Orochimaru at the same time would be unbelievably good. So Satoshi would ask that Orochimaru take the two students with him on this mission, as illegal and frowned upon as it is. They needed to learn the darker side of shinobi business, or at least be introduced to the idea. Children were malleable, so telling them these kinds of things were okay made them more willing to be worked with in the future. Morals were taught after all, not inherited.

It was never said that Satoshi was a moral man, only that he did what was good for the people.

There was a knock on the doors leading to Satoshi's office, and the unhealthily thin man smiled. He'd cleaned out his rather busy schedule just for a chance to speak with Orochimaru and give him this down-low mission.

He took a deep breath, gave a little cough, and invited the Sannin into his chamber. It was time.

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I stood stone-faced, to Orochimaru-sensei's left as he knocked on the door politely. The action confused me. Orochimaru is a shinobi of shinobi, why wouldn't he make himself to appear in a position of power? Intimidation and and getting pleasure from others' fear was his thing, no one did it quite like my serpentine teacher.

A hoarse, aged voice called out from the other side of the door, "Please, come in Orochimaru."

Without ceremony, my sensei opened the grand double doors and stepped into the room. It was not lavish as I thought it would be, but rather held the air of a place of study. Bookshelves, floor to ceiling, left no open space for the walls to be seen and were filled fully with volumes and volumes of books. Some of the gold-colored kanji on the spines I recognized, like clothing, food, and metal but others were utterly foreign to me. 'Maybe I should take Kaa-chan up on that offer for calligraphy and kanji practice. Kami knows I don't have anyone teaching it to me.' I thought, my eyes flicking across the collection of knowledge. I'd never seen so many books in one place in this world.

We came to a stop in front of three comfortable-looking chairs seated before a mahogany desk. Orochimaru didn't sit, so I didn't dare take initiative to do so. I'd rather not risk going against Orochimaru's orders, I value my life too much.

Sitting behind the desk was an emaciated man wearing an ill-fitting kimono the color of jade stone. His skin was pulled so tightly to his face, I could clearly see his teeth and skull. A pair of eyes tinted yellow by jaundice bored into the three of us from behind silver-framed glasses, steady and focused. His head was hairless, with not even eyebrows making themselves known. Liver spots dotted the man's head in various places, and his features were sharp. He was not handsome by any stretch, nor was he distastefully ugly. I had to pin the man down as old, but not down for the count. Not by a long shot.

The man stirred, his eyes flicking to Orochimaru, "Are you not going to introduce your charges, old colleague?" He asked, voice raspy. "We have known each other long enough to know each other's personal life, and yet here sits two secrets you've kept from me." He said, not without humor. "I feel rather insulted, my friend. I thought we trusted each other more than this." The thin man said.

'This is Tsukuda Satoshi? He's nothing like Kaa-chan described him. She said he was some nearly dead old grumpy guy that wanted nothing to do with us.'

Orochimaru gave a dangerous smile to the man. "Of course Satoshi-san, you knew of them, but I am no fool to tell more about my students to a man of business over letter. Some trust can be reserved only for personal visits." My sensei reached over and gripped the shoulders of Anko and I, "Students, be respectful to a business partner and introduce yourselves."

Anko spoke up first, maintaining her mask of indifference. "I am Mitarashi Anko. I am eight years old, and a student of Orochimaru-sama. He has trained me in the shinobi arts for two years now and I know no better person to train under as a student." My purple-haired friend said, lacking inflection and sending the man a challenging look.

Satoshi gave a mock shiver, "My, my. So cold, you are, Anko-chan. I can see you becoming a great kunoichi under Orochimaru." He said with a skeletal grin and a slight cough. The businessman then turned to me, "And you, the heir of the great and terrible Umi no Dokuhebi clan. Tell me about yourself."

I gazed at the emaciated man evenly, "My name is Umi no Dokuhebi Hariken. I have struggled for everything in my life, and am faced by a village full of those who would rather kill me than live with me every morning for nearly three years now. Orochimaru is training me so I can be far stronger than I am. With that strength, I will protect us all, whether through murdering Konoha's enemies in cold blood or paving the road for the future of this world in steel and fire." I said.

…

Was it too much? I felt that I was slightly over-dramatizing it with the 'steel and fire', but I was serious. So far I've killed twice now, and if it means killing again to protect those I love and bending the knee to one of the most inherently evil people I can imagine to get the strength to do so, then so be it. Orochimaru will not break me so easily.

