Five hours before Jiraya his group left Tanzaku town, Tsunade was in the middle of a meeting. Bleary eyed, and more than a little annoyed about the lateness of the hour, the Hokage stared down the two men that sat across from her. "Whatever this is, it better be damn important."

Ibiki simply nodded in response, sliding a folder across her desk. "It is, Hokage-sama. Earlier tonight, we captured a pair of intruders on top of the Hokage monument. Upon interrogation, they not only would not reveal how they breached our security, they also refused to say where they were from. When pressed further, they went on to say that they had, in fact, never even heard of the Land of Fire, or any of the other Elemental countries. That's when I brought in Inoichi."

"I administered the Rekishi Tankyū Jutsu to both men, and found that they were indeed telling the truth. They really have no idea what our village is, or where they are, or even how they got here. What's more, both of their last memories revolve around their own deaths, yet the medical team hasn't found any signs of the Second's jutsu or any other reanimation technique being used on them," Inoichi said, seamlessly filling in as Ibiki left off.

Tsunade picked up the file, beginning to read through it. "So, what you're saying is that they don't know anything?"

"Quite the opposite, in fact. I was able to recover a small amount of military grade intelligence on a region that we've never heard of before, and I only had the chance to scratch the surface," Inoichi continued, before Ibiki cut in again.

"In addition to that, all signs point to them being adept physical combatants. We estimate both of them anywhere between A and S rank in strength- a conclusion backed by Inoichi's reading. So, we either have a pair of perfectly reanimated infiltrators with false memories, or two people from an entirely unknown country that happened to show up in the center of one of the most heavily guarded places in the world. Either way, this could be the start of something very bad." Ibiki finished, and let a heavy silence hang in in the room.

Tsunade finished reading the file before she spoke. "Kotetsu! Izumo!" As her two assistants perked up, she continued. "Go and get the Mikaboshi files."

The pair quickly bowed and hurried out of the room to retrieve the requested documents as the Hokage focused back on Ibiki and Inoichi. "Thank you for bringing this situation to my attention as quickly as you have. But, before we continue, there is something that you need to be aware of. This isn't the first time that we've seen an unknown figure of this capability appear like this."

Kotetsu and Izumo both reentered the room, the latter placing a thin, black folder on the desk in between the Intelligence Division members. Ibiki was the first to take it, starting to leaf through its contents as Tsunade spoke. "There have been a small number of incidents like this through the last few months. As you can see, in each of these cases, the unknown person is observed briefly before disappearing again."

"And if I may ask, why was my department not told about any of this?" Ibiki asked, pausing his reading for a moment. "This should fall under our purview, if I'm not mistaken."

"As of now, we have no way of currently pursuing those leads any further. We only have what we do because of Jiraiya's contacts, and you both know that we can't direct them any more than he can." Tsunade replied calmly, not acknowledging Ibiki's tone.

"Two incidents in Earth, one in Water, and one in... Takigakure!" Inoichi spoke up With a soft whistle of surprise, still thumbing through the file. "All of them in places with Jinchūriki."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to Inoichi. "Exactly. Up until this point, we had simply categorized these individuals as unknown members of Akatsuki, due to their apparent secrecy and location. What's more, each of these incidents lines up with the last time a Jinchūriki was seen."

"So, you think these two might be after Naruto," Inoichi asked, still mulling over the reports.

"That's certainly a possibility. Whatever the case may be, this is an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about them. As such, I'm going to accompany you to another interrogation. Go and prepare the prisoners- I'll be following shortly."

While Inoichi and Ibiki both left immediately, Tsunade spent several minutes going over files and preparing before walking out of the door. As soon as she did, however, she was almost immediately confronted with an all too familiar face standing in the center of her reception room. "Danzō."

The elder nodded respectfully in response. "Hokage-sama."

"I suppose there's something you want, but I'm in the middle of something. Whatever it is will have to wait until morning." Tsunade brushed off Danzō, beginning to walk straight past him as he cut in.

"It's about the intruders." That was enough to stop the Hokage in her tracks.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised that you know about that," she replied, narrowing her eyes at Danzō. "Well then, go on."

"I came to say that we cannot let two assets like that get away from us. Not after Orochimaru's attack," Danzō said, scowling as he mentioned the Konoha Crush.

