A/N: School and work at the same time has made me crazy busy, but my last day of work is approaching. That's right... as of next week, Lifethane will finally have what he has not had for well over a year: a weekend! All rejoice, for this will surely bring about an increase in productivity!
A few notes in response to your reviews...
1. No, this is not going to become a SakuLee fic. I rather like Lee and would very much like to see the guy have some luck, but it just doesn't fit with this story and I don't have the patience to develop a relationship that would be so ugly to start and so difficult to justify.
2. The Sakura punch was awesome. If you try to pass it off as "eh," or "it was pretty good," you are wrong. In fact, I think I am going to start a fan club for Sakura punching Sasuke, and have my version of Sakura punch Sasuke every time she sees him.
3. You're all lucky I'm not doing a self-insert. I would use Cliffhanger no Jutsu about as much as Naruto uses Kage Bunshin. And let's not even talk about the super version, Evil Cliffhanger no Jutsu, which I will demonstrate in my film against Kishimoto...
4. Everybody point and laugh at the stupid anime studio and their endless fillers. Lifethane pwnz joo.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Spontaneity
"I have told you," said the evil Sannin, "I am not at all worried."
Orochimaru sat shrouded in darkness, deep in the bowels of the earth where only his most trusted lieutenants would find him, and then only if he wanted to be found. The earthen walls of his throne chamber reverberated with the sounds of heavy work being done above. Yet the pillars holding them back from collapsing onto their occupants held true, and the Snake Sannin was comfortable in his hole in the ground.
"My objectives will still be achieved. I knew that Sasuke-kun would be unable to resist a chance to test himself against the Kyuubi child. I planned for every eventuality—If Sasuke-kun won, and took Naruto-kun alive, all would be well. If Sasuke-kun killed Naruto-kun, the secrets of this Reiude technique would not die with him; there was another that we could take. And if Sasuke-kun were defeated, by some twist of fate..."
"Orochimaru-sama, if Sasuke-sama does not return..."
Orochimaru held up a silencing hand. "He will."
"But, the Godaime Hokage will most certainly..."
"Kill him?" Orochimaru finished, laughing softly. "No, I think not. Not when he could be so useful to them. Information about my movements, my health, and my plans is in his head; information that they will want."
"And afterwards," muttered the visitor, "When there is no more use for him, they will dispose of him as they would any other traitor of their village."
"That is undoubtedly their intent," Orochimaru agreed. Then his little smile spread along his serpentine face. "But there is one person who, like us, will want to keep him alive. Someone who believes that he can be saved."
A short silence ensued, broken by comprehension.
"Uzumaki Naruto? Of all people, he is the least likely to have any power in the decision of Sasuke-sama's fate."
"By all means, then, underestimate him," said the Snake Sannin, still smiling. "You will be rather pleasantly surprised. Naruto-kun is quite close to Tsunade, and if he fails to influence her, then he is powerful enough to do it the rough way... If he was able to defeat Sasuke-kun, then saving him will be no difficult task."
The visitor considered.
"All right," he said, "Suppose the boy keeps Sasuke-sama alive. How, then, are we going to get them both to come here willingly?"
Orochimaru's grin broadened maniacally, and he leaned forward, allowing his face to be partially illuminated by torchlight.
"Sasuke-kun's natural inclination will be to return to me. Naruto-kun is not likely to stop him, as he will want to come to us as well. The reason, of course, being your prisoner... our very special guest..."
At last, the visitor's concerns seemed to be assuaged. He glanced away from his host and towards the unconscious prisoner, who was bound up in a black sheet and secured by tightly tied metal wire. The covering was opened at the top, allowing the top of his head to show through and letting in just enough air to prevent suffocation. A mane of brown hair and a sliver of pale forehead were all that was visible.
The visitor rose from his kneel and went to the prisoner's side. Pulling the cloth down below the captive's neck, he looked upon his face and smiled in mute satisfaction. The notion that this fool was the father of the greatest shinobi clan ever to live was ludicrous! Gazing into the prisoner's empty eye sockets, the visitor saw reflected in their darkness the image of a red-eyed blond.
