Chapter Four: Land of Waves

~~Wave Village - Land of Waves~~

Before Fen even entered the village he could feel the sense of despair hanging thick in the air. When he walked into it with Tazuna, he could see it. Many people looked starving, their shops boarded up, and the streets in disrepair. In honesty, Fen never saw such a place before in his young life. He looked around, seeing children trying to make do with a stick and a wadded-up paper ball to play a game he never saw before. Even as they tried to smile, they too felt the sting of Gato's betrayal of this land. He couldn't help but feel horrible for this village and imagined how many others in this country were suffering the same fate due to one short, greedy man's evil. The two kept walking past the decrepit-looking house, each step filling the heart of the Nord with more and more hate towards Gato and more pity for the citizens.

After a few minutes, Tazuna brought Fen to his home. It seemed to be in a better condition compared to the others, but it was barely noticeable.

"Welcome to our town, Fen. I know it's not much to look at right now, but it use to be a bustling, thriving village until Gato monopolized the shipping industry here."

Fen just frowned at Tazuna, he could feel the pain in every word he said as he opened the door. Inside were tattered cushions on the couch and a battered, worn wooden table in the middle of the two couches. Tazuna was about to offer Fen a seat but before he could the footsteps of two people caught their attention. Coming down the stairs was a beautiful woman that looked in her late twenties with long, blue-colored hair. Behind her was a boy no older than eight, with short spikey black hair that was covered by a blue and white striped hat with a large brim.

"Grandpa, your home!" The boy said with a bit of enthusiasm, tacking Tazuna's leg in a hug before looking up at him.

The woman chuckled, coming to Tazuna and hugging him. "We're both happy you made it back safely, dad. But where are the people that are supposed to be protecting you?"

Tazuna pulled them both away, a look of disappointment on his face lasting only a second at the mention of the team that was supposed to be watching out for him. He turned to Fen, who was standing behind him at the door.

"Sadly, I was not able to convince a team of ninjas to help us. However, instead of a team of uppity Leaf nin, I got the courageous and strong Nord standing behind me. He saved my life twice so far without even using a single jutsu."

Tazuna smiled at Fen, motioning him to come in more before wrapping an arm around the tall boy's shoulder. "Fen, I would like you to meet my daughter, Tsunami, and my grandson Inari. Inari, Tsunami, this is Fen Norung of the Northern Realms and I think ninja of the Hidden Leaf."

The woman, Tsunami, smiled and bowed to Fen. "It is a pleasure Fen. Thank you for looking out for my drunk father. It means much to us and our country."

Fen blushed a bit as he scratched his cheek at the thanks. "Please, don't thank me. I've done nothing to earn that."

She chuckled at the embarrassment of the boy in front of her. "A polite and modest Nord? Now, that is something to see. I mean no offense, of course, Fen."

Fen just waved it off, going to speak that it was fair to think such a thing til the boy spoke up. "A Nord? How could a person from a bunch of jerks even want to protect our village!"

This got Fen's attention, his eyes now looking down at the boy who looked back. When Fen saw the boy's eyes he could see everything he needed to. He saw the pain in the boy's eyes, the anger, and the hate for the world around him. The same look he saw a lot of the children in this village had, but he was different. It wasn't just what was happening to his village, there was something more. Something else fueling the woes of the child.

"Inari! Show some respect! This man saved my life twice now!"

Inari just looked up at his grandfather, his eyes still showing little change now that he spoke his mind. "Nords like him help Gato, grandpa! They are just as bad as him!"

Again, this got Fen's attention. He knew that some of his people acted as sellswords for just about anyone if their pay was good. However, he also knew there was a sense of honor among all of them. And working for a snake-like Gato was not honorable. Fen knelt to Inari's level, which surprised the family as he spoke.

"Nords fight for that slime? Tell me, do you know what colors they wear in their clothes? The symbol they have on their banners and shields?"

Inari looked at Fen, now just as confused as he was angry. "What? Don't you people keep in touch with each other? Stupid…they have green and white on their clothes and armor. I think the thing on their sails was a spear through a skull."