Tsunade scoffed, shifting back away from him. "Assets? We have no idea if they're planning on attacking the village themselves, much less if they want to join us!"

Danzō's scowl deepened. "From what I've heard, Inoichi's report states that they have no plans of that sort."

"And you know as well as anyone -if not better- that there could be triggers implanted that they wouldn't remember. I don't care what you've 'heard,' Danzō, we aren't going to conscript anyone until we have full knowledge of their intent," Tsunade cut in.

"I would never suggest that we let a foreign shinobi go unrestricted within our borders. What I came here to discuss was the possibility that we could ensure our guest's compliance." Danzō leaned forwards on his cane as he spoke.

"Are you suggesting that we force them into service? Even if we haven't established their motives, that sort of suggestion is completely out of line!" Tsunade was almost shouting by the end, her words echoing around the empty hall outside of her office.

"Recommissioned soldiers were common not so long ago, if you recall," Danzō continued, unfazed by Tsunade's volume.

"'Recommissioned' ninja were little more than cannon fodder after they were broken, and you know that! Besides, it's not the Third World War anymore! Barbarism like that has no place within this village." Tsunade's angry shouts had backed down in volume by the end, settling into a rage filled whisper.

Still, Danzō's composure remained unchanged as he replied. "Of course it doesn't. That's why I was never going to suggest something that extreme."

"Of course you weren't." Tsunade took a step back, glaring down her nose at Danzō. "So, what were you suggesting?"

At this, Danzō drew a scroll from his robes and offered it to the Hokage. "An old contact passed this to me." As she took it, he continued. "That contains the details for two seals. The first will lock the bearer's body into a state of paralysis until released with a specific counterseal. The second will stop their heart. Both seals can be activated by specific command words, both of which are chosen when the seal is formed. I was not suggesting that we force them to work with us. Rather, that we have a reassurance, should they turn against us.

The pair stood in silence as Tsunade read through the contents of the scroll. Minutes passed before she snapped it shut with a sigh. "I hate to admit it, but you do have a point. I'll take this to the interview, but only with a few conditions. One, they have to agree to join our ranks of their own accord before we even touch this. Second, I will administer the seal personally. Third, I will set the activation phrase, as well as who receives it. Are we clear?"

Danzō simply nodded in recognition. "Absolutely. Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama." Receiving a short nod from Tsunade, the pair parted ways.

As Tsunade walked off towards the main doors, Danzō exited the building through a smaller side entrance. Passing the threshold, he spoke into the darkness. "She's accepted the offer. Ensure that the codes are passed to me immediately." A masked figure materialized out of the shadows for a brief instant, bowing to the former council member before leaping off into the night. Ever impassive, Danzō continued down the road.

Meanwhile, Ibiki had roused the intruders in question, moving the pair to a new examination room. Unlike the first one, this was a wide, well lit space. Hanbei and Hideyoshi were both seated at a wide table that dominated the center of the room, with Ibiki and Inoichi pacing across the opposite side of the room as they waited for the Hokage to arrive.

The four waited in awkward silence until the heavy steel door swung open, audibly popping as security seals deactivated. All eyes in the room focused on the entrance, just in time to see the heavily bandaged Tonbo holding the door open as Tsunade walked through. "Hokage-sama," barked both Ibiki and Inoichi as they snapped to attention. She immediately moved to take the seat across from the prisoners, leaving Tonbo to return to standing guard outside.

As she sat, Hanbei leaned forwards over the table, chains clinking as he clasped his hands together. "What a pleasant surprise! To see someone of your position so soon after arriving… We're honored. I would introduce myself and my Lord, but I'm afraid that you have me at a disadvantage."

"Senju Tsunade, fifth Hokage of Konoha,"Tsunade introduced herself, leaning back as she did so. "And you are Takenaka Hanbei, if I am correct."

"You are," Hanbei replied, tilting his head forwards slightly in acknowledgment.

Turning to the man on the left, Tsunade continued. "And that would make you Toyotomi Hideyoshi." Receiving only a short nod in response, she carried. "I've come so that we can find out why you're here, and what you plan on doing, as quickly as possible. As you can imagine, it's our highest priority that this situation is figured out."

Again, Hanbei was the one to respond. "Of course. Unfortunately, we've nothing left to give, aside from what we've said earlier tonight. But, I'm sure that your mind reader could have told you that."

