"This mission should be an easy one," said Lady Tsunade in her office. "However, due the sheer number of villagers who will most likely need to be evacuated, I am sending two teams. You will be paired with Team Gai. Oh, and Sai, since you just got back, you will not be going."

"When do we leave?" asked Kakashi.

"In one hour," she replied. "Go home, get things in order, then report to the front gate of Konoha. Once all eight shinobi have arrived, make your way to the aforementioned village in the southern Land of Fire"

"Hai, Lady Tsunade," Kakashi answered for his team.

"Dismissed," she said. "Oh, except for you, Uchiha. We need to talk...in private."

Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto left the room leaving the Hokage and Sasuke alone.

"You wanted to discuss something?" Sasuke asked.

"I needed to discuss a few things actually," said Tsunade. "I wanted to know how things were going."

"In what respect?" he asked. "I've been training with the team and we've been getting along fine."

"How about with the villagers and the other shinobi?" she asked.

"We trained with Team Asuma yesterday. At first it only went so-so," he replied. "They were very direct about their feelings towards me. However, after talking for a while - and with my team's support - I think they started to come around. It will probably just take a little time."

"Good," said Tsunade. "Second thing - intel. I want you to make arrangements to come see me once you return from this mission. Having been away for six years, there must be some information you were privvy to that will help the Leaf."

"Probably," Sasuke replied. He sighed. He knew eventually he would need to be debriefed and it would entail him spilling his guts over an entire day to someone in the intelligence division. "I'll make sure I come see you as soon as this mission is over."

"You needn't rush - just make sure that you do it," said Lady Tsunade.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"One last thing, then you can go," she answered. "I have made an inquiry into the order given to Itachi Uchiha to wipe out the Uchiha clan."

That got Sasuke's attention. He went from his normal laid back stance in front of the Hokage to frantically running up to her desk and placing both hands on it. "You did? What happened?

"Calm down, Uchiha. I only did my basic research. Are you aware of exactly what happened that day?" she asked.

"I think so. Though considering my original source of information, I'm actually not entirely sure," he replied. "Tell me just to be sure."

"Your clan was planning an uprising," she replied. "They wanted a coup. It was all led by your father, Fugaku Uchiha. You were still very young, so I would expect you didn't notice anything at the time. Itachi was ANBU. What should have happened was that another ANBU operative should have been called to fulfill the order - that is, if the order should ever have been given in the first place. The Third Hokage had been trying to negotiate with the Uchiha clan, but wasn't getting far. Seeing the lack of progress, Danzo essentially pushed the annihilation of your clan. Danzo was the main person at fault, the main instigator. You do, however, see the one remaining issue though, don't you?"

"Yes, I believe so," said Sasuke. "Danzo probably questioned Itachi's loyalty and didn't know which side he would ultimately take."

"I believe that is why Danzo insisted Itachi be given the order the execute. Depending on Itachi's reaction would be if he was spared or not...," added Tsunade.

Sasuke stared at her in silence. He hadn't even thought of that. "So he really had no choice at all," he said. "I blamed him for making a poor decision even after I found out the truth. I thought that even given that order, he still could have disobeyed. But now..."

"Yes, he is completely in the clear," said Tsunade. "I will be sure this is published and made known throughout the village. If he was still alive, I would invite him to return."

"But even if the Third was railroaded and Danzo was the main person at fault, what about the two elders that went along with it?" Sasuke asked.

"My research into the hidden archives shows that they did indeed go along with Danzo and based on that written record, they encouraged it," said Tsunade sadly.

"Hidden archives? Written record?" questioned Sasuke.

"Yes, the meeting was recorded by the Third and placed in the village's records - the level of confidentiality of those minutes are such that only the Hokage has access to read them," she explained.

"I see. Thank you Lady Tsunade for looking into this so thoroughly," Sasuke said. By her going above and beyond for him, who she hardly knew, she had gained more respect in Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm sorry about the politics though, Sasuke," she added.

