A bit late, but at this point it's not really something of notice, is it?

Almost positive I meant to say something in this AN but there isn't any note of it with my chapter outline. The outline didn't really come into play this chapter, as usual, but I think I usually have a note or two jotted down.

Thanks goes to ncpfan for his work looking over the chapter and I'm glad to say he's back after a bit of trouble with hurricane Hermine.

Raise the curtains!

Sweat dripped down his neck, hidden by a long blond ponytail, and down into his shirt. Too much more and people behind him were going to become suspicious of his damp shirt. It wasn't like him to lose his composure in the slightest, but they didn't know what he did and even were it not so it wouldn't affect them nearly as much as it did him.

They couldn't possibly understand the weight of the information he had received nor how it was acquired might affect his clan as a whole. The only thing that had gone remotely right was that he received the information, though he might have preferred to remain ignorant.

Had things gone any worse he'd be in this situation and not know it, but at least he wouldn't be stressing over it.

At lease no one had been captured in the end, it decreased the chances of things continuing to co horribly wrong exponentially. The fact that kills were unconfirmed was still worrying and the knowledge that they had started on their captive immediately had him on edge but if the bodies were destroyed there was a chance no one would make the connection between the spies and his clan.

Then again, that just seemed like wishful thinking.

Things were going to go wrong for him, it was a fact, simply because things were going to go right for the boy. Gods above knew their sister fortune favored the former Uzumaki prince.

His own actions, however, certainly didn't help in that sense. Sending spies had been, admittedly, a rather risky thing to do. His clan already had less than positive history with the Wolves and that wasn't aided by sending spies to their knew country.

On the other hand, knowing the Wolves as they did, he couldn't justify not sending them either. And while the cost of obtaining it had ended up exceeding its value the information brought back to him was nonetheless important.

Some of which would be put to use as soon as he could, in an effort to stave off any retribution that might come should the learn who it was that was, ultimately, responsible for the death or grievous injuries of several Wolves.

And even if the Yamanaka clan was not picked out as the perpetrator Konoha would likely be connected somehow and that was close enough for him to worry. He really should have obtained some foreign headbands, or at least had the spies scratch their own pair for the mission and gotten them replacements later. Two of them needed to be disposed of at this point, anyway, so there was no reason for anyone to doubt that they had run off as rouge Shinobi rather than died as spies on the orders of their clan head.

He didn't even want to think about what might happen should Kushina hear of this. That would be an absolute nightmare.

Tsume, though, she would need to hear about this. He was under no illusion that he could blackmail the woman, not when it was almost guaranteed to tip off the wolves of his clan's involvement, but he could certainly start improving the relationships between the two clans. As much as he could, anyway, he had very little in the way of control these days but at least Kushina was suffering for it.

She wanted the clan? The power and responsibility that came with it? Fine, but she got to deal with the more unpleasant aspects of leadership too. Were she to focus on only the Yamanaka clan she'd be fine, his daughter still managing the clan (albeit at a largely reduced level after Kushina's takeover) would have seen to that, but she was also trying to reestablish her own dying clan.

It carried a lot of weight, yes, but most of that weight had fallen into the grave already,. It was going to take a lot of work to pull it back out. If she wanted any chance of reviving her ancestral clan she'd have to let go of his own clan though they all knew that wasn't going to happen. It was more likely she'd try to use his clan to pull out her own only for both of them to fall completely into the grave.

Okay, that was a bit grim, but he really didn't like the idea of his clan being in the hands of someone else, it just didn't sit right with him.

Now, if she was the Kushina he remembered he could accept it, but the loss of her son had hit her bad. That she could hear of his actions and could see him from time to time from a distance didn't help any, it only made her more desperate to regain what had been lost. That desperation, much as it had led to the loss of said son, was also keeping him away from her.

And the farther away he was the more desperate she became. Most unfortunately, that mindset didn't make for the best leader of anything, let alone his precious clan.

Fat lot he could do about it at this point, though.

At least, a fat lot he could do by himself. And for that, if nothing else, the information brought back to him was invaluable.

