Author's Note: Yeah, I know it's been a while. And sad to say, the next chapter is going to take even longer, because I'm going to be out of the country for the next month and not have access to the internet (or even a word processor). And this whole story has turned me into a liar. I promised earlier that I would finish this before summer, but the only way that would happen is if I cut this off now. Not likely.

Ouatic-7: Thank you for pointing out the errors. I've made sure to correct them.

Sarehptar: Gai is surprisingly easy to write, at least when he isn't acting serious as he does occasionally.

ManicReversed: There is a tiny bit of Itachi here, but there will be a lot more of him next chapter.

Hayaku: Erm, yeah. I forgot about Kakashi creating the Chidori before receiving Obito's Sharingan. Modified Sasuke's statement a bit to make it fit better in canon.

Sailor Comet: Kisame is here, a little. And a ton more next chapter, when he chews out Naruto for breaking the Raijin. Glad you liked Gai. He's always been one of my favorite characters, but I haven't had the chance to write him before now.

Jenzy: Keeping the relationships canon was less of a genre choice and more because it is easier to keep everyone in character when they aren't lusting after each other. I mean, I have written Itachi/Kisame, but it's difficult as all hell. Took me two weeks to write less than 3,000 words. And besides, the only partnership pairing that has any romance potential at all is Sasuke/Sakon, but I think I effectively kill any chance of that with this chapter. Hopefully. Because as they are now, it would be just wrong.

Eri: For a story, I've found it's way better to keep the characters interesting than the story interesting. The plot may be the most original and fantastic thing ever, but if the characters are boring or OOC, who cares? And oddly enough, this started out as a one-shot. I wrote the second chapter three months after the first on a whim.

noname: It isn't Itachi who is going to beat the crap out of Naruto, though Tsunade might.

Lacerta3: Villains tend to have less character development than the heroes, which gives me a lot more leeway in writing them.

Kigennaiteiru: Naruto knows how to do the summoning technique, but not only is he not on particularly good terms with Gamabunta, Naruto wanted everyone to think he was dead, and having a toad summon tell Jiraiya that he wasn't would have made things a lot more complicated, so Naruto doesn't use the summoning technique anymore.

Patty: I'm still trying to figure out how Sasuke's going to get his satisfaction, or if he is at all. It does breed an interesting dilemma, since now there is more than his own lack of strength keeping Sasuke from avenging his clan.

agent spielplatz: Yeah… I'm not too great at writing summaries, but my original was way, way worse. Glad you like this though. "Fox and Shark" has evolved in so many weird and strange ways that it in no way resembles my original vision of it. For instance, originally Sakon wasn't going to be a character in this at all, and Sasuke wasn't going to be a main one. Funny how things turned out.

Sailor Comet: Here's a bit of Kisame to whet your appetite, though sadly there isn't much. There will be more soon (and Kimimaro will finally show up from when he left Otogakure in chapter 18. Taking a while, isn't he?)

Princess Katana: Considering I don't write Kakashi much and Gai not at all, I like the way their interaction turned out too.

Grey: You know my opinion on your critiques.

me: Gai is himself, as in he tends to take over every scene he's in. He'll be in another with Sakura next chapter. And I think the relationship Sakon and Ukon share in canon is one of the more interesting ones. After I saw their fight in the anime, I momentarily regretted killing Ukon off, but the sad truth is that it would be a lot more difficult to develop Sakon's character when he could rely on his brother as an emotional crutch. Ukon might show up in one more scene, but it's debatable. His purpose has mostly been fulfilled.