Satoshi hummed and sat back, "A driven one." He commented hoarsely. The businessman turned to Orochimaru with joy in his eyes, "They're perfect. Let's talk business!" He said, before dissolving into a fit of coughing. Once it subsided, he stood and pulled a book from the bookcase behind him, taking out a file hidden in the front cover. The man opened it and slid it across the desk, making sure we could all see it. On the right cover was a picture of an arrogant-looking pale man with long slicked back silver hair, a gaunt face, and a square jaw. There were glasses over his brown eyes and a smirk playing on his rather fat lips. I looked on the other side of the folder, and saw a column of numbers, some varying in value, but none dipping below one thousand.

"This man is Maeda Reizo." Satoshi explained. "He is the owner of a part of my company, mainly concerning arming Konohagakure's shinobi force. I never intended to hire him into such a high position for long, but the wretch weaseled his way into a secure spot. He's been draining me of my funds over a long period of time, and I believe he intends to flee with it all. Sadly, Reizo can't be fired without fracturing my company into hundreds of pieces and having him scamper away with the scraps. He will be my downfall."

The man plucked at a loose thread of his kimono, completely at ease. He smiled dangerously at Orochimaru, "That is, if he survives." He chuckled. I glanced at my white-skinned sensei and saw a peculiar shine to his eyes. "Reizo needs to be taken care of, Orochimaru-san, and I trust nobody more than you to get the job done." Satoshi said. He then spread his arms widely, only coughing once before launching into his sales pitch. "I am only doing what is in the best interest of the people. They need order, not chaos. Ridding the world of Maeda Reizo only creates unity in our lovely village. I provide what they need, and the people love me for it. Take me away, and invite chaos. There must be a perfect unity without hatred and struggling between the people. A unity currently in danger from Maeda Reizo."

Orochimaru-sensei chuckled, his shoulders shaking, "Kukukuku… such aspiration. Is there anything… unexpected that needs to be addressed? I do not like unwelcome surprises, especially from such close partners as yourself." He said, inspecting his nails.

Satoshi sat back, folding his hands in his lap. I could see him regarding Anko and I, before he looked at our sensei again. "Take the children with you, please." He requested, his yellowed eyes staring directly at me. "That is all I ask. The two of them look so terribly anxious from being stowed away for so long." He said. I bristled at being called anxious through my mask despite my best attempts to look stoic. My body language and expression gave nothing away, thank-you-very-much!

Seeing my tensing, Satoshi smirked and gestured to me, "See, old friend? At the very mention of being out of the compound, your student goes rigid with excitement." He observed. Kami, the man was suited to his position as a politician and businessman with the way he twisted words!

Orochimaru turned to me with a look quite unlike what I was expecting. His eyes were calculating, instead of promising punishment for not acting 'as he trained us.' If there was one thing that was more frightening than Orochimaru being visibly angry, it was the look where he sized you up like a specimen and not a living, thinking person. "Yes." He said. "I have noticed their discomfort as well. To be quite honest with you, Satoshi, I should have snuck them out sooner. Children tend to not develop in isolated environments. They grow too accustomed to the protection of their surroundings, and become hopelessly naive." Orochimaru gave us a level look, "Naivety does nothing but get you and everyone around you killed…" He gave a predatory grin at us, "I won't allow you two to become a liability. You're too interesting to be wasted as refugees and orphans. No, that simply won't do."

Orochimaru turned to Satoshi, "Anko and Hariken are coming with me on this mission. If only to save me the trouble of having to break them of an unwanted mindset later."

The councilman stood from his chair, "One more thing before we negotiate your very generous and unique payment." Satoshi said. "Reizo has sent several missives via messenger hawk recently, all heading East. Intercepting them would only jeopardize any possible element of surprise. He could be contacting a number of different places, but be on the watch for Suna or Iwa shinobi. I believe he is unaware of my knowledge of his theft, but I will assume the worst scenario. Following that thought, Reizo is most likely going to try and escape from Hi no Kuni as quickly as possible. If he gets away then the economy of a good deal of the Elemental Nations stands chance of collapsing." After a moment Satoshi scoffed, "All because of a single man's lust for power. Disgraceful."