Uzumaki Naruto, he thought, I know you will not leave your pitiful friend here to suffer. No, you will come... and then I will show to you the nature of your folly. You have no hope of winning... all hope was erased on the day you crossed me!
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Naruto stared incredulously at Haruka, all annoyance at being interrupted forgotten. "Nee-chan... Keisuke's missing? Are you sure he's not just playing another joke?"
"If he doesn't want to come home with both legs still attached, he'd better not be," Haruka fumed. Naruto had not seen her this upset in almost a year. She looked ready to crush, rend, and demolish anything—probably Keisuke himself included—to get to the blind man, wherever he was. The bed-ridden blond gulped; this was not going to be a pleasant encounter.
"Okay," he said, trying to be the anchor of rationality in the face of this angry storm. "Where did you last see him?"
"In his house," came the reply. "I came back there after the fighting ended to collect his gratitude, but the bastard was gone! All I found was this damned note!"
She dug a piece of paper out of her pocket and flipped it to him. Naruto read it, and his eyes went wide.
"Naruto-kun," asked Hinata carefully, "What is it?"
"This..." Naruto began, color draining from his face, "This isn't something that nii-chan would joke about... He'd say he was leaving because of Ero-sennin's bad smell or something that nee-chan was going to do to him. That kind of thing. Nothing like this..."
Hinata was puzzled. "Nothing like what?"
"Read it yourself," Haruka grated.
Naruto handed the paper to Hinata. She read it, and now it was her turn to act surprised.
"Oh!" she said. "Keisuke-san must have been kidnapped..."
"Bastard-napped, if you ask me," Haruka mumbled. Her impatience might as well have been advertised on a neon sign.
"But," Hinata asked, "Who would want to bastar... kidnap Keisuke-san? Who do we know that would want to try to take the power away from him?"
Naruto grimaced, a memory coming back to him. "Before you came, Hinata, Sasuke said this: 'Orochimaru is like me; he is always on the lookout for new powers that he can seize and master. If this Reiude can be obtained merely by a blood transfusion, then it would be worthwhile to collect a specimen and try it out.' Damn it, I should have guessed it before! The snake bastard would definitely have had a backup plan in case Sasuke failed. Even though he didn't get me, he'll still get the Reiude because he has Keisuke nii-chan!" He sat bolt upright in his bed, ignoring the pain of his wounds, and tried to rise.
"Damn it, I've gotta talk to Sasuke..."
"Naruto-kun, don't!" Hinata cried. She leapt forward and grabbed his wrist with one hand, using her other hand to try to force him to lie back down by pushing on the center of his chest. Naruto, caught off-guard, had no power to resist, and fell flat on his back again immediately. Hinata, who had expected him to fight back a little harder, couldn't stop her forward momentum, and fell on top of him.
"Oof!" wheezed Naruto as the air rushed out of his lungs.
Hinata lay still for a moment, comprehending her position. The top half of her was sprawled over his abdomen, one hand still gripping his wrist. The other hand, however, had grabbed a leg for support when she had begun falling, and her head, though it cleared his body, was in close proximity to Naruto's waist. The familiar heat crept into her face, multiplied several hundred times.
"Cute," Haruka commented blandly. "At any other time I'd be happy to use this for blackmail, but I'm not really in that particular mood today. Can we please move on?"
Blushing madly, Hinata carefully raised herself to her feet and re-seated herself in her chair by Naruto's bed. She recovered herself quickly, however, and looked seriously (if still slightly red-faced) at the careless blond.
"Please, Naruto-kun," she said, voice gentle but firm, "Don't try to get up. The doctors have not cleared you to move around yet. You won't be able to do anything for Keisuke-san if you reinjure yourself."
Naruto looked up into her eyes from the bed, and saw the concern there. Yet he had heard force in her words as well, something that had been absent from her in all their previous interactions. She was willing to fight him to keep him here and make him rest. Such benevolent spirit spoke to Naruto's rebellious soul, and made him relent.
"Okay, Hinata-chan," he said, smiling up at her, "You're right. I'll stay put."
