To the reviewer that commented that I might not read their long review… I read all reviews. I appreciate my readers and make a point of reading them and trying to answer any questions that might crop up… which is actually why I made a facebook page. Also, thanks for the congrats on the wedding. It was almost a year and a half ago but I don't mind the late congrats.
Kakashi's POV
An unusual thing had started to happen. Guy had literally knocked him unconscious when he realised that Kakashi hadn't fully recovered after his literal death experience, though that was not the unusual thing. He had finally gained consciousness, not truly feeling recovered anyway, and had managed to break out of the wooden restraints that were no doubt made by someone else now on his list of people to torment…. Well torment more. But once he was up and about again, and ninjas started being discharged from the hospital with their injuries bandaged he found people clapping him on the back, or shaking his hand, telling him that he had done a good job. This was the unusual thing. Normally, people avoided his eye or with one particular Chunin he couldn't remember the name of, run from him with an unnecessary scream.
He certainly didn't feel like he had done a good job. From everything he had heard about Naruto's battle with the Pains, any damage he had inflicted had been shrugged off by the enemy. Considering that he lost his life in that battle he really hoped that Naruto had punched Pain extra hard. He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that his killer was the reason he was alive… instead he chose to give the credit to Naruto. Still, he definitely didn't deserve admirations.
Coming back from border patrol with Guy, Kakashi yet again received a 'good job' and a handshake. In a daze, he turned to his friend, hoping he had an explanation. When he only received a shrug, he sighed. He went to find Shikaku who was currently in charge of handing out missions and accepting reports. He found him at his makeshift office which was a tent not too far from the hospital tents.
Many would look at Shikaku and think that he was handling his new duties well. Since Lady Tsunade was in a coma and Shizune was weakened from having her soul removed and then returned, Shikaku was the stand in Hokage. He was the leader of the Jonins and had the most control over Jonin a promotion, so choosing him to step in until one or both women were healthy again was a rather obvious decision. However, Kakashi could see the tiredness and the stress lines marring Shikaku's face.
"Have they decided what to do about the Hokage?" Kakashi asked, not bothering with formalities.
"We're going to hold a meeting soon. I've been putting it off. If they village heard that some started pushing for a new Hokage, even a temporary one, only days after the battle they would think we expected Lady Hokage to never recover. Danzo has accused me of trying to usurp the position. Unfortunately, the longer I try to put off the meeting, the more he will look correct." Shikaku sighed. "So, be prepared, Kakashi, you might end up as the Sixth Hokage until Lady Tsunade is on her feet… If she ever recovers."
Kakashi groaned, making Guy laugh and clap him on the back.
My back is going to be bruised by the end of the week.
"You are going to have to learn to smile more or you'll scare kids. We can't have kids thinking the Hokage is terrifying."
"Wouldn't he have to uncover his face for them to see the smile?" asked an amused voice.
The voice instantly caused a slight blush to blossom across Kakashi's face, making him curse. Thankful that his cheeks were covered, he and Guy turned to see Aaliyah Akimichi smiling at them. She had a scroll in her hand, and dirt was clinging to her glossy hair, making its midnight colour a dusty gray. True to her Clan, Aaliyah showed no care at her appearance. Her smile was just as bright and disarming as ever, something that unnerved Kakashi as much as when he first met Aaliyah.
Guy laughed again. "That's not going to happen. After all these years, I've never actually seen his face."
Aaliyah chuckled. "I have. An enemy cut his cheek with a rusty knife and I had to literally pin him to the ground to get the mask off his face for me to clean the cut."
Kakashi felt his cheeks pinch with another blush as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He elbowed Guy so that he would hand over the report they had written up during their mission. When Shikaku checked it and gave them a nod Kakashi left the tent quickly, trying to not run. Guy, unsurprisingly, stayed behind to talk to Aaliyah.
Making his way to the makeshift restaurant district, Kakashi looked to sate the hunger he felt. There weren't as many choices for food as there normally was since only a few food stands were able to make shambled stands with small stoves. Stews, soups, noodles (much to Naruto's delight), and other meals that were filling and could be made in large quantities with few ingredients were the only options for meals. Kakashi didn't mind though, since he rarely chose food for its taste but instead its ability to remove his hunger.
He was dipping some bread that the waitress had been kind enough to give him even though bread was running low, into his stew when Inoichi and some of his clansmen walked passed. A few of them clapped Kakashi on the back, commenting on what a good job he had done. This resulted in a lump of food falling into Kakashi's lap. As he wiped off the mess, Inoichi took a seat next to Kakashi, waiting for the man to look at him. When he did, Kakashi voiced his question before the blond man could speak.
"Why does everyone keep doing that? I wasn't that useful in the battle."
Inoichi frowned for a moment before realisation dawned on him. "Oh, I don't know how you'll feel about this, but, they're not congratulating you on your fighting. Everyone knows you are Naruto's teacher. They are saying you did a good job training her."
Kakashi looked at him in confusion. "But I didn't train her really. She has her parents' talents and she's dedicated to becoming stronger. At most I would explain something she didn't understand that was getting in the way of her training."
"That's not how Naruto explains it." Inoichi smirked. "She makes it sound like you've always pointed her in the right direction for training, and invested large amounts of your time to make sure she succeeds. Her rasenshuriken is proof of that."
The ex-anbu member shifted uncomfortably in his seat. With nothing to reply to Inoichi's statement Kakashi returned to his food, wishing he had more so that he would have more to do with his jaw. It was after he had pushed his bowl away that he remembered that the blond had clearly had a reason to sit down. It was merely a look that encouraged Inoichi to start talking.
"Do you know anything about the Children of Iron?" When Kakashi shook his head, Inoichi groaned. "How is it that no one can know about the group? I've found out they were real but no one knows anything about them."
"Well, either that is a large hole in our security, or someone high up knows about them," Kakashi reasoned, getting to his feet. "Most likely, investigators or interrogators would be your best bet… so Ibiki is probably the man you want."
"Excellent, so he should know Naruto's ties to the group."
Kakashi's footsteps stopped. He turned back to Inoichi, his once visible eye widening. "Naruto is one?"
With that, the white haired man decided he was going to help Inoichi track down Ibiki for some answers. They found him also having lunch, Anko sitting with him, cheekily commenting about something Kakashi wasn't able to hear. When he and Inoichi drew near the two stopped talking, looking at them expectantly.
