oOo

CHAPTER XII

(Kidnapping Gone Wrong)

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oOo

It took several days to reach the next town over and though things had gotten less tense between the three of them, Sasuke and Sakura were still at each other's throats. The bite to their words had lessened and their arguments held no heat behind them, but it was driving him to the point of contemplating murder for some silence. If that wasn't enough, Kakashi fangirling over Jiraiya was making him incredibly uncomfortable.

Shaking the tension from his shoulders, Kurama was irritated when an attractive young woman caught Jiraiya and Kakashi's eye. They told the three of them to find an inn for the night and promptly about-faced in the direction she wandered off to. Sighing in exasperation, it was still early, so three of them raced to the inn, Sasuke and Sakura fighting over who got to use the shower along the way. In the end, Sakura got the first bath and then him, reasoning with Sasuke that he would have uninterrupted bath time once they left on their date. This consoled the Uchiha heir and Kurama put on his nicer clothes and readied his Gama-chan for the weight-loss program he was about to go on.

It was a good thing too, because even though Sakura wasn't a hard person to please and was actually rather mindful of asking for things, the town was one of the more expensive ones to shop in. Several districts were upper-class nobles and shop owners were looking for any way to squeeze an extra coin from unsuspecting customers. If you weren't careful, you could end up paying through the nose for something that was valued at half that price in the next town over. Even still, they managed to enjoy a reasonably priced dinner and pick up a treat or two to share.

"Ooo, Kurama look!" Sakura said, pulling him towards one of the many old machines outside of a brightly lit gambling shop. "Janken Pon!"

Curiously, it was giving off a faint reiki reading and just the slightest sense of yoki. If he didn't know any better, he would think this was…

"Genkai?" He murmured in astonishment, staring at the name at the top of the score board.

"What was that Kurama?" Sakura asked curiously as he slipped the necessary coins in for her to play the game.

Looking up at her and giving her a smile, he pointed to the name, it wouldn't hurt anything, it wasn't as if she would know who Genkai was. "I think this machine used to belong to someone I knew a long time ago. She had a passion for arcade games." Kurama said fondly and his smile widened when she smile brightly at him before her attention was drawn back to the blinking machine.

"Oh, it's started." She said, smacking the rock first per tradition and then the game picked up pace.

Having glanced at the scores before hand, Kurama was confident Sakura wouldn't score very high. She was pretty good at the game, her reflexes and reaction time were well beyond what they would have been a couple of months ago. Kurama was proud of the woman she was slowly becoming. However, with a game like this, it was designed to test spirit awareness, you would only score high if you had a tapped into your spirit energy. Shinobi actually had high levels of reiki considering how long it has been since there were humans who knew how to mold just reiki. He had to admit combining reiki with physical energy and mental energy turned it into a force to be reckoned with on it's own, but it limited what humans could achieve with it.

"Yeah!" Sakura exclaimed smugly and Kurama felt his stomach do a flop when he saw her score.

There were several names above her score, all but one of them Genkai's name and that was Kuwabara… there was a three point difference in the scores.

From what he remembered back when he first met Yusuke, when the spirit detective attended Genkai's tournament, they competed in games like these to gauge their worthiness to be trained by the Master herself. Just below Sakura's name was some other names and three below that, sure enough was Urameshi's name.

"What's wrong? Afraid you won't score as high as me?" Sakura teased jokingly and Kurama chuckled lightly to play off his inner revelations.

"I've never been too good at this game, would you like to play it again?"

"No, thank you, this game was fun, but I would rather enjoy the rest of our date together." She linked her arm with his and snuggled into his side with a sad sigh.

After a moment, when her gloomy mood didn't vanish, he led her to a small park and to the nearest tree he could find. Guiding some of his yoki into the indigenous plant, he coerced it into forming a swing comprised of vines and helped Sakura hop onto it.

"Why the melancholy?" He asked casually, wondering for the first time if perhaps she was in fact older than she seemed. "Am I a terrible date?"

Shaking her head vigorously, she held on tightly to the vines as he gave her a gentle push. "No, you've been great and I never want this to end, but I know it will…" She said almost too softly for him to hear, even with his heightened senses.

