Surprise, surprise! Bet most of you didn't see that coming, but here I am with another update before leaving for Istanbul :)

I see from the response to the last chapter that quite a few of you are confused. I admit, that content was heavy and complex, but I have faith that you'll come to understand it - and if not: those of you who review know that I always answer, so don't hesitate to ask!

This following chap is titled 'Interlude', but contrary to the last one, it's no filler. In fact, it's essential to the plot and attentive readers will find lots and lots of foreshadowing in it to get you all psyched up for the future. So, have fun reading and agonizing over it! *evil laughter*

A huge thanks to my beta NightsBlackRose13 for making this chapter so much better than it had been in the first draft! Seriously, there would be a lot of half-assed things in this story if it wasn't for you.

Oh, last thing: Of course, tumblr users knew this was coming - so you might want to head over there every once in a while if you like some extra content.

Interlude: Grown-Ups' Talk

Not for the first time, Hiruzen doubted if his sensei had really made the best choice when he'd appointed him as the Sandaime Hokage.

He gently closed the hospital behind himself, avoiding any noise that could wake up the little girl and her brother from their much needed sleep.

Two children who had lost both of their parents just a few hours ago. Two more orphans in Konoha.

And he knew it was his fault.

The tall silver-haired man that had followed him outside turned to him with conflicting emotions in his eyes.

"What is going to happen to them, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen headed towards the stairs that led away from the children's ward of Konoha Hospital and motioned for the man to follow him. This part had been added to the hospital thanks to his student Tsunade only three years ago when her little brother Nawaki and his teammates had returned from a mission that had ended in every single one of them being poisoned. Since the metabolism of children differed greatly from that of an average adult, the usual treatment hadn't shown much effect.

Before it all could end in a catastrophe, Tsunade had barged in, saved the children and loudly demanded a children's ward. Which, since then, had already saved many young lives.

Although it did little for the two small Uchiha he'd just left.

"Their clan will take care of them" he answered the other man's question. "Knowing the Uchiha, it would take nothing short of complete annihilation before they would leave a child of theirs in the custody of a third party."

His companion remained silent at that. He glanced back over his shoulder.

"Are you worried about them, Sakumo-kun?"

"Of course I am" the tall man said levelly. "Aren't you, after what you've just seen?"

Hiruzen knew that Sakumo wasn't referring to the little girl's breakdown, although that had been heartbreaking in its own right. What he meant was the sight they had walked in on: her small body, standing rigidly on a stool in front of the sink, a hand hovering over her right eye with two fingers curved like the talons of a raptor.

He had lived too long not to know what that had been about.

"Sakumo-kun, you know about the Uchiha's doujutsu, don't you?"

"Who doesn't" Sakumo said. Then, much quieter, he added "You think that she has awakened it."

Hiruzen nodded. "It's said that to awaken the Sharingan, special circumstances are needed. Although I don't know what she saw yesterday night, I suspect it was enough to count as a 'special circumstance.'"

They were crossing the entrance area of the hospital now and by the time they had arrived at the main door and taken a step outside, four ANBU had emerged from the shadows and formed a diamond shaped formation around them.

"When I asked her what she was doing she said she was 'getting a purchase refund'" Sakumo remarked. "I think she's aware of what she got. And she doesn't want it."

Hiruzen sighed.

For a while, they walked in silence.

Konoha was buzzing with life now, the morning having fully developed and the sun shining brightly on the streets and the colorful buildings. People were milling about, civilians and shinobi alike and a warm glow seemed to emanate from every surface, making the horrors of the night appear like nothing but a nightmare.

Until they arrived at the Military Police Force main administrative building. Of which there was scarcely anything left.

They jumped on a nearby rooftop and watched various genin teams carry off the rubble and debris, with a few Uchiha directing the process.

There were so many questions left from yesterday.

What kind of explosives could have caused such destruction? The usual kibakufuda didn't have enough power to tear the reinforced structure of the Police Force building down, assumed they hadn't been deployed in massive amounts which they didn't appear to have been.

What had produced those hideous wounds that had been found on every single victim? After the first estimates, it looked like they were caused by some kind of explosives, too. And if so, had it been the same as the ones that destroyed the building?

And then there were the victims themselves: All six of them had been skilled Uchiha shinobi. Not only little Etsuko's parents, but also Fumio, Takao's son and heir to the clan. The news of his death would have to be carried to his father soon.