Inuzuka in Wave? They were working with the Wolves and that meant he needed to work with them. It wasn't the best protection he could go for and it didn't mean much should word get out about his spies and the ire of the Wolves fall upon him but it did hold the greatest chance of success and, more importantly, paying off.

If he was really lucky, they just might be able to get his clan back for him, though that was unlikely.

But he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Inuzuka were allied with the Wolves and he had already been looking for a way to tie his clan to the Wolves in a more peaceful manner than their past history.

It was a rather obvious course of action he needed to take, really.

The mess-up in Nami no Kuni still bothered him, but he couldn't let it hinder his attempts to do right by his clan. So much had changed, so much was lost, they needed stability so they could grow back to their former status and that was never going to happen without outside aid.

And with Kushina focusing on her son, there was only so much the Yamanaka benefited from their vassalage. The money was nice, don't get him wrong, it went a long way to start undoing damage caused by the wrathful Wolves, but there was only so much money could do to stabilize their clan when it was coming from outside and could cut off at any moment. They needed to be able to support themselves but that was a bit hard when Kushina and the Uzumaki had seen them laying there with legs broken from a poor decision to go against her son and decided to cut them off.

A pity, too, because Naruto was just about to help them up and provide the care they needed to return to their previous status. Now, unless they could find someone to help regrow their legs they were doomed to remain crippled for as long as the Uzumaki existed. And while that itself might not be for too long, there was also a rather large chance that the end of the Uzumaki would be there's too.

Of course, he had learned more than the ties between the Wolves and the Inuzuka. There was talk of another village- Sound, he had been told- active around the area. Chances were that an outpost was being built in an effort to increase Nami no Kuni's security but even if they were just there on a job it was possible there was a good relation between Wave and the minor Shinobi village.

So that was always an option if they needed to get out from Kushina's control. The clan would be pretty upset and it wasn't the best of ideas, but it's not like they really had anything to lose at this point. One might argue their status, but at this point it was a damn joke and everyone in the clan knew it. They weren't a major clan of Konoha, they were the vassals of a clan possessing only two members.

It was pathetic. He didn't care that said clan possessed more status than the others put together, the fact that they weren't even considered a full clan still hurt their pride. Yes, there it was- pride. It was just about the only thing they had left and even it was rather tarnished at this point.

He found it almost humorous that it should end this way considering it was pride that brought them to this point. His Daughter's pride in their family clashed with young Naruto's pride as a Shinobi and heir to start the problem that was only exacerbated by the Yamanaka clan's pride in their heiress. But Naruto did better than the pride of the clan, he brought with him the pride of a pack.

And now, after pride should have taught them all a lesson, it was all they had left to cling to.

How cruel the world was.

Then again, he had never been so foolish to believe otherwise. He was a Shinobi, a realist, and, pride or not, they had a very real problem. Now it was just a matter of finding the best way to fix it.

But even that needed to be put on hold for the moment, because at the very least Konoha needed to know. They wouldn't do anything, he knew that, but they needed to be aware of the threat that wasn't just close, but that had been within their very midst. That said, there were few who would accept what he said just because they wouldn't believe there was any way some secret group had managed to infiltrate and set up a base of operations- no matter how small- within the great walls of Konoha.

Just another example to show the failings of pride.

Still, it needed to be made known that the group that had brought his own clan to its knees under all their noses- something people still didn't believe him about- took over a nearby country. He'd leave out the part about the Inuzuka, of course, it wouldn't do him any good to reveal that. With the Nara and Akimichi distancing themselves ever since they became the vassal clan of the Uzumaki he needed allies now more than ever.

Thinking of them, he took a quick look at Chouza and Shikaku, both of whom looked hungry and bored- respectively- as they always had. It was if nothing ever changed for them, even though he knew Shikaku was constantly going over everything he heard in meetings like this. The man was a planner, always had been, and there was never too much thinking to be done if it cut down on the effort he had to expend in the end.

If anyone believed what he planned on saying it would be him, though he wouldn't show it or voice any support to indicate he did. Tsume, he supposed, would too, but she didn't exactly count considering she was part of the news he was about to impart upon the occupants of the room.

