Tsunade spends months trying to dissect the intricacies of Uzura's genetic code. It is helpful to have Sayonakidori's DNA to compare it to considering Uzura is her clone, but more often than not Tsunade can only distinguish where there is something different and not necessarily identify what the differences are. For example, along the sequences of DNA related to sight and ocular abilities, there is some adaption but it is not the Sharingan or the Byakugan. On that point the best Tsunade can figure is the girl will likely develop a dojutsu.
Uzura's DNA has also been bolstered with Senju Hashirama's, but it seems to take more focus on utilizing his exceptional life force and chakra prowess rather than his elemental abilities. When Tsunade found coding for all five elements in the child's gene structure the best she can deduce is that Hashirama's DNA is the only thing holding it all together.
After realizing her work is not progressing any further, Tsunade concedes and settles just to observe Uzura and Tenzo and monitor their developments. Following Uzura's growth from a pink, squeaking, newborn to a sweet, chubby, happy, baby only stirs Tsunade's ache for a child of her own. She accepts part of childless-ness is due to her own lack of intimacy with her husband. Not that there's anything wrong with it, in fact Tsunade finds it exceptionally enjoyable; it's just afterwards, when he's holding her and falling asleep she can feel the overbearing weight of his love and it bothers her it's not balanced on her half of the scale. Tsunade then begins to feel guilty, almost as if she's cheating him out of something. On the nights when her self-condemnation becomes too much to bear, Tsunade turns to drinking to silence her conscience. As it becomes more a routine for Jiraiya to carry his passed-out drunk wife to bed, his worries mount on top of his already full plate.
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Jiraiya knew that by becoming Hokage he would be taking on a whole new level of responsibility. That's why he asked Tsunade to marry him, because he thought that she would be there to keep him strong. But now she is becoming more of a burden than a help. Looking at the mound of paperwork on his desk, Jiraiya sighs and reflects back on happier times. He glances at an old photo of himself with his team and smiles. After appointing Minato to jonin, Jiraiya allows him to lead many of the team missions. He's happy to see how much Minato is growing and with Minato striving to create new jutsus, Jiraiya is already beginning to see another Hokage in the not too distant future.
The other photo on his desk is of himself and Tsunade at their wedding. Jiraiya is still just as madly in love with Tsunade now as he's ever been before... But now he questions whether or not marrying her was the best thing for Tsunade. Jiraiya resolves himself, perhaps he just needs to try harder to show her how much he loves her. That's it, he'll leave the office early today, buy some flowers, pick her up from the hospital and take her out on an impromptu date. Jiraiya calls Sayonakidori into the office to let her know he's leaving early and to wrap up the last of the paperwork of the day. He shucks off his haori and hat so he can travel more low key and steps out of the office whistling a nameless tune.
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Tsunade is busy pouring over new documents from Uzura's latest growth measurement and blood draw when she hears a knock at the door. Looking up she sees Jiraiya outside the door grinning, with a simple wave she directs him to enter. The look on Tsunade's face when she saw him through the glass stung Jiraiya. She didn't even look remotely happy to see him, but he followed her directive into the office anyways.
"Hello my lovely! I got these for you..."
She doesn't even look up before she responds
"They're lovely dear. Give me a moment and I'll call an attendant to put them in some water for me"
Trying not to be deterred, Jiraiya continues
"Actually my dear, I was hoping to take you out to dinner"
"But Jiraiya, look at this mountain of papers I have to go through!"
Finally looking up at her husband, she notices a wave of disappointment wash over his calm face and she softens. She thinks this isn't the first time she's rebuffed him here lately and it's probably beginning to take it's toll. Tsunade sets down the papers and puts one of her hands over his
"I'm sorry Jiraiya... that came out harsher than I meant it to be. You're right, I'm probably working too hard..."
Finally glancing at the flowers, she takes them from him
"They really are beautiful... Let me tell an attendant I'm leaving and I'll let you surprise me with dinner"
Tsunade offers him the most sincere smile she can muster and he smiles back, but Jiraiya can't help but wonder if the smile stemmed out of reciprocated love or just sympathy.
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Hiruzen's heart is still crushed after the elder's decision. He's tried stopping by the prison many times to see Orochimaru, but every time he approaches the road that leads to the gates, he can't bring himself to turn, so he continues on by. The Third Hokage has spied Orochimaru in the yard a few times, and each time Orochimaru looks dejected and pathetic as he clumsily tries to use his prosthesis. Orochimaru's struggle stirs guilt in Hiruzen's chest which the latter tries his best to ignore. The Third Hokage has even taken it as far as asking Sayonakidori to store away his old team photo. "It's for posterity's sake" he tells her, but in his heart he knows it's because he can't bear looking into the face of someone he's failed so miserably.