With a sigh Fen nodded, knowing exactly what clan this was. He slowly stood up, bringing his hand to the back of his neck and using it to help crack it a bit. "This makes the job more difficult. Those colors and the symbol are the marks of the Volsung, a clan of mercenaries. But the fact they are forsaking their honor to fight for Gato is troubling."

Fen walked away from the family, the three of them watching as Fen seemed to get lost in thought.

The fact that they would abandon their pride and honor and forsake any chance of joining their ancestors was troubling. It was very rare that a clan would do something like that, but not unheard of. Usually, when a clan does something like that the others of the homeland would uproot them and slay them for the dishonor they brought on themselves. Perhaps since Ragnarok happened they don't seem to worry about the potential backlash that will come their way, if not eventually. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before speaking up again.

"I can dwell on that, it's a problem I'll deal with when the time comes. For now, I need to get to work on my promise to you Tazuna."

Tazuna blinked, trying to understand why Fen would want him to get to work on the bridge when he just got home. "Fen, I know you are eager to see the bridge finished, but I need to rest. I can't work after traveling the entire day."

Fen smirked at the old man, shaking his head before he let out a whistle. The whistle was heard, and when Fen opened the door all three of his wolves were waiting. "I made a promise to help this country, not just to make sure your bridge is built. I am leaving Skoll, Hati, and Freki here to watch over you while I get to work on my oath."

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Tsunami asked, not entirely at ease with the fact that three ten-foot-tall wolves were now coming into her house. She was terrified of what they could do, but when Tazuna chuckled and gave the wolf called Skoll a high and the wolf returned it, she felt a bit more at ease.

The Nord took the bow off his back, taking a deep breath with his nose as he tried to locate as much wildlife as he could. "The people of this village are starving, there is not enough food for them and many look like they have never even seen a bow. I am going to hunt. I'll be back by morning with enough meat, vegetables, and fruits to feed the village for at least the day."

"But what about Zabuza?" Tazuna asked, now leaning back against one of the couches as Skoll used him as a pillow.

Fen just chuckled at the sight before looking to Tazuna and back to the door. "The three here could easily rip apart Zabuza with their eyes closed. I would let my life rest in their paws any time against almost any enemy. I promise you that you can do the same."

Just before Fen would walk out the door the familiar yawn of an orange fox rang out in the house. From Fen's cloak, the head of Kibi popped out, looking around at the new environment before hopping out and sitting on Fen's shoulder.

"Fen, where are we? Why aren't we back at camp."

Fen deadpanned at the question, shaking the amazement of Kibi just now waking up out of his head before talking. "We are in the Land of Waves on a mission. I want you to stay here and help protect this family with your brothers and sister. If anything happens, you know how to contact me."

Kibi let out another yawn, nodding her head before jumping down to only be quickly picked up by Tsunami as she squealed at how cute Kibi was. This made the fox smile ear to ear as she let the woman pet and play with her. When Kibi was in Tsunami's hands, he noticed that instead of one tail there were now two on the fox. This made him a bit worried but decided it would be something to talk about with her when he got back home.

When he closed the door and went hunting Inari just huffed as he sat on the other couch away from his family that was cuddling with an animal each.

"He's stupid, I don't know why he thinks he can fight against Gato and win. Gato can't be stopped, it's impossible."

After he whispered the last part Kibi looked over at him, her ears able to hear everything the boy said. She got out of Tsunami's lap, much to her chagrin, and hopped up onto Inari's lap.

"I can sense your hurting, little pup. Fen can sense it too. That's why he is putting more effort into helping your village than I think he originally wanted to. He knows about the pain someone bad can bring to a village. He lost his whole village because of a bad man and his family."

Inari looked at the fox a bit confused, looking at its blood-red eyes as they looked back at him. Kibi smiled, circling on his lap before laying down and settling in. "Trust me, he never wants to see such pain again. He is going to fight with everything he has to make sure your village is free from the pain."