The three Konoha shinobi couldn't help but all glance at each other in surprise before suppressing their emotions. "And how did you know about that," Tsunade forcefully asked.

"Both of us try to not linger on the past. So, when our memories came back like that, it was a simple conclusion- though the skill itself is amazing, mind you." Hanbei answered, still remaining as calm as ever.

Tsunade simply stared at the man for a moment, eyes narrowed, before responding. "Impressive. But yes, Inoichi has vouched for your story, and as such, we are willing to hear you out about your plans."

Shifting back in his chair, Hanbei sat up straighter. "Ideally, we would wish to return to our own homes, but from what you've told us, that may prove difficult. As such, we may simply need somewhere to stay as we search for the way back."

Tsunade nodded, eyes closing in thought. "That's right. We have no more idea about the places that you named than you have about our landmarks." Opening her eyes, Tsunade leaned forwards. "With that said, I want to make you an offer. You can stay here in Konoha as you search, with the provision that you offer your services as one of our shinobi. In addition to having a steady place to live, you will also be paid for your time. The intelligence division can work with you from inside the village, and missions can give you in person experience around the continent."

Hanbei seemed genuinely surprised at this development, his eyes shifting over to his partner. Taking a second to compose himself, he answered. "We are honored by the offer, Hokage-sama. But are you sure that you could make use of us? It would hardly stand if we were to turn out to be a burden on you, after all."

It was Tsunade's turn to look smug. "Our technicians assure us that you are very capable at what you do, a testimony backed by Inoichi."

Hanbei remained silent for a minute before responding. "We thank you for the compliment. That being said, would you allow us a few minutes to discuss this in private? This is a major decision, after all."

"Of course," Tsunade replied, nodding. "We'll return in ten minutes."

With a wordless gesture, the three of them exited the room, which was quickly sealed behind them. Now alone, Hanbei turned to his partner. "I'm afraid that we're out of time. How shall we continue, Hideyoshi?"

Hideyoshi turned as well, meeting Hanbei's eyes. "We shall join them."

Eyes closed and head bowed, Hanbei replied. "As you wi-" Before finishing, Hanbei's head jerked back up, confusion plainly written across his face. "What?! But Hideyoshi-sama, your dream-"

"May as well be dead." Hideyoshi interrupted. "The last thing that you remember, what is it?"

"Falling to the Date strategist," Hanbei said, downcast.

"Mine is of Ieyasu's face, as we fought. So, did they not prove their strength? What worth is a general who cannot admit their own loss!?" While Hideyoshi's volume remained steady, the final part of his question was delivered with the same force as a shout. .

"And what of the man that I followed? The one who refused to submit, no matter the obstacle?, Hanbei shot back, venom leaking into his voice.

"Who is to say that we will submit? If we do return to our own world, then I assure you that we shall unify the country. Until then, this is a chance to change our paths, granted by Heaven itself. I wish to explore what Ieyasu has shown me… The strength present in these 'bonds.'" The pair stared each other down, until Hanbei finally broke off and looked down.

With a chuckle, Hanbei began to smile. "Very well. If the Toyotomi shall lend their strength to Konoha, then I have no choice but to do the same."

The pair waited the remainder of the time in silence, until the trio of interrogators filed back into the room. Returning to her seat, Tsunade wasted no time addressing the pair. "Have you made a decision?"

Nodding once, Hanbei answered. "We have. We would be honored to join the ranks of Konoha."

Smiling slightly, Tsunade leaned back. "That's good to hear. I promise that you won't regret that choice. Unfortunately, there is one more matter I need to discuss with you before going further. As you are still relative unknowns that are entering the village, there are security risks to keep in mind. As such, I have prepared a pair of seals that can be enacted to disable you if you attack one of our own. If you do join our forces, or decide to stay in our village for an extended period, I have to ask you to receive them. Understood?"

Hanbei began to answer, leaning forwards to do so, when he was interrupted by Hideyoshi. "Understood." At that, Hanbei simply shook his head slightly before giving an affirmation of his own.