"Is there something you need?" Ibiki asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin.
"We have a question," Inoichi admitted, sitting down across from the man. "Do you know anything about the Children of Iron?"
Kakashi noticed the look that passed between Ibiki and Anko. He sat down next to Inoichi, eyeing the two. "You obviously do. So what is the group?"
Ibiki sighed before giving them both a hard look. "Do you know someone who is an Iron Child?"
"Yes, Naruto."
"Then we're not telling you," Anko replied to Inoichi.
"If there is a secret society in the village that could easily be a security issue," Kakashi commented.
Ibiki laughed, something that sent a cold shiver down Kakashi's spine.
"Relax, Hatake. We aren't trying to take over the village. The title 'Child of Iron' is just something to give us strength. The idea that I had iron in my blood helped me overcome my fear and did effect my career choice. Don't worry. Naruto won't end up jaded like me. That kid's iron blood is why he's so stubborn… or should I be saying she?"
Inoichi smirked. "Nice try. But why won't you just tell me what it is? Naruto is the last one, so no one is going to be harmed by us finding out."
"Idiot! We're trying to protect you. Naruto should be the one to explain it to you so he can decide how much detail you need." Anko turned to Ibiki, a cheeky smile on her face. "I bet I can find out Naruto's gender before you."
Ibiki grinned. "Our usual wager?"
Kakashi shook his head at them, giving up on arguing with them. Inoichi stayed, trying to get answers out of them. He knew it was useless though. They had digressed to idiocy.
He found a place to sit and read, trying to not look over at the Uchiha Estate. He was failing miserably, having only managed to read three sentences before he found himself staring at the estate's gate sadly.
"You know, if you don't want to be reminded of Obito, maybe you should sit in one of the hundreds of places that you can't see the estate."
Kakashi looked over, surprised to find Aaliyah sitting next to him. He knew he should have been more surprised but part of him had noticed the smell of her perfume. She wore a small smile, her grey eyes sad.
"I miss him too," she reminded him. "Have you been in the estate since the citizens moved in?"
"No. I haven't had too." He smirked. "You're the one making sure I don't have to, aren't you?"
Aaliyah shrugged.
"Thank you." Kakashi sighed, putting his book away. "How's Choza and your clan?"
"Choza is doing well. He should be awake within the week. Choji has done well to run the clan in his father's… absence. Everyone is proud of him."
"Hmm." He wasn't surprised to hear that Choji was doing so well. However, Aaliyah had been avoided a particular subject. Kakashi had thought she would turn to one of her many friends about it but from what he had heard, and perhaps asked about, she had acted as though nothing happened.
"How are you handling everything?"
He couldn't help but snort. "I'll tell you if you tell me?" When Aaliyah looked at him with owl eyes, Kakashi chuckled dryly. "You die, and you think no one noticed? I found your body!"
"I'm not the only one, so I have no reason to complain." Aaliyah shrugged as though she wasn't talking about her own mortality.
Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head. "Good to see you're not the same little girl who gave a birthday cake to a Chunin she didn't really know and who held a kunai to her throat. You're even more soft hearted."
"Now I don't feel so bad that my nail had fallen off, into the cake batter." When Kakashi looked at her in horror she started giggling uncontrollably.
"You know, Minato-Sensei made me eat that whole cake for being mean to you."
"I'm sorry. If I had known you didn't like sweets I would have made something you liked."
He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Well, if you don't take care of yourself I will tell your clan that you died."
Aaliyah sighed dramatically. "Fine." She sobered up and looked at him seriously. "Umm, maybe you should tell that to Naruto. I saw him the other day and I think he should take things easy. Just keep an eye on him." She stood up, turning to face Kakashi. "By the way, maybe you should see your own second chance at life as a way to move passed your issues. We've all made mistakes, Kakashi. You need to start seeing the great things you've done, instead of just the bad. The village thinks you've done a fantastic job training Naruto. I know you don't think you've done anything but that's because you don't want to see any good in yourself."
Kakashi let her walk off, his face pink. When she was out of sight, he shook his head. "She needs to stop doing that!"
/ / / / / /
He knew to not dismiss Aaliyah's worry but when he finally found Naruto the next day, he stopped in his tracks. She was smiling as she went about helping various people. But it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes had taken on a familiar, dull look, one Kakashi had prayed he would never see in the gaze of someone he cared about ever again.
When he finally made his feet move, he went up to Naruto, taking the planks of wood out of her hands and dumping them on the ground. When Naruto looked up at him in confusion, Kakashi did what he had wished he had done for his father. He hugged her tightly.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi whispered.
"You're acting weird," Naruto replied in a panicked voice.
Kakashi gave a wet chuckle. Holding her tighter for a moment, he moved her out to arms length. He evaluated her, determining that whatever was wrong was internal.
"Don't push yourself!" he ordered before pulling her away from the builders so that he could more easily question her. "Have you eaten today?"
"Yeah, Yoshino found Shikaku, Shikamaru, and me and we had lunch together."
"Good. And have you been sleeping well?" When Naruto gave a hesitant nod, Kakashi frowned.
"Ino snores." Naruto gave a small smile at her sensei's chuckle. "I'm glad she doesn't like Sasuke anymore. If those two ended up together and had a child we'd have to have an earthquake warning every night." She started looking around, worried. "Don't tell Ino I said that! I swear, I'll try to get sleep after writing… ar, something, but she's so loud. I end up having to go sleep in Shikamaru's room."
Kakashi choked on his own saliva, only to realise Naruto meant it in an innocent way… he hoped.
"Excuse me."
Naruto and Kakashi looked over to see a dozen ninjas with the Sand Village symbol on their forehead protectors. They were all looked at Naruto. It was the man standing in front of the group that spoke again.
"We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for returning our Kazekage to us."
Since Naruto was blinking at them in surprise, Kakashi decided he would have to hold the conversation. Something he was not thrilled about.
"Did Lord Gaara send you all here to help?"
"Not exactly." The man didn't notice Kakashi tense. "When we heard what the Leaf had suffered we all volunteered to help. Many more did but the village couldn't spare us all, so Lord Kazekage selected those of us with the most building experience." The man turned his gaze back to Naruto. "Thank you for everything you have done for Lord Kazekage and the Sand village."
The Sand ninjas all bowed before leaving to be given duties. Naruto smiled.
"It's nice of them to help." Naruto went to walk off only for Kakashi to stop her.
"You're not going anywhere. You just missed what happened."
