It's been a while since I updated! School is super crazy right now and unfortunately, it will likely be for the rest of the semester, but I will keep updating! Thank you to all the reviews! The tips and advice are wonderful too, I will make a bio soon where I can share some announcements and stuff, but as its 12:37 am right now, that probably won't be done immediately lol.

I hope you enjoy this chapter! The next one should be moving things along again.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! ;)

12th Year of Danzo's Rule


Kiba watched as Shikamaru stared down the chuunin outside the doors to the conference room in the Hokage Tower. Choza and Mikoto were behind them, also staring with grim and determined faces. His palms were sweaty and his hands were shaking and he wanted nothing more than to curl his fingers in Akamaru's fur, but he had sent his partner home. Akamaru was still young, and he knew this was a delicate situation.

In the conference room, the Hokage, his advisors, the potential jounin sensei, the crucial members of the civilian council, and Iruka-sensei were discussing team placements for his peers. With Kiba out of the way, Sasuke could be placed on a three-man team with Hinata-chan and Shino-kun. While Sasuke was his friend, Kiba had gone through every class and exercise with Hinata and Shino in preparation for their team, and he wanted to be a part of his team. All of his hard work for was for nothing if he didn't become a genin. Furthermore, his clan needed him; they needed the hope of the next generation of ninja and to see that he upheld their ideals even in harsh times. Courage and pride and pack.

Kiba felt ill. When the Root shinobi had appeared on one of the Inuzuka private training grounds and arrested Hana-nee, his older sister had told him those very words. She had allowed herself to be pushed to the ground and didn't struggle when her hands were harshly bound. They accused her of proving to be treasonous, and stated her punishment would be to complete indefinite retraining at the camps.

Kiba and Hana had been alone that evening. He remembered how warm it was outside, the grass was soft on his bare feet, and a breeze kept him cool as he trained with his sister. No member of their clan, their family, or pack had been around to watch as Hana-nee silently cried. No one had seen the fearful quivering of her mouth or the sympathy in her eyes as she told Kiba not to worry, not to fight back, as one of the white-masked ninja twisted Kiba's arm behind his back painfully. Hana's nin-dogs, the Haimaru brothers, had growled and bared their teeth and reluctantly obeyed Hana's command to not interfere, but to watch over Kiba and the clan. They had held a pitifully crying Akamaru by the scruff of his neck. Akamaru had only been a fuzzy newborn then and had not understood what was happening.

The Root shinobi had tossed Kiba to the ground when his squad members started escorting Hana-nee away. He immediately scrambled up to see his sister twisting around and begging to say goodbye. At the wave of the squad leader's hand, they allowed her to stand and face Kiba. Her brown eyes were wide and dark and imploring, and though they were still shining, no more tears were falling. Courage and pride and pack, Otouto. I love you.

When Shikamaru, Choza, Mikoto, and Kiba were finally permitted in the conference room, they found all eyes staring at them. He felt the Hokage's gaze linger coldly on him before the old man addressed Shikamaru and asked for the reason of their intrusion. When Kiba noticed Shikamaru's steady shoulders, he griped to himself. You are an Inuzuka, stop moping like a kicked puppy and regain your confidence. He straightened himself and leveled his chin. At Shikamaru's glance, Kiba stepped forward with a respectful bow.

"Hokage-sama, after I failed to pass the Academy graduation exam, Mizuki-sensei approached me with an alternative exam. He asked that I steal the Scroll of Seals and meet him after curfew in the Northwest quarter of the training grounds."

The Hokage leaned his head against the back of his chair and briefly closed his eyes. "Hm. One would have thought you'd have been foolish enough to attempt the crime, Kiba-kun…It is good you have friends to prevent you from making such grave mistakes." He opened his eyes and gave a subtle glare at Kiba and Shikamaru. "You would have certainly been caught. Such an instance would have been detrimental to your clan."