Looking more fondly towards his other two students, the Third Hokage half-smiles. With Jiraiya's appointment, Hiruzen's been enjoying the new dynamic in the office. The first month progressed smoothly as he transitioned Jiraiya into the Hokage's seat. When Sayonakidori took a short time off to have her baby, things were more hectic than Hiruzen expected it to be. The Third Hokage hadn't yet realized how comfortable she made his life in the office until she wasn't there. Despite the few months she had been employed, she earned his respect and displayed her loyalty to the village.
On the day that Jiraiya went to inspect Konoha's prison facility as the village's new Hokage, he returned wearing a hard expression. Hiruzen had been casually sitting behind the Hokage desk, chatting with Sayonakidori, and was about to open a gift from his old comrade Danzo, when Jiraiya entered the office. Jiraiya closes the door solidly and approaches his old master
"Hiruzen-sensei... I believe Danzo is plotting something"
"Danzo? I'll admit he is rather coarse, but he would never do anything to hurt the village. Where would get such an idea?"
"When I was at the prison today, I saw Orochimaru but he just pretended not to see me and acted like I wasn't there. On my way out however, out of the corner of my eye I caught Danzo conversing with him and Orochimaru seemed to be listening rather intently... It also reminded me of when we first enacted our plan to try to wring more information out of Orochimaru. When I was on my way down to the dungeons, I noticed Danzo headed up. At first I just presumed Danzo was attending to any other prisoners down there but now after looking back through the records, I've found Orochimaru was the only prisoner that deep in the pit."
"Perhaps you are mistaken... Look here, Danzo just returned from an emissary mission and brought me a gift..."
Lifting open the lid of the box, it is revealed to be full of a fruit more native to the southern regions of the Land of Fire. Hiruzen immediately recognizes their red spiny skins and remembers how succulent the fruits are inside. Plucking a fruit out of the box, the Third Hokage is delighted his old friend brought him such a thoughtful gift. Suddenly Sayonakidori pulls a tanto from inside her robes and slices away the fruit just barely missing Hiruzen's fingertips. Jiraiya swiftly kicks back his chair and picks up Sayonakidori by her throat with her feet hovering dangerously above the floor. Hiruzen can't believe what just happened but he notices she is not struggling against Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, set her down"
"But Master! She just pulled a dagger on you!"
"Look at her Jiraiya, she's not fighting you. Let her speak"
Jiraiya lowers her back to the ground but does not remove his hand from her neck. Sayonakidori understands he could snap her neck in an instant, so she tosses her tanto on the desk, and rasps out
"My apologies sir, but please take a closer look at where the half of the fruit I cut away fell"
Moving the halved fruit, the Third Hokage finds half of a brightly colored spider. Looking more closely at the desk, he finds the other half. Jiraiya removes his hand so Sayonakidori can speak freely.
"Hiruzen-sama, I am familiar with those fruit because they are grown near the coastline where I was raised. Those spiders are typically considered helpful because they eat the pests that would otherwise destroy the fruits. However they are also known to be extremely poisonous and can kill a man in three days if he does not receive proper treatment"
"It must be a mistake! Danzo would not have knowingly handed me something so dangerous."
"Look at that spider again sir. Those markings indicate she is a female and I'm willing to bet if I inspect those fruits more closely I will find an egg sack because this is the time of year they breed. When the females lay their eggs, they only choose dark, well protected spots such as rotted knots in the trees so they can protect their offspring from predators. Someone had to be looking for her and her eggs to put them in this box, she would not have been accidentally picked with the fruit."
Both Hokages look thoughtful considering her words when Jiraiya speaks
"Hiruzen-sensei, earlier you said Danzo would never do anything to hurt the village... Are you so sure he wouldn't do anything to hurt you?"
The Third interlocks his fingers and sinks back into the chair. Sayonakidori picks up her tanto and uses the blade to scoop the remains of the spider and the fruit back inside the box. Resealing the lid, she steps back and tosses the box into the air. Swiftly she performs her signature petite blue fire ball jutsu and incinerates the box in mid-air, then kicks a waste basket underneath to catch the ashes as they fall. Moving the basket back to the desk, she slides her tanto back into the unseen scabbard hidden in her robes and resumes her usual post as if nothing had happened.
Later that day after exposing Danzo's plot, Sakumo was understandably upset when his wife returned home with bruising around her neck. Jiraiya actually felt a tremor of fear when the White Fang of the Leaf angrily burst through his office door.
"JIRAIYA! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING?!"
Sayonakidori rushes in after him and positions herself between her husband and the Fourth Hokage
"Sakumo, please stop! He was only doing what he thought was necessary at the time!"
Sakumo pulls out his White Light Chakra Sabre and commands his wife
"Move Sayonakidori! I have some business to discuss with our Hokage!"