"Why would it end? I have real feelings for you, Sakura, not just as a friend." He admitted gently. He knew there was a chance, where she was so young, that she might only have a crush on him and that her feelings weren't more than that of a friend's love.

"That's not what I meant… I have feelings for you as well, b-but so doesn't Hinata." Sakura looked on the verge of tears as the swing slowed to a stop. "She's been in love with you since before we started the academy and I was so mean to you in the past… how can you still like me?"

Stepping around the swing, Kurama crouched so that he was eye level with her and brushed a strand of bang form her forehead. "Sakura, that doesn't matter." He began and when it looked as if she was about to get mad on Hinata's behalf he put a finger to her lips to halt her rant. "Kitsune are promiscuous creatures by nature, I've already asked Hinata about her feelings and she's understands that I desire to restart my own clan."

"Oh, that explains why you were openly flirting with Hinata… and she's okay with you dating other girls too? Like a poly-amorous relationship?" She asked, they had spent the better part of three days traveling with two perverts, the subject of concubines and poly-amorous relationships had come up when Kakashi had mentioned Sasuke's goal to revive his clan.

"Yes, something like that, but there will be time to think that over, Sakura-chan." Leaning in, Kurama kissed her on the cheek and then stood, offering her a hand. "Come on, it's getting late and though we've gotten stronger, we shouldn't be out at night in a place like this."

Blushing, she took his hand and then linked their arms together, snuggling into his side with a contented smile. Kurama couldn't help his own smile, he'd been alone for so long in this lifetime. Though he had his past memories, the ones as Naruto were the most prominent and fresh. The craving to have someone smile at him when he returned home almost hurt more now that he remembered being Kurama, than when I never knew those feelings as Naruto. However, if things continued as they were, he wouldn't have to face that loneliness for very much longer.

When they reached the floor of their hotel, Kurama could here a deep chuckle from around the corner. Unsure if it was other guests, Kurama rounded the corner without a second thought. The two of them halted at the scene in front of them and Kurama shoved Sakura into an empty room before she was spotted. His movement drew the attention of the three people standing at the threshold of their room. Sasuke's face was a mix of panic and rage, clearly whoever these two were, they were not allies.

"Run! They're here for you too!" Sasuke shouted, doubling over and heaving when the tall redheaded guy with the receding hairline punched him in the gut.

Kurama recognized him as one of the four barrier holders during the chunin exam invasion. The second man with him was shorter, had long white hair and was sickly pale. He didn't know who the other guy was, but it was likely safe to assume they worked for Orochimaru considering they were wearing the same tan and purple outfit with the yin yang symbol it was a safe bet. Drawing his rose whip, Kurama stood ready as he prepared himself for the fight that was sure to follow.

"If you want to live, I would suggest you step away from my friend." His eyes narrowed when it didn't get a reaction from the white haired man, who was in fact still glaring down at Sasuke.

"You hear that Kimimaro, this punk thinks he can take us on." Jirobo scoffed, balling his fists. "I say we teach the gaki a lesson before he drag him back to Orochimaru-sama."

The white haired man, Kimimaro if Jirobo was to be believed, sighed in a bored manner and his face lacked any visible expression. "Gather the Uchiha, he is the most important to Orochimaru-sama, I will deal with this one." He ordered, clearly the one in charge.

Lashing out to prevent Jirobo from moving toward Sasuke, Kurama was surprised to find his whip caught in Kimimaro's hand. He hadn't even seen him move, whoever this guy was, he wasn't someone Kurama should underestimate. "Petals and thorns."

The whip dissolved turning into the aforementioned weapon and they turned on the two Oto-nin in a rain of sharp fury. However, just as the whip had been caught, Kimimaro stood there passively with a bone shaped kunai and his petals were severed in half, to fall uselessly to the floor. The speed this shinobi possessed was unreal. It was at the level Hiei's was when he first met him and that wasn't something to snuff at. Kurama frowned and decided that this tactic wasn't going to work.