The boy just kept his eyes on the fox before slowly petting her. Kibi let out a soft, content purr as he did so. Happy to help the boy as much as she could, she didn't want all the weight on Fen's shoulders.

"Uhm, what is your name?" Tazuna asked as he was petting Skoll, his daughter now happily petting Freti's head as it lay on her lap.

Kibi opened her eyes, stopping her purring for a second to talk. "My name is Kibi, one of Fen's companions and closest friend."

The wolves let out an annoyed huff at that declaration, looking at the fox with a bit of a glare. Kibi glared back, not afraid of her brothers and sister. "Look at me all you want guys, we both know I'm the only one able to talk to him and be able to ride on his shoulder."

The wolves just rolled their eyes at their sibling's antics before going back to their pets. Tsunami chuckled, finding the interaction pretty cure but now she only had more questions. Though she knew better to ask them without Fen present, it would be rude to ask about him without his permission.

~~The Red Leaf Bar - Konohaguke, same time~~

Hana chuckled as she sipped on her sake, the young girl feeling a bit gitty now that she was out with her friends. She asked them to go out with her tonight since it was the only day in the week the four of them had free and the following day they all had the day off from duty. A perfect chance to relax with some good sake while they listened to whatever amateur performer played their songs on the stage.

Across from her sat another woman, Anko Mitarashi. She and Hana were in the same class before they graduated from the Academy. They kept in close touch the entire time afterward til she went missing for awhile. When she was found and brought back home she was worried about her friend and what had happened to her. She was there for her, along with their other friends Kurenai and Yugao. The four of them only got closer during those times of uncertainty. Thankfully Lord Jiraiya was able to help suppress the curse mark Anko's former sensei put on her.

Next to Anko was Yugao Uzuki, another graduating class friend of Hana and Anko. Though unlike her friends from her class she ended up taking the path of an ANBU, was rarely had time to see them but made sure to stay in contact at least with letters when she could.

Then sitting next to Hana was Kurenai Yuhi, the genjutsu mistress of Konoha. She was a year ahead of the other three but was close friends with Anko before she graduated. That friendship bled into what they had now, a sisterhood of four that were as close as true sisters.

Kurenai let out a small hiccup as she finished her sixth cup of sake, her cheeks a tinge of red from the burning liquor. Anko just chuckled at her, bragging about her eight and still feeling fine though her wobbly movement told another story. Yugao just laughed at the two, as she and Hana were the only ones not truly tipsy but were on their way.

"I'm telling you guys, I think I'm done trying to make it work with Iruka. The guy is cute and all, but it is just so hard to get him to talk about anything outside of his academy work." Complained the intoxicated Anko as she ordered another bottle of sake for the table. Kurenai just rolled her eyes as she felt the same about her current relationship.

"I can understand that, Anko. I and Asuma aren't fairing too well and I don't think things will get better. He spends almost no time with me anymore and the fact he is still smoking so much after he promised me he'd slow down just makes me think he doesn't care about me as much as that addiction."

The two just giggled at each other and their unfortunate dating situation. Yugao just shrugged as she sipped on her next glass of liquor. "I can't relate. After I and Hayate broke it off I haven't been looking for anyone. I am just focusing on my arts in kenjustu over dating."

The table just rolled their eyes at their workaholic friend, making her blush a bit which in turn made Hana giggle. The three of them looked at her, snickering.

"I don't see how you can laugh Hana, you haven't even kissed a guy let alone dated one."

This made Hana blush a deep red, deeper than the red of Kurenai's eyes. "Well, about that…I think I might have found someone I want to try after."

That got the attention of the other three, each of them getting uncomfortably close to their friend as they started asking about the boy. What was he like? Did he look good? Where did she find him? All the questions overloaded the brain of the tipsy Inuzuka and shook her head before she answered.

"You guys need to promise me you won't judge me once I tell you, okay?"

The three nodded, eager to hear about the boy that caught the attention of sweet, innocent Hana. She took a deep breath as she started to explain.