"Stay put?" Haruka half-yelled in rage, "Keisuke is being taken to Orochimaru! This isn't Daisuke of the Grave or that time in the Grass Country or even Uchiha Sasuke; this is the man who kept Keisuke in his laboratory for weeks and tortured him just to see if being a blind fool makes you more susceptible to pain!"
Hinata and Naruto both recoiled from her, startled at her heated outburst. The woman was almost raving.
"This time, that idiot has something that Orochimaru wants. Do you really think he'll care if Keisuke dies, as long as he gets the Rokujuuyon Reiude from him? I don't, and that's why I'm not going to wait! If you can't move, then I'll move you! We'll take that Uchiha filth and make him talk, and then we'll turn the snake's nest upside-down until we find that blind bastard!"
Haruka started moving toward Naruto, face full of angry resolve, meaning to pluck the blond from his hospital bed and drag him away. Hinata saw this, and was in motion in an instant. She interposed herself between Haruka and Naruto, poised to strike if the older woman came any closer.
"Haruka-san, please, don't come any closer," she said. Her mind quailed in dismay, not wanting to strike a friend. But her eyes were set and determined, fiercely glaring at Haruka with the intent to stop her or die.
Haruka stopped, and her eyes closed. Apparently, she also was having misgivings about fighting Hinata. "I told myself, Hinata-sama," she said, "That if I were to swear allegiance to any leader, it would be to you."
Hinata balked, regarding Haruka with amazement. She wasn't the type to accept any leader at all, not even her...
"But," Haruka continued, "No matter how much I would rather avoid hurting you..."
Her head snapped back up. Her eyes were argent fire, searing into Hinata and Naruto with undeniable purpose. She cocked back her palm, ready to strike a stunning blow.
"Right now," she finished, "I will not be...!"
A light slapping noise was heard, followed by a heavy thud as Haruka crumpled to the floor. Mouth agape, Naruto stared long at her prone form, face down on the floor. Then his eyes fixed on the feet of her attacker, and began to move upward. His gaze crossed the length of a white traditional robe, all the way up to the face of...
"You!" he shouted, startled.
Hinata did not relax her defensive position, but her face took on a confused expression, as though debating whether or not it was safe to lower her guard. She looked upon the newcomer with a mix of recognition, fear, and hope.
"Father..." she said quietly.
Hiashi ignored them both. Instead, he called to two of the medics who were moving by in the hallway outside. When they came in the door, he indicated Haruka.
"She is not hurt," he said. "Only very stressed. Take her to a quiet, secure place where she may rest and not be disturbed, nor disturb anyone else."
"Hai, Hyuuga-sama," acquiesced the taller of the two med-nins. They retrieved a stretcher and arrange Haruka comfortably upon it, then lifted her up and bore her away. This done, Hiashi turned to his daughter.
"I do not come here to harm him, Hinata," he said, causing the girl to relax and drop her arms to her sides. "I would, however, like to speak with him. Privately, if I may."
Hinata looked at him nervously, clearly not entirely trusting his proclamation. Hiashi grimaced at this behavior, knowing that he had brought this distrust upon himself and wishing that he hadn't. Then the girl turned her face towards the boy in the bed, a question framed in her expression.
"Naruto-kun?"
Naruto, perfectly calm, nodded to her. "It's all right, Hinata. You can leave this to me."
She continued to look at him for a moment, as though measuring the sincerity of his statement. Hinata was looking for any excuse not to leave him alone with her father, the events of yesterday's encounter between the two fresh in her mind.
Eventually, however, she decided that he meant it, and resolved to let him do it his way. Though she regretted it, the Hyuuga girl collected herself, nodded, and walked past her father, departing gracefully and without another word. With a last cautioning look at Naruto, she closed the door behind her.
Naruto was alone with Hyuuga Hiashi.
Several minutes passed with both men awkwardly silent, the only sounds being those of the busy hospital outside the door. Naruto spent this time staring fixedly at Hiashi, sizing him up, waiting to see what it was he wanted and, if his intentions were in fact hostile, how he might counter them. But the Hyuuga head had told the truth when he had said he wasn't here to hurt him; he could have attacked silently and killed him at any time, yet he remained standing where he was, his eyes closed, composing himself.
