Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences. – Robert Louis Stevenson

Un-beta-ed

Unwanted Trip

Chapter 13

Iruka was staring at him again. He could feel it. Kakashi continued handing out the morning missions without glancing at the chunin, wondering when the man would have the courage to say what was on his mind. It had to be a shock to be so thoroughly disillusioned with the world. The rest of the rookie 9 had taken it relatively well, or so their jonin sensei had reported. The mission room was located below the Hokage's office and above the finance department.

The room was always orderly as it was also where prospective clients came to claim missions. There were chunin in the room with the Hokage to help with the clients while the Hokage allocated the missions.

The next team belonged to his old and current rival, Gai. The genin and one chunin that made up Gai's subordinates were disciplined and dedicated. Kakashi considered what Naruto had told him about the three. Neji had died protecting Hinata and Naruto while Tenten and Lee each went on to become powerful in their own way. Neji had also been the only jonin in Konoha 12 at the time of the war.

"Thank you team Gai, for your continued persistence." Kakashi smiled as he accepted the completed mission report. "Take the rest of the afternoon off and get some relaxation in." They'd probably go train. Gai also seemed like he wanted to say something. Kakashi studied his expression for a moment before turning his gaze towards Iruka. "Mah Iruka-kun, if you could man the desk for a moment, I'd like to speak to Gai and his team in my office for a moment." Iruka jumped but nodded, getting up to move to his seat while he took the four Shinobi to his office with a snap of his fingers. He found himself using that jutsu more and more since he'd started training team 7. It was useful.

"So Gai, what is it?" Kakashi didn't sit behind the desk. Instead he placed his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the edge of the table. He wasn't wearing the hat, nor the haori. This was a meeting between equals as far as he was concerned. "Your team can wait outside if you'd prefer." Kakashi offered glancing to the three 13 year olds.

"No. They should stay. After all, it's mostly my concern for them that prompts be to be so bold in this moment." Gai had uncharacteristically deflated. Most people didn't know how serious Gai could be. The man was Kakashi's oldest friend. He treasured this bond more than most would assume. Not even Naruto would be able to accurately say just how much Gai meant to the silver haired Hokage.

"When I took on a genin team, I promised to devote myself to them as fully as I could, especially young Lee. I wanted to ensure their success." Gai stopped to give his team a smile. It was clear that they had never seen their sensei in his current mood as not even Lee uttered a word. "A little selfishly I wanted to prove that hard work overcame innate genius so I perhaps placed a lot more of my efforts on Lee than on my other students. However I never once doubted their capabilities, pushing all three of them to be better. I will admit that I struggled with Neji, not really sure how to get the boy to open up and move away from his tragic past but I never gave up hope that maybe one day Lee, Tenten and I would get through to him."

Kakashi's chest squeezed and his next breath was painful. This wasn't just Gai being serious. This was perhaps Gai almost having a breakdown.

"I held them back for a full year before I even thought about nominating them for the chunin exams. I wanted them to be one hundred percent ready. So when Asuma-san and Kurenai-san both nominated their teams I was glad that you did not. Yet, your team ended up participating all the same. Only for it to be revealed that their participation had been little more than a mission, meant to prevent an invasion. Your genin had been tasked with the village's safety while mine were still trying to understand how they could have possibly fallen so far behind your rookies."

Gai didn't waste time getting to the point of his dilemma.

"Not to mention that those same genin were the ones who managed to turn my student onto a better path, where I myself had failed to do so. They'd also saved Lee from a potential career ending injury." Gai paused to give Kakashi the most serious expression he'd used in a long time. "I have failed my students, and therefore, I have given my next request a great deal of thought. I request to be removed as Team Gai's sensei."

.0.0.0.

Naruto groaned as he gradually became more and more conscious. He hurt something fierce, noting that any sort of movement made his muscles feel like he had pins and needles. Still, he was probably going to be lectured about his idiocy.

He chose not to move too much as he looked around. He appeared to be in a hotel room. Soft morning light filtered through half drawn curtains. If his gamble didn't work then Tsunade was possibly long gone by now. Looking to his left he noticed the small bowl of water, and the gently snoring form of Hyuuga Hinata, damp cloth held loosely in her fingers. Naruto smiled softly, wondering if she still thought as highly of him as she used to. His training would have been different but he'd still saved her from the bullies.

