(AN: sorry for the delay, my life has been a bit of a mess lately)

Yuki looked at the returning genin with an amused look. The girls were blushing and were a mess, and they definitely had that glow of lost innocence.

Kiba looked rather jealous of Naruto right now, especially since the girls all seem to sit and want to snuggle up to their new boyfriend.

"Huh... fivesome... guess that stamina really does translate to the bedroom..." Yuki muttered out loud, which got a wide-eyed look from Kiba, Chōji and surprisingly Neji as they stared at Naruto.

"Was he any good?" the blush that rapidly spread across the girls faces as their expression slipped into daydreaming answered Yuki's question.

Yuki then opened the book back up to the proper page "Chapter 9: Gentle Steps and Flower Petals."

The Same Day

Clan Meeting Room, Main House, Hyūga Clan Compound

Uncharacteristically, the Hyūga Clan Elders were not glaring at Hinata, which was a novel experience for the Heiress. Usually most of them were gazing at her in absolute and complete contempt before her father entered the room and stopped them with his mere presence.

Now Hinata was the one who was under the gaze of the others, making her shrink into her jacket only to be stopped by a hug from Naruto, who had attempted to comfort her.

Instead, the Elders were quiet and, dare she say it, worried about something. Off the top of her head, she could think of but one incident that could cause the Elders to become as concerned as they were and she was secretly looking forward to watching their faces as they were lambasted for letting Arashi get out of control as he had.

That comment got a rare smug look from Hinata upon hearing that.

Just then, Hyūga Hiashi walked in and took his position next to Hinata. From what Hinata could see of her father, he was tense, angry and looked ready to flay the skin from something or, more to the point, somebody.

"Hyūga Arashi has been formally convicted of one count of Assault on Fellow Konoha Shinobi, two counts of Conspiracy to Commit Murder, one count of Destruction of Private Property and one count of being an unregistered Sealmaster." Hiashi said without preamble, "I have just returned from a meeting with Hokage-sama, Inuzuka Tsume and Yamanaka Inoichi where I was informed of this. Comments?"

Arashi's father, Elder Gyoza, frowned thunderously. "He was convicted without a representative of the Hyūga Clan present? Outrageous!" he blustered, "The conviction cannot stand as it is illegal!"

Some of the others growled at the obviously corrupt man.

"In matter of fact it can and does stand." Hiashi growled, "Your foolish imbecile of a son was responsible for the manufacture of over a hundred badly made explosive tags that were used to blow up the former residence of one Uzumaki Naruko. The tags were infused with his chakra, which is a solid piece of evidence linking him to the attempt to kill Uzumaki-san, negating the need for a Clan Representative or even a trial.

In addition, he was defeated, with the greatest of ease I might add, by Elite Jonin Maito Gai when he and his fellow conspirators attempted to assassinate Uzumaki-san in person. The evidence is both unimpeachable and undeniable."

Another Elder, Hyūga Oboro, cleared his throat delicately. "What did Hokage-sama have to say on the subject?" he asked softly.

Hiashi snorted. "He was furious that his surrogate granddaughter was almost killed twice in less than three days. He gave me a list of punishment that can be given to Arashi and we must pick one of them." he said angrily.

"He dares to make demands of us?" Gyoza asked furiously.

"If he exists back home, he is so getting pranked to oblivion for this..." Naruto muttered with retribution on his mind.

Meanwhile the portion of Sasuke's mind that still loved Itachi and wanted him back was going over the idea of simply using Naruto to prank the hell out of Itachi instead of killing him.

"He is the Hokage." Hiashi reminded the insular idiot, "He is not the leader of a lesser Clan that we can cow with our status, nor is he a civilian merchant we can impress with our power and prestige. He has the right to summarily execute Arashi for his attack on his Clan Ward or even use this to force a lessening of the status of the entire Hyūga Clan for the affront offered to the position of Hokage for one of us attacking one of his Shinobi.

Instead, he is choosing to humiliate us by forcing us to choose his punishment and forbidding any punishments not on the list. If we ignore his directive, the consequences will be…unfavorable to the Clan."

The silence was palatable in the room, before one of the three Branch House Councilmen spoke, "As…distasteful…as this might be, we should at least hear what punishments we have to choose from before considering other actions. Hasty choices are for those who let their emotions rule them, such as the Inuzuka. We are Hyūga. We rule our emotions, not the other way around."

Yuki muttered to himself "At least this version of the Hyūga elders has some branch member representation..."

Hiashi nodded at the man, Hyūga Kagemaru if he remembered correctly. "Well spoken." he praised the man, "Yes, you should hear all of the options before a decision is made, although I should warn you that neither of the options are what you might call palatable."