Finally, when he had apparently collected himself sufficiently and had the right words in mind, Hiashi opened his silver eyes and broke the silence.
"Uzumaki Naruto," he began, "I have thought about you many times recently. Because of your involvement with Haka no Keisuke, those thoughts were almost exclusively negative. I believed that you were part of a plot to infiltrate the Hyuuga and tear it apart from within. Yet, this plan of yours and the Great Father's turned out to be benevolent..."
"Excuse me," Naruto interrupted, looking quizzical. "What do you mean? What's this plan you're talking about?"
Hiashi's eyebrows raised unconsciously. He had thought that the boy knew, was in on it with full cooperation. This changed some things, but it did not significantly alter what he had to say.
"Very well," he said, "It seems that Keisuke has not openly included you in his plan, but has been manipulating you, steering you stealthily into this without your knowledge. He is gone now, and his goal has likely already been met; he should not object to me telling you."
Naruto cocked his head, trying to make sense of what was being said. "Nii-chan was manipulating me? Damn, I need to work on my perception skills. All this time, and I never guessed..."
Hiashi cleared his throat. "If I may?"
Naruto stopped talking.
"Thank you. As I was saying, the Great Father—Keisuke—had a plan, in which you played the key role. His aim was to bring you closer to my daughter, so that you might marry into the Clan and gain a position of power. In this way, Keisuke hoped to gain a foothold in Hyuuga and alter it for what he perceived to be its own benefit."
Naruto's mind reeled. "Closer to Hinata? Marry into the Hyuuga? That's what nii-chan wanted?"
"That is what he told me," Hiashi said. "And it seemed as though he was making progress, during those weeks when you were assigned to her protection. It is not surprising, considering my daughter's affection for you. She has long admired you, and over the years this admiration has become a powerful infatuation, and recently love... Are you all right?"
Hiashi looked down upon the floor where Naruto had landed, tangled in his bedsheets. The boy had been leaning so far towards his visitor in an effort to hear him clearly that he had fallen out, and was now struggling against sheets and bandages to get back onto it. The Hyuuga watched the scene with mute amusement.
"I see that you did not know this, either," he said.
"Ehehe..." Naruto said, finally managing to get back on top of the mattress. "Well, I kinda suspected it, these past few days. She started getting more confident, and that made her more expressive... So I had a hunch. But you're right, she didn't confirm it, and the concept is still new to me, so I'm kind of surprised."
Hiashi surprised Naruto by giving a small smile. "You seem to be taking the news fairly well. I certainly did not." His smile turned sad, remembering the horrible conflict that he had had with his daughter that day. Naruto caught his change of emotion, and regarded the older man with a straighter face, listening respectfully for once.
"I was prejudiced against Keisuke because I believed him to be a false Great Father, a relative of yours come to take vengeance against Hyuuga for a past offense. I saw you as guilty by association, and even worse—for you also harbor unwillingly a monster that nearly annihilated our home. For those reasons, I failed to hear anything of your good qualities, and forbade Hinata contact with you in any sense except in the line of duty."
Hiashi smiled ruefully. "You can imagine how spited I felt when I learned that you had been assigned as her personal guard. I had efforts organized to observe you, and make certain that you crossed no lines. Luckily, these were thwarted by our mutual friend, Haruka, as were those of the council. The latter, by the way, has been disbanded. When Hinata inherits the Clan, she will rule absolutely with no opposition."
Naruto smiled. "That's good."
"It is," agreed Hiashi, nodding. "But it is beside the point, which is that I misjudged you, and treated you unfairly until events yesterday caused my point of view to expand. Hinata has told me the tale of how you protected her from being branded with the seal of the Caged Bird—a sacrifice that must have caused you great pain and which raises dangerous questions. I have also been told by Hanabi that it is because of you that I still have two daughters."
