Chapter 45: God, I love screwing with people's heads. Thank you for making them so soft.

I don't own Naruto, any of its characters, or any references in this story. If I did, horrible things would happen. I do own all OC's and new Jutsu in the story.

o. o. o.

Three days after the invasion:

Sarutobi groaned as he stretched and cracked his spine as he attempted to stay awake for what seemed like the hundredth council meeting since the invasion ended. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, the entirety of the meetings had been focused completely on the reconstruction of the damaged areas of the village, management of the captured shinobi populace, navigation of allied forces, negotiations with and rewards for the allied shinobi villages that aided them during the invasion, a LONG meeting involving Suna's almost betrayal and the death of the Kazekage, multiple discussions regarding the Fire Daimyō's reactions and decisions regarding the aftermath of the latest incident, and an uncountable number of hours discussing the financial impact of the damage and complaints of family members of lost ones. The only major break he'd had was to manage and speak out at the mass funeral the previous day for those who had died during the events. It had been estimated that barely 1/10th of Konoha's forces were lost during the invasion, and roughly that same ratio applied to the allied forces as well, while Oto's remaining non-captured forces from the battle remained less than 100, though it was speculated that there were more shinobi left behind to secure their 'village'.

This meeting, however, was different, as it was focused on the major feats of any and all major personnel that took part in the invasion. Of course, not all of the village's higher standing shinobi were there at once while there was still so much reconstruction going on, but all the clan heads, several ANBU captains, Kuma, Fū, the Tsuchikage and his escorts, Gaara's team, Haku, and all the Rookie 12's jōnin-sensei (minus the Ōgakari) were present, as well as several other nameless individuals. Normally, shinobi from other villages would not be present for such a meeting, but Ōnoki's Kage ranking practically demanded that he be allowed to do so, and the leaders of the allied villages' forces were required to come in order to report their involvement and any significant events they may have seen. Fū was there because Genma and Hayate vouched for her so vehemently, despite the grumblings of several other Taki shinobi.

"Thank you very much, Hiashi…" Hiruzen sighed as he listened to the Hyūga head's recollection of his fighting on the western side of the arena. The man's report was impressive, but the aged Kage had heard so many repeats of the fights that it all sounded the same to him. "Now, I believe that the last of our clan heads to report is… Tsume Inuzuka. Afterwards, we will almost be completely done with all the native shinobi reports, and will take a break before hearing reports from our allied and visiting shinobi… Tsume, if you would please…" He sighed, looking at the tired woman, whose stomach was wrapped up fairly heavily and had one arm in a cast.

"Certainly…" She sighed as she looked around. "I was positioned inside the Arena's structure with Kuromaru in order to root out any enemy shinobi that may be hiding inside. For the majority of the invasion, Kuromaru and I were successful in our endeavor, seeing as we knew the layout of the building better than the enemy and possessed appropriate techniques to use in enclosed spaces. Normally, I would be accompanied by an additional member and respective partner of my clan…" She glanced at Hana, who made no response to the gesture. This was not unnoticed by many people in the room. "However, due to the circumstances of the war, I was left to my own devices…"

Sarutobi nodded as he looked down at a piece of paper. "Indeed. I have it written down by the backup coordinator of our forces that you and your partner managed to take down roughly three full teams of enemy shinobi by yourselves before you encountered any issues. Correct?"

The woman smirked. "Those weaklings didn't know what hit them…" Her demeanor darkened. "…but as you insinuated, that did not last long. As we encountered our fourth group, there were several tremors throughout the building, apparently caused by the battle between the Snake boss Manda and the majority of the Ōgakari clan. They loosened a piece of the ceiling and caused us to reveal our position before we could attack. We managed to escape with some minor injuries, but when we assumed we had lost them, we were ambushed and heavily injured. By this time, the tremors had stopped." She let out a heavy sigh before steeling her eyes. "They were about to rape and kill me before I was rescued by Ghost Ōgakari, who dispatched the entire team within a minute with unnatural ease, despite the injuries he received during his previous fights and his exhausted state…"

Many of the people present raised an eyebrow and several mutterings were echoing through the room. "He was injured?" Inoichi asked curiously. "How so? The reports from everyone who had seen him fight in the arena claimed he was uninjured during the entire event, and aside from the usual… activities he takes part of in the village, he has never been reported to have been even scratched during a mission." Several people noticed Anko and Hana blushing and looking away, attempting to look innocent.

Tsume shook her head. "No. Apparently, they didn't pay closer attention to his arms. As you know, Ghost's part in the battle against Manda was preventing his opponent's mouth from opening and staying on top of his head for the duration of the fight. What wasn't noticed was that his arms were dislocated multiple times doing so. When I had a better look at them, I was surprised he could even move them at all, let alone managed to place the kunai in his mouth which he used to dispatch the entire enemy team, or reach the radio around his neck. In addition to that, he insinuated that the… roaring technique he used took up a lot of his chakra due to the fact that he had to make sure that it was clearly heard both inside and outside of the village walls… as has been attested to by everyone in this room."

Many of the council members looked around and saw that all the shinobi there confirmed that they received the man's unique signal, regardless of where they were when it happened.

"Hold on…" Ōnoki grumbled. "You said that he had a kunai in his mouth that he used to take down the team that beat you. Do you mean to say that a single exhausted and severely injured man beat four experienced shinobi, without his arms, with only a kunai?"

The rest of the people in the room stared at the woman as she sighed and slouched in her chair. "Yes." She sighed. "He used some sort of technique involving a small bell that was tied to the end of his hair to distract and maneuver his opponents as he wished… while at the same time displaying speed and stealth skills that I doubt Gai and Kakashi could match. At one point, the enemy was in a defensive formation to cover each other's backs when the bell sounded right above them. When they looked up to see the source, he literally blinked into view crouching in between all of them before decapitating two with the kunai in his mouth enhanced and lengthened with wind chakra. The remaining one managed to escape, but became overconfident when he saw Ghost's condition and gave him an ultimatum… or at least he tried to…"

"Let me guess…" Kakashi sighed as he read his book. "As the man gave out his second option, a second Ghost appeared and killed him from behind, revealing that the first was a clone, correct?"

Tsume frowned as she glared at the copy ninja. "Yes. I assume that he's done that before?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It's one of his most used tactics. Naruto does it all the time, though there are usually more steps to it when dealing with stronger opponents or ones that are expecting something's off in the first place. To be honest, it's rather difficult to tell when you're fighting a clone of his or not because it's so hard to land a hit on the man in the first place, clone or not…"

Zabuza nodded with his arms crossed. "Yeah. It's a rather basic and common tactic among assassin types, but it requires rather high levels of speed and stealth to be used effectively against other shinobi due to our training." The man frowned. "Though I'd hate to admit it, the bastard beats me hands down every time when I try to put my assassination skills against his, and I'm fucking famous for being the best at the Silent Killing Technique."

"Yes… my grandson is rather talented at hiding and catching his opponents off guard when he isn't busy screwing around…" Grumbled a new voice from the entrance of the room. The rest of the people there turned to see Waltz, Shadow, Crypt, Scabbard, and a small again Zuzushi walk into the room casually. "I apologize for arriving so late after your summons, Hokage-sama, but I had to get my hands on the rest of my family after finishing up my latest surgery at the hospital… and stop Crypt from harassing the maternity ward…"

"The Mongolian army grows inside us… we are not safe anymore… look for the backup in the styrofoam lampshades…" The crazy man whispered cryptically before being backhanded by Waltz and getting his head stuck in a wall. "Hey, a mongoose! I'm going to name you Spoon. Come over here, little Spoon…"

Shadow sighed before looking at Tsume. "Sorry about that. Oh, by the way, I'm pretty sure Ghost was using his bell tricks when he was saving you."

"Bell tricks?" Sarutobi asked curiously.

Scabbard nodded. "Yes. They are one of Ghost's more favored and effective techniques for distracting and disorienting opponents. The amount of stamina required to use them is as varied as his uses for them, which are fairly extensive. That being said, it makes sense that he used some of the more basic ones when he was in the condition he was in at the time." The monotone man creaked out a smile. "In my opinion, it is rather entertaining and enlightening to watch him perform those techniques from the outside. It is a true testament to his skill, despite the simplicity…"

"Oi…" Shikaku grumbled with half dead eyes. "Where is said overconfident troublesome assassin anyways? Wouldn't it make sense for him to be here gloating about how 'awesome' he is?" He said awesome while making quotes with his hands, causing several people in the room to snort.

Shadow shrugged. "No clue. The poor bastard is still hiding from Hana and Anko." Said women blushed and looked away in an embarrassed manner. "He's surprisingly hard to find when he doesn't want to be found… though I have a feeling he's still doing something stupid as we speak…"

o. o. o.

Somewhere in Konoha, near the river:

The sounds of nature were all that was heard on the lonely pathway along the river, shaded by trees on the other side.

"… I'm hiding in a tree!" Someone hidden shouted. "… IT'S FUCKING BRILLIANT!"

o. o. o.

Back in the council room:

Waltz sighed as he sat down gently in a seat near the clan heads. "You know, you should really stop stating the obvious, Shadow…"

"Hoh?" Ōnoki mused as he got a good look at the new members of the discussion. "So you guys are those Ōgakari brats, eh? I gotta say, you gave us a damn good show a few days ago for a bunch of no-names."

Shadow pouted as she turned around and looked at Ōnoki, completely ignoring Sarutobi's waving hands that symbolized 'No! Stop! Don't! Please! I'm begging you!'. "Well, you listen here, you… you…" Her eyes widened. "Oh dear lord…" She turned around. "Scab! 20 seconds!"

The short man sighed and rubbed his head as he ignored all the confused looks the people in the room was giving him. "Fine… go." He said.

"Albino Oompa Loompa!" Shadow said quickly while pointing at the short kage.

"Super Minja!" Crypt gleefully yelled, as he appeared next to Shadow and tilting his head to the side. No one had seen the moment when he had dislodged his head from the wall.

"The Lollypop guild's grand elder!" The woman said way too eagerly.

"Pakkun!" Crypt crooned childishly. Kakashi face faulted.

"Oooh! Kernel Sanders' long lost second cousin!" Shadow shouted as she jumped up and down.

"Heheheh. He's short." Crypt giggled, getting frowns from the old man.

"Um… the bastard child of Santa Claus and one of his elves…" Shadow said as she put on a thinking pose.

Crypt stared at Ōnoki curiously. "… Grandma?"

"Damn it, Crypt!" Waltz roared. "I did not marry a short obese woman with facial hair!"

"Holy crap, he does look like Grandma!" Shadow said with wide eyes as she began to poke the clearly pissed off Kage curiously.

"Shadow? Not you, too!" The old man wept.

