A/N: A short trigger warning. The below chapter has someone being tortured. Not in a gore-heavy, "ha ha gotcher eyeball" way, but genuinely tortured. Be so forewarned.

Also, this is pre-beta, so I am sure errors abound.


"The three of you are not being promoted to Chunin."

Sakura, Sasuke, and Shikamaru shared a look, but it was Sakura who decided to ask the question. She took a step forward and bowed politely. "We understand, Hokage-sama. But why have you gathered us here to tell us?"

Hiruzen smiled at the question. "Because, I wanted you to understand why." He lit his pipe with a miniscule fire jutsu and took a deep drag of it before continuing. "Each of you was under serious consideration, before the finals broke down in the attack. Without a vote from the visiting leaders, nobody will receive a promotion this year. I want to acknowledge your efforts and skills, even of circumstances prevent me from promoting you."

"Haruno Sakura," he said, smiling slightly as her face grew slightly pink under his attention. "Your grasp of rules and how to break them, literally in the case of your preliminary match and metaphorically in your finals match, are astounding. In the first fight, you redefined the rules to a system that predates our village. In the second, you bent the battlefield to your will, and then bent the mind of your opponent to force them onto your battlefield. You should be proud."

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said, causing the boy to straighten and adopt one of his many serious faces, this one a look of blank disinterest that fooled nobody. "While you may not be as innovative as your teammate, your tactics in the last round against Gaara were sound, and accounted for the strengths and weaknesses of your allies. That fact that you did not win against a literal monster of legend is nothing to be ashamed of, never mind disqualify you. Further, you showed a degree of concern for your allies that is exactly what is needed in a leader. You did not push to keep your short ranged allies out of reach, but worked to minimize their risk in spite of the short range. You should be proud."

He looked to Shikamaru, who raised his hands and backed up slightly. "I lost, Hokage-sama," he said, waving his hands. "I lost to Naruto, too. I'll admit he's changed a lot, but he's hardly a genius."

Hiruzen nodded. "This is true, Nara Shikamaru, but what you showed was more important than winning or losing. You accepted Naruto's challenge as an alternative to a straight battle, which would pit you against possibly the worst opponent you could face. In a contest that required you to solve a problem in which you did not even know what that problem was, you proceeded carefully and logically. Each time new information came to light, you adjusted immediately and appropriately. In the end, you lost not because of some terrible failing, but to the success of your foe. You should-"

"- Be proud," he finished for the Hokage, before he sighed and lowered his head. "Don't tell my mother that. She'll never let it rest."

Hiruzen let out a chuckle. Yoshino Nara was belligerent by any standards, never mind the standards of the Nara clan, which tended towards quiet contemplation that was heavy on the quiet. He had long gotten used to Asuma's tales of threatening the Nara boy with no worse punishment than "I'll tell your mother," and getting results.

We could have used them as Chunin.

The Hokage stood and turned to face the window, taking a few puffs of his pipe. "There is a system in place to promote promising genin outside of the confines of the exam, and it's not all that uncommon for genin like yourselves to advance. Do you know why you are not being promoted?" he asked.

When nobody spoke, he turned, his face was hard and cold. "Shinobi of chunin rank and above are noted as such in their records… and also, inevitably, in the Bingo Books of the other nations, with as much detail within them so that if they come across you in battle, they may be able to get some vital information and survive. And within that information will be a mark which indicates that you advanced outside of the exam system. It marks you as special and dangerous. Such chunin tend to be killed as a priority whenever possible. Such a mark may as well be a death mark."

His shook his head slightly, and his cold glare became a more fatherly smile. "You are far too valuable for that. Now, in a time without war, with no pressing need, I have no intention of marking the leaders of tomorrow for death today. Officially, you will remain genin until you pass the exam. Unofficially, expect to get more C-rank missions in the future, if not better. You are capable of such missions."