Kiba refrained from letting loose a growl at the insult and condescension dripping from the old man's tone. "Hokage-sama, I should add that Mizuki-sensei wasn't anxious or cautious when he asked me to steal the Scroll. He seemed…too confident and cocky, not at all like someone who knew they were asking another to commit treason. He had no fear of getting caught."

Mikoto-san gracefully intervened before Kiba could spill more of his suspicions and spoke on Kiba's behalf, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hai, Hokage-sama, and Kiba should have passed the test anyway. His grades are decent, and his field skills are promising. I'm sure Iruka-sensei can agree."

Iruka nodded calmly. "Mizuki did grade Kiba-kun's exam rather harshly."

Danzo turned his cold gaze on the Academy sensei before nodding and heaving a frustrated sigh. A Root shinobi appeared to his left. "Well, if his grades are decent and his skills promising why don't we just pass the boy now? I will have Root apprehend Mizuki-sensei."

What a simple solution. Danzo was taking this wrench in his plans too easily. Kiba knew that wasn't all there was to it. His clan was the largest of all the Konoha shinobi clans. His clan was the most loyal to family members and friends before it was loyal to the village. His clan was quick to anger, and an angry Inuzuka was a reckless Inuzuka. Kiba's imprisonment or death was just what the Hokage wanted and Kiba hated the man with his whole being.

A bearded jounin at the far end of the table took a long drag from his cigarette and released the smoke in a loud exhale. "Forgive me, Hokage-ji-sama, but I'd like to know what on earth Mizuki was thinking? Surely he had to know his plan would fail. A genin can't just waltz in and steal the Scroll. Also, what motivation would he have had? It's a little suspicious."

The room temperature seemed to drop as the Hokage turned to the jounin. "Put out that cigarette, Asuma. Now is not the time for gossip, and you know better than to speak so casually in a conference."

Something loathing flashed through the brown-haired jounin's eyes, but Danzo ignored it and stared at the younger man until he gave a good natured shrug. Kiba was shaking now. The civilian council didn't understand, and the advisors didn't care. Only the jounin seemed interested in further investigation, but Danzo had effectively put an end to the gossip. He sensed an angry Shikamaru next to him gearing up to say something undoubtedly shrewd and dangerous, and Kiba almost stopped his friend, but his fear and anger prevented him from quieting the other boy.

"It would have been a great tragedy to the village had Mizuki's plan succeeded and Kiba was arrested or killed, Hokage-sama. The Inuzuka would not have stood for the loss of their clan heir. After the imprisonment of Inuzuka Hana and the confining of the Inuzuka nin-dogs to the compound when not on missions and training, the clan is already on edge. It would have been the perfect excuse to label their pain, anger, indignation, and discontent with the village as treasonous, and I'm assuming such treason would have been dealt with accordingly."

One of the civilian councilwomen gasped, her hand flying to her chest as she stared first at Shikamaru and then at the Hokage. The others mumbled or nervously ruffled their papers. The advisor, Homura-sama, stood abruptly. "Don't make such accusations, boy. The Hokage does his work for the betterment of Konoha."

The Hokage waved his advisor down and leveled a narrow gaze on Shikamaru. "No worries, councilmen, we would have found an appropriate solution had any such thing occurred, and with as minimal violence as possible…That would have been a terrible outcome, Shikamaru-kun. It is fortunate you were able to assist your friend."

Choza, speaking for the first time since entering the conference room stood solidly behind Shikamaru and Kiba. "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for hearing us. We apologize for any misconceptions and faulty accusations. We are happy the situation is resolved and that Mizuki is being taken care of. However, as it is nearing curfew, I assume you will want to finish your meeting soon?"

Danzo relented and dismissed them with a chilly nod. Kiba followed Choza and Shikamaru out the door, with Mikoto behind him. He could hear Choza chastising Shikamaru and himself for failing to utilize a more tactful manner, and letting their brash anger get the best of them. But Kiba couldn't pay attention, flashes of the clan's nin-dogs and other pets and family members, both civilian and shinobi alike, danced in his mind. A dark compound, once filled with cheerful noise and happy children and animals was empty and dusty. Kiba desperately wanted to get home and curl up on the couch with his kaa-san and her dog Kuromaru and Akamaru.