"I'm going to kill them…" Ōnoki growled as Rōshi and Kurotsuchi were busy laughing their asses off behind him. "Slowly… painfully… no remains…"

… and then Crypt landed on Ōnoki's lap. "Grandma! We missed you! Grandpa's been so mean to me lately! He can't even make your cookies without burning something! Plus, most of the time all he does is cry in some corner! He's boring!"

Before anyone could move or react, both Shadow and Crypt were blasted by incredibly large bolts of lightning that sent them into a nearby wall and burnt them both to a crisp. "Time's up." Scabbard sighed as he lowered his sparking hand and turning to Ōnoki, who was regaining his breath from having Crypt land on him. "My most sincere apologies, Tsuchikage-sama. A good portion of my family has a habit of mocking anyone and everyone that they come across. For individuals who have more… peculiar appearances than others, we have a rule set up. We allow them 20 seconds to let all their… thoughts out at once before Waltz and I deliver the appropriate punishment. This way, the subject of their mockery will get the worst of their insults over with quickly…" The man paused before he let loose another couple of bolts of lightning and practically fused Crypt and Shadow to the wall as black stains, causing everyone to jump. "… plus, I somewhat enjoy torturing those two, especially if I have a valid excuse to do so…"

Zabuza shivered. "He's a freaking sadist. A horrible monster with no heart whatsoever…"

"You are misguided, Zabuza." Scab countered with a soft but obviously condescending tone. "I do have a heart. It just so happens to enjoy going over the list of people who owe me money as much as I do."

The clan heads in the room sweatdropped. 'Note to self: Never get into debt to the Ōgakari.'

The short man turned to Ōnoki again and took a metal club out of his coat, holding it out to the somewhat confused leader handle first. "Although I have given you my reasons, I am certain that it won't be enough for what my siblings have done, so please, hit them with this as much as you want… so long as you don't do anything permanent. I still have uses for them."

Ōnoki paused before looking around curiously and confused. "You… you're serious?"

Waltz sighed. "The girl sets me on fire constantly for fun, and I just backhanded one of them through a bloody wall. Trust me. They won't take it personally, and I'll be able to heal them good as new in a minute… if I ever feel like it…"

Ōnoki looked around and saw that many of the people there were looking with only mild interest, as if they had seen this before.

Shadow started to giggle, despite being fused to the wall and being burnt black. "Oooh heheheh. I get it now. You called him Pakkun because he looks like Kakashi's pug. Hahahah. You know, he kind of does look like Pakkun now that I look at him closer with the drooping cheeks and the bags under his eyes… though his nose is slightly bigger…" BAM! The club that Ōnoki was holding flew through the air and slammed into Shadow's stomach, smashing her through the wall. "I regret nothing!" Shouted the winded woman from the rubble.

"Nice shot…" Mused Scabbard as he looked at the hole where his sister was once plastered to the wall with interest.

"Hah…" Ōnoki sighed as he got back into his seat, ignoring the amused looks everyone was giving him. "Much better." He turned to Tsume. "Now then, I believe that Inuzuka-san was giving her report before we got off track."

Tsume sweatdropped, as did everyone else, and decided not to question what just happened. "R-Right. Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama." She turned to the other shinobi again. "After Ghost dispatched of the team he managed to reach his radio where we then contacted Scabbard's assistant. Determining that my and my partner's wounds were too severe to overlook, they decided to call for my daughter's aid to heal us, since she was the most able shinobi vet in the village." She sighed before deadpanning. "While we waited, I attempted to talk to him about some… personal issues that we would have to discuss eventually. He, in response, pretended to pass out in an unconvincing manner, only to accidently land on one of his arms, hard, which caused him to react loudly before passing out for real." Everyone in the room sweatdropped and winced at the same time."

"That sounds like something he would do." Mused Waltz as he and Scabbard nodded their heads at the same time.

"Indeed. Brother tends to be very forgetful when it comes to his own injuries, even in the direst circumstances…" Scabbard agreed.

Tsume sighed as she continued. "Regardless, after the idiot passed out, Kuromaru and I waited for our backup for the remainder of the time. Luckily, none of the enemy found us by then, most likely due to the fact that Hokage-sama had already defeated Orochimaru by then and most of the enemy forces in the area had either run away or had given up by that point. Hana and Anko Mitarashi came and quickly tended to us in order of most severe injuries. Kuromaru was first, then me, then Ghost. Afterwards… well… I doubt anyone missed the screams the idiot was making as those two chased him around town…"

Everyone in the room sighed as they remembered seeing Hana and Anko chase the man with rage in their eyes for some reason at some point.

"Seeing as you two were mentioned in the latest report, could you go next?" Sarutobi asked Hana and Anko with a small grin. "I, for one, am most curious as to what our resident Snake Mistress and her friend… Hana of the Three Planes were doing during the invasion." The man gently smiled, causing Hana to blush as he acknowledged the young woman's prowess and her new title.

Anko stepped up with a swagger in her hips and sighed aridly. "Okay then, Hokage-sama. If you insist…"

Ōnoki chuckled as he leaned back and whispered to Rōshi. "She's got spunk. I like her…"

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes and suppressed a groan as she heard her leader's remark.

Anko continued with her report. "Well, Zabuza already informed you guys of what happened before the invasion. We, meaning Zabuza, me, and Hana…"

"Oi!" Shadow yelled from the hole she was still stuck in.

"With a little help from Shadow as well…" Anko rolled her eyes before she continued. "Formed one of the pre-emptive strike parties and took out two clusters of roughly 25 shinobi each, one of which was assumed to have been tasked with summoning another of those snake summons that attacked the village. We pretty much butchered all of them and set up a load of traps behind the enemy's lines before we were asked to return to the village." She yawned and lazily waved her hand for Hana to continue.

The council members in the room all nodded in understanding since, like Anko said, Zabuza had reported this part of their involvement already. Taking a deep breath, Hana continued the report. "Slightly before the invasion started, Anko and I left the arena because we… believed we would be more effective in areas where the fighting would be heaviest and the least amount of civilians around, instead of at the arena…"

"You paused…" Danzō mused as he looked at the girl skeptically who fidgeted in her position. "There is another reason… isn't there?"

Before Hana or Anko spoke up, Tsume surprisingly made herself known again. "It's because I was there, Danzō." She grumbled. "Unless you weren't there too, you would have recalled young Ino Yamanaka announcing to the entire village that my daughter and Anko were both… dating…" She frowned as she said the word. "Ghost Ōgakari at the same time, in a rather unstable state…"

"Lucky bastard…" Grumbled Ōnoki as he inspected said girlfriends with a critical eye. "… very lucky bastard…"

Scabbard chuckled. "Ah, yes. That was one of my favorite parts of the day. While it is true that my family partake in rather questionable activities in public, I have rarely seen anyone in my family so thoroughly humiliated and embarrassed in front of a large audience by pure happenstance. I actually have the entire event recorded and intend to remind brother of it constantly…"

Waltz said nothing, as he was too busy trying to not laugh while hunched over. He wasn't very good at it.

"Regardless…" Tsume continued with an irritated tone. "I was not in the best of moods with Hana, Anko, or Ghost at the moment. This was their reason… and I expected to have a talk with all three of them after today's meeting… but I see that is still not possible…" Anko glared back at Tsume while Hana looked away ashamed.

Sarutobi coughed, desperate to change the subject. "Yes, well, we can discuss those matters later. If you would please continue, Hana?"

The Inuzuka heiress sighed as she attempted to regain her nerve. "Of course, Hokage-sama. As Anko and I approached the main front of the invasion, we saw the two snake summons that were causing the most issues for our forces. Jiraiya-sama made quick work of the first, but he was still taking too much time to get to the second, so Anko and I decided to handle it…"

"Hoh?" Chōza mused as he looked at the two women with a raised eyebrow. "So it was you two that took down that summon? I must say, I'm impressed. Not many shinobi can take down a summon that large so easily and efficiently. I saw glimpses of what was happening over there because I was using my Multi-size Technique at the time, but I still didn't get a good look." He smirked. "… However, I did hear that howl of yours… as did half the village."

Hana laughed nervously as Anko puffed her chest out proudly… while still somehow covering herself. "Ah… thank you, Akimichi-sama." The younger of the two replied before she continued explaining. "Anko and I used a tactic that was designed to take down large summon-sized enemies. First, I used my elementally augmented clan techniques to distract and agitate the monster. It should be noted that while we, being me and my companion triplets, were not able to do any significant damage doing so, the techniques did seem to be more effective than what had been used against the snake so far."

Anko stepped up. "While Hana was distracting the summon and ensuring that it was not moving out of the area, I was preparing to ambush it with my own techniques…" She lifted up one of her arms and several orange red vipers lazily peeked their head out from her sleeves. "When the time was right, I used these babies to trap the beast and keep it in place, restrain its movements, and burn it to kingdom come all at once. If needed, I could also perform a finishing jutsu once the target was restrained, but Hana had that last step covered."

Hana sighed. "When Anko restrained the summon, the triplets and I got into an attacking position. There I performed one of my new elemental wolf techniques, Kyūten no Ryōken no Jutsu (Art of the Hound of the Heavens), to finish off the summon. Immediately afterwards, I canceled out the technique due to its large chakra cost and regrouped with Anko, where we continued to fight on the front lines. Between the 5 of us, including my triplets, we must have taken out at least… what 7, 8 teams?"

Anko shrugged. "Eh. Give or take a couple, yeah, that sounds about right. Hana and her pups scattered them, then my summons and I picked them off while they weren't paying attention. Those poor bastards really didn't know what hit them." She stretched. "After that, well, it's pretty much what Tsume said. We got a call for Hana to heal the group up, we did so, then we decided to try and kill Ghost."

Everyone in the room sweatdropped as they listened to the end of the story. "Hana-san…" Shibi spoke up. "Judging from your new title and your recollection of the invasion, would it be correct to assume that you have a total of three elemental wolf techniques?"

Tsume's eyes widened as Hana nodded. "That is correct, Aburame-sama. The three techniques are aptly named Hound of the Heavens, Hound of Hell, and Hound of Earth. Each one has been labeled by Ghost-kun at least A-rank in power…"

'Hah. Nice use of words…' Scabbard mused without showing any hints of what he was thinking. 'I saw you training with those techniques in our private training ground. Your Hound of Earth technique is possibly the most physically destructive jutsu in Konoha next to Naruto's Rasenshuriken, and even then, it has attributes that Naruto's technique doesn't have that make up for that lack of power. Even Ghost with his restraints off would be on the ropes if you used that technique against him… and that is something many would kill to achieve…'

"Impressive…" Mused Koharu as she looked over the papers. "It says that you are currently labeled as a chūnin… are you by chance participating in the Jōnin Trials? We could certainly use your powerful skills for higher level missions…"

Hana laughed sheepishly. "Really? I think I'm still a bit rough in a few areas, Koharu-sama. Maybe next time, after things calm down a bit and I gain a bit more experience. I'm learning a lot from hanging around the other jōnin-sensei, and Anko and I don't want to change things just yet."