Hiruzen gave them each a shallow bow and smiled when they each returned his bow with a deeper one, even the lazy Nara. "Thank you for your service, genin. You are dismissed, Sakura, Sasuke, could you ask your sensei to report to me? I have something I need to discuss with him."


Sakura and Sasuke found Kakashi eventually, although it took them almost an hour. In the end, Sakura had summoned the Horde and sent them throughout the town, on the prowl for the gray haired shinobi (and any catnip and food they could beg or steal from its owners, as Sakura found out later).

They found him standing in front of the Memorial Stone, and he was not alone. He was leaning over, speaking quietly to Gaara and pointing out something carved on the monument to the honored dead while the ANBU Weasel observed. Sasuke and Sakura waited patiently, just within eyesight, and after a few more minutes, Kakashi gave Gaara a pat on the shoulder and walked over to meet them.

"What's with him," asked Sasuke as his teacher approached.

Kakashi shrugged and leaned in, speaking quietly. "Just pointing out a few things. Showing how our fallen allies prove their existence, well beyond the point at which they passed. Weasel had suggested the boy could use a little perspective from those who survived the deaths of those they cared for."

They all paused to look back at Gaara, who seemed to be staring at the stone with a confused expression on his face.

Sakura was first to look away. "Sensei, the Hokage wants to see you, said he had something to discuss with you."

Kakashi's one visible eyebrow rose, and his voice took on a singsong tone. "Ohh, and how did my little students do on the exam? Am I finally off the hook with your kids?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and smirked. "Says we would be chunin, but you set such a bad example for us that we need to reform you. On the plus side, we're probably mostly done with D-rank missions at least."

Kakashi chuckled and waved at them as he walked away. "Maybe we can take a few for the fun of it."


Kakashi stepped into the Hokage's office and stopped.

The office of the Hokage had large windows that took in the view of the village below it. It was an inspiring vista to look upon, and Kakashi knew the Hokage loved the sight. But the shades were pulled now, the room dark and foreboding. Kakashi looked around carefully, and could not sense anyone within the room but the Hokage, not even his usual ANBU guards. The Hokage himself was sitting with his back to the door, facing the shuttered windows, and the room was thick with the smell of his pipe. After a moment, the Hokage turned slightly, then grunted and waved at Kakashi to close the door.

"What's wrong, Hokage-sama," Kakashi asked, the moment the door was closed.

"This meeting is to be without decorum, Kakashi."

Kakashi blinked at that. It was expected of shinobi to follow certain codes of conduct and respect to their leader. A meeting without decorum was a meeting between two people acting as though they were equals instead of a leader and a subordinate. Kakashi knew of the rule because he usually used it when he was in command of a group, but he could not remember any Kage apply it to themselves. He walked in, and after a short pause, took a seat without being granted permission and waited.

Hiruzen turned his chair and gave Kakashi a smile. "I have called upon you, Kakashi, because I need to gauge someone's reaction to a few ideas I've had recently. Normally, I would ask Jiraiya, but he is busy digging into Otogakure, and this may be nothing worth recalling him over. I do need to ask that you keep what we talk about here to yourself, however."

Kakashi nodded.

"What if I asked you," said Hiruzen, "who should replace me as Hokage? Who would you think to give the duty to?"

"Jiraiya," Kakashi said without even a moment of thought.

Hiruzen nodded. "And if he said no?"

This required a moment, but a short one. "Tsunade."

Hiruzen nodded again. "And then?"

Kakashi had to really consider his options then. A short mental rundown of the current elite of Konohagakure tossed up a few prospects, namely Guy, Asuma, and himself. Out of the three options, one would assume Sarutobi Asuma would be the natural choice, but the man never seemed to work well with his father, and would not likely accept the hat out of stubborn resistance if nothing else. Maito Guy would be an excellent leader, but his reputation as a meathead, deserved or not, would work against him. And Kakashi himself spent a great deal of effort looking like a lazy pervert, which would make him less than ideal.