Pulling a kunai of his own, Kurama moved to attack when Jirobo tried to go after a recovering Sasuke again. Once more he was waylaid by Kimimaro and if he had been anyone else, his patients would be wearing thin by now. Even still he detested being kept away from something he was after, even if it was just trying to protect a friend.

"Kurama, stop worrying about me and just focus on that freak, this loser caught me by surprise, but I can deal with him." Sasuke growled, his sharingan whirling lazily in both eyes.

"Who you calling a loser?!" Jirobo bellowed angrily and tried to level Sasuke with a chakra powered punch.

Content that Sasuke could handle Jirobo on his own, at least for a few minutes, Kurama's attention was returned to the man he had locked blades with. He punched Kimimaro in the solar plexus with his free hand, but it didn't faze the pale man. There was a distinct crunching sound that permeated from his opponent's ribs, he had broke enough of them in his time to recognise the sound. Just when Kurama began to think he had actually done some damage, he was forced to back off when the man's ribcage spiked out from his torso. Sharp bone spears curling around to create a grotesque armor that would have shredded his hand if he had hesitated a moment longer.

Apparently the bone shaped kunai was, in fact, a kunai shaped bone. It was an odd revelation to have in the middle of a battle, but Kurama was a quick thinker and quick on his feet. They traded blows again, before Kurama got a good slash in on the man's cheek. This seemed to incur some kind of reaction as Kimimaro frowned, wiping the blood from his wound before his bones began to shift around his upper arm and shoulder.

Pulling a long bone from his shoulder, that resembled a sword, Kimimaro changed his fighting stance. "Dance of the Camellia."

It came out as almost a whisper and Kurama barely dodged the sword strikes as Kimimaro's attacks almost doubled in speed. As it was, several of the attacks grazed him on the outer thigh and upper arm area. It was just when he went for an opening that he realized his mistake. Expecting the blow that never came, Kurama turned enough to see Sasuke had blocked the stab that would have speared him through the back. About to thank his teammate, there was a shout and a sound of bone braking.

"Ahh!"

The two of them turned to see a mess of pink hair between them and Jirobo, who had attempted to take advantage of Sasuke's distraction. The arm Sakura had used to block Jirobo's attack was hanging limply at her side, bone protruding from her forearm. A scowl tore across her face after the initial bout of pain and she still clutched a kunai in her good hand, ready to defend them despite her injury.

The dark markings curling up Jirobo's body indicated to Kurama that the Oto-nin was just starting to show his true strength and it was going to take a little more than scaring them off to get rid of them. Looking to Sasuke, they agreed silently that Sasuke would take down Jirobo and Kurama would deal with Kimimaro, both swearing to protect Sakura at all costs.

Kimimaro had stringed markings creeping up his neck and across his body when Kurama's attention was fully on him once more. By the time the curse mark stopped moving, there wasn't a part of him that wasn't covered in the amalgamated dark lines that closely resembling a circuit board. Kurama was prepared for the attack, even still, bone bowed dangerously under the impact as he was hurled down the hall and through the closed window.

The sensation of being airborne was trumped by the wind being knocked from his lungs. Cynically, Kurama couldn't help but liken it to being on the ocean, water all around, but not a drop to drink. Gravity didn't even have a chance to take hold of him before Kimimaro was on him again, delivering a blow which sent him crashing to the ground. Even if they hadn't decided to take on opponents separately, clearly the enemy was trying to separate them.

Ground crumbled beneath his aching body and darkness swam at the edges of his vision after so long without oxygen. Whoever this guy was, he clearly was much stronger than the other Otogakure Shinobi that had been present during the invasion.

"Use my power."

Unsure what he was hearing, Kurama's ears twitched as the sky seemed to get brighter and dim at the same time. He was Shuichi merged with Yoko, they were now one person now…

So who was he hearing?

A thrum of power coursed through his body, the beating of his heart played like drums on his ears. He wasn't completely unaware that this was likely adrenaline kicking in, or a yokai version of it, but the power that was radiating from him wasn't his own yoki.

"Get up and kick his ass!"

