Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.

AN: Chapter title: Another Confrontation?

"Don't you think you should try and rest today Ino? You just got your leg fixed." The platinum blonde haired Yamanaka didn't bother with answering the dark haired Nara walking behind her. Her focus was on where she could sense the Uchiha they had confronted the night before.

He was nearby.

And she needed answers.

After she had gotten a handle on her rage, on the absolute fury she felt, she had hardly been able to sleep that night. A hundred and one questions seemed to bombard her all at once as she laid in bed, her curiosity launching a relentless assault on her tired mind. She couldn't just let the matter go, couldn't let the Uchiha get away without answering every single one of her questions.

"Yamanaka?" Sasuke halted in his pursuit of Mitarashi. He turned his red and black eyes down to the street and spotted the rather recognizable Yamanaka heiress coming towards him, no doubt making use of her sensor abilities to find him. He considered ignoring her and quickly decided against it.

She would just continue to pursue him.

He couldn't pursue Mitarashi if she didn't stop. The transformed woman was already difficult enough to track, he figured she was leading him somewhere more secluded than the currently overly packed streets, and he wouldn't be able to find her if she found out he was being followed himself. She would hide her trail and he would be forced to scourer the village for her, instruct all of Caesar's Legion that he could spare to do the same, and overall simply serve as a waste of all of their time.

That in mind, the Legate decided to finish his business with Yamanaka now and follow Mitarashi later. This couldn't take that long. She likely just wanted to bother him with questions about his answer from yesterday and he would toy with her until she stomped off in a rage.

That plan in mind, he dropped onto the street ahead of her.

He met her blue gaze and beckoned for her to follow as he took to the rooftops once more.

"Get back here!" Ino leaped and Shikamaru followed with a tired sigh.

'This just smells like trouble.' He followed after his teammate despite his misgivings about it. He couldn't let her go off by herself with the Uchiha with Naruto's army a factor. After seeing them in action so much, seeing how fast he could summon them, watch how they overwhelmed and destroyed everything, he couldn't just leave her alone.

So he followed despite how much his mind was screaming at him to stop, to grab Ino and just run from all of this.

He wouldn't be a very good teammate if he just ran away.

"You ask much of me Sarutobi-jiji." Naruto did not have much else to say from his spot before the Hokage. He glanced to his arm. "Much indeed." He locked eyes with the elderly Shinobi. "I'm afraid I need time to think about this, to speak with my Legate as well." He offered an almost sheepish grin to the Shinobi, one he had worn time and time again when he was dragged into this very same office for one prank or another in days long past. "I'm afraid I have been busy to truly examine my Legion. He understands my current force better than I do myself after the invasion. His counsel will be vital for any decision I shall make."

"You may take as much time as you need Naruto." Sarutobi was almost glad the answer had not been immediate. He had half expected for Naruto to jump at the opportunity, to speak on how grand of a chance this all was.

"Thank you." Naruto bowed his head before he turned on his heel and left through the door.

'Damn it all.' Naruto's face did not show the anger that burned within. He hurried from the Hokage Tower, took to the rooftops almost immediately once he was free of such confines. 'This is not something I planned for at all.' He glanced to his arm in the midst of a leap from one rooftop to another. Once again, a surge of Chakra failed to activate the seal on his arm. His hand balled into a fist. 'And the seal still does not work.'

He forced himself to calm, to banish the Chakra he had called forth, and focused his red eyes elsewhere.

In the blink they had turned blue. He stopped atop a rooftop not that far from the Hokage Tower and made use of the earpiece he wore at all times.

"Where is Hinata Hyuga currently?" He could accomplish another task at least, one that did not involve his Legion in the slightest. He merely needed to speak with the Hyuga girl that would perhaps prove useful in the future.

He would not forgive the actions of Hiashi Hyuga during his match against Neji prior to the invasion. He would have his rematch, he would have his demand answered, and he would find out which was stronger. He would face no further interruptions by the Hyuga Clan if he was correct when it came to his suspicions of the Hyuga girl.