"Well, his name is Fen Norung, he is a Nord from-"

"A NORD?!"

Hana winced at the collective reaction of her friends, covering her sensitive ears as she looked at them. "Yes, and you said you wouldn't judge! Just me finish my story, alright?"

And with that Hana went over the details of how she met Fen, how he was and acted, and how he was kind and welcoming to her and her mother when they found his camp. She told them about how he offered the meat he got for his wolves to her and Tsume's hounds, and that he offered the little he had left for the three of them to split. She sighed as she finished, looking at the girls who all had smirks on their faces.

"Of course sweet, innocent Hana would have a thing for one of those brutes." Anko chuckled, reaching for the new bottle of sake given to her table. Hana instantly got defensive at that statement.

"He is not a brute! He was kind and caring to people he never even met! I can't imagine a single one of us acting the way he did."

Kurenai just shrugged her shoulders, looking to her friend as she defended Fen. "Maybe he wasn't smart enough to realize that you guys could have killed him. Anko is right hun, every Nord anyone here has ever encountered has been rather blunt and forwards. Not very bright at all."

This got Hana to get red in the face, but not from the booze of embarrassment. She was angry they would openly mock someone they never even met before. She was utterly ashamed of her friends right now.

"The fact you three think you have the right to judge such a nice man like that makes me sick…I am going to go now." She said with a huff, turning to leave but was stopped by Yugao's hand holding her wrist. Hana looked down, a bit angry but saw the apologetic looks on their faces.

Yugao smiled, pulling Hana back into her seat. "We weren't trying to upset you, Hana. We are happy you think you found someone, but it's just…Nords have a bad reputation. Plus, aren't they forbidden to be with others from other nations?"

Hana nodded but looked at Yugao with hope in her eyes. "Yes, but Fen's situation is different. He is the last of his clan, and has no home back in the North-"

She quickly covered her mouth, stopping herself from exposing anything else about Fen. Yugao, Anko, and Kurenai gave Hana confused looks at her interruption to her sentence. She girl sighed through her fingers before pulling her hands away.

"Fen told me and mom the things about him in confidence, and I almost let some of it slip out. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you everything I know about him. I can just say he is the last of his clan since that is something he isn't afraid to tell people. I just…guys, meet him first before you judge him? Please?"

The three at the table, all nodded to Hana's request before all four of them chugged down a glass of sake.

"Thank you, you'll like him. I promise." Hana said with a bit of a slut to her speech, the last cup finally getting her over the edge of fine to tipsy. It would be a good night.

~~Forest - Wave Country~~

The night was quiet as Fen stalked the woods, his bow drawn and ready to take down whatever was a fair enough game for what he needed. He needed to mind himself and not cause a massacre of the forest's population or else risk the chance of an imbalance in the area which would only cause more issues for the village. He had already taken a few rabbits that seemed like a proper age, the animals hanging from his belt as he masked his and their scent with some wild berries that even his nose thought were a bit too strong. He knew it wasn't the best plan, but he needed to act on the fly instead of planning out the hunt like he normally would.

Right now he was looking for a larger game, knowing the rabbits' meat would be stringy for the young and elderly in the village. He had been at this for nearly two hours now, and the lack of anything suitable was alarming to him. There should have been larger animals in the area so close to an abundant water source. He kept letting out a sigh, thinking he would have to go back to looking for the abundant population of rabbits in the area. Just as he was about to go back to where he saw them he heard a snap of a twig in the distance. He fixed his gaze on the sound, seeing a herd of deer coming through the clearing ahead of him. There was a total of nine, looking like two bucks, fix doe and only one fawn. He took note of the fawn and its mother, not daring to aim his arrow at the couple since he didn't want to be held responsible for the death of the fawn. He took a deep breath, aiming for the larger of the two bucks as they settled to sniff about the area for some food. He slowly let go of the arrow, letting the string of the bow snap by his cheek before quickly taking another arrow from the quiver and repeating the actions. He did this five times, and each arrow launched from his hand made its mark before the remaining deer darted off into the forest. He sighed, standing up and going to the clearing to claim his prizes.