The voice goaded and Kurama did just that. When his eyes regained clarity, air filling his lungs and the pain of his wounds burning away, he was greeted with chakra so dense, he could see it curling the air like heat waves. Never before had he tasted power so seductively destructive. It left him to wondered if this was what Hiei or Yusuke's power would have felt like. Kurama's own power was derived from life, in fact most kitsune's yoki was…

All but one.

'I wounded when you would finally wake...'

"You are strong for someone who has yet to receive Orochimaru-sama's gift of power, but it means little, I will bring you to him either way." Kimimaro stated, a manic look taking over his face and Kurama could have swore the man sounded bitter over that fact.

"What, disappointed Orochimaru favors Sasuke and I over you." Kurama taunted, not even sure he had read the tone right. However, when rage twisted the impassive, delicate face, he knew he had hit a sore point. "Pretty soon he'll just toss you aside like he did the people he used to invade Konoha. Why serve someone like that?" Kurama was genuinely curious, even though he was only using it to manipulate his opponent.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Kimimaro shouted, charging at Kurama.

Side stepping the bone wielding Oto-nin, Kurama rammed his elbow into the man's back. It wasn't as effective as he would have like, the hit landed, only for him to have to jerk away as Kimimaro's spine was covered in spiked ridges. With a burst of speed, Kurama landed hit after hit, knocking Kimimaro around. However, every time his struck, bone would appear to protect the vulnerable area, to the point his opponent was starting to look like a deranged porcupine.

Even through the haze of dense chakra and unadulterated rage, Kurama noticed the shift in Kimimaro. His skin became ashen and dark blotches formed around his eyes, which had turned black with golden irises. The surge of power from the previously white haired man was immense, but not quite at the level Kurama was radiating. However, it quickly closed the gap in speed and strength between to two, forcing him to defend himself once more.

A lance like spear was thrust at him at an alarming speed. He dodged to the best of his ability and managed to get in a swipe with his claws, but it was merely surface damage, hardly hindering his opponent in anyway. The lance punctured a nearby wall and from inside Kurama could see people who weren't able to evacuate cowering inside.

"If you cease now and surrender, you can walk away from this with your life." Kurama stated, guiding Kimimaro away from the building and back toward the inn should any other attempted hits miss.

"Never, I am loyal to Orochimaru-sama, something you could never understand and I will complete this mission." Kimimaro growled and readied for another strike.

It was time to end this.

Summoning his yoki once more, Kurama called forth something that had only been used a handful of times in his previous life. "Shoku Yō Shokubutsu, Devourer Demon Plant."

Redwood roots sprang from the ground, curling up around them and Kurama held absolutely still as to not tempt the plant to turn on its master. The ends began to bulb and weep acidic saliva before it spread its giant maws. Incidentally, Kimimaro had halted in surprise at the change in tactic, giving a moment's pause as his roots took form.

Time seemed to slow down as Kurama begged Kimimaro with his eyes not to move, but it was for not when the Oto-nin charged forward once more, sealing his fate. The first thing consumed by his roots was the bone lance. One of them bit it in half while the others converged on Kimimaro like a pack of savage dogs. There was an anguished scream from the man before all was still once more.

Recalling Shoku Yō Shokubutsu to its base form, Kurama picked up the discarded bone sword and sealed it into a storage scroll. There was an explosion from the inn, which scared off most of the people who had began to see if is was safe to come out. Black flames covered the the gaping hole and an unrecognisable corpse fell from the opening. In his rush to see if it was Sasuke who had fallen he ran into two guys gawking at the scene.

"Sorry, the situation should be under control now, even still you probably shouldn't linger!" Kurama shouted at the strangely dressed men, their straw hats and black cloaks with red clouds billowing in the wind created by the explosion of black flames.

Dashing up the side of the building, Kurama entered via the broken window he had been chucked from earlier in the fight and was met with a shell shocked Sasuke. Even more strange was the fact he was gripping the center of his forehead with an arm covered in a spiraling black dragon. A yoki he had not felt in millenia permeated from the flames and Kurama knew for certain that the shocking similarities between Sasuke and Hiei were more than just mere coincidences.

