Chapter Thirteen

"In choosing an opening plan players think most of all of harmonious development for the pieces, but sometimes leave the development of the queen out of their considerations. Yet the Queen is the most valuable and important piece and the whole outcome can depend upon how successfully she plays her role." - Alexander Kotov

Nara Shikamaru

He considered Kakashi's bishop in his hand. The Hokage's trap hadn't gone as planned. Shikamaru had caught on and thwarted it five moves before Kakashi had sprung the trap.

The Hokage pouted. "I thought for sure I'd at least be able to check you."

Shikamaru smirked before moving his queen's bishop. "Your trap was too obvious, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi revealed his Sharingan and considered the board, trying to come up with a strategy with his remaining pieces. Shikamaru smiled, saying, "You're going to be checkmated in three moves. The Sharingan's not going to help."

"Damn," muttered the Hokage, using his rook to capture Shikamaru's knight.

"Check," said Shikamaru, moving his queen's bishop to check Kakashi's king. Kakashi stared down at the board, his crimson eye spinning. Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and continued their earlier conversation, "Yes, we've been infiltrated in all levels of all departments most likely. But that doesn't concern me as much as their intentions. Who are these men: POSSUM, SPIDER, and DRAGON? Did Shimura Danzo leave behind instructions in case of his death? Are they operating independently?"

Kakashi frowned at the board. "I'd like to know that myself."

Shikamaru moved his king's bishop and continued, "We don't know how many Root operatives are still out there. From what Sai's told us, Danzo had an army. What happened to them? They didn't participate in Pein's invasion, but did they participate in the Fourth Shinobi War? What sort of casualties did Root sustain? Were their forces as depleted as the regular Konoha shinobi forces?"

Kakashi leaned back in his chair after moving his pawn in some direction or other. He'd lose during Shikamaru's next move anyway. "If past behavior is any indication, I'd bet that Danzo's forces didn't participate in the Shinobi War."

Shikamaru nodded. "I agree. So where are they? Where is this army? It's not in Konoha, we would have noticed. Has root allied with a minor village? Are their forces hiding there? What is going on in the Land of Hot Water?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You think the Root army is in Yugakure?"

Shikamaru moved his king's bishop to checkmate Kakashi's king. "There's a distinct possibility. Something strange is going on in that part of the world."

"You've already sent a team of people we can trust to look into what's going on in Hot Water Country," said Kakashi.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes. So if Root is more or less at full strength while our forces are down almost 60%, why are they still using guerilla tactics? Are they afraid of Naruto? Without Naruto, they could probably crush us if their numbers are what I'd anticipate."

Kakashi looked down at the board. "That's why I pressured Naruto to join ANBU. We can keep a closer eye on his teammates in that way. He can't be requested for missions like a regular shinobi can. And I have three other ninjas on his team that I trust completely."

"Root is biding its time. They've infiltrated the other departments because they want something from us that they won't get if they wipe us off the map. But what is it?"

Both players glanced up as Ibiki stormed into the Hokage's office, Yamato close on his heels. The fearsome head of the Torture and Interrogation department halted in front of the desk. Shikamaru turned in his chair with his eyebrows raised. Kakashi glanced up at them in surprise. "Yo, Ibiki, Butsuma!"

"But what?" wondered Shikamaru.

Yamato sent a quick wind jutsu at the still open door and it slammed shut with a loud bang. "I knew I shouldn't have told you my real name."

Ibiki raised an eyebrow as he worked on the genjutsu to keep their conversation private. "That's your real name? Butsuma?"

"That's terrible," commiserated Shikamaru. "I can why you go by Yamato instead."

A mist flowed around the room as the corner of the room and windows were blacked out. There was a residual high pitched whining sound at the edges of the genjutsu to muffle the sound of their conversation even further.

"We've got something good, Kakashi," said Yamato, completing ignoring the peanut gallery.

The Hokage sat back in his chair. "That's good because Shikamaru's beating me senseless in chess. What've you got?"

"Done assigning that one S-Rank mission then, Kakashi?" laughed Ibiki.

"Still working on it," said Kakashi. "This one's a doozy, really difficult to assign. What have you two got for me?

"We've got a Root operative from very high in the organization. His code name is HYENA. He's had contact with DRAGON."

"With DRAGON himself and not just his messenger RAT?"

Ibiki nodded. "He's the first we've captured that's actually interacted with one of the big three."

"How did you catch him?" wondered Shikamaru.

"He's a member of ANBU, on Sai's team," explained Yamato. "He went off script on a mission in the Land of Hot Water. He killed both of his ANBU teammates and was going to kill Sai, but Sai was able to defeat him. Sai reported the situation to me and I did an emergency reverse summoning on the Root operative. Sai's in the Land of Hot Water awaiting further orders. Ibiki has our Root friend in custody down in T&I."

"The Land of Hot Water, eh," muttered Shikamaru to himself.

"What sort of information have you gotten from him?" wondered Kakashi. "What does he know about DRAGON?"

