TSUNADE

While most would think Tsunade was in utter turmoil about her daughter, it was far from the case. Her little conversation/spar with Tsume, had left her confident in her daughter's safety. It was odd to think the Inuzuka matriarch viewed Shiho as one of her 'pups' and had been practically feral at any hint of abuse to her at the Inuzuka compound. No doubt the topic of abuse was a sensitive one for Hana's mother. Fiesty thing, Tsume Inuzuka was. Tsunade wouldn't challenge her authority again. Tsume was a brawler, much like her. Politics went out the window when they clashed.

Yet it was more than mere politics. Tsume Inuzuka was a lot of things, much like Tsunade her self was. However, when one compared them, one had to note one critical fact. Tsume was a mother in every sense of the world. Something Tsunade had never willingly engaged herself in becoming. She viewed Hana's team as her own kin. Shiho, Kiba's Fiancee, was included in that. Shiho was more Tsume's than Tsunade's. It was an unusual notion to say the least.

For her kids, Tsume would willingly do her best to send Tsunade all the way to hell. Kami, the Inuzuka matriarch knew it wouldn't be a match she could win, but it meant nothing in the end. Peasant or Kage, all who dared to threaten Tsume's cubs would face her wrath.

Tsunade had to hand it to Kanato Hyuuga. What ever Hana and the triplets had done to him, would be nothing in comparison to what Tsume would have done in the end. She could only muse heavy politics were in play back in the day for Sarutobi to even risk her ire.

Would she ever know what her sensei had been up to? Kanato Hyuuga was already a known problem to the Hyuuga with alleged vile indescretions landing him Ko, an illegitimate child. Based on Ko's former sensei's reports the boy was certainly abused in some form at home however this was not an unusual circumstance in the Hyuuga household.

With such questionable suspicions how had Kanato, despite being a talented medic, land his team? The format wasn't normal. Hana was a great candidate for apprenticeship as a medic but it was unusual for the heiress to opt for that route without outside influence. As an Inuzuka, she was a strategically strong offensive fighter, especially when one considered the triplets. To pair her with Ayaka, a rather strong frontliner too, was unusual. Traditionally, Nara's were great for support. Yet, almost all of Ayaka's talents save her charisma made her a solid offense too. To group the pair of them, with a saboteur who'd best require subtlety to shine? Shiho was the teams strategist, arguably but that didn't quite strike true. Both Ayaka and Hana were fair candidates in terms of having a flair for strategy, so Shiho's intelligence was redundant. It was almost as if Shiho was placed there not to be noticed or build up the necessary skill set to succeed as an active shinobi.

Kanato's indescretions were be hushed up by the Hyuuga and the Inuzuka once Hana's vengeance was served. She imagined the gag order went both ways. Ayaka was quickly absorbed into ANBU's seduction and had been one of the most talked about Nara, ever. Shiho had simply vanished into cryptology without thought and pursued every Kage's true nemesis - paperwork.

Still, she hadnt expected to find Shiho's injuries were a result of her letting of some steam with the Inuzuka heiress. Seemed the girl took after her in that regard or perhaps that was all Tsume's influence again. Orochimaru would probably just disect someone alive instead and Ayaka she mused, would probably just kill them.

Shiho was easily becoming a problem that she could push away and while both Ayaka and Shikamaru were due to be enroute to Suna soon, it was time to start tieing up some loose ends.

Fortunately for her, Ino's little problem and Tsunade's big problem overlapped surprisingly well. Tsunade would be damned if she didn't kill two, no four, or maybe more birds with a single stone.

"You're absolutely certain the ANBU that Ino Yamanaka's taken interest in is Root?"

It wasn't often she called upon Root's only known defector to clarify details about a chuunin level ANBU of no real significance, aside from the fact that the boy was certainly one of Danzo's. For the most part, Root members were easy to spot, with their clinical attitude and sheer avoidance of the Konoha hospital and opting to use 'accredited private healers'. However Ino's interest, from what she gathered from the blonde's tirades had broken such protocols of late. That, she found, was quite an interesting feat. A feat that reminded her of a boy once called Kinoe.

The only other person to known have accomplished that and live, was Kakashi's very own kouhai. If this 'Sai' character was in Root and emotionally compromised, Tsunade knew she could pull one over on the aging Warhawk. All she had to do was lure his pet to her side.