"Excellent. Well then, as I've said, I've prepared the seals so that we can administer them immediately. If you would lay your left hands flat on the table?" Tsunade stood to reach across the table, first laying her hands over Hanbei's. A swirl of purplish black chakra spread across the table as Tsunade focused her energy, centered over Hanbei's palm. The man winced slightly as a burning sensation spread over his skin, but the process was quickly completed.

Tsunade repeated this three more times, once for the Hideyoshi's palm, and twice for the backs of each man's hand. After it was finished, she directed Ibiki to remove the manacles, freeing the pair to look at the new marks. A hexagram was now inscribed on both the front and back of their hands. As they examined these marks, Tsunade passed a small scroll to both Ibiki and Inoichi, who simply nodded.

Clapping to get the former prisoner's attention, Tsunade addressed the pair. "All right! Now that that's done, we can proceed. You'll be provided with a hotel room for the night, what little of it remains, and we'll work on finding more permanent accommodations in the morning. Also in the morning, you'll be given a series of tests to determine our official rankings, mostly so that we know what missions that you would be adept for. After that, you'll come by the Hokage tower for your official registration, and that'll be that. Any questions." Both men gave a single shake of their head in response, and the Hokage continued on. "Good! Now, let's get the hell out of here so that we can get some sleep."

Everyone agreed to that in varying degrees, and they began to file out of the room. Inoichi and Ibiki both turned to head out of the building, the Yamanaka yawning as he turned a corner and out of sight. Tsunade was soon to follow, first passing Hideyoshi and Hanbei off to an ANBU escort who started to lead them to their hotel. As the crowd dissipated, no-one noticed Tonbo walk into an unused office and pull out a small sealing tag.

"Jīncán. Ts'an. Jiān. Gēngzū." Tonbo whispered four words into the tag before rolling it tightly. The tag was then stuffed into a capsule the size of a typical pill before he walked back out of the room. Heading for one of the main exits, he briefly bumped into a passing ANBU, a man with a red nosed, cat like mask. He then exited the building, sans capsule, and began his walk home.

It was late afternoon by the time that Jiraiya and his group of followers crossed through Konoha's front gate. It was less than a second after that that Naruto had dashed up a nearby telephone pole so that he could overlook the village.

Naruto surveyed the town in front of him for a minute, taking it all in. "It's been two and a half years, but the village hasn't changed a bit!" Cupping hi hands to his mouth, he started to yell. "Everyone! Uzumaki N-"

"Naruto! We're in a hurry," Jiraiya interrupted the celebration, yelling up at him from the ground. "Get down here so that we can report in!"

Naruto was about to shout his reply down when the group's attention was suddenly drawn by a soft chuckle coming from the cross street. "The more things change…"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto dropped down to look his former team leader in the eye. "You haven't changed a bit either! Here, I have something for you.."

Naruto began to rummage through his pockets, only to be stopped by Kakashi holding up a hand. "That's great Naruto, but Jiraiya is right. Tsunade wanted me to bring you both in as soon as you arrived."

Naruto stopped searching for a moment, surprise evident on his face. "Oh! That reminds me." "Kakashi-sensei, these are our new friends." Naruto gestured back towards his new traveling companions, pointing at each one in turn. "This is Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Keiji, and Honda Tadakatsu."

As soon as Naruto finished his introduction, Ieyasu stepped forwards with a warm smile, hand outstretched. "Pleased to meet you!"

Kakashi took his hand and gave a short shake, his eye crinkling up in a smile. "Nice to meet you all as well. I'd love to stop and chat, but again, this is kind of an urgent situation.

"Of course. Please, lead the way," Ieyasu replied, gang a quick nod as he spoke.

With that, the group quickly fell in line behind Kakashi and Jiraiya as the quickly made their way through the village. They cut smoothly through the afternoon crowds- a combination of respect for the ninja and awe at Ieyasu's bodyguard clearing a path through the townspeople. The six were mostly silent, save for Naruto, who was busy pointing out landmarks to Ieyasu as they passed by.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the gates of the Hokage Tower. Kakashi showed the rest in, holding the door as they passed. The secretary working the front desk barely glanced at Jiraiya before waving him through, immediately turning back to large stack of papers on her desk.

Leading the way down the long hallway to the Hokage's office, Jiraiya and Naruto both began to notice that the Tower was far busier than normal. Ninja of various ranks and stations pushed past each other as they rushed down the main hall to turn down side corridors, a good number of them carrying thick folders. Naruto waved as he saw a familiar looking ANBU standing guard, before doing a small double take as he noticed the fact that there were nearly twice the normal number of visible guards in the hall.

