So, hi! Due to a combination of RL, traveling (so much traveling; I'm all burned out on traveling), and just zero desire to write, I haven't actually finished the next chapter. But since it's been quite a while AND it's Christmas, I'm posting this one! Because who doesn't want to see Danzou get his comeuppance for Christmas? Eh? Eh?

So, uh, yeah, that's what this chapter is. I hope it doesn't disappoint, since I know we've been building up to this. It's also probably not what's expected...

In any case, thanks so much for all the continued feedback and love! I'm so thrilled you guys continue to enjoy this story.

Chapter 11

It was going to happen in two days. Just…two.

Over the last month and a half, Naruto had taken on a random pattern of pranking during and after class time. It wouldn't do to get predictable, after all. Although he'd done his best to hide his tracks and make sure that he wasn't caught.

There was a pattern to be set and a reputation to have, and Naruto was good at making reputations.

He'd missed a few quizzes in the meantime, which had tanked his nonexistent grade so he was now at the bottom of the class. He'd probably have failed those quizzes anyway since they were on the shinobi code and Naruto had set his book on fire the moment he could get away with it.

Kakashi had given him the stink eye for it for days after, having been the one to put the fire out since Naruto had done it in his kitchen. But he also hadn't said anything or replaced it so Naruto was taking it as silent approval.

Good because that book was garbage anyway.

Sasuke didn't really agree, but then Sasuke appeared rather distressed every time he saw Naruto after a class Naruto had skipped. He also had Naruto's homework and made sure to sit with Naruto until he was sure everything was finished.

It was incredibly touching. Naruto would probably be even more touched by it if it didn't interfere so much with his plans.

That said, he still did the homework. Sasuke was a menace when upset. Especially six-year-old Sasuke.

Also, apparently Sasuke wasn't having it with Naruto skiving off classes anymore. He'd glared at Naruto the instant Naruto stepped into the room, and he hadn't stopped giving off mini-murder vibes. It was kind of – no, Naruto, stop thinking that. Sasuke wasn't…whatever that word was.

It was a good thing Naruto was taking today off from pranking. Or maybe not a good thing, since today's class was apparently history. History by the teacher who'd epically goofed up by saying Itachi was the youngest to graduate.

Yeah, Naruto had him pegged. The teacher had him pegged, too. He shot Naruto nasty glares. Nasty glares that Naruto ignored but which Sasuke didn't. He returned the glares. It would have been more effective if Sasuke wasn't so tiny and he had his Sharingan.

That said, Naruto was admittedly still kind of intimidated when Sasuke pulled him to a corner of the fenced off yard that was behind the Academy and proceeded to tell him off for skipping so many classes.

"You're never going to graduate if you keep skipping!" Sasuke insisted, hands fisted at his sides. If he had been anyone else, he probably would have been waving them around. "These classes are important, Naruto!"

"I'm not skipping every class," Naruto said, trying for a calm tone to cool Sasuke down.

From the way Sasuke's cheeks flushed, it failed. "You missed the last three tests Tsuneo-sensei gave us!"

Naruto kicked a clod of dirt aside, folding his arms over his chest. "I would've failed them anyway," he muttered. "I'm not good at that stuff."

For some reason, this had Sasuke deflating, his shoulders slumping. "But you don't know. You're good at this, Naruto."

"Really?" Naruto couldn't stop from sounding skeptical. "C'mon, Sasuke. You know I don't understand most of the books we've been reading."

"You get it," Sasuke said. "Even if your explanations are weird and don't follow the book, they kind of make sense."

Naruto tilted his head. "Thanks, I guess?"

"You shouldn't skip class to play pranks," Sasuke said, stepping closer and turning until he was shoulder-to-shoulder with Naruto. "Yeah," he added when Naruto glanced at him in surprise, "I know it's you. Come on; I've been doing them with you, too!"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto managed a sheepish grin. "You could come with me?"

For a moment Sasuke looked sorely tempted. The expression was gone as quickly as it came. "I can't. Not that I want to," he hastily added. "I'm an Uchiha. I have a reputation to live up to." The words sounded rehearsed.

Naruto didn't say that Fugaku was an asshole. Sasuke didn't need to hear that. He assumed it was an unspoken truth between them, like the sky was blue, grass was green, and Uchiha Fugaku was an asshole.

"You won't have any issues with that," Naruto said instead. "Now…me on the other hand…"

"We're going to be teammates," Sasuke said, hands set on his hips. "So that means you need to be good. And I know you're good."

Naruto had to admit hearing Sasuke say that without any coercion was flattering. Now, if only Sasuke knew what he was talking about. "Just because I can hit the bull's-eye with a few kunai and shuriken doesn't actually mean anything."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You're as good as an Uchiha. As good as me."

Naruto blinked. "High praise. You guys have those awesome eyes."

"I don't," Sasuke pointed out. "Not yet, anyway. And brother says you're good, too." He paused, almost like he should have added "so there."

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto searched for an explanation that didn't involve his plans with Kakashi. "I just…it's boring, ya know? And none of that stuff makes any sense, and it's not like the enemy's going to ask us what shinobi rule number fifteen is." He didn't know what shinobi rule fifteen was.