Who better to help do that other than ANBU Cat, their resident Makuton user?

"Yes, Hokage-sama, I believe this 'Sai' is Root," the currently dubbedTenzou was expressionless as he replied, but Tsunade could practically sense the desire the Mokuton wielder had to save the boy. It was endearing how much Tenzou cared, considering what emotion killing propoganda Tsunade could only assume he'd been exposed to in youth.

With his short brown hair and black, almond-shaped eyes, Tenzou would have the boy next door kind of look if he didn't occasionally drop a frightening but still expressionless facial expression.Wearing the ANBU standard, a black, sleeveless jumper under a grey flack jacket with strapped-up shinobi sandals, arm-length gloves with guards over them. He carried his sword strapped to his back, and his a mask, a cat's face, rested in his hands as he stood before her. The tattoo on his left shoulder was proudly on display. All in all, he had always looked like the perfect ANBU agent. Then again, so had Ayaka, and Tsunade was pretty certain the girl had crossed Danzo somehow.

Tenzou was certainly considered both a formidable and valuable ANBU agent, but

he knew Danzo and what it meant to break from his influence. If Tsunade was going to secretly wage a war against the Warhawk she'd best have 'Cat' retire to a standard Konoha-Jonin, with complete with a brand new Flack Jacket. If she could only get Ino's new little pet too, Danzo wouldn't know what hit him. Nor would the fools that aided him in his misdeeds.

The Warhawks and his allies would fall. Tsunade herself would see that through.

"Pull this 'Sai' from ANBU. Break him in. He's ours for the taking and that old man doesn't even have a clue." Tsunade smirked at the thought.

"It will be done, Hokage-Sama. "

"Oh, and Tenzou? Your name's Yamato now. Try not to scare the kid too much."

SHIKAKU

He had spent the entire past few days poring over documents about his niece. He'd read it all. Everything about the Akatsuki sure, but not just that. He'd skimmed through her mission reports. He'd skimmed through her team's, her captians, and even her trash sensei's. He'd looked through her academy files too.

He couldn't believe he'd never seen it. It was so damned obvious, the only reason nobody else had pointed it out was because the girl was a Nara and frankly, almost none had a complete knowledge of her varied skill sets. He'd heard the phrase throughout his lifetime but he'd never quite seen it personified quite so well. Not even Ayaka's father, a man who was also an ambitious troublemaker hadn't resonated with the term quite so well.

'Always Fear the motivated Nara.'

He'd trained her in politics himself so perhaps he was to blame but it had been to make sure she wouldn't end up being married to some man 30 years her senior. Despite his reasons and much unlike his son, she had thrived in poitics. He couldn't help but think she had the Nara elder council wrapped around her finger in a way that nobody else ever could. If anyone else had even tried get away half her gall they'd have been excommunicated in a heartbeat based on the Nara's secretary's notes. It wasnt often Shikaku attended his clan's council meetings so he had never truly witnessed Ayaka at work. Years ago, when promoted to commander, the clan had allowed him to appoint Yoshino as proxy and he had taken them up on that happily. He'd always assumed Shikamaru and the elders would have to grudgingly deal with each other until Shikamaru learnt from experience how to sway things. Ayaka's charisma and influence seemed to be without equal but not concerning. A fact he'd been all too ignorant to pay any real attention to.

Shikamaru and Ayaka had tested their IQ as kids. He'd not been surprised to know that Shikamaru was an unmeasurable genius, with a score beyond 200. He'd nodded at the news and had been told Ayaka had scored a bit lower, but done well. He'd never actually made the effort to see the exact scores. A high IQ, while advantageous meant little on the battle field without training. He'd never known how damn close the girls score had been to his genius son's. She wasn't one qiute unmeasurable, but she was borderline. Coming in with a score of 196 vs Shikamaru's 200, Ayaka was also a genuis on paper. He'd often called her street smart, but perhaps there was a bit more to it then he'd initially guessed. Still, with his own IQ equal to hers, he couldn't help but admit he'd dropped the ball in terms of keeping her intellectually challenged. Shikamaru was an easier kid to handle. He liked puzzles and lazing around. Ayaka had always been inquisitive and curious. Constantly putting him on edge as he tried to find her distractions for her. Like any shinobi parent, he had turned to the seemingly harmless idea on getting her started on some basic training.