My sensei gave a nod, no doubt substituting 'disgraceful' with 'pathetic.' "My payment, Tsukuda-san."

The man's face screwed up and he coughed violently into his sleeve. For a few seconds, he was silent, until he drew in a shaky breath.

"Ah… my apologies. Firstly, you'll be ridding the world of a fool. A payment to the entire world, surely." He drawled weakly. "But that isn't what you want. You're a man of science, the premiere of it in Konoha. Your guaranteed reward for taking care of this small matter is access to any research you desire from the men and women under my employment. Granted, there is some I cannot allow you to see, but most of it is open to you." Satoshi twitched, suddenly thinking of something. "As a businessman, I cannot let you walk away with it either." He held up a finger, "But! You can copy it freely." Orochimaru took it all in, but kept an empty face. The councilman took that as a sign to continue, and bared his teeth in a grin. "Of course, you will be given S-rank mission pay."

Against my will, my eyebrows shot up. 'S-rank?!' I thought. 'How does this qualify as an S-rank mission? This is just an assassination!'

"-It will be delivered over a period of time, so as to not arouse suspicion, but all of the money will find its way to you. Do we have a deal?" The politician asked, stretching out his hand.

Orochimaru stood and stared at Satoshi for a minute, but he sat resolute against the Sannin. Eventually, the snake summoner reached over and took Satoshi's hand, confirming the deal. "Maeda Reizo's life is forfeit. Goodbye, Tsukuda Satoshi."

The emaciated man smiled, "I look forward to working with you again, old friend."

\/

When the grand double doors closed behind Orochimaru and the two kids, Satoshi sat down on his chair, fresh sweat cropping up on his hairless brow. He panted for a minute before suddenly giving into a fit of shakes. It took quite a lot to maintain control of his body for so long. Satoshi started growling, visibly struggling against something. "Get out of me… parasite!"

The man then started convulsing in his chair, black smudges racing across his sickly skin like water. Eventually, most of his body was covered in a pitch black substance with a glowing yellow eye. The mass chuckled darkly, "You're growing weaker Satoshi, while I only gain strength. Consider yourself happy I decided to come here, because you'll live for so much longer now."

"I would have gladly accepted my death. I was preparing for it, monster! This is not the way." The man protested weakly.

"It doesn't matter if anything goes your way or not. You, Tsukuda Satoshi, never existed." The black mass said, creeping over the strong-willed man, "None will lament the will of Otsutsuki Kaguya killing off someone who should have rightfully never existed."

"I exist, demon! Now get off of me so I can live the rest of my short life in peace." Satoshi rasped.

The man got cut off, choking on his words while Zetsu looked at the file still sitting on Satoshi's desk.

"Maeda Reizo, another man that never existed…" The creature murmured. "I would have never expected all of this happening from just a single summoning."

Satoshi gained control of his body again, sweat freely dripping into his kimono, "What are you talking about? Let me go!" He demanded. All of his fight was for naught, when the power of Black Zetsu slammed down on him. The merchant lost the ability to resist him and fell unconscious, allowing the manifestation of Kaguya's will to take over completely. He'd fight again, but his waking was always short-lived, and the struggle weaker every time. It was only a matter of time before he submitted to Zetsu completely.

Zetsu cracked Satoshi's neck and sighed in relief, "It's nothing personal, councilman." He said to the empty room. "I needed a position of power in the village, and possessing a dying old man with that power was too good of a chance to not take." The man's consciousness stirred slightly.

After making absolutely sure Satoshi was out, the black being contemplated the meeting he'd just witnessed through the eyes of the body he'd possessed. He crossed his borrowed legs and placed his head in one of Satoshi's bony hands. "So that was the Umi no Dokuhebi boy." He said, thinking heavily.

This changed nothing.

Zetsu's ultimate plan for the boy hadn't changed at all. He had to move soon though, or else the boy would get back into the Uchiha Compound.

Uchiha Compound… Uchiha Compound. Shiro-Herarudo at the Uchiha Compound.

Zetsu had a thought. A good thought. The best thought for what he had in mind for the boy. A grin split the skeletal features of Satoshi's face malevolently as Zetsu planned his schemes with new vigor.

This changed everything.

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For all the time Anko and I were away, there's one thing that didn't change at all.