"Ah," Naruto said, remembering the last incident, "So she did make it back all right. That's good. Hinata wouldn't have been happy if she had died."
"Without a doubt," Hiashi said. "And neither would I have. For these two great acts of heroism, as well as countless smaller ones that I have yet to hear of, you deserve thanks, Uzumaki Naruto. Allow me to offer that gratitude, along with my apology. You are indeed the strong and good person that my daughter professes you to be. I would fall to my knees, but such a gesture would not be enough to express the acknowledgment you are due."
Naruto sat against his headboard, regarding the tall Hyuuga. Though the posture was rigid and the lips were tight, the sliver eyes were full of sincerity. This, along with the gracious words that had been spoken, fed straight into Naruto's brain as good signs. The blond gave a giant grin that spanned the width of his face.
"Heh, you can tell that you and Hinata are related," he said. "Both of you are too nice when you compliment people. It wasn't that hard, really..."
"Likewise, Naruto-san," Hiashi said, "You are too modest in accepting such compliments, much like your father was."
The blond's head perked up, and his blue eyes stared through the Hyuuga head with a new interest. What was it he had said about his father? Naruto, having never known his parents, was more than willing to hear stories about them.
"Are you surprised that I knew your father?" asked Hiashi. "I did not know him in the sense that you know your friends; we were acquaintances, working in the same occupation. I remember that he was not quite so inclined towards noisiness and chaos as you were in youth, but he was able to put his heart into the missions that he was assigned, and he did well, receiving many compliments. As I said, he was modest when people that he knew and respected offered him praise for great deeds. He was a good person; it was a shame that the Hyuuga did not acknowledge it."
"Eh?" Naruto questioned, "If he was such a great guy, then what could he have done to piss off your Clan?"
Hiashi called back memories that made his soul ache. "They despised him for a reason similar to one of the several that caused me to demonize you: he courted my sister. It is understandable for such people as mine to want to keep marriages in the same high social class; that is, my parents and their supporters did not want my sister to marry one of such low station as your father. The scandal nearly tore the Clan to pieces."
Listening intently, Naruto took all of this in with grim patience. This was beginning to sound like a tragedy.
"And? How did the problem get solved?" he asked.
"It is a long tale," Hiashi conceded. "One that I would tell you later, when I have more time. But my Clan requires my attention, so I must be brief. My sister and your father were taken prisoner by a brutal organization of raiders, and my sister was murdered. Your father risked his life to return her body to its home. This should have redeemed him in the eyes of all of the Hyuuga, but it did not. Because of their prejudice towards him for his earlier offense, they continued to hate him.
"Their lack of gratitude hurt him, and transformed him into a much more subdued version of his former self. His life was rarely happy after that. Though he managed to move on and marry another woman, he never fully recovered. He died fighting the monster kitsune, Kyuubi, on the night that you were born. Your mother died shortly afterward."
Hiashi regarded Naruto's sad visage, and regretted having to tell him such a sad story. Yet, he resolved to finish it.
"I have recognized him as a good person. You and any siblings you might have had would have been right to seek vengeance, and I count myself as lucky that you do not. It was wrong of my clan to do this to him after what he sacrificed for my sister. Because of us, a good shinobi's career was stunted. Such a waste, and the fault is ours. For this also, I apologize, Naruto-san.
"He was Uzumaki Kenji, first user of the Rokujuuyon Reiude and the maternal half-brother of Yondaime Hokage."
This last sentence hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. Half-brother? So that means... I'm Yondaime's half-nephew? He turned this realization over and over in his mind. Then, another one: First Reiude user? That means it is inherited after all... This is huge...
Naruto's thoughts were broken by Hiashi's voice, continuing to speak.
"I know that I have said much already, and that you require time to think on this," he said, "But I must say one thing more before I leave you. Haka no Keisuke has been taken by an enemy of immense power. I know that you will follow after him, no matter what anyone may say to convince you not to. I also know that Hinata will want to go with you. Know that I will trust you to protect her with your life, as Kenji would have done, and as I have no doubt that you will succeed in doing. I expect no less from the man whom I will one day know as Hokage-sama. Do you understand?"
