Chapter 25: Shock and Awe

Naruto Uzumaki was glad to be home. Walking through the trees of the forests around Konoha had been a relief, and passing through the gates even more so. He knew enough about the Soul Mirror now that its power wasn't in danger of running wild, unlike the chaotic days when the Kyuubi had first awakened the dojutsu in him. He didn't have to worry about endangering his fellow shinobi and villagers now, and he was ready to get back to work serving and protecting his home.

All around Konoha were signs of the war; the streets were less populated with shinobi than at any time Naruto could remember, and most of those he could see were sporting visible injuries. More than a few of those recognized him. Some stopped to congratulate him for taking down Han, while others simply gave him looks that seemed to say, 'where have you been?'

By the time he made it to the Hokage's tower with Hinata and Jiraiya in tow Naruto was full of restless energy. It was Hinata who grounded him, linking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder as they waited outside the Hokage's office, giving him calm and focus simply with her presence. Within a few minutes they were ushered in by a new aide Naruto didn't recognize. He stepped through the doors into Tsunade's presence, and stopped dead for a moment as the sight before him.

The slender pinkette standing in front of the Hokage's desk had barely turned around when an 'eek' escaped her lips as she was swept up in a fierce hug. "Sakura, you're alive!" Naruto exclaimed, swinging her around.

"Naruto," Sakura replied with a laugh, "put me down, you dummy! Of course I'm alive."

"When I saw Ame destroyed, I was so afraid you died with it," Naruto said as he put her down.

Sakura shook her head. "I got out before that happened… with some help." She glanced at the tall, lean dark-haired ANBU wearing a lynx mask and standing by Tsunade's side when she said that.

"Well thank god for that. I've been so worried about you, especially since that Akatsuki psycho told me they'd captured you."

Sakura put a hand and a stump on her hips. "I've been worried too, knowing they were gunning for you. But I hear you took their worst and won."

"It looks like we both survived, so that's good." Naruto took a step back to look Sakura over. The right arm that ended in a stump wasn't a surprise, of course, but the fact that Sakura looked happy despite the loss was. She was thinner than the last time he'd seen her, and seemed older somehow in the wake of her abduction and long captivity. But her jade eyes still flashed as she glared at him, and the same smile he remembered quirked her lips when she looked him over. When she took in his changed eyes and Hinata's, silver mirrors that reflected everything before them, she grinned in amusement. She didn't miss Hinata's possessive hovering, or the fact that her presence relaxed him. "You two finally figured it out, huh?"

Naruto blinked. "Figured out what?"

Sakura laughed. "That you're perfect for each other. Who made the first move?"

Naruto and Hinata exchanged a look, and Naruto was the one who blushed first. "The Soul Mirror gave me the courage to confess what I'd always felt," Hinata clarified. "Welcome home, Sakura."

"Thanks," Sakura replied. "It's good to be back."

Tsunade cleared her throat. "This is touching, and you'll all have plenty of time to catch up later, but right now we have other things to discuss. Sakura and… her rescuer have shared with me a theory about what happened to Ame. Care to clarify?"

Naruto, Hinata and Jiraiya all looked grim. "Ame was the Akatsuki's headquarters, as I spelled out in the report Ino Yamanaka delivered," Jiraiya spoke up. "After she departed, another Akatsuki showed up demanding the return of Konan, the woman Uzumaki… captured. He – or it – had your apprentice's hand, and threatened her safety to compel Naruto to persuade Uzumaki. The demon refused, struck down the messenger, and then created the inland hurricane that destroyed Ame."

"We tried to stop Uzumaki," Naruto added soberly. "I argued with him, even tried fighting him. I haven't felt that outclassed since I was twelve, and Konan almost killed Hinata."

"I'm fine, Naruto," Hinata murmured. "Soon you'll barely be able to see the scar." When she pulled up her sleeve, however, the other two medics in the room winced at the sight of a fading red line where her arm had been cut down to the bone.

Tsunade sighed. "Well it's a good thing that the war with Iwa has been going well, because the Fire daimyo has demanded shinobi to back up his troops on the northern border."

"What's happening there?" Naruto asked quickly. "Are the Akatsuki retaliating?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, we're just facing an unprecedented refugee crisis."

"We are?" Naruto replied, perplexed. "But everyone in range of the storm save for the Akatsuki… well, they died."

"Here's the problem, brat," Tsunade explained. "One of the charming features of the government in the Land of Rain that Hanzo created and the Akatsuki apparently continued was how they controlled the civilian population. Every year they would actually take all the grain the farmers had grown, store it in warehouses in Ame, and then dole it back out to the population over the year."

"You're joking," Naruto said. "That's… insane."

"So was Hanzo," Jiraiya told his student grimly.

"Anyways, the upshot is that with Ame wiped off of the map, the Land of Rain's yearly harvest is on the bottom of Lake Salamander along with the rest of the city," Tsunade continued. "Rain's citizens never have more than a month of food stored in their homes, and the next harvest is six months away. Those people may be largely uneducated, but they're not stupid. They know their only chance at survival is finding food elsewhere, which is why they've poured out of Rain like a tidal wave. The southeastern Land of Earth is in absolute chaos; we didn't leave much infrastructure in the wake of the invasion, and the refugees are literally chewing through what's left. Our scouts report that the Lightning daimyo has closed his border and ours is doing the same. They might set up refugee camps and offer some supplies, but no one wants Rain's citizens emigrating. It's… well a mess, to understate the matter."

"Isn't there anything we can do for those people?" Sakura asked. "I've was living in Ame while I was a prisoner. The civilian population of that nation has been victimized for generations. Hanzo was a monster, and the Akatsuki weren't any better."

Tsunade sighed. "We can probably send a humanitarian mission, but I doubt it'll be enough; we just don't have the resources right now. We're maintaining a supply train crossing half the continent right now. The Fire and Lightning daimyos do have the resources, but their duty is to the people of their nations, not a mob of starving refugees."

"I want to go help," Sakura declared.

"You are going nowhere right now, Sakura," Tsunade said firmly. "You're at half strength without your right hand, and you look like you just got out of prison. Until I can regrow that limb and you're back up to a healthy weight you're off-duty."

"Sensei-" Sakura started.

"Listen to the Hokage, please," the dark-haired ANBU requested of Sakura.

"I… all right," the pinkette subsided immediately, her cheeks coloring slightly when she glanced at the masked man.

Naruto's eyebrows rose slightly and he glanced at Jiraiya, who also looked surprised. What was that about? Naruto wondered. I've never seen Sakura back down that easily when she was set on doing something.

"Anyways, it's good that you're all home," Tsunade concluded. "Naruto, Hinata… I'm sure you're both anxious to get some rest." The Hokage looked at Hinata specifically. "It's nice that you're back in particular; maybe now your clan's elders will stop pestering me for updates on your status."

Hinata lowered her head respectfully. "I'm sorry if they've caused you trouble." She rose from her seat. "Shall we, Naruto?" Naruto nodded and rose to join her. The pair exited hand in hand.

"Sakura, same orders for you; I've set aside some time this evening to regrow that hand. Get some rest and a good meal in you. You know it's important."

Sakura nodded, directing a last, lingering glance at the ANBU behind Tsunade before following Naruto and Hinata out the door.

When only three remained, Jiraiya gave Tsunade an irritable look. "Okay, I played along for the kids, now spill." The sage pointed at the masked man. "Who is that, and why does your apprentice blush every time she glances at him?"

Tsunade's shoulders shook slightly in mirth. "You've met him since you left, actually. According to him you put up quite a fight, in fact." Tsunade waved a hand. "Take that mask off, Itachi."

The faux-ANBU complied, giving Jiraiya a level look. "Okay, what's he doing here?" Jiraiya asked with a tone of force calm.