"What?" he inquired, not expecting that last adder to their conversation.

"They have both dedicated their lives to service to Konoha...," she explained.

"But Lady Tsunade!" he could tell what was coming and was quickly becoming despondent.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. "There's not much I can do. I cannot punish two elders or even call a hearing against them when what was done was done with the Third Hokage's knowledge. You can somewhat blame the Third for not putting his foot down harder, or somehow stopping it in the first place."

I can't believe this, thought Sasuke to himself. He knew it was a possibility that this would be the outcome, but it just wasn't fair. He had hoped so hard that the two remaining elders would be formally punished in some way.

"You just can't let them walk away!" he shouted at her.

"Please stand down, Uchiha," she took more formal tone when she sensed how upset he was becoming. "I can promise one thing that might bring you some peace."

"Yeah? What's that!" he shouted. Tears of frustration were forming in the corner of his eyes.

"I told you that I would publish something telling the village about Itachi's innocence, didn't I?" she said.

Sasuke went from angry to confused in two seconds flat. "Yeah, so?"

"I will make sure the entire truth is published," she added. She smiled slightly at him.

So...they will be tried in the court of public opinion?

Sasuke gathered himself and came to attention before the Hokage once again. He sat there for five seconds gathering his thoughts and gaining his composure. "Your decision is a bit unfortunate, but...acceptable." He was sure that the public would be just as outraged as he was, especially those in clans.

"Dismissed, Uchiha," Tsunade told the younger shinobi.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"So what happened, Sasuke?" Sakura asked when her teammate finally showed his face at the main gate.

"Y'know, we've got a lot of time before we get to the southern village. I'll tell you on the way. Let's go," he replied.

Sasuke was the latest to arrive so once he did, the eight shinobi made their way up to the trees so they could begin their journey. Kakashi had heard Sakura's question. He was still their leader in a way - still respected, still called 'sensei' - but technically he was now their peer. Naruto, for sure, had surpassed him. It was even possible that both Sakura and Sasuke had both surpassed him as well. He was also sure that Neji had also surpassed Gai. But as the recognized leader of the mission and of his team, he made sure to keep his eyes and ears open to almost every discussion that took place whether meant for him or not. He still considered the team and the mission ultimately his responsibility.

It wasn't five minutes into the journey before Sakura asked again and Sasuke answered her - he told her everything happened in Tsunade's office after the meeting with the team.

"Are you sure this is ok, Sasuke?" Sakura asked concerned for him in two ways. First, for his feelings in general. Second, she didn't want him to go do anything stupid like attack the elders himself.

"It will need to sink in for a bit. And I will need to monitor the overall situation. But I think that this punishment may just fit the bill," he replied. "People are so fickle and judgmental sometimes. I hate to say it, but the harshness of how they are treated for the rest of their miserable lives may be enough to satisfy me."

"You never know, perhaps Tsunade has an ace up her sleeve. She's like that, you know. She doesn't tell people her plans, but she is always about five steps ahead of them. Shikamaru and Shikaku are the best strategists in the village, but Lady Tsunade is nothing to sneeze at either."

"Perhaps," was all that he responded. Maybe she was planning something else. Who knew?

OlOlOlOlOlO

The first thing that the combined Team Kakashi-Gai noticed as they closed in on Arizuma village was the smell. It literally smelled like something - or someone - had died.

"That's foul," said Tenten. She had been surprisingly quiet for most of the trip. Actually, most of Team Gai had been surprisingly quiet.

"Ewww!" said Naruto, holding his nose for good measure.

Kakashi and Gai looked at each other with a knowing glance. They hoped they were wrong.

The eight shinobi stopped abruptly in a few trees about a mile outside of the village.

"I want teams of two," said Kakashi. "Gai and Lee - approach the village from the south. Tenten and Neji - stay here and approach from the north when I give the verbal signal."

"But sensei, isn't this just a natural disaster?" asked Sakura.