Hearing these words, Naruto felt a new vigor come into his body. He had thought that he was going to be subjected to the drivel of an angry parent or the wrath of a vengeful Jyuuken God. Instead, he had gained the acceptance of yet another former enemy. And to be acknowledged as the future Hokage...
Naruto raised his less injured arm in a sloppy, bandage-restricted salute that made Hiashi smirk.
"Yes, sir!"
"Good," said the Hyuuga head. "Now, I must return to my people. Rest well, Naruto-san, and good luck." Hiashi departed, leaving Naruto to his many thoughts.
Sunlight poured in from the open window, bathing the blond in its golden glory. The effect bolstered Naruto's positive mood, curing his spirit.
I won't need luck, he thought. I've never had any. But I always succeeded without it, and I will again!
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
This time, it's definitely going to succeed, Hinata thought. She had seen her father leave the building, looking as though he'd left behind a great burden. After listening for several minutes and not hearing any screams of alarm from the direction of Naruto's floor, she was satisfied that it had gone well. Now, then, was the perfect time to finish what she'd begun. Carrying a fresh bowl of miso-pork ramen in her hands, she climbed the steps to the correct floor and began walking the length of the hall back to the room they shared.
I won't become flustered, even if I'm interrupted, she assured herself. I'll lock the door and have him eat this. Then, when he is calm and there is nothing else to stop me, I will say it.
Hinata ran this plan over and over in her mind thirteen times before finally reaching the door. It was closed, but not locked, and she opened it slowly. She was still not entirely sure that her father had left him totally fine, but she wouldn't know unless she looked.
To her relief, he was perfectly intact and was busy staring out of the window, absorbed in thought. She put on her best cheerful face and called to him softly.
"Naruto-kun, I brought you some food. You do like miso-pork, right?"
Naruto turned to see her and the bowl she carried. He took a sniff of the ramen fumes in the air and matched her cheerful smile with his own.
"Yep, I do! Thanks a lot, Hinata-chan."
"Ah, good... You're welcome," she said with a blush. Tentatively, she sat down on the edge of the bed and reached the ramen towards him.
Naruto sat up carefully against the headboard again and accepted the bowl and chopsticks from her gratefully. In the space of thirty seconds, half of the noodles were gone. Hungry from the long previous day and from nearly twenty-four hours without food, Naruto ate with the usual gusto and with even more enjoyment.
Yet, after a few moments, Hinata took note of some odd behavior in the boy. Naruto ate with his normal enthusiasm, but he did it while watching her. He seemed to be looking for something in her, as though he had been told that she was carrying a fortune in Ichiraku free ramen passes on her person and was trying to catch a glimpse of them. While Hinata was happy—and somewhat red—for the attention, she could not help but wonder what had brought it on.
Is it because I never answered his question before, and he is even more curious? Or... did Father tell him something?
Naruto's sudden cessation of eating brought Hinata's train of thought to an abrupt stop; he had finished the bowl, and was now regarding her intensely. It seemed that he had had enough of trying to find the answer in her appearance, and was making ready to phrase his question in words.
"Hinata," he said, starting off in a serious tone. Then his mouthparts failed him, and he had to struggle to get the rest of it out. "Your dad, when he was in here... uh... he said something that had me wondering."
The Hyuuga girl found herself feeling strange. Something big was about to happen, she could sense it. What was it that her father had told him that was so difficult for him to ask about?
"What was it, Naruto-kun?" she asked.
"Well, uh... about you..."
Hinata felt her heart leap up between her ears. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder and make sure that the door was locked; if this was what she thought it was, some nervous impulse like that could ruin the moment. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on Naruto, and was surprised to see that he was beginning to change color slightly. There was no longer any doubt—this would be it.
"Hinata, he told me that you... ack!"
A large concussion rocked the building, sending the empty ramen bowl to the floor, where it shattered. Hinata was unbalanced in her seat and sent sprawling backwards against Naruto. The blond caught her with one arm around her shoulders, using his other arm to steady himself against the aftershocks.