Before he could really ponder that fact, he reached the large double door that set the Hokage's office apart. Not hesitating, Naruto was the first to push through the entrance, immediately moving to the center of the room "I'm back, Granny Tsunade!"

Only after making his grand entrance did Naruto look around the room. The first thing that he noticed was Kotetsu crouched besides the door, the bandaged ninja shooting glares at Naruto while he picked up a number of scattered papers from the floor. His partner Izumo was also present, frozen in the process of dropping a similar pile of files on the Hokage's desk. The final person in the room was the Hokage herself, who was currently glaring daggers at Naruto as well. The deep black circles under her eyes betrayed a recent lack of sleep, and the empty sake bottle barely hidden in the wastebasket showed a similar lack of patience. "Naruto, what have I told you about barging in like that?!"

Naruto gave a lopsided grin, scratching the back of his head as he replied. "Ah, sorry, sorry! I guess I just got caught up in the moment…"

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head. "I understand, but now isn't the time for those kinds of antics. There is a serious situation going on- Speaking of which," Tsunade looked behind Naruto where the rest of his group was coming in."I believe that these are the three that you messaged me about, Jiraiya."

The other Sannin simply nodded, gesturing back at the newcomers while subtly waving them forwards. "That's right. Let me present our guests-"

Tsunade simply held a hand up for Jiraiya to stop."I think your reports were clear enough on their names. Please, have a seat."

Following the Hokage's request, Ieyasu and Keiji both took the offered seat, while Tadakatsu remained standing off to the side. Once they had done so, Tsunade continued. "We're pleased to have you here, but there are still some precautions that we need to take before we can let you freely walk the village. After all, we just had an incident involving people much like yourself."

"Really? There weren't any damages, were there," Ieyasu exclaimed, leaning forwards in his seat.

"Fortunately, there were not," Tsunade replied with a short shake of her head.

Ieyasu slumped back in his seat, relief plain to see. "That's fortunate, then." He paused for a second, stroking his chin in thought. "These people, did they identify themselves?"

"Yes, but they are currently being vetted through a separate process. I'm sorry, I'm afraid that it calls for a degree of secrecy ." Even though she was apologizing, Tsunade's body language hardened.

Ieyasu simply waved it off. "Completely reasonable. I had just wondered if it would be a name that I would recognize."

"About that…" Tsunade rummaged about through her desk for a minute, stopping to withdraw a black file that she began to flip through rapidly. After a second more, she continued. "If this is right, the three of you also claim to be from a region that we have no record of, and also have no idea where this nation is, or how you got here."

This was met by a series of nods from Keiji and Ieyasu, while Tadakatsu simply made a noise that the ninja assumed to be an affirmative. Ieyasu kept up as the voice of the group, and replied first. "That's right. And in addition, I can say after talking to Keiji and one other, we are not the only ones to have been brought here from our homes- however that happened.

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at this. "One other?"

After a short nod, Ieyasu continued. "Yes. We met with him in the town where we camped yesterday. He was pursuing his own goal, however, so he did not come with us."

"I see. And this goal of his- did it have anything to do with this village," Tsunade asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, no! He's more interested in looking for an old friend of ours that may have come to this world as well." Ya sure was quick to respond, holding his hands up in deference.

"I see." Instead of looking reassured by that, Tsunade instead stared more intensely at Ieyasu as she intertwined her fingers. "Actually, that brings up an important point. We appreciate that you are willing to co-operate with us, and I'm willing to back up what you've been promised. But, we have no reason to trust you. It's not that we have any particular reason to think that you're lying to us, but at the same time, we can't just take what you say at face value. Do you understand?"

Both Ieyasu and Keji nodded in affirmation at that, leaving the Hokage to continue. "So, because of this, we've come up with a compromise. If you choose to ally with our village, we will extended the rank and privileges equal to a shinobi of similar standing to you. As such, you may move about the village freely, access our resources, and make money by taking missions for the village. But, there is a catch."