Saria19: Kisame has been unconscious. Itachi has been watching over him. Gai is love. I don't know why more people don't like him. He's one of the few characters in "Naruto" whose integrity is never in question, and a painfully honest, yet not at all naïve character is quite refreshing from the usual angsty fare.

fight4foo: After much deliberation, I eventually decided I liked "Blind Eyes" despite how painfully difficult it was to write. Romance isn't my usual genre, but it's good to branch out.

madnarutofan: What I've always loved about this series is that there are both serious and comedic elements, both of which are written well, so that's what I'm trying to recreate here.

magical-flyingdragon: The problem with many Sasuke/Naruto fics is the basis of their friendship in canon is their rivalry. When they become lovers, it's difficult to translate that realistically. And no, Kisame's not dead. I purposefully kept his recovery out of the limelight because unlike with Sasuke and Sakon, the partnership between the two elder Akatsuki is hardly confused, and Kisame's near death experience isn't a turning point in Itachi and Kisame's relationship. I skirted on the edge of sappy for the Kakashi/Naruto meeting, but tried to avoid full on fluff, and I think it turned out okay.

----

At the medic-nin's words, Sasuke was on his feet and at the door before Naruto had even registered the meaning of what had been said, but it was there that the Uchiha paused, and turned to look at Tsunade, his eyes narrowed in a habitual glare. "Was he supposed to wake up this soon?"

More in response to her assistant than the Sharingan user, Tsunade hissed venomously through her teeth, an irritated frown creasing her forehead and giving weight to her normally youthful face. "The amount of sedatives we gave him was supposed to keep him out for another six hours. Does he have some sort of augmented metabolism you conveniently forgot to mention, Sasuke, or is he just that stubborn?"

Sasuke shook his head, though whether it was a refusal to answer or a negation of both given possibilities, Naruto didn't know. And he didn't care. The Uchiha was a bastard at the best of times, and acting unnecessarily obstinate over nothing wasn't unfamiliar behavior, even after as long as it had been for the two of them. "Hey, Sasuke. Just a second." Naruto walked over to stand beside his former teammate. "I'm coming in with you."

The glare Sasuke sent the blond Akatsuki was anything but habitual. It was more like outright hostile. "I don't want your false sympathy, Naruto."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why the hell would I feel sympathetic for you? You only got a little beat up. I just want to make sure you don't act like a jackass when Sakon isn't even lucid enough to argue with you." At the Uchiha's blank look, Naruto gave a dramatic sigh. "I met with Sakon before, remember? After you ditched us to go off and play lone warrior, we had to figure out each other's fighting styles in like, five seconds. We were only together for about an hour, but he was sure a hell of a lot more pleasant than you."

For a moment, the Sound-nin heir and the Akatsuki elite met each other glare for glare, until Sasuke conceded his defeat with an uninterested snort. "Whatever."

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose. "If you two brats are quite done bickering, I will allow you to accompany me to visit the patient for a few minutes if you promise to not say anything upsetting. I don't need you ruining my work with your childishness."

For a moment, when the Uchiha turned to stare at the Godaime with an expression of incredulous fury, the corrupted Sharingan flickered. " 'Allow?'"

The Hokage was completely unimpressed. "Yes, allow. My village, my hospital, my patient who I have poured my chakra into for the past two hours. Also, please keep in mind, Sasuke, that you are not currently under ANBU guard because of my whim alone. Don't give me reason to regret my decision."

"I wasn't planning on it."

After receiving the Uchiha's unresisting (though flat) acquiescence, Tsunade visibly relaxed. "Good. Come on, then." She opened the door to the operation room, Sasuke and Naruto right behind her. The door clicked shut, leaving Sakura, Kakashi and Gaara in an uncomfortable quiet.

Sakura, who by far of the three liked silence the least, was the first to break it. "I think it's time I went to see how Lee's doing." She left, presumably in search of her boyfriend. Kakashi waved her off but didn't move to follow, instead choosing a door at random and wandering off for reasons no one else could understand or would particularly want to. Gaara remained where he was, the sand shifting around his feet.