From the pinched expression on Sasuke's face, he didn't exactly remember either. "Well," he said eventually, mulishly, "you still need to pass."

Honestly, Naruto had failed most of his classes before and still managed to graduate. Somehow. He'd scraped by. He could do the same here if he absolutely had to, although he was still unsure if that was the path he needed to take.

It was something he needed to remember to speak to Kakashi about. He kept forgetting in the midst of training, pranking, and trying to sit through the books Sasuke kept insisting he read.

"I know," Naruto assured Sasuke. "And I will pass. There's still time! S'not like any of us are graduating early now, ya know?"

"I still can't believe you did that," Sasuke groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Naruto laughed, interlinking his fingers behind his head. "Did you see his face?"

"I did," Sasuke said, the corner of his mouth ticking up in a reluctant smile. "You're ridiculous."

"I am not—"

"Naruto?"

Naruto broke off, eyes darting to where Sakura was standing several feet to the side. She looked nervous, eyes wide, but her mouth was set in a firm line that he recognized. There was a red bowtie in her hair, tying it back in lieu of the hitai-ate she had yet to earn.

Blinking, Naruto's mouth dropped open, although his voice didn't want to work.

"Naruto?" Sasuke glanced between them, eyebrows furrowed. "Do you know her?"

Sakura's brow pinched, and she seemed like she was about to say something when Naruto got a hold of his voice and blurted out, "S-Sakura!"

Sasuke subsided, taking a small step back. He seemed a little off, but Naruto didn't have the time to see what was wrong.

"Naruto," Sakura repeated, sticking her chin out. "I…I wanted to say I'm sorry. For what my parents did."

"You don't have to apologize for that." Naruto managed a grin, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I do," Sakura insisted, voice wobbling for a moment. "They were – they were so mean."

Naruto wasn't going to argue with that. "It happens," was all he said.

Something flashed over Sakura's face. "It shouldn't." Her eyes darted to Sasuke before returning to Naruto. When Naruto glanced over to him, Sasuke was looking at the ground.

"Yeah, well…" Naruto shrugged, pulling at his ear anxiously. He had no idea how to navigate this kind of conversation. It wasn't one that he'd ever had before aside from Sasuke all those months ago. "Can't do anything about it. But, hey, you're here!" He spread his arms out. "Decided you didn't want to be a merchant after all?"

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "You remembered?"

"'Course I did!" Naruto was briefly offended she even thought he wouldn't. On second thought, no, that made perfect sense. She didn't know him. "We're friends, right?" He could be missing the mark here, but Sakura had called him her friend before the entire fiasco with her parents. Maybe she had changed—

"You still want to be my friend?" Sakura sounded disbelieving. "After what my parents did?"

Naruto tilted his head. "You're not your parents, though, yeah? That wasn't your fault."

"You're too nice," Sasuke muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Naruto to hear.

That was nothing new from Sasuke. He seemed to think Naruto should hold more of a grudge for how the village treated him. Naruto didn't know how to tell him that he was too tired to try, and that he was too old for it to bother him like it had when he was actually five. Besides, holding grudges got one absolutely nowhere.

"I…thank you, Naruto." Sakura quickly rubbed at her eyes. "Yes," she said thickly, smiling at him. "We're friends."

"Great!" Naruto grinned at her. "So…no merchant gig for you?"

"My parents would probably like it if I changed my mind," Sakura said, laughing. A hand went to her hair, only to drop a second later. "But I'm not going to. This is what I want to do."

Sasuke was a silent figure at Naruto's side, but he didn't seem to be actively brooding or sulking.

"What changed your mind?" Naruto asked.

"We were on a trip a few months ago," Sakura said, tucking her hands behind her back. "Bringing supplies to a town a few days away. We do it every year, but this was the first year I went with them." She paused, head tilting back. "There was a kunoichi with us," she continued. "My dad said it was for protection, just in case, but that nothing would happen."

Naruto couldn't stop a snort. "Oh, he jinxed you, didn't he?"

Sakura didn't laugh and agree like she would have if she were older. "There were bandits," she said soberly. "I was…so scared. But the kunoichi…she just moved. And before I knew it, they were taken care of. None of us had been hurt, and it was all thanks to her. She was so…strong." She swallowed, dropping her eyes to meet Naruto's. "I remembered what you said – about wanting to be strong. About wanting to protect people. I realized…I want to do that, too. I want to be able to protect people, so that they don't get hurt." Her entire posture had changed, shoulders squared resolutely and eyes gleaming fiercely.

For an instant, Naruto could see the woman Sakura would become overlaying the image of Sakura now. Then he blinked and it was gone, the current Sakura staring at him with determination.

Naruto huffed out a laugh, forcing several quick breaths to keep the tears at bay. "Damn, Sakura. You know what? You're going to be awesome."

The fierce expression faded, giving way to something much shyer and uncertain. "You think so?'

"I don't think so," Naruto said, unable to help a wistful smile. "I know it."