When she was a child she'd taken up swordsmanship as a hobby. He'd taken her to see Genma training his brats and he'd been too sentimental about Aranai to deny her the rights to learning the art. He'd never stuck around to watch though and assumed she'd loose interest being a ninjutsu type. He was so busy, he'd never known she'd mastered it, in the truest sense of mastery. According to all the evidence that he'd seen, she was easily the most promising ambidextrous swordswoman the Leaf had seen in decades, even inventing an entirely new style. Genma's brats and her had unfortunately had a falling out, which he'd not reacted to kindly to. The senbon user had avoided him afterwards, outside of a professional capacity.

The girl had always had high Chakra reserves but poor control so he'd not stopped Yoshino from taking her on as a student even though she'd broken her arm. Yoshino had opted to let it heal naturally but trained her anyway. As such, his niece had become quite fond of basic one handed seals. It was a difficult thing to do for any shinobi yet, Ayaka had apparently taken to it with ease. According to her reports, if pressed she could even use A-rank jutsu to variable efficiency if she had adequate preparation time. It was a dangerous technique though and he was relieved to see his niece had reported back to her superiors that high level Katon was not feasible for single hand seals. If ever, he'd questioned her sanity, he would rightfully take it back now. It was good to see her show the restraint his brother lacked.

In order to let the girl bond with Kurenai, he'd encouraged her to learn Genjutsu. Ayaka had hated it, but according to Kurenai, she had real talent. Not many could boast to be able to give someone lasting physical damage just from auditory jutsu. She'd ultimately dropped Genjutsu practice but not before learning some pretty nasty stuff. Considering he'd been proctor for Kurenai's jonin exam, he knew first hand how deadly Genjutsu could be in battle.

Not many Genin outside of war had a high kill count. Fortunately, not many Genin had Kanato Hyuuga as a sensei. He, for all his lack of an adequate training plan and his short time with them, had broken in his Genin team on the art of killing. A medic himself, Kanato had apparently been quite thorough in alerting his niece in how to make sure a person couldn't be healed in time. Having never seen her kill, he had no idea she had developed a flair for decapitation as a Genin. It was disturbing, to say the least, how many headless corpses she left in her wake. Kanato had even prompted his girl to show some interest in Taijutsu. Being a Hyuuga and she a Nara, he'd apparently strategized Taijutsu styles with her over games of chess. Shikaku did not want to think about the fact that his young ward had spent any significant time with that bastard. It sickened him to no end. Whatever sick plans Kanato had, Hana had put them to an end. For that, he was eternally grateful.

He thought he'd made the best decision when she had been a hunter nin to request she be considered for seduction. He didn't like the branch much but his brother had thrived there. He hadnt known how she had thrived in the hunt, else he'd have recommended her as a tracker. He hadn't realized that she could enhance her hearing to track down her prey, selectively boosting her speed by sending Chakra to her legs and leaving the rest of her self vulnerable. It was an unusual skill, one had to be confident in thier ability to evade attack when they'd leave so much vulnerable. In seduction, every aspect of her body and soul became a weapon too. Weapons she couldn't allow to scratch or chip. Every smile, every laugh was just a tool to her in the end. Every kimono sold an idea, an idea he realized that had been many an opponents downfall. ANBU had suited her so well and much like in the case of his brother it was a pity to see her leave its depths.

He wasn't naive, ANBU broke people. Kakashi, Itachi, Aranai- they'd fallen victim to its darkness. Once they'd escaped its clutches, they'd do whatever they could to avoid going back. However, some thrived there. His brother, Tenzou, Ayaka - the shadows felt so natural to them. Without its protection, they were exposed to the lesser known dangers of the stepping into the light.

Then there was that akatsuki mission. She'd lived along with 6 S-class criminals and she'd picked things up. Poisons, seduction, ninja wire, explosives, torture and religion. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised there was more on that list. Things her reprotiore had never before boasted. Yet, now they did. She'd manipulated some of the most dangerous men the world knew. If he, himself were to stand where she stood, he'd be surely dead. Yet, she'd survived and had the audacity to scold them, a criminal organization, for thier foolish complacency. To him, it was a completely mind boggling idea.