----

Zetsu was really beginning to regret inviting Sen to join the Akatsuki. Sure the boy was his nephew (though if it weren't for the green hair no one would have been able to tell; stupid recessive genes), and very talented (lack of any substantial portion of their family's bloodline limit notwithstanding), but it also meant that Zetsu had made himself vulnerable. It was precisely to avoid this problem that the former Grass-nin had refused a partner and summarily been kicked out of the elite, though not the Akatsuki entirely, but still he found himself in this position. Not that Sen was weak; he wasn't. And his bear of a partner was enough to deter most who might try to get to the Akatsuki council member through his sister's son. No, it wasn't Sen's well-being that Zetsu worried about. It was his own tenuous hold on his reputation. It was already difficult to be taken seriously when a distant ancestor had decided it was a good idea to cross his DNA with a plant, cannibalistic tendencies or no (though Zetsu occasionally wondered if eating a salad didn't qualify just as well) but when you gave into your young nephew's demands at the drop of a hat, people tended to snicker behind your back. Why, if it wasn't for the rampant schizophrenia, he wouldn't be able to scare the shit out of anyone anymore.

But this time, Zetsu had mostly decided (only mostly, of course. While his particular mental disorder made him delightfully unpredictable, it also meant that he could never make himself fully commit to something, because there was nothing he liked more than to disagree with himself) it was time to lay down the law. This was one request that Zetsu would not grant Sen, even if the boy was his only living relation, even if he had given Zetsu seeds for several of the rarer herbs from Kirogakure for his last birthday, even if-

"Please, Uncle?"

Ah shit. He was using the kicked puppy look again. But no, Zetsu had to remain firm. Sen was eighteen, and it was about time he-

"I just want to make sure Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun are all right. I think something bad has happened in Konoha."

Eighteen, and as manipulative as hell. Sen had received almost none of his mother's family's ability to sense things beyond normal human perception, but occasionally there were glimpses. So either Sen was lying to get his uncle to do what he wanted, or his abilities were starting to mature.

It shouldn't have mattered. It really shouldn't have. But having spoiled his nephew since day one, some habits were just too deeply ingrained to give up that easily. And it was so rare to see Sen use his natural talent to deceive with such obvious intent, both sides of Zetsu's personality were for once united.

((Well, maybe just this once…))

"So you wish me to search out the jinchuuriki?"

Sen nodded earnestly. Zetsu wondered how someone who had killed so many people in cold blood could have such an innocent face. If it was genetics, it had to have come from the boy's father's side. The closest Zetsu was sure he had ever come to looking innocent was thoroughly confused. "Very well, nephew."

Zetsu didn't know where in his long ancestry the ability of farsight had been spawned, but his best guess was at least four generations back but after the plant-happy ancestor of some two hundred years ago. More than one person had told him that his family's bloodline limit in many ways greatly resembled the Hyuuga's Byakuugan, but after some research Zetsu had decided that this likeness was merely coincidence and the two bloodlines were in no way related. For one thing, in comparison to farsight, the Byakuugan's range was pitiful, barely extending to a kilometer with the strongest and most highly trained members of the pale-eyed clan, whereas the bloodline of Zetsu's family could easily amplify to fifty times that, though lacking the ability to discern chakra points. Zetsu's sensing territory was about eighty kilometers, but he had the kekkei genkai in an unusually large supply. Therefore, Konoha was (just barely) within his abilities to discern.

Even with the two jinchuuriki's distinctly odd chakra signatures, it took him a few minutes to find them. Though his progress was expedited by their close proximity to each other, Zetsu knew neither of the demon-possessed shinobi well. Council members as a rule mostly governed the rank-and-file (if such a term could be applied to a group of ninja consisting of jounin and up) of the Akatsuki and left the elite mostly to their own devices except to hand out high-class missions once in a while. He was only on vague speaking terms with Itachi and Kisame and not at all with the two youngest (and newest) members of the Nine. Every time that particular pair was summoned to a council meeting, Zetsu was left with the distinct impression that the Kyuubi child found him creepy. While this was normally to be expected, Zetsu couldn't help but find this attitude a bit hypocritical when found in one who had personally adopted Kisame as his mentor. Both Gaara and Naruto were unaware of the familial connection between Zetsu and Sen, which was really just as well. Gaara in particular, with his weekly meditation sessions with Sen in the woods near Kaizen, was far too close to his nephew for comfort.

