AN: Merry belated christmas to all of you! Lots of love and I hope you've spent a lovely holiday season so far :)

I hope you'll enjoy this short chapter –I wanted to make sure that it would count as a tiny little christmas present for you guys!– and I'll be counting on your support in the next year as well!

Music: "Cristina" by Teleman

- Chapter 20 -

The Hearing

In a room filled with angry voices, Futaba was the only one who remained calm.

So calm, in fact, that it almost seemed as if she couldn't be bothered with the council openly querying her testimony. She just sat there before them. Motionless, except for maybe the small movements of her eyes as she allowed the accusations to simply wash over her impassive features.

'She's indulging them' Hiruzen mused with half the mind to call her bluff — if only to see whether she would react accordingly. 'They want to see the disillusioned defector of our most prominent missing nin and that's exactly what she's giving them. Silence, a straight posture and the bitterness of someone who has belatedly realized one's own mistake.'

"… if only Orochimaru had kept her properly locked away…"

"… should have disposed of her instead of sending her our way…"

Rubbing his finger thoughtfully along the roundness of his pipe's bowl, the Sandaime regarded the purple-clad woman with mixed feelings. He couldn't quite decide whether to be glad or concerned that she was this composed.

Glad or concerned — concerned or glad. It was truly a strange little game she had initiated. Especially considering that she was the one person who could always become Hiruzen's next, if not fatal mistake.

"…she will never be more than a faulty, discarded tool of his…"

"…trespassed the village borders without getting caught… a ticking time bomb…"

"She's obviously feigning to be the victim here."

There was something about the way her green orbs assessed the people who felt perfectly comfortable belittling her efforts. She blinked at them as if to take mental pictures, carefully filing them away for later use…

How could Hiruzen not notice the eerie familiarity of her actions? After all, he, too, had always listened with that strange apathy; cheating others of the cruel satisfaction to actually witness his humiliation.

'Only to make it a habit to return such favors when the other party least expected it' the former sensei recalled with a wince before he quickly released the mouthpiece from the tight grip of his teeth.

"I believe that's quite enough for now" Hiruzen finally interjected, considering it unnecessary to actually raise his voice above the headache-inducing babel. The members of the Konoha Council could hear him just fine — even if some looked a bit miffed to have been interrupted in the middle of their positively self-indulgent rant.

Scanning the documents before him, Hiruzen decided to finally put an end to this particular trail of their discussion.

Not in a hurry to speak, he actually considered ways to alter their basic attitude before glancing to both his sides. "While the intel Futaba-san provided us with can hardly be compared to a detailed report from our spy network, I do believe that she has given us more than any of Orochimaru's former associates were able to… We now know that he succeeded to take over a new body after finishing his technique of eternal youth and immortality — the Fushi Tensei."

"An achievement your former student surely wouldn't mind boasting about" Danzo all but scoffed before giving the barest of shrugs. "So, he completed the Fushi Tensei… to me that sounds just like another one of those ready-made excuses he equipped her with. Something that our intelligence would have informed us about in due time. Orochimaru only allowed her to keep this piece of her memory so that she could properly embellish that story of her miracle escape."

While the Hokage did share Danzo's apprehensions, it was also thanks to this mutual concern that the Third had been able to prepare effective counterarguments in advance. Before he could however make proper use of them, he at least had to take a moment to consider Danzo's seemingly valid objection.

"We can probably all agree that —while it must have been difficult to escape from Orochimaru —given her condition— it's not entirely impossible. Especially since Jiraiya's presence surely distracted him."

"Jiraiya was there?! The girl never mentioned anything about him!" Koharu leant forward with both of her hands pressing down on the desk — glaring at the woman handcuffed to the chair before them.

Sensing that this insinuation was as much of an invitation as she'd get, Futaba made sure to obtain the Sandaime approval before speaking up for herself, "Utatane-san, if I have offended you, I sincerely apologize, but Hokage-sama has asked me to keep silent about this particular detail."

"Would you then care to elaborate now?" the deep drone of Danzo's voice followed up on her statement. "That is…" and here he slightly inclined his head at the Sarutobi clan head sitting only a few seats to his left, "… if this council will be given the clearance for such sensitive information. After all, it directly concerns the testimony of our suspect. It might be beneficial to know all the facts before deciding her fate — not to mention that of the little girl."

It was almost touching that Futaba's eyes immediately sought Hiruzen's perfectly blank stare — trusting him to resist the temptation of outright declining Danzo's petty challenge to his authority.

He briefly wondered whether he'd conveyed some of his irritation through his eyes; softening his voice just in case before he accepted Danzo's motion, "You may speak, Futaba-san."