It was no easy feat to trick a Sharingan. The ability to copy every jutsu usually meant that even if the user didn't have a perfect counter jutsu to an enemy's attack, they'd always have the possibility to beat them with their very own techniques. The only exceptions were bloodline jutsu and Hiruzen had the sneaking suspicion that the explosive jutsu was just that.

"The girl is technically a witness, too" Sakumo interrupted his musings. "Are you going to interrogate her?"

"I'd rather not" he replied. "If she can't supply any new information it won't be necessary anyway. I doubt very much that she'll be able to provide new insight."

He threw a last glance at the reconstruction site.

"I'll return to the Tower now. Write a report on everything you witnessed yesterday night. I expect it on my desk by tonight. You're dismissed."

The silver-haired man bowed and turned to leave.

"Oh, and one other thing, Sakumo-kun" Hiruzen added. "If Etsuko wants to keep it a secret, it would only be fair to heed that wish for now."

Sakumo nodded. With a blur, he vanished from the rooftop, leaving the Sandaime alone with his ANBU guards.

)()()(

Danzou was standing at the windows in his office, back turned towards the door even after he had entered. He had been awaiting him.

Of course he had. Hiruzen had expected nothing else.

"This is a disaster, Hiruzen" Danzou said as soon as the door had closed and the privacy seals had flared to life. "And a completely avoidable one, too. Only a few weeks ago I had suggested for Konoha to administer a pre-emptive strike against our enemies to gain the upper hand with one move. You prevented it. Instead, they have gotten the chance to strike first, and they took it. Do you see what you and your foolish attempt at appeasement have done to the village?"

"We don't even know if it was Suna or Iwa" Hiruzen responded, slowly nearing the man at the window.

"And who are you trying to fool now, Hiruzen? Look around yourself: it doesn't matter which of our enemies was responsible, the results are clear! The sensing barrier has been breached, the Police Force has failed and the village is close to turmoil. Konoha has lost the chance to stay in control even before fully entering the war."

Hiruzen had no answer for that. Maybe, if he'd known how to put the feeling of crushing guilt into words, he would have said something. But then Danzou would have crushed him, too, so he stayed silent.

"This mess needs to be cleaned up. Luckily for you, your council consists of capable people."

His oldest friend finally turned around, letting the light fall on only half of his face and leaving the other in the shadows. Danzou had always been like that – even standing in the light, he seemed to be shrouded in perpetual darkness, gloom preceding him even before he himself had entered the scene.

"On your desk are proposals for the restructuring of the Police Force, mainly the outsourcing of the sensing barrier section. We recommend you to staff the new team with non-Uchiha since they've proven themselves to be unable to handle a crisis. I've included a list of trusted men who would be perfectly suited for the job, all of them handpicked from my own ANBU division ROOT."

Hiruzen walked over to his desk. Indeed, there was a neat stack of paper on it titled with 'KONOHA MILITARY POLICE FORCE REFORMS'. He leafed through them while Danzou continued to speak.

"It will be for the benefit of the village if its inner security doesn't lie in the hands of one single clan. A second, neutral party will be more reliable and less prone to possible corrupting currents within the clan."

Hiruzen looked up and narrowed his eyes at the other man. "Are you implying that the Uchiha have been somehow involved in last night's incident?"

"At this stage, we can't rule this possibility out. You can't deny that it was somewhat fishy how easily the perpetrators infiltrated the village."

The Sandaime set down the papers. "This is a heavy accusation, Danzou! And it's hard to believe if you consider that the Uchiha have been the only ones to suffer losses."

Danzou looked him in the eye. "I believe the security of the village is worth the precaution offered by this solution. We're at war, Hiruzen. Are you going to let another act of carelessness damage Konoha if it would be so easily preventable?"

Hiruzen didn't answer. For half a minute, there was only silence as the two men stared at each other, neither of them willing to back down. The tension was almost palpable.

Finally, Hiruzen relented.

"This will be a measure of war and immediately become ineffective when it's over."

"Of course" Danzou replied.

"Also, I'll man the team with shinobi who have earned my trust and proven themselves loyal to the village. I appreciate your list, but it won't be needed."

Danzou clenched his jaw. "As you wish" he said through gritted teeth.

Hiruzen sighed. "Is there anything else you suggest?"

"Other than that, the council proposes that the rebuilding of the Military Police Force's main building should be relocated to near the prisons. That way, the Military Police will be able to perform their duties more effectively and the current location of their office will be free for other needed institutions."