While Zetsu left half of his attention to mooning over his sister's son's choice of friends, his other half had found the jinchuuriki. After examining them for a few moments, he let the farsight fade and again focused his eyes on his nephew. "Gaara is sitting within the waiting area of one of Konoha's hospitals. Naruto is in the room next door. Both are unharmed, though Naruto appears somewhat perplexed by something."

Even though he was finished, Sen didn't move. Zetsu was hard put to restrain a sigh. "If there isn't anything else…"

Sen shook his head, smiling brightly. "That's it, I think. Thank you, Uncle. It is reassuring to find out Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun are unhurt. I suppose my worries are unfounded." After a quick bow that was completely ruined by Sen's lack of anything approaching sobriety, the younger former Grass-nin disappeared quietly back into the surrounding undergrowth. Zetsu returned to his meditation. Even with his conscience troubling him slightly, it wasn't his fault that his nephew had regulated his inquiry to such narrow specifics. The two youngest elite were indeed physically unharmed, but Konoha was a wreck. Perhaps Sen hadn't inherited as little of the farsight as originally thought.

----

When Sakon opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Sasuke. As there had been a gap of several minutes between the nurse announcing his return to consciousness and the Uchiha entering the room, this may seem rather contradictory, but it was during those minutes that Sakon tried to convince himself that he couldn't possibly be as tired as he felt, and the encroaching blindness that had overtaken him during his 'death' had been purely temporary. And it really would be such a waste to ruin his hopes by prying open his eyelids and finding out that he couldn't, in fact, see. So in the end, Sakon knew it was for the best that he just lay in this bed (contemplating how he had gotten into such a position made his head hurt, which implied either a concussion or heavy drugs) quietly and hope that Ukon had either been horribly wrong or lying. As both occurrences had been known to happen more than once, he could hope for that as well as twenty-twenty vision. The space between his eyes was throbbing like a bitch, and just then Sakon couldn't think of any reason why he would want to be alive. Ukon could still be wrong. This whole situation was sure beginning to feel like his personal version of hell.

"Sakon, I know you're awake. Open your eyes or I'm going to pry them open for you."

Sasuke was even here. Now all he needed was Yasuo and a shitload of rain to complete this crappy version of the inferno. Sakon had to admit to himself that he didn't feel quite as pain-wracked as he had back during what he had personally deemed The Suckiest Day of His Life, but there was a certain dullness to his limbs that gave credence to the drugging theory. Meaning he would probably be screaming in agony when said drugs wore off.

What was so wonderful about life, again?

Someone was moving to stand by his side. Even with one eardrum still cracked, it was easy enough to tell by the tread who it was. "Sakon-"

It was at that point that Sakon opened his eyes. While it was somewhat reassuring that though it took a few moments, his pupils still possessed the ability to contract and therefore focus, what they chose to focus on first was Sasuke. It perhaps wasn't entirely surprising that the first thing that came out of his mouth lacked both consideration and editing. "Oh God, it is you." Sakon considered the implications of this for a few moments, than completed his line of thought succinctly. "Fuck." He had survived, and worse, so had Sasuke. Meaning he had given a death speech and his body hadn't even had the good grace to die. "Fuck!"

Definitely drugged. Sedatives tended to make him decidedly less tactful.

The Sound heir appeared at a crossroads, the paths before him being confused, angry, or simply amused. In an unusual display of restraint, he decided on a combination of the first and the last. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Sakon ignored the question. "Why am I still alive? Why are you still alive, for that matter? I thought I sensed that Cloud ANBU die, but I wasn't in such great shape at the time and last I checked, you were getting your ass kicked. Where the hell are we, anyway? And-" Pulling himself up on his elbows not only made Sakon feel like he was less of a disadvantage, but also gave him a better view of the room, though whether this was a good thing could only be left up to interpretation. It wasn't the sight of Naruto that quieted him, but of the blonde woman sitting next to him. Sakon recognized her. He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. "Oh fuck."

The Godaime grinned and turned to Sasuke. "At least one of you Sound-nin treats this situation with the proper gravity." Sasuke snorted. Sakon buried his face in his (heavily bandaged) hands.