The Hokage's secretary looked like she swallowed a lemon when she saw me. "Ah… Hello Orochimaru-sama. Here to see Hokage-sama?" She asked, her look of disdain directed at me painfully obvious.

"Of course my dear. I'll say, you look more lovely every time I see you." The Sannin crooned silkily, his words falling like honey on her ears. She looked at him and blushed slightly. "I trust we haven't been keeping Hokage-sama too long?"

Her cheeks tinted pink and she managed to stutter out a negative response before pressing the intercom button, "Hokage-sama, Orochimaru and his two…" She sent another nasty look my way, "Charges are here to see you."

There was a few seconds of silence, then I heard Hiruzen's stern voice, "Send them in." If I wasn't standing next to a person that would have promised pain at the first sign of emotion in such a public place, I would've winced. As it was, my face twitched, which elicited a triumphant grin from the chuunin secretary.

Orochimaru led the way once more, Anko and I following obediently, as we strode up to the office door. Slit amber eyes met both of ours, silently ordering us to maintain composure. It made sense to do so, because if Orochimaru had any chance of taking us with him on the mission, we needed to have the bearing of perfect shinobi. This was an S-rank from Satoshi, and even the slightest sign of childish behavior will sabotage our chances of getting in, even if the official mission rank was lower. Personally, I was hoping for a nice healthy C-rank, but there's no way Orochimaru would be called into service for something so below his payroll. If that was ever really the case, then I'm sure he'd leave the client a bleeding mess, at the very least. It was nice to daydream though.

My wandering attention snapped back to reality as the door was opened. The first thing I saw was the Hokage, and he did not look happy. But once he caught sight of Anko and I, the tension seemed to melt from his bearing. The skin around the Hokage's eyes relaxed and his broad shoulders dropped a minuscule amount. Was 'The Professor' actually worried about us? If so, then why?

Orochimaru-sensei ushered the both of us in and gave a genuine smile. I didn't believe it for a second. I knew his true nature, and I won't allow my guard to lower around Orochimaru. I've been stepping on eggshells around him for so long, and I can keep going for as long as I need to. "Sit, Hariken, Anko." He said softly, gesturing to the two chairs in front of Hiruzen's desk. We sat next to one another and I wondered how much more different this meeting was going to be compared to the one earlier.

The Hokage gave a slight smile, "It is reassuring to see both of you children out of the Uchiha Compound in good form. I know it must not have been easy, but you two are here now and stronger from it." Hiruzen said. "I expect nothing less from future Konoha shinobi!" It was nice to hear some encouragement from the strongest man in the village. Sure, I had Anko and Kaa-chan, but it was better to have someone like the Sandaime Hokage say it to me. I returned his smile.

"This isn't some Earth-shattering meeting." He noted with humor, "I just wanted to personally see how both of you were doing, and give my old student a mission while he was around. Killing two birds with one stone." His expression soured slightly, "Unfortunately the rest of my day is filled with paperwork and meetings, so a bit of levity helps this old man through his day." He looked to Orochimaru and nodded, "I hope everything has gone well?" He asked.

"Of course, sensei." The snake said, finally settling into the chair. "Having students for myself is quite refreshing. The pay is less than being on active duty, but I do enjoy having Anko-chan and Hariken-kun around."

Hiruzen chuckled. "There has always been a downside to taking on a team, but I find the cherished memories to be more than worth the hit on my wallet." He shook his head fondly, "I won't ever forget what you, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were like as children, and I'm proud to say you've all grown into fine shinobi."

Orochimaru's eyes crinkled, "Thank you sensei." He said honestly.

The 'moment' was then ruined by the door being thrown open hastily by a man with an unruly blond mop of hair. "Sorry for my lateness Hokage-sama!" He said, not offering any pointless excuses and approaching Hiruzen.

Hiruzen chuckled and gestured to the only open chair. "Your client isn't in the village, and you just came back from a high-ranked mission. I think I can allow you some leeway, Minato-kun."

Minato… Namikaze Minato. I wanted to simultaneously rip my hair out in frustration, and gape at the man like a fish. This was the future Fourth Hokage, a legend in his own right and the father of the protagonist of this entire reality. I've got no luck at all, do I? I'm in a room with not one, not two, not even three geniuses, but four. The risks of me slipping up have never been higher. I didn't worry as much about letting up a little around Anko, because she knew some of my quirks. Like speaking in a weird language when I thought nobody was around. The Hokage, having the most experience in life would definitely notice something Anko would shrug off as 'just Hariken.'