Yuhi Kurenai was inexperienced with leadership and not well known. Mitarashi Anko had a bad reputation. Morino Ibiki was a little too cold for the way Konohagakure ran things, or at least his public face was. And Nara Shikaku would reject the proposal out of hand.

After a moment, he shrugged. "I know it would be Guy, Asuma, or myself, but none of those options are for the best. What is this about, Hok… Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen leaned forward and stared into Kakashi's one visible eye. "And what if I suggested Shimura Danzo?"

That made Kakashi's mind freeze up for a moment. Danzo had the warmth of a dead animal and the personality of a rabid one. Whereas Hiruzen had always pursued peace through negotiations, Danzo preferred to earn peace with the blade of a kunai. He believed that an enemy who feared you was an enemy that would never stand against you, and his opinions on various political events throughout the years clearly reflected that. He was quite outspoken, in his own quiet and insufferably polite way, against everything that Hiruzen and the other Hokages before him had built Konohagakure on.

Kakashi looked around the room again, then leaned forward as well. "I really dislike saying this, but you said no decorum… I would suspect you were senile, an imposter, or mad."

Hiruzen slumped back against his chair and sighed. "I would agree with you… until the chunin exam. Since then, I am slowly considering that option. Does that strike you as unusual, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Myself as well. I've opposed him almost my entire life, and until the exam, I would have sooner passed the title to Konohamaru before Danzo. And yet I almost did so today." He looked at Kakashi and flashed a feral grin. "But whatever it is that caused this confusion, it broke once you mentioned how out of place it would be. Someone has manipulated me, Kakashi. I accepted Orochimaru's help without question in the fight against Gaara and his beast, without even considering other options. I almost pushed the Kazekage into giving Garra to him, and were it not for Naruto's odd plan, that might very well have happened. And now, I have found myself considering turning over the job of Hokage to the man least suited for it."

Hiruzen straightened in his chair, and in his eyes Kakashi could see the fire that drove the man. "With your students now proven capable in my eyes, I intend to take you from them. I need someone with good sense to watch my actions, in case it happens again." He smiled coldly and started to repack his pipe. "I also want to use you as bait. I intend to start grooming you to be the Hokage, both as a backup plan in case I pass suddenly, and as a lure for whoever has done this."

"We're not assuming it was Danzo, then?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "Danzo would know better. I am certain he has been building influence behind the scenes to ensure he gets the hat after me, but he also knows that my sudden death by violence during a peaceful time would make any plan volatile to the point of foolishness. Even if he gained the position, it would be tainted by the mystery of my death. If an assassin appeared at a council meeting tomorrow, I'd be willing to bet he'd kill them himself to keep his plans running smoothly."

Kakashi sat back in the darkness, letting his mind absorb everything he had been told. Hiruzen waited with him, lighting his pipe and smoking it furiously. "You know," Kakashi said after a full minute had passed, "I'm fairly certain I'm not ready to be a Kage, even as a backup option. In truth, I could have done without this."

Hiruzen laughed. "If you think this is bad, let me tell you how I got 'elected' to my station…"


Danzo sat at his desk, his private desk, and fumed quietly.

Hiruzen had announced his intentions to groom Hatake Kakashi as the Fifth Hokage.

Political allies by the score, now freed from the uncertainty of having no other option, were leaving his cause in droves and lining up to be acknowledged by the new rising star of Konohagakure. A man so dedicated to the foolish ideal of peace that he nearly died to Momochi Zabuza's blade out of the same foolish ideal of peace that Hiruzen suffered. And all because Danzo had given in to his impatience.

That.. and some bad advice.

He looked up at one of his tools. "Tell Sai to get a message to the Man in the Grass. Tell him that I no longer have need of him, or his failed plots."


Sasuke stepped out of the Aburame clan holdings with conflicting feelings.

On the one hand, his own training was going well. Between Shino and Shibi, he was making great progress on his hive and techniques, made that much easier by his hive's growth, which he had been pushing for the last few weeks. He would spend the mornings with the two Aburame, then join Sakura for a meal and to check in for missions.