He knelt to the buck, seeing it huffing and letting out its cries of pain. The arrow pierced a lung, not the heart and the creature was suffering. With pity in his heart, Fen leaned over the crying deer, his knife in hand, and quickly shoved it into the deer's heart. He let himself sit there for a moment, letting the failure of a clean death way on his conscious. He hated not being able to end things quickly and humanely. Even to the rogue nin he killed he was merciful, not letting them suffer if he could help it before claiming their lives. When he saw something in pain, laying on the ground with fear in his eyes he would think back to his mother. And that memory was a wound that constantly reopened in his heart and mind.

After a few more seconds of grieving over his failed hunt, he picked himself up and got to work gutting the deer. It took him about ten minutes to get the work down, leaving the remains of the deer he carved out in the field for any scavenger to take. He tied the five deer around their back legs, grunting as he started to pull the rope tied to them towards the village. With any luck, he would be back in the village with enough time to prepare breakfast.

In truth, he was exhausted from the combination of the fight with Zabuza and staying up for hours hunting for the villagers. His body ached, his arms stung from the cuts and staring from pulling the bow's string back to release the arrows. His head throbbed, the scent of the berries he used to mask his scent still strong in his nostrils as he made his way through the woods. He had time to think now, nothing could make this any faster. He thought of the plight this country was facing from Gato and now a clan of his people. He couldn't help but draw parallels between their suffering and the suffering of many clans back in the Northern Realm before and after Ragnarok. The thought of his native people in pain because of the needless war only made his mental state worse.

Though he was not the cause of it, he felt responsible in some sense. His clan was part of the reason the war started, though not the only reason. And now that he was the last of the Norung, the guilt of the destruction that Ragnarok was his burden to carry for the clan. He shook his head, trying to break away from his thoughts.

"It's not your fault, pup. In the end, it was my kin and the Aesir's. Your clan's only guilt to be had was picking a side."

Fen stopped pulling the deer, taking a deep breath before he responded to the wolf inside him. "I know Fenrir, I know, but…why did it have to happen?"

Fenrir had to think for a moment, letting Fen go back to pulling the game he had taken. "I think it was the order of things, pup. Nothing is eternal, and the Aesir tried to make their rule just so. I believe me and my siblings were the force that nature wanted to start a new cycle to the land."

The Nord just kept pulling as he talked to his resident. "I see…but why did it have to cause so much death to be done? Why couldn't the Aesir see that they were killing out people in the end? Why couldn't they accept that their time was over?"

"Sadly those who have power are blind to see the future. They only wish to see what they wish to, and do not want their control to falter and shift like it would have for the Aesir if they just accepted my request in the beginning."

Fen chuckled, shaking his head. "Was the blind comment suppose to be a jab at Odin since he only had one eye?"

The wolf-giant chuckled, not realizing the irony in his words til Fen pointed it out. "Heh, I suppose it is. I am glad to see you have some humor in you still, Fen. Remain strong. I am with you through all of this. No matter what path you choose to take."

He could only nod to the wolf's words, taking a deep breath as he kept dragging the food to the village. In the end, he hoped his path would lead to helping more people suffering like those in this country of waves.

~~Tazuna's Village - Land of Waves, the next morning~~

The next morning the village was aroused from it's sleep by the smell of roasting meat. Every villager opened their doors, coming to the village center when a fire was roaring with several types of meat from animals slowly being cocked over the flames. In front of the fire was a table, where a man had dozens of different berries, fruits, cooked meat, and veggies out on display. The hunger they all had eyed the man with envy, but when he turned away from the smile they saw the tired, worn-out smile of Fen greeting them.

"Good morning my friends, I hope you are hungry." He chuckled, laying down another plate with several ribs all chopped out and ready to be handed out.

"Please, come and take what I can offer. I ask for no money or favor, only the satisfaction that you all will have something in your bellies for the day."