"Hiei?" Kurama asked tentatively and when he didn't receive a response, he stepped a little closer. "Sasuke?"

Light seemed to return to the Uchiha heir's eyes and they drifted to Kurama's own reflective ones, the tomoe still lazily swirling. It was likely that he was dangerously low on chakra, summoning the Darkness Flames was a feat that had drained even Hiei, let alone a Genin human.

"Kurama?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, still gripping his forehead and trembling slightly. "I-I think I killed him." He stammered out, finally blinking. "There was a voice, it was…" Sasuke shook his head and removed his hand, letting his arm drop. Only then did he notice the new marking on his arm. "Where did this come from?"

It was clear to Kurama, that even though Sasuke might contain the soul of his long dead friend, he didn't remember being Hiei, at least, not yet. "Perhaps it is part of the curse mark or maybe has something to do with these black flames." He offered 'helpfully', he couldn't claim to know where they came from, but he didn't want to freak his teammate out either.

"Yeah, maybe, but if they don't go out soon, they're going to completely destroy the building." To emphasize Sasuke's point, a large piece of plaster crumbled to the ground.

"Try to snuff it out with your chakra, concentrate and will it to return." Another helpful hint, one he only knew to give because Hiei once described how the Dragon of Darkness Flame worked. Bandaging his arm to cover the Dragon, Sasuke raised said arm and concentrated on the flames slowly devouring the building.

It took a few minute, but Sasuke was eventually able to recall the flames, leaving behind charred rubble. It was about that time that their Sensei and Jiraiya returned, followed by the inn manager, who was rightfully freaking out about the damage. Immediately Jiraiya began cajoling the man, smooth talking his way out of responsibility of paying for repairs and Kakashi directed them from the inn, gathering up an injured Sakura along the way.

"What happened here?" Kakashi asked quietly once they were well on their way to another inn down the street.

"Orochimaru's henchmen got the jump on us." Sasuke grunted irritably, hands stuffed in his pocket. "They wanted Kurama and I for some reason or another."

"Well we know why he wants you, but I shudder to think what he wanted me for." Kurama admitted and even Sasuke blanched at the idea.

"You did well protecting each other, a broken arm wasn't what I was expecting to find when I saw the damage to the inn." Kakashi said, ruffling Sasuke's hair, making it stick in even more strange angles than before. None of them had come out of the fight clean, let alone completely unscathed.

Though for some reason Kurama felt as if he had, even though he had garnered several pretty bad cuts during his fight with Kimimaro, there was no trace of them now. There was only one explanation and it was likely the other kitsune sealed in his gut. By the glances Kakashi kept shooting him, it was likely the fact that Kurama had tapped into the other kitsune's power that had attracted their Sensei and Jiraiya back to the inn, otherwise they might have not shown up until much later. Either way, Kurama was glad that they had managed to come out of the ordeal no worse for wear. A broken arm would mend and they had proven, once again, that their team was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

"Thanks Sensei, for training us." Sakura stated meekly, a happy tear, or maybe one of pain, trailed down her face as she hugged the silver haired man.

Kakashi awkwardly patted her head, Kurama and Sasuke showing their own appreciation with a simple nod of thanks. She let go shortly after and they all trudged into the inn they would be staying in for the remainder of the evening. Once clean and wounds were tended to, the rest of the evening was privy to sleep and recovery.

oOo

Morning came late the next day, Kakashi and Jiraiya had opted to let them rest before they continued onto the next town. Naturally, it was evening by the time they reached Tanzaku Quarters, the largest gambling den in Hi no Kuni. The whole village was nothing but lights and dings from machines and shouts of triumph or fury over the latest game. It could literally take days to travel from one side of the city to the other, let alone to find Tsunade, who likely didn't want to be found.

Dropping their things off at the inn they planned to stay in for the foreseeable future, team seven and Jiraiya set out to search for Tsunade. They tackled the streets it in pairs, each group checking different sides of the path to cover as much ground as possible without getting separated. After the attack the day before and having traveled the whole day, it was decided this would be the safest way to do things. However, they all were getting tired when midnight rolled around. The only two things they had managed to dig up was the fact Tsunade owed a lot of people, a lot of money and that there had been a showdown between her and Orochimaru earlier in the day.