"Well, we look forward to seeing you take part in it soon, regardless… with recent events in everyone's minds, I wouldn't be surprised if you made special jōnin right now…" Sarutobi smiled gently before looking at the time. "It appears to be lunch time. I believe everyone here will agree with me when I say we all should take a break." A chorus of grumblings was his answer. "Well then, I call this meeting to recess for a temporary lunch break. All council members and those who have yet to report are required to come back. Anyone else in this room is welcome to come back, so long as they do so before the doors close."

As the population of the room started to decrease, no one noticed the small glances that several of the shinobi in the room were giving each other, or the small note that Scabbard slipped into Danzō's robe.

o. o. o.

Somewhere on a road connected to Konoha:

"So, who do you think she's going to kill first?" Jiraiya chuckled as he and Naruto walked to the village where Tsunade and Shizune were waiting for them. "My money's on you. I mean seriously, we heard her pissed off shouting during the Exams from several towns away. Plus, it is practically your fault that we're in this whole time traveling situation in the first place…"

Naruto shook his head in denial. "No way, Ero-Sennin. She's totally going to kill you first. You've already seen and talked to her again, and every time you two talk, you do something perverted that causes Baa-chan to wail on you. I bet that the first thing she does is suffocate me in one of those hugs that can literally break my bones, then you say something stupid and Baa-chan'll punch you through a wall or something while forgetting that I need to breathe."

The perverted man looked at the blonde boy with a leery eye. "I see you're desperately trying to avoid bringing up the fact that when she does hug you your head will be in the Promised Land between those two wonderful mountains of Tsunade's… heheh…"

Naruto deadpanned. "I've had over half a dozen perverted teachers since I started training to be a ninja, and my will to not be perverted still has yet to be broken. You will not convince me to go to the dark side, Ero-Sennin, and if you push the subject, I WILL make you regret it."

Jiraiya snorted. "Feh! Boy, you may have supposedly surpassed me, but there is NOTHING you can do that will make me regret trying to make you into a pervert…"

Naruto grinned evilly. "… I know you were watching the first exam, Ero-Sennin. Tell me, how did you like the… show… that I put on for everyone?"

The Sanin's face paled dramatically. "You wouldn't…"

The boy's smile widened. "Oh, I would… only with more clones. Think about it, Ero-Sennin. Your own harem of…"

"STOP!" The large man shouted wildly before hunching over and barely keeping his lunch down. "You… you win this time… damn you… I'll… I'll let up on the perverted stuff. Just… just never speak of that possibility ever… EVER again…" The man dry heaved.

Naruto sighed contently. "Ah. How many high ranked shinobi does that make it for me now? Let's see… That blonde bombing guy, that Itachi clone guy, that guy with the 5 hearts, Jiji, Nagato…" Naruto started counting off people on his fingers.

Jiraiya sobered immediately as the blonde mentioned his old student's name. "Hold on, brat… about Nagato…" Naruto looked up curiously. "Can you… can you tell me more about him? I only learned so much about him from our fight before… you know. I heard that you saw the real him… and learned what happened... what changed him…"

Naruto's mirth disappeared as he calmed down a bit and continued to walk to a nearby village. "Yeah… I get it…" He sighed as he looked up. "Nagato… to be honest, he looked like a complete wreck. He was skinnier than Sakura when she was on that stupid diet of hers, and he had a bunch of those metal rods in his arms and back… only the ones in his back were massive. His body was hooked up to this huge… metal… crab… thing that could shoot more of those rods out of the front." The boy tried to widen his arms to show how big the walker was, getting a smirk out of the white haired man.

"Sounds like something you would think of putting in your ramen in one of your dreams, brat…" The sage chuckled.

The boy snorted. "As if. The thing didn't look edible at all, even if you covered it in all the ramen in the world. I have standards, unlike you."

Jiraiya looked offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Please. The first thing that comes into your head when you come across any female is their three sizes. If that giant crab had a rack, you would immediately try to guess what cup it had. Look me dead in the eye and tell me that you didn't think of Konan's three sizes when you first saw her."

The sage snorted. "Please, give me some credit, brat…" There was a brief pause. "… Do you really believe I need to actually THINK in order to figure out what a woman's three sizes are?" He grinned. "Or are you curious about what my old pupil's measurements were?"

The boy stuck his fingers in his ears and walked away quickly. "La la la la! I'm not listening! La la la la! You can't make me hear you! La la la la!"

Jiraiya laughed as he chased after the boy. "Haha! Run as much as you want, boy! I'll make you a raging pervert yet!"

o. o. o.

Back in Konoha:

Kakashi sighed as he waited for Sasuke at the side of a very familiar tea house and read another one of his books. It amused him how people reacted to seeing him reading his new choice of literature. Before, many would just look at him skeptically and walk away slowly, or in the women's cases, grunt and glare at him. Now, even though most people had found out that the books he read still had literary porn in them, they simply sighed and rolled their eyes in his presence, or looked at the title of the book in case they wanted to read it later. Still, he was paying a small amount of attention to the two men sitting in the building behind him. God, he loved multitasking.

"Oi Cyclops." Grumbled out a familiar voice, snapping him out of his latest new source of… inspiration. "You know, one of these days you're going to be arrested for reading that shit in public."

Kakashi didn't move his eye off the book as Zabuza walked up with a bored look in his eyes. "Well, until that day comes, you're more than welcome to join me, Zabuza. I heard that Jiraiya-sama's coming out with another book soon."

The assassin snorted. "Yeah, right. Too bad Haku will skewer me if she finds out I've been reading that stuff in front of anyone…" The man turned to see Asuma and Kurenai walking their way. "Well, lookie here. If it isn't our resident lovebirds. The smokestack and the pink eye."

Kurenai frowned as she and Asuma made their way to the two. "Keep talking like that and I'll be sure to give you a black eye. The heck are you two doing here, anyways? I thought you don't like sweets."

Kakashi eye smiled. "Oh, I'm just here to pick a few things up. I'm meeting up with Sasuke, too."

"I heard he and Sakura managed to take down some jōnin before running into Kabuto…" Asuma mused as he puffed on his stick. "That's pretty impressive. He's gotten strong since he's become a genin. You think he'll be promoted?"

Kakashi shrugged. "He's more likely to get promoted than not, but his odds aren't as good as some of the others. He only managed to fight in one match, and while he showed much promise, but you know how judges can be sometimes."

"How are they?" Kurenai asked curiously. "I heard that they were both injured pretty badly from their run in with Kabuto. Injuries caused from medical techniques are among the hardest to deal with."

The Sharingan wielder sighed. "Sasuke is pretty much completely healed. He had an arm and a leg broken and he had exhausted his chakra supplies from that day, but thanks to the medic teams, he was able to make a full recovery. I'm preventing him from training for a week so that everything sets correctly, just in case."

"And the pink one?" Zabuza asked. "I heard she won more fights in the Exams than anyone else."

Kakashi chuckled nervously. "Yeah. Who would have thought, eh?" The man's shoulders sagged a small amount. "Sakura came back in rough shape. Many of the back muscles near her spine were torn, and one of her lungs was completely totaled. For a good while she was in the red, but our medics managed to save her. Her estimated recovery time is supposedly 5 months, but Waltz told me that he can have her out of the bed and halfway through her rehab within a few weeks. Which is relieving, to say the least…"

Zabuza chuckled. "I wouldn't say that too soon, Kakashi. Remember who the guy is. Odds are, the girl is going to be twisted in the head like the rest of her team by the time she fully recovers."

The pervert merely shrugged as he continued to read his book. "Who says she isn't twisted already?"

"I'm on the fence with that statement…" Claimed a new voice, drawing attention to the young Uchiha, who was walking towards the shinobi already there. "Just don't tell her I said that." He looked at Kakashi. "You're here before me for once. That's a surprise…"

Asuma chuckled. "Don't get used to it, kid. We aren't."

Sasuke looked into the tea house and saw that there was an empty table near them with dango and tea. He grimaced. "I don't like sweets, Kakashi."

Said teacher gave Asuma, Kurenai, and Zabuza a sharp look with his free eye. The three nodded and all disappeared with a shunshin. "Really, now. You don't?" The man replied casually, pretending nothing was happening.

Several minutes later, by the river:

The two men who were formerly at the tea house were casually walking down the road until the three jōnin stepped up in front of them. "You guys aren't from around here… or from Suna or any of the other visiting villages, if your clothes have anything to say about it…" Asuma mused.

"I find it odd that you managed to get into the village while we are currently under martial law from the invasion…" Kurenai stated sternly. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

The shorter one stepped forward. "Long time, no see. Asuma-san. Kurenai-san…" The man raised his hat a bit to show his eyes, causing the two speakers to widen their eyes in shock.

"You… you're…" Kurenai said while subconsciously preparing her body for any attack.

"Hoh?" Mused the taller of the two shinobi, as he glanced at Zabuza and took off his hat. "It seems as if you're not the only one that's having a reunion today, Itachi. It's been a while, hasn't it, Zabuza-kun? I see that Kubikiri Hōchō has a new look. I'm surprised. I never would have guessed that you would join up with another village after you desperately tried to kill Yagura back then." (ED: Kubikiri Hōchō is Zabuza's sword, Decapitating (Carving Knife/Cleaver))

Zabuza smirked as he grabbed onto his sword. "And look at you, Kisame. Still pretending to be last month's seafood dinner, forgotten in the back of the freezer." The blue man's eyebrow twitched. "I see Samehada hasn't changed much. You know, I've always wondered: what does it feel like to be less attractive than a weapon that reminds one of a scaled leech?" (ED: Samehada is Kisame's sword, Shark Skin)

"Kisame Hoshigaki?" Kurenai asked with a frown. "I've heard of you. You're wanted all over the Elemental Nations for the murders of several Daimyō and the suspected conspiracy of planning to destroy several countries." She shifted her eyes between the two cloaked men. "Two S-class criminals…"

"Asuma, Kurenai, please don't interfere. I don't want to kill you…" Itachi warned, causing the blue man to smirk.

"Seems like he's leaving your head's fate up to me, Zabuza-kun." The largest man there smirked. "What a shame."

Asuma snorted as he discretely slipped his trench knuckles onto his hands. "Forgive me if I don't believe you… you know, since you killed your entire family and all." He paused. "So what brings you two to Konoha dressed like that? You wouldn't be here unless you have some sort of goal…"

Crash. Kisame slammed the still wrapped Samehada into the ground between the two groups. None of the people there flinched. "These guys are annoying. Should we kill them, Itachi?"