The words were almost foreign to the villagers, all of them looking at each other. They weren't too trusting of this stranger coming to their village with so much food and asked for nothing in return. Not a single one came to the table, all too scared from the things Gato and his goons had done to them in the past at the offer of food. This made Fen frown and was afraid he would have to threaten them to eat before a single little girl came to him. She wore a torn-up, tattered dress that was not good to wear with the cold weather the village seemed to have to be so close to the sea. The girl walked up to him, coughing a bit as she looked up at him with desperate eyes.

"C-can I eat some, sir?"

Fen smiled warmly at the girl, nodding as he got a small wooden bowl and put some berries, an apple, some tender meat from a deer, and a potato he had gathered in the woods that he cooked and split open to let her see the soft inside of the vegetable.

"Here, eat. After you finish I'll see about getting you something warmer to wear and look at that cough of yours."

His smile never left his face as the girl took the bowl quickly, as if on instinct to do so. She took a big bite of the apple, a smile coming across her face as she started to dig into the meal. Seeing her do so made the others want some too, and soon a line was made as Fen made a plate for every single man, woman, and child. He was exhausted, they all could see that, but he pushed on. He didn't stop til every single person was fed, and saw life returning to them at the homecooked meal that could finally dine on. He sighed, sitting down on the ground as he let the exhaustion take over slowly take over. He didn't hear the cries of praise for his deed or the cries of children playing in the streets now that they finally had full stomachs. He let his eyes slowly close, leaning back to the ground. He was content to sleep there on the cold stone but was stopped when he felt the warm fur nestling against his neck.

He opened his eyes, turning his head to see Hati there with his tail wagging. The wold leaned his head down and licked Fen's cheek, approving of his hard work. Soon the other two wolves and Kibi made their way to them followed by Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari. They were all lost for words at the work he had done, delivering on his word that there would be food for the village come the next morning. He just smiled, letting himself fall asleep as the wolves surrounded him and gave him warmth in the cold air.

Tazuna smirked at the Nord, giving him a nod as he watched him slumber. Tsunami was busy giving Inari a plate of food before she made her way to Fen and Tazuna, smiling down at the boy as he let out little, light snores as he rested.

"He meant it, didn't he dad? He is going to save us."

Tazuna looked at his daughter and then at the villagers. For the first time in nearly a year he saw them happy, he saw them smiling. The people were talking and sharing the good fortune that Fen had worked to give them. He couldn't fathom the reason why Fen would go this far for them, he owed them nothing and technically Tazuna lied to him.

"Yeah, I think he really will save us. He worked through the night to give this to us, and that alone shows his commitment to our people."

Tsunami nodded, leaning down and running a hand over the boy's cheek as he rested. She chuckled seeing his nose twitch at the touch, a smile on his face growing at the sensation. She needed to thank him for this, they all needed to. They owed a new breath of life to the Nord with no ties to their land.

~~Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower - Konohagakure, same time~~

Hiruzen was not looking forward to the headache that was coming to him when he found out that on the same day Team Seven returned from their mission. He didn't know if they failed or succeeded, all he knew was that the guards at the gate reported that Fen was not with them. That alone spelled trouble for the elderly Hokage.

The door to his office opened and in came Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. The three of them seemed a bit peeved at the fact that had to wait to do their report until the next morning since Hiruzen was already out of the office by the time they returned to the village. Kakashi walked up to the desk to give his report.

"Team Seven reporting. After a failed attempt at an ambush from two rogue ninjas, we discovered that the issuer of the mission was made on false statements. It appeared that the mission itself should have been labeled as A-Rank, but the man didn't want to pay the price for it. As such, I ordered my team to abandon the mission due to the deceit given to us and the village."

The report was reasonable enough to Hiruzen, who just nodded with it before asking his questions. "First off, why did you not send for backup before deciding to abandon the mission?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Due to the fact of the lies given to us beforehand, I saw no reason to continue the mission."

Hiruzen nodded once more. "Fair enough. Second, where is Fen Norung?"