"Alright, let's call it a night and get something to eat, I could use a drink, how about you Kakashi?" Jiraiya asked, slumped over and already lifting the curtain to enter an eatery that looked affordable.

"Yeah, we might as well, it's not likely she's still in the area with all those debt collectors arou-" They all bumped into each other, Jiraiya having halted almost as soon as he entered the restaurant and all four of them peer around the overly tall man.

There, sitting toward the back, shuffling a deck of cards, was none other than Senju Tsunade.

"Would you look at that." Jiraiya breathed, flabbergasted at the fact they had literally stumbled upon her.

Kakashi was already flanking any back entrances, as it didn't take long for Tsunade to spot them. She didn't move to try and leave, either because she knew she was surrounded, or was confident enough that if she didn't like what they had to say, she could make her own way out. Given that she was a Sannin, one known for her strength and skills as a medic, it was likely the latter option she was betting on.

Jiraiya sat first, followed by Kurama, Sasuke and Sakura, Kakashi was still nowhere to be seen, skulking somewhere in the shadows. There was a dark haired woman sitting next to Tsunade, she was eyeing the blond bombshell nervously, likely afraid of the Slug Sannin's reaction, clearly they weren't a welcome sight.

"What are you doing here, Jiraiya?" She demanded after a long, awkward stare down with the Toad Sage.

"We're here to bring you back to the village." He hedged gently, accepting the deck of cards from her to shuffle himself as they settled into the seats across from her.

"Oh and what could be so important that you were sent here to drag me back? You know I won't go willingly." She stated conversationally, the veiled threat hardly hidden in her calm demeanor. Accepting the cards back, she cut the deck to show her card, handing it back to Jiraiya to do the same.

She frowned when her card showed higher than his, meaning she had won whatever little game they had been offhandedly playing. "Sensei wants you to be the next Hokage."

The tension in the air was cloying, almost to the point Kurama was hardpressed not to run as quickly and as far away as possible. Sasuke wasn't looking much better and Sakura's hand was shook as she paused while reaching for a cup of tea.

"You'd have to be a special kind of stupid to want to become Hokage. Just look at all the previous Hokage's, all willing to die and look where that got them, dead. Tch, even Sarutobi-Sensei almost met the same fate." Her words were bitter and Kurama had to wonder what she had seen in her days to twist her heart into such a gruesome shape.

"If you don't want the possition so bad, then why remain a Konoha shinobi at all." Kurama sneered, he despised cowards and that was what this all boiled down to. She had given up and run away from her problems. "How do you think those you left behind feel? You're nothing but a coward, you don't deserve the title of Hokage."

"And just who do you think you are?" She hissed not unlike the Snake Sannin, who was once her teammate, but had became a missing-nin. "Playing at being Hokage, count me out, it's a fool's game." She spat, putting her cards down and that was the final straw.

"I'm gonna knock that cynical sneer off your face, Cha!" Sakura of all people snarled, the table snapping in half under her good hand when she slammed it down. "No one talks about the Hokage that way!"

"Are you challenging me brat? Do you know who I am?" Tsunade demanded and Kurama ignored her, gently placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder and guiding her back into her seat.

Lifting the two table pieces together, Kurama coerced it to mend itself, much to the shock of Tsunade and the dark haired woman next to her.

"Y-you, you're a Senju!" The woman exclaimed, nearly dropping the pink pig in her lap wearing a pearl necklace and red vest. "And you possess the Mokuton! How is that possible?"

"It doesn't matter, that was a clever tactic, trying to use the brat to bait me back to the village Jiraiya, but it's not going to work. The Senju are dead and that's probably just an ability that resembles my Grandfather's Mokuton." Tsunade scoffed, subconsciously running her fingers over the smooth surface of the table.

"Oh, it's the Mokuton alright and you know who my parents were. I can smell a familial relation between us and it disgusts me to think that you could abandon not only someone who is clearly related to you, but a village that you swore to protect. People die whether they are the Hokage or not, Tsunade, but at least the Hokage is willing to help protect those who can't defend themselves." Kurama stood, along with Sasuke and Sakura.