Sakura's cheeks pinked slightly, and she ducked her head. "You – you're a little weird."

The odd statement had Naruto gaping. He said something nice and that was what she said? "H-hey!"

Sighing loudly, Sasuke relaxed next to him. "You get used to it," he told Sakura. He stuck his hand out. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura eyed Sasuke's hand strangely, but she took hold of it. "Haruno Sakura."

"I'm not weird," Naruto protested, glancing between the two of them in appalled fascination. He'd never thought this would happen.

Sasuke shot him a deadpan look. "You are."

Naruto felt a bit like a rock had fallen on his head. He slumped to the ground, bending between his splayed legs until he'd buried his head in the dirt. "We're not friends anymore."

"I guess this means I don't need to eat ramen anymore," Sasuke mused.

"They're calling me weird," Naruto groaned into the dirt, playing up the drama. "As if ramen isn't totally awesome."

"How is he so flexible?" Sakura sounded amazed.

"It's Naruto," Sasuke answered, like it was an answer in of itself.

Naruto reached out to grab hold of Sasuke's ankle. "You're just as flexible, idiot."

"Hm." Sasuke pulled his ankle out of Naruto's reach. "Do your parents know?" His voice sounded neutral, but Naruto could read the undercurrent of tension that was there.

"N-no." Sakura's feet shifted slightly. "They don't have to know," she added defiantly. "Not – not if they're going to behave like that. It doesn't make any sense."

A pause, and then Sasuke was speaking again, something else in his tone that Naruto wasn't sure how to read. It almost seemed like jealousy, but that couldn't be right. Sasuke still had his parents, after all. "It doesn't." Another pause, and then Sasuke's foot was nudging Naruto in the shoulder. "C'mon. Tsuneo-sensei's calling us in."

Naruto jumped to his feet, wrapping an arm around Sasuke's shoulders before he could protest or move. Not that Sasuke did; he just went along with it, a longsuffering expression on his face that Naruto knew was for show. He didn't reach out to Sakura, not yet entirely sure where he stood with her, but he did shoot her a friendly grin.

"Back to the daily grind," Naruto chirped.

"If you'd actually go to class—" Sasuke started, aggrieved.

"Hey, hey, I'm going!" Naruto paused, shooting Sasuke a sidelong glance. "Today, anyway," he added swiftly.

He ran into the building before Sasuke could respond. Honesty was usually the best policy, especially when doubled up with a helping of running away.

The routine of preparing for an assassination mission was reassuring in its familiarity, although some small deviations were made. Especially since the assassination mission was one that required the utmost stealth and forbade leaving behind any sign as to who had done it.

There was no easy way to get at Danzou, not unless he was in his Root base. And even then it wasn't easy. But it was certainly easier than it would have been if he'd been around Sarutobi all the time.

Presence hidden from anyone who was looking, Kakashi stopped a short distance away from the Root base. There was no one around at this point aside from some Root agents that were keeping a watch on the entrance.

Reaching back into his bag, Kakashi pulled out a small scroll, unrolling it to reveal a blank stretch of paper. Summoning the slightest bit of chakra to his fingers, he pressed them to the blank paper, leaving behind chakra imprints of his fingerprints.

He rolled it up, keeping it in his hand to wait for a response.

Barely a minute passed before there was one, although it didn't come from the scroll.

Kakashi had asked for a distraction, and Naruto certainly delivered.

There was a smoke cloud from the Hokage Tower, which wasn't accompanied by any fire. When it cleared, the top of the tower continued to smoke like a burnt out candle, and the full extent of Naruto's mischief was on display for everyone to see in a brilliant display of colorful images.

Similar bursts of smoke erupted from other locations in Konoha, including several administration buildings.

Ducking back in the shadows, Kakashi waited for the patrol of Root agents to pass him by. He still didn't move, presence hidden and body calm despite the anticipation humming at the back of his mind.

A distraction was all well and good, but it was useless if it was clear that it was a distraction. Naruto was good enough to hide from the shinobi who would be trying to bring him in. In the meantime, Kakashi would wait for a little longer.

It wasn't until he felt the scroll in his hand warm that Kakashi moved, tucking the scroll away. He brought his hands up in a seal, fixing the image of the person he wanted in mind.

A small puff of smoke later, and Kakashi darted forward, slowing as he descended through the top of the Root base. Long black hair tickled his face, but he didn't brush it away.

Landing lightly on his feet, Kakashi straightened, giving the two hapless Root agents standing there enough time to take in just who was standing before them.

The reaction was instant, a clear indicator of how well Danzou trained his agents. "Orochi—"

Kakashi didn't give them time to finish, darting forward in a deadly flash of steel. An instant later, two bodies hit the ground, arcs of blood spraying through the air.

Pausing as if to take in his work, Kakashi turned and entered the tunnel that would take him to Danzou.

Calm, cool, and vindictive. Like he didn't have a care in the world. Like he was enjoying this. Like he was untouchable.

Kakashi knew Orochimaru's mannerisms, even if he couldn't replicate his unique jutsu. But it was enough.