"Orochimaru-sama's going to kill me."

The Uchiha looked confused. "Why?"

"Why? Why? His heir was found out while I was unconscious. Now I'm going to be thrown in an interrogation chamber while you are traded back to Orochimaru-sama for some ridiculously valuable information or something else we can't afford to give up and-" Sakon finally noticed how much the Hokage's eyes lit up on heir, and realized his blunder. "Damn it."

Naruto, who until then had watched their interaction in complete silence, chose that moment to grin in a companionable manner and slap Sakon on the back, making the Sound-nin wince, though more at the expected agony that usually came with such an action and less from actual pain. "Don't worry. The Lady Hokage has something else in mind. Konoha got completely trashed and she wants to open up negotiations with Otogakure."

Sakon thought about this possibility for several seconds. Then he thought about Orochimaru's likely reaction for several seconds more.

When her patient's shoulders began to shake and all the blood drained from his face, Tsunade decided it was time to leave. "Okay, time's up, boys. I think you've seen enough of your friend here for today." Both Sasuke and Naruto opened their mouths to argue, but the beginning of a hysterical laugh emanating from somewhere deep within Sakon's chest deterred any objections. They left quietly. Tsunade moved to follow, but not before giving some instructions to the attending medic. "Sedate him, and for God's sake use a heavier dosage this time."

----

Outside what had been the operation room but was now a recovery room (all the equipment had been removed except the heart monitor), Naruto stared at the door. Then he stared at Sasuke. "Is he normally like that and I got the wrong impression before, or is it the drugs?"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

((Trying to remain inoffensive for five minutes must have been an awful trial)) Naruto thought, somewhat uncharitably. Even if it was true.

"I've never seen Sakon so easily… upset. Or talkative. He is usually far more subdued. How you saw him earlier isn't a good indication of his usual behavior either. When you first met him, he was rather upset at me about something and was trying to get back at me by acting unpleasant."

"Funny. I found his unpleasant to be a way more congenial person than you ever were, even on a good day."

Sometimes it seemed like Sasuke had only two expressions that came in various degrees. Amused (usually at someone else's expense) and irritated/angry. Alright, maybe that made three, but angry was really just irritated set on high. His default expression for the hour was irritated, on medium levels. "Are you just aggravating by nature or is it something you strive for, dead last?"

Naruto grinned, happy he had finally gotten a rise out of his former teammate. "Oh, I have to work at it regularly. If I don't, sometimes people actually find me tolerable, which is absolutely the worst thing for my reputation."

"You mean as Naruto the Annoying?"

"Exactly! With Itachi and Gaara as company, I'll never be the creepiest of the group, so I had to find my niche somewhere."

Gaara glanced up from his seat in the corner.

"No offense, Gaara."

The green eyes flickered down and continued their perusal of the floor where they had left off.

"Anyway, that whole thing was pretty anticlimactic. I thought you two would hug or something, but Sakon didn't even seem happy to see you."

Sasuke smirked. "He rarely is. We don't get along."

Naruto shot the Uchiha a quizzical look. "But you care for him."

"We've been over this already. You don't have to like someone to care for them. I don't wish to see Sakon die; that doesn't mean we regularly bond over a romance movie and popcorn. He doesn't even make for a proper rival as you did, despite your occasional idiocy. He is forced to be subordinate to me by Orochimaru's command and isn't strong enough to really challenge me in a fight. And I find arguments with him tiring."

Naruto couldn't help but find Sasuke's line of reasoning somewhat beyond him. "So Sakon is what to you, exactly?"

"Someone I can't get rid of who occasionally manages to be useful with his experience in seal jutsus and terrible situations but is sullen and bitter the rest of the time."

"So he's basically a smarter, weaker version of you without an avenger complex. No wonder you guys fight all the time."

Before Sasuke could think of an appropriate retort, a wave of weariness hit him that couldn't be denied. He rubbed at his temples and willed his eyes to stay open. "Naruto, please shut up, if you think you could manage it. I'm going home. You can irritate me tomorrow, if you still feel the need."