He looked to his other side, wondering where Shikamaru had gone, straining his ears to see if he could hear anything. Tsunade and Shizune's voices filtered through the wall and he felt himself relax muscles he hadn't even known he'd tensed. He could assume that Shikamaru was with the other two, perhaps being more diplomatic than Naruto had been. A conversation they'd had on the way to the town, while camping two nights ago, came to mind.

"I still don't understand why I'm the team leader, Naruto is clearly the most skilled between the three of us, and he's a jonin in training." Shikamaru grumbled looking to the side with a pout. "Troublesome."

"Until I pass the tests I'm technically still a genin." Naruto shrugged. "And don't try to pretend you're not the most capable team leader in our entire graduating class."

Hinata was looking down, shoulders hunched and generally appeared to be uncomfortable. Like she felt she didn't really have anything worthwhile to contribute. Naruto frowned at that but he supposed it took Hinata a long time to overcome her innate gentleness.

"Oh yeah, well I'm not an Asahi ANBU." Shikamaru added but his tone lacked any bite to it so it was likely the chunin didn't think much of his own statement. "Still, looking for Tsunade-sama is a task that doesn't fit our current team members." Silently Naruto agreed with the teen. If Kakashi thought he was giving the three of them time to build relationships outside of their own graduating teams then maybe the formation made sense.

Generally speaking Shikamaru was a great team leader, even if he didn't think he was, and Hinata's Byakugan made her a good team member to have for tracking. However Kiba would have been better, provided they had a scent sample. For that matter Shino was best as his bugs were capable of sampling a large area of chakra and giving him information regarding the chakra's owners. He'd quickly be able to discern if there were any Shinobi in an area.

However, given the angle that Kakashi wanted Naruto to have access to two separate teams via the teammates now seated across from him, then Naruto could say he could attempt to influence both Hinata and Shikamaru into training. After all, Shikamaru only got more serious after the failed the Sasuke Retrieval mission. Right now, he was still entirely uninterested in taking on responsibilities. He was only a Shinobi because it was expected of him. In this regard, Naruto had no idea as to how he was supposed to motivate the teen. He technically still needed to convince Gaara that he could be the Kazekage.

"Let's go over a plan of action. First thing we need to take into consideration is Tsunade's complete disinterest in returning to the village." Naruto began, deciding to focus on the mission instead.

"But why though? If she's a sannin shouldn't she still answer a summons to the village?" Shikamaru asked, needing all the pieces of the puzzle if he was going to put together a half decent plan.

"When the second and third shinobi wars happened, Tsunade lost her younger brother and her fiancé. They both died tragically." Naruto said quietly, looking down. "Just before her fiancé passed away she had made a proposal to the village counsel to create a medical ninja training programme. At the time, it wasn't deemed a priority and therefore did not happen." Naruto began, trying to keep things short and simple. "When her fiancé died, she'd tried to save him but his wounds were too extensive. From what I believe there was a lot of blood involved in bother incidents which has led to her developing a sever phobia of blood. He might have been saved, had there been another medic available before Tsuande got there, however due to the proposal being rejected there wasn't anyone who could have begun treating her fiancé and therefore she got there too late. She doesn't blame the village in particular, she's just not interested in village affairs anymore."

"This could complicate things." Shikamaru grumbled with a huff. Hinata looked horrified at the revelations, hands squeezing together in front of her chest. "Complicate things is an understatement. She's refused coming back before. It was only Sandaime-sama's good graces and overall understanding that allowed her to continue on her wanderings without being classified as a nuke-nin." Naruto nodded gravely, while explaining Tsuande's stubborn refusal.

Their planning had been long and intensive once Shikamaru understood what they were up against. Naruto had also made rather interesting and specific suggestions, almost like he was aiming for certain reactions.

Naruto carefully pulled himself into a seated position, ignoring the pain this action caused throughout his body. Blood loss really was something else. The rest of their conversation had been spent running over several different scenarios that would hopefully result in Tsunade staying in Konoha. Pulling his pouch towards him, he saw that someone, probably Hinata, had placed his headband into it.

He frowned when he took in the three other headbands. He hadn't really looked at them. Not since hastily shoving them inside his pouch and carrying on with his mission to capture Orochimaru and defuse the invasion. He carefully pulled out the blue one, taking note of how well polished the metal was and how clean the cloth looked. It was strange that Sasuke had given it to him, but then again, Sasuke hadn't kept his headband the last time either.