"She resides under the eyes of the Hyuga Clan Caesar but she knows of your desire to meet with her." The Centurion of his Praetorians he had assigned to the two Hyuga upon his foe's stay in the hospital remained responsible for observing the two. "I am able to contact her and pass on any message you require Caesar."

"I merely require a meeting with her." Naruto glanced to his seal once more, internally cursed the fact that it still refused to activate. "Inform her to await my arrival. I will speak to her before the day is finished."

"Will you require a guard for her as she awaits your arrival, Caesar." The Centurion's words were met with a brief chuckle from Naruto, as he took his mind off of the seal for now.

"The Hyuga no doubt watch her enough already. Do not waste the time of you or that of your men."

"Your will shall be done Caesar."

Kakashi Hatake finished his ascent up the side of the hospital and knocked on the glass in his way.

His short talk with Sakura had been enlightening, more than he had thought.

Naruto had been a deciding factor it seemed in beating back the worst of the invasion and the Uzumaki still had a large part of his army outside the village from what traders had been complaining about. She had even met Sasuke the night after the invasion had wreaked havoc across the village.

None of those things really worried him. He had already known about them from the scroll Ibiki had provided.

What worried him was just how easy it had all been.

What worried him was just how easy Naruto had defeated the Ichibi.

What worried him was just how easy Naruto had unleashed an army.

What worried him was joy how strong Naruto had become.

Strong enough to take on entire armies by himself, with his massive army of clones.

There was only one other man that came to mind when he thought of such a feat.

"AH! My eternal rival has arrived!" Gai's exuberance hadn't faded in the time Kakashi had been away from the hospital. The masked Jonin sent his eye around the room and found Yugao and Hayate remained while Kurenai and Asuma had likely gone off on their own.

He couldn't blame either couple.

All four had been through the fear, the boundless worry, of losing the one they loved. They just needed the reassurance that they were all still there, needed to be in each other's arms because they needed it to be real. They couldn't lose them all because of Orochimaru's attack.

Of course, in official records it would be listed as an attack by the Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound due to economic struggles brought on by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind transferring an abundance of mission contracts from the more expensive Sunagakure to Konohagakure. Kakashi could guess Shikaku had been instructed to make their more accessible records reflect the stated cause.

Off those same records, Orochimaru's involvement in the attack was heavily detailed. The Kazekage had no reason not to reveal the truth with his current imprisonment, with how perilous a position his village had been left in thanks to the failed attack, thanks to the crushing victory by the Leaf.

Something that was more than likely brought on thanks to Naruto and his army.

"Hey Gai." Kakashi put such thoughts out of his mind as he lifted a hand in greeting. The other was planted on the windowsill as he pulled himself into the room.

"AH! Still as cool as ever Kakashi!" Gai wasn't actually paying that much attention to the room at large. He had been focused on his exercises, one hand planted on the ground and the other held out at his side with his feet straight in the air. He had been moving up and down for likely the past hour and still had several minutes to go.

"I guess." Kakashi headed for the door.

"Where are you going Kakashi?" Gai must had started earlier than Kakashi thought, he threw himself into the air and landed at Kakashi's side, matching the masked Shinobi's stride. "None of your students were placed in the hospital, correct?"

"Nah, Sakura and the other two are fine for the most part." Kakashi continued out the door with Gai following him. He noticed Yugao hardly moved when the two left, his former subordinate was likely too exhausted, physically and he would be more than willing to wager emotionally as well, from the attack. Hayate, even if he was still out, tightened his hold on the purple haired ANBU and she did likewise.

"You want to speak with Tenten then, about her visit from Naruto after the attack." Gai closed the door as he continued after Kakashi. His smile was gone. "The doctors continue to hold no hope for any change but she is recovering as much as the staff expected her to by now."

"Doctors have been wrong before."

"They are certain of her condition. The damage that…boy managed when he had her trapped was extensive."

It was difficult for even the most ignorant of Shinobi to miss the fury Gai spoke with, the fury he restrained with no outlet for it.

'Gai…' Kakashi did not externally acknowledge such a thing. He was worried for his friend but could keep it solely within his head. Gai didn't need pity. He wanted justice, retribution, anything beyond being forced to simply allow the cause of Tenten's state to roam freely.