The instant relief on the young woman's face was quickly replaced by an already familiar apprehension now that she'd have to openly share recollections from her past.

"I was only able to escape because the Sannin Jiraiya discovered the hideout where I was… located. He wouldn't tell me how he knew where to find me — maybe he even released me by accident. I somehow doubt that he had any idea that there was actually someone underneath that building… It would at least explain why he so readily used at least five rather potent explosive tags" she mused — a muscle twitched along her sharp jaw-line so that it stretched the tape of her bandaged cheek. "When Orochimaru arrived to engage him, I was able to—"

"We will have Jiraiya confirm this" Danzo dismissively raised his hand to cut her off in mid-sentence. "It is however annoyingly convenient that you can't even remember the exact reason for him imprisoning you… or where exactly he kept you as a prisoner."

Physically distancing herself from the bait offered to her, Futaba straightened her back against the back of the chair; daring to meet Danzo's heavy-lidded stare for only a brief moment before she warily lowered her gaze to her lap.

A clever move.

Danzo had always been quite talented at getting a rise out of people — especially if it could cost them quite dearly to lose their calm. Maybe that was why Sato had gone out of his way to get one over on the man — kami knew he deserved it.

"I am rather curious about her parentage" Homura admitted, finally putting his brush and notepad aside so that he could partake in their discussion. "Considering her ability to both read and influence the emotions of the people around her, she and the little girl belong to the same bloodline as her father; which only reaffirms their relation."

Neatly arranging the papers before him, the bespectacled man cleared his throat before continuing, "I've been researching some of the older documentations on the island clans and there might be a connection. Although I couldn't pinpoint it so far. After all those small groups of shinobi —contrary to the clans on the mainland— mostly refuse to amalgamate with other clans and prefer to keep to themselves."

"It could be a simple yet advanced technique of chakra manipulation" the Sandaime interjected thoughtfully, frowning as if his advisor hadn't just played right into his hands. Futaba's ancestry was his most important trump card, after all.

"Now that you mention it, there are some stories of the bloody clan — the one who has been wiped out by a single attack despite its outstanding reputation" Koharu murmured with a small frown of her own and once again her piercing eyes studied the collected expression on their suspect's face.

The green-eyed woman watched with her head slightly inclined; accepting their deductions with the disillusioned expression of someone who was merely a spectator of her own fate in the making.

With a dismissive gesture similar to the one Danzo had thrown in the guardian spirit's direction earlier, Koharu croaked, "They were known to be temperamental, yet much more suspicious of outsiders than the Uzumaki. It really was a mystery when they suddenly disappeared at that time… What was their name again?"

"They were called the Kubasaki."

Morino Ibiki's sudden interjection, albeit uttered with the sort of quietness one wouldn't think such a massive shinobi capable of, was immediately rewarded with the full attention of the room. Even Inoichi, who had remained standing next to the door after he had led Futaba inside, didn't quite succeed at hiding the surprise at his colleague's words.

Stepping forward so that he was now standing next to Futaba, Ibiki ignored the blatant skepticism of the elders in favor of addressing the silent wonder on the guardian spirit's face, "During our last session you recalled the sight of a clan symbol on Hiroko's back — a flower resembling a peony. The only clan that matches your description would be the Kubasaki."

"Kubasaki? The clan infested with madness? It's hard to believe that Orochimaru would allow any member of such a powerful extinct clan out of his sight…" Danzo impressed on the rest of the room, although his incredulous voice left room for his own morbid curiosity. It became even more obvious when his dark eyes lingered a bit too long on the purple-clad woman to still make his exasperation believable, "I'd like to think that our intelligence would have informed us if there were any survivors…"

Shirking from Danzo's oddly calculating stare, the handcuffed woman turned just so that Ibiki's dark form remained in her field of vision.

The young head of the Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force accepted the bandaged elder's interjection with a pensive nod, "That's true. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to personally confirm that there wasn't any other clan with a similar symbol. At first it just seemed impossible, considering that clan's history, but then… it somehow made a whole lot of sense."

'And because I was sure that this revelation could only benefit Futaba's case when someone other than me strategically introduced it during the hearing' Hiruzen thought to himself.

"If this man, Hiroko, does indeed belong to a resurrected clan —the Kubasaki no less— we should definitely reconsider our own steps and maybe prepare a different plan of action" Homura, who had been staring at his notes, easily picked up the loose ends. "Can you give us an estimate on your father's manpower, Futaba-san?"

