Kishimoto is the creator and owner of Naruto.

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Chapter Twelve

Revelations

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"Good morning, Princess!"

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose for a long moment, then she gave in to the inevitable and turned to where Jiraiya was lounging along the windowsill.

"Jiraiya." She sighed. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I know." Jiraiya dropped to the ground and ambled over, glancing at the paperwork on Tsunade's desk. "I had to get a lift to get here, chap named Kaiza brought me over."

"And you came here because?" Tsunade queried, ignoring how Jiraiya had perched himself against her desk. "It's been a couple of years since you last showed up."

"Several reasons." Jiraiya shrugged. "The most important reason is a chap called Gato."

Tsunade paused, eyes unfocused as she combed her memory. After a few moments, she shook her head.

"Name doesn't ring a bell. Who is he?"

"Merchant. Leader of an entire consortium." Jiraiya frowned. "Scum. I recently rescued a few girls from one of his operations and took them to Konoha where I set them up with jobs and arranged for therapy from the Yamanakas. He's looking at Wave."

Tsunade returned the paperwork to the file it had come from, then gave her fellow Sannin a long look.

"We've got an alliance treaty with Hi no Kuni."

"He knows." Jiraiya agreed. "He doesn't think it's important… and yes, he's aware that you live here."

Tsunade blinked. "What?"

"The girls I rescued?" Jiraiya almost snarled. "Former Kunoichi. Bastard had them addicted in order to force them to obey him. Fortunately, Ma was able to help prevent them dying from the withdrawal symptoms, but they'll never be able to take to the field again."

Tsunade winced, then her eyebrows drew down. "You think that he…"

"Intends to do the same to you?" Jiraiya asked. "I think that he'll try to grab one of the others as a hostage to ensure your compliance. Once he's forced you to submit, he'll probably try to get you hooked on something so he can increase his control over you. He'll probably be able to give it a damned good go, he's got quite a few ex-Samurai and Shinobi on his payroll."

"How long do we have?" Tsunade rose from her chair.

"At least a few months or so, he's still raising his private army." Jiraiya watched as Tsunade paced the study, recognising the signs of her planning something big. For several moments, Tsunade prowled the study, then she stopped.

"Do you have one of Minato's Kunai?"

Jiraiya blinked at the question. "At home in Konoha. Why?"

"Because, as much as I hate this, I don't think I can deal with this threat alone. Once I brief Sensei, you are going to get that Kunai and keep it on you at all times."

Jiraiya shook his head in confusion. "What? Tsunade, you make it sound like you know the Hiraishin?"

Tsunade grinned almost ferally as she opened the door.

"Haruko? I need Shizune and Kashi. Something's come up and we'll be away for a few hours."

Jiraiya blinked again. "What?"

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Hiruzen put down the brush with a sigh, then he picked up the piece of paper and placed it almost ceremoniously on the pile of paperwork that had been reviewed by him. Leaning back in his chair, he looked at the now-empty in-tray on his desk and gave a tired smile.

"Finished at last." He whispered to himself as his assistant bustled in and departed with the kami-damned pile of papers. "And now that everything's sorted, I can go WHAT THE HELL!?"

Hiruzen's chair shattered against the wall of his office as he exploded to his feet, hands rising in preparation for unleashing a barrage of offensive jutsu, only to come to a sudden stop as he realized that he knew three of the quartet who had somehow appeared out of nowhere before him.

After all, two of them he had personally taught.

"What the…?"

"Sensei?" Tsunade smiled as she dropped her hands from where they had been touching the hands of Shizune and the teenaged boy who looked somehow familiar. In the middle of the triangular formation, Jiraiya was staring at the teen with an expression which indicated that he knew the boy, he just couldn't quite work out who he was. "Sorry for dropping in on you like this."

"Was that the Hiraishin?" Hiruzen asked almost numbly and Tsunade nodded.

"Yes, it was. Kashi and I can do all three versions, Shizune can do Tobirama's version and the Guard version. It took us over a year to learn, even with the scrolls."

Hiruzen blinked, then looked forlornly at the wreckage of his chair.

"I think I need to sit down for this." He grumbled before moving round to the front of the desk. As he seated himself on it, Jiraiya suddenly clicked his fingers.

"Kakashi! Hatake Kakashi! Damn, that ponytail is one hell of a disguise!"

Hiruzen blinked again, then looked at the youngest person in the room, mentally adding an angled Hitai-ate and spiked hair. As the mental image formed, his face hardened.

"ANBU Inu, report!"

Kakashi snapped to attention.

"ANBU Operative Inu reporting on continuing mission to protect the Yondaime's Son!"

"What!?"

"Maybe I should explain." Tsunade interjected over Hiruzen's disbelieving shout.

"Maybe you should." Hiruzen agreed, feeling somewhat disconcerted.