"No I didn't. Sand ninjas have come to help us in thanks for the Leaf helping them."
He sighed deeply. "That is not what happened. Naruto, they came here because you helped their village. Do you know why we are so desperate to get the village functioning again?"
Naruto rolled her eyes. "Yeah! We want to be strong enough to fight off any attacks from the Akatsuki."
"That is not right." Kakashi shook his head, fighting the urge to bury his face in his hands. "I think you and Asuma's team have done a good job of ensuring the Akatsuki won't attack us head on anymore. We are guarding ourselves against the other villages. Not too long ago the Sand would have seen our weakness as an opportunity to attack us. Now, so many ninjas volunteered to help us that the Kazekage couldn't send them all. We've had 'peace' between us and various villages before. Your father helped us gain 'peace' with the Stone, because they knew they weren't strong enough to take us when we had a ninja like him. It was an alliance that wouldn't last because the moment your father died, there was no threat left. But with you, if you were to die, the peace would stay. The Sand doesn't fear you, they respect you. When we went after Gaara, we were doing it because we knew that if he died, the next Kazekage might not want an alliance with us. You, though, you didn't think of that for a moment. You wanted to save Gaara, the man, not the Kazekage, because it was what is right. I don't think I've ever seen a ninja do that. It was always for an ulterior motive." His gaze bore into Naruto's. "What you did with Pain wasn't the first time that you have shown another way to dealing with conflict. That's why I always tell people to never count you out."
Naruto sniffled. "You make it sound like I did it all alone."
"Well the Sand ninjas weren't bowing to me."
It looked as though he had given Naruto more information than her brain could comprehend. He stood and watched as she tried to process it all. As they stood there, Shikamaru walked up behind Naruto, putting his hands on her hips. She muttered a hello.
"If we're all meant to be worried about the other villages attacking us, why did we let the Sand ninjas into the village?"
He was actually impressed that that had been her issue. Thinking over how best to explain it, he noticed Shikamaru's hands slip under Naruto's shirt to sit on her stomach. Kakashi was uncomfortable with such behaviour, but he did take a moment to think that he should change his bet with Yamato, Kurenai, Kotetsu, and Izumo. Apparently Genma and Anko wanted in on that bet too. With the way Shikamaru was behaving they would be together within the week, if they weren't already.
"Well, there are only a dozen of them; we have enough ninjas to deal with them. Not to mention they would have heard what you did. You're name will do what your father's once did. All the villages will hesitate before coming after us whilst you're here. But the main reason is that we are allied with them. If we don't let them in it means that we don't trust the strength of the alliance and are therefore liable to break it ourselves. It would create tension where there currently isn't any." Kakashi frowned when Shikamaru's hands slid further up Naruto's stomach, making the woman look uncomfortable.
"I trust the Sand. Gaara wouldn't betray us."
"You're too trusting!" Shikamaru stated, making Naruto looked at him in shock.
She shook it off, turning back to Kakashi. "How are you feeling, after, you know?"
"I could be worse. A lot of people are still recovering their chakra, myself included. And by the way you were surprised when I found you, I can tell your sensory chakra is down." When Naruto nodded, Kakashi rolled his eyes, trying to not glare at Shikamaru who obviously didn't notice how tense the blonde was at his behaviour. "You should be taking more breaks. We need you at top shape, encase something threatens the village. You might be able to sway people to your side but with Lady Tsunade injured we need to do our best to get back into fighting shape, to protect her and the village."
"But the village needs to rebuild too."
"We have a heap of people building. It's probably best to leave it to those who know how to build. We wouldn't want the houses to fall down." Shikamaru laughed.
As Naruto looked at Kakashi in confusion, Shikamaru's hands shot up, under Naruto's shirt. Naruto gave a yell of surprise, pushing the man's hands away. She turned on him, her face red and etched in shock.
"Shikamaru! What the hell?"
The Nara man started laughing hysterically before he transformed, his height shortening, his sleek, black hair turning into messy, dark blue, his face rounding out. Within seconds Anko stood in front of them, still laughing.
"ANKO!" Naruto punched her in the arm.
"You are a girl! And you are a lot more comfortable with Shikamaru than I thought. You didn't start reacting until I put my hands up your shirt. Genma said I wouldn't be able to touch your waist without you getting suspicious." Anko took a deep breath, a grin still on her face. "I win."
"What?"
"Anko and Ibiki had a bet for who could find out your gender first," Kakashi explained.
"And you decided to feel me up? That's why Ibiki has been staring at my chest?" Naruto screeched. "Why doesn't anyone just look for an Adam's Apple?"
Anko opened and closed her mouth several times before cackling. "That would have been a lot easier. But not as fun. You should see your face."
"Anko…"
"Yeah?" She grinned at Naruto.
"Run!"
The dark haired woman turned and ran, laughing as Naruto chased her around stacks of wooden planks and builders.
/ / / / / /
He had taken to trying to get his students to spend a bit of their day with him, so that he might keep an eye on them. It had quickly revealed itself as a bad idea. The first day Sakura brought up the 'rumours' that Naruto was a female. She spent fifteen minutes laughing over the stupidity of the rumour, and listing all the reasons Naruto clearly couldn't be a boy. Since the whole 'you obviously have a penis' wasn't on the list Kakashi thought Sakura should have been more open minded. Although Naruto was still binding her chest she didn't wear her jacket as often. Many days Kakashi found her wearing shirts that looked like they belonged to one of the males her age. He had spotted her stealing his shirts a number of times so he wasn't surprised to see her in clothing that used to belong to her friends. However, the shirts didn't hide the feminine curves to her body as well as her usual jacket did. But he had realised long ago that Sakura often saw what she wanted to see. Although she was strong, and had talent in medical jutsus, she was still under the impression that she had as much combat strength as Naruto… sometimes it seemed like she thought she had more than Naruto because she was better at controlling her chakra. Kakashi hadn't bothered pointing out to her that Naruto had surpassed her Sannin Sensei whilst Sakura had not. She was probably on par with Lady Tsunade but too often she was affected by tunnel vision, especially when it came to Sasuke.