"Get on with it already Hiashi." Oboro snorted, "The warnings you're giving won't sink in until we hear the damn choices anyway."

Hiashi chuckled humorlessly. "A fair point. Very well. These are the two choices; One: Arashi's chakra is to be sealed, he is to be dishonorably discharged from the Ninja Forces and he is to be banished both from the Clan and from Konoha. Two: He forfeits all of his personal possessions, both ninja tools and Clan items that do not contain Hyūga Clan secrets to Uzumaki Naruko as per the Spoils of War Act, section two, all of his mission pay for the next ten years is to be given to Uzumaki Naruko and he is to branded with the Sleeping Bird Seal."

This caused a bit of shock amongst the genin. "Wh-What's the Sleeping Bird Seal?"

Yuki looked up from the book "Well, Hinata, the Sleeping Bird Seal is a seal similar to the Caged Bird Seal that the Hyūga have, however instead of causing pain at a handsign or sealing away the Byakugan, what it does is make it so that the person sealed cannot pass their Byakugan on to any future children. It is usually given to Hyūga who wish to marry out of the clan so as to protect the Byakugan from spreading outside of the clan's control."

The council was in uproar. The punishments were extreme opposites and contradicted too many Hyūga Clan Laws to be permitted! The additional stipulation that no other punishments were to be allowed precluded the use of the Caged Bird Seal, so the banishment option was out of the question.

Hiashi smirked internally. The deal that he had worked out with the Hokage was working out wonderfully. The council was faced with two distasteful options: One, send Arashi out into the world with no chakra and no seal to keep the Byakugan safe and Two, make Arashi into a source of income for Uzumaki Naruko and prevent his line from continuing. It was obvious which would be picked and it was only a matter of time before the council realized it.

Naruto looked at Hinata and in a serious tone asked "Hinata, do you think I can team up with your father to prank the elders that deserve it?"

Hinata didn't know what to say to that.

Yuki had telepathically transferred the request to his brother, leading to Hiashi getting a... rather disturbing grin on his face that looked too much like Kushina's retribution prank grin (tm).

Gyoza summed up the feelings of the Hyūga Council quite well with his roar of, "This is an outrage! All of these so-called punishments are little more than a slap in the face of Arashi, myself and the Hyūga Clan as a whole! They cannot be countenanced!"

Hiashi regarded the man for a moment before turning to Hinata. "My daughter, you were present when the second assassination attempt was made, were you not?" he asked coolly.

"H-Hai, I was Otou-sama." Hinata replied.

"Had Maito Gai not interfered with Hyūga Arashi's attack on Uzumaki Naruko, what do you think would have happened?" he questioned neutrally.

Hinata chewed on her lip as she thought for a moment before answering. "I-In all likelihood, Hyūga Arashi would have b-been engaged by Tokubetsu Jonin Mitarashi Anko, whilst my Jonin-sensei, Yūhi Kurenai, dealt with the Inuzuka Clan member and my teammates and I would have still confronted Yamanaka Haruo." she ventured.

"I see." Hiashi's poker face was inscrutable, "And what is your assessment of Yamanaka Haruo's abilities?"

"H-He's slightly slower than average for a Jonin, with powerful Katon ninjutsu in addition to the techniques of the Yamanaka Clan." Hinata responded immediately, "With the combined abilities of me and my teammates, we could have, and did, defeat him."

"The final blow was by Uzumaki-san was it not?" Hiashi questioned.

"H-Hai. She dodged a powerful Katon, the Gōryūka no Jutsu, and delivered a strong kick that Haruo was unable to avoid." Hinata replied.

"Oh? And why was he unable to avoid Uzumaki-san's attack?" Hiashi questioned.

"B-Because…I…I used the Hakke Sanjūni Shō on him a minute before the last blow was struck." Hinata replied hesitantly.

"Preposterous!" scoffed Gyoza, "I know for a fact that Hiashi has not taught you any of the three Main Family Taijutsu attacks, Hinata-'sama', so cease your lying at once!"

They were liking this asshat less and less.

"Honoured Elder, I am t-telling the t-truth." Hinata replied.

"Indeed she is." Hiashi said as he turned the 'Hyūga Glare' onto Gyoza, making the Elder quail slightly, "She performed the technique on Hanabi at my request and performed it nearly perfectly."

"But then…how did she learn it?" Oboro questioned, "Did you teach her, Hiashi-sama?"

"No, I did not." Hiashi replied, "Hinata learned the technique by herself from a scroll she found that was written by her mother, Hitomi. I have examined the scroll in question and have found it to contain an altered version of the technique, designed for a Hyūga who has a Water Primary Elemental Affinity. Hinata, you recently had your Affinity tested, did you not?"