Unable to hide that the simple acknowledgment of her name made her feel more human than she had in days, Futaba perked up only to frown apologetically, "Sadly no. He was with only a few of his men when he captured me. He killed all of them… After having them assist him with the seal I now carry inside of me. They were simply no match for him…"

Koharu apparently couldn't help loudly whispering, "But Orochimaru was."

Futaba merely blinked.

Finally, she acknowledged, "It is true that there are few powers Hiroko wouldn't dare to tangle with."

Koharu's narrowed her eyes, causing her skin to crinkle around the dark slits. "How very strange that such a young girl would survive running into so many S-class ninja."

While everyone in the room caught on the true meaning of her words, Futaba's expression visibly changed for the first time.

Even Hiruzen was surprised to find a small, yet evidently amused smirk softening her sharp features.

"Please do believe me when I say that I do not actively seeking infamous missing nin so that I could either be sacrificed or left to rot in some prison cell."

Sato really couldn't help the small snort when he heard Futaba's last reply.

'And here I thought she would eat it all up like a good little girl' the retired shinobi mused, comfortably leaning his head against the wall separating this dusty cubbyhole from the room he had been banned from entering. 'Good to know that you've still got some spunk left in you…'

Tapping into the tightly wound bundle of his own chakra, he raised his hand to replenish the weakening bugging seal he had placed on the hideous wallpaper right next to his ear with a quick flick of his wrist.

With so many —presumably— skilled shinobi Sato really didn't want to take any chances when spying on them; especially after he had properly pissed off at least two of them — not counting the out of sorts guardian spirit and one decidedly unamused Lord Hokage.

Ibiki-chan could be a real pest when he was antagonized after all.

"Others have been drawn to power before you, child" Utatane Koharu remarked after a long pause; the indignation in her voice suggesting that she considered the young woman impertinent for even thinking herself above such notions. "You admitted that you've been drawn to the Snake Sannin because he was the one who protected you against the ill intentions of your father. I wonder what you might have offered him in return…"

'Ah, so we've reached the point where we make those uncute petty remarks' Sato thought to himself while his expression morphed to one of barely veiled annoyance. After all he —as well as everyone in the other room— would be able to read between the lines of such an insinuation.

Yet, for some reason, the conversation lapsed into silence and it wasn't before a few more seconds slowly ticked by that the man perching on top of the decidedly uncomfortable file cabinet realized that Futaba simply refused to take the bait without further prompting.

"Futaba-san?"

"Oh, please do excuse me. I wasn't sure whether you expected a response to this observation" her mellow voice offered as some sort of apology and to Sato's surprise the former servant girl managed to keep her temper in check. He had to give it to her that the sarcasm hadn't been dripping off her words…

"While the nature of my relation to Orochimaru was indeed dictated by his power, it was his knowledge that held the promise of a remedy for my predicament. I thought that I had merely been seeking refuge, but he gave me a chance to realize that in truth I was searching for a way to break my father's curse. I still fully intend to do so — if given the chance, that is."

However, Koharu wasn't just going to let it go because of how cleverly Futaba had phrased her response. She even overcame her earlier unwillingness to properly snub the younger woman thanks to the ire the guardian spirit had provoked in her by playing dumb, "So you haven't been physically or romantically involved with him?"

There wasn't even the smallest rustle of papers disrupting the deafening silence that ensued.

"Neither" was the soft yet impatient reply — it was the first time he could sense a spark of Futaba's chakra glimmering amidst the presence of the others.

He wasn't the only one who noticed it — if Danzo's attempt to lighten up the mood was anything to go by, "According to what you still remember."

If Sato was honest, he was a little disappointed when it was the Sandaime's voice who suggested that they'd move on.

Part of him had hoped that Fuu's beloved guardian spirit would show them some of the fire he had witnessed during their little skirmish a few weeks earlier. He was sure that it would have left a better impression on the council members if she had taken a more vocal stance instead of just hanging her head in defeat when faced with such claims.

'Who in his right might would assume that Orochimaru would even be interested in—'

"Utatane-san" Futaba's voice sliced through both Sato's train of thoughts as well as the sudden noise in the other room. "I would be foolish to ever think myself immune to the appeal of power. Orochimaru's presence offered me the kind of safety I have been missing most of my life, and yet I never attempted to seek personal comfort in it. I prefer to fight my own battles instead of merely directing the strength of others for my own benefit and a false sense of well-being."

With widening eyes Sato realized that he had apparently underestimated the little guardian spirit.

'Who would have thought that Snake-chan's little pet would show the female elder that two could play this game?'

While Orochimaru usually preferred things to go according to plan, the fact that Hiroko's presence now drew near the tea house did at least offer him an explanation for the delay of his informant.