It was during one of their meetings, one Sai and Yamato hadn't been able to attend, that Kiba found them and told them how Lady Tsunade had been stripped of her title. Kakashi knew that Shikaku wouldn't have allowed that to happen if he had a choice. To make matters worse, Danzo was Hokage and the first thing he had done was denounce Sasuke as an enemy of the village. The moment he heard the news he was filled with dread. The man was devious. By naming Sasuke as an enemy it meant that Danzo could kill him and study his sharingan and he could anger Naruto enough to have reason to lock her in the village. If Danzo had had his way from the start he would have locked Naruto in a dark hole and left her there until he found a way to harvest the Nine-Tail's power for his own.
The only way to stop Naruto from doing exactly what Danzo wanted was to tell her the truth. He knew she was able to think wisely when needed. Seeing her restrain herself looked painful though. He wished there was something he could have done to ease Naruto's suffering.
"Danzo doesn't have full power. He needs the Jonins' vote of confidence. The village loves you and trusts you. They don't feel the same way about him. People realise that the Foundation didn't enter the battle against Pain. There is no proof, and only Lady Tsunade can hold Danzo accountable, but it has created hate through the village. Danzo can't act against you without cause, even if he gets the vote of confidence. So, for now, don't be alone. Stay with someone from the Nara main line, Yamato, myself, Inoichi, or Sai at all times. Danzo trusts Sai to spy on you, but he will support you. And keep any thoughts you have about Danzo to yourself. You can't give him any reason at all." Kakashi sighed, not knowing he could keep his next words. "We will find another way to save Sasuke."
"If Sai works for Danzo, maybe he can give us more information on what the guy is up to," Naruto reasoned before focusing. After a moment, her eyes came back into focus. "Come on, Sakura, I know where Sai will be."
The two ran off, making Kakashi's shoulders sink. When he received a paper bird from Sai requesting him to go to a tent in the medical sector Kakashi felt the gripping fear he had only felt a handful of times in his life. The last time had been when he found Naruto lying beside the river bank she and Sasuke had fought at. He had prayed she was only unconscious but when he drew near he found her without a heartbeat. He had taken to stopping his journey back to the village after every few metres to pump Naruto's heart to keep her blood flowing. He had no idea if it helped to give Naruto a chance to start breathing again or if he was just acting out of desperation.
When he got to the tent, Sai was leaving. The younger man had no injuries that he could see, but there was a frown to the otherwise emotionless looking man that unsettled Kakashi.
"Hey, what's with that glum look?"
Sai took a breath that shook his entire form. Leading Kakashi away from the tent, he explained how Naruto had tried to talk to ninjas from the Cloud who wanted to kill Sasuke. Kakashi could almost feel aging lines etching their way onto his face at the news that Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki. Naruto, attempting to convince the Cloud to go after their Jinchuriki instead of Sasuke and had let the Cloud woman release her anger on Naruto's face. When the Cloud ninjas left, Naruto had asked Sai to take her to Kakashi and Yamato. He couldn't help but wonder what was going through her head.
"Kakashi-Sensei," Sai said, clearly mulling over something that confused or disappointed him. "This link between Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke hurts them. Is that bond really that important? Why do they keep trying when it causes them so much pain?"
"Sai, you're watching Naruto for Danzo, right?" Kakashi asked. He hoped that Sai's answer would tell him whether or not he could trust this man as much as he hoped he could. In many respects he reminded Kakashi of Yamato when he was young, though less abrasive at times. However, he was fairly certain he knew the answer, but wanted to be sure before making Sai aware of where his loyalties clearly laid.
The man looked shocked, guilty, but also offended. This last emotion told Kakashi everything he needed to know.
"Well, that's –"
"Relax. It's alright," Kakashi assured. "Jumping in to help Naruto isn't something a look out does. I think you've started to realise it too, Sai."
Sai looked as though he expected a scolding but when Kakashi finished speaking in a gentle tone the pale man looked surprised and out of his element. As though choosing to deal with something else instead of the comparison to how emotions were dealt with by Danzo and by Kakashi, Sai took to tracking down a first aid kit and getting them back to Naruto. The woman looked better than expected, but somehow she actually looked worse than with her fight with Pain. It wasn't hard for Kakashi to realise the Cloud ninja had aimed most her hits to Naruto's face, whereas Pain had hit Naruto more in the body. Sai went about cleaning Naruto's wounds and bandaging them. Kakashi almost wanted to laugh at the gentleness Sai took to looking after Naruto. It was obvious that Sai admired Naruto for her emotional expressiveness and for how she cared for those around her. It was almost uncomfortable to think about how Sai would be if he had joined a different team instead of Naruto's.
Kakashi found out that Yamato had been informed by Naruto what had happened and had spend the short time Kakashi was talking to Sai yelling at the girl for letting someone hurt her. It was almost like he took it as a personal insult that someone had injured Naruto.
"You really should have Sakura treat these wounds," Sai advised.
"Nah, it's fine," Naruto assured, her voice raspy. "Plus, if she sees me like this it will only cause more trouble, trust me."
Although Naruto had chuckled at the end of her sentence Kakashi couldn't help but get the stomach dropping thought that the blonde was referring to Sakura's tendency to hit her. He knew that Naruto was able to shake off the hits rather quickly, but it had been something he had tried to talk Sakura out of doing a few times. Each time she seemed to misunderstand what he meant and commented that Naruto shouldn't be such a knuckle head or perverted. Kakashi took some insult to her claims, though didn't voice them, because Naruto's somewhat idiotic tendencies made Kakashi smile and think fondly of Kushina and out of everyone on the team, Naruto was the least perverted with the exception of Sai who probably didn't comprehend what perversions were. Sakura was probably one of the worst on the team for it, maybe after Kakashi himself on the scale. Though he maintained he liked Lord Jiraiya's books because of the interesting storyline and no amount of teasing from Yamato was going to make him say otherwise.
"Besides, I heal fast," Naruto went on, assuring Sai. "I'll be okay in no time. Sai, what you did before. Thanks for helping me."
"Sure." Sai's voice had a rare level of emotion in it before he went back to bandaging Naruto's arm.
"Boy, they really worked you over." Naruto was down to just her chest binds and pants. Her shoulder and arm had needed bandaging as well as half her face. Kakashi had given the girl a playful glare when she commented that she now looked like Kakashi with one eye completely hidden.
Naruto chuckled at him before she bit back a scream of pain at Sai as he tended to her wounds.
"Sorry, sorry," the man yelped.
"Look," Kakashi started, his voice taking on a rougher tone as he fought the urge to find the Cloud ninja and throttle her. If the village saw Naruto now they would probably attack the Cloud on principle. "You need to take it easy for a little bit."