"H-Hai." Hinata replied, "I-I have a primary Water Affinity and Secondary Wind Affinity. My sensei were…shocked…that my affinity was not tested before now."

Gyoza sniffed disdainfully. "That happens to be a Hyūga Clan tradition that outsiders have no right to criticize."

"That is a subject for another time." Hiashi said pointedly, "To return to the main point, Hinata is right in saying that Arashi would have been confronted by Tokujō Mitarashi, who would have been hard pressed to defeat him. Jonin Yūhi would be useless against a Hyūga as our Byakugan all but completely negates her genjutsu. Moreover, he would have torn through the members of Team 8 with ease.

Should Arashi and his allies have succeeded, he would have been forced to flee Konoha with them, resulting in a Byakugan outside of our control and vulnerable to being captured by Kiri or Kumo, which would make my brother Hizashi's sacrifice a wasted effort. I am thankful that Maito Gai was assigned to aid Team 8 in this matter otherwise two jonin and three genin -three Clan Heiresses no less- would be dead and our bloodline would be vulnerable to all and sundry."

There was grumbling from the Main Family Councillors, but no outright disagreements.

Hiashi looked around before continuing, "As we are all in agreement that the Byakugan must remain within Konoha and under our control, I must admit that the second punishment fits the bill for Arashi. He must be punished severely so no Hyūga will dare to assault Uzumaki-san -or any other member of the Shinobi Forces- ever again."

"You would make my grandchildren non-Hyūga!?" Gyoza roared angrily. The Elder's face was puce and heading towards a violent shade of vermilion.

"You would prefer him to be banished, with no chakra to protect himself?" Hiashi inquired, "Make no mistake Elder Gyoza, I am not happy that we are being forced to punish one of our own here. I am also not happy that one of our own was stupid enough to be mixed up in this business even peripherally, let alone one of the two in charge of the entire debacle. I will urge you all to spread the word to your families that anyone from the Clan who is found guilty of being involved in similar events will be executed outright and their name struck from the Clan Register. Am I clear?"

Shock was written across the faces of every Council member, even the Branch Family Representatives. Being struck from the Clan Register meant that you were not allowed to be buried with your ancestors, prayed for or even spoken of. The person's name was usually banned from being used for several generations before anyone else was given it again such was the dishonor this entailed.

Those that were from clans had paled when they heard all of that.

"Good." Hiashi said, having gotten his message across, "So, I believe we should vote now. All those in favor of Hyūga Arashi being stripped of his rank in the Shinobi Forces, his chakra sealed and then banished from the village please raise your hand."

Not a single hand was raised, as expected.

"All those in favor of Hyūga Arashi forfeiting his personal Ninja Tools, equipment and personal possessions, save those that contain Clan Secrets and Jutsu, to Uzumaki Naruko, be branded with the Hyūga Sōke Kechimyaku Hozen no Juinjutsu (Hyūga Main Family's Bloodline Conservation Cursed Seal), otherwise known as the Sleeping Bird Seal, and payment of all mission-earned pay for the next decade to Uzumaki Naruko, please raise your hands." Hiashi continued.

Every hand other than Hyūga Gyoza's rose almost as one, with Gyoza glaring at Hiashi with an air of intractable stubbornness about him.

"The majority is in favor. The punishment of Hyūga Arashi has been decided. I will communicate our decision to Hokage-sama tomorrow and arrange for the sealing of Hyūga Arashi for the day after tomorrow." Hiashi said neutrally, "I believe that this is all the business we have at the moment. Does anyone have any new proposals to bring forward?"

"I do." Gyoza snarled, "I put forward the motion that Hinata-'sama' is unfit to continue as Heiress and that she be stripped of her title and branded with the Caged Bird Seal at once!"

Answering before it could come up "I can pluck him from his world at any point you wish and let you vent your anger at him... later."

Hiashi's face hardened. He had half expected Gyoza to try to pull this, but for him to actually do it was more than slightly stupid of the man.

"The motion has been put forward." Hiashi said quietly, "Hyūga Gyoza, kindly state your reasoning for this proposal."

"Isn't it obvious? Her Elemental Affinity is not Earth, therefore her Juken skills are pitiful, and therefore she doesn't deserve the title of Heiress of the Hyūga Clan!" Gyoza expounded fanatically.

"Elder Oboro, please take over as Chair of the meeting so I may defend my daughter." Hiashi said in an ice-cold voice. With a gulp, Oboro nodded his assent.

"Elder Gyoza, your main point here is that Hinata's Elemental Affinities are hindering her use of our Clan Art. Am I correct?" Hiashi asked icily.

"Obviously." Gyoza said his voice brash.