Before Itachi could respond, a new voice made itself known. "Oi! Would you guys mind keeping it quiet? I'm trying to sleep while hiding here!"

All five of the people in the road turned to look at the origin of the voice, only to see Ghost hanging upside down from a tree branch. Both his arms were in slings, but that did not stop the man from swinging side to side with a pouting face on.

Despite the severity of the situation, Asuma couldn't help but sweat drop. "… Please don't tell us that you've been hiding there the entire time…"

Ghost grinned. "I was in this tree for the past 30 hours! Genius, is it not?" He turned to the Akatsuki members. "Who the hell are these two, anyways? One looks like Sasuke gone mega emo with all that eyeliner he's wearing, and the other looks like he was rolled around in a mountain of Clorox as a child." (A/N: Clorox turns your skin blue.)

Zabuza snorted as Kisame gripped Samehada tightly. "Oh hohoho! Rolled around in Clorox! That's a new one! I'm definitely saving that for later."

Itachi didn't say anything as he looked at Ghost emotionlessly with his Sharingan eyes, who seemingly stared back through his glasses. The two were silent for several seconds… before a large bubble appeared from the upside-down man's nose and he fell to the ground with a soft thump and sobering the mood immediately.

Kurenai swore. "Shit… he already took Ghost out…"

Asuma struck up a boxing pose. "Tch. I guess the guy isn't as immune to genjutsu as he claimed to be…"

Zabuza took out his sword. "Oh well. More for me."

Kisame laughed. "Well, I didn't get to kill him, but that works too…"

Itachi remained silent as he turned his attention back to the Konoha shinobi. '… I didn't do anything to him…' "Regardless of what happened to this one… they are reluctant to let us leave easily. Just don't go too far, Kisame, or else you might cause more trouble for us than needed…"

The shark man smirked. "Well, then… if that's the case…"

Silence claimed the area as the five shinobi glared at each other, each on edge and waiting to see who moved first.

In a heartbeat, Kisame had swung down Samehada in an attempt to take out Kurenai, only to be stopped by Zabuza's Kubikiri Hōchō. "Wrong choice, bait breath…" The mummified man growled as he parried the blade and Kurenai flashed through several seals. "You guys go after your homecoming king. Kisame's all mine…"

Asuma snorted as he attempted to slice off Itachi's head with a good punch. He didn't have to worry about actually killing his opponent, the kid was simply too good, but he was a bit concerned about the possibility that something could go horribly wrong.

Itachi, for his part, was not having that much trouble keeping up with Asuma. Even though the fight was indeed fast paced, the Uchiha's inhuman speed, aided by his eyes, made him virtually untouchable to Asuma's attacks, both physical and chakra based. The best the smoker was able to accomplish was nicking the younger man's clothing a few times. Glancing to his side, the smoker saw Zabuza and Kisame slashing and dodging each other constantly and laughing all the while before the swordsman on his side was kicked back. While he was distracted, Itachi mimicked his partner and forced the large man back as well. "You're slow, Kurenai…" The man grunted as he got his bearings again. Suddenly, the ground beneath the two assailants shifted and turned against them, wrapping around Kisame's feet and around Itachi's body, preventing them from moving.

Morphing out of the tree that was wrapped around Itachi, Kurenai held a kunai, poised to attack. "It's over…" She stated, driving forward the blade. The next thing she knew however, she was standing in front of Itachi and completely restrained by the same tree that she had materialized moments before.

"This level of genjutsu will not work on me…" Itachi mused as the tip of a blade was shown just below his sleeve.

Kurenai acted on impulse and flashed out her chakra to release herself from the illusion and jump back to avoid the attack. If it had been a year earlier, she would have had to injure herself in order to wake herself up, but the additional training with the other teachers had increased her control and reflexes substantially. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as the young man followed up his slash with a kick that launched the woman over the lake. She managed to block, but her arms were jarred for a few seconds.

"Heh… not bad girl…" Kisame chuckled as he felt the illusion restricting his movements disappear. "It's too bad genjutsu doesn't work on Itachi…"

"You're paying attention to the wrong person again…" Zabuza growled as he finished making seals while his sword was stabbed straight into the ground. Grabbing the handle with his left hand, the assassin opened his right and cocked it back. "Let me show you what a big mistake that was. Water Style! Purge Cannon!" The man slammed his palm into the pommel of his sword. The next thing anyone knew, a massive spinning stream of water easily 5 meters in diameter blasted out of the pommel of the sword and rocketed at the surprised Kisame. The attack hit dead on and barreled forward, tearing up the road as it did so for a good distance before it died down.

Asuma whistled, clearly impressed. "Not bad. He's definitely been preparing for this fight, that's for sure…"

"It appears as if your group is more capable than originally anticipated…" Itachi mused as he stood over Kurenai. "However…"

"However, this fight is over for you…" Stated a voice from behind him.

"Water Style!" Shouted a voice from the rubble of Zabuza's attack.

"Water Shark Technique!" Kisame's and another voice shouted at once. Immediately afterwards, two streams of water rose from the river and collided with each other with bone crushing force. "Eh?" Kisame mused as he walked towards the group curiously. Some of the wraps around Samehada were undone, and his coat was scratched in a few places, but other than that he looked ready to go. "Someone replicated my technique?"

"So you just conveniently arrived?" Asuma asked curiously to the Kakashi nearest to him and Zabuza.

"Back off, Kakashi. Kisame's mine. I have everything under control here." Growled Zabuza.

"Oh, I had no intention of interrupting your fight, guys. I had full faith in your abilities…" Said the Kakashi on land.

"Still… I was a bit concerned, so I decided to check things out…" Finished the second copy-nin behind Itachi.

"Kakashi Hatake…" The youngest of the group mused.

"Impressive…" Chuckled Kisame. "So that's how you replicated my technique. I never thought I would see someone with the same eyes as Itachi… you must be that Copy Ninja Kakashi I've heard so much about…"

Kakashi didn't let his guard down. "It's surprising, in a way. Two suspicious people in a tea shop, who just so happened to be Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki… it almost sounds like a bad joke, if you think about it."

"Better not tell the Ōgakari, then…" Zabuza grumbled. "They'd run it straight into the ground…"

Kisame lifted his spiked sword onto his shoulder. "You know my name… I'm honored."

"Don't get any ideas, Kisame. You're still fighting me here…" Zabuza growled as he dislodged his sword from the street.

The largest man started to chuckle darkly. "Keheheheh. This is a great chance for me to do some damage…"

"Kisame… stop fooling around…" Itachi ordered, gaining the attention of everyone there. "If we fight with everyone here, we will take too long and more shinobi will appear. We did not come to fight a war. Don't forget the mission…"

"Oh? What mission is that?" Asked the Kakashi next to Zabuza as it disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Itachi turned to the real Kakashi. "We are looking for something…" He said quietly.

"And what would that something be, Itachi?" Kakashi asked in a dangerous tone as the two men glared at each other. Suddenly, Itachi's right hand dropped to show it was full of shuriken, but Kakashi's hands blazed at incredible speeds that reminded Zabuza of his fight with the man in Wave. Seconds later, a massive wall of water rose from the river around Kakashi to deflect the spinning drills that shot out just around it. From the wall, several more drills of water shot out at Itachi, who jumped away from Kurenai in order to dodge the attack.

"Impressive…" The Uchiha mused. "Your insightful eye is remarkable, Kakashi, and your speed is just as impressive." Shink. Another Itachi appeared behind Kakashi holding a kunai that was plunged into the silver haired man's back. "Am I right?" The new one asked.

"Dunno…" Mused a voice from behind the first Itachi, causing its eyes to widen. Behind it was another Kakashi with a kunai in its back. "You tell me." He said as the stabbed Kakashi turned into water.

"Hoh?" Kisame mused as he watched the fight with interest. "I didn't think there was a person outside of Kiri that could use the water clone so well." He turned to Zabuza and smirked. "Are you taking notes, Zabuza-kun? You could learn a thing or two from your friend… before Itachi kills him, at least."

BOOM! The Itachi that Kakashi stabbed exploded with incredible force.

"Kakashi!" Kurenai shouted in concern.

"Don't take your eyes off of him, Kurenai…" Ordered another Kakashi as he emerged from the water next to her, temporarily giving her a heart attack. "He's too dangerous to let out of your sights."

Kisame chuckled. "Well, well. That Kakashi was a clone as well? I take that back, Zabuza, you would definitely learn a lot from watching this guy. In fact… I think I'm going to switch fights now…" The blue man jumped to the river, prompting the other two men to give chase.

"Damn it, Kisame! Don't you dare run from me!" Zabuza roared as he landed on the river next to Kakashi.

"Impressive…" Itachi mused, completely ignoring his partner's antics. "Without having a single relation to the Uchiha, you manage to wield the Sharingan to that extent… however, your blood isn't like ours… that eye doesn't suit you…"

"Yet despite how much you are praising the Uchiha, you decided to destroy them all… aside from Sasuke. Sounds pretty hypocritical, if you ask me." Kakashi replied sternly.

"Sasuke?" Kisame asked curiously. "Who's that, Itachi? I thought you butchered your entire family like Zabuza-kun took out that entire graduating class."

Itachi closed his eyes. "Regardless of my past actions, it is time you realize why the Uchiha were regarded as the strongest. I will show you the Sharingan's true power…"

Kakashi's eyes widened. This was the moment that would make his day, or put him in the hospital for a long time. "Shit! Everyone close your eyes now!"

Asuma, Kurenai, and Zabuza didn't argue and immediately closed their eyes. "Care to enlighten us as to why you're having a heart attack, Kakashi?" Zabuza growled.

"Listen…" Kakashi said sternly. "Itachi is in possession of an incredibly powerful dōjutsu born genjutsu. It puts all the genjutsu that I or Kurenai can make to shame. If you get caught in it, the effects would be devastating, to say the least. Most likely, only another Sharingan can counter the effects of this technique enough…"

"That is somewhat true…" Itachi agreed. "As long as the target has the Sharingan… some resistance can be made… however, this genjutsu… Tsukuyomi… is special. Only another Sharingan user with the same blood as me could possibly beat me…"

Seconds later, Kakashi collapsed to one knee and panted heavily. "Kakashi!" Asuma yelled. "What the hell happened? You just fell as soon as this guy started talking!"

"Ugh…" Kakashi panted as he attempted to catch his breath. "It… isn't over yet… somehow… I managed to… make it…"

Asuma's and Zabuza's facial features momentarily twitched as Zabuza attempted to support the man with their eyes closed. Kisame didn't seem to notice, but Itachi did.