"Not much," grumbled Ibiki. "DRAGON's a sneaky bastard, hiding his tracks. HYENA only saw him wearing a mask and cloaked. There wasn't an inch of skin showing. No revealing attributes that can help us identify the prick."

Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest, taking it all in. "So we're the only ones who know that HYENA's been captured. Root probably thinks the man's still on that mission in Hot Water Country."

"Yes," said Yamato. "No one else knows besides the four of us and a handful of people in T&I."

Shikamaru nodded seriously. "What if we were to release HYENA and trail him? He could lead us back to DRAGON."

Yamato shook his head. "It wouldn't work, Shikamaru. How can we trust that HYENA won't reveal to DRAGON that he's spent time in T&I? He'll probably just slit his own throat when he gets out. We don't have anyone good enough at doing a mind wipe to ensure that your plan will be a success."

"I think it's time we paid your pretty blonde friend a visit, Shikamaru," said Ibiki. "She's been playing hard to get for long enough."

Interlude

'Kami, Shima's bug ramen is disgusting,' Naruto thought to himself as he sat at the table with Fukusaku.

'Then don't eat it, Naruto,' said Kurama in his mind.

'I don't want to offend her after she went to so much trouble to make it,' replied Naruto.

The Kyuubi didn't dignify that with a response.

Naruto sat back at the table and beamed at the little purple haired toad. "Thanks, Shima! Your special bug ramen was really great. Thanks for going to the trouble of making it!"

Shima put a hand over her chest and waved a webbed hand at the boy. "I'm glad you liked it Naruto-chan. Now that you've signed all those other summoning scrolls, I'm glad that you still come to visit us!"

After the bijuu returned to their homes, they all brought the blonde boy in front of them and asked Naruto to sign their summoning scrolls. Naruto could now summon toads, raccoons, cats, turtles, monkeys, horses, slugs, beetles and octopi. It was pretty awesome.

Fukusaku put his spoon down and asked the boy, "So have you been to visit any of the bijuu yet in their new homes?"

Naruto tapped a finger to his chin. "A couple, yeah. Even though they weren't born as summons, they're still adjusting well to their new homes. I've been to visit Chomei, Isobu, Saiken, Shukaku, Matatabi and Gyūki so far."

"The Land of Mangrove Forests, the Land of Shells, the Land of Heaven and the Land of Ink," said Fukusaku in amazement. "You have traveled far, Naruto-chan."

"Well it was just lots of reverse summoning, so didn't take too long," shrugged the blonde haired boy.

"I've never been to the Land of Mangrove Forests," said Shima. "Have you, pa?"

Fukusaku shook his head. "I've been to the Land of Shells and the Land of Heaven, but not the Land of Mangrove Forests or the Land of Ink."

The little purple haired toad nodded. "What were they like, Naruto?"

Naruto threw his arms out wide. "The Mangrove Forest was all damp and hot and crawling with snakes and huge insects. I feel bad, but I'm not in a hurry to go back. The islands and volcanos of the Land of Ink were really pretty, but the water was so deep where the octopi live, that I had to be carried around everywhere. Not too much fun."

"I've heard that as well, that the Land of Ink is more water than land," said Fukusaku.

"The Land of Shells is really pretty. The turtles and slugs get along really well together there. I was neat seeing both of them there."

"Yes," said Shima. "Not all Lands are like the Land of Toads with only one type of animal living in it. Many live together in the same Land."

Fukusaku nodded. "That is because the toads and the monkeys are the two great animal clans. We have our own lands and customs. The other animal clans live together in the other Lands."

"The Land of Heaven is very beautiful," said Shima. "Had you been there before, Naruto-chan? It reminds me a little of the Land of Fire from your continent."

"I'd been to the Cat Fortress in the Land of Heaven once before, so it was fun to be back. Matatabi has me for tea and catnip whenever I visit and invites along Shukaku too because he lives so close by with the raccoon dog clan. She keeps in close touch with the other bijuu, so she always has funny updates. They were a little worried about Chomei because they hadn't heard from him, but I said not to worry about it."

"How are the bijuu doing? It must be a strange feeling being free after being sealed into a humans for so many generations," said Shima.

"Matatabi really enjoys being there. She was so grateful that we didn't give her back to Kumo to make another jinchuriki. I warned her that it wasn't official yet until the Five Kage Summit has reconvened, but she says she has faith in me. She misses Yugito like crazy, but she likes being free."

Fukusaku nodded at Naruto and said, "Do you think it'll stay that way? What did the kage's say about your proposal?"

Naruto scratched his head and smiled uneasily. "Eh, Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa were pretty unhappy about it."

Shima sat down at the table with them. "That's not surprising. It was going to be a tough battle to win. What do you think you're going to do, Naruto?"

"I don't know," said the blonde boy.

Haruno Sakura

"Our prosthetic division has gotten really large. It along with physical therapy takes up most of the first and second floors in the second wing," explained Akio as they walked down the hall in the newly rebuilt Konoha hospital towards a pair of large double doors.

After Pein's attack, the Konoha hospital had been badly damaged. Tsunade had made repairs a priority for the hospital, but there hadn't been time to rebuild until after the war. A second wing had been added to the hospital after the shinobi returned home.