If he got suspicious and called a Yamanaka here, then I was absolutely screwed.

The blond man looked relieved, "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I was just getting some help from Kushina-chan for a new fuuinjutsu design and had lost track of time." He finished sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Hiruzen reached for a scroll he'd had sitting on his desk and nudged it forward, "There's no problem, Minato-kun. Once this mission is over, you'll get plenty of down time." He said. "At least this time you can bring your genin team with you. Obito has been loudly complaining about not having his normal jounin sensei."

The young man grinned at Hiruzen and took the mission scroll, "I like those kids, Hokage-sama. They had the makings of strong shinobi all on their own even before I met them. Every last one of them is loyal to a fault." He looked at Orochimaru, more specifically, the two kids on the far side of the Sannin. "It looks like you've found yourself some students too, ne Orochimaru?"

My sensei gave a predatory grin, "I couldn't have asked for better students."

The Hokage smiled, "Good. I'm glad I chose you to be their sensei." He said, pleased that his little plan with Orochimaru was working.

There was the sound of a wax seal being broken and I stole a glance at Minato, who had the mission scroll open. The blond-haired, blue-eyed jounin frowned slightly then looked at the Hokage, "I'm only making an observation here Hokage-sama, but isn't this a bit overkill?"

I looked to the robed man in the autumn years of his life, wondering what was going on. The Hokage shook his head seriously, "This may be a simple escort mission, but your client is very valuable to the village. Without him, Konoha would have likely not made it through the war with as little casualties as there was. Was losing a man like Hatake Sakumo not enough?" He pulled out his pipe, looking at it for a moment before hesitating and stowing it back into his robe. "Sometimes we shinobi forget how much the civilian and the worker aid us. This man your team and Orochimaru are escorting wishes to move to a location where one of his businesses is in. He's a hard worker, and a good man. I won't turn my back on someone who's helped Konoha so much. If he requests some of the best shinobi we have available, genin team or not, we will provide them for him."

Minato simply nodded, understanding. This was a 'giving back to the people' thing and a show of respect to those who supported the shinobi. The future Yellow Flash gave Anko and I a sideways glance, "And our… client won't object to my team coming along?"

Hiruzen shook his head, "He knows that there's a possibility of getting a genin squad and their jounin leader. This isn't so highly ranked of a mission that I won't allow genin to be in it, especially ones as trained as yours." He said.

The scroll was rolled back up and passed to Orochimaru, who made sure to read it at an angle so we couldn't read what was on it. Tall people could be so mean sometimes, I'd know from experience. I can't wait to grow again, being a little shrimp of a kid sucks.

"Hokage-sama." Orochimaru said after reading the mission details, getting the village leader's attention. "Why not allow Anko-chan and Hariken-kun join in on this mission?"

Wait, what?

'Is this really happening so soon? I expected the Maeda Reizo mission to come a bit later, not literally the same day… shinobi work fast, then.'

Hiruzen lifted an eyebrow, "Why not? Neither of the kids are official Konoha shinobi. Academy students can't take missions, Orochimaru. You know this. Why the sudden interest?"

The black-haired legend reached into a pocket in his shirt, taking out a folded slip of paper. He passed it to the aging man who opened it up and scrutinized it closely. The Hokage looked at Orochimaru with a pensive look, "Are you certain Orochimaru? This more than just taking a genin team. This can very well become a five to ten year commitment." He said.

"I am aware, sensei." The Sannin said, eliciting a meeting of eyes between the two men. From what Orochimaru-sensei told me, he hadn't called the Hokage that in years. It must be serious, whatever it was.

Hiruzen took took another look at the paper, "Let's see. You've got the parental consent from Uroko-chan, a signature of academic approval and release from one Uchiha Katamari, and the stamp of legitimacy from the office in the Academy." The Hokage held the paper in both hands, channeling chakra so it visibly shone, and a red-inked stamp mark glowed blue. "It's all here."

The Hokage looked like he'd aged a few more years and nodded to Orochimaru. "I have full confidence in you Orochimaru." He said, reaching into his desk and rooting around. Eventually he came up with a stamp and ink. Hiruzen hesitated a second before stamping the paper, marking it with the official Hokage seal. He stood up from his chair and gave the slip back to the pale shinobi, who took it smoothly. "Take that sheet to get recorded in the archives after this meeting. Congratulations on becoming the master to two young apprentices, I'm sure Konoha will benefit from this arrangement."