He deftly avoided the next Root patrol, although he made it seem like it was a happy coincidence than anything he did on purpose.

Orochimaru wouldn't hesitate to kill, but Kakashi wasn't so inclined to sink that deep into the role. If there was no other choice…

It wasn't long before the base was alerted to his presence, having discovered the two Root agents he had felled at the entrance. There was a spike in the atmosphere around him, and Kakashi heard the sounds echoing through the hallways. There was nothing distinctive he could make out, the sounds twisted and distorted until they were nothing but meaningless echoes.

The base itself was practically a maze, much like a system of roots. Danzou's organization was well named, although the base had likely come afterwards.

He was just a dramatic and paranoid bastard. A lot of shinobi were so there was nothing new there.

Still, maze or not, Kakashi was a tracker. Placing a hand against the wall, he dragged his fingers along it as he continued walking. It kicked up dust motes and other scent trails, and soon Kakashi had the one he was looking for.

Nose twitching, Kakashi bent his head, letting his mouth curl into a lazy grin. He had no doubt there were cameras around, even if he didn't have the time to check for them.

Winding his way through the corridors and avoiding what Root agents he could, Kakashi soon found confrontation unavoidable. They'd pulled back, regrouping and remaining in close-knit groups.

Still…

He didn't need to be obvious about it, did he?

Pulling back into the shadows and drawing his chakra tightly into him, Kakashi sank into the earth. When he emerged in the room that contained the Root agents, he unleashed a little-used but still extraordinarily useful jutsu that shrouded the entire room in darkness. Perfect for a Nara. Or an assassin who needed to hide.

Closing both eyes, Kakashi let his other senses guide him to his targets, knocking them all out swiftly and in such a way that they would remain unconscious. By the time the darkness of the jutsu dissipated, Kakashi was surrounded by bodies.

Picking his way carefully through them, Kakashi paused briefly to catch Danzou's scent again. He would rather focus on his chakra, but Danzou's office was a sealed off room further in the depths of the base.

Increasing his pace, Kakashi darted through the halls at a fast walk. He avoided the Root agents searching for him. Those he couldn't avoid he took out swiftly and without giving them a chance to see him.

Kakashi's henge was solid, but there was always the slightest chance… He habitually fought with one eye shut to help focus, which wasn't something Orochimaru did. If he didn't pay attention, that could give him away. There weren't a lot of shinobi that fought with one eye shut, that eye being the right.

But as Kakashi came closer to his goal, the behavior patterns of the Root agents changed. They stopped congregating; several split off.

Considering they thought they were up against a Sannin, that didn't seem to be sound tactics…

One agent was close to his position.

Kakashi turned a corner, took several steps, and then ducked under several shuriken. He reached out to catch the next one aimed at his face.

"Halt, intruder!" a female voice snapped.

"How bold of you," Kakashi said slowly, imitating Orochimaru's speech patterns. "Or is it foolish perhaps? I wasn't aware Danzou recruited fools such as you."

"Your farce is up," the agent said, bringing her hands up in the seal of the tiger. "Who are you really, intruder?"

"I'm hurt," Kakashi drawled. "You don't recognize me?" He flicked his gaze to the dark hall behind the agent, noting the hidden chakra signatures waiting.

"You are not the face you wear," the agent answered flatly. "You have one chance."

Shit, how had they…?

Fuck, did they have a Hyuuga in the organization? Kakashi's chakra was just about the only thing he couldn't disguise. He had the scent down from some clothes he'd taken from one of Orochimaru's defunct labs. But chakra? One couldn't imitate that unless one was Zetsu.

Kakashi dropped his head, hands flexing at his sides.

He hadn't wanted to kill these agents. Hadn't wanted to do more than assassinate Danzou with as few casualties as possible. But this? If they had a Hyuuga on hand who'd seen Kakashi's chakra and would see him in the village?

How many knew?

Kakashi didn't know, but he had to assume the worst.

"I suppose Danzou's training is lacking in one aspect," Kakashi said eventually, lifting his gaze to meet the agent's, his Sharingan piercing the darkness of her mask to see her eyes. "What a pity."

"Is that your answer?"

"Such a shame you don't know your betters, girl."

Kakashi didn't wait for another response before striking, darting forward too fast for the agent to respond. She was dead before she hit the ground.

Her backup followed in seconds, Kakashi yanking them out of their hiding place with an earth jutsu.

The last body hadn't even hit the ground yet before he was moving, darting through the corridors as fast as possible. Every Root agent he ran across met a swift end at his blade, the silver metal of the katana he'd brought for this dripping red.

Then there was one that he recognized as a Hyuuga, his Sharingan identifying that familiar chakra swirl in their eyes. He went for them first, dodging their unusually sloppy jyuuken strikes before catching them with his Sharingan. They were dead in the next second, but the damage they'd wrought with their eyes was still in the base.

How many knew?

Kakashi didn't know. He'd killed the Hyuuga; that was the only evidence they had. Unless they had more, but Danzou couldn't have gotten his hands on that many without the clan noticing. One was suspicious enough already, let alone two children going missing.