But they weren't team missions. Sasuke would never admit it out loud, and neither would Sakura, but they both missed Naruto immensely. It had been less than a month since he and Gaara swapped villages, and the lack of loud orange ramen freaks left things a little lackluster.

The lack of Kakashi was also noticeable. They got partnered with whoever the Hokage chose when they got missions above D-rank, but Sasuke found himself missing the comforting certainty of Kakashi. He knew how Kakashi thought, and while he had yet to see an incompetent jonin team leader, or even genin teammate, it wasn't the same, and Sasuke found himself thinking of team seven as "the good old days." Seeing his teacher smirking at the two of them every day when he handed them their mission did nothing to help.

He quickly arrived at their designated meeting place. Ichiraku's Ramen was still going strong, in spite of losing its best customer. Teuchi had discovered that business remained steady, mostly because those who knew Naruto had become customers almost out of habit. It helped that he had a few special menus printed with basic, non-ramen meals available to long term customers, with the requirement that they never mention the menus to anyone else.

Sakura was waiting at Ichiraku's, but she was already carrying two small boxes. "Just got a message," she said as Sasuke approached. "We've got a mission to pick up."

They both started walking, ready to get to work, but something made him look around. There was something slightly off, something he could not consciously identify but that screamed of danger. He looked back, checking their trail, but saw nothing.

"Sasuke?"

He turned, already deciding to clue her in, and froze when he came face to face with someone who was not his teammate.

Face to face with him.

His brother.

Itachi.

He didn't need to think, to plan. He didn't waste time asking questions or pleading for answers. He didn't even draw one of his various tools and tricks. One quick kunai, drawn and thrown, as fast as the blink of an eye.

Sasuke smiled.

Itachi smiled back.

The blade sunk into Itachi's stomach, folding the man over awkwardly. He stumbled back and fell, his face still smiling in spite of the blood flowing freely from his gut, and landed in a heap on the ground.

Sasuke charged forward, a second blade in hand, and plunged it deep into the man's chest before he could try to escape, and still he smiled, why would he smile?

"Good job, brother," said Itachi, standing behind Sasuke, his hands clasped behind his back. Sasuke whirled, bloody kunai ready, and stopped when he saw Itachi nod to the body on the ground. Every instinct in him screamed not to look away, and yet his eyes were drawn to the body, an irresistible desire to see the truth pulling his eyes away from his hated brother and to the form of his teammate, Sakura, writhing on the ground in pain, her breath coming out in desperate, shallow coughs.

Sasuke dropped his knife and knelt next to her, trying to hold back the crimson flow of life pouring out of her, but no amount of pressure or desperation could keep a ruined heart from failing. She reached out and pressed her hand against his cheek, still smiling in spite of the pain, then fell back and laid still, her eyes open and staring at him lifelessly.

"Such a waste," said Itachi, his voice as bland as ever. "She might have made for a good brood horse for the clan after you were dead."

Sasuke stood and threw a set of kunai, his mind set firmly on killing Itachi. There was no more holding back. The Hokage could step between them and he would kill the man to get to his cursed brother.

His family was dead.

His friend was dead.

What else could be taken, that was worth more than those things?

The kunai kept flashing out from his hands, tracking Itachi's every move. He only stopped when Kakashi slammed into his side, driving him to the ground with nothing more than his greater weight and strength. The gray haired jonin grabbed a fist full of Sasuke's shit and lifted him from the ground, only to slam him back down, driving the air from his lungs from the impact. "Stop, Sasuke, stop! You're killing people!"

Sasuke stopped struggling, and only then did he hear the panicked cries, the alarms, the screams and moans. He turned his head and saw a woman, leaning over and clutching her stomach while a medical shinobi rushed to her. He saw a man screaming and clutching his face, blood dripping from his fingers and the handle of the kunai imbedded in him.