It could only be attributed to Naruto's newfound well of perceptiveness that he didn't press the issue, but only nodded and went to sit beside Gaara. Sasuke momentarily gave into his weakness and leaned against the recovery room door. He couldn't help but give a start when a person addressed him from the other side.

"Go back to your apartment if you wish, Sasuke, but don't leave Konoha."

At Tsunade's words, Sasuke's first thought was of Sakon. He could hear the unspoken threat in the Godaime's words, and would have felt insulted by it if he hadn't known that the Hokage was never unnecessarily malicious. "I'll return in the morning. Don't move him."

Not in the mood to be either courteous or particularly graceful, Sasuke chose the nearest window as his exit instead of one of the doors. He would be back tomorrow, of course; it wouldn't do for the Godaime to get the wrong idea and send a few ANBU squads after him or something else equally tedious to deal with. He tried not to think too much about Tsunade's impromptu speech regarding a possible alliance between their villages; some things were just too complicated to think about when completely exhausted.

----

It was about half an hour later and in the next wing over that Kisame regained consciousness to find a needle stuck in his arm, covered in several hundred stitches and with Itachi sitting next to him, soaked in blood. This image was so incongruous with how the Uchiha usually looked that Kisame had to blink a few times to convince himself that he wasn't hallucinating and yes, this was in fact reality. Even if reality didn't ordinarily have the most powerful member of the Akatski dripping red stains onto the carpet. "Itachi-san?"

Itachi startled out of his half-drowse abruptly and without ceremony. "Kisame."

The Uchiha didn't move with the usual care of one who was wounded, but the blood had to have come from somewhere. "Are you hurt?"

"The blood is yours."

For a moment, Kisame could only stare incredulously at his partner. "All of it?"

"Yes."

"How much did I lose?"

"Shizune-san estimates about two liters. A blood transfusion was required."

Which explained the light-headedness, Kisame supposed. "Kano is dead."

"Yes."

Kisame allowed himself a moment of relief, but it was fleeting in the face of a bigger concern. "And the Samehada?"

Itachi glanced to Kisame's right. Following the Uchiha's line of sight, Kisame finally allowed himself to relax when he saw his sword, a dark, rusty red in places where the blood had dried but in one piece regardless, sheathed and leaning against the wall next to him. Then something occurred to him. "Itachi-san, have you seen Naruto around?"

"He is unharmed."

Somewhat surprised that the younger Akatsuki had managed to keep himself from acquiring the usual plethora of wounds, Kisame couldn't help but feel a little pleased. "Well, that's good then. But, Itachi-san, I think it's time you took a shower."

His partner raised an eyebrow at the non sequitor. "That's what you're concerned about?"

Kisame grinned. "Well, everything else seems to be taken care of. And no offense, Itachi-san, but you look terrible.

----

Two men sat in a darkened room. While one crouched quietly on the raised stairway, polishing his oversized katana, the other, garbed in the traditional robes of a shinobi lord, was systematically grinding the scroll in his hands to a very fine dust. After a few minutes of this, the silent watcher glanced up from his task with a wide-eyed, cautious concern.

"You seem distressed. Is something troubling you, Raikage-sama?"

"You know very well what is troubling me. Our whole plan was a failure and my brother is dead. And stop that submissive act around me, Roka. We have known each other far too long for me to believe in your masks anymore."

At Takamura Ichiro's words, Roka's meek, downcast eyes went flat. His tone had similarly lost its frightened tremble when next he spoke. "Our objectives were only to make Konoha aware of us and to get rid of Shimagawa, both of which were accomplished. The death of Kenji-kun was unexpected, but I definitely considered it a possibility considering his constant inability to gauge the strength of his opponents. The fool probably started toying with some jounin playing possum and was stabbed in the back."

Ichiro's eyes narrowed. "Be careful with your words, Roka. You will not speak ill of the dead."

Roka didn't appear bothered. "You wanted me to speak frankly, and you won't retract that order now. The death toll of your village and mine was high, but we also took out large numbers of the Leaf-nin and I hear that Shimagawa managed to badly injure Kisame-kun. And with my beloved, belated Mizukage out of the picture, Suzu will inevitably take up the Water Shadow mantle, and he is far easier to manipulate."