"After some deliberation with the council, we came to a compromise. You'll get the benefits that I just listed, but you all, and any more of your people that join after you, will be placed into groups based on your relationships. When you go out on missions, at least one of each group must remain securely in the village. At the same time, you will not be allowed out on a mission unless you have at least an equal number of Konoha escorts that are of an equal or higher rank than yourselves. Of course, this is only until we can be absolutely sure that you have no ill will towards us. After that, we can talk more about loosening these restrictions. Do you both understand?" Tsunade looked expectantly at the pair, both of whom had crossed their arms in thought.

Keji was the rest to answer, cautiously hesitating as he began. "What if we were to… reject this offer? After all, I'm not known for settling down in one place," Keji finished with a short laugh, though most in the room to tell that his good humor was somewhat forced.

"If any of you don't care for the terms of the agreement, then you will be welcomed into the city under the same conditions as diplomats from the other villages. You will be provided with room and board in one of several inns that remain on reserve that this purpose, and will be allowed to move about the public districts under minimal surveillance. Unfortunately, under this agreement, you will not be allowed into any official buildings, archives, training areas, or of the clan's private districts unless by specific written invitation or other exemption," the Hokage replied quickly, obviously reciting from official protocol as she finished.

Before Keiji could respond, Jiraiya spoke up from the back of the room, where he had been silently leaning against a bookcase. "Besides, the first agreement wouldn't apply to you, since you would be working directly with me in the field."

Stroking his chin with one hand, Keiji contemplated that for a minute before throwing out his hands dismissively. "Alright, I'm in! I can't pass up a chance to see this world just like that, anyhow!"

"Good. I'm glad to hear that you're so willing to help us." Tsunade directed her attention towards Ieyasu, who was currently sitting with his arms crossed, looking pensive. "And you? Is there anything that you're having trouble with?"

Ieyasu began to slowly shake his head as he spoke. "No, no… In fact, I'm more than a little familiar with a very similar system!" Laughing nervously, he rubbed the back of his head as he finished the last statement. However, his sheepish demeanor dropped off just as suddenly as it appeared, Ieyasu's professional air reappearing. "It's just that, well, I spoke to Naruto about quite a bit on the way here, and he had made it sound like these missions are assigned to the team- not that the team got to select them."

"Yes, we typically hand out missions based on who in the village can best complete them," Tsunade responded, nodding as she did so.

"I see. In that case, what if you assign a mission that we can't complete? I mean, something that goes past what we are willing to do?" Ieyasu's face darkened as he spoke, clearly channeling unpleasant memories.

Tsunade thought for a moment before responding, there tone carefully level. "If you had any reservations when you received the mission, you could refuse it without harm. On the field, however, it's more complicated. Ultimately, it would be up to the current squad leader to decide what happens. Do you think that this will be a regular problem?"

Giving a shake of his head again, Ieyasu quickly responded. "No. I mean, I'm willing to dirty my hands, but it has to be for a good reason. I won't condone killing for the sake of killing."

Tsunade leaned back, a soft smile forming on her face. "In that case, you're lucky that you wound up here instead of one of the other villages. They might not be so forgiving of that, but we have quite a few here that feel the same way.

Ieyasu smiled back, releasing a breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding in for the entire meeting. "That's good to hear! Well then, it seems like I have no reason to refuse the deal." Standing suddenly, Ieyasu extended an open hand over the Hokage's desk, causing the various shinobi present to shift to a ready stance. Undeterred, Ieyasu stood and continued to speak. "I, Ieyasu Tokugawa and my vassal, Honda Tadakatsu will enter into an alliance with the village of Konoha from now on! If I, or one of my men, should forfeit this through betrayal, or willful neglect, then my life shall be forfeit to you."

While her guards were still tense, Tsunade calmly stood as well, taking his hand in hers and shaking it. "We welcome your support, and are glad to have you join our ranks."

The grave look that had come over Ieyasu was quickly replaced by a radiant smile as his handshake was reciprocated. "Wonderful! You know, back where we're from this kind of deal is usually sealed with a dish of sake, but I hope this will suffice."

Tsunade smiled back as her guards shifted back into their usual stance, still looking slightly nervous. "It'll have to. I'd love some sake right now, but Shizune would kill me. Now then, if you would take your seat, we can wrap this up."

Nodding, Ieyasu quickly dropped back into his chair as the Hokage remained standing. "With that settled, let's move on. Naruto, Sakura, please step forward."