He saw the little boy, his eyes open in horror, his toy shuiken still in his hand even as he lost his battle to survive the deep slash across his throat.

"It.. Itachi! Itachi was here! Find him!" He tried to rise, only to be pressed firmly to the ground by his teacher. Other shinobi arrived. The medics ran to those who were injured. The ANBU ran and surrounded him.

One leaned in and said clearly, "Sir, no enemy has been reported. Those who survived claim to have seen nobody resembling Uchiha Itachi, nor any other suspicious activity before the… event."

Kakashi looked down at Sasuke, and something died within him, a spark of spirit that Sasuke had never noticed until it was suddenly missing from his teacher's one eye. "Take him to headquarters," the man said, quietly, emotionlessly. "I'll get Ibiki."

Sasuke took a step, then stopped, confused. Kakashi had been holding him down, calling for T&I… Sakura was dead… but Sakura was waiting at Ichiraku's, already carrying two small boxes. "Just got a message," she said as Sasuke approached. "We've got a mission to pick up."

Sasuke whirled in place, already reaching for a weapon, then froze as he realized what was happening. He sighed and stood, abandoning his defensive stance. "It's an illusion. I'm not going to bother fighting you in here, Itachi." He turned back and was unsurprised to see Itachi holding Sakura up, a kunai to her neck.

The man nodded once. "Yes, this is an illusion, little brother. And it will be an illusion for some time, possibly. But tell me… You know how the Sharingan works. I must see you, you must see me. Which means I am here, now, in the village, looking at you as you stride your easygoing way to the young woman you seem to value. At some point, the illusion will end." He slowly drew the kunai across Sakura's neck while she struggled, crying quietly as her blood flowed over her captor's hand.

"Are you so sure the illusion isn't over already?"


Itachi, emotionless as always, slowly drove the blade into Kakashi's heart. The man struggled feebly, his broken limbs reaching hopelessly for the weapon sliding into his chest, before he became a lifeless corpse. Sasuke struggled to rise and defend his mentor, only to slump to the ground, his broken body betraying him.

"Are you so sure the Illusion isn't over already?"


Sasuke stood over the body of the Sandaime Hokage, his chest heaving, his hands bloody to the elbow. The old man had shown up when Sasuke attacked Itachi, but Itachi had captured Hiruzen in an illusion as well, and Sasuke had been forced to fight back or die.

Itachi was leaning against a storefront, still pitiless, emotionless.

"Are you so sure the illusion isn't over already?"


Sasuke looked down at the blade in his gut, then looked up to see Sakura's eyes light up as the illusion over her faded. "I… I thought…. But…" Tears began to flow down her face as Sasuke collapsed to the ground with a low moan. She reached for the weapon still buried in his body, then stopped when she realized removing it might be worse than leaving it.

"Get… help..." Sasuke managed to grunt out.

Sakura stood, her lips trembling… then fled, crying, not towards the hospital or the Hokage's tower, but towards her own home. As soon as she did so, Itachi leaned over, looking down at Sasuke's face with bored detachment.

"Are you so sure the illusion isn't over already?"


Sasuke screamed and fell to the ground.

Sakura reacted instantly, dropping the food and rushing to where he lay on the pavement. He flailed wildly, striking her several times in his panicked struggles, before he finally stopped moving. Sakura looked him over quickly. Sasuke seemed to be unharmed… except for his cursed seal. The four elongated tomoe marks were spinning fast enough to make the seal look like a solid circle instead of four distinct marks, and as she watched, they slowed a slight amount, just noticeably.

Sakura's first instinct was to call for help… but she held back and instead picked her teammate up and over her shoulders. She could call for help, but she wasn't that far from the hospital. It would be faster to get him there herself. She took off, jumping onto the wall and then to the roof, smashing the tiles in her haste.

Below, the civilian crowd murmured and gossiped and grumbled... except for two of them. A slim, raven haired woman and her large, bald bodyguard stood from where they had been eating a light lunch and started to walk away.