"I take it you recall my wife, Hitomi, Elder Gyoza?" Hiashi asked.

"Yes, of course." Gyoza replied slowly, wary of the apparent tangent the Clan Leader was going down.

"Would you say that she was skilled in our Art?" Hiashi enquired.

Gyoza was confused as to exactly where Hiashi was going with this, but decided to humour him. "Yes, Hitomi was adequately skilled at Jūken. I fail to see where you are going with this, Hiashi." he said with contempt.

"My wife was a Primary Water Affinity as well." Hiashi said quietly, causing Gyoza's eyes to widen in shock.

"I'll grant you that she couldn't use pure Jūken." Hiashi continued, "But she altered and changed it into a Taijutsu Style that she could use with ease. She called this new style the Jūho (Gentle Step). The technique that Hinata discovered was the Jūho version of the Hakke Sanjūni Shō that Hitomi developed."

"A copy of the style will be in the list of things you receive Hinata."

The council was stunned by this news. Hinata was awed that her mother had dared to go against Hyūga tradition and altered their prized family art into something more suited for herself. She dimly recalled her mother practicing her taijutsu one day. She looked as if she was dancing across the floor, far more fluidly than her father or any other practitioner of the Jūken ever could hope to move.

Gyoza was shaken by this revelation. The Jūken was a sacred art passed down through the Hyūga Clan from generation to generation. The choice to make it an Earth-oriented style was made in the very beginning, by the eldest son of the Rikudō Sennin's brother. To have someone alter it into a lesser form was a great blasphemy that could not be countenanced.

"Regardless of a person's elemental affinity, it is forbidden to alter the Jūken in any shape or form." Gyoza said stiffly, "Had this fact been found while Hitomi was still alive, she would have been punished most severely."

"Where in the laws and traditions of our clan is that particular item mentioned?" Hiashi asked politely.

This question stunned the intractable old man for a moment. "It…It's tradition!" he shot back, "Traditions are not always written down!"

"So in other words it is not illegal, nor has it been entered into the official traditions of the Hyūga Clan." Hiashi stated pointedly, "Meaning the entire thing is just the conservative nature of the Clan as a whole and this Council in particular."

Yuki discreetly glared off into a random direction. To those that could see the multiple groups that were reading the stories, they would see that Yuki's glare was aimed at Hiashi, and it was more of an 'I told you so' glare.

Hiashi looked at the council with hooded eyes, "Over the last century, our art, while still strong, has become stagnant and ossified, while other taijutsu styles have evolved and grown stronger than ever before." he said flatly, "If the Jūken does not evolve along with them, we will eventually be overtaken and left behind like dust on the wind."

All of the council cringed at the thought of such a thing happening.

"Preposterous!" Gyoza scoffed, "Our Art revolves around our Byakugan. As long as we hold that card, our style is invincible!"

"Sheer arrogance. Has Arashi's defeat taught you nothing?" Hiashi sneered, "Maito Gai does not possess the Byakugan, yet he defeated your son without so much as a closed tenketsu in return, in part because he is an Elite Jonin but also in part because he knew the limitations of the Byakugan!"

Gyoza gaped at Hiashi in astonishment as the Clan Leader spoke. Just because of that? His son lost just because the man knew a few of the limitations of the Hyūga Clan's Kekkei Genkai?

"Thus far, the Hyūga Clan has managed to keep the weaknesses of our Kekkei Genkai a secret through draconian and paranoiac measures." Hiashi continued, "Eventually though, whether it comes in ten years or a hundred, our enemies will discover at least a few of our weaknesses and seek to exploit them. If we do not make improvements to our Art, we will fall. It is as simple as that."

The bleak picture he painted was making the council blanch in horror, Hiashi noted wryly. The scenario he was outlining was a worst case one and would require a lot of bad luck to happen to the Hyūga Clan in order to happen, but it was possible. The easiest way to confuse people in politics is to tell the truth, even if it was only a half truth.

Gyoza was still doing a passable imitation of a landed fish, so Hiashi took advantage of his stupefaction. He nodded at Oboro, who took the hint.

"Both sides have given their arguments." Oboro said loudly, "We shall now vote on whether Hyūga Hinata should be stripped of her title of Heiress of the Hyūga Clan and be branded with the Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu. All those in favor, raise your hands."

A small smattering of hands were raised, including a still dazed Gyoza, who seemed to be running on autopilot while he digested everything Hiashi had said.

"All those against?" Oboro enquired. Every single other hand was raised, eliciting a small smirk from Hiashi and a relieved sigh from Hinata. "The motion is denied. Hinata-sama remains the Heiress and will not be branded by the Caged Bird Seal. I return the Chair to Hiashi-sama."