He'd trained her in the Nara Jutsu. If he was honest, she was a natural but her fighting style left him frustrated. With her larger than average reserves, she could have advanced faster then Shikamaru could ever dream off doing at that age. It wasn't long before he'd taught her all he could. However, at this point she'd honestly favored her Katon jutsu and swordmanship. He had given her premission to persuit mastery of the clans allowable techniques but had never checked that she had. As a front line fighter, most Nara clan jutsu would serve her no advantage. Now he had to wonder, how far had she taken things? Surely, not as far as her father, he'd had all those scrolls hidden away. She was mostly sane anyway, ignoring the incident at the Senju compound which was a clear result of the circumstances. Even he could admit to wanting to kill a Hyuuga once in a while for stress relief every time Hiashi made a scene. Still, he couldn't help but wonder.

She was a lot of things and he realized that was what had made it so difficult to see things clearly. He'd often heard that 'a Jack of all trades, a master of none'. Shikaku had to acknowledge this much as true. That was the very reason there was a Tobekstu Jonin rank. Even regular Jonin could not beat those who'd specialized if they were to overstep into thier areas of expertise. There were exceptions to every rule though.

Prodigy.

Neji Hyuuga, the caged bird.

Sasuke Uchiha, the avenger

Itachi Uchiha, the clan killer.

Shisui Uchiha, the suicidal.

Kakashi Hatake, the broken man.

Orochimaru, the snake sannin.

There were a few others. The title was thrown around a lot these days, in every village. However, even he knew the best of them, the prodigies, had a dark side to varying degrees.

'When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.'

He could only hope she hadn't held its gaze for too long.

SHIKAMARU

"I hate this," he complained, sitting cross-legged before the Shouji board. Usually, a match against Asuma was a welcome challenge. However tonight that wasn't the case. The game was two moves from over, and it certainly wasn't about to end in his favor.

He'd just been served his Jonin exam papers. He was told Chouji and Ino would be receiving theirs too. The entire thing was throwing of his game because he could practically smell Ayaka's influence all over this.

He understood her reasoning. Honestly, there was no way the other sensei's, especially Kurenai and Gai would not take the bait. Kakashi would probably even throw in Sakura, if only to taunt Naruto. Crude as it was, even he could see the inevitable power play happening.

It didn't really matter who got promoted. Ayaka just wanted to stir the political pot and get some young blood having a say. The Konoha 12, save the Uchiha avenger were pretty tight in terms of allegiances. If you got Shikamaru's vote, for instance, Ino and Chouji would follow. What was less obvious was that Sakura would probably support Ino. Once you had Sakura, genin or not, Naruto would make a noise. Wherever there was a noise there was Lee contributing to it and wherever there was a Naruto vote, there'd be Hinata's vote. Kiba would always vote in Ayaka's favor. Engaged or not, the Inuzuka did consider her practically family. It didn't take a genuis to figure where Neji's loyalties were. Shino and Tenten were tougher cases, but he was willing to bet they'd side with thier teams.

She already had Hana and Shiho's support. Both were or would be prominent members of the Inuzuka clan. Tsume, for all intents and purposes, was basically a proxy sensei to that team. The Hyuuga, Hiashi in particular, wouldn't try to challenge her openly. Not when one considered her relationships to both Neji and Kanato. The Yuuhi clan was small, but Kurenai was it's most influential Jonin. Strained as their relationship was, he knew she'd back Ayaka when the time came. Genma and his two apprentices also had her back. They may not come from prominent clans but they were talented shinobi and had the kind of sway one shouldn't underestimate, especially amongst the Akamichi. His mother too, would support her openly and since his father had long since appointed Yoshino his proxy, the Nara clan would back her in most endeavors.

He had to hand it to her, the girl had balls. None of the clan heads would figure out what she'd done until it was far too late. Polotical power was a fickle thing, always changing. Egoism was rife when people in power grew complacent. Ayaka played people like chess pieces and he had to admit she did it well.

He much preferred Shoji. Or at least he had, back when his brain didn't fail him.

Unlike his father, Asuma didn't play with a Nara hand, making him something unfamiliar. Unlike Chouji, Asuma was never distracted by food. Unlike Ino, Asuma didn't factor in his clan jutsu to cheat. Unlike his mother, he rarely used thier matches as an excuse to barate him. Unlike Ayaka, Asuma's strategies were less volatile and more predictable.