Sayonakidori fuinjutsu releases her Chakra Zanbato and pulses her blue chakra down the blade
"Darling please don't do this! Even if you are my husband it is still my duty to protect the Hokage and thus my village as well!"
Hiruzen finally interrupts with his solid authoritative voice.
"STOP!"
A bead of sweat drips down Jiraiya's face while Sakumo and Sayonakidori lower their weapons. Hiruzen speaks
"Sakumo, I respect your concern for your wife, in fact I should have expected nothing less in response from you. Jiraiya, you may have been overly forceful, but you only did what you believed to be in my best interest at the time. Sayonakidori, I do believe fate brought you to Konoha for a reason. You have proven yourself to be courageous, dependable, and faithful to your Hokage and your village. Jiraiya I would like to dispel any lingering doubts you may have of her allegiance and Sakumo I want you to be proud of your wife's actions, as of right now I bestow the rank of chunnin upon Hatake Sayonakidori."
Jiraiya, Sakumo, and Sayonakidori are silenced by the Third's declaration, but she is the first to regain her words
"Sir... that is too great an honor... I have not even been registered in the village's ranking system... I'm not even a genin sir..."
"Firstly young lady, I am the Third Hokage and I have the power to appoint people how I see fit. Secondly, you are in fact noted in the records as accepting my attendant position at a genin rank. All Hokage attendants must be ranked ninja in order to fulfill the assignment. Young lady, while you may have believed I only accepted you as my attendant because you thought perhaps I thought a pregnant woman was only suited for paper pushing, I immediately recognized your prowess that day on the training field against Jiraiya. In the time you have spent employed under me, you have far exceeded my expectations, become an invaluable member of my office and displayed your immense worth as a kunoichi."
Sayonakidori reseals her zanbato, and covers her mouth with her fingertips as tears glimmer in her eyes. Suddenly she leans forward to hug the Third Hokage, causing the old man to blush. Jiraiya breathes a sigh of relief and Sakumo re-sheaths his sabre.
That evening, Hiruzen is still perplexed. Did Danzo just try to assassinate him? Later when bumping into Danzo, Hiruzen thanks him again for his gift. Danzo has a troubled expression on his face, but tells Hiruzen he is welcome anyways. The Third Hokage walks away thoughtfully, but gives nothing away indicating he is aware of Danzo's farce.
The next few days Hiruzen and Jiraiya go into intense deliberations about Danzo. They come to the conclusion that Danzo's ANBU faction ROOT should be disbanded in case it is actually an armed force at Danzo's disposal rather than a specialized group of the Hokage loyal warriors. When Danzo is summoned to the Hokage office to be notified of the break up of his division, a falling ensues that leaves foul tastes in everyone's mouths. Jiraiya fears an uprising but the next months pass without incident, although Danzo does make an effort to avoid either Hokage and he keeps brief any time he must interact with them.
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Sakumo has been enjoying the relative peace of his life as of late. He's only gone out on a few A-rank missions since Jiraiya's appointment, which at the end of each he is always happy to come back home to the welcoming arms of his wife. This evening as the delicious aroma of Sayonakidori's cooking fills the air, Sakumo is getting excited about the future as he holds onto the chubby hands of his nine month old daughter and helps her take some guided steps. He smiles while thinking about how his youngest son is going to begin at the academy next fall while his oldest son is preparing for the chunnin exams in 3 months. Suddenly, Uzura's wobbly legs give out from underneath her and she plops down on her diapered rear. Sakumo recognizes the little crocodile tears beginning to form in her eyes, but to discourage them he claps his hands and tells her what a good job she did with a huge smile on his face. Next he scoops her up in his arms and blows raspberries into her tummy to make her giggle, then he begins to spin around with her but stops when he sees his wife with a solemn face at the door. Sakumo sets little Uzura on the floor and hands her a toy then steps over to the door.
Sayonakidori pulls a message out from her sleeve and hands it to her husband as she says
"The messenger said it is urgent and directly from the Fourth Hokage..."
Sakumo opens the scroll and his face becomes stern. Closing it back up again, he throws it in the fire to destroy it, then kisses his wife.
"It is an S-rank mission... I have to go"
He quickly walks out of the room to get his things ready when he passes by Kakashi. Kakashi immediately recognizes the look on his father's face and stops him
"Hey Dad... will you be back in time for the chunnin exams?"
"I don't know son... I'll try"
Without anymore words, Sakumo moves on to prepare himself. Kakashi knows from past experience that things are serious when his father wears that expression and has so few words for him. Perhaps he's feeling a little selfish, but Kakashi wishes his dad didn't have to go out on such dangerous missions sometimes... Then again, if his dad were only an average ninja, Kakashi wouldn't have someone so great to look up to. Kakashi tries to suck up the pangs of longing he has for his father to be home, and tries to focus on how his dad is better than anybody else's dad and that's why he does such important things. His dad is the best.