"It's complicated. Sarutobi-sensei can probably explain it best." Tsunade opened a locked drawer in her desk and drew out a leather-bound journal. She slid it across the desk to Jiraiya, who picked it up and started skimming through the marked pages while keeping an eye on Itachi.

"As hell," the Toad Sage sighed when he was done reading. He closed the book. "I asked sensei about this, you know. It was all too convenient. He denied knowing anything about the Massacre; lied right to my face." Jiraiya tossed the book back on the desk. "Still doesn't explain what he's doing here. Even if the old man screwed him, he's still done a lot of harm to Konoha since."

"He also brought Sakura back, and defied the rest of the Akatsuki to do so," Tsunade replied softly.

"We know this isn't a ruse how? That's to say nothing of how Sakura was reacting to him."

It was Itachi who answered. "My membership in the Akatsuki was never more than a matter of convenience, and they can no longer offer me anything I need. As to Sakura… that matter is the doing of your apprentice."

When Itachi was done explaining the bond of the Soul Mirror that he had stolen Jiraiya looked troubled. "Sakura has a sharingan now?"

"Completely genuine," Tsunade confirmed. "I've examined them; they're identical to the newly released sharingan of a young Uchiha." Tsunade sat back. "Why don't you catch up with Sakura, Itachi?"

The ex-Akatsuki studied both of them, his lips quirking as he bowed. "Of course. I'll let you two discuss me in private." He dissolved into a cloud of crows that vanished out the window into the gathering dusk.

The first thing Jiraiya did was rise from his seat and move next to Tsunade. He removed his horned forehead protector and settled it on her brow so the seals carved on the inner face touched her skin. Tsunade's nose wrinkled a bit. "Do you ever wash this thing? And what are you- oh." She handed it back to him, looking slightly offended. "No, Itachi's not influencing me, genjutsu or otherwise."

Jiraiya accepted his adornment back. "You know I had to check. So why are you keeping him around? You can't think he's got any loyalty to Konoha left."

"Of course he doesn't," Tsunade replied. "But thanks to Naruto he does have feelings for Sakura, and she's still devoted to our village, even if her respect for sensei has taken a hit." She told Jiraiya about the incident with Tenzo the night the pair had returned. "It wasn't a trick or a bluff, Jiraiya. Itachi was ready to die to protect her. I've learned a lot about him in the last few days. He's probably one of the five most powerful shinobi in the world right now and he has absolutely no loyalties to any organization, but he's in love with my apprentice." Tsunade sighed. "Maybe it makes me as heartless as sensei, but I'm going to use that if I can."

Jiraiya shook his head. "I wouldn't be so certain of Sakura's loyalties, Tsunade. I know you're glad to have her back, but she was among the enemy for a long time, and I know you can see how she looks at him. She loves him too, and that will make her resistant to manipulating him."

Tsunade snorted. "Of course I noticed, Jiraiya. The power of Naruto's Soul Mirror seems to change everyone it touches. It turned Hinata from a sweet girl into a young, female version of her father, and it made Sakura love a man she never would have entertained such notions about otherwise. I'm not going to ask her to try and play him, but where she goes, he will follow. Just that would be incredibly useful. Besides, what's the alternative? I can hardly let Itachi walk away again."

"Fair point," Jiraiya conceded. "I don't have to tell you to be very careful with that man."

"That's right, you don't," Tsunade agreed. There was a knock on her office door, and Tsunade looked up. "Perfect timing; come in!" The door opened, and Kakashi Hatake entered, looking angry, though not at anyone in the room. "Judging by the look on your face, the news isn't good, is it?" Tsunade asked.

Kakashi slumped into an empty chair and shook his head. "No, it isn't. I won't ask again who gave you that information if you're not going to tell me, but it was accurate. Hyena and Stallion were both tattooed with a seal right on the back of their tongues. They won't talk and Aoba can't get into their heads. I've handed them over to Ibiki. We'll see what he can get out of them the old-fashioned way." The Copy Ninja tugged off his hitai-ate to massage his forehead. "They're two of my elite Tsunade, shinobi I trusted implicitly. What the hell is going on?"

Tsunade's gaze met those of her former teammate and jounin commander before she spoke. "I know who those two are working for, Kakashi, and that I can tell you. They serve Danzo Shimura."

Jiraiya, who had looked puzzled by the conversation until that moment, swore viciously. It was Kakashi's turn to look puzzled. "Wait, Danzo as in Jiraiya's predecessor as spymaster? He's been retired for more than a decade."

"So he claims, yes," Jiraiya replied angrily, "but I never really trusted that he was out of the game. Show me this seal these men were wearing." Kakashi plucked a folded piece of paper from a vest pocket and handed it over. Jiraiya looked at it for only an instant. "Son of a bitch," the Toad Sage snarled. "He's actually done it. He's recreated Root, or he never disbanded it in the first place. The difference is academic." He handed the sketch back to Kakashi. "Ibiki won't have any more luck than Aoba. He can probably break the shinobi in question, but even then they won't be able to tell him anything useful. That seal will bind their tongues if they try."

"Since you haven't already ordered me to do it, I'm assuming arresting Danzo isn't an option?" Kakashi inquired wearily.

"Unfortunately," Tsunade replied. "The source that tipped me off is not one I can bring before the village council, and that's what it'd take. Danzo has too many powerful friends in Konoha and in the daimyo's court to accuse him of treason without ironclad proof. Having two Root agents isn't enough if we can't make them cooperate."

"Let Ino Yamanaka have a go at them," Jiraiya suggested. "She was good with mind work before Naruto bonded her, and the power she seems to be leeching from him since makes her even more potent."

Tsunade glanced at Kakashi and gave him a nod. "Do it. I know you're irritated with her for leaving her post without permission, but it would appear that wasn't her fault any more than it was Hinata's."

"Fair enough," Kakashi conceded. "Now if you'll excuse me..." He dragged his lanky frame out of the chair and exited the office.

"I don't have to tell you what I need you to do next, do I?" Tsunade said to Jiraiya.

The Toad Sage shrugged. "Well, in an ideal world you'd tell me to kill Danzo, but since I doubt that's what you had in mind I'll start fishing around for evidence strong enough to deal with him. If Root is still active their cells are operating somewhere around Konoha. I'll find them and see what shakes loose."

"Right," Tsunade replied professionally. "It's good to have you back Jiraiya," she added in a warmer tone.

"Anytime, princess," Jiraiya said cheekily as he got up and departed.

The deep ringing of bells echoed through Iwa, the Village Hidden in the Rock. The rooftops of most public buildings in the city were home to massive bronze bells. Each bell tolled seven times, signaling morning. In any other city in the Elemental Nations, the hour would have been made self-evident by the rising sun. But Iwa was located deep underground. A vast cavern with a roof supported by hundreds of pillars of solid rock was home to the Hidden Village of the Land of Earth.

Anyone arriving in Iwa could tell at a glance that the cavern was not a natural formation. The walls, ceiling and floor were smooth, and the pillars that prevented the collapse of its roof were placed a uniform distance apart. The city's location had been wrought by the First Tsuchikage who had wielded his unique kekkai tota – the Dust Release – to dissolve countless tons of rock, carving out a home from the heart of a mountain. His heirs Mu and Onoki had wielded the same powerful chakra nature to expand the cavern as Iwa's population had grown over generations.

Iwa's civilian population was smaller than that of Konoha, but its shinobi force had once been the second-largest of the Hidden Villages, lagging behind only mighty Kumo. That was no longer true, however. War had come to Iwa, and it had not been kind. Faces on the streets were often frightened, or angry, or simply stunned. Word from the village's leadership was always the same: the sons and daughters of Iwa were fighting valiantly, and the enemy would soon be driven back. But anyone with eyes could see the streams of wounded and dead returning from the front. The grim seriousness with which defense drills were being conducted spoke louder than words. Everybody in Iwa knew someone who had died or lost a family member in the last year; the names Suna and Konoha were spoken frequently, as curses.

