Shikamaya's POV

"Clio Chohanami…"

"Chohanami?" Shibi said hoarsely from behind the high collar of his coat. The rest of the council turned to him, very few of them had ever heard of the Chohanami Clan but those who had, understood Shibi's mixed feelings, though it was barely detectable in his ever detached voice. "The Chohanami Clan is very apt Clan of bug handlers. They use a wide variety of bugs. Butterflies, spiders, bees, dragonflies, you name it; they could get it to obey and befriend them with ease. They were prominently known for their ability to heal with their bugs but they could do more than heal. At one time long before the time of the Villages they were the Aburame's rivals, but by no means bitter."

Calliope nodded calmly to Shibi and continued for him. "Quite the opposite of bitter rivals, in fact there were a lot of marriages between the two back then… Even though the Chohanami and Aburame Clans were never bitter rivals, whenever the Daimyos got pissy with each other the two Clans had no choice but to fight each other. As both Clans had extensive knowledge of each other the death toll varied between zero and so decimating that both Clans were nearly wiped out. Eventually the two Clans got sick of having to kill each other because their Daimyos rubbed each other the wrong way. Rather than just saying 'screw you' and refusing to fight they dissolved their relationships with each other. No longer friends, but not bitter rivals. From what Clio has told me it did nothing as far as the death toll goes. It remained the same, it was only to make the pain of killing friends go away," Calliope shook her head sadly.

"You're teaching a Chohanami? I did not know they had affiliated themselves with Otogakure," Shibi asked pushing his shades up the bridge of his nose. All eyes slowly traveled from Shibi Aburame back to the Goddess. Calliope shook her head once more before she replied.

"I honestly do not know where they stand on that matter. The Chohanami's all adorn Otogakure Hitai-ates. None of them live in a base; they live on the same two thousand acre plot of land since the good God above knows when. They take missions from Oto, or directly from the Daimyo or original source. To be honest those hyper-active nut jobs march to their own beats and no one bothers to tell them otherwise," Calliope said this as if it were something that happened everywhere in the world. For her I suppose this was normal, but in the Land of Fire it was either you belong to Konohagakure or not at all. There was no middle ground like these Chohanami's did things.

"I see…" Shibi said slowly as he adjusted his shades yet again. To read an Aburame takes skill and years of experience with them, fortunately I have that experience from years of being friends with Shino. I may not be able to read them as well as an Inuzuka or Hyuga can but I can still get the basic idea of things and Shibi was scared out of his mind.

"Chohanami?" I asked. "I've never heard of that Clan," I blinked in confusion. Come to think of it I never knew of any Clans in the Land of Sound until I met the Fuma Clan until I met them.

"You should have," Thalia blinked at me surprised. "You fought one once! Kidomaru Chohanami! Uses spiders? Actually, did you know that those extra arms are not the results of experiments? It is part of the Chohanami's thing. Whatever bug or insect or whatever you are affiliated with you get some of their powers. Like Clio is affiliated with butterflies and dragonflies, a rarity that two different bugs chose to affiliate themselves with one person, she can stitch between butterfly and dragonfly wings! But yeah, Land of Sound Clans generally keep low profiles, either that or no one lives to tell the tale."

"Well, we said all we came to say and a lot more," Calliope said. "We'll be leaving now. If any of you who are related to the children who are under Lady Daimyo's protection, whom by the way were doing what none of you bothered to do and that would be go get your Hokage back here where she belongs instead of trying to interfere with the Jinchuriki Summit, would like to come I would not begrudge you this. Furthermore, if you try to stop me from leaving I will use force if necessary to leave the premises of Konoha and Land of Fire borders but I would prefer to leave peacefully," Calliope said as she exited the meeting hall with Thalia in her wake. No one was foolish enough to stop this woman.

Tsume, Shibi and Hiashi stood up quickly and followed Calliope out, without a doubt they requesting to go with her. The remainder of the Council was frozen in place, namely Danzo. This without a doubt hindered his position for blackmail, as everyone knew that these two were Danzo's underlings. These two Otogakure Shinobi may have solved one of my many problems for me. A gentle touch that I knew to be Hinata's got my attention. A single glance at her expression let me know what she wanted to do. Follow them.

I nodded in response before I rose from my seat and lead the way out as we weaved through those whom still remained seated. Danzo's soul eye, as far as I knew anyway, looked at me through its corner. Our thoughts were one for a brief instance. This isn't over yet. It has only begun.

