*Downtime Hidden in the Leaves*

"Hey, Yuuko, Anko told me I could find you here!" Saeko smiled at her friends as she sat down on the seat next to her.

The Yamanaka put down her chopsticks and grinned "Saeko! You're back! How was the mission?"

"A success so far, but I will be going back in a month or so" the brunette replied while flagging down the waitress.

"Cool. I never did a solo A-rank, they are usually undercover stints. I work best in a group" Yuuko smiled.

The Uchiha nodded "I remember. I'm quite fond of large area destruction so undercover work is not for me either. Well, I can sharingan through it but it's not fun."

Yuuko nodded "I get it. But I guess you can't really talk about your current mission so I won't ask. So, how do you like being back home?"

"Well, I practically made one step in Konoha and Hokage-sama had a mission for me. In Yuki no Kuni. It was a blast" Saeko finished sarcastically.

"I heard about that! I love Princess Gale movies. And I heard you blew up a whole castle" the blonde chuckled.

Saeko hummed happily "Just a tiny one. It was awesome. Want to join in on the fun? I promised a friend of mine we would go for a mission together. A B-rank maybe? The details aren't ironed out, I gotta ask Sarutobi-sama if he needs me for something special."

The Yamanaka perked up "Do I get to fly again, taichō?"

The jounin laughed "Maybe. So what do you say?"

"I'm in. Who's your friend?" Yuuko asked.

Saeko smiled at the waitress who just brought her food and thanked her. Turning back to the chuunin she said "Hyuuga Neji, chuunin"

"Ok. When do I get to know what and when? I need to talk to my supervisor in the T&A" the blonde asked.

"How about us three meet for tea tomorrow and scout out the Mission Office" Saeko proposed.

Yuuko smiled "Sounds great. How about we meet Neji-san tomorrow as you said but the two us get dinner tonight?"

Saeko smirked at the invite "I'd like that. Do I have to fear a suitor of yours trying to punch me in the face?"

"You could've asked if I'm single outright, you know" the blonde smirked, quite pleased with herself, "But no worries, no punches."

"Good" Saeko smiled. She thought briefly of Faith with a bit of guilt, but a Hogwarts relationship would never lead to anything, it was companionship at best. Saeko settled on the thought that what happens in Scotland stays in Scotland and vice versa. "I'll pick you up at your compound."

"Hai, taichō" Yuuko smiled playfully.


Itachi's Office

"You called Oniisan?" Saeko asked when she ascertained her brother was alone in his office.

The ANBU captain nodded and put down his brush "I did. We didn't have time to talk after you gave the report to Sarutobi-sama. So, what's new?"

"You are aware we talk almost every week if you are not on mission. You know everything and I gave you a copy of my report for the Hokage. The only new thing was the mission to Snow. It wasn't bad, at least I saw Naruto in action and made nice with the new ruler of the country. I was kind of bummed out I didn't get to use mahoujutsu on it because of the armor the nin wore" Saeko pouted.

"Chakra armor, I heard about it" Itachi nodded.

"Yup. What's new on your end? Am I getting a sister-in-law yet?" the girl winked.

Itachi uncharacteristically rolled his eyes in annoyance "No. The clan council began subtly asking as well, please tell me you didn't give them the idea."

Saeko laughed "I'm not that cruel. But it makes sense I guess, the council wants an heir, a symbolic new start for the Uchiha after the incident. But don't let them pressure you into anything – you know I'm asking only because I care."

"I know. Now tell me about your lover at Hogwarts" the lord asked.

"Not a lover technically" Saeko said, rolling her eyes at her brother's sigh in relief, "And don't change the subject – first we will be talking about you. I'll tell you about Faith, that's her name, later. So spill."

The man frowned and leaned back on his seat "There is nothing to spill. But I admit I like working alongside a certain female ANBU."

"Is it Owl?" the kunoichi asked eagerly.

"Why are you so fixated on her? No it's not her."

"I might've had a crush on Owl at one point. So, who is it, do I know her?"

"Owl got engaged to an Aburame jounin and quit the force."

"Aww" Saeko said dejectedly, "I hope she doesn't begin to wear a hood over her magnificent hair, that would be such a shame!"

Itachi hummed "Anyway, it's Eel and you don't know her, I think. She's a sensor, quite handy with fire as well."

"Did you ask her out yet?" the girl asked.

"No, as I said, it's nothing. I enjoy her company but I'm not looking for a relationship. Now, tell me about this Faith. I like the name, is it common over there?" Itachi asked.