"Heh." Kisame chuckled. "That technique is used to break a person's spirit, isn't it? I'm surprised the guy is still alive. Still, shouldn't you be more careful about using your eye, Itachi? It's dangerous to you as well…"

"You… you still haven't answered my question…" Kakashi panted. "What are you after? Is it Sasuke?"

Itachi frowned. "No… we're after the Fourth's inheritance…"

"What?" Kurenai asked.

"Could they mean…" Asuma mumbled.

"You… you're after the Kyūbi… aren't you…" Kakashi panted. "You're… not the only ones either… your group's called Akatsuki… right?"

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Now how did you find out about our little club?"

Zabuza clicked his tongue. "Akatsuki? Fuck… I've heard of you guys when I was out freelancing… this is starting to get more annoying than I originally thought…"

"Kisame…" Itachi said sternly. "We're taking Kakashi with us. Make the rest disappear."

The large man smirked as he charged ahead. "Itachi, you just made my day!"

Zabuza swore. "That's it! I've had enough of this!" The bandaged man opened his eyes and charged forward and countered the larger and stronger man's sword with his own in a reverse grip.

"What's wrong Zabuza-kun? You losing steam already?" Kisame smirked as he found the man being pushed back rather easily… until he saw that the man had only one arm on his blade and the other drawn back to hit the pommel that happened to be right in front of his face. "Shit!"

"Time to drown a shark. Purge Cannon!" He roared as he slammed his palm on the pommel of the blade, causing another massive torrent of water to hit Kisame at point blank range and crash into the other side of the river. "I don't have to worry about that fucking eye if I'm not paying any attention to it. You'd think I'd know how to fight you annoying dōjutsu types by now after all that time going up against Kakashi."

"My friends! What unyouthful events are happening here?" Shouted a new voice, gaining the attention of everyone there.

"Great, the skintight spandex cavalry arrives. Huzzah…" Zabuza grumbled sarcastically as he jumped back and focused on where Kisame landed while Kakashi collapsed and sunk into the water.

"Gai, don't make eye contact with Itachi or you'll be hit with his genjutsu!" Asuma warned.

"I know!" Gai replied as he picked Kakashi out of the water. "I've trained to fight against the Sharingan, so I can beat Kakashi. Open your eyes! As long as you don't look at his face, you won't be hit by his illusions. Pay attention to his hands and feet, and work from there…"

"That's easier said than done, Gai…" Kurenai muttered as she and Asuma opened her eyes.

"So what's the plan, eyebrows?" Zabuza asked. "As it stands, you and me are the only ones that stand a chance against that Itachi kid… but there's no way in hell I'm just going to ignore Kisame when he's right in front of me…"

"I guess it's pointless to ask if there's bad history between you two…" Asuma mumbled.

Gai gave Kakashi to Kurenai. "Kurenai, take Kakashi to the hospital. Asuma, Zabuza and I will hold these two back to stall for time while the ANBU I called get here…"

An explosion from the other side of the river caught everyone's attention as Kisame landed next to Itachi, clearly more battered than he was before and just as irritated. A good third of his robe was shredded off and he had several scratches and welts all over his body. "Oh, now you've done it, Zabuza-kun. I was thinking of maybe letting you live with a few of your limbs cut off, but now…"

Zabuza readied himself. "Tch. I hit that bastard point blank and all it did was rough him up a little and piss him off."

"Kisame… stop…" Itachi ordered with the same monotone voice as normal.

"What?" His partner hissed angrily.

"We are not here to start a war. It is apparent that the Kyūbi isn't in the village. It is pointless to stay here anymore…"

Kisame glared at Itachi. "I finally… got excited. It's too bad…" He sighed as he put his sword on his back. "You brats don't know how lucky you are…"

"So you're running away then?" Zabuza growled.

"Zabuza! Don't push it! Having a full scale fight with these two in the village is the last thing we want right now!" Asuma yelled.

"One last thing before we leave…" Itachi added with his eyes closed. "I have heard rumors that Orochimaru has died. Are they true?"

Gai frowned. "Yes. Hokage-sama defeated him personally. There weren't even bones left after the fire died, and a sensor that was present was positive that his chakra did not escape the battle in any form."

"Heh. So he's actually dead, eh?" Kisame chuckled softly as he turned around. "Sasori's gonna be disappointed. He wanted to kill Orochimaru pretty badly after he left…"

With that the two men disappeared with a fast shunshin, leaving the jōnin there to contemplate what would happen next.

Some more than others.

o. o. o.

In a random training area in Konoha:

Sasuke panted as he analyzed the damage he had done to his surroundings. There were several holes and craters in the ground, and the large stone in front of him looked like a knife wielding maniac had gone nuts on a giant hunk of Swiss cheese. "Damn it…" He growled. "What don't I have?"

The Uchiha's mind had for the most part been surprisingly calm after the invasion… well, after he had talked to Sakura when she had woken up from her surgery, at least. The fact that his friend had laughed and shrugged off the fact that she had nearly died in front of him had replaced most of his rage and confusion with disbelief and dry humor… and more confusion. He just couldn't see why she didn't blame him for getting hurt. Any way he thought about it, it was because of him that she was put up against such a strong enemy in the first place.

It was then that Sakura hit him over the head weakly and explained that the two of them alone had to fight off three jōnin while protecting a civilian family in the middle of a war, right AFTER they had had several major fights in the Chūnin Exams. "Shit happens…" She croaked out. "Get used to it. Unless you had insane stamina reserves like Naruto, there was nothing you really could have done to change things. We're barely teenagers, Sasuke-kun. Give things time and get stronger… but don't forget who you are… and don't expect to win every time…"

The Uchiha took the words to heart. True, it was really common sense no matter who looked at things, but it still rubbed the boy the wrong way deep down. The only time it actually got to him was during the secret training sessions that he gave himself despite Kakashi's warnings to take things easy. The boy couldn't help it, though. Training was like a pastime of his. If he was frustrated, he trained. If he was bored, he trained. If he wanted to get stronger, he trained. Now though, every time he did so, Kabuto's smirking face popped up, and it was driving him mad enough to push himself to his limits every time he punched a post.

"Naruto… Naruto would have been able to deal with that situation…" The boy growled to himself. "He has the Kyubi in him… and with all that extra chakra…" He looked at the modified curse mark on his shoulder. Truth be told, the thought of using it did cross his mind during the event… but the lure of power didn't make him ignorant. Crypt had warned him that the seal was in a temporary incubation period. If he tried to use it within the next two remaining weeks, the seal would implode on itself and trigger all of the links it had to his body to go off as well, killing him. Normally, Sasuke would be willing to push the rules a bit if it was a normal-ish person talking to him, but this was Crypt. The guy had two modes, fucking crazy-scary, and fucking scary-scary. If someone like that is telling you to do or not to do something and he actually means it, you follow those orders without question and pray to god he doesn't eat you. End of story.

However, this massive internal conflict only happened when he trained. The rest of the time, he managed to remain calm, collected, and spoke in constant sarcasm.

Sighing to himself, Sasuke turned around and decided to visit Kakashi. The man had told him to come visit his place later right after the teachers left to do something before Kakashi went after them. The boy dashed through the village to get to Kakashi's apartment, taking in the sights of the village as he did so. While there was a fair amount of damage, for the most part his home had come out of things lightly. Even an inexperienced genin like himself could tell that things could have been much worse if their counterattack hadn't been so well planned out. Still, that didn't mean that there weren't unfortunates. He couldn't pass over a road without seeing at least half a dozen people in crutches or casts walking down it. Sighing to himself, the boy landed in front of Kakashi's building. "I guess medical techniques are handier than I thought… I should probably ask Hana or Sakura to teach me a few more in my training… it would probably help out with my control a bit so I can use my other techniques easier…"

The Uchiha walked into Kakashi's room, only to see the man lying in his bed, surrounded by an unnerved Gai, Zabuza, Asuma, and Kurenai. "Kakashi?" He looked around. "Why is he sleeping and you guys are in here like this? It's too quiet for me to think that you all ganged up on him for being an open pervert again…"

"Er…" Gai stumbled on his words. "It's nothing really, just a small jōnin exercise accident and um…"

Gai was interrupted as a chūnin ran to the room. "Hey! Did Itachi really return and is chasing Naruto? Is it true?"

"Oh boy…" Asuma groaned.

"Idiot…" Kurenai swore.

Sasuke on the other hand didn't say anything as he immediately burst out the door as fast as he could. Gai quickly chased after him.

"Kurenai." Asuma muttered. "Tell dad what happened here and make sure that it stays under wraps." He turned to the chūnin. "You, on the other hand, will get your stupid ass out of my sight and not say a god damn thing for the next week or I will personally use you as my training dummy. Got it?"

"Right!" Both said, one in fear and the other in obligation as they ran out of the room.

All three men there were silent before Zabuza spoke up again. "So, did the brat listen?"

Kakashi opened up his normal eye. "Yeah… but not before he managed to stab me a few dozen times in that genjutsu of his."

"So what's his take on everything?" Asuma asked.

"He's… willing to listen and go along with things… for now…" The man groaned as he managed to push himself up into a sitting position. "He's very skeptical… of course, for good reason… but the fact that we share the same enemy and goals… which he believed that no one knew of, helped convince him a small amount."

"I heard that last time this happened, he screwed around with the brat's head, big time…" Zabuza sighed. "It's what those insane bastards think is one of the main drives that caused him to go nuts that time. You sure to remind him not to do that this time? I'm not too keen on being around a mentally unstable person lusting for power. I'm having enough trouble being around overpowered mentally unstable people."

The cyclops sighed. "I failed him once, Zabuza. I made absolutely sure not to fail him again. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to face my teacher, my father, and my teammates in the afterlife…"

The large man sighed. "Geez. I get it already. You don't have to get all weepy and emotional on me."

Asuma raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of emotional, you were having trouble keeping your head on your shoulders, Zabuza. Care to tell us what happened between you and Kisame?"

The swordsman grunted. "Where do I start? Kisame was always an overconfident prick. Sure, he had the power to back it up, but none of the other Swordsmen… hell, almost no one in Kiri liked the guy. You couldn't go at least two weeks without hearing about how he butchered some random group that just happened to pass by him, and no one would do anything about it."

"Funny, many people would assume the same thing about you." Chuckled Kakashi.

The mummy glanced at the speaker. "Haha. Very funny. For your information, I only beat the living shit out of the bastards that pissed me off back home." He took in a deep breath. "Anyways, Kisame had always rubbed Yagura and me the wrong way. When Yagura took office, the blue bastard was constantly botching up big missions. He would get them done, sure, but he often killed just about everyone in the area as well. It didn't leave us with a good image. Then Yagura started to change… you guys know what happened as an end result: the Bloodline Purges. The weird thing was, Kisame not only became the front runner for the massacres, but we could tell that he knew more about what was happening than the rest of us." He frowned. "I had already adopted Haku before the Purges really began to gain momentum… and Kisame was the one who ratted us out to Yagura…"

Asuma whistled. "This… is one hell of a story."