"Thank you." Hiashi replied, "I have to train my daughter now, so I hereby dismiss the meeting. We will meet at the usual time next month, barring any more unexpected happenings."

As the council filed out of the room, Hinata allowed herself a small smile. She had dodged yet another attempt at being branded before her sixteenth birthday, which was the absolute limit for someone to be branded with the Caged Bird Seal. This made the third attempt in as many years.

More importantly, she had discovered that her mother had developed a taijutsu style based on the Jūken that was for those who had a Primary Water Affinity. Hinata had to get her hands on it so she could prove herself. Not to her father and the Clan, but to Naruko, so she would never have to endure seeing her blond teammate almost die in front of her again.

Hinata was hugged by Naruto as he began to comfort her "You don't need to prove anything, you're strong already."

Audience Chamber, Yamanaka Clan Meeting Hall

To sum up how Ino was currently feeling required only a single word: BORED!

She had been listening to the squabbling of her fellow clansmen in place of her father, who had been called to a meeting with the Hokage. Adjusting the minimum and maximum amount for dowries, hearing complaints between various clansmen, filling out various dry pieces of paperwork…essentially what her father was supposed to be doing.

Yuki deadpanned at Ino, "And that's just a taste of what you're going to look forward to when you become head of your clan."

'Daddy, there had better be a good reason for you to have left me here to do your job for you!' Ino thought darkly as she adjudicated in a dispute between two men over a family heirloom that had gone missing and they were each accusing the other of having stolen it.

Just then, her father strode into the room. Ino was about to call out to him, but the look on his face stopped her cold. The expression that covered Yamanaka Inoichi's face was full of anger, mixed with grief and sadness.

"I'm calling the Yamanaka Council together for an emergency meeting." Inoichi said loudly, drawing the attention of the entire room as he spoke, "I'm sorry, but I must ask that everyone wait until tomorrow to have their issues resolved as the issue I have to bring forward is complicated and rather urgent."

With that, he strode off to the private meeting room that doubled as the council chamber when it was necessary, swiftly followed by the rest of the council. Ino hurriedly bowed to the two men in front of her and followed them.

Inoichi, seated at the head of the table, frowned slightly when his daughter walked into the room but begrudgingly nodded in acquiescence to Ino's presence. She was the Heiress and had every right to attend a meeting such as this.

Besides, just letting her in without arguing about it would save him from receiving a scathing tongue-lashing from her for treating her like a kid now that she was a full ninja.

Once everyone took their seats, Inoichi cleared his throat and began. "I've just come from a meeting with Hokage-sama regarding Haruo's punishment." he said bluntly.

Oh yea, that was happening. Ino was disgusted with the thought of what one of her clansmen had tried to do to her other.

The council muttered amongst themselves at this, with Ino smiling viciously in triumph.

"What has Hokage-sama decided to be the punishment?" One Councilman asked carefully.

"As it has been determined, through extensive interrogation by myself and Morino Ibiki over the last week, that Haruo was the only member of the Yamanaka Clan to have knowledge of this matter, the Clan itself will not suffer any penalties." Inoichi replied, answering the unspoken part of his question, "Haruo however is not getting off as easily. He is guilty of using the Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind-Body Switch Jutsu) on fellow Konoha Shinobi for the purpose of attempting to kill Naruko twelve years ago, as well as Destruction of Private property, Masterminding a Conspiracy to Murder a Civilian and Attempted Murder of a Fellow Konoha Shinobi."

The council winced at the charges, while Ino scowled angrily. Haruo had been trying to kill Naruko for twelve years?! Just because he thought she was the Kyūbi reincarnated? Ino ground her teeth and forced herself to listen to what her father was saying.

Ino, knowing the full truth, also ground her teeth, while Naruto gave her a hug to try and calm her down.

"Because he was the one who ultimately commanded and controlled the entire group, Hokage-sama is disinclined to be merciful in his case and he is being sentence to life imprisonment in Hōzuki-jō (Demon Lantern Castle)." Inoichi said gravely.

"The Blood Prison?!" another Councilmember gasped in horror.

The prison in Kusagakure (Village Hidden in the Grass) was well known for its ability to contain its ninja inmates because of the use of the ultimate imprisonment jutsu, Katon: Tenrō (Fire Style: Celestial Prison), but it was also the most brutal prison in existence. Very few survived longer than five years before trying to use chakra to escape and being burned from the inside out by their own chakra or having the warden, Mui, burn them for a punishable offence…like breathing too hard.

Everyone paled as they heard that.

"Hokage-sama is, quite understandably, adamant that a message be sent to everyone that acting as Haruo has will not be mitigated by Clan Status or how close one is to the head of their Clan." Inoichi told them firmly.