"No!" Naruto snapped, her eyes still having that dull look that terrified Kakashi. "Look, I'm going to see the Raikage."
Kakashi stood unmoved as Sai and Yamato showed their utter shock at Naruto's statement. Admittedly he had more experience with Naruto turning one thing into something seemingly unrelated, so he had been waiting for her to state the reason she had asked to see him and Yamato. He had been expecting something none of them could think of and had schooled his expression accordingly.
"Naruto, what are you saying?" Yamato asked. "The Five Kage Summit starts soon. Every Hidden Village has agreed to travel restrictions and no unnecessary missions."
That was going to do little to change Naruto's mind. Instead, Kakashi had other questions. "What do you hope to achieve."
"I'm going to convince him to forgive Sasuke, no matter what."
"But you don't have the Hokage's necklace that seals the Nine-Tails. As the Jinchuriki, you must not leave the Hidden Leaf. It's bad enough that you sprouted eight tails during the last battle. We're lucky the sealing formula triggered to stop the Nine-Tails but what about next time? Besides, I'm in charge of reconstructing the village. I can't stay close to you all the time."
He knew Yamato was concerned for Naruto, and that everything he said came from his desire to protect the woman, but the dull look in Naruto's eyes made Kakashi want to silence him. Honestly, there wasn't anything Naruto could ask for in that moment that Kakashi would refuse if it meant removing that look from her eyes.
"I met the Fourth Hokage," Naruto admitted, something that surprised Kakashi. He hadn't expected her to want to tell her team. When she had told the people at Shikamaru's house she had been rather chakra drained and prone to word vomit. "The one who stopped me from becoming the Nine-Tails, was the Fourth Hokage."
Yamato turned on Kakashi, wanting answers. He honestly wasn't sure how it was done, but he explained it the best he could to his friend.
"And that's when the Fourth Hokage told me the Nine-Tails incident sixteen years ago was caused by the Akatsuki guy with the mask. He's so strong that even the Fourth Hokage struggled against him. He said the masked one's pulling the strings. He was probably just using Pain the whole time. If Sasuke has joined the Akatsuki that means this masked guy is using Sasuke too."
"It's just as Lord Jiraiya feared. I can't believe that man is behind the incident sixteen years ago. He bares the sharingan and a grudge against the village. The only rogue Uchiha capable of summoning the Nine-Tails is Madara." He hoped the dread and fear pooling in his stomach, screaming Madara's name, was wrong but if it was that meant there was another, unknown, enemy out there. He was somewhat surprised that Yamato agreed with him even though Madara had not been seen for decades. When he asked Naruto what her father had actually said and found out the man had told her he believed in her, Kakashi decided there was only one thing to do. "Naruto, you go to the Raikage. Yamato and I will tag along as your escorts."
He took great pleasure at the look of disbelief and the shouted 'what' that Yamato gave. Kakashi still hadn't forgiven him for binding him at Guy's request.
"No, no, no, this is a bad idea!"
"What? Don't you even want to hear what I have to say before you make up your mind, Tenzo?" Kakashi teased.
"Hey, you're not supposed to call me by that name. Remember?"
"Now, now, calm down." Kakashi smiled under his mask as Yamato turned red with anger and Naruto laughed.
/ / / / / /
When they had finally confronted the Raikage, Kakashi had wanted let Naruto take the lead. She was rather persuasive when she needed to be and her Jinchuriki status, something the Raikage's brother shared with her, might have been able to convince the Raikage more than he or Yamato could. However, the Cloud ninjas had first addressed Kakashi himself, believing him to be in charge. When they found out it was Naruto, though, they took it with equal seriousness, showing just how far she had came in the eyes of the ninja world.
Naruto had spoken with heart and wisdom, wanting to reach a peaceful end to the conflict that would start at Sasuke's death. Unfortunately, the Raikage walked passed Naruto without even acknowledging her words. Even when Naruto tried to stop him, dropping prostrate into the snow, the Raikage showed no care for the blonde and her desperate plea. Kakashi felt sick at the sight.
"I'm begging you!" Naruto yelled. "I don't want us taking each other down for vengeance anymore!"
When the Raikage simply turned away and continued on his path, Kakashi swallowed the anger clawing at his throat so that he could focus. Naruto's words conveyed more wisdom than most ninjas ever had, and yet, they fell on deaf ears.
"Sasuke has always been about vengeance. He's obsessed with it. It changed him. Vengeance drives you mad. It turns you into someone you don't even recognise. I don't want anyone else to become like Sasuke. I don't want the Leaf and Cloud to kill each other. And that's why –" Naruto's words were cut short by the tears streaming down her face, pooling and freezing in the snow. Her arms no longer had the strength to hold her, dropping her into the cold snow.
"No matter what," growled the Raikage, "we will dispose of Sasuke. You all ought to hold your ground afterwards."
"That's right," a Cloud ninja agreed, no sympathy on her face. "You're a fool."
The way the Cloud dismissed Naruto made the anger start to boil in Kakashi's stomach. He was thankful when Yamato spoke up because Kakashi couldn't guarantee what would come out of his mouth if he spoke.
"Raikage, please, the incident in which you tried to obtain the Hyuga byakugan is still unresolved on our side. The Hidden Leaf swallowed our tears of bloodshed to avoid war. A war whose seeds you of the Cloud had sawn. Because of those noble sacrifices your people still exist. Do not forget that."
Kakashi moved closer to Naruto, trying to shield her with his presence. "Right here and now this young shinobi, no matter how awkward it is bowing her head in affection for the Cloud and Leaf, village and nation. So, Lord Raikage, as one of the five Kage, tell me what do you think of this?"
The Raikage turned to look at Naruto for the first time since dismissing her. Kakashi had hoped that mentioning Naruto's gender would make the man more respectful. The Cloud was one of the villages that acknowledged the strength of women most and often had the opinion that women were smarter than men, who were physically stronger. Therefore, Naruto's true gender would have just a little more effect on the man than the one she appeared as. Unfortunately, the Raikage, ever being angered at the attack on his brother or not seeing any wisdom in Naruto's actions, frowned at the blonde.