"I know your heart is heavy now, but I implore you to remember why Itachi-kun left." Jiji's last words to him and he'd pretty much been ignoring them. Why had Itachi left? To join the Akatsuki. Why did he join the Akatsuki? To become a double agent. Did Sasuke see things the same way as Itachi? No. Could the Sandaime be implying that Naruto keep in mind that Itachi was still on Konoha's side? Yes. Was he extending that to Sasuke and Sakura? Yes. Did Naruto? No.

He was about to put the head band back when a small bit of white by the shiny metal plate caught his attention. Upon closer inspection it appeared to be a piece of paper shoved between the cloth and the plate. Carefully pulling it out with a frown, the blonde straightened the paper wearily. As he soaked in the words written on the paper, his eyes widened and he was sure his mouth had flopped open. The next time he saw that teme he was going to punch him into the next year.

Naruto, dobe. It was the only way to get your seal to break and my brother back in Konoha. See you soon.

Closing his eyes with a soft sigh, the blond jonin to be couldn't help the relief that rippled through his muscles and heart. So it had all been an act, meant to give them the things they both wanted most. Did the teme have to make it so damn painful?

Naruto placed the paper in his pouch and put the headband pack in its place. Maybe a few more hours of sleep wouldn't hurt his spinning head.

.0.0.0.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled, attempting to latch onto his teacher only to have the man shove him back towards Tenten and Neji. "No Lee. My mind is made-up. This is for the best." Neji and Tenten were speechless, expecting nothing but unending perseverance from their sensei. Gai had instilled in them the same belief to never give up as strongly as Kakashi had instilled the belief in teamwork into his own students. What he was doing now, sounded an awful lot like giving up. Lee was tearing up, already sniffling as he did his best to contain his urge to cry. "Please Gai-sensei, you can't go."

"Hush Lee, now isn't the time." Neji whispered holding the green clad boy in place. If his teacher felt he needed to go, Neji couldn't stop the man.

Kakashi sighed before pushing away from his desk and moving towards a wall of scrolls behind the Hokage desk. He studied the scrolls carefully before selecting two and approaching Gai with a solemn expression.

"Request denied." He stated simply before handing Gai one of the scroll. "My students, quite simply put, are assholes. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Gai looked at the scroll, noting the label. Genin progress tracking. "Perspective is something that changes the meaning of everything." Kakashi continued, returning to his previous position of leaning against the desk. "A Hokage needs to know what their Shinobi are capable of. A genin's training is a crucial development period and it can potentially lead to the success or failure of a Shinobi career. You know that. After all, if Lee wasn't able to keep up with his peers, if he was found to be lacking in any way, he'd have been stuck exactly where he was when you found him with no one giving him a second look. A genin's training also determines where in the Shinobi forces they fall. Take Kurenai's team, they're best suited to tracking while Asuma's team is best suited for intelligence gathering. If Ino-chan were older, well she'd be sent on those rather unsavoury kunoichi missions, especially with her clan's techniques and her unquestionable good looks. Tenten on the other hand has the initial makings of a hunter-nin. Perhaps Neji too, if he chose not to join ANBU." Kakashi kept his gaze on Gai. He didn't want to see the expressions on Lee, Tenten, and Neji's faces with his revelations. Usually these were choices they were given when they were a little older. The realities of their profession. Children were lured in with the wonder of ninja abilities, that wonder keeping them going long enough for them to be trapped and chained into a career choice where few retired from. "Because of this, detailed reports of a genin team's progress are meticulously updated after every mission. Accurate stats are provided at the Hoakge's whim, teams changed and reorganised according to those stats to ensure the best possible outcome for the village. The report I just gave you details my team."

"But why your team?" Neji asked, his expression carefully neutral.

Gai unrolled the report, taking in the unbelievably high stats all three of Kakashi's students had. "I want you to focus on the Academy graduation stats and compare it to the current stats." Kakashi continued, not answering Neji's question just yet. "Their Academy graduation stats are high enough on their own but-"

Gai finished for him by interrupting and saying quietly, "their current stats aren't much different from their Academy graduation stats." Kakashi nodded and continued. "Meaning that my presence as their squad sensei did absolutely nothing for them in terms of stat growth." He tossed the second scroll to Neji who caught it reflexively. "That's your squad."

Tenten and Lee crowded around Neji who unrolled the report. Their gazes moved over the information quickly, widening the more they took in. The stats for each team member from Academy graduation to now had grown in leaps and bounds, leaving all three students stunned into utter silence. Gai took the report from Neji, carefully taking in the information as though Kakashi had just given him the most precious gift.