Taking a careful sip from his tea, his golden eyes showed little sympathy for the apparent death of his subordinate — an outcome which he admittedly favored over having to punish the man for such tardiness himself.

And while the Snake Sannin wouldn't go so far as to profess actual fondness for this little place, the thought of sullying it with the blood of such an undeserving underling had irked him. More, in fact, than the realization that the fool had traded the knowledge of this location in return for his quick death.

Orochimaru had to acknowledge, after all, that it was partly his own fault for choosing such an incompetent messenger in the first place.

Filling the second cup with the light gold-green of shincha, he paid little mind to the figure entering the secluded tea house through the top hung windows that overlooked the lotus pond. Although the twist of his thin lips might have betrayed his displeasure when Hiroko unceremoniously slumped into the pillow on the opposite side of the desk — the amount of blood on his clothes holding the promise of a very short temper.

"I do hope that you didn't accidentally destroy the message" Orochimaru greeted him coolly, regarding the pattern of drying blood with the eyes of someone who had fought enough battles to know how they had come into existence.

Hiroko simply met the unimpressed stare of tinged gold with his signature smile — one that was just as deranged as it served to remind Orochimaru of his manipulative nature.

"Who do you think I am? Of course, I read that cute little love letter before destroying it" Hiroko chided with barely contained glee. "Which is why I thought it was about time we have this little chat, Orochimaru-kun. It's been too long, really."

"I allowed you to make it out alive the last time, Hiroko, I sincerely doubt that I will be as lenient this time… Even if it would be much more amusing to have her kill you."

Leaning his head comfortably on his propped-up arm, Hiroko hummed as if he could see the appeal of such a scenario, "Ah, I do remember. Wasn't our last little rendezvous the reason why you started questioning your brilliant plan to play house with my offspring? She was surely hurt that my words destroyed the trust you had put in her…"

The Snake Sannin chuckled darkly at the suggestive wink Futaba's father sent his way.

Sniffing the tea before setting the cup down untouched, Hiroko softly chuckled, "I know my baby girl's adorable — kami, if she knew how I love her cute little quirks…" he hummed with unmistakable fondness in his features. "You see I understand you, Orochimaru-kun. Though you really shouldn't have gone so far as to hide her in Konoha. To find out that you've actually cared this much… I think I might actually be a little bit disappointed, to be honest."

Hiroko regarded the spot where he could sense the Sannin's heart despite the popular believe that he had fed it to one of his snakes. There was, however, something speculative in his eyes when he returned his attention to the cruel smirk that now distorted the snake like features before him.

"Or you could just admit that I was right all along, Hiroko. Because here you are… grasping at straws while trying to hide the fact that you're afraid of her" the Snake Sannin returned with matching mockery, clicking his tongue for good measure.

While his words did succeed to wipe that annoying smile off Hiroko's face, the older man wasn't sure whether he liked the strange expression now entering the green eyes.

It was pity.

"I admit that I always held some respect for you, Orochimaru-kun" the man shrugged as he got up again; stretching to his full height before thoughtfully running one hand through his dark hair. It was still damp from the messenger's blood. "Your last move caught me off guard. I underestimated just how invested you've become in my daughter's affairs. But that won't happen again."

He didn't specify whether he was talking about preventing a reunion between the Snake Sannin and Futaba, or if he merely intended to make sure that the pale man would never again interfere with his plans.

Refusing to give in to the taunts of a sore loser, Orochimaru calmly emptied his last cup of tea.

"You're confusing me with yourself, Hiroko. I am not the one who is obsessed with her. To me she was merely a project I chose to place on hold so that I could focus on something far more rewarding. I am not particularly interested in the sad remains of your clan" the Snake Sannin corrected the other male — thinking that it wouldn't do to let him suffer under such ridiculous misperceptions.

There was, after all, a fully developed Mangekyou Sharingan in his reach…

"Hah! I really couldn't care less about Futaba or her little sidekick! They're only pieces I need to revive her" Hiroko hissed with sudden anger giving his smooth voice surprising volume. "And you forget that he wants to see her alive as much as I do…" Hiroko continued with a deep sigh of frustration. "Do you really think that a person as selfish as him would do so much as bat an eye when it comes to getting what he wants? But the great Orochimaru didn't know that when he chose him to be the inside man, did he now?" The scoff was met with a warning rise of the Snake's killer intent. "You probably don't even know his real name… — What does he call himself nowadays again?"

When Orochimaru remained silent, the man with the round peony symbol on his back snorted, "Ah, right, now I remember! It's Sato, isn't it?"