Actually, her reaction would be something to look for. Depending on how she responded both now and after he approaches her later to feel out some sort of arrangement between the clans would let him know if word had reached her of his blunder yet. His own spy had returned just yesterday which meant it was possible for her to know.

Of course, if she didn't yet know that was all the more reason for him to approach her now. The sooner this was done the better, though it could just as well backfire spectacularly if she believed he only allied with her because he had just pissed off the Wolves.

A lack of knowledge of the event on her part, though, would bode well for him. It meant she wasn't that high up, the Wolves didn't care to inform her about what their fellow clan did, or that the Wolves did not yet know who was behind the spies and, quite unfortunately, the death of their packmates.

That was something he certainly hadn't intended in the slightest.

It was also very likely to be the main reason this plan might fail. The Wolves didn't like spies, it was understandable, but if Naruto didn't mind too much- and he was sure that, if nothing else, the young man would understand his actions- the Yamanaka could make it out alright.

Then again, the Yamanaka didn't have anything to do with it- he did. Naruto was just as likely to single him out- even if he didn't know it was all him- and leave the clan be as he was to just go against the clan as a whole.

Hell, from what he knew of the boy, he half expected him to start selling flowers. That might sound odd, but ever since people became less trusting of the Yamanaka the missions they'd been able to secure were vastly reduced from what they used to be. Because of that most of their income now came from various flower shops and gardening services.

Were Naruto feeling especially cross, there was no doubt he'd take a loss to start shipping in flowers and selling them at a price so low it would destroy what little business the Yamanaka managed to scrape in.

Then they'd be relying on Kushina for all their financial need.

Perhaps that might lead her to leave them, though. Her coffers were vast, but also finite. It wasn't as if she were doing anything to add to them, either, as nearly all her assets were liquid. It might actually work, he realized, but it was also rather risky. After all, after she stopped supporting them, how were they to support themselves?

There was also the fact that Kushina wasn't really thinking things through these days. It wouldn't surprise him too terribly if she was more than willing to drain the Uzumaki coffers in her attempts to get her son back.

This really was just a mess, no matter how he tried to look at it, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to fix it. Naruto didn't seem to have anything against Ino, though, maybe she would be able to do what he couldn't and restore the clan. She had demonstrated surprising competence when he had pushed her into such a position before. He had expected her to succeed, of course, and he was always on hand to make sure everything went well, but his little princess had adapted to the role quickly- much quicker than he had.

And he had been trained before taking the position.

Not trained as in given the lessons he had imparted upon her by that point, but actual training at the side of his father as they worked through clan business together.

It was quite remarkable and her drive to undo what she had cause was admirable. He had to wonder if his greatest action as clan head wasn't raising her so she could take the position from him to fix his mistakes. It was a sad thought, but the idea that his clan would be safe in her hands brought him comfort.

Now it was just a matter of removing them from under Kushina's thumb.

Maybe he should be trying to repair the relations between the two? On Kushina's side it would benefit them, and with Ino in a favorable position with Naruto he may be willing to help her get her clan back- especially when it was practically his before Kushina stole it.

It would seem he needed to have a chat with his daughter again, one that was more than likely to include her Uzumaki friend too. He wasn't' sure where they stood in this mess, but their determination to learn everything about the situation they were in was beyond what he would expect of any fresh Genin.

Naturally, he knew, because they were well aware of the fact that they were part of this mess and it wouldn't just affect them now but far into the future. Ino was maturing rapidly from the fangirl she had become in the academy and even the naïve Naruko was wizening up some and looking at the consequences of her actions.

It was earlier than he imagined, but maybe it was time for the next generation. He and the rest of the older crowd had gone through a lot and held steadfast to their ways but change was coming, led by a pack of Wolves. His generation just wasn't prepared for that, they weren't adaptable enough to stop the spreading wildfire unleashed by a young man with the mentality of a Shinobi many times his senior.