"You're not worth our time." Sakura all but spat as they moved to another table to enjoy their meal in peace. Disappointments aside, they were still tired and hungry.

"I can't believe that is one of the Legendary Sannin, at least Orochimaru lives up to his name, he's definitely a snake obsessed psycho." Sasuke grumbled, stabbing his food rudely and then cramming it into his mouth. It was a feat of sulleness that Kurama had only ever seen Hiei perform and it eased a tension he didn't know was there by having his friend so close once more.

'Even better…' His eyes trailed to Sakura, remembering the beautiful woman Genkai had been in her youth and the one Sakura was sure to become.

"To think I wanted to be like her, she's just a selfish drunkard." Sakura agreed just as sullenly from beside him, pushing her food around her plate and mixing it all together.

They were both right and Kurama couldn't fault them for their point of view, but he also understood Tsunade's side of things. He had lost everyone he had ever cared about and was having to relive his life over. When he allowed himself to dwell on such things, the feeling of loss was almost crippling. However, that didn't excuse her wallowing in self pity and shutting out those who still cared for her.

"Don't be too harsh on her, she could turn her life around, she just lacks motivation." Their Sensei stated, settling into the booth with a tired sigh. "I was no better than her at one point in my life."

This surprised the three of them, it was rare their Sensei said anything about his past. Sakura asked what he meant and he told them how his father had committed suicide. He explained because of that, he swore to always follow the rules to the letter and that it took losing his teammate, his best friend, to realize that protecting his comrades was more important.

"Wow, it's really hard to imagine you on time for anything, Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"You wound me, I'm on time for all kind of things and I'm never late." Kakashi mock cried.

"Yeah and who are you trying to convince? Name one thing you're on time for." Sasuke challenged. It was hardly a secret that no one on their team enjoyed waiting for their Sensei to arrive.

"I arrive exactly when I mean to." He boasted and Sakura shot up in indignation, pointing accusingly at him.

"So you do show up late on purpose!"

Kakashi just smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about, just because you don't know how to tell time doesn't mean that I'm late."

Frowning, Kurama had to pause before he tried to refute what his Sensei had said. This lead to him wondering if there was a trick or a tell to the tardiness. Which got to thinking about what kind of career his Sensei likely led and what sort of customs had changed over the last twenty or so years. Only one thing stood out that made sense and he was surprised he hadn't noticed it sooner.

"You don't go by a clock." This drew the attention of his other two teammates and Kakashi looked at him, waiting patiently for him to elaborate. "You go by the placement of the sun, which adding variables of anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours depending on the time of year, you are, in a roundabout way, on time."

"Yeah, but if that's the case, then how come he's never late for missions?" Sasuke questioned and Kakashi chuckled.

"It's only been in the last ten years or so that clocks have come into common use, the Hokage just tells me when the missions are in non-daylight-savings time instead." Kakashi said jovially, clearly proud they had found the underneath to his tardiness.

Never let it be said that Hatake Kakashi didn't do passive teaching.

"Wow Sensei, you're old." Sakura grumbled. "Even old people can be cool and up to date, but you're one of those people who are old from the moment they're born."

The all shared a chuckle at their Sensei's sulking, trying his hardest to prove he wasn't lame… by acting more lame than usual.

"I never thought I would see the day that Hatake would take his very own team of brats." Tsunade stated pausing as she was about to walk by.

"Well, things change and these 'brats' are special, I'm proud of the shinobi they are becoming." Kakashi said, making her halt for a moment before she continued on her way.

Ear twitching in irritation, Kurama stood and slid from the booth, ignoring Kakashi's questions of where he was going. It took a little bit of jogging, since his stride was much short than he was used to, in order to catch up with Tsunade. The boldness of sliding in front of her was a carry over from this life's personality, he was much more subtle the first time around, but it got the result he was looking for.

"Wait, you can't just walk away like this." He said, ignoring the quite waving for him to stop from the black haired assistant. "So let's make a bet, if I can land a hit on you, you have to return to the village and become the Godaime Hokage."