In just a few minutes Sakumo is ready to leave. His family lines up to bid him farewell. First Tenzo, with tears streaming down his face, throws his arms around Sakumo's neck. Sakumo chuckles as he breaks the hug then ruffles the three year old's hair. Next is Kakashi, Sakumo gets down on one knee to be level with him, and places a hand on his shoulder
"Kakashi, you are the man of the house while I'm gone. Be a good role model for your younger siblings and help your mother, okay?"
"Yes sir"
Sakumo stands up to take Uzura from her mother's arms. He kisses her sweet chubby face and she just smiles and pinches his cheeks; she's too young still to understand her father is getting ready to leave for an unspecified amount of time. Sakumo hands Uzura to Kakashi, then sweeps Sayonakidori off her feet and crushes her body into his for a passionate kiss. Tenzo covers his hands with his eyes and giggles while Uzura claps her hands, and Kakashi looks like he's going to be sick. Kakashi chimes in
"Okay Dad, that's still super gross even if she is my Mom now. Please either stop or get a room"
Sakumo lifts his face from the kiss and with a smirk he looks at his son
"Would you like us to go to your room?"
Kakashi is horrified
"NO WAY! What is wrong with you?! Don't you know there are children present!? Namely, yours!"
Sakumo sets Sayonakidori back to her feet and she is flushed. She takes Uzura back from Kakashi and Sakumo can't help giving her one more peck before he must go. Sakumo asks Kakashi,
"There was that one better?"
"Yes, thank you."
Kakashi crosses his arms and tries his best to look smug as his father turns and walks towards the Hokage's office in the settling dusk.
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Six weeks pass without any word from Sakumo. Then on one exceptionally beautiful day, Sakumo is seen at a distance approaching the gates shouldering the weight of his two barely alive team mates. The gate attendants notify the medical nin to come before rushing out to help Sakumo and the members of his cell. At the gate, the medical nin have already arrived and take over for the gate attendants at bringing in the injured shinobi. When word reaches the Hokages that Sakumo and his team have been taken to the hospital severely injured but alive, Hiruzen tells Jiraiya and Sayonakidori to go to the emergency room while he stays there to run the office.
At the hospital, Tsunade and a team of medical nin are furiously working to repair Sakumo and the others. After hours of waiting, Sayonakidori is finally allowed to see him. She rushes in and gently kisses him, and he smiles at her. Jiraiya interviews the other two members of the three man cell to give Sakumo & Sayonakidori a few moments alone. In Sakumo's room, Sayonakidori is sitting on the bed, holding his hand when Jiraiya knocks before entering the room. He sits down in the chair looking dejected before he mutters
"...Those fools..."
Sayonakidori asks
"What is it Jiraiya-sama?"
"They're idiots. Complete buffoons! Rather than being grateful for their lives all they can do is point fingers at Sakumo for failing the mission!"
Sayonakidori squeezes her husband's hand then asks him
"Is it true?"
Sakumo won't bring himself to look into her eyes
"Yes, it's true... I failed the mission"
"No my love, that's not what I meant. Is it true you saved those mens' lives?"
Sakumo lifts his face and sees hope in his wife's eyes
"Yes, I did"
"Then you did what was best, regardless of whether it was right or not"
Jiraiya sighs
"They're blockheads, I swear... All they're doing is spouting hate when really they should be touting Sakumo as their champion..."
After everyone is dismissed from the hospital it doesn't take long for Sakumo's team to dirty the air. Things become foul quickly; Kakashi threatens to beat up anyone he hears talking poorly about his father, Sayonakidori holds her head up high as she walks through the crowds of whispers in the village, and even Jiraiya makes an ordinance to forbid anyone from talking about the mission failure but by that time it's too late.
At the chunnin exams, the crowd separates themselves from the Hatake family, leaving a visible gap to show there is no affiliations. Uchiha Kagami and his young wife arrive to the event late, not seeing many available seats Kagami directs his wife who is carrying their young son, towards the availability next to the Hatakes. Kagami's wife whispers
"Isn't that Hatake Sakumo everyone gossips about?"
"And here I was thinking that you my wife were above mindless gossip."
"But everyone says-"
"Hush your mouth woman. Ignore what 'everyone' says and listen to what your husband tells you. That man is a hero for saving the lives of others. Now I expect you to be civil, come now"
Kagami's wife purses her lips in silence but obeys her husband. As they take the seats next to the Hatakes, Kagami nods at Sakumo and the latter reciprocates. Throughout the course of watching the matches the two families begin small talk and Kagami learns their daughter isn't much younger than his son. The two babies notice each other and it doesn't take long for them to begin cooing and babbling at eachother. Holding the two babies face to face, Kagami says
"Shisui, meet Uzura. She's a pretty girl, isn't she?"
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