Shortly after the bells tolled seven a tremor spread through Iwa, the earth moving powerfully enough to be felt across the city. Minutes later modern electric-powered loudspeakers mounted on the ancient bell towers screeched to life. "All registered civilian militia members report to your block captains immediately. All shinobi reserves make your way to the entry tunnels. All non-combatants evacuate in an orderly fashion to the nearest shelter. This is not a drill." Shouts of alarm could be heard when the speakers cut off, worried looks and running feet filling the streets as the able-bodied reported to the defensive stations assigned to them and the rest of the civilian population retreated deeper underground.

Over the next few hours the bells did not toll again, but the cavern shook repeatedly and the grinding of stone on stone could be heard in the distance. It was the sounds of Iwa's defenders turning the earth itself against their enemies. The continuing noise of battle was cause for many fearful looks, both in the shelters and among the civilian militiamen decked out in armor and armed with pikes. They were trained in the use of mass-unit tactics to overwhelm enemy shinobi, but they all knew how outmatched they would be if the reserves couldn't hold off what was coming.

Just before noon new impacts shook Iwa, coming from above. Eyes turned to the cavern roof, staring in disbelief as half a dozen sections of the cavern rock hundreds of meters above ground cracked and then crumbled, raining bounders down on evacuated buildings. Glowing, spinning cones of superheated sand were visible for a moment before they dispersed, having done their job of cutting through the thick rock covering Iwa. Light streamed down through the wide holes, the sun's rays touching the village for the first time since its creation. There was a moment of silence followed by a vast, hissing roar from above.

Hundreds of tan orbs fell through the six boreholes, spreading out across Iwa once they were through into the cavern. They landed in clusters and as soon as they touched down the hollow shells of sand dissolved, revealing squads of hard-eyed Sand and Leaf ninja inside each one. With the reserves deployed to the tunnels to repel the frontal attack on Iwa's gates, few shinobi were left in the village proper. Only the militia remained to defend their homes, and they did try. They outnumbered the attacking shinobi, but not enough to make a difference when one side wielded ninjutsu and supernatural reflexes, while the other was only fallible flesh and blood.

The long war had taken a toll on Konoha and Suna's forces just as much as Iwa's. Every active duty shinobi in the attack force had lost friends, family, squad mates, cherished subordinates or respected commanders. Standing in the home of their generational enemy, the warriors of Sand and Leaf showed no mercy. Bladed projectiles of invisible air tore into steel and flesh as Sand ninja turned harsh desert winds against Iwa's defenders. Fire created by Leaf ninja rained down elsewhere, roasting men inside their armor. Most devastating of all, Sand and Leaf had spent a long campaign fighting together, and had learned to complement each other's primary elements. Wind and fire ninjutsu masters worked in concert, blending their attacks to produce massive wind-fed explosions that wiped out whole militia formations and reduced buildings to rubble.

The surprise attack reaped a grisly toll as more hollow sand orbs fell after the first, delivering hundreds of the allied shinobi army's most experienced troops well behind the enemy's lines. When Iwa's reserves emerged from the surface tunnels in response to the new attack they tore into the ambushers, turning the rock around them on their enemies, crushing their foes from every angle. But the main attack force was close on their heels, and Iwa's last shinobi defenders were soon caught between two hostile forces and slowly ground down, with heavy casualties on both sides.

The allied shinobi of Suna and Konoha didn't hit serious resistance until they closed in on the fat, squat round building that was home to the Tsuchikage and the administrators of Iwa. Elite Rock ANBU units boiled out of the building and rose from the ground itself to assault the ambushers, bringing them to an abrupt halt and exacting a blood price for each meter of ground lost. The fight only got worse when a short, pudgy old man with a bulbous red nose and only a few wisps of white hair emerged onto an upper balcony. He was dressed in regal finery and his expression was one of thunderous anger. His feet left the stone of the balcony and he drifted into the air under his own power. He raised his wrinkled, spotted hands and snarled out in a booming voice, "Die, dogs!" Beams of blinding white light shot from his hands, and where they landed, oblivion followed. Onoki's terrible light washed over whole units of Sand and Leaf ninja, and when the brilliance faded there was nothing left, not even ash.

The attack force was driven into retreat by the furious assault of the Third Tsuchikage; none could stand before him, and those who tried, died. The coalition force was close to being routed when the half dozen holes in the ceiling carried a grinding roar down into the cavern of Iwa. The sound was followed by torrents of sand pouring down in a ceaseless stream, burying anything below them. Onoki's assault paused, the old man glaring up with hatred in his beady eyes as a single human figure drifted down along with the desert deluge. Gaara no Sabaku stood on a platform of hard sand, his arms crossed and his tanuki-ringed teal eyes cold.

Onoki thrust out one hand with a snarl, but even as the brilliant light sought out the Kazekage, tons of sand fell in waves to meet it, and the light was consumed before it reached Gaara. At the same time more sand formed into dozens of spikes that hurtled at the Tsuchikage in turn from every direction. Onoki was forced to form the dissolving light of the Dust Release into a sphere around himself to absorb the attacks. Another volley was waiting when his defense fell, but the old man darted through the air with a grace that belied his age, evading the projectiles.

The duel of the kages settled into a pattern in the air above the battlefield, light meeting sand and sand meeting light. Without Onoki's artillery support, the allied forces under Gaara's command were able to counterattack and wear down the outnumbered Rock ANBU. They felled Iwa's elite one by one, taking significant casualties in the process.

While Gaara and Onoki were closely matched, the former was a young shinobi in his prime, while the latter was solidly into his eighth decade of life. Gaara also had a chained bijuu's near-limitless chakra to draw upon, and thanks to the shinobi-borne crates full of sealing scrolls that had been smuggled up the mountain before the surprise attack, more sand kept pouring down through the holes in the cavern roof to replace what Onoki disintegrated.

Sensing that time was against him, the tiring Tsuchikage launched a furious attack, unleashing rapid-fire blasts of the Dust Release, carving through countless layers of sand shields. The last strike sliced through the weakened barrier, and struck a glancing blow despite Gaara's attempt at evasion. The Kazekage cried out in shock, gripping the charred stump of an arm that ended just below the shoulder.

Onoki swooped in closer, weaving between sand waterfalls and leering. "You never should have come here, upstart," he gloated.

SHUNK

The Tsuchikage quivered, looking down slowly to see a half-meter of orange-glowing spike driven through his gut. "You never should have killed my sister," was the vicious whisper in his ear as the wounded 'Gaara' dissolved into sand.

Onoki half-turned to see the real Gaara behind him half-shrouded in a sand torrent from the roof, hand wrapped around the hilt of a molten-glass sword. With a pained groan the old man fell from the sky. A platform of hard sand caught him, and Gaara landed lightly on it, stepping forward to take a knee beside the stricken Tsuchikage as the old man shuddered and blood trickled from his lips. "I'm going to tear you precious village down," Gaara told Onoki quietly. "I'm going to drive the survivors from this cave and collapse it. Iwa will be nothing but a faded memory, and if any of your people ever dare to dream of rebuilding it… I'll kill them, too. My sister's memorial will be Suna's oldest dream: no more Iwa, ever."

Onoki made a choked noise that Gaara took to be a protest at first, until he realized the Tsuchikage was laughing. "Is something amusing you, old man?" Gaara demanded.

Onoki grinned, his teeth stained red with blood. "You've been played pup, and it's funny," he ground out. "All this killing… all your hate and rage… and I didn't have your sister killed. You've decimated your own forces… for nothing."

Grasping the glowing blade through Onoki's gut in his bare hand, Gaara twisted it, making the old man writhe in pain. "Enough lies!" Gaara barked. "Your ambassador lied to me, Roshi lied to me, and here at the end even you lie to me. Your assassin left one of your damnable knives behind when Temari was killed!"