"It gets better…" The swordsman groaned as he scratched the back of his head in a frustrated manner. "You guys know I staged that coup, right?" The other men nodded. "Well… to be honest, I had only joined it at the last second. I decided that Yagura had gone too far, and my home wouldn't last much longer if this kept up. So… the coup started, and I just so happened to be killing the most people there and got the farthest… so naturally, people thought I was the one who started the whole thing and wanted the title of Kage myself. As I kept on going farther ahead, the thought kinda appealed to me. You know, the ends and the means were all there anyways, so why the hell not. If I won, I'd bring things to a close, and get the hat as a nice bonus." His posture slumped. "Unfortunately, by the time I got to the office, I wasn't driven back by Yagura… but by Kisame. Yagura was simply sitting in his desk and staring at me with empty eyes… like he was in a dream."

Kakashi frowned. "So he was under someone else's control, like the Ōgakari assumed…"

"Yeah, and Kisame had been working with the guy behind the curtains the entire time." The man growled before he continued. "So, Kisame kicks my ass, to put it lightly, in front of my brainwashed friend. I barely managed to escape thanks to the fact that fish face sucked at navigating himself in the blind when I whipped up some mist. I get away and get some annoying tagalong leftovers from the coup, and suddenly people start calling me the mastermind of the entire cluster-fuck since I actually lived. I didn't feel like bothering to correct them by then, since the idea had become somewhat appealing, and the rest is what everyone else knows."

"Let it be known that Zabuza Momochi is known to go with the flow…" Kakashi chuckled weakly.

"Speaking of people who go along with other people's ideas, where's Ghost?" Asuma mused. "Did anyone check that bush after Itachi and Kisame left?"

The other two men paused and looked at each other momentarily before shrugging. "I didn't even know he was there." Kakashi weakly excused himself.

"He was hanging upside down in a tree when that Itachi kid hit him with a genjutsu and made him fall asleep." Zabuza sighed. "The idiot landed headfirst into a bush and didn't get up afterwards."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "… Genjutsu doesn't work on Ghost. I know. I've tried."

Asuma sweatdropped. "… do you mean to say that the idiot just so happened to fall asleep while staring at Itachi Uchiha of all people and fell on his head for no reason at all?"

All three men in the room remained quiet as they pondered the question. Soon enough, all three of them were covered in sweat drops. "The more you think about it…" Kakashi mused with a nervous chuckle.

"That… lazy… pathetic… no good fucking…" Zabuza started to rant.

"Hold on…" Asuma mused. "That still doesn't explain where he is. If he just so conveniently fell asleep…"

Kakashi sighed as he managed to take out one of his orange books from behind his pillow. "Whatever he's doing, we have no part in it, Asuma. Right now, you are simply guarding me until some more doctors get a better evaluation on my status… anyways, it gives us an excuse to not go to any more meetings for a while… though I doubt that there will be any at the moment, what with word of Itachi's return spreading around…"

Zabuza raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "What happened to you in that illusion, anyways? If what you said was true, why did you still come out looking like shit?"

The silver haired man lazily looked up at Zabuza. "Oh that? I simply sparred with Itachi in that world of his for the last 12 hours. It really took a lot out of me, you know. Itachi is known to be a prodigy after all…" He looked down at the book again. "Odds are, he's already planned out what to do for countless situations for when he encounters Naruto and during the bijū hunt in the next few years based on what I've told him. Even without his memories back, he will probably make the best possible choices. That's just the kind of person he is."

o. o. o.

Hinata stood in front of her clan's new council patiently as they talked among themselves. Personally, she was surprised it took them this long in order to get on to the topic of her development. The invasion had not even come close to her clan compound, and the number of casualties the clan itself had suffered was almost nonexistent.

"Hinata Hyūga…" Hiashi said with authority. "We have brought you to stand before us to receive your evaluation on your recent exploits, as well as question you on your developing skills. Depending on your answers, we will determine your current status in the clan and your future clan education…"

The girl stared back at her elders with a stern gaze, but on the inside she was very unnerved. Her father's wording about her future education was too vague to determine what would happen after the meeting. She would have to tread carefully. True, the clan was much better than it was before, but it still was a very strict and hard family regardless. "I… see…" She claimed, thinking about her next words and steps wisely. "What questions do you wish to ask me? I will try my best to give you adequate answers."

Hiashi nodded, understanding what his daughter had just insinuated. He had little doubt that several of the more experienced elders still on the council caught on to the girl's play on words as well. "First, allow me to express my feelings on your performance in the Chūnin Exams. While I am not one that is easily impressed, I must admit that your display of skill during your match against the Uzumaki boy was beyond any and all expectations that we had for you…"

"You have quite a range of techniques under your belt, young one…" Mused one of the original elders, one that tended to be uninvolved and quiet during most clan meetings. "Is it true that you created the ones that are not registered in our clan's archives?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, all of the unique techniques I used in the exam are of my own creation, and like before, these techniques are protected by law. I am not obligated to teach anyone these techniques, even by clan law." She paused as she attempted to see if she could mark out any elders that may prove to be problems in the future from their facial expressions, only to come up with nothing as the elders remained stoic. "… However, due to the fact that I still have yet to explore every detail and aspect of many of these moves, it would be too dangerous and irresponsible for me to teach any of our clan members these techniques until I have explored their uses to a satisfactory degree."

Many of the elders nodded, agreeing with the girl's explanation, though somewhat disappointed that they were unable to access the girl's new skills. Only Hiashi and his mother caught the small play on words the girl had displayed in her speech. "You speak well, child…" One of the new elders commented. "No doubt you have been prepared for this kind of situation…"

Hinata bowed. "As clan heiress, I will be eventually be tasked with political missions that require me to speak like this. I have been taught to be polite and upstanding since birth here and it is second nature to me. My ability to maneuver myself in this kind of situation, however… developed with my recent training with the Ōgakari. As everyone here knows, they are rather talented in the art of misdirection." Several people in the room made a brief chuckling sound. "During my early training with them, they helped me with my self-confidence problems while at the same time developing my ability to think ahead and maneuver myself in a conversation." She paused before looking to the side in an embarrassed way. "N-Naruto-kun was my… you could call him my test subject for my earlier attempts."

Despite some of the disapproving looks on some of the other member's faces, Hiashi managed to crack a small grin. "I do not doubt you. The Ōgakari have long since proven that they are not above exploiting the boy for their own amusement…"

"Speaking of… the child…" Mused one of the more disgruntled Hyūga. "I would like to know more of the match between you and him before we reach an adequate conclusion on the subject. I am most curious to know how you managed to deal with that… technique of his and his master's…"

Many of the elders started to converse amongst themselves in agreement. Though they were eternally grateful for the clan for putting their clan on the right path, the presence of a technique that could effectively shut down and blind their bloodline limit was very unsettling to them.

Hinata took in a deep breath and calmed herself. Ghost had given her permission to tell them what she knew about the Seventh Sense technique and how she had managed to counter it, but only because the man was the definition of overconfident. She herself was nervous in the possibility that the weakness would be spread out if she told her family. "Before I begin… I would like your words… honorable elders… that this information will not spread outside this room…" She started carefully. "I don't want to place my friend's life in danger by telling you about his techniques…"

Hiashi nodded as he looked around. "You have our word that this information will be kept strictly confidential. You may continue, Hinata."

The girl nodded. "The technique is known as the Seventh sense. It can only be used by people with both a strong wind affinity and exceptionally large chakra reserves, although additional training and conditioning is required to perform it as well. It enables the user to be constantly aware of anything around them so long as the air is touching it by forcing their chakra into the air and making it linger while still keeping a connection to it. With some practice, it can also be used to sense others by chakra signature. In its passive state, the user's range is limited, but still active, acting much like our Byakugan to some degree. Depending on the skill of the user, the range varies. Naruto-kun's range I think is around 400 meters now, and Ghost-sensei's is about one kilometer."

Many of the clan elders were grumbling avidly at the new information. "You said that this was their passive state ranges…" One elder commented. "Do you know of what their max ranges are?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I don't… but judging from what happened a few days ago and from what I've heard… I think it would be safe to assume that Ghost-sensei's range can reach well over 40 kilometers, since his… roar, was clearly heard even outside the village…"

Even Hiashi was unnerved by that statement as he realized what his daughter was talking about. "I… see. Indeed… your statement does make sense… please continue…"

Hinata sighed. "While the Seventh Sense's main task is to provide additional sensory and awareness to the user, it also enables him or her to control and or manipulate the air within their range with unnatural ease. Sensei has more than once used it to reduce the amount of noise he makes when he moves… even though he is already incredibly silent as he is, and adjust where other sounds seem to come from to disorient his opponents during combat. No doubt he has other uses for this aspect for the technique, but I have yet to learn of them, or it would take too long to list them all out…"

"What about during your match?" Another elder asked curiously. "How did the boy manage to blind us so easily if his chakra was already there? And how did you manage to surprise him if the technique is supposed to make him aware of everywhere the air touches?"

The girl took in a deep breath as she knew that she was going into dangerous grounds now. "The reason why we were blinded by the technique… is because Sensei and Naruto used a technique referred to as Presence. It is apparently an advanced form of killing intent that is mixed with high levels of chakra control to produce a much more oppressive feeling that supposedly reflects the user's true nature. Sensei has used it several times on me and my fellow genin during our training in order to test our resolve and our wills, to make us stronger and more decisive in case we are caught in a large fight. I have heard it is somewhat similar to opening the Eight Inner Gates when it comes to its effects on the body, but it is also a very draining technique… also, if you know what it is, you can identify the user, so it is not used that often…"

"This… Presence…" Another Hyūga elder mused. "Have you ever felt it from one of the other Ōgakari?"

Hinata froze as she remembered her encounter with a very bloodthirsty Crypt after the preliminaries. "Y-Yes…" She fumbled as she remembered the horrifying experience. "I… I felt Crypt Ōgakari's Presence… once… in the hospital after that incident involving that spy… and I also felt Waltz Ōgakari's Presence once while training…" She swallowed heavily. "I… I would prefer not to talk about those experiences…"

The adults in the room looked at each other with frowns on their faces as they watched Hinata's reactions to the question. "… Hinata…" Hiashi started carefully. "If possible… I think it would be best if you would describe those feelings to us… in case we encounter them in the future…"

The girl nodded as she took in a deep breath. "Crypt Ōgakari's presence is in a word… bloodthirsty… in its literal meaning." The adults raised their eyebrows. "The man's nature is unstable to a terrifying degree… yet its core remains remarkably stable. I… believe it is similar to staring down a raging beast that is trying to accomplish something…" She looked around. "It is when he is using his Presence… or most likely when the time calls for it, that he is… coherent… of the world around him, and his personality changes. He becomes calmer, but more violent. Articulate, precise… almost regal in the way he carries himself, but also extremely twisted and very dark. I would almost say that he's another personality if the level of insanity between his two… moods… had actually changed much." She paused. "However… I have only seen him like this once, so I believe he does not… become like this often."