"Shinobi shouldn't lower their heads so easily. Action and power are the things that a shinobi should respect. Concessions are forbidden in agreements between shinobi. The history of mankind is the history of war. Since the three Great Ninja Wars every nation has tried to obtain powerful ninjas. Those who are weak are trampled. That is the truth of the shinobi world. We will brand the Akatsuki as wanted criminals. Once we do, not only I but the whole world will hunt Sasuke down. You bow your head for a criminal and beg mercy to keep your comrade safe. In the shinobi world, that is not friendship! You Hidden Leaf brat think more deeply on what it is you want to do. A shinobi world is not so indulgent as to suffer fools."
Kakashi had expected Naruto to retort with an angry tone, but instead she stayed silent, letting the Cloud walk passed her still bowed form. He knew Naruto had matured from the little yapping puppy she used to be but he feared something else was keeping her quiet. As the Cloud ninjas left, Kakashi crouched beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder gently.
"Naruto, enough. Race your head."
Naruto punched the snow, tears bitterly falling from her eyes. Some days Kakashi wanted to curse the Third Hokage for assigning him Naruto. He had made it clear that he was doing so for two reasons. One was because Kakashi was strong enough to fight her if she started to loss control of the Nine-Tails and the second reason was to get her to banish the darkness in his heart that Minato-Sensei had tried to remove. Kakashi hadn't wanted to get close to her. The mere sight of her had reminded him of who he had lost and why he never wanted to put himself in that position again. He had tried to focus on the duty of stopping the Nine-Tails, even if it meant killing Naruto, but in only a short time she had wormed her way in, convincing him to have picnics with the team and even having the team stalk him to try to see what was under his mask. It was one day when Naruto's old teacher, Iruka, asked about her that he realised she had completed her father's mission, with the help of her teammates. He had told Iruka how much Naruto had advanced only to find himself smiling and feeling a sense of pride and fondness for the cross dressing girl in question. These emotions unfortunately came with the downside that when he had asked the Third why Naruto hid her gender he had felt unequivocal rage that had made it impossible for him to communicate in anything but a series of growls for hours. The only one who would come near him was Aaliyah who made it her priority to return human speech to him. She had then had to suffer him yelling at her about the village for two hours punctuated with colourful profanity that would usually have turned her red with a mixture of embarrassment and disgust.
Now he found himself simply lost for words. He felt like the little six year-old who would put himself to bed early instead of trying to fumble over something that was out of his emotional range of understanding. He was thankful when Yamato walked over, putting his hand on Naruto's other shoulder.
"Come on, Naruto, let's find a place out of the cold and we will try to think of something else."
Sniffling, the blonde sat up, letting them lead her to the closest town. They found a small inn at the edge of town and asked for a room to stay in. Kakashi didn't want them to head back to the village in the state Naruto was in. She had needed time away from everyone before this incident anyway. The blonde wasn't in much of a talkative mood and ended up lying down in the middle of the bedroom staring at the ceiling. She pulled her bandages off without getting them to check if she healed and didn't give any response when they asked if she needed anything like food. With a silent look at each other, Yamato and Kakashi went into the living room, both trying to silently think of a way to help the girl. He was filled with a wish that they had brought Shikaku or Shikamaru along. The Naras might have been bordering incompetent when it came to emotions but they would have been able to suggest ways to remove the burden from Naruto's shoulders when it came to Sasuke's fate.
The world was giving Kakashi the desire to hide Naruto away from everyone and weigh her down with blankets. The masked Akatsuki that Kakashi thought was Madara showed up and attacked Naruto. At the sound of talking in the other room, Yamato had jumped to action before Kakashi had pulled himself out of his depressing musings. Whilst Yamato separated Naruto from the masked man, Kakashi went in for an attack. If Kakashi hadn't been so busy worrying for Naruto and about the man who confirmed himself to be Madara, he would have been impressed with the intimidating and calm air that Yamato projected.
When Madara showed that he was only there because he was curious as to how Naruto had turned a powerful member of the Akatsuki against him, Kakashi almost sighed. Naruto wasn't in the right state for a battle, especially against someone so powerful. What Madara told them about Itachi made Kakashi sick though. The information certainly made sense, especially given the person Kakashi had known years before. But Sasuke's mental state only caused Naruto more distress. Kakashi had a horrifying feeling that Madara had noticed Naruto's emotional fragility and had come to make it worse. This was confirmed when Madara had left freely once he had told Naruto about Sasuke.
They had barely had time to digest the information, and deal with the Inn owner when Sakura, Sai, Lee, and Kiba had appeared. Kakashi had been relieved, though suspicious to see them, hoping they could help pull Naruto out of the deep sadness she was sliding further into. When Sakura had started talking, however, Kakashi's stomach had filled with bile. He knew Sakura was lying about her feelings for Naruto, and he knew she was oblivious to Naruto's sexual preference if she thought declaring her love for the blonde would allow her to manipulate Naruto. It was clear by the looks on the others faces that whatever had brought them there had not been what Sakura was saying.
Naruto had reacted with confusion and terror, clearing worried about how to break her friend's heart as gently as possible. Like Kakashi and clearly Yamato, Naruto probably assumed that Sakura had been aware about Naruto only being attracted to boys. When Sakura had brought up Sasuke before playfully chastising Naruto for asking her to repeat her confession Naruto's look of shock quickly morphed into a glare. She had obviously picked up on what Kakashi had. That every word out of Sakura's mouth was an utter lie. Kakashi took some pleasure in the fact that Naruto didn't just out Sakura and instead handed her a shovel to dig herself deeper whilst also testing to see if it truly was a rouse.
"But why, huh? Why tell me? If this is supposed to be some kind of joke or something, it's not funny at all, Sakura. What happened?"
"It's nothing really," Sakura tried to assure in her fake breathy voice. "I just realised my true feelings. I mean I can't continue to love a rogue shinobi or a criminal, can I? I'm not a child anymore. It's time for me to face up to reality. That's why, Naruto, you can forget about that promise you made to me. You can stop, alright. You can stop chasing after Sasuke."
Yamato tried to stop Sakura but Kakashi stopped him. There had been a very clear in-balance of friendship between the two women of Team Seven since the start and if it was to ever be righted, Naruto had to see that Sakura would always put the blonde's wellbeing last. And if Yamato spoke up it might cause Sakura say something that would hurt Naruto more. On top of that, the glares that Kiba, Sai, and Lee were giving Sakura made it clear how much they felt she was not only betraying them and their mission whatever it may be, but mostly Naruto. Kiba's hands were shaking as he curled and uncurled them into fists. Lee looked at Sakura like she was a complex puzzle that he had to solve to get rid of his frustration and anger. Sai, however, looked at Sakura with such a deep loathing, as though he took her abuse of Naruto's feeling on a personal level. Naruto may be oblivious to such things as Shikamaru's depths of emotions for her but there was no chance she was missing the solidarity of her friends in regards to their hate of Sakura's actions.