"You know brat, you could just go home. Doesn't matter how bad your dad's fucked up, ain't never known your mother to let him have his way." Asuma puffed on his cigarette, eyes closed as he made his move, allowing for his silver general to be promoted. Shikamaru sighed at the board. There wasn't even a point to continuing. Tossing his king at his sensei and admitting his inevitable defeat, he couldn't help but feel irked.

"It isn't so simple sensei. There are things in this world I won't condone. I can't be an heir. Aside from that, theres things I want and need.". His voice raised at the end, and he winced at his very clear discomfort. It wasn't like he wanted to freeload on Asuma's couch. However, he didn't want to explain things to Chouji yet and Ino was a nightmare to talk to these days.

"Courting a princess is tough, even if the little spider could pull it off, and giving up your spot as heir is a big deal. Think about it. Your life can only be troublesome," Asuma blew out his smoke, not bothering to direct it away from his face. He grimaced, knowing the scent would linger in his hair. Ironic how Temari hated the smell on him, yet she easily puffed a pack a day.

"What would you do in my spot sensei?" Shikamaru closed his eyes. Imagining a world where Konohamaru's mom wanted to be head of the Sarutobi clan and Asuma just wanted simple life with Kurenai. He frowned. That was already Asuma's reality. Some men had all the luck. Asuma didn't even have to bother with the horrors of marriage. Kurenai wasn't an heir and neither was he.

"Kid, I've had my growing pains but believe me, everything up till now and until the day I die I ain't gonna regret shit. Live and love that way. It'll work out," Asuma said coolly, offering him a drag. Shikamaru shook his head at the offer. It wasn't that he didn't want to smoke, good Kami he did need an outlet. But not that outlet. Not yet.

"Fuck I hate her," he cursed the universe. Of all the cousins he could have had vying for his title, why'd it have to be the annoying one.

"Ayaka?" Asuma asked, eyes crinkling in amusement.

"Do you know of any other pain in the ass?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, not trying to hide his pained expression.

"Have you met Gai? Kakashi? Kurenai?"

Asuma was rolling his eyes at him now, still puffing on a cigarette.

"Touche, sensei but a psycho girl was not what I meant," he compliance in earnest.

"Temari isn't a pain in the ass psycho chick?". Asuma was openly chuckling now and he couldn't help but feel sheepish, mustering a response.

" No, uh... I mean yeah... But fuck that shit. You know what I mean sensei," he groaned. The princess of Suna was a complety troublesome pain in the ass lunatic. Unfortunately, he was fucking said psycho and he did want to keep his manhood in tact. Ergo, he'd follow said crazy blonde to the edge of the world and back, no matter how sleepy he was. Any man would do the same. The tall, blonde haired, teal eyed princess was as terrifying as she was beautiful. You couldn't dare defy her even if you wanted to.

"Shikamaru, people are like Shouji pieces. Ayaka's a silver general. You're gold. However, if she fights her way through she's gonna be your equal. We know she's gonna fight. Luckily, you're on the same side. Her win is your win." Asuma's words should have been comforting. They weren't.

"So what's dad? A king?" He asked sarcastically, knowing that Asuma would yield no answer.

"Haha, nice kid. You'll understand things soon enough, I'm sure. No worries, " Asuma said sagely, staring him down.

"I don't get it," he retorted.

"Yet," his sensei replied, eyes shut.

Nothing more was discussed that night, Asuma having instructed him to rest up. Ayaka had sent word they'd be leaving soon. He hoped it would be the next day. Thier departure would have to be stealthy. As a result, he wasn't told the specifics. He was told only Ayaka and Genma knew.

Suna was just three days journey away. Three days of travel until he got to see her. The wind goddess. The scariest woman he knew, a feat considering he knew Ino, Ayaka and Yoshino.

Just three days journey until he could try to legally date his girlfriend.

Depending on Ayaka's plan, Temari woul'd either kill him or throw her self at him by the end of it.

Assuming he survived the wrath of both Gaara and Kankuro.

He really hoped his cousin had a plan.

Else, he really was going to kill her.

A/N. Reviews are appreciated!