Kakashi finished with the last of the Hyuuga's group before letting himself stop briefly, hand clenched tightly around the hilt of the bloody katana. The sound of the blood dripping off it was obscenely loud in the silence of the corridor.

As was the terrified breathing just around the corner.

Kakashi turned on his heel, already dreading what he would see. A look with his Sharingan confirmed that the dark-eyed boy huddled in the shadows was Sai.

Shit, shit, shit.

Slowly, Kakashi approached Sai, footsteps sounding a death knell. He ran his tongue over his lips, distantly tasting blood.

"Child," Kakashi said slowly, the sound of Orochimaru's voice not as startling as it should have been, "you should be in bed."

Sai's panicked inhalation was loud, but his fear didn't show on his face. He blinked slowly, mouth opening. Then, voice small and trembling, he said, "Bed is at eight."

Something should be funny about that, but Kakashi wasn't sure what. The laugh he let out was more natural than it should have been. "Is that right? So serious for one so young…" He stopped beside Sai, hand close to the boy's head. His other held the bloody katana. "You should know better than to meddle in the affairs of those above you."

Then, before Sai could react, Kakashi knocked him out, catching his limp body.

No one else was around, but he could sense a room not far off with small chakra signatures.

The children…

Keeping Sai tucked under one arm, Kakashi headed in that direction, well aware of the counter at the back of his mind. If alarms hadn't been raised yet thanks to Naruto's distraction, it wasn't going to be much longer before they were.

Hopefully getting out wouldn't be as bloody as getting in had been. Kakashi didn't know how many he'd killed, the bodies running into each other in a faceless blur.

Opening the door to the room, Kakashi allowed himself a quick glance at the dozens of eyes looking in his direction before tossing Sai in, aiming at a larger boy just off to the side.

Shutting it, Kakashi used an earth jutsu to pull up the ground so they couldn't open the door. The masked Root agents were one thing; Kakashi wasn't killing the children.

There was enough—

Kakashi cut that thought off before it could form, closing his eyes and pulling up the mental map of the base he had put together during his reconnaissance. It had been done from above ground through subtle applications of earth jutsu, but it was accurate enough.

The dead spot to his senses not far off was a giveaway anyway.

Flexing his grip on the katana once, Kakashi sheathed it and started running. From one moment to the next, he dove into the ground. He didn't want to run into any other agents, and this was the most foolproof way of doing so. Even if this particular jutsu wasn't really intended to be used as transportation; it was too chakra intensive.

But Kakashi had enough chakra left and his destination wasn't that far away.

There were four Root agents right above him. Kakashi surfaced between two, embedding kunai into their heads before they could react.

The other two agents' attacks were blocked before they met similar ends.

The blood was beginning to spread across the floor when Kakashi approached the sealed door, breathing steady despite the faint edges of exhaustion beginning to tug at him.

Individual Root agents weren't an issue, but there were so many. And as much as Kakashi hated to admit it, he still wasn't in his best shape. Balancing his chakra for jutsu was no longer difficult, but appropriately judging how much chakra he had left now was still difficult given how unbalanced it was.

Inspecting the seals on the door, Kakashi disabled the ones he was familiar with. The ones he didn't…

He pulled out several slips of paper, sticking them on the wall over the seals. Then, stepping back, he activated the seals he had placed. The chakra Naruto had stored in them did a wonderful job of shorting out Danzou's seals, overloading the delicate matrixes.

Kakashi definitely didn't have enough chakra for such a trick, but Naruto had more than enough. And he'd offered.

Opening the door, Kakashi blocked the kunai that was aimed at his head, raising an eyebrow at Danzou.

He didn't know if Danzou had gotten the info from the Hyuuga, but that didn't matter.

"Such a nice welcome present," Kakashi said, casually stepping into the room. "One would think you didn't want me here. It's almost hurtful."

Danzou's visible eye narrowed. "I believe my last message was clear, Orochimaru. There will be nothing more from me."

Kakashi didn't react beyond tilting his head, affecting an injured expression. It…didn't really surprise him that Danzou had relations with Orochimaru. There were few who could deal with the Mokuton, and it had been Orochimaru who experimented on Tenzou.

"A shame," Kakashi said, drawing the words out. "After all I did for you… Is the arm no longer pleasing?"

Bingo.

Danzou didn't react beyond a faint twitch of his facial muscles, which wouldn't have been evident to anyone without a Sharingan. If he'd had any doubt that Kakashi wasn't Orochimaru, that should make him hesitate.

"That was before Hiruzen discovered your actions," Danzou said evenly. "I hadn't thought you would return. Yet here you are. What do you want?"

Kakashi let his hand rest on the hilt of his katana. "You think to bargain with me?"

Danzou's hand on the desk flexed. "You've invaded Konohagakure, killed dozens of shinobi—"

"Shinobi?" Kakashi forced a harsh laugh. "You can't fool me, Danzou. They are pawns to you, nothing more."

"This will be the last move you make," Danzou said implacably. "I am not Hiruzen."