"Is that it? He just gets sent to prison?" Ino asked disgustedly.

Now more than just Ino were disgusted, he'd better get more than just that.

"As a matter of fact, no." Inoichi replied, "All of Haruo's Ninja Tools are automatically being given to Naruko as per the Spoils of War Act, as well as his entire library of jutsu scrolls, aside from the one to do with Yamanaka techniques which are being given to you, Princess."

Ino squealed in joy. Haruo, being a Jonin, had quite a few scrolls of advanced techniques she could learn.

Ino almost did the same as she looked at Yuki with hope filled eyes.

Yuki nodded his head "Yes, those will be in with your stuff Ino."

Inoichi smiled slightly at his daughter before continuing, "Finally, all of Haruo's money is to be divided between Ino, Hinata and Naruko. That is the entire punishment for Haruo."

"It seems somewhat…harsh for Haruo, considering the de-, I mean, Uzumaki-san was not harmed." an elderly councilman remarked carelessly, "Should we not move for leniency?"

Ino turned her head robotically to Naruto and spoke with the most serious voice anyone has ever heard from her "Naruto. Add the Yamanaka Elders to that prank list."

Apparently Inoichi over in his brother's section had the same serious expression, Yuki mused to himself.

Ino slammed her hand down and glared at the man. "Are you even listening to yourself?! He blew up Naruko's entire building to try to kill her!" she shouted at the man, "He used his fellow shinobi as tools to try and kill a baby! He used a Katon Jutsu that would have killed me if Naruko-chan hadn't forcibly moved me out of the way just before he used it!"

Pausing for breath, Ino saw that the man was gaping at her in astonishment, as were a few of his peers who were of similar age to him.

"On the purely political side, leaving the moral side be completely, the Yamanaka Clan cannot be seen to apparently shield a criminal like Haruo, especially since the target of Haruo's actions is a girl the Sandaime Hokage regards as his surrogate granddaughter!" Ino continued more calmly, "Besides, if we try and shield him and fail, it creates a precedent for the sitting Hokage to interfere in Clan business, which I doubt anyone here likes the idea of."

Indeed the council seemed outraged at the very thought. Inoichi hid a smile at Ino's deft manipulation of the council. By turning it into a matter of politics, they had no choice but to comply with the orders of the Hokage on this matter, unless they wanted to open a can of worms the Clans of Konoha had spent the last hundred or so years keeping unopened: direct interference in Clan matters by the Village ruler.

"I think my Heir has put it fairly succinctly." Inoichi said, pride evident in his voice, making Ino blush slightly.

Ino preened like a peacock at that.

"I feel that if Hokage-sama sees the Yamanaka Clan endorsing this punishment of one of its members, especially one so close to the Clan head in relation, he will be far less likely to keep an eye on our clansmen and women via subtle ANBU monitoring for instances of other conspiracies, not that any exist."

Nods of agreement emerged from the council with unsurprising alacrity. The last Clan to be monitored by the ANBU had been the Uchiha just prior to their destruction at the hands of their best ninja. The last thing any Clan needed was that kind of stigma hanging over them.

"So then, I'll have a form endorsing this punishment of Yamanaka Haruo written up for this council to sign and seal." Inoichi said firmly. His face was neutral, but he was dancing inside. In one stroke, the council was endorsing the punishment of one of their own and Ino had proven herself as a competent and canny politician.

Life was good.

Unknown Location, Konoha

In the dimly lit office, a single man was busy wrestling through paperwork. The man had shaggy black hair, a cross-shaped scar on his chin and had one eye covered in bandages. One of his arms was in a sling and he wore a formal black kimono and white under-kimono.

His name was Shimura Danzō.

'That old fool Hiruzen.' he thought bitterly, 'If he gave the Jinchūriki to me, Konoha's future would be a bright one where it would truly be the strongest of the Hidden Villages in fact as well as name.'

He grunted with exasperation at his old teammate. If only he had spoken up when Tobirama-sensei had asked for a volunteer to hold the Kinkaku Butai (Golden-Horn Force) at bay while the rest had fled, he would have been appointed as the Sandaime Hokage instead of Hiruzen.

He mentally cursed his own fear of death that had paralyzed him. After that, Danzō had determined that shinobi had no need of emotions and had created the division of ANBU known as Ne (Root/Foundation) which was made up of specially trained shinobi who had had their emotions crushed and ground into non-existence by a gruelling training regime.

He gradually became known as the 'Yami no Shinobi' (Dark Shinobi) because of his willingness to do anything to accomplish his own goals. Danzō did not really care. He loved Konoha with all of his being, so a few sacrifices here and there and the sullying of his own good name was a small price to pay to ensure Konoha's prosperity as far as he was concerned.