Even when Naruto pointed out that this was a rapid change in behaviour Sakura continued to declare that she had simply only just realised that she had given up on Sasuke and that Naruto had won her heart, releasing Naruto from her promise. The big problem with that load of drivel was that Naruto wasn't determined to return Sasuke to the village for Sakura's sake, but for Sasuke's. The other problem was that anyone with eyes could see that there was a relationship forming between Shikamaru and Naruto and the blonde had no interest at all in winning Sakura's affections. Kakashi had never felt the desire to grab one of his students and shake sense into them but at that moment he had to ball his hands to stop himself from acting on that thought. If she tried to kiss Naruto, even with the furious glare etched on the blonde's face, Kakashi hoped that Naruto would respond with a strong punch. At that moment Kakashi would receive eminence satisfaction at it, something he might feel guilty about later but most certainly not at that instance.
Unfortunately for Kakashi, and fortunately for Sakura's health, she went in for a hug instead. Naruto stood rigidly in her arms. Surprisingly, Sakura managed to say something Kakashi believed to be more idiotic than the rest of her speech combined. She tried to tell Naruto that the reason she loved the blonde was because Sasuke kept running away whilst Naruto had been the dependable punching bag. When Sakura mentioned that Naruto had been a loser, Kakashi tried to not snort in disgust.
Naruto finally snapped, pushing Sakura away and yelling at her that the joke was over. The pink haired girl tried to brush off Naruto's fury with a giggle. A growl punctuated through Naruto's words.
"Just stop. I hate people who lie to themselves. So just stop it!"
A look of terror crossed Sakura's face before it morphed into annoyance. "So that's it? You think I'm lying to myself."
Kakashi wanted to yell that no, she was lying to Naruto, but he kept his mouth shut as Naruto nodded. He wished he hadn't when Sakura hit Naruto's hand off her shoulder in anger.
"I'm the one who decides how I feel, not you. If you hate me just come out and say so. Don't make some lame excuse."
"But it doesn't make sense," Naruto pointed out. "You left the village and came all the way out here just to tell me that?"
"Just to tell you," Sakura repeated in offense. "Just! Is that what you said? You think it's easy for a girl to profess her love like I just did? Yes I came all the way out here. Of course I'd come as far as this. It's always Sasuke this and Sasuke that, chasing after him and putting yourself in danger. You're the Nine-Tails jinchuriki and the Akatsuki is after you. So you worry about your own skin for a change. Don't you get it? I'm trying to tell you that you don't have to chase after Sasuke and endanger yourself. I came out here to find you because I want you to return to the village right away. That's all."
I think she forgot that she was pretending to love Naruto and is now just getting offended Naruto isn't falling at her feet. Kakashi could tell that something Sakura had said had hurt Naruto but he couldn't tell if it was Sakura refusing to admit her feelings were a lie or something only Naruto noticed because it hit a personal cord.
"I'm sorry, but it still sounds like an excuse you made up. I know you, Sakura, maybe better than you think. And I know what it is to struggle with feelings, something you haven't shown any signs of."
Sakura still tried to argue that with her feelings for Sasuke gone, Naruto's promise didn't stand. However, she failed to understand what Naruto meant when she said that didn't matter. She tried to explain it but the others obviously didn't comprehend her. Naruto almost spilt what Madara had said but Kakashi was able to stop her. She went silent at Kakashi's warning but then stared hard at Sakura.
"It doesn't matter if there isn't a promise between us anymore because rescuing Sasuke is just something I have to do!"
Anger covered Sakura's face before Kiba came over and whispered in her ear. Kakashi, who had rather sharp hearing, was able to pick up a word here and there that made him believe the man wanted to tell Naruto the truth but Sakura violently trod on his foot before storming off. She acted as though Naruto had given her the biggest insult imaginable making Kakashi wonder what the hell they had been planning. The three males had followed her, clearly not knowing how to salvage the situation. Akamaru looked back at Naruto with a sad look, as though the dog knew something the human's didn't about the blonde.
Naruto remained stoic as the group walked off. When they were out of sight, she turned, her hollow looking eyes glazing over Kakashi and Yamato as she slowly trudged towards the Inn's entrance. They had just reached the door when they noticed Sai making his way back to them. He quickly noticed that it was one of Sai's ink clones. Kakashi tried to think of a way to pull Sai away from Naruto and find out what the man wanted to say encase it caused Naruto more heartache. Unfortunately, Sai only wished to speak with the woman.
He told them the real reason they had travelled to Naruto and why Sakura lied. When he conveyed the plan Naruto's friends had come up with to kill Sasuke themselves Kakashi felt pity for Shikamaru. The plan had the finger prints of the young Nara all over it, something that Naruto would easily pick up on. Sai commented that the others had wanted to tell Naruto in person but Sakura had requested the job to do so. Kakashi silently cursed that Shikamaru hadn't been the one to tell Naruto. It might have been damaging to whatever relationship they were forming but at least he would have broken the news to Naruto gently and explained himself so Naruto didn't feel betrayed. What's more is that Sakura's plan of convincing Naruto she loved the blonde instead of Sasuke was absolutely idiotic. If Naruto had been in love with Sakura and believed her, Sakura's plan would have ended with either Naruto getting her heart ripped out or being in a one sided relationship that Sakura would hate and take out on the blonde. As it was Sakura was lucky that not only did Naruto not love her but hadn't believed her. Though in saying that Kakashi was certain Sakura's protests that she was saying her true feelings had hurt Naruto anyway.
Kakashi was surprised to see Naruto stress that Sakura couldn't have agreed to that when she loved Sasuke. There was desperation in her voice, not wanting to believe her fellow teammate had thought the plan was a good one. The problem was that it was a great plan. If a Leaf shinobi killed Sasuke there would be no need for vengeance and the situation wouldn't escalate into a war between the Leaf and whichever village killed Sasuke. He could see what Sakura had tried to do. She had known that the truth would cause Naruto pain, but her plan had been just as bad, if not worse because of the long term ramifications it could have easily had. When Sai admitted he had only told Sakura that Naruto cared for her and felt guilt over not keeping the promise she had made, Kakashi began to wonder where Sakura even got the idea that Naruto was in love with her. Perhaps she had misunderstood what Sai had meant or some pride had come into play in regards to it.