Kakashi drew the katana. "Why do you think I'm here?"

He'd barely taken a step before a trap activated, setting him on fire and destroying the mud bunshin he had used.

Deception being Orochimaru's typical style, it fit in nicely with Kakashi's.

His mud bunshin had barely crumbled before Kakashi was blurring into place besides Danzou, katana swiping down.

Something hard hit him in the stomach, throwing him back into the wall. The impact forced the air out of his lungs. A burst of chakra forced his lungs back into working order.

Kakashi looked up in time to see what looked like a spear of wood aimed at him.

Energy crackled around him before he could think, and he darted forwards, lightning splintering the wood. It was still crackling when he drove his hand into Danzou's right shoulder, piercing straight through it.

Shivering lightly, Kakashi looked into Danzou's eye. Grasping for Orochimaru's cool demeanor, he managed, "I gave you that arm. Do you think I know nothing of how it works? Of how to combat it?

"You're dead, Danzou. You simply haven't realized it yet."

Wood growing didn't technically have a sound. If one burnt it or struck it with lightning, there was both a sound and a smell. But growing wood?

Kakashi's only warning was a surge of nature chakra that was sickeningly familiar, and something clamped tightly around his left hand where it was still in Danzou's shoulder.

Instinctively, before anything else could happen (should happen, wasn't Zetsu more coordinated than this?), Kakashi's crackling right hand drove through Danzou's throat.

The resistance around his left hand didn't lighten up even though Danzou was dead – it seemed to be tightening – and Kakashi let loose another burst of lightning, wood cracking loudly as he did, and yanked both hands away. He darted backwards just as chakra flared again, and a fucking tree trunk started to erupt from the mess of Danzou's right arm.

Kakashi registered that it was growing far too fast for him to deal with, that his chakra stores weren't in good enough shape either, and made the executive decision to flee.

On the plus side, there would be no evidence of how Danzou had been killed. And any cameras in his office had also been destroyed, meaning no one would see someone who looked like Orochimaru performing jutsu that were too much like Hatake Kakashi's signature assassination jutsu.

Which, considering the mess the mission had turned into, was just about all the good fortune Kakashi was owed.

Leaving the Root base was definitely easier than getting in. Kakashi was able to take a hidden exit that wasn't at all visible from the outside. That said, he also couldn't use it from the outside either, which explained why he hadn't found it to begin with.

An entrance closer to Danzou's office would have been a great deal more useful than the one Kakashi had gone through.

But as an exit it was pretty damn helpful, dropping him in a forest that was just outside of Konoha's borders.

That would give Danzou all the needed secrecy to run ops outside of Konoha. And Kakashi hadn't exactly scouted this far out either.

He didn't let the henge drop until he'd left enough of a scent trail to be convincing before he used an inadvisable amount of chakra to send a kage bunshin off to continue the ruse.

Well, he didn't need the Sharingan anymore, so Kakashi could justify the expenditure. Especially since the henge was going, too.

Once it dropped, Kakashi was suddenly viscerally aware of the blood sticking to his skin. He wasn't wearing a mask at the moment, but he was breathing in the metallic scent nonetheless, blood streaked liberally over his face. His hands felt sticky with dried and fresh liquid.

There wasn't any way he could go back to the village like this.

Jumping into the nearest stream was a relief, and Kakashi scrubbed the blood off his skin, tossing the clothes onto the bank and burning them as soon as he could and consequently all evidence of Orochimaru's scent. He pulled out a storage scroll that contained his own clothes, relieved to be back in something that reminded him of who he was.

He wasn't Orochimaru. He was Hatake Kakashi, jounin/Hokage of Konohagakure.

And he needed to get back as quickly as possible.

Dipping his head in the water one last time, Kakashi pulled his mask on and erased all traces of his presence before leaping into the trees. Exiting Danzou's base outside of Konoha had its perks, but also a major drawback in that he wasn't supposed to be out here. At least sneaking back in given the current state of affairs shouldn't be too difficult.

It was just a shame he couldn't use the scroll to let Naruto know he'd been successful. Too much risk of Naruto getting caught with something he shouldn't have and the limited communication capabilities of said scroll had meant they agreed on communicating once each before Naruto would have to leave the scroll behind.

Flipping through the trees, Kakashi inhaled, eyes closing briefly as the memories from his kage bunshin filtered in. It had headed to a known base of Orochimaru's and dispelled itself once certain it was safe.

Anyone following that particular trail would find it leading absolutely nowhere, which was just fine. Kakashi didn't have the faintest clue where Orochimaru was anyway. If this ended up putting the spotlight on the man and making it more difficult for him to set up his own Hidden Village, then it was even better.

Once Kakashi reached Konoha, it was clear that his earlier suspicions had been correct. Between Naruto's pranks and the alarm raised by Root, it was easy to slip into the village and then make believe that he'd been there all along.

"Where the hell is that brat?" a harried chuunin shouted, running right past Kakashi.

"Over there!" someone else shouted. A loud crashing sound and what sounded suspiciously like a dumpster lid falling shut followed soon afterwards.