"That's enough talk of such things." Gai nodded to his own words. "The future may be difficult for my student but it is a path I shall work with her, that I shall strive to see through to the end for her passion is as strong if not stronger than my own! Such a setback shall not stop her so I shall not let it stop me!"

"She'll get through this with you by her side." Kakashi added his own just as the two reached Tenten's room.

He immediately took note of the guards outside her room in the hall, took note of the familiar raised voice he could dimly hear through the door.

Gai was already at the door, opening it with no small amount of restraint to not simply tear it off.

"-for real? I knew you had a locking mechanism for them but that's it? Naruto's an Uzumaki! He's a natural at seals even if he doesn't show it! You should just be storing attacks here! Trigger here! You don't have to waste Chakra that way and risk popping away! And your armor could use some work too. It doesn't have to be fancy but you can at least-Oh, hi Gai-sensei!" Tenten set down the diagrams she had been tearing apart for the last few minutes and promptly ignored the two Centurions that entered a heated, albeit whispered, debate near her bed.

"Ah, it is good to see you still developing your mind Tenten! Tell me, who brought the problem to your attention?" Gai had taken in the scene remarkably quick once he had opened the door.

He had actually seen it before on several missions.

Tenten did not appreciate a good weapon going to waste. The staff of the Ninja Tool Research Facility still held a great respect for her in addition to a terrific fear once she had been through on a resupply mission. Gai was both impressed at the sheer depth of his student's knowledge and the sheer force of her personality when she was engaged in a discussion as she was now.

"It's not that. Naruto just wants me to redesign his weapons. After the invasion, either him or Sasuke decided they needed something better than what they already had so talked to me." A smile Gai had missed seeing came to his student's face, a familiar fire burned in her eyes. "I've never got the chance to do this before and it's exciting!" She held up one of many diagrams she had been looking over, Gai noting the pen and paper on the tray next to her.

He did not know if he should be glad of such a thing.

"Ah, truly it must be a wonderful experience! You must tell me all about it Tenten!"

For now, he was simply happy that his student was happy.

Sasuke came to a stop at last.

He turned and took note of the rather large group behind him.

Ino and Shikamaru had been joined by Choji and Sakura, as he had expected, partway to his chosen destination.

The Uchiha considered abandoning his course of action.

He almost immediately tossed aside such a thought.

"Ino-chan." He gave her an exaggerated bow before he rose to his full height once more. "I'm surprised you were able to keep up with me. You must have truly improved your abilities for that showing you gave in the Chunin Exams." He chuckled. "Not that it did you any good once I stopped taking pity on you."

He didn't get the expected surge of anger or the rash action he had been hoping to see from the blonde after his mocking words. She stayed with Shikamaru and Choji on either of her sides, glared at the Uchiha instead of spitting an insult back at him, instead of trying to launch a futile attack on him.

"Hmm, you're no fun Ino-chan. If you didn't come after me to talk, why did you follow me all the way here?" Sasuke settled a hand on the blade at his side and couldn't help but laugh at the way some of the group could not help but tense, be consumed by panic if only for a second. His Sharingan allowed him to see it all, see every minute twitch. "Could it be that you're too embarrassed? Is it too much to be before your crush?"

Sasuke laughed at his own questions even if all he received from the Genin in question was silence and a stony glare. He felt no need to entertain this nonsense really, he would leave sooner rather than later if she didn't speak. He would pick back up Mitarashi's trail and leave the Yamanaka to her own devices.

"How long did you know about the attack?" Sasuke was actually surprised at how blunt she was being, found he could be amused at how direct she was being just as quickly.

"Less than a month of course." Sasuke found no reason to keep the information secret. Caesar had never actually cared to disguise his knowledge of the attack, had never hid his anticipation at the glory his Orange Legion would earn with their blades when the day came. "Caesar and I both had little more than baseless suspicions but the Kazekage's two other children confirmed our belief with their own actions." He chuckled at the memory of his meeting with the two. "They could not disguise their terror as they spoke with me, could not mask it as they wondered what marvelous force Caesar commanded for his battle against the Jinchuriki."