Anko's hand snatched mine and squeezed harshly, and all I could do was squeeze back. This was what Anko only dreamed of, and it was finally happening. I felt so happy for my best friend. Orochimaru was her hero, and witnessing the final approval of the Hokage on what I knew to be coming had her on cloud nine. Heck, being here with her made me want to jump out of the chair and hug her, jumping up and down and squealing like a little girl.

Ahem. But I was a mature man, and there was no way I was thinking of such feminine things. Pssh, I wouldn't ever do something like that. Now where's a tree I can punch to feel manly again?

I was ecstatic too, because this means my survival in combat would be almost guaranteed. I wouldn't likely get killed by some random schmuck in the future due to the fact that I'd have extensive training from the Snake Sannin. I'd always assumed that I'd get pawned off to some jounin who'd rather kill me than teach me after finishing the Academy.

But the good was never without a cost. Now Orochimaru has a legit excuse to get into my head. For all intents and purposes, he owned Anko and I until he called the apprenticeship finished. Knowing him, it's not going to be until he extracts every last nugget of knowledge from my brain. 'He got Kaa-chan to sign off on it, too. Orochimaru is going all in.'

Minato looked shocked at what just happened, then realized something that I hadn't thought of. "That's clever, Orochimaru-san!" He said with a wide grin. "Getting them to be your apprentices to take them with you on the mission. Now there's no reason not to take them with us!"

Orochimaru chuckled and an extremely self-satisfied look came to his face, "Kukukuku! I always knew you were a smart one, Minato. As you said, I like these kids. I would rather not lose them to another jounin when they're already here with me now." His eyes glinted in the daylight pouring from the windows of the Hokage's office, "It would be a shame to lose all that we've worked for, only to get my dear students taken away from their favorite master. I daresay they wouldn't learn a thing from someone else, and be wasted in the village as subpar shinobi. No, with me, Anko and Hariken will become great." He finished with a grin.

The Hokage smiled at the picture his former student was painting. "Yes, under your guidance, I have no doubt these two will become fine shinobi." He cleared his throat and took his pipe out to smoke a bit. "Now that everyone here is going to be going, we can freely discuss what your mission entails." The man lit his pipe and took a puff before knitting his hands together in front of his face, a pose I recognized as him going into 'business mode.'

"Your client's name is Maeda Reizo. He's asked for an escort to Mujun town in the Rekka Province, where he has expressed some concern over the financial stability of the region. Reizo believes that the issue may take some time to resolve, so you're free to leave after getting him there. He's currently getting ready to leave in Dento village, so you should get there at a timely pace before heading out eastward." The Hokage said. He scratched his chin and exhaled some smoke into the air, "This is a fairly routine C-rank mission, one akin to what you've both been on a countless number of times." He remarked with humor. "But it's necessary, just like all those border patrols Jiraiya hates. Be professional about it. Reizo asked for Konoha's finest, and we won't disappoint one of our biggest suppliers."

Orochimaru smiled, remembering his companion's bellyaching. "Understood, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen nodded, "Normally I would be worried with a high-priority man getting so close to Iwa's borders, but with the war finished and nonaggression pacts freshly signed, I can be at ease. I believe in you, let's make this go as smoothly as possible. You leave no later for Dento than noon tomorrow. Dismissed."

'Man, Satoshi must've had some really good connections if he knew all of this beforehand…'

\/

I sneakily opened my window, clinging to the outside wall of the apartment we lived in. 'Okay, as long as Kaa-chan still thinks we're out with Orochimaru we're safe.' I thought. Anko crouched on the opposite side of the window, gesturing at me to hurry up. I gave her a shushing motion and backed off to let her in first. Ladies first and all.

When I entered into my room, I shut the window behind me and crept to my dresser. Everything had to be exactly like it would usually be for training with Orochimaru. Today was a Friday, so that meant a no-holds barred spar between Anko and I, then lunch with everyone, and by everyone I mean Ran, Kaa-chan, Orochimaru-sensei, Anko and I, at noon. I looked at the simple wristwatch on my right arm. '11:30. Kaa-chan shouldn't be home yet.'