"I'll consider this." Hiruzen rubbed his temples and sat down in his Hokage seat. "You're dismissed."

But Danzou wasn't finished. "Not yet. I have another matter to speak to you about." He walked around the desk and planted his hands on the top.

"The enemy corpse that was found stabbed in an alley. I heard that the only living person that's been sighted near it has been a little Uchiha girl. You visited her this morning, didn't you? Have you interrogated her, yet?"

Hiruzen's face was hard when he answered. "She just lost her parents. She's in no condition to be interrogated and I don't believe it to be necessary either way."

"You're aware that there is a possibility that she killed him, aren't you?"

"And if it were the case, what would you have me do? I doubt that any information that she could provide us with would outdo the results of the autopsy."

He narrowed his eyes when no answer came forth and his voice became as cold as ice. "And if you're looking for an addition for ROOT: I forbid you to touch her until she has at least graduated from the academy. Am I clear on this, Danzou?"

Fury clouded his former teammate's eyes and for a split second Hiruzen thought that Danzou was going to attack him, but the moment passed as quickly as it came. The man removed his hands from the desk and bowed.

"Crystal, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen didn't move until Danzou had exited through the door, darkness already swallowing him even before he disappeared out of sight. When he finally did, he slumped back into his chair and exhaled slowly.

"So" he said into the empty room. "Did you have fun listening in?"

A quiet chuckle answered him.

"You could have easily thrown me out if you'd wanted to, sensei."

A man started to materialize from the ground, growing like a muddy brown plant until standing fully upright and returning to his usual coloring. He had long silky black hair that fell straight past his shoulders to the middle of his back and wore standard Konoha shinobi gear. His slim, almost delicate features were set in a boyish grin, golden pupils flashing with amusement and making them stand out even more from his pale complexion and the purple markings around his eyes.

The words that he spoke, with a voice that sounded like a blade hidden beneath a thick layer of velvet, came out in a lazy drawl. "But this jutsu indeed is very useful. I was skeptical at first if a spying jutsu could ever merit an A ranking, but seeing that not even Danzou sensed it, I'm willing to make an exception."

"Well, I didn't show it to you so that you could come spy on my meetings, Orochimaru." It was meant as a reprimand, but Hiruzen knew himself that it lacked all bite, not least because he could feel the corner of his lips pull into a small smile.

"Does it really count as such if you were letting me?" his student retorted smugly.

"Not really" he admitted.

Orochimaru chuckled again. "I am curious, though. These reforms of Danzou's seem rather thought-out for being mere reactions to yesterday night."

Hiruzen grimaced. "It wouldn't surprise me if these plans had lain in a drawer of his desk long before today, just waiting to be whipped out. He can say it was a unanimous decision of the council as much as he wants, but this bears his handwriting from start to finish. I wonder what he's trying to achieve. One could almost assume he has a grudge against the Uchiha in general."

Orochimaru's answer was pensive as he tilted his head to look past his sensei and out of the window. "Well, the Uchiha are quite something, aren't they? A child that might have killed one of the invaders – I have to say, that clan just keeps churning out shinobi younger and younger."

There was an almost dreamy quality to his student's expression that Hiruzen noted with a tickle of unease, but before he could address it, it had vanished.

"Only if it was true, of course" Orochimaru said with a casual wave of his hands. "Rumors tend to be awfully unreliable, ne, sensei?"

For a moment, Hiruzen wondered what had really compelled his student to make that comment, but that tiny voice in his head was quickly silenced by everything else he knew about Orochimaru.

Orochimaru – the orphan boy, the genius of his team, his prized his student and son in everything but name. It would take a lot to shake the trust he put in the man and he wasn't about to begin with it over some petty comment.

So he let it go.

"I trust you know the meaning of activated privacy seals even so?" he said with a serious expression.

"Have a little faith in me, sensei" Orochimaru answered. "My lips are sealed."

Hiruzen laughed silently to himself. "Good. So, what was the original intent of your visit, Orochimaru?"

As Orochimaru began talking, he allowed himself to relax the slightest bit. At least he hadn't failed with his students, making sure that the Will of Fire was burning brightly in every single one of them.

Maybe that was what Tobirama-sensei had seen in him. He prayed that it would be enough.

Don't forget to tell me what you think! I love to read your theories :)