After all, you can't make Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette) without breaking a few eggs, right?

He was drawn from his thoughts by the almost silent appearance of one of his Ne Agents.

"Report." he commanded, not even looking up from his paperwork at the kneeling figure.

"The three who assaulted the Jinchūriki are being punished severely for their actions." The Agent reported in a monotone, "The ringleader is to be sent to the Blood Prison, the Hyūga is basically going to work gratis for the next ten years and the Inuzuka…is being 'retrained'."

Danzō shuddered slightly and felt an almost unperceivable flicker of pity for the Inuzuka shinobi. 'Retraining' was the worst punishment in the Inuzuka Clan barring banishment and involved Clan-wide humiliation and submission of the re-trainee to almost everyone in the Clan. Worst of all, you had to earn the right to act as a human back, judged by the Clan Head personally.

And Inuzuka Tsume was a brass-clad bitch to please at the best of times. When she's as pissed at someone as Danzō knew she would be at one Inuzuka Shippo, his life would be intolerable for at least six months.

If she was feeling forgiving.

Kiba shivered as he heard that. Yeah, his mom was scary as all hell when she was angry... or it was that time of the month...

"Is there any sign that they suspect an…outside influence to Yamanaka Haruo's actions?" Danzō asked.

"None. Neither Morino Ibiki nor Yamanaka Inoichi have made reference to anything either in writing or verbally." The Agent replied, making the old warhawk relax ever so slightly in his chair. His use of Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods) on the Yamanaka had gone unnoticed, it would seem.

Sasuke perked up, he had heard that technique before "What is that?"

Yuki thought for a second "The Kotoamatsukami is a Mangekyo Sharingan technique unique to the Sharingan of Shisui Uchiha. It is a genjutsu that allows the user to rewrite memories of the target into acting how you want them to, and to themselves its as if nothing has happened, making it the strongest genjutsu. The problem is that Danzo found out about it and wanted it for himself... and you know how that turned out."

"And the Jinchūriki?"

"Currently undergoing remedial seduction training at her new Clan Compound with Tokujō Mitarashi." was the unexpected reply.

Danzō frowned. This was an unexpected wrinkle. "Was an actual mission issued or did the Mitarashi woman seduce the Jinchūriki?"

"A mission was issued midday the day before yesterday by the Third Hokage himself." replied the Agent.

"Why was I not informed?" Danzō demanded irritably. This was not what he had planned to happen when he had set out to isolate the girl!

"You were embedded in a meeting with Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu on the day itself." the Agent said tonelessly, "Yesterday, you were inspecting one of Ne's backup bases. This morning, you instructed Torune and Fū not to let anyone disturb you. I have only just been able to get in to speak with you."

Despite the agent's emotion-suppressing training, Danzō definitely detected some mild irritation in his voice. Evidently the leader of Ne's recently busy schedule had been playing havoc with this particular agent's ability to report to him.

"I see." Danzō said, "In future, should I be unavailable to report to in person and the report is urgent, leave a message with the on duty agent to inform me ASAP."

"Hai, Danzō-sama." The Agent replied.

"Has there been any luck in subverting the boundary seals on the old Toji Clan estate?" Danzō continued.

"Regrettably no. The Toji Clan was small when it was inducted into Konoha ninety years ago and, from what I can glean of the original agent's notes from fifty years ago, he deemed them a Clan with little power or influence and thus assigned them a low priority on the seal boundary subversion, which means it had not even been begun until the Jinchūriki moved in." the Agent replied, "Unfortunately, progress has been even slower than expected, due to the Jinchūriki having random patrols around the perimeter with her Shadow Clones. The agents assigned the task of subverting the boundary seals have been…less than enthusiastic about their chances of successfully subverting the seals in any less than six months at current."

Danzō suppressed a growl at this. "Have them expedite. I want to be able to infiltrate Ne Agents into the main manor in three months. Am I understood?"

"Hai Danzō-sama." The Agent replied tonelessly.

"Good. Leave me now." Danzō said dismissively. The Agent vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the crippled man to his pondering.

'Orochimaru plans to attack Konoha in about four months' time.' Danzō considered his plan seriously, 'Thus far, Hiruzen has shown no signs that he is aware that Otogakure is in fact under the control of his ex-student. If I can have the seals subverted fully by then, I can have my Agents infiltrate the manor and steal the Uzushiogakure Archives under the cover of the invasion, which will fail. Hiruzen is many things but he is not weak, nor has Konoha's strength deteriorated so much that even Suna and Oto working together can defeat the full might of its military might.