"After all you've done and all you've taken from me," Onoki gasped, "don't you think I'd relish in taking something so dear to you if I'd done it?" The old man slipped a hand inside his coat and Gaara watched warily, but he withdrew only a gold key on a leather cord that he held out. "Since you're going to sack my tower anyways, go examine my archive."

"Why?" Gaara demanded of Onoki's offer.

"Because I've taken your measure as a leader, boy," Onoki said slowly, his skin deathly pale from the lost blood now soaking the sand he lay on. "Once you accept the truth… you'll never forgive yourself for all of your precious shinobi you sent to die for nothing. Oh… and don't kill her. You'll need her." The key slipped from his fingers and fell to the sand. One last rattling breath escaped the old man's lips, and then he was still.

His face an expressionless mask as he puzzled over the Tsuchikage's last words, Gaara picked up the key and lowered the platform to the ground amidst the thickest fighting. Seeing the Tsuchikage dead took much of the fight out of the surviving Rock forces, and surrenders were soon being offered and accepted, grudgingly on both sides.

Gaara left his commanders to make arrangements for prisoners and the occupation of Iwa and headed for the Tsuchikage's tower, which was still occupied by ANBU holdouts. Gaara slaughtered every one of them with implacable fury, bashing in the barred doors with a torrent of sand. Inside sand coffins and waves of molten glass enveloped anyone who stood in Gaara's way. He climbed the tower and eliminated any opposition until he found Onoki's opulent office. There were several ANBU hammering at the vault door with earth ninjutsu, but it was resisting their efforts. Gaara killed them in turn and opened the vault with Onoki's key. Inside were the racks of tomes that he had expected, along with locked chests presumably loaded with gold, gems and hard currency.

There was also something in the large vault that Gaara hadn't expected, a sight that gave pause to his dark fury. In one corner was an austere living space, a cot, a desk and a shelf that looked to bear ordinary books, not Iwa's records. Sitting in a wheelchair in front of the cot was a slender young woman roughly Gaara's own age, eighteen or nineteen. Her long, straight hair was a shade of blonde so pale it was almost white, and fell down to the small of her back. Despite being indoors she wore dark glasses. She was dressed simply in an ankle-length white dress.

"Hello," the woman said after Gaara had stared in silence for a moment.

"What are you doing in here?" Gaara demanded. A glance back at the vault's heavy circular door showed him that there was no way to open it from the inside.

"This is my home," she shot back pertly. "What are you doing in here? I don't recognize your voice, so I assume you're one of the invaders the old man mentioned the last time he visited." Her voice was light and pleasant, almost melodic.

"I am Gaara no Sabaku, Kazekage of Suna. I'm conquering your city."

The girl's eyebrows rose above her glasses. "So you're an important invader, then. Welcome to the records vault."

"Why are you in the records vault?" Gaara asked again.

The girl smiled faintly. "I told you silly, I live here. My name is Sanne by the way, even though no one's used it since I was little. The old man and the scribes all call me something else."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. 'Don't kill her', Onoki said. Is this girl the one he meant? "What is it they call you, Sanne?"

"Secret Keeper," she replied promptly. It was an old title, one that some more traditional clans and villages still made use of.

"What secrets do you keep?" Gaara inquired.

Sanne pointed to the shelves of books in the vault. "Open one and you'll see," she said.

Warily, Gaara took down a book from the first shelf and flipped it open. The pages were covered in coded symbols, and each page had a series of raised bumps punched into the paper at the top, and the pattern was different for each page.

"A simple substitution cipher," Gaara murmured after studying the book for a few minutes. Very simple to…" he trailed off when the symbols on the page moved, each one changing as it danced across the surface. A glance up at the top of the pages showed that the raised bumps had changed too.

"Not so simple," Sanne rebutted with a faint smile.

"Where is the chakra coming from?" Gaara mused. He closed the book and studied the cover. It was leather. Pale, undyed, very thin leather… Gaara shuddered and resisted the urge to drop the book. "This is human skin," he said in disbelief.

"It is," Sanne nodded. "The bindings are infused with the chakra of the donor at the moment of their death. One sacrifice can produce several books that will shift the cipher every five minutes for a century."

"That's monstrous," Gaara replied, his skin crawling. Looking around the archive, he saw more than a thousand books. How many died for this?

"It is," Sanne agreed. "I never much cared for it, but the old man did what he wanted."

"So how did Onoki decipher these?" Gaara inquired.

"He didn't," Sanne told Gaara. "Mute scribes in the old man's employ transcribed the records and then activated the page. Once that's done, I have to provide the cipher keys for the pages before they can be returned to plain text."

"How do you do that?"

Sanne took off her dark glasses, revealing unmoving eyes with milky white films over their surfaces. "See those bumps at the top of the page? They hold the cipher key. I can read them and provide it to whoever needs to access the records."

"But you can't read the pages yourself," Gaara murmured, the fiendishness of Onoki's system hitting him. The old man had created a living cipher key that couldn't read the actual secrets contained in the tomes.

"Give the Kazekage a prize," Sanne murmured.

Despite himself Gaara decided he liked the woman sitting before him, but his suspicion compelled him to ask. "Why are you being so helpful?"

Sanne shrugged. "The old man is dead. I doubt there's anyone left to punish me."

"You sound sure that Onoki is deceased."

"Don't insult my intelligence," Sanne said dryly. "You're not supposed to be here; if the Tsuchikage was still alive he wouldn't have let you in. Other than his heirs, there's nothing the old man valued more than these books."

"So if I asked you to decode them for me?"

"I'd say no." Sanne replied simply. "Not unless you make it worth my while."

Gaara shrugged, speaking up when he remembered she couldn't see him. "Suit yourself; I can find someone else to help me. I recognize these raised dots. You're not the only blind person who reads with her fingers."

Sanne offered a hard smile. "Oh no, Gaara of Suna; you won't pry loose the secrets of these books that easily. Maybe you could find a scholar who can learn to read that script; it's very different from common dot lettering. But even if you did, could they do math in their head fast enough to give you the cipher in time to decode the page before it changes? Those little dots are only part of the cipher. The rest," she tapped a finger against her temple, "is in here."

"Well if you really want to do this the hard way," Gaara growled, getting a bit annoyed, "there are plenty of ways I could convince you to be more cooperative."

Sanne displayed no fear despite the level of killing intent Gaara was producing. "If you think you can do worse than the old man's toadies, you're welcome to try." With a complete lack of modesty Sanne unbuttoned the top of her dress and pulled it down to her waist. Gaara winced; the body underneath wasn't unattractive; Sanne's small breasts were round and perfectly formed, but despite the view Gaara couldn't help but notice the wealth of old scars. They weren't the sort inflicted on the battlefield; they were too methodical and regular. Gaara's gaze catalogued the thin lines where flechettes had been applied, shiny dots that spoke of a hot iron, and irregular blots left behind by acid burns.

"Onoki did that to you?"

"Not personally, but yes. He had to be sure his Secret Keeper wouldn't crack under something as simple as torture. Two of us completed the initial training, but the other… he broke on the fourth day. I still remember the sound when they cut his throat; I could hear it over the sizzle my own skin burning."

"You don't sound like you have much reason to be loyal to Iwa," Gaara reasoned. "Why keep their secrets from me?"

"I'm not loyal to Iwa," Sanne agreed as she buttoned her dress back up. "Rock ninja took me from my family because I was smart enough to pass their tests and too young to know not to. I've been a guest here – the kind who isn't allowed to leave – ever since. When I 'passed' the old man's tests, he even had his torturers cripple me so I could never run away from him." She pulled up the hem of her skirt, revealing more scars where her Achilles tendons had been cut. "But my knowledge is the only thing of value I have, and you're asking me to give it to you for nothing."

Gaara sighed. "Fair enough; you want money?"