Naruto loved the house where Shisui had taken him. It was hidden deep in the woods, with tall trees that blocked the too-big and too-bright sky, and it had plenty of rooms and closets and cupboards filled with artifacts of things he had never seen. The ceilings were tall and the wood lining the doors and windows and covering the floors was dark and dusty and the whole house was depressing, but still somehow welcoming.

When Shisui and he had stayed the first couple of nights, they slept in the only room that was unlocked and contained furniture that wasn't covered in pale and dusty sheets. They read some of the scrolls on the shelves and ate the ration bars that filled the kitchen pantry.

Naruto hated the ration bars. After a life of soup that was easy to eat and easy to digest, the hard and crumbly ration bars sat heavy and dense in his stomach. Both he and Shisui had spent that first day lying in bed recovering from their escape and trying to ignore the cramps and sharp pains in their abdomen. But by day three, Shisui was feeling better and explained he had to leave to contact a friend. Naruto was still feeling cramps, but as long as he only ate a little bit at a time and drank plenty of water with each small bite, he wasn't spending hours on the toilet.

After Shisui left, Naruto found himself alone. His cell had never been this quiet, other prisoners and guards always making noise, and after constantly living with Shisui for five years, the solitude and silence was unnerving. Naruto found himself pulling the comforter off the bed and dragging it onto the floor beneath when he slept at night. He would hum to himself while he ate and he read each scroll in the room out loud. Shisui wasn't supposed to be gone this long, and the blond found himself biting his nails in worry and fear. Did Danzo know they had escaped? Were there Root nin searching for him at this moment? What if they could trace their chakra signature to this hidden house?

Shisui didn't leave him with any information or a plan in case he didn't return. His friend had been exhausted and was high strung, concerned about what to do next, but only seeming sure that he had to contact a friend. Shisui told Naruto it was imperative that the younger boy not leave the house.

This was day five in the safe house and he was restless and ready to explore. He had just placed a seal above the door handle to a room down the hall from the one where he had been staying. The door had a yellowed paper sign reading KEEP OUT pasted to the front. Pushing a little chakra into his seal, a click was heard and the door swung open. A flash of metal flying toward him from the corner of his eye sent him into a panic and he leaped out of the way, cursing.

There was no need for the alarm however; the kunai flew straight over his head and into the wall of the hallway behind him. What the heck? It was obviously meant for someone much taller than he was, but Kami, what a welcoming entrance. Naruto peered into the bedroom. Like the living room and entryway downstairs, the furniture was covered with sheets. Sunlight filtered in through a dusty window and slanted onto the dusty floor. The blond tugged the sheet off the bed, a thrill of excitement when he realized it was smaller, narrower than that of the other room, but still bigger than his old cot. There was a shuriken patterned comforter lying over the bed that while kept clean from the sheet, smelled musty.

He tugged the sheet off the bookcase next, discovering rows of ninja scrolls, many of them appearing to be school texts and beginner jutsus. Whoever had lived here must have been around his age. In the closet, he found a blue backpack and clothes that were too small for him to wear. There was a stuffed dog and a box of practice kunai as well as a wooden box on the bottom shelf that Naruto opened with another of his unlocking seals. Inside, he found pieces of a broken sword, still shiny and sharp, but shattered nonetheless.

Naruto continued searching the sparsely decorated room for any more personal effects that would tell him more about the other boy that lived here. There were three framed photos, one of a genin team showing two unhappy boys, a sweet faced girl, and a blond sensei. The other showed a white-haired man with a pouting toddler on his shoulders, and the last picture was of eight strange looking dogs all wearing matching bandannas with a henohenomoheji print.