Sakura nodded her pink head as they walked into the large gymnasium. There were about twenty shinobi completing their physical therapy that afternoon. "With all the wounds suffered during the war, I'm not surprised that our prosthetic division has grown so large," said the pink haired medic. "Though it's a shame we couldn't save more of their limbs."

The pretty blonde haired doctor nodded in agreement. "Some of the wounds were so severe that the limbs had to be removed."

Sakura nodded. Watching a man attempting to grip something with his prosthetic arm, she had a vision of an old woman from long ago who had made considerable use out of her impediment. "Have we worked with these ninja to help develop their chakra string techniques? In Suna, ninja with prosthetics have taken advantage of that handicap to enhance their puppet master jutsu."

Akio raised her eyebrows. "That's a wonderful idea. I'll speak with the department head about that. I'm sure the ninjas who lost limbs during the war will be grateful for the hope that'll give them. Many of them are disheartened that they'll never be as strong as they once were."

Sakura smiled and followed the curly blonde haired woman out the door. Akio continued, "We're going to have you start your rotation in the internal medicine department on the fourth floor. We can stop upstairs in the OB/GYN department on our way up."

As they made their way upstairs and passed the waiting room, a dark haired woman stood up and said, "Akio-san, the nurse at the front desk said that you wouldn't be available until four. Are you in early?"

Akio gestured to Sakura and said, "Good afternoon, Kimiko. I'm showing our newest medical ninja around the hospital. Would you mind waiting just a little longer? I should be down in a about an hour or so."

The academy teacher looked disappointed. "I'll have to come back tomorrow then. I can't wait another hour."

"I'm sorry, Kimiko," said the curly blonde haired doctor. "We're very short staffed right now."

Sakura turned to the doctor and said, "I don't mind you having a quick check-up with Kimiko. I can sit in the room and observe if that's alright. I'd like to learn more about the department."

"It'll be really quick," said Kimiko, "I only need to get that prescription refilled."

Akio raised her eyebrows in understanding. "Oh, I'm sorry that I forgot. Come with me girls, I think exam room four should be open."

Sakura and Kimiko followed behind Akio on the way down the hallway to the examination room. The blonde haired woman held the door open and the three filed inside. The academy teacher jumped up onto the exam table that had been dressed with paper and Sakura went to sit in the chair by the side.

"No strange reactions to the potion then?" asked Akio.

Kimiko shook her head. "No it's working fine. No complaints here. I'm just running a little low. I wanted to refill my prescription. I meant to come last week but I got sent away on a mission last minute and forgot."

Akio picked up her prescription pad and jotted down a note. Tearing off the paper, she handed it to the academy teacher. "There you go. That should be good for another three months. And you know how the cycling works?"

"Yes," said Kimiko, accepting the prescription.

Akio grinned at the younger woman. "So how did that date you were telling me about go last week?"

Kimiko sighed unhappily, "We keep having to reschedule. For some reason, Hokage-sama keeps calling Yamato or I away on missions."

Sakura blinked in surprise. "I thought I recognized you. You're Kimiko from the academy. I think my friend Yamanaka Ino subbed for your class last week."

The pretty dark haired girl beamed. "That's right! Ino-chan is a darling. It was so nice of her to take over my class and Choji's class while we were on that mission. I hope it wasn't too taxing for her."

"I think it solidified in her mind that she doesn't want to be a teacher," Sakura laughed.

Kimiko's eyes twinkled. She hopped off the examination table and said, "Thanks again, Akio. Hopefully I'll be able to take full advantage of the birth control potion on my date with Yamato next week."

Akio laughed and said, "Good for you."

The academy teacher grinned and waved at the two medical ninjas before slipping out of the room. Akio went to sit down next to Sakura. "Kimiko's such a nice girl. I hope her date works out."

Sakura grinned. "Me too. I hope Kakashi'll quit playing that trick on Yamato and let the poor man go on his date."

Akio grinned. "Now that we're here, I suppose I can ask you if you'd like me to fill out any birth control prescriptions for you. Have you already discussed that with your attending physician?"

Sakura blushed crimson. "Oh, I'm not sexually active."

Akio looked surprised. "A pretty girl like you? And at your age? I thought you and Uzumaki Naruto were dating."

Sakura shook her head. "No, we're just friends."

Akio continued to look surprised. "Really? I can tell that he likes you a lot. If you're not sure, you might want to be careful. There are a lot of other kunoichi who are just waiting to jump in and steal him away from you. He's quite a prize, you know."

"He's a person, not a prize," mumbled Sakura.

Akio smirked. "And with his stamina, imagine what he'd be like in the bedroom."

Sakura blushed an even brighter crimson. "I-I-"

Akio scribbled down the same prescription and tore of the page, handing it to Sakura. "Well if you change your mind, here's the birth control prescription, just in case. The worst thing a kunoichi can do is have an unplanned pregnancy. Trust me. I see a lot of kunoichi come in with unplanned pregnancies who then have to give up being ninjas. I don't want that to happen to you, Sakura."