Ultimately, it matters not who wins in the short term, because in the long term, the true victor…shall be me.'

A sinister smile appeared on the old warhawk's face as he continued to scheme and plan in the flickering light of his office.

Yuki spoke up with a stern voice, one that was echoed by his siblings "Don't worry, me and my siblings will work together on eliminating Danzō before you guys go back." to which Yuki smirked out a "Should be easy enough."

Some Time later

Konoha Streets

Ino was walking down the street towards her favourite clothes shop. She had been given the rest of the day off by her father as a reward for both her hard work during the morning and her exemplary performance during the council meeting.

The blond-haired kunoichi hummed to herself as she window shopped at some of the clothes shops that she frequented. Ino loved shopping, especially clothes shopping. She had dozens of dresses, shoes, skirts, blouses and the like. Not to mention some very racy underwear that would give any boy (and a few girls) a nosebleed to see her wearing them.

Distracted by thoughts of seducing her Sasuke-kun, she bumped into a familiar red-clad figure.

"Forehead?" Ino asked once she recovered from her surprise, "What's up? You look awful."

It was true. Sakura's face was drawn and tired, with small hints of bags beneath her eyes. Her red battle dress was slightly unkempt, with wrinkles and tears in it.

"I-Ino-pig?" Sakura asked faintly as she peered at her friend/rival blearily. Ino was becoming worried here. Sakura's voice was slightly slurred with tiredness, which was unlike her old friend. Sakura loved to lie in and sleep, so her being so tired made no sense.

"Sakura, what's up?" Ino demanded as she led a stumbling Sakura to a nearby café and plopped the pinkette in a chair before slipping into one opposite her.

"N-Nothing." Sakura lied unconvincingly. Ino just looked at her with a hard glint in her eyes, making the pinkette wilt slightly.

"Spill. Now." Ino ordered.

"I…Oh Ino!" Sakura let out a dry sob, "Sasuke-kun and Kiba have been making me do all of the housework! All of it! They don't do a thing around the house and blame me if anything falls behind!"

The two listed males were glared at by everyone while Naruto was busy trying to comfort Sakura.

Ino gaped at her friend in shock. "But…Kiba I would understand, but Sasuke-kun?" she said in disbelief.

"Well…he doesn't sneer at me like Kiba does, but he doesn't do anything either." Sakura replied as she slumped slightly in her seat.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you look like you got stampeded by a herd of sheep." Ino probed.

"Kiba keeps trying to sneak into my room every night." Sakura said softly, "He just won't get it through his head that I'm not an Inuzuka and thus not impressed by the fact that he's an 'Alpha' in his pack. Thankfully, I have a strong locking seal on my door that Kiba can't break through. Akamaru won't help him, so unless he seriously ups his strength, he won't be getting in. I'm too scared to sleep though."

The glares and killing intent shot up.

Kiba peed himself a little.

"Forehead, tell your Jonin-sensei!" Ino told her friend worriedly, "What Kiba is doing is blatant sexual harassment! You can't let him get away with it!"

"Ha!" Sakura snorted, "Kakashi-sensei blatantly told us when we moved in that it was up to us to sort out our problems ourselves and not to run to him for every little squabble we had."

"I think this counts as something slightly more than 'a little squabble', Sakura." Ino replied dryly, "This is Kiba deliberately trying to force entry into your room to do who knows what to you. Naruko-chan has been worried about you, y'know."

Sakura looked taken aback. "She has? Since when?"

"Since you were made ASL." Ino replied as she looked her friend up and down with a slight frown, "What else have you been doing? There's no way that's everything that's been happening."

"I've not been getting much in the way of training recently." Sakura admitted, "So I've been doing a bit of training by myself at Training Field 7. Unfortunately, I fell down quite a bit and, well, you see what happened. Guess my lack of sleep caught up with me."

Ino sat and looked at her friend for a moment before making a decision.

"Right, let's get you to my house. You look dead on your feet and I think a nice relaxing bath followed by some shuteye will do you the world of good." She announced to her startled companion with a cheerful smile as she stood and dragged Sakura off to her house.

'And then I'm gonna tell daddy about what Kiba-baka has been trying to do to you.' Ino thought with a vicious grin.

No-one messed with Yamanaka Ino's friends. NO-ONE!

Ino had the same look on her face.

Now the wet spot on Kiba's pants grew.

Elsewhere, Kiba shuddered as he felt evil intent being directed towards him.

"And that ends that chapter..." Yuki was bombarded by Kiba, who was grovelling at his feet to hurry up with the next chapter and that his life was endangered and other dramatics.

Yuki sighed and opened the book back up. "Next Chapter: Kiba In the Doghouse…"

Kiba was whimpering, that did not sound good...