"Your ability as a sensei is far greater than anyone else among the jonin. I would know. I've been through all the reports, past and present." Kakashi stated with a soft smile. "So yes, request denied."

"Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are in a league all their own. No one can hope to compete with them because they've been given many unfair advantages. The Saindaime had been working with the three since they were five years old. Not even I can hope to compare to them." Kakashi added with a sad smile. "There will be a day however, where your team, and the other rookies can stand next to them, as equals. And you're going to help your team get there."

Gai was silent as he took a moment longer, carefully memorising the proof of all his hard work. Then, just as silently he rolled up the reports and handed them back to Kakashi. The silver haired hokage watched silently as Gai suddenly bowed low to his students, "Forgive me for doubting your hard work." he said with a solemn tone. "From now on, I will continue to support you in all your endeavours, without fail, without wavering."

"Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled, tears streaming down his face as he rushed towards the jonin, this time Gai letting himself be enveloped in a crushing hug.

"Don't let Team 7 ruin what you've work so hard to achieve." Kakashi walked towards his long-time rival and squeezed his shoulder. "Kami knows they don't really deserve the credit." He couldn't help but think to himself.

.0.0.0.

Itachi rubbed at his temples, trying to figure out just what to do. Sasuke left him to it, lying on the bed he'd claimed as his own in the cramped underground facility the organisation had taken to hiding in for the moment. It was dark and generally damp throughout the facility, leaving Sasuke with a constant reminder of his time with Orochimaru. Sakura was lying on the opposite bed, keeping herself occupied with the pack of ninja cards they used to play with.

Itachi was pacing. An action that Sasuke had never seen the man do. Itachi was understandably more than a little upset. What Sasuke hadn't anticipated was that Itachi was upset with him.

For not saying something sooner.

For not trying to prevent Shisui's death.

For not preventing the clan's demise.

Sasuke had then asked him a single question, the question having resulted in Itachi's current pacing.

"What would you have done?"

Sasuke watched with growing regret as his brother seemed to be crumbling inwards. Had he really made the right choice? Itachi stopped moving and looked to Sasuke, eyes completely obsidian and tears streaming down his face, as his features twisted to show a deep anguish. "Foolish little brother, the only thing that comes to mind at your question is, I'd have saved Izumi as well."

.0.0.0.

Not all of their choices had the desired consequences. Kakashi watched as Zabuza and Haku walked away from Konoha, two Leaf headbands held limply in his hand. They had finally decided that it was time to join Terumi Mei in her quest to fix Mizu. The wind ruffled his hair, the afternoon sun warming his arms nicely. He hadn't needed to walk all the way to the village gates to say goodbye to the two, but they were special to his team and since none of them were there he chose to honour that bond by coming in person.

"It'll be easier to leave without that brat making Haku cry. I'm sure those brats are only going to get stronger." Zabuza had muttered awkwardly as he handing Kakashi the headbands. "Thank you. For not giving up on us."

Perhaps that was the first time Zabuza had ever thanked anyone. Kakashi sighed. Reports were coming in of Oto-nin running rampant across the smaller villages now that Orochimaru wasn't there to guide them. Was this Konoha's mess to clean?

It didn't appear to matter as he'd sent teams to deal with the Oto-nin anyway. The three were inexperienced, still younger than Kakashi was despite coming from the future. Distantly he wondered at the possibility of using Orochimaru to get Minato-sensei to send him back to Kanabi bridge.

No one here would miss him. Technically they wouldn't exist. Not Naruto, not Sasuke, and not Sakura. His bonds to them would be distant memories as he lived through his past one more time in the hopes of correcting his mistakes. Fixing Obito and Rin's sacrifices so that Minato-sensei could lead Konoha into a brighter future.

It was this kind of mind-set that made Kakashi wonder if he truly should be the one wearing the hat.

"Hatake-Sama?"

Kakashi turned to see Iruka. His eyes were determined, more so than what they'd been in a long time. "If I may have a moment of your time to speak freely?" Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. This chunin was something else.

"Sure, Umino. Go ahead." It would be interesting to see what the man wanted. It had been bugging him for days now. "But before you do." Kakashi added with a smile, snapping his fingers so they were standing in his apartment instead of at the entrance to Konoha. His ANBU guard were getting highly annoyed with all his shinshuns, and the council had tried insisting he move from his apartment to something more luxurious but for the most part Kakashi was doing as he pleased.