Yes, as soon as he had secured the clan it would be going to Ino and he'd step back to act as an advisor. They needed a young mind to look at the world anew and spot all that would soon wither and die in this new era of Shinobi.

But as he said earlier, he first needed to warn the current generation of the upcoming transition. He couldn't come out and say it, but he could direct their gaze to the center of the storm so they had a chance to recognize it for what it was. Shikaku would understand, Tsume knew, but would the rest be able to grasp what was happening? Chouza wasn't the kind to look into things like this, Shibi was always prepared to adapt to ensure the survival of the hive and would act when he spotted the best opportunity, and Hiashi- and the entirety of the Hyuuga clan at that- would believe the coming storm to be no match for his clan.

They would try to weather the storm.

They would fail.

He didn't know how the Sarutobi would take it- Hiruzen may have figured it out already and informed them- and there was no telling Kushina's response.

It was lucky that there was just enough noise in the room to keep others from hearing the nervous tapping of his foot. It was not good to let others know you were uneasy about something and the entire room would have known had it been too much more quiet. As it was just a slight decrease in noise would have likely tipped off Tsume about his nervousness.

Not the best impression to make before he attempted to ally himself with her to be sure.

He only half listened to whatever it was that was being discussed in the room, none of it caught his attention and it was Kushina who needed to know in the end. He was little more than a figurehead at this point.

When Hiruzen asked if there was anything else to be brought up before the council, however, he quickly clamped down on his nerves and stood.

"Yes, Councilman Yamanaka?" Asked the aged Hokage. There was talk of him training his son for the position but nothing verified yet. It would be good for the elderly Shinobi to finally be free of the burdens associated with the mantle of Hokage. Gods above knew he deserved a very long vacation.

"Some news has come to my attention, Hokage-Sama, and I thought it best to bring it to the attention of this honorable council so we might all stay informed."

"Very well, proceed."

"Of course. Many might recognize this as a matter very close to me and my clan. It's because of this we've been doing our best to keep track of any and all information regarding it-"

"Get to the point!" Inuzuka Tsume had always been impatient and her interruption showed it to remain true. She had also never been one for flowery words, something rather odd considering her spot on the council. If nothing else, it could serve to be a refreshing change when she let her own opinion be heard.

Never the less, he sent her a half glare- both because of her interruption and because this news had something to do with her clan. It was for that reason he continued to look her in the eye as he continued.

"The Wolves have moved again." He stated plainly. "Nami no Kuni is under their dominion."

If the slight widening of her eyes was indication she understood the meaning behind his pointed look. The fact that she had not previously believed in the Wolves only supported this fact.

Kushina, on the other hand, scoffed.

"You always talk about these mystery Wolves but I still have yet to see any. We're in Konoha, how long could they keep themselves a secret?" She failed to notice the way Shikaku, Hiruzen, and two of the elders turned to look at the third. Danzou, most amusingly, did his best to look innocent.

"You can believe what you want, but they are out there and they did indeed just take over a country." Said Inoichi. "I just wanted everyone aware, if you choose not to act on it that's your business."

Before an argument could start Hiruzen spoke up.

"I suppose that would explain the letter I received not long before the meeting. I was originally intending to bring it up later, after I had made sure I had all relevant information but I suppose now is as good a time as ever."

All attention went to the Hokage. What letter? What did it have to do with the Wolves Inoichi was claiming to have taken over Nami no Kuni?

"The Wolves, as Inoichi has said," continued the Hokage. "Are quite real. More than that, as of recently they have found favor with the Daimyo for he has declared them a noble house of the Imperial Fire Court."

And that caught even Inoichi off guard. A noble house? That was completely unexpected.

Those who had not believed Inoichi previously seemed both shocked and ashamed. Even Kushina seemed slightly humbled, but she still didn't believe they were operating in Konoha until Danzou spoke.

"They already have a base set up within the village. Seeing as paperwork for the change of ownership went through just this morning and yet they're already present we can confirm that they've been in the village unofficially for some time now. Those who frequent the area have mentioned that the group has been present for well over a year."

"That long?" Questioned Shikaku.