Yamato pointed out that if Sakura had known Naruto's reaction all along then that meant she had never planned to tell the truth and instead tried to manipulate Naruto's heart for no good reason. Sakura knew Naruto would never give up on the promise and yet had tried to use feelings that didn't actually exist to get the same result as telling the truth. The only upside, one that no one voiced and Sakura hadn't know about, was that it left Shikamaru blameless for the plan and Sasuke's subsequent death if Naruto remained oblivious to it all.
At the realisation that Sakura was planning to kill Sasuke herself Naruto seem to implode, Yamato was in a state of shock, and Kakashi could only picture having to bury the pink haired girl as the village cried in outrage at what Sasuke had done to one of their own. She was no match for Sasuke, or for Naruto. Those two were leagues above her in combat and Kakashi had to squelch his anger at her arrogance for thinking she could hold her own and achieve victory against one of them.
When Naruto visibly flinched in pain and grabbed her head, Kakashi struggled between going to her and staying put out of fear of making it worse. He wasn't given an opportunity to decide what to do thanks to the arrival of Gaara and his siblings. At the sight of them Kakashi wanted to cover Naruto's ears and draw her into his embrace. There was no way this was going to end well for the emotionally unstable woman. Her shoulders had sagged so heavily that Kakashi worried she would collapse at any moment. Swallowing the lump in his throat and shaking off the image of white hair and sunken eyes, Kakashi listened to what the Sand siblings had to say.
They told of Danzo's betrayal, Sasuke's attack on the Kage summit, and the shaky alliance the other Kage had reached. They were willing to add the Leaf into the alliance if Danzo was ousted, which meant that Kakashi would be named Hokage. The burden to Naruto wasn't too heavy from the siblings until Gaara started talking to her directly. He promised to protect her and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki but made it clear that also meant from Sasuke. He had meant well, like almost every other person to hurt her that day, but he validated the thoughts of her friends by claiming Sasuke a lost cause and that to save herself Naruto should give up on him and let him die. The only show of defiance Naruto gave was pushing off Gaara's hand that rested on her shoulder. Temari appeared to notice Naruto's fragile state and ushered her brothers away as smoothly as she could, shooting Naruto a worried look as they left. Gaara stopped and tried to give Naruto some last comfort by telling her that she had to decide what a true friend would do for Sasuke.
Yamato instantly tried to speak with Naruto when the Sand siblings had left but Kakashi stopped him. The last thing Naruto needed was another person talking at her or telling her how to feel, and what to do. Kakashi waited, holding his breath, to see how Naruto was going to react. Yamato and Sai went into action, trying to plan out their next move whilst Naruto stood motionless in front of them. Kakashi only half listened to them, his eyes trained on the blonde. He ordered Yamato to take Naruto back to the Leaf and told them he would deal with Sakura.
Naruto started breathing heavily, as though she couldn't get enough oxygen, drawing the three males' attention to her. She grabbed her heart, hunched over.
"Naruto, what's the matter?" Kakashi yelped.
When Naruto dropped to the ground, Kakashi, for an instant, saw Naruto curled over a blade, buried to the hilt, her hands slick with blood. The image was so powerful that the smell of blood clogged his nose and he stepped back in panic before all three men rushed to her side. They tried to get her to slow her breathing with no luck. She had gone into a state of shock before losing consciousness.
"Naruto!" Yamato yelled before he and Sai looked at Kakashi in desperation. "What do we do?"
"Get her inside, and warm," Kakashi snapped. "Stay with her whilst I deal with Sakura. If she wakes up whilst I'm gone get her to eat and drink something hot. Hopefully I won't be long and will be able to alleviate some of her heartache."
Yamato nodded, scooping Naruto up and hurrying into the Inn. Cursing silently and trying to shake off the image of Naruto bloody and broken Kakashi got Sai to lead him to Sakura's location. When the clone disappeared suddenly towards the end of their journey he couldn't help but feel a sense of fury at his pink haired student who had clearly done something to the real Sai.
/ / / / / /
Considering he had wanted to leave Naruto out of the fight with Sasuke Kakashi couldn't help but feel glad she had appeared. She stopped him from having to kill one of his students and had given Sasuke a deal that gave them time. The boy would stop trying to destroy the village and generally being a pain in the Kages' backsides and Naruto would track him down after dealing with Madara and give him the battle to the death he clearly wanted. It was implied that if Naruto lost it would be symbolic of killing the village and if Naruto won she would drag Sasuke's half dead form back to the village and probably do something ridiculous like chain him with chakra repressing cuffs and dangle him from one of the Hokage noses until he saw the error of his ways. She had obviously found the third option she had been searching for even if everyone in the village would be furious if they ever found out.
The entire trip back to the village was made in relative silence. Naruto was still fighting off the effects of Sakura's poisoned blade and was also not in a chatty mood, Lee, Kiba, Sai, and even Akamaru were silently glaring at Sakura (Kakashi had a feeling Sai had passed on Naruto's panic attack to the other men), and Kakashi had too many thoughts flying through his mind to voice any. The only one who said more than the minimum necessity was Yamato who was alternating between going off at Naruto for ditching him and making him worry, and fussing over the blonde and making sure she wasn't going to collapse again. He had ended up insisting that Naruto walk back to the village with a blanket wrapped around her and made them stop frequently so the blonde didn't exert herself.
Admittedly Kakashi had taken to pointedly not talking to Sakura. He felt that if Sakura hadn't done what she did then Naruto wouldn't have had such a severe reaction to the information dumped upon her in rapid succession. As it was the pink haired girl didn't seem to find anything wrong with what she did and instead occasionally complained at having to stop so frequently since she was cold and wanted to get back to the village. Kakashi couldn't help but notice that Yamato didn't offer Sakura a blanket as well and had the suspicion that the Sakura was soured in the image of the younger team leader. It couldn't be helped when Yamato had seen Naruto's pain first hand and was obviously fond of the blonde. The only good things that had came out of the horrendous day was Danzo no longer being Hokage, and no longer being alive which Kakashi saw as a plus, and they had gained a hostage that had been travelling with Sasuke and might have information on the Akatsuki.
For those who like Sakura, please let this storyline play out before getting your pitchforks. *runs and hides*
R and R.