Iruka was stunned for a moment, reorienting himself to the sudden change in environment. He took in his surroundings, outwardly remaining calm before looking back at Kakashi. The silver haired Hokage had had enough of the office for one day so his apartment it was.

He moved to the couch and sat down, gesturing for Iruka to do that same. "You were saying?" He prodded when Iruka didn't seem forthcoming with conversation.

Iruka took a deep breath before moving to the arm chair opposite Kakashi's couch and carefully seated himself. "It's the same look they have." He blurted, giving Kakashi the impression he hadn't wanted to change his mind so he'd said the first thing that came to mind. "In your eyes I mean. You have the same look team 7 does." Iruka rubbed his eyes. "I can't believe they were the Asahi ANBU." He sounded defeated. "Were they just messing around in the Academy?" Kakashi's eyebrows drew together in frustration. Undesired consequences indeed.

"For the most part, yes. They were." Kakashi agreed. "But you were their first sensei. Always will be. It was your foundations that enabled them to grow into the Shinobi they are today. Sandaime-sama was the one that took their training further. We cannot know why he felt the need to do so, what his plans for the three outside of the chunin exams had been, but all we can do is move forward."

Iruka didn't seem comforted. "How did I not see that they didn't need the education, that they already had it? Kami, I didn't even know about Mitzuki." Kakashi inwardly frowned. Why did he have to clean up time travel messes? Although, if he hadn't know about the time travel, if they'd simply been freak occurrences of nature, such as Itachi, would he still feel frustrated?

"Mah, no one knew about Mitzuki until it was too late, so really you should let that go. Besides, you're not one to cling to the past. As I understand it Iruka, you're an exceptional Academy instructor with a high success rate. I wouldn't base your worth on three wayward students." Kakashi waved a hand dismissively, trying to down play the entire ordeal. "When Naruto-kun gets back from his mission I'll personally see to it that he writes you a letter of appreciation as well as an apology." Would it mean as much to the chunin as Kakashi hoped it would?

Iruka's shoulders sagged as he deflated, tension releasing and muscles relaxing. He surprised Kakashi by laughing. "Oh man, Naruto writing an apology letter. Good luck forcing him to do that." Iruka scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sure you'll find he can be a little more mature when the time calls for it." Kakashi smiled cheerfully, relaxing himself. "Especially if he wants to pass that jonin test." He added, a dark gleam of amusement twinkling in his eye.

Iruka chuckled and rubbed the tears away from his eyes. "I'm sure he's ecstatic as being a jonin so soon. Has he tried to wear the hat yet? He tried getting it from Sandaime-sama more than a few times. Kept the old man on his toes when he was supposed to be in my classroom."

"Ah well, Naruto-kun has been somewhat distracted of late. Hence I sent him on a moderately lengthy mission." Kakashi shifted uncomfortably, carefully trying to keep the light atmosphere from disappearing.

"You know, I don't think those two went with the intention of defecting. The team is too close knit. Those that break the rules are trash but those that abandon their comrades are even worse than trash, ne Hatake-sama." Iruka sent the Kage a knowing smile before standing and moving towards the door. "I should get going. I've got papers to grade." He shuddered at the mention of papers and Kakashi couldn't help the sweat drop at the thought of his own pile of paperwork waiting for him in his office. "Don't sweat the small stuff Iruka-chan." Kakashi stood as well, knowing just which buttons to push to get the man in a frenzy more in tune with his usual mood. He gave the angry chunin an eye smile and small wave before shunshinning away just as the man tried to whack him upside the head. "I hope he locks the door on his way out." Kakashi couldn't help but think as he faced the large pile of paperwork.

.0.0.0.

"So I hope you're feeling utterly terrible." Tsunade stated loudly just as Naruto woke up. He winced at her volume, wondering if she was still mad at him or just getting her digs in. Was she coming back to the village? Did it work? Probably not. It was the best he could come up with given what they were working with. Without Orochimaru, it was difficult to say what would push her enough to overcome her fears.

He pushed himself into a seated position, before looking up at one very annoyed Senju. "Would it help if I said I was sorry?" He grinned. Tsunade raised a brow, as though saying 'Are you?'. "We really do ned you back in the village." Naruto kept his gaze locked on Tsunade's. "I wish I could go back and change what happened, but what I can do, is work hard to become the next Hokage, and make sure that nothing like what happened to your precious people, ever happens again." The determination he felt blazed in his eyes. "And I want you there to help me achieve that goal."