Saeko accepted the diversion tactic with a shake of her head but obliged "It's not uncommon, I like it too. I like her but I won't bring her to Konoha naturally, I just enjoy being with someone."

"Hm. Alright" said the older Uchiha, clearly trying to hold his 'big brother need' to keep anybody off his little sister. Her being into girls made it easier, they looked less threatening to his nee-chan's virtue.

"By the way I'm going with my friends on a mission tomorrow. It's a slaver operation that needs ending. We picked it up at the Office ourselves – B-rank, 5 men team, a bit of overkill with our skills" Saeko shared.

The raven-haired man nodded "Who are you taking? Neji?"

"Yup. Neji is the scout, Shikamaru for entrapment and strategizing, Yamanaka Yuuko interrogation and Niwa Takahiro for heavy hitting. I never worked with him, he's Yuuko's friend. Taijutsu and doton are his specialties, he looks capable" the kunoichi replied.

"Good. Try to hurry up, I want you on the next Uchiha Council" Itachi said tad sternly.

Saeko whined "Niisan!"

"No discussion. You left me dealing with them alone for too long already while you were gallivanting at your School. Be grateful they aren't pestering you for an heir. And believe me, that time will come" Itachi smirked.

The girls smirked as well "Good luck trying to talk the Godaime Hokage out of loving women."

Itachi laughed.


Ryuuji's Dango Palace, four days later

After the group gave their reports it was decided they would go for a drink. Well, Neji needed some convincing but Saeko was his best friend for a reason.

They all sat down and ordered. Shikamaru was being quiet as usual when his participation wasn't strictly required. Saeko was surprised he agreed to come in the first place but apparently volunteering for a mission would get his mother off his back for a little while and this side-trip enabled him to stay free of her 'nagging' longer.

The main conversation was carried by Yuuko and her friend – Takahiro. Apparently they fought against each other in the chuunin exams in Suna a couple of years ago and became friends after. Takahiro was easily biggest of them all – he was heavily muscled and wore a sleeveless shirt under his chuunin vest to show it off. Saeko mused he kind of looked as an average Iwa ninja, especially with his short brown hair and doton affinity. Oh, and an apparently iron stomach since he was drinking sake as if it was water. Yuuko, who was friendly with Anko, obviously had training in drinking and was not far behind him.

Saeko had a huge smile on her face as she sipped her own drink – the mission went without a hitch and she got to try the mahoujutsu she was itching to unleash for quite some time. The bone crushing course quickly became a favorite of hers despite her usual liking for flashy techniques. She got to try out legilimency and even some darker courses. She went a bit wild on the slavers and it felt great.

"…. and the mayor's daughter was totally into me. And why wouldn't she, I was the dashing hero that just saved her from the salvers! I kinda hate you for not staying there for a while longer Uchiha" Takahiro said as he lifted his drink.

Saeko smirked "Tough. And for your information she was totally eyeing Shikamaru. She called him 'cool and aloof'."

"Mendokse" was the Nara reply.

The muscled teen protested but when even Neji smirked he pouted and poured some more sake. "You could've let me try. Just because you got some doesn't mean you should deprive me of my chance" Takahiro said before cutting a piece of his red-bean paste, "I was in the tent next to you Uchiha, Yuuko. I'm onto you."

Saeko shot him the Uchiha Glare™, but said nothing since some old-fashioned groping did go on in their shared tent. Yuuko merely chuckled. Neji lifted his eyebrow but said nothing while Shika muttered his customary catchphrase.

As the evening progressed Neji and Shika excused themselves while the three left proceeded to drink into further inebriation. Not long after they were joined by several other off-duty ninjas who came for a drink.

"… and then Shikamaru-san said to disarm the scout and Uchiha here cut off his arms. Then she turned to Nara and said 'oh, did you mean figuratively?' She's great!" Takahiro finished recounting his favorite part of the just completed mission with his booming voice. The group that gathered for his story-telling roared in laughter.

Saeko chuckled and whispered to Yuuko "I think that's my cue to leave. I still need to function tomorrow."

The blonde smiled "Not a bad idea. Inoichi-sama did say to drop by after my mission, being completely hangover would be bad form. I'll walk you."

"How chivalrous, but let me walk you. The Yamanaka compound is much closer" the brunette said as she stood up from her seat.

When the two girls made their way through the patrons and the bar Yuuko smirked "When you leave me at my door will I get a goodnight kiss?"

"If you behave."

Yuuko smirked.