"And if you lose?" She challenged and Kurama smirked.

"Then I will pay all of your debts up until this point and give you half a million ryo a year to fund your future gambling and vices." The others, including Jiraiya, all gaped at the thought of such a large sum of money.

"You don't have that kind of money kid, even with your parent's inheritance." She stated and a sinister smile curled the corners of Kurama's mouth as he held up a slightly bulging wallet.

"You're right, I don't possess that kind of money… but, I do posses a very special set of skills."

"Shizune!" Tsunade barked and the woman beside her eyes bugged as she began checking every pocket on her for the wallet she had been safeguarding.

"I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, it's gone!" Shizune answered in a panic glaring at Kurama who flipped the wallet between his fingers.

"Fine, to sweeten the pot, if you win you can have this." Tsunade snapped, pulling a necklace from inside her blouse. "But if you lose, then your shinobi career is over."

Even from the distance he was standing, Kurama could tell that the necklace was of incalculable value, made from a stone that was rare even in Makai. "Deal."

"Lady Tsunade, you can't really be serious, that belong to your Grandfather, Shodaime-sama!" Shizune gawked, hugging the pig in her arms tighter. "Besides, you said it was cursed and whoever wore it would die, do you hate this kid so much that you would give him something like that?"

"Tch, he isn't going to be able to land a hit on me so no worries, besides, only those who wish to be Hokage are the ones cursed."

"Actually, it's Kurama-kun's dream to become Hokage." Sakura piped up, eyeing the necklace dubiously.

"And we're going to help him achieve it." Sasuke added to the surprise of the group and Sakura readily agreed.

"Don't worry Sakura, some stupid necklace isn't going to do me in before my goal is realized." Kurama stated, getting ready for their fight, pushing back memories of a red pendant and a long dead bat yokai he dared call friend.

Tsunade held up one finger and for a moment Kurama thought maybe she possessed the spirit gun. Only for her to state she would only need one finger to beat him. Deciding it was her loss for underestimating him, Kurama began to lay his trap and charged. Sure enough, she used only one finger to fend him off, though it felt like a fist every time she touched him.

He had bruises forming long before his yoki had saturated the ground enough to pull off his final move. The slug Sannin touched the dirt path, turning the ground soft in an attempt to slow him down, but it only worked in his favor. Unsealing the water contained in his canteen, Kurama saturated the loosened ground by unleashed the torrent of water, finishing the final preparations.

However, Tsunade sensing something amiss, balled her fist and decked him so hard he was sent flying down the street. His right shoulder hit first and he went tumbling ass over tea kettle another few yards before his just skid to a stop on the path. He lay there for a moment, panting and dizzy, trying to see if the damage was enough to prevent him from getting up.

"Heh, giving up already? You weren't hardly a challenge, though I'll applaud you for making me resort to using a full hand." She taunted, dusting her hands as if she had touched something foul.

"Thank you." Kurama stated through gritted teeth and just as she was about to turn to leave, he halted her. "For letting... your guard down. Mokuton: Jubaku Eisō!"

Wood sprang from the ground twisting and ensnaring Tsunade in its thick trunk-like roots. She struggled, but wood imbued with yoki or chakra was like tempered steel and almost impossible to break free from. Limping and clutching at his ribs, Kurama walked the seemingly long distance to where Tsunade was bound. A rib had perforated one of his lungs and he would be lucky if his right shoulder was only dislocated instead for shattered as he suspected it was. Panting and coughing up flecks of blood, he took a moment to catch his breath and work up the strength to lift his fist.

"You.. are a fool for underestimating me." Kurama wheezed, balling his left hand and almost doubling over at the mind numbing pain the action caused. "One day, I will be Hokage... that I promise you."

His fist swung forward and halted inches from her face as his vision rapidly darkened. As he felt himself sinking, his fingers hooked on the necklace around her neck and he hit the ground with a smile.

It was his now and she was never getting it back.

oOo

An: Sorry this was such a long wait. Hopefully the extra long chapter makes up for it!

Until next time~