Sanne shook her head. "Coin is not what I desire."

"What then?" Gaara demanded impatiently.

Sanne offered a mysterious smile. "With Iwa's fall the life and purpose I once had – meager as it was – is gone. I have no family or home to return to. I have no future. Give me a new reason to live, Gaara of Suna, and I will share with you all I know."

Tenten was curled up in a chair in Shizune's hospital room when a knock came from the open door. She looked up from the book she'd been reading, and her eyes widened in surprise. A tall, burly man about her age with spiky dark brown hair stood in the doorway. He wore a black tunic with a mesh shirt underneath and dark trousers as well as shinobi sandals. A large backpack was slung across his back. "Hello," he said, "do you mind if I come in?"

"Aah… do I know you?" Tenten asked politely. The voice was familiar, but…

He grinned in response. "Would it help if I was wearing war paint and a few puppets?"

Tenten blinked. "Oh, you're Kankuro! Kankuro no Sabaku! I'm sorry! I've never seen you without the makeup and hood. Yes, please come in."

She noted a slight twitch of his eyebrow. "War paint," he corrected absently as he stepped into the room, moving to the other side of Shizune's bed. Most of the bandages were off now, and the external wounds had all more or less healed. Tenten glanced over her girlfriend, who was as lovely as ever, but so still. Not knowing when – or if – Shizune would wake up was wearing on Tenten, but she still visited every day.

"I didn't know you were in Konoha, Kankuro," Tenten murmured absently.

"Yeah, well… I came bearing the news you've probably been hearing all day."

"That Iwa has fallen? Yes, it's hard to ignore." Tenten jerked a thumb towards the window, where muted sounds of the cheering and celebrating in the streets of Konoha could be heard.

"You don't share the jubilation?" Kankuro inquired.

"I'm happy of course; with Iwa occupied the Tsuchikage dead and most of the Rock forces dead or surrendered, the war is mostly over, and that's a good thing, but…" she trailed off, glancing down at her legs. They were at the same point where they'd been the last time Shizune had worked at them, regrown to just below the knee.

"It doesn't change your circumstance," Kankuro murmured. "Yeah, I'd probably feel the same in your shoe- position," he hastily amended. Tenten couldn't help a short laugh. "Sorry," Kankuro offered sheepishly.

"It's okay," Tenten shook her head. "I'm coping; I'm in a better headspace now than I was right after I lost my legs." She glanced at the bed sadly. "I'd cheerfully spend my life in a wheelchair if only she'd open her eyes," the brunette finished softly before wiping her cheeks dry and looking back at Kankuro. "So what brings you to the hospital?"

"I came to see you; both of you," Kankuro answered. He looked down at Shizune, his expression becoming angry. "I don't know if you remember from your last trip to Suna, but Shizune saved my life when no one else could. I owe her a debt, so I want to do what I can to help both of you."

"I see," Tenten said. "Well, thank you. That means a lot."

Kankuro studied her for a moment, looking puzzled before understanding stole across his features. He smiled tightly. "Ah. I see. You think I'm just offering empty words. I'm not, so let me clarify. I'm in a position to help both of you, and intend to do so."

"How can you help?" Tenten's asked with a furrowed brow. "Even Tsunade-sama can't heal Shizune, and…" she trailed off. She's too busy to help one crippled kunoichi, to devote the amount of time to me that Shizune was willing to.

"You're right, I'm not a healer," Kankuro acknowledged gently, "but there are other things I can do." He looked down at Shizune again. "Tell me, do you know how law enforcement works in Suna?"

Tenten blinked and then shook her head. "Not a clue."

Kankuro nodded. "Suna's a lot smaller than Konoha and our civilian population is far smaller. We don't have a standing police force like to do. When crimes are committed, the investigations are carried out by House Sabaku itself. Since Gaara's become Kazekage he doesn't have much time for thief-catching, so Temari and I along with our cousins were doing most of it." Kankuro paused. "What I'm saying is that I'm a pretty good investigator, so I'm going to spend some time tracking down whoever did this. I hope you won't think I'm boasting when I say that if I can't figure this out, it can't be done."

Tenten absorbed that, and Kankuro's sincerity overcame her initial impulse to say something sarcastic. "Kakashi's had some pretty good ANBU investigating and they've come up empty so far, but if you want to try, I wish you luck."

Kankuro nodded. "That's what I'm going to do for Shizune. What I'd like to do for you… is a bit more concrete. Tell me, do you know your own chakra nature?"

Tenten shook her head. "None of my teachers used elemental techniques, so I never bothered."

Kankuro nodded. "Humor me, then." He opened his pouch and drew out a small square of paper, handing it to Tenten.

She studied it, noting the shimmer when the light struck it. "This is chakra paper?"

Kankuro nodded. "Channel some chakra through it."

Taking the slip carefully Tenten infused it with her chakra. Nothing happened right away, except that it lost its shine. "Oh," she murmured, disappointed. "I guess I don't-" she tried to hand it back to Kankuro, but the paper square fell from her fingers, split cleanly in two down the middle. "What?"

Kankuro grinned. "You're wind-natured. That's really good, actually. It means you can easily learn the technique I want to teach you."

Tenten's eyebrow rose. "You want to help me… by teaching me a jutsu? That's kind, but I'll probably never see combat again."

"Sure you will," Kankuro replied, "provided you want to; watch." The Sand ninja took off his large backpack and opened it up, tugging out a folded-up mannequin with a slender limbs and body. He flicked his fingers at it, and the construct of wood and iron stood up straight, slowly walking across the room and then back to the bedside. "You've seen shinobi puppetry before, I trust?"

Tenten nodded. "You cast 'strings' of your chakra out to latch onto objects and control them remotely?"

Kankuro nodded, and the mannequin aped his motion. "It's one of Suna's signature techniques, only slightly tarnished because its most famous practitioner was a traitorous bastard who got what he deserved." Kankuro paused. "Remind me to go thank that marvelous Hyuuga for ending him before I leave."

"So you want to teach me to… what, fight remotely?" Tenten asked.

Kankuro shook his head. "Not exactly; I mean, you could eventually if you got good enough, but that took years even for me. What I want to teach you is a lot simpler, and I think you'll like it more." Kankuro flicked his fingers, and the mannequin's legs separated from the body at the knee. Then they walked around the bed and twirled halfway around to position themselves below Tenten's severed legs.

Her eyes got huge. "You mean…"

Kankuro nodded. "Normal prosthetics aren't good enough for shinobi work, because we can't easily channel our chakra through them, but puppetry changes that. I can build you a high-durability set of legs and teach you to form the chakra strings to connect you to them. It'll take work and practice, but once you get used to the prosthetics they'll be an extension of your body."

Tenten took a moment and ruthlessly crushed the hope trying to spring up inside her. Shizune had offered her a chance to walk again, too, and that had been taken away along with the medic herself. "Okay," she said calmly. "Wait, isn't puppetry a secret technique of Suna? Are you even allowed to teach it to me?"

Kankuro shrugged. "It is a secret, but Suna and Konoha are more closely allied than ever. Before the war Gaara and your Hokage were ready to start cross-training programs. Puppeteers will wind up in Konoha anyways, and after seeing how effective mixed fire and wind ninjutsu are on the battlefield, I suspect my brother will start offering incentives for Leaf ninja with strong fire chakra in their blood to move to Suna and start families. Besides, Gaara seems to think he owes you, too. When I floated the idea past him before I left, he gave me permission. I'd only ask you not to share what I'm going to teach you without asking me or someone in Suna's leadership."

"Fair enough," Tenten conceded. "When do we start?"