"That's what we've been led to believe, Sakura," answered Kakashi. "It never hurts to be too careful and...something just isn't right here."

Sakura always trusted her sensei's gut feeling. There weren't many times when he hadn't been right.

"Sakura and I will go in from the east. Naruto and Sasuke, go in from the west. Put on your earpieces and wait for the signal. Be vigilant," said Kakashi.

"Hai," they all answered.

"Now scatter," Kakashi said.

All eight shinobi went in different directions - some having to go further than others.

"Are you ok Neji?" asked Tenten as they whisked through the trees.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Neji answered.

"You don't do very well in situations such as this," Tenten noticed.

"Give me a friend or an enemy anytime and I'm good to go. But what do you do with someone like him?" Neji asked. "We were told for years that he was a criminal and had betrayed the Leaf. Now he wanders back in and everything's fine? I just don't get it."

Sakura gave a knowing look to Kakashi. Tenten and Neji had apparently forgotten to turn off their microphones and she was sure that all three of the other pairs were hearing the same discussion. She felt bad for Sasuke.

Naruto looked in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke showed no emotion at all. He felt Naruto looking at him and turned to his teammate. "Don't start," said Sasuke.

"What?" asked Naruto.

"You know...don't start pitying me," Sasuke replied. "I knew it was going to be like this."

Naruto didn't say another word, though he couldn't help for feel bad for this friend.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Naruto and Sasuke perched atop a tree overlooking the village from the west. From what they could see, the it was a very large village and the river in town was spilling over its banks. There were scores of dead fish laying in the middle of the village's streets. The buildings and homes closest to the river were nearly submerged and the water was climbing.

"I wonder how they didn't see this coming?" asked Sasuke.

"It must have happened really fast," said Naruto. "Else evacuation shouldn't have been an issue."

"But it took us the better part of a day to get here," said Sasuke.

"Ready everyone?" came a voice from the earpiece. "NOW!"

Shinobi swooped into the village from four different directions.

Kakashi had spotted some high ground on his side of the village. When he landed, it was near almost 30 villagers who were running away from the village. They saw him and ran towards him.

"Are you from the Leaf?" said one old woman.

"Please help us," said a teenage girl.

"Everyone, please make your way to that piece of land there," Kakashi announced while pointing to the highest ground that was easily accessible.

"Except for you," he added grabbing the arm of a twenty-something man.

"Uh, uh, oh..ok," said the younger man hesitantly.

"What's going on here?" asked Kakashi.

"We aren't entirely sure ourselves," said the man. "We've had plenty of floods before. It's not new to us and we usually handle it just fine. But these floods...it's almost like the water is alive! At first we thought it was a normal flood...and we sent word to the Leaf for assistance. But then the water retreated quickly, so we moved back and started to clean up the mess. But then, the water seemed to be rising again, hitting certain parts of the village but not others. The patterns are unlike any we've seen before."

"Is there a water control of some sort for this river...maybe a dam?" asked Kakashi.

"Y-yes," said the man. "It's quite a ways away and we don't really control it. Two villages over control it, but we've never had a problem with them in the past. They know we are here and know not to let too much out at once else they would threaten us."

"Thanks," said Kakashi. "Now please join the others."

OlOlOlOlOlO

Kakashi and Sakura rescued several people who were in rough shape. They heard similar stories to the one they just heard - the water seemed to be stealthily aiming for certain houses or people in patterns that made no sense if this was a normal flood.

After a while, they ran into Naruto and Sasuke as well as Tenten and Neji. They exchanged stories amongst themselves and verified that something strange was indeed going on in this village.

"Where's Gai and Lee?" Tenten eventually asked.

"You mean, you haven't seen them at all?" Kakashi asked.

"No, not at all," said Tenten.

"Neji - ," said Kakashi.

"Got it. Byakugan!" he shouted and looked towards the south.

"Anything?" asked Kakashi.

"No. Not a trace," said Neji.

"Damn," said Kakashi.