Ieyasu turned back to see Naruto and a pink haired girl that he hadn't noticed come in move towards the center of the room. When they were about even with the chaired in front of the Hokage's desk, she continued. "Naruto, I had hoped to catch up with you more thoroughly when you returned, but it looks like that'll have to wait. But, for now, I do have a surprise for you. As of today, Team Seven is being reformed with you, Sakura, and Kakashi." The masked ninja's soft 'yo' was almost completely drowned out by Naruto's loud whoop of excitement. It looked like his celebrations were going to escalate further when Sakura punched him hard in the shoulder, causing him to double over in pain.

Tsunade continued her announcements undaunted. "Ieyasu, for now, you will be rounding out Team 7. Keiji, as you know, Jiraiya has requested that the two of you are to be left alone as partners, so I'll simply let him take it from here. As for Tadakatsu, we're still looking for an assignment that would be best for his skill set, so if you could be patient for now…"

Ieyasu interjected here, raising a hand. "Actually, I hadn't had the chance to mention this, but Tadakatsu has recently suffered major damage in our campaigns, so if he could take care of whatever we need to do to get settled in so that he could begin recovering his strength, it would be greatly appreciated."

Thinking it over for a second, Tsunade nodded."That's definitely doable. Now, there's still the matter of testing to address, but I believe that Kakashi already had something along those lines planned," Tsunade looked at the jonin as she spoke, continuing after she saw a short nod. "And I'm certain that Jiraiya has something stupid planned, so I'm afraid that I'll be leaving you to him, Keiji. As for Tadakatsu, it would be best if we hold of on any test's until he's fully recovered. So, that covers your assignments for now- head out with your groups, and we'll have your headbands prepared by the time that you return. They should hold you over until you can make something that is more to your own liking. Now then, dismissed!"

The assembled shinobi gave a quick salute, while the newcomers simply bowed slightly. With that completely, everyone began to file out of the room, passing several messengers who had been waiting in the halls. As they reached the lobby, the groups separated out through different door, with a pair of ANBU escorting Tadakatsu as he left.

Kakashi led his group out through the village, moving quickly as they approached the outskirts. They soon reached a gated off clearing. Continuing in a short ways, Kakashi brought the group to a halt next to a small river, in front of a trio of training posts. As the entered the area, Naruto was looking around, some of the excitement that he had been radiating ever since the Hokage's mansion fading away. "Wow… It feels like forever since I was here…"

Kakashi gave a short sound of acknowledgement as he came to a stop, Turning back to face his new team. "That's right. Since this is where Team Seven was formed, I thought that it would not be fitting if it would be where it as reformed. Though, I didn't just bring you all out here for nostalgia's sake…"

Naruto cut in, his previous excitement fully restored. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi paused for a moment, a sweat drop forming on his forehead . "Still as impatient as ever, I see."

Kakashi quickly recovered, continuing on without acknowledging the interruption. "You see, I'm curious to see how much the two of you have grown- and what our new friend here is capable of." As he spoke, he drew a pair of silver bells from a pouch at his waist. "The rules are the same as the first time we did this. You have until sunrise tomorrow to take these from me. If you don't get them by that time, you'll be tied to these posts until sunset tomorrow.

"Of course, I only prepared for two, so one of you is going to end up with the punishment no matter what. Oh, and one more thing-" Finishing tying the bells to his belt, Kakashi's demeanor changed, becoming entirely serious. "-If you don't come after me with the intent to kill, you'll never get these bells."

Ieyasu looked over to his new teammates as he tried to read the mood, only to see that despite Kakashi's seriousness, Naruto and Sakura were both smiling confidently as they readied themselves. As they both bantered with Kakashi, Ieyasu closed his eyes and took a deep breath before readying himself as well.

After a few minutes of this had passed, Kakashi shifted into a combat stance of his own, pulling his headband up to reveal the Sharingan. "Well then, let's get started."

Author's Note:

Well... It's certainly been a hot minute. But, I'm not dead, and neither is this! In fact, I'm making it a personal goal to make this less dead than its ever been, starting with this. So, if you've followed this little project at some point, thank you, and I hope that this and what is to come was worth at least some of the wait. And if you've just started reading this, thanks to you too. Either way, there's a lot more to come.