"What the hell was that?" Naruto wondered aloud. A cool female voice issuing from the intercom system in the wall answered him.
"Please remain calm. The concussion that you have just felt was not an earthquake. The enemy damaged several water mains in their initial attack, and many of those damaged pipes have been bursting spontaneously throughout the village. Do not be alarmed; we are safe, and the leak will be stopped quickly. Thank you for understanding."
Naruto screwed up his face in annoyance. "Damn it!" he said, "I've had enough of these stupid interruptions!"
So had Hinata. She was tired of having her words drowned out by other people and actions. She would stand for it no longer; this was going to happen now, or never. A gleam of inspiration sparked in her lavender-tinted eyes.
"Hell with it," Naruto mumbled, "Hinata..."
Naruto was cut off by a slender white hand that reached toward and then around his head, pulling it downwards. He was about to question the hand, but he was soon occupied with something else; a pair of soft lips pressed firmly against his own, and he could not protest.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Godaime Hokage sat in her office, holding conference with her advisors, with the leaders of the damage control and restoration units, and with two other important people. The first of these latter two was the Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, who had volunteered to leave a garrison of his own elite shinobi to help protect the village while it rebuilt itself, and with whom Tsunade discussed the establishment and protection of new supply lines to speed up the recovery. The second was Morino Ibiki, who was now making his report before the congregation.
"We have had moderate success," he said. "From the prisoner, Uchiha Sasuke, we have learned that Orochimaru is currently in a weakened state, due to the rejection process in his borrowed body having commenced. We have also learned that he is planning another attack in the near future, though he will not be using his own Sound shinobi. Instead, he will use agents within the Country of Water to manipulate the Mizukage and his forces. This involves, to some degree, convincing the Kirigakure shinobi that we have been weakened far beyond our ability to fight off invaders and that this is an optimum time to attack us. Other persuasive strategies are likely in place, but this is the one that the prisoner saw most fit to mention."
Tsunade nodded. "And have you gained any knowledge of Orochimaru's whereabouts?"
Ibiki frowned. "No, Hokage-sama. He has absolutely refused to give any details about Orochimaru's exact location. However..."
He let this last word hang a moment, making sure that he had the required attention before resuming.
"Hokage-sama, I cannot guarantee that what he says on this last matter is truthful, but to use any more force to try to verify it would be fatal to the prisoner. I myself do not know what to make of it..."
Tsunade's turn to frown came, and she took the chance. "Out with it, Ibiki."
Ibiki paused, inhaled, and continued. "Tsunade-sama, Uchiha Sasuke offers a bargain. He will guide a force of our shinobi to Orochimaru's next scheduled hideout, in exchange for his life. Allow me to make it clear that he does not ask for his freedom; he wants merely to live. I cannot know for sure what it means, but it may just be that he thinks he's good enough to escape on his own, if he regains his strength."
The Godaime took this in, considered it. This could mean any number of things; Sasuke giving himself a chance to escape, Orochimaru setting a trap for them... But, she thought, on the off-chance that his offer is a genuine one, it could allow us to get rid of Konoha's greatest enemy forever. I'm not a good gambler... but is this offer a bet that I really want to pass up?
Not committing herself either way just yet, the Hokage decided that she would squeeze as many details out of the interrogator as she could before making a choice.
"Ibiki," she said, "Have you been able to get any information at all about the general area of this hideout he wants to take us to?"
Ibiki nodded the affirmative. "I have, Hokage-sama. As I said, he will not tell me the exact location, but he has given me the name of the region."
Tsunade bored her eyes into him. "Well?"
"Hokage-sama," Ibiki said, "The facility that Uchiha Sasuke has named is in the region known as The Grave.
OoOoOoOoOo End Chapter Twenty-Nine oOoOoOoOoO
A/N: Whew! Got one done finally after over a week of working my backside off. Hope you enjoyed it. I can't wait to start writing the next one.
I gave Kenji—translating loosely into "strong second son"--his name for the fact that though he was strong in his own right, he came in second to his half-brother. I wouldn't know the birth order for myself... that was my version of Hiashi telling the story, not me.