Kakashi ducked his head, trying not to lose it in a fit of inappropriate laughter.

Instead he jumped for the roofs, taking off in the direction the most chaos was coming from. And where he could make out Naruto's chakra signature.

It was honestly amazing no one had caught Naruto yet. Kakashi didn't know if that was down to Naruto's skills or because the shinobi just sucked that badly. Maybe both? Naruto wasn't even trying that hard.

Kakashi landed on a roof closest to the chaos, seeing numerous shinobi running around with their clothes splattered in various colors. It was a mixture of chuunin and genin, with the occasional jounin thrown in. There was also an ANBU team flitting in and out, clearly irritated with their inability to catch Naruto.

The other shinobi must have been occupied with the Root alarm. Which is what Kakashi technically should have been doing, if he hadn't been "training" when it happened.

Kakashi turned his head, caught sight of a familiar head of blond hair disappearing around a corner, and followed after.

Really, Naruto wasn't even trying, although that could have been because he knew it was Kakashi.

Jumping ahead, Kakashi landed lightly in front of Naruto and snagged hold of the back of his shirt, hauling him up into the air.

"Ahh, you would be the mischief maker today, wouldn't you?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto flailed for a few moments before seemingly resigning himself to his fate. "So what if I am?" He turned his head to the side to look at Kakashi, only for his eyes to widen and his arms to flail again. "Hey, you're the one who knocked me over!"

Kakashi blinked once, taken aback. "Oh?" He leaned in closer, lifting Naruto up a little more, ignoring the irritated mutters from the shinobi who'd noticed Naruto was caught. "Hm. You do look familiar…"

"Yeah, how'd you like that paint!"

Kakashi gave that statement the attention it deserved. Which was nothing. He shifted his grip until Naruto was hanging under his arm. "Why don't I take you to Hokage-sama so he can see what to do about this mess?"

If Kakashi hadn't known Naruto was faking, his disgruntled expression would've had him fooled, too.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Naruto?"

"Umm…it was totally awesome?"

Kakashi resisted the urge to smile, staring straight ahead at a certain nondescript point over Sarutobi's desk.

Sarutobi glowered at Naruto, frowning deeply. "Do you have any idea what you did?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, looking every inch the small boy he was pretending to be. "Pranked the hell out of the village?"

Sarutobi's eyes closed briefly. "Your actions today could have had terrible consequences," he said quietly. "You disrupted practically every single working shinobi, taking their attention away from important matters. I don't have the time to deal with you today, Naruto, but I hope you know how disappointed I am in you."

"Oh." Naruto's voice was small. "I…I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Sarutobi sounded weary. "I will have someone"—he gestured to a hidden ANBU—"take you to the Academy, which is where you should have been this morning."

Naruto's shoulders slumped, and Kakashi had the feeling he wasn't faking anymore. When the ANBU stepped forward to take him, Naruto went quietly, head downturned.

Kakashi's gaze followed him out until the door shut and he was left with Sarutobi.

With a slow exhale, Sarutobi turned to Kakashi. "If this is anything to judge by, Naruto should make a splendid shinobi. Thank you for catching him, Kakashi. Given what has been happening…"

"Hokage-sama?"

"Is there a reason you failed to respond to the initial alarm?" Sarutobi asked.

"I was training," Kakashi answered carefully, making sure to keep only curious interest in his body language. He paused, then asked pointedly, "What happened?"

Sarutobi was quiet for a moment, eyes inscrutable. Then, "I have a mission for your team, Hound."

Kakashi stood at attention, pushing aside the looming exhaustion. If he was lucky, he would be able to rest tonight.

Naruto didn't say anything to the ANBU who dropped him off at the Academy, too busy going over what the old man had last told him.

That he was disappointed in Naruto.

Naruto…Naruto couldn't ever remember the old man telling him that before. That Naruto had disappointed him. Yeah, Naruto had irritated him and probably given him his fair share of wrinkles, but disappointment?

It made Naruto's stomach twist.

Even knowing that he had intended on his pranks having the effect they did didn't help. It wasn't like he'd done it accidentally. Or because he was looking for attention.

He'd succeeded in making a distraction and clearing the way for Kakashi and done so as flamboyantly as possible. He just…hadn't thought it would result in what it did.

It was probably bad that Danzou was dead and all Naruto could think of was the old man being disappointed in him.

"Naruto!" Sasuke sounded ridiculously relieved to see him, and also a little bit frustrated.

Naruto slowly walked over, taking the space Sasuke had next to him. For some reason there wasn't any class, most of the kids huddled up against the wall or sitting on the floor. Sasuke was by himself in a corner, and Naruto slid down the wall until he was sitting next to his friend, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Where were you?" Sasuke hissed, leaning in close. His eyes were on the ANBU talking quietly with Tsuneo. The others were also looking, expressions a mixture of disbelief, suspicion, and fright. "What did you do?"

"You can see it if you look out the window," Naruto mumbled, mouth pressed to his knees.

"That was you?" Sasuke sounded slightly impressed. "Everyone's freaking out; we've been locked in here for safety reasons."