Not a soul was in the corridors when we exited the Meeting Hall, a tap on the shoulder from Hinata caused me to turn to her once more only to follow her finger upward at the ceiling. A blank glance at her face reminded me of how she could know such a thing. A sighed heaved from me before I motioned for her to follow me once more the simple circular structure made it easy to find our way to the roof. As we passed Grandma Tsunade's office on our way there I felt the urge to pop in and make sure she was doing paperwork and not either drowning her sorrow in sake or taking a nap. All too often I caught her doing both, she knew I knew that she leapt eagerly into the Sand Man's arms more times than I could count. I do not even think Grandpa Jiraiya knows she once again picked up that horrible habit she had dropped long before I was born. I could not help but wonder how it felt to be worry free for the briefest amount of time. Blinding light that glistened off of snow crystals brought me back to reality.

"-thing you can do for the boy. It's too late now. He'll be dead by the time we get there, Shibi. I really wish I could have been strong enough to protect him but I am only human... No, that's no excuse… I'm a legend for a reason. I'm supposed to be strong enough to protect everyone. I'm-"

"Forget it… Calliope." Tsume hoarse voice sounded empathetic as she dared to interrupt the stronger woman. "You are only human after all. And an aging one at that."

"Don't you think I know that Tsume? I appreciate what you are saying, coming from someone who not too long ago would like to have killed me where I stood. But I'm not just 'The Goddess of Heroic Poetry' I'm also the Princess of the Land of Sound, my elder sister is the queen! I have to be strong enough to protect my country as well as protect the innocent others no matter where they are from."

"I didn't know you were a princess," Shibi said in his usual flat tone. "From what you told Tsume you were obviously of the royal family but to be that closely related surprises me," Shibi pulled his collar up to protect him from the cold. Though I am not sure which cold, the cold of the air, the atmosphere of the conversation or the response he was expecting. "Though that does not mean you have to be undefeatable."

"I know…" The apparent mortal goddess said this far from frigidly, this without a doubt caused the shocked expressions to arise on Tsume's and Hiashi's faces; Shibi showed his shock by adjusting his shades once more. "But I cannot help the way I feel. I used to be the snobbiest brat in the world. I was so aloof with my feelings, even with myself. As you probably are very aware now I am not afraid to show affection and laughter and anger and empathy as I once was. When it comes to sorrow I do keep it hidden from most but to the right people like my siblings and certain students… Learning what to show when is a part of being a true Shinobi. Tsume taught me that all those years ago that keeping everything inside is no good, which is why I spared yours and Hizashi's lives. You three made me remember… I tried to pay that debt back by protecting those children, Tsume's son and Hizashi's boy amongst them, though I seem to have failed. Those two may be fine but those kids they had with them… I failed to protect them so it is no different than if one of those two were to die. I do not expect you to understand, so please don't try to."

The two Jonin and lone Tokubetsu-Jonin before her seemed to respect that wish and not press the issue. Shibi once more pushed his shades up the bridge of his nose, though if he did that one more time they would probably be pushed up to his eyebrows. "If your student, Clio, feels that nothing can be done by the time anyone would get there I suppose it would be quite senseless to send Shikuro all the way to the Land of Sound to attempt to save the boy. But I think we should at least try," Shibi's words shocked us all.

"I appreciate this as well, Shibi but are you sure you should be sparing the manpower? I am very well aware that Konohagakure is still recovering from last summer," Calliope openly yet discretely brought up the fact of the invasion that her Village had lead. I failed to see the tactic that could possibly work out in her favor by bringing this up.

"None the less, every chance we have we should take," Tsume said. "And we are doing just fine," Her tone was slightly over offensive, a dead giveaway that we were still not at the full height of our power. But if Calliope had noticed it she did not let it show.

"Very well, it is not my place to interfere with Shibi's decisions as Aburame Head. If you would like to send Shikuro just in case the boy was strong enough and Clio managed to keep them at bay, then very well and if Hiashi and Tsume wish to come because of their children then I have no business at all to refuse."

"Thank you," Hiashi said giving the woman a deep bow of respect. "Hinata."

"Yes, Father?" Hinata had by some miracle been able to keep from stuttering as her father spoke directly to her, though there was timidness about her voice that made me fear for her ever so slightly.

"I need you to look over the Clan affairs while I am gone. Understood?" Hiashi's tone actually held some trust in Hinata as they were spoken. Hinata, nor I for that matter, could hide our shock at Hiashi's demand. Once she had realized just what had been asked of her she stood tall and proud, bowed deeply to her father acknowledging the fact that for once in her life he believed in her. I had no idea what had went on between those two from the time Neji, Kiba and the Academy students left but whatever it was… I'm glad. Perhaps the understanding that had been reached between old enemies as well as Hiashi's new attitude towards his eldest daughter would be a good omen of things to come.