The council room was filled with low muttering as they processed the information. It was a bit unnerving that the person that created their seals was a complete psycho, but then again, until recently they themselves were enslaving members of their family. "What would your recommendation for dealing with Crypt should we encounter him like this?" Hiashi's mother asked curiously.

Hinata swallowed heavily and remembered what the man had told her in his sane state. "My advice… is to not get in his way or antagonize him in any manner. Like I mentioned before… his presence was the pure definition of the term bloodthirsty. He… he did not seem to be the type to ensure that those involved with whatever he was doing would remain unharmed if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time… unless they have his interest. However… I believe most people would act this way regardless if they ever encountered him as such…"

"Hmmm." Hiashi mused as he processed the information. "I will keep that in mind. What about the elder's… Presence?"

Hinata looked to the side nervously and started to shiver. "I…I wasn't even close to him when I felt it… but it was strong… very strong. I… I couldn't even breathe or move when I was hit by it. It was like I was at the bottom of the ocean with all the pressure focused on me… and something massive was looking down just out of my sight. It was… completely overwhelming." She shook herself. "Sensei explained to me that Waltz-sama has the strongest Presence that they know of. Later, I found out that almost all of my other classmates had passed out from the event as well, as well as a couple of my other sensei…

"Hm…" Grunted one of the younger elders of the council. "I… remember experiencing a feeling like that briefly during the invasion. I was in the arena fighting near where Hokage-sama was dueling Orochimaru when I was overcome with an overwhelming sensation originating from the barrier. Using my eyes, I saw that Waltz-san was focusing his chakra in a peculiar way to match his killing intent. I presume this is this… Presence… technique that you have been talking about." The elder sighed as he sat back down into his chair. "Regardless, after listening to her descriptions of the technique and how they feel, I am willing to back up her claim with my own experiences."

"Getting back onto subject, though…" Hiashi interrupted as he looked down at Hinata. "How were you able to counter the technique during the exams? Because of the boy's chakra flowing everywhere, we could not see what happened exactly..."

Hinata shuffled in place. "I… I managed to counter the Seventh sense thanks to… Ghost-sensei's help… He taught me how to create a pocket in the air with Kaiten, which would negate the chakra in the air that Naruto had… and in my Daioh Kaiten, I managed to close a large amount of distance between Naruto-kun and I without him noticing until it was too late…"

This had the elder's attention. "You… you mean to tell us that the creator of the technique himself told you what its weaknesses were and how to exploit them?" Asked one of elders dubiously.

Hinata nodded. "Y-Yes. He didn't seem to be all that concerned with informing me about possible ways to counter the technique. In fact he seemed rather anxious to see if I could think of or create any other possible methods. It was also apparent during my match with Naruto-kun that Naruto was not informed of any of these possible counters…"

"That devil may care attitude of his will be the death of him…" Grumbled one of the elders. "What purpose does it serve to inform others of your own weaknesses?"

Hiashi frowned. "… no… actually it makes sense…" Gaining other people's attention. "The man was using Hinata to analyze the countermeasures in a controlled environment…"

"Father…" Hinata interrupted. "Sensei informed me of what he was doing before I even started my training. He knew that I would eventually inform you of this trait, but, well… he didn't seem to care much regardless. He said it was better and safer to work on your weaknesses and flaws against allies than enemies…"

The council remained quiet as the words sunk in. The man was indirectly guilt tripping them while giving valuable advice at the same time.

'I hate it when he does things like this…' Hiashi mentally grumbled as he looked around to see the minute insecure changes in many of the council member's faces. "Well, then…" He coughed. "It is relieving to know that the Ōgakari consider the Hyūga clan to be allies. No doubt we can expect to have more interactions between our families in the near future…" He cleared his throat. "Moving on… I am quite curious as to how you managed to produce enough chakra to perform your… Daioh Kaiten. As you are now, I cannot see how you pulled off such a feat without accessing your Inner Gates…"

Hinata nodded before taking out her crystal necklace. "On my last birthday, Sensei and Naruto-kun gave me this. According to Sensei, it is a special stone made by Crypt-san that can absorb and store large amounts of chakra and other energy for incredibly long periods of time. When I received it, Naruto-kun had already stored a large amount of his chakra inside it." She looked to the side with a very slight blush on her face. "The first time I used it for training… I… accidentally almost suffered a case of chakra overload. That was actually the first time I performed the Daioh Kaiten… it was completely by accident…"

Many of the elders chuckled. It was common knowledge that some of the most useful shinobi techniques were created by accident or happenstance. "Hinata…" Spoke one of the female elders. "What are your goals for the future?"

The girl looked around before putting on a calm face. "I… my goal… has already been fulfilled, elder." She paused, getting odd looks from the other shinobi there. "My dream was to find a way to join our clan together and to put a stop to the Caged Bird Seal. My entire life, I had to watch as our family slowly destroyed itself from the inside, as family members looked at each other with disdain… even sometimes killing intent. I couldn't take it… my own cousin, who I looked to as a brother, even considered me an enemy…" Many of the elders shifted in their seats, uncomfortable at being reminded of how bad their family relations were. "Now, though… I don't really know. I'm thinking of training to become a medic-nin so I can help others, but other than that and some personal goals of mine… my future is rather blank… I apologize if my answer is a bit vague, but I haven't had much time to think about it with the exams and our recent clan changes."

"Hmm…" Hiashi mused as the other elders conversed among themselves. "Hinata… in your honest opinion, how strong do you believe you are… and how strong do you see yourself on becoming in the future?"

The girl looked back at her father with contemplating eyes. "… I believe I have a chance of becoming a special jōnin in the next year if I focus completely on that task, should I be given my vest after this exam… though I believe I still require much more experience and skills in various fields before I can comfortably secure myself in that position." The elders nodded, accepting the girl's answer as an adequate response given what they have seen and any possible skills she has yet to show. "As for the future…" She continued, remembering what Naruto had to face soon. "I… wish to become strong enough to at least pose a decent deterrent to anyone who may threaten those who are precious to me…"

Hiashi frowned a bit. 'She knows about the Akatsuki… her goals for herself are quite immense… however, if her progress so far has been any indication, she may just be able to reach that level of strength within that timeframe…' "I see…" He said sternly, staring back at his daughter with unwavering and understanding eyes. "You have set some high goals for yourself, daughter. The shinobi world is an unforgiving place, with many powerful individuals. As time passes, there will be no doubt that some of them will eventually set their sights on you or your friends, especially after the demonstration you put on several days ago. I am certain you are aware that you cannot protect everyone all the time. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Hinata looked back at him with determined eyes, ones that Hiashi had not seen in his daughter for a long time. "Yes, father. I am aware of that, which is why I am training to become an accomplished medic in addition to furthering my other skills in order to ensure that those who are hurt will have a better chance of coming back alive. I have practiced basic medical techniques and making medical salves privately for years now, but it was only recently that I was able to learn jutsu on the subject from Hana-sensei."

"I am well aware of many of your opinions of a Hyūga going down the road of medicine, and to be honest, I am disturbed by how shallow some members of this clan can be. Tsunade Senju-sama is part of a clan that was greater in honor than our own, yet not only did she become a medic, but by doing so she became renowned as one of the best kunoichi in the Elemental Nations. Hana-sensei has more than once complimented me on my progress and has claimed that our eyes are one of the best possible tools a medic could have. To say that studying the art of medicine is below us is the same as saying it's okay to allow our friends and allies to suffer and die in front of our eyes, and that is something that will never pass through my lips."

"That is… a rather bold statement, young one…" One of the new elders said with inquisitive eyes. "Are by chance saying that our clan teachings on the subject have been misled?"

The girl looked back sternly. "Yes." She replied bluntly. "Although it is obviously not the greatest error our family has made over the years, it is still a large one that no doubt would embarrass and dishonor us greatly if it were known to the civilians and lower ranking shinobi, who would no doubt disapprove of us putting our pride before the safety of those who we are fighting for."

There was much arguing and discussion among the council as they agreed and disagreed with the girl's statement. Though the council was changed, many old habits were hard to change, especially with ones as old and strict as themselves. "Well, then…" Hiashi sighed, hoping to steer the conversation somewhere before his daughter digs her own grave. "What would you do, daughter? Though you claim you are progressing well in the medical field, there is only so much you can learn before it starts to use your time saved for other tasks, such as combat practice and your duties to the clan…"

Hinata sighed. "With all due respect, father, I believe I have proven that I can spend less time on my combat practice than normal and still be capable enough to give even a special jōnin a difficult time. Of course, I will make my clan duties my highest priority, but at my age they are still few and far in between, and so should not cause many issues with my training and my missions. To be honest, I have seen multiple people in the clan that would serve both the village and us more efficiently as medics rather than front line soldiers. While they appear to be less proficient in our clan's taijutsu than the majority of us, they none the less have managed to display the same amount of chakra control, if not more than their peers. I believe that these individuals would be perfect for sending into the new medical program that I have heard that will be established soon…"

"Medical program?" Hiashi said curiously. "This is the first I have heard of this, and I am in the council… Is this another one of the Ōgakari's plans?"

Hinata blanched before nervously looking away. "I… I wasn't aware that you didn't know, father…" She hesitated. "I… I don't know much myself… but Ghost-sensei and Waltz-sensei have occasionally mentioned that someone is coming to the village soon that happens to be a medical expert that would start off the program soon after she gets here. I barely heard her name spoken one time… but I think that they were talking about Tsunade-sama…"

The elders gasped. "Tsunade Senju?" One wheezed. "She is returning?"

"This indeed is something worth noting, Hinata… one that you should have mentioned earlier…" One of the elders chided. "Had you not mentioned the Sannin's return, we would have remained skeptical of your idea… but if it is Tsunade-hime in charge of the program…"

Hiashi remained stern as he processed this information. "Hinata, how soon do you believe Tsunade will be here?"

Hinata looked to the side nervously. "I… I don't know. I think I heard Ghost-sensei say that Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-kun were going to get her soon after the Exams… but other than that… I can only give a guess and say at most a month. They did not seem to be worried about getting her to return…"

"The Uzumaki boy again?" Complained one of the more stubborn elders. "It is like the Ōgakari are trying to stick him in the middle of every important event."