"Well the first lesson is accessing your elemental chakra, and you can start that right now." Kankuro walked over to the window and opened it, leaning out to pluck several leaves from a tree just outside. He turned and placed them on the table next to Tenten. "What you're going to do is this," he picked one up and pressed it between his palms. Tenten could feel the air stirring slightly as he exerted his chakra. When he opened his hands, the leaf was cleanly bisected. "Focus on pushing your chakra into the leaf in as narrow a line as you can manage, and move it back and forth like a saw blade. When you get the elemental mix right you'll know it; you'll be able to feel the leaf splitting."

Tenten picked one up and copied Kankuro's motion, focusing on doing what he'd described. "This will help me form chakra strings?"

Kankuro shook his head. "Nope; this is just to get you used to molding wind chakra. Once you can summon it at will, we'll get into forming strings." Kankuro grinned. "You should be grateful I started you on leaves; in the Suna academy, the first lesson is splitting pebbles."

Tenten's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm weaker than a genin?"

Kankuro shook his head. "You seem like the determined sort so you could probably manage. But it would be harder, and it's unnecessary unless you want to learn how to use cutting wind ninjutsu. Your combat style works just fine for you from what I've seen. If you do want to learn more advanced wind techniques there are people here in Konoha like that chain-smoking Sarutobi Clan head who can guide you. I'm going to teach you what only I can: how to control prosthetics with chakra. Chakra strings are about finesse and control, not raw power. You'll be far from the first; a lot of Sand ninja who lose limbs learn to use substitutes. Some even build hidden weapons and poison reservoirs into them."

Tenten's eyes lit up imagining the possibilities, and Kankuro chuckled when he saw her expression. "One step at a time; while you're learning to use wind chakra I'll craft a basic pair of legs to fit you; once you learn to use them you can redesign subsequent models however you want."

"Fair enough," Tenten said, glancing at Shizune before returning her attention to her leaf. I'll get myself walking again, and help Kankuro find whoever did this to you, she vowed silently. I've been passive for too long already.

"Lady Hinata… to say we have been deeply troubled by your recent actions and choices would be an understatement." The grave words came from one of the Hyuuga Clan's assembled elders as Hinata stood before them, with Naruto standing at her side. A sidelong glance showed her fiancée looking slightly uncomfortable in the formal wear he had donned, but mostly just worried by the disapproving looks he was seeing directed at the two of them.

"I understand, honored elders," Hinata replied smoothly. "In truth, I would-"

"I'm not sure you do understand, my Lady," another offered gravely. "You have been derelict in your duties for several months. First, you absented yourself from Konoha against the wishes of both the elder council and the Hokage in spite of the fact that you had undergone unknown physiological changes. Then you raced off into the middle of a war zone with only a few bodyguards." Hinata tried to speak, but a raised hand silenced her.

"Not content with that folly, you returned to Konoha only to leave again without even visiting the compound, this time with no bodyguards. You travelled all the way to the ruins of Uzushio and remained there for some time after your stated mission was complete. You can understand our dismay when Ino Yamanaka returned months ahead of you bearing only word that you and your… companion," he glanced irritably at Naruto, "had chosen to remain behind." The old man harrumphed. "Now you return at last, and even if your explanation of this 'Soul Mirror' that young Naruto possesses offers some understanding of your recent actions, it makes all the more baffling your request that we allow you to pursue a betrothal with him, one that your father was opposed to prior to his passing."

The elder was silent a moment before continuing. "Lady Hinata, your actions would be troubling enough if carried out by an established clan head, much less one newly invested to the office. Several of our more astute clients have noted your long absence and questioned our ability to fulfill their needs if our leader cannot meet her most basic duties. Some voices within this council have called for your ouster. As to your request for marriage to Naruto Uzumaki… it is denied. Even were he not possessed of this unknown power derived from demon blood, he is not a suitable match for the head of the Hyuuga." The old man's pale eyes turned sternly to Naruto. "You are excused," he said shortly, just a hair short of being rude.

In the silence that followed, Hinata looked around, her mirrored eyes passing over the assembled elders and main branch family, as well as the branch family assembled behind her and Naruto. At other times that her glorious future with Naruto had been threatened, Hinata had felt surges of anger of panic or both. After all, she couldn't let anything come between them. But here, now, with Naruto at her side and his child growing beneath her heart, Hinata was calm. He wanted to marry her, and that was all that mattered. The elder council was simply an obstacle that needed to be overcome.

"Wait for me outside? This won't take long," Hinata murmured. She slid her hand into Naruto's, and squeezed his once. His gaze was troubled when their eyes met, but he nodded reluctantly before stepping back and leaving the room.

Once the door was closed behind Naruto, Hinata wheeled on the elder council. "How dare you lecture me like a misbehaving genin," she hissed through clenched teeth. "You all presume far too much."

Frowns and stern faces looked back at her. "Lady Hinata that is hardly the tone you should be taking right now. You forget-"

"You are the ones who have forgotten yourselves," Hinata shot back in their faces. "Or maybe you remember too well. Most of you probably recall my grandfather and the days when he bowed to the every whim of your mothers and fathers. Those days ended when my father assumed leadership, and I do not mean for them to return. You condemn the choices I have made? You don't even understand them!"

Angry murmurs flew back and forth on the dais until Kataro the Secret Keeper raised his hands and beckoned for silence. "Lady Hinata, if you have further explanation for your actions, we will hear them."

"Thank you, Elder Kataro," Hinata replied politely. "I do. You have heard my words regarding the bond between myself and Naruto, the link that drew me first to the Land of Earth and then to Uzushio. I fear, however, that you have not understood them."

"We understand all too well," one of Hiashi's long-time rivals sneered. "You have allowed yourself to be influenced and your byakugan to be polluted. This was done not only by an outsider to the clan, but the demon vessel of the Kyuubi. It is a sign of weakness and poor judgment! The Yamanaka Clan has already removed their head due to the same contamination, and we should follow suit."

Hinata ignored the murmurs of agreement from a number of the elders. "The Yamanaka are fools to throw away the opportunity they were given, and you are just as great a fool," she replied. "I have been gifted with power, and given ties to power greater still; if you cannot see that, more the pity to be you."

As she spoke, Hinata could feel the power of which she spoke stirring; not her own, but nearby. Finally, she thought. With her keen eyes on the elders, Hinata saw the change begin. It was slow and subtle; it had to be, for this to work. But uncertainty and even fear started to creep across the faces of the men and women on the dais. "What are you saying, Lady Hinata?" Kataro asked.

"The city of Ame lies in ruins," Hinata said firmly. "You all know this. What you do not know, because the Hokage has kept the truth secret, is that its destruction was not an accident. The demon Uzumaki, Naruto's ancestor and patron, destroyed Ame from half a world away to punish the man who ruled there. I know this because I stood before Uzumaki as he killed a city with the power of his will and chakra." Hinata paused, enjoying the horrified silence in the room.

"Naruto Uzumaki will be the next Hokage," Hinata said with quiet confidence. "He struck down Han and made the victory we are now celebrating possible. I have seen him grow in strength and wisdom and that is not all. He has been gifted with Uzumaki's power. That alone should be cause to favor our union. Further, he is perhaps the one person outside of Uzushio that Uzumaki cares for, that he will listen to and treat with favorably. Consider that before you insult him, or dismiss his request for my hand out of spite and old hatred."

Hinata turned slowly, her gaze taking in the branch family as well as the elders. "There is a new power rising where Uzushio fell. It is not as kind or gentle as Konoha's old allies, but neither is it mindless. I know Uzumaki and his representatives. Naruto and I have built ties there. That is the fruit of our journey that you have dismissed so lightly."

Hinata paused, feeling the elders' certainty waver. Normally they would be far more combative, but she had anticipated that and arranged a counter. Now they only needed one more push, and she had just the thing. She gestured to one of the branch servants behind her, who was holding a box she had brought to the meeting. Hinata bade her place it at the foot of the dais, turned towards the elders. "If you still doubt my strength, however, I should note that I did not return empty-handed. On our trip to Uzushio, Ao of Kiri attacked our ship," Hinata smiled at the gasps and reflexive curses at that hated name. "He thought to claim another byakugan to add to his collection. If I was as weak as some of you still believe, I would not have returned at all. Instead…" Hinata deftly dispelled the preservation jutsu on the box's lid and opened it. The sight of Ao's head nestled inside reduced the elders to stunned silence.