Anko hovered at the door, waiting for the confirmation. I nodded, "We're clear, Anko-chan. Gear up and meet at the rendezvous." I whispered. She left, more quiet than a ghost. The plan was to get all of our equipment we'd use in a fight, then go to the training ground we often use. From there Anko and I would stroll back to the apartment like nothing had happened. Occasionally we'd scuff up each other's clothing or rub some dirt into our faces for realism. It was perfect.

"Back so soon Hariken-kun?"

I froze.

Well, there were wrenches thrown into every well-laid plan.

Slowly, I turned to face my mother, who stood casually leaning up against the wall in the corner I hadn't bothered to check. She raised the mug in her hand, "Tea, my son?"

I smiled weakly, grimacing internally from the thought of any more tea. I'd had enough to last a long, long time. "Hey, Kaa-chan. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, "I dunno. Mikoto-chan got home early, so she didn't need little old Kaa-chan taking care of her precious Itachi any more. That boy is frighteningly bright for his age." She tilted her head, "Rather like you in that matter." My mother remarked. Flipping a lock of her blue hair, she scrutinized me, "All I was doing was going home when I decided to come through the training ground Orochimaru-san has taken temporary ownership of. To my shock, nobody was there." She made a mock gasp, "I was so worried. What if you two got mugged? What if Hariken got himself irreparably hurt? I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

My face twitched. 'Okay Kaa-chan I get it.'

She plowed on, "I had half a mind to walk right up to Hokage-sama and humbly request he let loose the search teams. Surely that would help me know what had happened to my dear lost son." She said, pointing a hand daintily at herself. "I-" She was cut off from her guilt trip by the door opening. "Oh, hello Orochimaru-san, I hope you can solve the mystery of where my son and his little friend went."

The man looked highly amused at the situation, and looked at his nails nonchalantly. "Oh, I don't know where they went, Uroko." He looked at me, knowing full well that I wouldn't throw him under the bus. "Why don't you tell your mother where you and Anko went. Surely you couldn't have gone out into the village all by yourself. You know well that Hokage-sama gave an order that you two were supposed to be kept in the Uchiha Compound."

Scenarios ran through my head, each one worse than the last. We were at Ichiraku Ramen, we went to train with Kakashi, we went to the Inuzuka compound to play with the ninken, we went to the Nara compound to play with the deer, we went to Yakiniku Q to play with the food, we went climbing on the Hokage monument, visiting the memorial stone… Abducted by aliens?

"We got a mission!" I blurted out. "The Hokage wanted to see Anko and I so he could give us a mission! He saw how well we were doing on his magic crystal ball and asked Orochimaru-sensei if he could escort us to his office."

Orochimaru chuckled, "Kukuku, that certainly was a quick one. Not very well thought out, but I have to give credit for coming up with a half-baked excuse so quickly." He turned to Kaa-chan, who was smiling behind her cup, "What do you think Uroko-san?"

"A good shinobi would have at least six different excuses pre-made depending on who they were talking to."

I whirled on her, "You knew!" I accused.

She snorted, "Of course I did. Orochimaru-san told me he was taking you two out somewhere nice for tea, and to meet with the Hokage for a mission. I'm honestly surprised you weren't called for one sooner. Kiri sends out six-year-olds out on missions all the time."

"Oh…"

She pointed to my bed, where two scrolls laid. "Here, I gathered up some basic mission supplies for you and Anko-chan." Kaa-chan shot me a look, "Make sure to memorize what's in there, because I'm not making another one for you both. From now on, you can do it yourself. This is a special occasion because it's your first mission."

Orochimaru laughed, "You're far too kind, Uroko. Let him make his own pack and suffer for it when he forgets something. It worked fine with that idiot Jiraiya when he didn't pack a tent as a genin. His misery over unpreparedness was music to my ears."

Kaa-chan rolled her eyes, "Trust me, this is only a one-time thing." She turned to me, "Get some sleep early, you've got a long few days on the road ahead of you."

I squirmed uncomfortably, "Thanks Kaa-chan." I murmured.

She nodded, "Before you go to bed, get Anko I've packed her a scroll so she doesn't do it. Night." She said as both adults left the room.

'Night? That's it? I get the third degree while she just says to tell Anko?' I flopped on my bed and sighed, 'She's so troublesome sometimes.'

\/