"So you knew for at least a few weeks then, right?" Ino's voice was a forced calm. Her hands were clenched into fists at her side, she struggled to keep from grinding her teeth as she met the red and black eyes of the Sharingan.

"As I said, we both suspected an attack was imminent. The opportunity was simply too great for any foe that sought to challenge the strength of Konohagakure, of Caesar. The Hokage suspected an attack as well or did none of you notice the increase in Konoha's border security?" Sasuke once again found the situation funny enough to laugh. "You all truly are blind if you could not see the signs, could not even see the obvious precautions the Hokage took towards an attack." He turned his eyes from Ino to his pink haired teammate. "I would imagine Silver Fang would at least have told you but he clearly did not trust you with the information. What a sad bond you too must share, he coddles you so greatly from the world at large that you shall never be ready for the slightest of strife."

He enjoyed the banishment of the fire in Sakura's emerald eyes even if it was for but a moment.

"Don't talk to her." Ino took a step forward and the Uchiha turned his eyes to her, didn't bother with hiding the amusement that shined in them. "I still have questions and you're going to answer them Sasuke-kun."

"Really? How will you go about forcing me to answer your questions Ino-chan? Shall we clash again?" Sasuke partially drew his blade, exposed only a third of the polished sword from where it laid at his side.

Ino continued to close the distance between them with another step, all but ignored the partially drawn blade at his side.

"No." She took another step forward. "I just know you like to hear yourself talk Sasuke-kun. You've probably been dying to rub all of this in our faces since the attack ended."

"I would suggest you not jump to the wrong conclusions Ino-chan. Allow me to speak and you will, perhaps, understand why Caesar and I decided inaction was the better course." He removed his hand from his sword and allowed it to fall back into its rightful place. "To put it simply, neither Caesar nor myself could find reason to act on mere suspicions no matter how true they seemed to be. We risked painting Konohagakure as the aggressor instead of Sunagakure if we were to strike impulsively. Such would be the height of foolishness. We nearly had no other choice but to wait for the attack to commence if we wished to avoid a true war between the two villages, to prevent something possibly greater than the mere squabble it turned into."

"That doesn't explain why you didn't do anything when the attack first started. You and Naruto were both in the stadium when the Hidden Sand started everything. Naruto was even fighting that monster and he just left! You wasted your time taking us to a shelter instead of just calling Naruto's clones and stopping the invasion before so many people died!" Ino's words were met with a mere look from the Uchiha.

He almost seemed disappointed as he shook his head.

"You're quite the foolish one in the end Ino-chan." Sasuke lifted his hand.

Such a gesture called forth a dozen or so Praetorians from the shadows they had hidden themselves in.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he fell into a crouch and his shadow split into a trio of spikes that shot across the ground. The Praetorians approached from all angles, kept to a distance that made him silently curse. They were in his range but he couldn't get them all. He could get most of them but not all.

All it would take would be a few, perhaps even one, and any plan he made would fall apart. He had seen them in action, seen them fire off projectiles from their swords, just unleash overwhelming bursts of power, and even use Ninjutsu. Naruto's clones were versatile, too strong for him to risk not controlling the battle entirely.

'This is bad.' He turned his eyes to Ino and was thankful she wasn't looking for a fight.

"I don't have the time to amuse you anymore I'm afraid Ino-chan." Sasuke gave the Yamanaka an overdramatic bow with his taunting grin back on his face. "The Praetorians you see before you will not allow you to pursue me any further. If you attempt to do so, I've given them orders to incapacitate you."

"Just answer me then! Why didn't you do anything sooner? Why wait so long when you could have stopped all of this from happening?"

"I had my orders Yamanaka. I followed them."

AN: And Naruto just keeps on going. He's got Tenten working for him it seems and wants to meet dear sweet little timid Hinata. Wonder why? And Gai wants revenge no matter how much he smiles it seems. Man, I sure would hate to make that guy angry.

Also, Ino gets some more answers that may or may not help her from Sasuke. Who honestly knows at this point.