Clan Head's House, Uchiha Compound

Saeko was doing her Hogwarts homework in History of Magic when she heard her brother's voice outside her room "Sister, there is someone with orders for you waiting outside. Not ANBU."

"Hai, hai!"

The brunette sealed her stuff in a scroll, away from any prying eyes and quickly dressed in her jounin gear. Selecting few sealing scroll full of equipment she jogged to the front entrance. Slowing down into a more dignified walk she went to hear her new mission.

The messenger was to Saeko's great surprise Yuuko. The blonde smiled "Yo. My T&I cell is going on a mission, we need back up to stand guard and I volunteered you. You are not busy right?"

Saeko merely raised her eyebrow in question and otherwise maintained her blank face. The Yamanaka chuckled "Just kidding, Anko sent me to retrieve you. We are going on a mission. Sadly though, you are not the taichō."

"Who is?" the brunette asked, quite intrigued.

"Ibiki himself" was the reply. Now that was most definitely intriguing. Since the Uchiha was already geared up the duo ran to the gate of the compound and shunshined from there as a courtesy to the Clan laws.

Saeko dutifully followed her companion into the dark building that housed the Torture and Interrogation department. She sighed at the amount of security points and required identifications. Finally the duo entered Ibiki's office. The Head of the Department was not alone – Saeko grinned and waved to Anko and greeted a Hyuuga, a second Yamanaka and another ninja.

Ibiki nodded curtly "Uchiha-san, good. Meet Mitarashi Anko, Hyuuga Daichi and Kūsuke Saji. We are waiting for three more people, I will explain then."

The Uchiha nodded and leaned on the nearby wall, waiting for the debriefing. When two chuunin entered Ibiki presented his team once more. Once done he continued "You have been drafted for an S-rank mission. It is heavily classified so don't ask questions and don't babble. We are going to capture four to five targets, interrogate them, wipe part their memory and send them off with different intel."

Saeko and her fellow non-departmental ninja were quite surprised, it was a huge undertaking. The shinobi on her right asked "Wiping just part of their memory, is it even possible?"

"It is. We have already tested it but this will be the first field trial" Ibiki answered and then he looked at the Uchiha, "We have recently acquired a new technique that makes it possible."

The brunette nodded in understanding – magic. Or more precisely potions since it was not her to use it. Ah, yes, the Forgetfulness Potion was one of the formulas she brought back. She was glad it seemed to work. The classified nature of Mahoujutsu also explained why this mission had the higher-ups of the department on it.

Ibiki continued "The targets will be surrounded by guard. We don't know how many but it will be a lot, probably some ninja as well. That's where the second team comes in. Uchiha you are in charge of the second team which will do all the fighting and capturing while we prepare for our part."

Saeko bite back a smirk when Yuuko eyed her and mouthed 'taichō'.

The scarred interrogator continued "Get to know your team, we leave in ten minutes."

When the T&I people left Saeko turned to her team. It turned out she had an Aburame, a swordsman and a doton specialist. The Aburame will be handy when subduing the targets without injury while the others would take care of the guards.

"Ok, squad, move out!"

X

The fight was laughably simple. As soon as the T&I people identified the targets Saeko and her team set up an ambush. Their opponents were mostly common soldiers. The only three ninja among the group grabbed one of the targets and sought to take him to safety but a body-bind spell made them fail.

When the fight was over all enemies laid dead and the targets were bound. Ibiki and his team went to collect them. The scarred interrogator smiled a tight smile "Excellent. Fujikabe, clean this up."

The doton specialist nodded and hurried to use his specialty to hide the blood and make the terrain look undisturbed.

The Konoha ninja made their way to a freshly dug cave, courtesy of earth style. Ibiki's team took the prisoner inside while the leader himself gave the orders to the fighting group "We are not to be disturbed. Keep watch and kill anyone that approaches.

Saeko nodded and resigned herself for a long wait.

After several hours passed Anko came out "Hey, Saeko, come in for a sec."

The scarred brunette nodded and signed to her team to keep doing what they were doing and followed the snake summoner into the cave. Once inside she spotted three of the prisoners lying unconscious, but still bound, on the floor while two others had one Yamanaka each in front to them doing… well, Yamanaka stuff. Hyuuga Daichi had his byakugan activated and was intently monitoring the prisoners.

Ibiki looked up from his notes "Ah, good. I thought you wanted to see your formulas in action. It took us a long time but we have determined the dosage to the periods of memory we need to make disappear. This field test is a success. If you have any questions ask Kūsuke, she is the one who does the brewing in the T&I.