"Hope you got what you needed, Itachi," Kisame grunted quietly, his henge smiling hugely. "I'd hate to think all this effort was pointless, and without even a single good fight."

The woman nodded in return. "I hope so too," Itachi replied without inflection.


A/N: Wow, long time no see. Sorry for the relatively short chapter, but I felt it was needed setup for the future. And I hope you enjoyed my introduction to Itachi. You have the power to control another human's perceptions for up to three days. Yes, you can stab them a lot... but why do that, when you can break their fragile grasp on reality and drive them mad?

So, yeah… good to see you too. Sorry, but life has become rather busy. Since the last chapter, I have driven across the country and back twice, worked far too many hours, had a family cancer scare (it's fine), and dealt with a silly amount of writer's block. But… tah daaaa.

Unfortunately, my update rate will not be all that much better in the near future. Life is busy, and this is a very low priority. That said, having finally figured out the transition between different parts of the fic, I hope to make it much sooner than this chapter.

It's been a long while, so let's see what we have to comment on, review-wise…

sanjiyanunkara (holy hell, that's a screen name) asked if a twelve year old would get the concept of necessary destruction. On their own, probably not, but having it explained to them, quite possibly. They also pointed out my favorite factoid of the Naruto setting, about how Madara's meteors would, in a realistic setting, probably wipe out most of the life on the planet, and would certainly destroy any meaningful civilization.

Read-Sleep-Routine prefers fangirl Sakura over my version. Thankfully, there is an entire library of fanfiction that rolls with that. Enjoy.

Varder (and a few others) mentioned the suddenly missing Jiraiya. I thought I had addressed that… and in an editing pass, discovered that part was gone. I have now added it back in. Varder also had an interesting theory about Orochimaru that was captivating… and hilariously wrong. Still, a good guess, and a reasonable one too.

Katari Michelos asked why Sasuke would not have his Sharingan from the massacre if an illusion would do. I half suspect that the Sharingan is like a puzzle box, in that you can't unlock things out of order. Sasuke was traumatized… but he was not really under threat of death at the time. Also, arguably, as a six year old, he might not have enough comprehension of his mortality to suffer that level of fear. But all that is debatable. To be honest, that always bugged me in canon.

UrsaAdrift says I should feel special for how long their usually terse review was for my story. Rest assured, I appreciate it, even if I'd rather avoid the glitter bomb.

Womgi does not care for the "Homomakes," but politely so, which is cool. If it helps any, that level of excessive ick will never go beyond the omakes. Again, just avoid anything Trollrochimaru writes. To be truthful, I wrote them and an homage to the terribad fics we've all stumbled across in every fandom. Trollrochimaru is a bad writer, but he revels in it instead of lamenting it. Don't even ask about Trollriya…

Cute Kirby (good to see you!) mentioned it would be stupid for anyone to do a double watch in foreign territory. Rest assured, Naruto was not the only one keeping an eye out that night, I just didn't want to spell it out. I would love for you to PM your speculations, because I highly suspect you are at least on the right track.

Lthayer3, thank you for the meaningful and, more importantly, polite criticism. If every critic was as well thought and well mannered as you, I'd have nothing to rant about in amusing little asides. You may be glad to know that I am working on retrofitting chapter 37 to make a little more sense. To be honest, it was not all that well written, and I just never went back to it. But I am keeping the 4th wall break. Non-negotiable :)

The Amol haaaated how Sakura lost her innocence, and how I never acknowledged what killing a person would do to a 12 year old. They mention how genin are never sent into war, even as support… but fail to note that "genin" get promoted real fast when there is a war (it's a key point in the backgrounds of several characters, if I recall). These are kids going to Assassin School. It's going to happen. Hell, they all lost claim to innocence by the end of the Wave arc in canon anyhow. Kakashi is the type that goes, "rip the bandaid off and be there to help with the pain", as opposed to Danzo's "they're tools, tools don't feel." Two quite different approaches.