"I don't care if your plans succeeded, or about the power plays and intrigue you Mist-nin seem so fond of. This war is nothing but a waste of resources. The Leaf and Akatsuki being entirely focused on our villages may suit your purposes, but if they fully unite their forces, they could take the Mist and Cloud down one at a time and no one could do anything to stop them. What will happen to all of your lauded plans then, Roka, without the cover of being one of the Seven Angels of Shinobi Katana Jutsu to protect you?"

The no-dachi wielder shrugged. "Konoha has become timid in recent years. Their numbers have been wittled down far too drastically for them to take a chance by taking the offensive. The Akatsuki lack this fear, but their outlook is mercenary and they will not invade if it doesn't directly benefit them, and it won't as long as we do not go near Kaizen or threaten their sources of income. We needn't fear retaliation."

Ichiro snorted. "As you say."

Roka smiled. "My faults may be many, Ichiro-kun, but you know I would never make such a gamble if I wasn't sure of the outcome."

For a few minutes, neither of the shinobi spoke, and the Mist-nin went back to his polishing while the elder Takamura stared at the half-destroyed scroll grasped between his fingers. When the Raikage finally responded, it wasn't a reply to the no-dachi wielder's words. "I want the person who killed my brother dead."

"That might be difficult. We have no way of telling who ended Kenji-kun's life, especially seeing as they burned the body."

The Raikage's teeth gritted at the Mist-nin's last words, but continued on regardless. "The technique used was a very specific one. A very famous one. The Raikiri."

At that, Roka's eyes met Ichiro's with a warning. "You cannot honestly expect to kill either the younger Uchiha or the Copy-nin without repercussions. It's foolhardy. You know as well as I do that Kenji-kun provoked that fight. There is no advantage in further antagonizing the Leaf."

"This isn't about what advantage we may gleam in this war of yours that isn't really a war."

After a moment, Roka stood, and carefully sheathed his sword. With equal care but with far greater speed, he took the three steps between himself and the Raikage's seat in something less than one second and wrapped one hand around Ichiro's throat. The elder Takamura's eyes widened, but all his initial struggles yielded were his much stronger captor slowly tightening his grip. After a few moments, the Raikage's futile attempts to lessen the chokehold ceased as the lack of air began to take its toll. Roka smiled. "That's better. Now then, Ichiro-kun, please listen to me carefully. You knew as well as I did the possibilities of this shadow war. It could have easily gone much worse. However, the one thing you promised me was that all actions would be carried out with our goal in mind. Revenge is not in line with that goal. Therefore, it will not happen. Your brother's killer will not be punished. We will continue with our original plan. Understand?"

The Raikage glared at him, but nodded. He didn't allow himself to gasp for breath when the no-dachi wielder withdrew, but the elder Takamura still had to take a few moments to regain his self-composure before speaking. "Roka, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave now."

Roka smiled softly, making Ichiro instinctively reach for a weapon before he remembered himself. The Mist-nin was at his most dangerous when he seemed least offensive, and it made the hair on the back of the Raikage's neck rise. "I suppose I should. You really aren't much good to talk to when you are worked up like this, Ichiro-kun. I'll be back tomorrow after I assure Suzu of my loyalties. We still need to discuss the next phase of our plan."

The guards didn't even blink when the no-dachi wielder walked past them, though they hadn't noticed his entrance. The presence of that particular member of the Seven was a far too common one for anyone to take care as to his comings and goings. It was only after Roka's chakra signature went beyond the range of Ichiro's ability to sense did the elder Takamura allow himself to touch the bruises already forming on his throat. He was disgusted to find himself shaking, but it was almost to be expected. Roka's temperament was even enough, but his actions were nearly impossible to predict.

((So Roka forbids me avenge my brother.)) One hand clenched, and the partially disintegrated scroll finally snapped in two. ((Sometimes I really hate that man.))