"After the Kyuubi attacked, Kakashi stumbled across a plot to fake Naruto's death in order to turn him into little more than an emotionless weapon…

… … …

"…and that's what happened." Tsunade finished almost an hour later. Hiruzen nodded in dazed acceptance, then took a swig from the bottle of Sake that Jiraiya had produced ten minutes into the explanation before handing it back to the Toad Sage. "I was intending to enroll Kimimaro and Naruto into the Academy for their final years and Haku wants to be a Shinobi too, so I was hoping to get Haku and Kimimaro in next year although with their bloodlimits, they're almost at Chunin level already."

"I can't believe that you managed to keep this a secret even from me." Jiraiya mused. "Does anyone else know?"

"I think Hiashi may suspect, although I'm not certain." Tsunade admitted. "I know that Tsume is fully aware of it, we had a talk about it during her first time escorting Hinata-chan. That and me possibly training her daughter in the medical arts."

Jiraiya groaned. "Oh come on! How did she work it out when I didn't even have a clue?"

"Kuromaru recognized Kakashi's scent." Tsunade supplied, causing Jiraiya to slump against the wall muttering about how annoying lucky novices were. "I'm afraid I kind of misled her into thinking it was classified."

"It is." Hiruzen stated, causing Tsunade to sag in relief. "I'll backdate the mission papers and put them in the Hidden Archive. Oh, Kakashi?"

"…Hai?"

"Now that I know you're alive and know your Sensei's travel technique, I may call on you to perform some missions."

"Hai!"

"In the meantime… I do believe that it's almost time for Hinata's annual visit. Correct?"

Tsunade nodded. "Ruto's been getting rather eager to see her again."

"You mentioned you might be training Hana in Iryojutsu." Hiruzen continued. "I'll arrange for her to come to you on the escort mission and stay until the Gato situation is over while the two you mentioned come here to enroll. Kimimaro and… Haku, was it?"

"Senju Kimimaro and Yuki Haku." Tsunade confirmed. "Shikotsumyaku and Hyoton respectively."

Hiruzen gave a small smile as he accepted the bottle back, then paused as Tsunade placed a glowing hand on his stomach.

"You need to cut back on your drinking." Tsunade scolded. "You are not doing your kidneys any good drinking like Jiraiya does."

"Oi!" The Sage in question protested.

"Of course, this leads to the problem of how I can break this news to my advisers." Hiruzen frowned. "Hiashi's been making noises about arranging a marriage between Hinata and Ruto, so…"

"Have him lead the next escort mission and I'll tell him then." Tsunade suggested.

"And how will I balance things out?" Hiruzen asked. "With a possible marriage to not only a scion of the Senju, but to the son of the Yondaime, the Uchiha will need something to match the gains the Hyuuga clan will make."

"You can give them the Godaime." Jiraiya suggested, earning quizzical looks. "Uchiha Itachi would be almost perfect. His loyalty to the village is among the highest-rated of all active Shinobi. Hell, I heard it's higher than mine and I'm the chief spymaster!"

Hiruzen nodded slowly. "…yes. Yes, that would probably work. It would take several years to get him fully trained… but it would ensure that the Uchiha Clan wouldn't dream of trying to make any power grabs, not when they think that they'll win simply by waiting…"

Jiraiya smirked.

"And it means that I won't risk Konoha by allowing you to take over." Hiruzen added.

"Oi!" The Toad Sannin protested.

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"Ruto-kun!"

Hinata dashed clumsily across the herb garden towards the love of her life (although she still hadn't managed to summon enough courage to tell him that), Ruto, who turned and beamed at her, his welcoming smile somehow obvious despite his mask. As she got close her foot briefly caught on a loose rock and she stumbled forwards, failing to recover as she lost control.

"Hinat-umph!"

Hinata crashed into Ruto and grabbed him to keep her balance just as his arms closed around her to prevent her from falling. She reflexively looked up into the eyes of her saviour just as her momentum…
…caused her lips to meet Ruto's.

Sheer shock held her motionless for a moment, then she relaxed into Ruto's embrace, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the feel of his lips against hers even through the thin layer of fabric, his arms wrapped protectively around her as she enjoyed her first kiss. Opening her eyes again, she found herself looking past Ruto at Tsunade, who was standing watching them with an unreadable expression on her face. Panic rose and the world seemed to whirl away.

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"Ruto-kun!"

Naruto turned and smiled at his best friend (who he hadn't seen in far too long) as she seemed to dance gracefully through the medical garden towards him. As she got closer, she tripped on a loose stone and Naruto quickly stepped forwards to catch her, his arms scooping her up before she could fall and pulling her close to him…
…and their lips met.

Naruto froze in shock, his mind spinning as she seemed to melt against him, her lips locked onto his through his mask. Never before had he been so simultaneously grateful for and yet so irritated by the tradition that kept all the Senju males masked. For a moment, he feared that she would be angry with him, but then he felt her arms tighten around him and he closed his eyes briefly as he realised that it was not just him that was enjoying the situation.

Naruto opened his eyes just in time to see Hinata open hers, then her eyes widened in shock before rolling up as she collapsed bonelessly.