Hinata stepped back, clasping her hands behind her back. "Now, if the Elder Council still believes me unfit to lead, cast your votes and remove me." She saw the ones who had spoken out against her exchange glances, but they seemed to sense that they no longer had the numbers to oust her.

"It would seem confidence in your leadership remains," Kataro spoke up. He glanced at the box, then back at Hinata. "On behalf of my younger brother – may he rest in peace – thank you."

Hinata closed the box and reactivated the seal before sliding it towards Kataro. "He is avenged," she said softly, "as is the slight on our clan's honor that Ao represented." Kataro nodded, offering a faint smile.

"Now, on to the other matter of business," Hinata said briskly. "I will be marrying Naruto Uzumaki. The union will make our clan stronger, and earn us powerful new connections. I trust no objections remain?" Her gaze was steely, and when no one spoke up, she exulted inwardly. Naruto will be mine and mine alone!

The meeting's attendants dispersed in its wake, Kataro carefully bearing away the box holding the head of his brother's killer. Some of the other elders glanced back at her as they left, looking worried, confused or unsure of their acquiescence, but it was too late; their momentum was broken. Forcing herself not to smirk, Hinata slipped out in the other direction, finding Naruto waiting outside the meeting hall.

"Did it go okay?" Naruto asked anxiously. "What happened?"

Hinata answered him with a hug and a passionate kiss, not caring who was watching. "It went perfectly," she whispered against his lips, keeping hers unmoving as she spoke in case another byakugan was pointed at her. "The elders may not be able to challenge me again for a generation, and we will be wed."

"That's great," Naruto said in response to the last, but she could see he still felt uneasy.

Slipping her arm through his, Hinata guided him back to her palatial quarters. Once they were inside Naruto sat down on one of the overstuffed sofas with a sigh. "I shouldn't have done that," he told Hinata mournfully. "It was wrong."

Hinata shook her head. "Don't say that, Naruto. You did very well; I doubt I'd have been able to bring the elders to heel without your help."

Naruto still looked disconsolate, and Hinata pushed down a measure of exasperation. It had taken the whole length of the trip home from the coast to convince Naruto that she needed him to turn the power of his eyes on the Hyuuga elders if they wanted to get married without a long power struggle. She'd resorted to reasoning, wheedling and even a bit of guilt tripping over the prospect of their child being born out of wedlock to get him to consider it.

"I used these eyes to make them afraid and uncertain," Naruto continued. "I put the respect for you that I have into them and in doing so… Hinata, I robbed them of their free will. How am I any better than Uzumaki if I use the Soul Mirror like this?"

Rather than replying verbally Hinata curled up in Naruto's lap, nestling against him. She kissed his neck playfully a few times, feeling him relax. She had discovered quickly that a childhood spent alone as an orphan and hated by most of the village had left Naruto somewhat starved for human contact. She suspected – and was quietly horrified by the notion – that her beloved had probably gone years growing up without so much as being touched without ill intent. As a result, physical affection – not even sex, just kissing, cuddling, being close – was almost like a narcotic for him. It was something Hinata never would have suspected before the first time she'd taken him in her arms, and it was gratifying to know that he seemed to want and need her as much as she needed him. It also gave her a useful tool for distracting him when he was suffering from a bout of excess nobility.

"Naruto, you're nothing like your ancestor," Hinata countered quietly. "Uzumaki would have turned me into his obedient slave and done the same to Ino and Haku. You're not callous enough to destroy a city for the crimes of its leader. You could do any of those things, but you don't because you're a good man." Hinata glanced back at the conclave chamber for a moment and made a face. "Those were not good men. They're concerned only with their own power and influence, and they would have denied us our happiness if we'd let them. What harm did you do Naruto, really? You changed their emotions for a few minutes, and that's it. I'm not going to hurt them, or do anything bad to them. I promise I won't even be smug about showing them up. The only thing you've changed is that I'm free to guide the Hyuuga in the right direction, and we are free to get married. If you hadn't intervened we wouldn't have either of those things, and they would have tried to strip me of my power."

It took Hinata some determined cuddling and several more distracting kisses, but she refused to let Naruto get down on himself, and eventually he relented. "Okay, maybe it was just what had to be done." His expression became thoughtful. "I guess what bugged me is that it felt… like something Uzumaki would have done, and I don't want to become him."

Hinata snorted "Naruto love, Uzumaki would have just killed a few of them and dared the rest to stand in his way. You're in no danger of being anything like your ancestor, and if you start developing signs of megalomania, I'll be the first to let you know." Hinata rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. "Now, we're going to move on to a more cheerful topic."

Naruto ran his fingers over Hinata's scalp and through her hair, eliciting a pleased hum that was almost a purr. "Oh? What's that?"

Hinata smiled contentedly. "When should we get married?"

Naruto blinked. "I… guess I hadn't thought that far ahead yet." Then he smiled back. "It's really going to happen, isn't it?"

"There was never a doubt," Hinata replied. She pressed a hand to her stomach and offered a cheeky grin. "It should probably be soon," she added. "I'd prefer not to have a baby bump showing at the ceremony."

Naruto looked chagrined. "Yeah, I can just imagine the dirty looks I'd get for 'defiling pure and innocent Hinata Hyuuga'. Kiba and Shino would probably feel honor-bound to beat me up or something."

Hinata poked him in the ribs. "Hey why the sarcastic tone and air quotes? I am pure and innocent! Or at least I was until a wicked jinchuuriki seduced and corrupted me." She belied the statement with a playful nibble on his neck that produced a pleased groan.

"Who dragged who to their family's private love hotel?" Naruto protested.

Giggling, Hinata grinned unrepentantly. "No one would ever believe you. After all, that's not something proper, chaste young ladies of rank do."

"Well then thank god I didn't wind up with one of those," Naruto shot back. His expression became thoughtful. "What if we tried to do it right after the Founding Festival? That's just about a month from now. Most of our friends will be home by then."

Hinata considered it and then nodded. "That should be enough time to arrange something suitably spectacular for a Hyuuga head's marriage and invite all the important people who should be in attendance. We should set the date for two days after the festival. It's the anniversary of the day Hashirama Senju married Mito Uzumaki and cemented the alliance between Konoha and Uzushio. That seems properly symbolic for the wedding of a future Hokage."

Hinata and Naruto lingered, enjoying just being close to one another, until Hinata pulled away with a regretful sigh. "As much as I'd like to drag you into my bedroom right now, we should probably start keeping up appearances now that our engagement is formal."

Naruto groaned in disappointment, but nodded. "Yeah, no need to give anyone an excuse to criticize our conduct." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "Besides, soon nothing will be able to keep us apart."

"I'll be counting the days," Hinata murmured quietly. She watched him go, feeling deeply satisfied. Soon, no one will be able to deny our destiny together. Hinata frowned slightly. There is still the matter of Ino and Haku, but I don't need to rush. I have the leisure of time to deal with those two whores.

Making her way over to her writing desk, Hinata sighed and then got to work on the mountain of paperwork that had built up in her absence. She was focused enough on finishing as much as she could that dinnertime came and went without her notice. A servant brought a meal to her that she absently ate. It wasn't until late at night that she was interrupted. "My Lady?"

Hinata looked up to see one of the compound's gate guards. "Yes?"

"Forgive me, but Lord Danzo Shimura just arrived. He didn't make an appointment, but…"

"I always have time for such an old friend of the Hyuuga," Hinata replied immediately. "Show him in at once."

"Yes, my Lady."