The two kunoichi spent some time debating potions and their use in Konoha while the Yamanaka finished implanting new memories to their prisoners. Once they were done the prisoners will be convinced the scout and a handful of his guards barely escaped a group of missing nin who took down the rest.

Gotta love magic.


Outside public baths

Saeko was searching for Jiraiya to get an update on the Voldemort situation as well as Orochimaru and anything else he would be willing to share. Sarutobi said his student was currently in Konoha so the brunette went to the public baths right away. If by any chance the man would not be there she would hit the bars.

With her sharingan activated she soon found the anomaly that signalized the spy-master "Jiraiya-dono!"

"Pshhhh, not so loud!" the white-haired man whispered frantically.

Saeko rolled her eyes, glad the Uchiha compound had their own onsen, but with Jiraiya-sama one can never be sure.

"I need to talk to you. Come on, before they accuse me of spying as well" said the brunette.

The sannin giggled but tore himself from the hole in the wall to the baths. Since Saeko wanted to pump him for information she offered to buy drinks.

Jiraiya seemed to agree on the Uchiha's need for the intel and had shared what he had about the British Dark Lord but not much more. After that it was Saeko's turn to answers some of his questions regarding Hogwarts and magic in general.

When 'business' was done Saeko sighed "I'm sorry Tsunade refused to return."

The gama sennin nodded "Me too. I had hoped with Naruto behaving so much like her brother Nawaki I would get her to come back. I think she is mollified so maybe one day when we really need her. Maybe after she finished studying the material you brought back from Scotland. It intrigued her, to say the least."

"Good. Where is your apprentice by the way?" the brunette asked.

"On a mission I believe, with that cute Hyuuga heiress and her team, searching for a bug of all things" Jiraiya shared. Afterwards he frowned though "I'm thinking of taking Naruto with me next time I leave. A training trip if you will. Did your brother tell you about Akatsuki?"

"Just that is a mercenary band of highly skilled missing-nin. Some even bordering S-rank" Saeko frowned.

"Akatsuki is on a need to know basis but maybe you could find something against them in Mahoujutsu. They are indeed missing nin but they are not bordering S-rank, they are S-rank."

"That's bad, that's very bad. We only have you, Sarutobi-sama and my brother. Maybe Hatake but not right away" the brunette recounted.

Jiraiya nodded but smiled as well "And you are climbing fast. Mahoujutsu is an unknown so that gives you quite an advantage and your classic shinobi skills are top-notch. And that is without the sharingan. And of course with the right training Naruto could defeat one of them as well."

"So you are taking him for some kind of Jinchuuriki training?" Saeko frowned.

"Essentially. I'm thinking three years so some shinobi stuff as well. Also I want to take him away because I found out that Akatsuki have an actual goal and that is capturing all the bijuu" the man said somberly.

Saeko was speechless. Finally she asked "Why?"

"No clue as of now" Jiraiya sighed.

The Uchiha hummed "If and when you need me don't hesitate to call and even extract me from Hogwarts. This is big but I will be prepared. If you can think of any way I could help…"

"When I know more about the members and their specialties I'll let you know. Maybe mahoujutsu will help" Jiraiya nodded.

"What does Naruto say?" Saeko asked.

Jiraiya shrugged "He doesn't know yet. I'll tell him when he returns from the mission and we set a date for our departure. He will be excited about the training and determined about the danger I assume."

The brunette smiled "That seems accurate. Speaking of Naruto, did you know he gave me one of your books as a gift? He said Kakashi reads it so it must be awesome. He didn't have a clue what's it about. I laughed for quite some time."

Jiraiya laughed "I know! He told me when he found out what I write. He blushed so hard it looked like a katon technique. But now he calls me Ero-sennin."

"Fitting I suppose" Saeko smiled, happy with the levity after such a bombshell being dropped.

The duo sat laughing and talking about Jiraiya's 'art' and his plans for the new IchaIcha. Saeko also complained at the lack of girl-on-girl action. The sannin's reply was the same as Kakashi's had been – write a cameo or something similar.

Finally the duo parted ways – the sannin returned to the baths - 'suddenly inspired to write more', and Saeko returned to the Uchiha compound. Since Itachi was on a mission with his ANBU team she was tasked to do the paperwork in his absence. Saeko sighed at the thought. She hoped she would meet someone along the way home she desperately needed to talk to or maybe she would be drafted for another mission. Or maybe she could say she needed to fit in one last mission before her leaving Konoha again.

Yes, that would work.


AN: There will be no Tobi/Madara/Obito and all that clusterfuck. This 'arc' will be ending with Nagato and Konan.