"I think…" Naruto looked up in time to see the ANBU leaving, although he could still sense them nearby. "Something else happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice sounded tentative.

"Hey, Sakura." Naruto managed a small smile when it became clear Sasuke wasn't going to say anything, having just given her a dismissive glance.

Sakura huddled down on Naruto's other side. "Where were you?"

"I just asked that," Sasuke said snippily.

Despite everything, Naruto had to resist the urge to sigh. Seriously…this was the last thing he'd expected when trying to become friends with his old team. Who would've thought Sasuke wouldn't get along with Sakura? She wasn't even a fan girl at this point.

"They didn't just keep us in here because of a prank, did they?" Sakura glanced out the window, eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't think so," Naruto answered slowly, eyes flicking between the two. "I…think something else happened."

"You said that before," Sasuke said. "What? How do you know?"

"Just…something the old man said." Naruto dropped his eyes, arms tightening around his legs. "That…I distracted a lot of shinobi because of what I did. It could have been dangerous." He didn't mean to say what he did next, but the words fell out before he could stop them. "He said he's disappointed in me."

Sasuke didn't say anything for a long moment, but he pressed his shoulder to Naruto, presence a reassuring warmth. He knew exactly how much the old man meant to Naruto.

"Why did you do it?" Sasuke asked eventually. "Your pranks have always been small before. This – what you did today is different."

"I wanted to see what I could do." Naruto kept his voice quiet, the words slow to come. "I just…wanted to see, ya know? It's not like they could catch me; I'm too good at running. And I wanted to see how long I could keep it up for. Shinobi need to be sneaky, right?"

"There was nothing sneaky about yelling out your name and saying you're Konoha's number one prankster," Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto's lips twitched at the reminder. "Kinda added a little challenge to it…"

"A challenge?" Sakura squeaked slightly. "You…did you seriously hide from all those shinobi trying to find you?"

"Yeah?" Naruto lifted his head a bit because he was proud of that. "I mean, I had traps laid out beforehand so it'd be easier, but they don't really look for small kids. It's easy hiding. Even with hair like mine…"

"That's why you did it?" Sasuke was frowning. "Because you wanted to see if you could?"

Naruto dropped his chin. "I… Sorta?" He rubbed the fabric of his pants between his fingers. "I just…wanted them to see that I can do it. See…me." He chewed the inside of his mouth, eyes downcast. "I'm not gonna do it anymore," he admitted. "Not…"

"He should be proud of what you did," Sasuke said, rapping his knuckles against Naruto's knees. "You're not even a genin yet, and look at what happened today."

"Ha, yeah…" Naruto managed a weak smile. "But I guess I made things worse, even if I didn't mean to."

"The…old man," Sakura said slowly, sounding hesitant, "who is he?"

"The Hokage," Sasuke answered, glancing at her.

Sakura's eyes widened. "You call the Hokage the old man?"

"He is old," Naruto mumbled defensively. "Besides…he doesn't mind."

Sakura was silent for a moment. "Um…wow?"

"Exactly," Sasuke agreed dryly.

"I'm not talking to either of you anymore," Naruto muttered.

"All right," Sasuke said, "I've been wanting to do some sign language."

"Sign language is talking, Sasuke."

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Interpretive miming?"

"Charades?" Sakura suggested.

"That's a good one," Sasuke conceded grudgingly.

Sakura beamed. "Thank you!"

"No." Naruto said the word into his pants, so it came out muffled. "No."

There was a giggle from Sakura, and an amused snort from Sasuke, but the two stopped coming up with creative ways to get around Naruto's insincere declaration, sitting in silence by Naruto.

Eventually Sasuke's hand came to rest on Naruto's shoulder, a small form of comfort that warmed Naruto's chest. "It'll be all right," his friend said quietly. "Even if something terrible did happen…it wasn't your fault."

Oh, Sasuke. Sweet, innocent Sasuke. Sasuke at twelve wouldn't have thought that. Hell, any shinobi worth their salt wouldn't take an accident lightly, even if it was an accident.

And Naruto's actions today had been anything but an accident. Even if they had been…shinobi needed to know that actions had consequences, unintended or not.

"I think it was," Naruto said quietly, giving Sasuke a pained smile. "Even if I didn't mean it…it was my fault. Whatever happened…I messed things up, Sasuke."

Neither of his friends had anything to say to that, leaving the silence hanging. And Naruto…Naruto knew he wasn't likely to see Kakashi anytime soon.

Consequences were consequences, but that didn't mean Naruto had to like them.

And that's a wrap for this one! Also, surprise? It wasn't just Danzou in this chapter! I know some of you were asking about Sakura, and I hope this answers some questions.

The fallout of what happened with Root is going to be handled over the next so many chapters. It definitely won't be swept under the rug for these characters.

And...does anyone know if Sai had a codename before getting the name Sai? I've looked but can't find anything. I'm kind of puzzled that his closest friend/brother has a name.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! I hope that whatever you celebrate, you have a wonderful time and are safe.

As always, feedback is appreciated!