Hinata mentally reviewed what she knew about Danzo Shimura while she waited. It was a great deal more than she'd known before her father's death. Publicly Danzo was merely a retired war hero and one of the Hokage's advisors. But the files her father had left behind made it clear to Hinata that Danzo was far more than that. Few things in Konoha could be hidden from the eyes of the Hyuuga for long. Hiashi had known that Danzo had never disbanded Root after the Third War when he was ordered to by the Third Hokage. Danzo in turn had been smart enough to know that the Hyuuga would be aware of his deception. Hiashi's records had chronicled occasional 'favors' that Root had done for her father in exchange for the clan's silence.

The clacking of a cane on the wood floor of the hallway preceded Danzo's arrival. Hinata rose from her seat to greet him as he entered her sitting room. Danzo Shimura was an elderly man, though his dark hair carried not a trace of gray. His left arm rested in a sling across his chest, and the left side of his face was heavily bandaged. His right hand grasped a gnarled cane.

"Lady Hinata, thank you for agreeing to see me so quickly," Danzo said as he found a seat. "I apologize for the rudeness of arriving without sending word ahead. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"It's not a problem at all, Lord Shimura," Hinata assured him. "My father's respect was never easily earned, and he made plain to me the regard he had for you."

"Hiashi was a strong man and a stalwart defender of both his kin and Konoha," Danzo acknowledged. "His passing has left us all poorer; and the circumstances with your sister... tragic."

There was an odd note in Danzo's voice, and Hinata studied the old man. Did he suspect something about the true nature of her father's passing? Shaking it off, Hinata nodded. "It was an unpleasant time, but I've put it behind me." She paused. "So what can I do for you this evening?"

"Right to business; fair enough. The matter that brings me here is somewhat urgent." Danzo rested his cane across his lap. "It's hardly been a secret that you've been at odds with the Hokage since your ascension to leadership of the Hyuuga clan."

Hinata sighed. "I respect the Fifth, but our priorities differ, so conflicts of interest are probably unavoidable. It doesn't mean we don't both want what is best for Konoha, however."

"I couldn't agree more," Danzo replied. "In fact, preserving Konoha's defense against a broad range of threats is what brings me here tonight."

"I see," Hinata murmured. "Is there something I can do to assist Root?"

Danzo's lips quirked for a moment before his expression became serious once more. "Root doesn't exist, my Lady; it hasn't since the end of the Third War."

"Of course, my apologies," Hinata replied with false sincerity.

"A few of my… protégées have run into trouble with the Hokage's dogs recently, however. As a result they and their teammates are going to need to become scarce for a while. Normally it's not something I'd trouble a friend with, but the fact that they were discovered at all makes me uncomfortable. It means someone knows more about my dear students than I'd like."

"So you're looking for a place they can stay where someone with peripheral knowledge of your… circle of friends wouldn't think to look."

"You are as intelligent as your father," Danzo said wryly, "and far more lovely."

"You flatter me, Lord Shimura," Hinata replied demurely. Wheels were spinning in her head. Helping Danzo was certainly against the Hokage's wishes, and could create problems if it became public knowledge. On the other hand, Hiashi's files had made clear that Danzo was ultimately a patriot, simply one whose methods were brutal. An idea occurred to Hinata as she harkened back to her thoughts just after Naruto had left, and a pleased smile crossed her lips. "I think we can come to an arrangement," she purred. "I could place the fortress at Hell's Peak at your disposal for the time being. Even if the Hokage suspected that your people were there, she would have difficulty locating it."

Danzo's eyebrow climbed for a moment before he mastered himself. "A generous offer, my Lady," he noted. "Your father was coy about acknowledging that Hell's Peak even existed."

Hinata nodded. It was a generous offer. A few days east of Konoha, in the central Land of Fire, was a range of volcanically active mountains. Little grew there and the region was too unstable for mining, so the mountains were virtually uninhabited. There was at least one hidden structure there, however, a fortress built of basalt stone and hidden amid twisting valleys and active lava fields. Its construction predated the formation of the Land of Fire, the work of a local warlord conquered by an ancestor of the current Fire daimyo, and it had been abandoned frequently in its history. Few even remembered its location now, but the Hyuuga had quietly purchased the land through shell companies during the rule of Hinata's great-grandfather. It was a good place for people to disappear when the clan had need.

"I make the offer out of mutual self-interest," Hinata admitted. "If a number of your protégées were to stay at Hell's Peak for a time, I was hoping they could carry out a small task for me while they're there, one too sensitive for my own branch shinobi."

Danzo nodded, appearing more at ease with a back-and-forth. "I'm sure they'd be happy to help, provided you don't mean to ask them to act against Konoha."

Hinata shook her head. "To the contrary, what I need will serve to protect one of Konoha's most valuable assets." She paused. "They may not even need to do anything in the end; what I have in mind is only a precaution."

"I'm listening," Danzo replied.

When Hinata had finished describing what she wanted done, Danzo chuckled. "My, you are a fierce one. Hiashi would be proud. Yes, my students should have no trouble doing as you ask. It will be dangerous, but the ones I will send to Hell's Peak are more than capable of what you require should the need arise."

"Then we both benefit," Hinata concluded. She rose from her seat and crossed the room to a safe. Dialing in the combination she opened it, removing a folded map. Returning to Danzo, she handed it to the old man. "The lava fields outside the gates of Hell's Peak shift constantly, but that map will be good for another six months or so. Beyond that, I'll have to send a trusted jounin to remap it if your people need to stay longer."

Danzo took the map and slipped it in his tunic. "Understood; I'll be in touch if the eventuality you described comes to pass or we need a new map." He rose to his feet, bowing slightly. "I look forward to a fruitful relationship with another Hyuuga head, my Lady."

"As do I to having friends in… shadowed places," Hinata replied glibly.

Tsunade Senju knew what she'd see before the entered the underground chamber, but the stink of blood and exposed bowels still hit her like a gut punch. Seeing it when she stepped inside was worse, and Tsunade had to fight twin urges to vomit and faint as her hemophobia hammered at her, but she forced herself to look. The man lying dead on the floor deserved that from her, and more.

Ibiki Morino's sightless eyes stared at the ceiling as he lay in a wide pool of his own blood. Deep wounds cut clean through his trench coat and light armor. Another body was sprawled in the corner, an ANBU whose body was a contorted mess that didn't look to have an unbroken bone left in it.

"How did this happen, Kakashi?" Tsunade demanded.

"Your source didn't know about all the Root moles in ANBU," Kakashi replied. "That was one of the guards assigned to Hyena and Stallion," he pointed to the dead man in the corner. "The other guard was Boa, and since I don't see her body or either prisoner… you do the math."

Tsunade moved closer to the dead ANBU, covering her mouth as a dry heave threatened. "I don't have to," she said grimly. "We both know this was Boa's work; I've seen what her crush jutsu does to bodies often enough." She hammered her fist into the wall beside the body, leaving an irregular hole on the stone. "Damn it, she was even more senior than Hyena or Stallion!" The Hokage rose to her feet, eyes cold. "Find those three, Kakashi," she grated. "That's your top priority. I don't care what they have to say anymore. I just want their heads."

The Copy Ninja nodded silently. Tsunade moved over to Ibiki's body, sliding his eyes shut with a sigh. "Damn it… now I have to go break the news to his fiancée."

"He had a fiancée?" Kakashi asked, sounding surprised.

"He told me he proposed just last week," Tsunade said sadly. "Said he was done with death and pain, that he wanted to retire from active duty. He was only going to stay on until I selected a replacement." She rested a palm on Ibiki's scarred forehead for a moment. "Rest in peace old friend," she murmured, too quietly for even Kakashi to hear her. "I swear I will send Danzo to hell for this."

Tsunade left the room, but the nausea and light-headedness didn't fade until she couldn't smell the blood anymore.