"Uzumaki Naruto. That was a risky move." Tsunade stated, her tone showing how angry she really was. "And normally it would never have worked. You'd have woken up, if at all, and I'd have been long gone." She held up a hand when it appeared that Naruto was going to interrupt. "However, your team leader had given me quite a bit to think about while you were resting. And he gave me a note from your Hokage. I'll leave you with this, your only purpose in this mission was to get my attention. After that, you can thank Shikamaru for a successful mission on your record. Perhaps you'd do well to learn from him." She turned to walk towards the doorway. "You have another day of rest, then we'll head back to Konoha."

Naruto watched her leave, feeling more than a little confused. When had Kakashi given something to Shikamaru to give to Tsunade? Why hadn't he been told? It was probably when he'd stormed out. Was he that unreliable right now? Was the addition of Shikamaru more than he'd originally thought?

Naruto sighed and walked towards his teammate's chakra signatures. He felt better than the last time he'd woken up and he probably didn't need the rest. He was grateful for it all the same. Was Tsunade right? Were his methods ineffective? Perhaps having knowledge of things to come, had chained him, hindered him, rather than allowed him to reach new heights. After all, he was hardly the unpredictable knucklehead ninja that had caused so many to see the error of their ways.

Was it his turn to see the error of his own ways?

.0.0.0.

Kakashi stood across from the once Legendary Sannin, the man shrouded in the shadows of the dark cell he'd been shoved in. He didn't say anything, leaving the Snake to wonder as to why he was there. He wanted the satisfaction of Orochimaru breaking the silence first. He didn't need to wait long.

"Hatake Kakashi. I suppose congratulations are in order." Orochimaru sounded as coldly polite as ever, as though he wasn't currently sitting in a cell. "Whatever brings you down from all heights to my humble abode?"

"I'm led to believe that you're redeemable." Kakashi decided shock tactics had their merits in this case. "That you can be counted as an ally, with the right motivation of course."

Orochimaru seemed to twitch, perhaps surprised, perhaps having expected nothing less than execution.

"There's no denying that your research is useful." Kakashi continued. "However, you'd no longer be allowed to continue as you have been. Human experimentation and all that being completely out of the question."

"If I'm not mistaken, Hatake-sama, you seem to be offering me a headband." Orochimaru seemed more amused than surprised. He moved closer to the bars, closer to the light, allowing Kakashi to see the gleam in his eyes. It was a sight he could have lived without.

"No, I'm offering Oto a beneficial alliance." Kakashi kept his tone neutral. "Full disclosure on all your experiments however. Your information is our information. You become an honest village, an official one, and you live out your days doing humane research. You can research clones for all I care. Just not real people."

"Oh and what do I get out of it?" Orochimaru's amusement had vanished instantly.

"For starters, I won't kill you here and now." Kakashi's tone remained the same, further frustrating Orochimaru. "And assistance will be provided in establishing your village. One other thing, you no longer answer to any of Danzou's requests. Anything he sends you gets ignored."

"Well, Danzou and I aren't really all that close. Whatever gave you the impression that we were?" Orochimaru was back to pretending to be amused. This was the first time anyone had attempted to talk to him since he'd been locked up. He couldn't say it was unwelcomed. For now Kabuto seemed to be assessing the situation, keeping quiet and merely listening. Currently though, it didn't seem to be that Kakashi was giving them a choice. "At what point is a clone considered a real person, Hatake-sama?"

"I know what's underneath Danzou's bandages." Kakashi shrugged. "And as long as it's a clone, then I don't really care what you do, no matter how far along it is. No kidnapping, no people in cages, no inhumane experiments. All of that stops. Your research becomes dedicated to useful, humane, healthy things."

"I'm not going to lie, Kakashi, it's definitely not what I expected, but it also isn't something that benefits me all that greatly." Orochimaru retreated once more, shadows covering most of his body. "Perhaps when you have more to offer. . ."

"More than your life?" Kakashi raised his visible brow. "Well then, I'll give you a single hour to examine my body, my Sharingan. That's it. Take it or leave it. I'll give you some time to think it over."

Kakashi didn't even wait to see if his proposal meant anything to the Snake. It certainly didn't make him feel comfortable, but he never said he'd be alone. If anything Kabuto would work well with Tsunade in developing the medic-nin training centre. The research alone would be invaluable.

Would they do it?

Would Orochimaru willing work with Konoha once more?

.0.0.0.

So those wanting more fun and games, please be patient. DX