"Hinata!"

Naruto dropped to his knees as he tried to stop her falling to the ground. Cradling her head against his shoulder, he reached up and quickly checked her pulse and respiration.

"Hinata? Hina-kun?"

"I think she fainted." Tsunade said from behind him, her voice full of amusement. Naruto glanced round and saw Tsunade's eyes crinkled with mirth.

"Fainted? What do you mean, kaa-san?"

"She's finally laid claim on you." Tsunade said, then she sighed at Naruto's confused expression. "I don't know how you missed it, gaki, but Hinata's been in love with you ever since you, Kashi and Kimimaro rescued her."

"With… me?!" Naruto exclaimed, his face paling with shock. "But… but… she's from Leaf and I'm the Kyuubi Jinchuriki! The Kyuubi attacked Leaf, how can she..?"

"She does, and I don't think it matters to her." Tsunade said. "Or it won't, if you tell her. You're not the Kyuubi, remember? Now, pick her up, I think it best if she wakes up inside."

Naruto lifted Hinata up and followed Tsunade to Hinata's room. Bending over to put her on her bed, he froze as the situation became clear.

"Kaa-san, she's holding onto me, I can't get loose…"

"Then you should stay with her until she wakes up." Tsunade said as she stepped out of the room, grinning at her adopted son's expression. "You may as well get a nap as well."

"Kaa-san!"

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"So, how are they?"

Tsunade smiled. "Having a nap, girl's got quite a grip. Even laid out cold, she wouldn't let Ruto go after he carried her to her room. I just told him to get some sleep and let her keep hugging him."

Kakashi chuckled. "Like that, is it?"

Tsunade nodded, then sighed. "Well, we may as well go and get her old geezer read into the mission. Coming?"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Kakashi murmured.

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"Tsunade-sama." Hiashi said, bowing.

"Hiashi-sama." Tsunade replied with a slightly-shallower bow. "I apologize for the delay. You have business you wish to discuss?"

Hiashi glanced at Kakashi and raised one eyebrow slightly.

"Kashi is completely trustworthy." Tsunade said, moving to one of the couches and waving for Hiashi to sit even as Kakashi moved silently to stand behind her. "I hold no secrets from him, or from Shizune."

Hiashi looked round. "Where is Shizune?"

"Shizune is taking care of some business in town for me." Tsunade said with a smile. "She will be back this evening."

"I see." Hiashi said. "Very well. The Hokage knew that I would be escorting my daughter here, and has sent me with a message. In addition, I have something personal to ask as well. Which would you like first?"

"What does the old monkey say?" Tsunade asked and Hiashi straightened.

"Senju Tsunade, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, has personally approved the entrance into the Academy for the two that you have sponsored. The Nara Clan have offered the use of one of their guest lodges for them, unless you have made other arrangements. I have brought several messenger birds with me as well, should you wish to correspond with the Hokage."

"I see no problems with that." Tsunade said slowly. "And your personal mission?"

Hiashi said. "Since the introduction of the new Seal that protects our bloodline, the internal affairs of my clan have become… complex. I have for now acknowledged my nephew Neji as Heir Apparent, but there are several factions forming who see Hinata as a better choice since they believe that she could be manipulated by them… effectively becoming their puppet. I wish to safeguard her, so…"

"You seek a betrothal for her." Tsunade finished as he explained his reasoning. "You wish to betroth Hinata to my son, Ruto, and have her marry into the Senju clan."

Hiashi nodded and Tsunade closed her eyes.

"I don't know if you are aware of this, but Ruto is not of my blood." She said slowly. Hiashi's eyes widened and Tsunade smiled mirthlessly.

"In fact, Ruto is the son of a close friend of mine who is now dead. I took him in and raised him as my own son. He wasn't the only one who I took in that fateful day."

Hiashi sat un-moving, unable to bring himself to do or say anything that would interrupt the unexpected revelation.

"Ruto is an Uzumaki."

Hiashi's gasp echoed round the room. "An Uzumaki? I thought they were all dead! How?"

"His parents died during the Kyuubi incident." Tsunade said. "Kashi rescued him from those who wished to kidnap him and lacking any other choice, he brought him to me and I adopted him. In an odd way, he saved my life, gave me something to live for. Needless to say, this information is currently beyond S-rank and Sensei has given me his full approval for my actions."

Hiashi froze, his eyes wide. "Kyuubi… Uzumaki… Kami! Your son is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto!? Which means that… Hatake Kakashi!"

Tsunade nodded slightly and Hiashi took a shuddering breath, then slid off the settee, dropping into a formal prostration.

"Senju Tsunade, you have saved the life of the child of my closest friend, the Yondaime Hokage. Although I cannot tell the Clan this, I shall do all in my power to aid you from this day forwards, even if it costs me my life."

Tsunade and Kakashi exchanged a long glance, then Tsunade sighed.

"Get up, Hiashi. If you want to help, tell me about the latest factions in the Councils. Both the Hyuuga and the Leaf."