"What makes you think I work with him?" Orochimaru asked with a raised brow, perfectly bored with Hiroko's little temper tantrum. It only reminded him why he preferred to deal with his daughter. "I may be in need of a new messenger as of today, but I ensure you that my spy network in Konoha is still quite intact. Sato acts on his own."

Strolling towards the window, Hiroko gave a grave sigh, "Then it's even worse than I expected — to think he's making plans of his own… I will have to prepare my countermeasures. Good luck with your other pet projects, Orochimaru. Now that Futaba-chan has successfully entered the witness protection program, you won't need to worry about her for a while."

"Down this corridor you'll find the restrooms and showers…"

Following the lazy flick of the man's wrist, Futaba was able to spot the symbol on the door just before the sound of fingers snapping forced a sharp turn of her head.

"… as you can see, there's a small kitchenette with tea and coffee, so just help yourself between the meals…"

As dismissive as those words might have sounded to anyone else, the purple-clad woman visibly brightened at the mere prospect.

"… and this is your new room" the chunin finally pronounced with the impersonal flourish of someone who had been dragged away from a mountain of work so that he could take the guardian spirit off Ibiki's hands.

As enthusiastic as one could be with a sleep deprived mind, the young man turned towards their current VIP resident — only to find her staring wide eyed at the 3x3 square meters awaiting her behind the opened door.

Clearing his throat, the chunin decided that he'd rather try to pacify her since he really didn't have the time to listen to any of her complaints. "… well, it's, um, pretty much just one of our sobering-up cells, but you— you got a real bed, and, um, a sink — so there's runnin d—" the rest of the chunin's strangely awkward sales pitch speech no longer reached the woman next to him.

She felt strangely out of balance with how fast things were moving forward now that it was over…

'It really is' she tentatively reminded herself just as the chunin next to her faltered to a sudden halt.

"It's perfectly fine. Thank you for showing me the way" Futaba finally told him and as soon as the chunin gratefully met her eyes, he discovered why some had pointed out how easily you could get lost in her green maelstroms.

"You're welcome" he replied, cocking his head over to his other shoulder before scanning the room one last time. "Still remember where to find everything?"

She blinked, "I believe so."

"Well, then, congratulations, I guess. To be given the status and benefits of a protected witness, you sure must have impressed the council" the chunin commented lightly — though his eyes took notice of the way her lungs struggled to meet the sudden demand for air. "But please don't leave the building and stay close to the rooms I pointed out to you, I'd feel bad if we'd have to send the ANBU after you. Kami knows they're busy enough as it is… Aaanyway, you will receive your meals at night and I believe there is some paper in one of the drawers, so you can write to that pint-sized version of yourself. Someone will come and get you for any follow-up questioning, first one probably sometime tomorrow…"

"I understand" Futaba acknowledged and the chunin studied her one last time. Gesturing a little helplessly between her new room, the corridor and herself, she wanted to make sure, "I am going to make myself a cup of tea now, if that's alright?"

The only response was a shrug as the chunin finally walked away. "Knock yourself out."

Entering the small kitchenette Futaba payed great attention to every little movement. The sight of everyday appliances was slightly unnerving, almost surreal. She had hidden away in mountain regions. She had lived in forests. Gathering her food, taking baths in ice-cold streams, enduring the harshness of the weather and seasons. And yet, despite her shaking fingers, Futaba now managed to fix herself a proper cup of green tea with one of the bags she found in the cupboards.

The tears didn't roll until her first, almost tentative sip.

Of course, she didn't understand why its slightly bitter taste reminded her of a small lotus pond and the gentle breeze entering through the wooden blinds of top hung windows, of all things.

To her it was simply the most delicious taste in the world.

/ ... / Short explanation: Shincha, or "new tea" from the first flush of the year, is considered the most delicious green tea in Japan.

Yes, the tea house represents some sort of connection between Futaba and Orochimaru and yes, I played a little with the timeline (like is there even a proper timeline that accounts all the facts while still making sense?) and Itachi is Snake-chan's next project. It's not that important yet for the following chapters, and maybe some of you noticed it anyway :)

So, I can promise you all that now this chapter's over there will be looooads of fluff in the next one. And although I don't want to promise anything, I can tell you that there will be a Kakashi and Fuu scene in Chapter 21. (Hence the fluff - I think they all need some of that now that the hearing's over...) And Fuu might try to befriend Ibiki, because I've been meaning to have her give it a try. Let's see if she'll succeed.

Follows, favorites and especially reviews are all considered christmas presents and hugs to all of those who do :)