The name made the three before the Hokage stiffen for a moment. He eyes all of them to gauge their reactions quickly. It seemed all of them held some level of resentment toward Fen, but it was far more intense with Sasuke. The old man sighed mentally, having a good feeling about where this was going.

The jounin cleared his throat to get Hiruzen's attention again before he told him of the situation. "Fen Horung decided to stay behind to help the bridge builder despite my order to leave him. He and I had a stare-down before I decided to let him continue the mission on his own. Lord Hokage, I should also report the consistent hostility he showed towards my team. He has threatened them several times now, and even though some of it was within reason, it matters little when in a team. He can not control his temper, and I request that you remove him from my team and also ask for an investigation to be put in place for his conduct."

Hiruzen just looked at Kakashi for a moment before turning his gaze to the Uchiha in the room. "What caused the hostility?"

Sasuke smirked, thinking this was a good time to start getting his revenge. "His wolves came from the treeline and threatened the escort. I was going to kill the wolves to prevent any harm that would come to the man but Fen decided to put an axe to my throat and threatened me. I backed off, but I felt like he was ready and willing to kill his teammate over his precious mutts."

"Uh-huh. Kakashi, mind telling me the truth before I get Ibiki a room for Sasuke here in the T&I department to give me the full truth?"

Sasuke was flabbergasted that the Hokage would question his word and was now biting his lip in frustration. He looked to Kakashi, hoping he would back him up on this. Kakashi looked to Sasuke, sighing before looking back to the Hokage.

"Sadly, Sasuke only had one ounce of truth in it. Yes, the wolves appeared but did not threaten the escort but ripped the heads of the rogue ninja. Sasuke demands ownership over the dogs, but Fen refused. Then Sasuke threatened to kill the wolves and that is when Fen brought his blade to Sasuke's throat and threatened to kill him if he ever demanded anything from him again."

Now if Sasuke was mad before, he was fuming. He felt betrayed by the one man that was with him since the day of the family's massacre. He looked away, thinking of another way of getting his revenge against that Nord that humiliated him.

Hiruzen let out another sigh, making a hand gesture to the air. Suddenly four ANBU appeared before him, bowing their heads with hands over their chests to await orders.

"Cat, I wish for you to assemble a team and make sure Fen is returned to us. I do not care what fuss he makes over it, make sure it's done. The rest of you will escort Sasuke here out of the tower and to his clan's compound. He is now removed from active duty and will not be able to return to duty until the Chunin Exams."

"As you command, Lord Hokage," Cat said before making her way out of the office. She already had a feeling about the people she wanted to take on this mission, and figured one of them would be eager to help her little crush.

Sasuke was about to yell out in protest but was stopped by Kakashi. "Don't you'll make it worse for yourself. Accept the punishment you were given and settle down your nerves."

The Uchiha just glared at his sensei, turning around to be escorted to his home with the remaining three ANBU. Kakashi shook his head before turning to Sakura. "Go home and rest for the next few days, I will come to you to train you some seeing as I can not train Sasuke til the exams."

Sakura wanted to scream at the Hokage for choosing to side with Fen over her beloved Sasuke but knew better than to risk the Hokage's wrath. She had to bide her time and tell her mother about what had happened. She was a high-ranking councilwoman, she might be able to do something about this.

"And for you, Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi turned back to look at the Hokage, seeing the anger in the old man's eyes. "If Fen is found dead or fatally wounded due to your little, unneeded grudge towards him for putting Sasuke in his place, I will be holding you personally responsible. The fact you would abandon his son is vile and I hope that you are ready to face Minato when the day comes knowing you may have left his son to die."

Kakashi narrowed his good eye as he looked at Hiruzen. "That boy is nothing like Minato, and I won't see him as such til I know for a fact everything in that file you showed me is true."

The intensity in the air from that declaration was so thick it could be cut with a kunai. Hiruzen just shook his head before he spat out the order to leave. Kakashi did so, leaving Hiruzen to worry about his late successor's child and what he may be involved in.