"Indeed…" Mused another, more lenient elder. "However, you cannot deny that the child has been gaining some credibility since his admission into our ranks. If the rumors are true, he has already defeated a special jōnin from Kusa, helped Kakashi defeat Zabuza, he is already an accomplished sensor, he aided many of our civilians evacuate during the invasion, then there were his fights in the Exams against Hinata-san and Uchiha-san, which were more than exceptional, and I have heard from some of our clansmen that he helped a Kusa platoon retake control of one of the main roads of the village from a large squad of Oto shinobi… plus, there is no doubt that he is taking after his master in both skill and personality… though whether that's a good thing or not is still to be determined…"

Several grunts of agreement sounded off in the room. Hiashi sighed as he saw his daughter try to maintain her temper as the other men unknowingly insulted her crush in front of her. "I believe that this conversation would best be shelved for a later time, when we have more to discuss on the subject. For now, it is easy to say that my daughter has given us more than enough to discuss for the next few meetings. Hinata, in recent days, you have displayed tremendous amounts of skill and dedication on multiple fields. This meeting was yet another test to see how you are developing. Though you have shown that there is still room for improvement before you are ready for diplomatic meetings between clans, you have also shown significant dedication and insight to the clan. As of right now, you are still the heiress of this clan, and shall remain so unless you desire to pass this title to your sister, or if you prove yourself unfit for the position." His eyes softened a bit. "You have grown much, Hinata. I look forward to seeing how much you will accomplish in the future…"

o. o. o.

That night, in the Ōgakari Compound:

"What the FUCK!" Shadow roared as she slammed Scabbard against the wall. "I thought we were going to turn Naruto into my next new plaything after the invasion?!"

Scabbard frowned. "And risk having him run around the village and increase his chance of running into Itachi and Kisame early? I thought you were smarter than that, sister…"

The irate woman let go of the calm man. "Tch. Fine. I'll wait a few more days. But if that brat isn't here in two weeks, I'm grabbing Crypt and dragging him to the kid myself! I don't care if he's locked himself in his room again, I swear I'll…" She paused. "Hold on… he locked himself in his room again?" She turned to look at Scab, who was staring back with a poker face on. "Okay… what did I miss?" She sighed in a resigned tone. "Crypt has done hybrid fusions so many god damn times that he can do it in his sleep. What did he find in the kid's seal?"

The intelligent man straightened out his clothes before walking towards his room again. It was one of the more secure rooms in the building, seeing as the door handle had a charge with an incredibly high frequency current running through it. Regardless of how much power one put in their hands, unless they matched the frequency of their energy with the handle, the owner would get jolted in a way that could easily cause a healthy man's heart to skip more than a few beats. "Crypt apparently found something interesting with the chakra used to write the seal. It didn't match Minato's, this world's Shinigami, or Naruto's chakra, however there were oddly enough traces of the Kyūbi's chakra mixed in, even though the source was clearly human. Crypt was checking out a sample of the chakra source earlier… but right now, he's off doing a small errand for me." He opened his door to reveal the multiple machines, tubes, screens, and computers that laced the walls of his room. The view distracted the girl from seeing the evil smirk on the man's face. "I'm going to check our… sources…" The man and woman couldn't help but snort a small amount at the statement. "To see if anything new has come up recently…"

Shadow laughed. "Hah! Oh man, I wonder how those guys would take it if they found out we know so much about them because they are used as characters in a manga…"

Scabbard shrugged. "Could be worse, Shadow. They could have been made up OCs for fanfiction."

The woman shuddered. "Don't joke like that, Scab. It's creepy to just think about something like that." She slapped herself in the face before following her brother. "So… Ghost is off doing… whatever he's doing… and Waltz is still doing rounds in the hospital?"

The green haired man nodded. "Yes. He's making plenty of progress, but he still has to work overnight again. It doesn't help that he's been keeping an eye on that Kin girl as well…"

Shadow's demeanor darkened. "…You think he's going to start volunteering at the orphanage again?"

Scab sighed as he took out a scroll and unraveled it to reveal the beginnings of a long and complicated document. "… He'll take things one step at a time, sister. So long as things are kept in moderation, we will have nothing to worry about. We have our comforting activities, and Waltz has his. Just remember to help him out once in a while…"

The woman nodded as she walked out of the room again while the man continued to write on the scroll. "Hey…" She mused in a depressed tone. "I've always been meaning to ask… I mean since I wasn't there for… that time for Waltz. Who snapped worse? Him… or Ghost… when Sasha… you know…"

"You know better than I do that that kind of question is beyond anything I can answer, sister." Scabbard said sternly with his pen in his nonmoving hand without looking up. "Both suffered enough during those times to lose control of their powers, which in essence are enough to even pose a significant threat to Zuzushi. The difference in those powers and the damage they caused was irrelevant. Those two are the most mentally stable out of all of us. The fact that they lost control of themselves is enough to not ask any more questions…"

"Yeah…" The woman sighed as she walked away. "Sorry about that… forget I asked." She paused for a moment. "Hold on… you said you sent Crypt to do an errand for you… as in, by himself?"

"Yep…" The man replied in a monotone voice before the door closed between them.

Shadow blinked curiously at the door for several moments. "Damn it… something extraordinarily horrible is going to happen to someone, and I'm not there to laugh at them."

o. o. o.

Root Headquarters:

Danzō sat down in his office breathing heavily as he went over the information he had been given in the past few days. His mentor, Tobirama Senju had been resurrected by Orochimaru… and then brought over to his side by the Ōgakari of all people… and then remained in the village for a good 9 hours before disappearing again… and the entire time, he had been hiding in his private bunker, waiting for the fighting to stop! Then when he asked Sarutobi about it, the bastard had the nerve to tell him about enjoying a few hours with the dead man and talking about the old days, before apologizing for not being able to find him before his teacher turned to dust again!

If that wasn't bad enough, not a single Ōgakari had come close to dying in the invasion. In fact, the blasted family had practically made an entire show of the entire event! The village's support for them was growing at an alarming rate, and even some of the other shinobi villages were taking notice of them as well!

Orochimaru's death was both a good and bad thing. True, the Sannin was no longer around to reveal some of his more hidden activities, but it also deprived him of another possible branch of actions and resources he could have used in the future. Plus, he had knowledge of only a couple of the man's hidden laboratories' locations. If the man had recorded his deals with the elder… his only hope was that the information was destroyed or lost in the oncoming days…

But no… the icing on the proverbial shit cake that just made the man's day was that Itachi had returned… if not momentarily. He was no fool. Danzō knew exactly why Itachi had shown up, and it wasn't to kidnap the Uzumaki boy, even though that would have been a definite plus at the rate the child was progressing. No, Itachi had shown up specifically to remind him that the boy was still alive, and that Sasuke was still off limits… not that he would have been able to touch the boy anyways, with the Ōgakari around. He shivered at the thought of Itachi actually coming into contact with the obscene clan… and noticed a small piece of paper falling out of the folds of his clothing.

The man instantly froze. He had been in enough wars and espionage missions to know that he could have easily been killed right there and then. Quickly making a shadow clone, the man backed up to his door as the apparition slowly and carefully opened the letter… only to find it was just a letter. Grunting to himself, the man walked forward and grabbed the paper from his clone, which dispelled itself, and read it. By the time he finished it, the paper was almost illegible due to the fact that it was crumpled between his shaking fists.

Dear 12 Eyes,

Thanks for the entertainment during the invasion. We thought we were going to be bored out of our minds fighting only small fry, but thanks to you, we had a blast. It's too bad you didn't get a chance to talk to Tobirama after the fighting ended. Oh well, that's what you get for being a pussy that locks himself in the basement whenever things get rough.

On to business, though. While we were spying on your ROOT program, we happened to notice one kid that uses drawings as ninjutsu. To be short about it, we want him. Talk to some people, pull some strings, do whatever the hell you normally do, but get him in the genin program. We'll do the rest. If you don't, well, let's just say the Yamanaka and the Aburame will start to become really curious about the whereabouts of some of their more prominent clan members. Take your time, but make sure that it's done by the time the new chūnin are announced.

Well, that's about it. Have fun doing whatever the hell you normally do, and remember, a smile can make all the difference.

From,

The Ōgakari clan

P.S. It would be best if you covered your eyes and mouth. It tends to go for the face a lot.

Danzō growled angrily as he crumpled the letter in his hands and shredded it with a wind technique. They knew. Those foreign bastards KNEW he had hired Orochimaru to kill them the entire time, and they THANKED him for it! Those pompous, childish, FOOLS! "I will get them…" He growled. "I will play their game for now… but soon enough, I will catch them with their guards down, and when I do…"

"Cluck cluck…"

Danzō wasted no time as he threw several shuriken at the source of the odd sound and hit the edge of his bookshelf. He didn't hit anything alive, but soon enough, something small near the ground moved out from behind the shelf and into the light. The man frowned as he laid his eye on a black chicken staring back at him. "A chicken?" He grumbled to himself. "They pay me back by sending a chicken after me?" He turned away and threw more shuriken at the bird in one motion. The satisfactory sound of metal hitting flesh met his ears as he walked to his desk to signal for his ROOT agents to clean the mess… only to find the chicken standing by the legs of his chair behind the desk. Quickly glancing to his side, he saw his shuriken lying on the ground among some blood and black feathers.

"Cluck cluck?" The chicken sounded curiously as it maintained eye contact with the man.

The internal warning lights were now going off full blast as Danzō slowly moved away from the chicken. He was somewhat glad that no one was watching this right now… he would be the laughing stock of the village if someone saw him moving away from a chicken. Moving to his door, the man made sure that the bird was not following him before opening it quietly.

"Doom…" spoke out a garbled voice from the other side of the door, causing the man to jump back again to see… the chicken looking at him from the hallway with dark beady eyes.

There was no escape.

o. o. o.

A/N:

Garg. Sorry if the second half of the chapter was a bit dry. I kinda didn't expect to have some of the parts running for as long as they did. Other than the obvious funny parts and the Itachi bit, this was a rather empty chapter in my opinion. Expect the next one to be more fulfilling.

So, the manga is proving to be interesting again. The anime's quality is going up next week, and I'm going to Israel in a few weeks.

Is it me, or has there been a distinct drop in quality fanfics this week?

So here's how things are going to turn out soon. I am going to use SOME of the movies and SOME of the filler arcs in this fic. Not a lot, just a few, in order to expand on some characters and give me more time to plot out the timeskip.

That's it for this time, guys. I'll try to make the next one come out faster. Till then, worship the Log, review, hope for more good stuff to come out soon, and… I dunno… have some bacon I guess. Seriously, that stuff i d, good.