"Longer." Corrected Danzou. "The Wolves were formed here in Konoha two-almost two and a half- years ago by someone who has recently come out as a man going by the name Tsukiyomi." Only a few of them noticed the way Tsume tensed at the news.

"And how long have you known?" Questioned Hiashi. He disliked that his all-seeing clan had somehow missed this group in Konoha over the years.

"About two years now, they started as…private security, I suppose you could say." It took some effort not to smile at his words. After all, private security is what he commonly called his Root forces. By Hiruzen's vastly less than amused expression it was obvious the Hokage understood the reference.

Good, it wouldn't do for him to be the only one to appreciate the wordplay. Though 'enjoy' really wasn't applicable in this case, he was sure Hiruzen was rather annoyed. Still, at least he had understood. That counted for something, no?

"Who's private security?" Asked Shibi. Evidently even he was intrigued by this.

"Tsukiyomi's, I would guess." It wasn't hard to see the amusement in the old warhawk's eyes, though the rest of his face remained as expressionless as stone. Just the fact that he was amused- not even taking into consideration how he was letting it show in even the slightest amount- was a bit disturbing, honestly, and it put all those who noticed on edge.

"I…See." Shibi was less than pleased by the answer but content to leave it at that, likely believing it would be futile to ask for more clarification.

Much to Inoichi's surprise, though, Tsume was the one who sought more information. Either she was trying to create cover or she was generally curious. He was actually betting on the second- she wasn't known for being devious or crafty- and he could understand if she didn't have all that much information on the shadowy figure she had allied her clan with.

"And do we have any idea who this Tsukiyomi is?" She asked. "Do we know anything about him at all?"

"Why, of course we do, Tsume." Danzou answered with a patronizing smile that unsettled everyone there. The old Shinobi wasn't supposed to act like this, what in the world had him lightening up? "He's the Daimyo of Nami no Kuni."

'What?!' It was a rather general thought, one that couldn't be tired to a single person within the group. The only two exceptions were Hiruzen and of course Danzou himself.

"He's the Daimyo?" Questioned Shikaku, more to himself than anyone else. His next question, on the other hand, was directed to the room at large. "Was he the Daimyo when he formed the Wolves as his 'private security force'?"

"Not as far as we can tell." Answered Hiruzen, shooting a glare at his old teammate. "As I was getting to, our Daimyo supported this Tsukiyomi in his position as Nami no Kuni's next Daimyo. Forming an alliance- immediately, from what we can tell- he offered a position within the court to the new Daimyo. We can assume the Wolves were used to secure his position as Daimyo in the first place and with the House of Wolves being part of the Imperial Fire Court they're as good as sanctioned by the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni."

"So Inoichi's boogeymen were real? And now they have the support of the Daimyo?" It was the first Chouza had spoken the entire meeting.

"That is correct."

"Alright." Shrugged the jovial Akimichi. "With any luck my clan's restaurants will have some more customers. Any idea how many will be in Konoha?"

No one was really surprised. When off the battlefield Chouza was rather laid back and as an Akimichi he was naturally more interested in his restaurants than the fact that they had been infiltrated. Konoha was still standing, wasn't it? That was good enough for him- there was no use worrying over something that had already happened, after all.

"We don't know how many will be here, but I wouldn't be surprised in the number fluctuates regularly. They're operating more openly lately, they should become a common sight."

"And how will we know who's a Wolf and who's just using a disguise to get in? On that note, how will we know they aren't smuggling in foreign Shinobi?"

"They will have specialized identification as a part of Hi no Kuni but beyond that there isn't much we can do. There's never been a situation like this before and trying to stop them or impose new security measures upon them is likely to gain the ire of the Daimyo."

"That's rather troublesome." Commented Shikaku. "We're supposed to just let them waltz in?"

"They are to be treated as visiting Hi no Kuni Samurai or diplomatic envoys. The same rules will apply to them as citizens of Hi no Kuni. The only major problem is the identification. I don't doubt they wear the masks for more than just their aesthetic effect and anything else we could try that wouldn't involve them revealing themselves is too easily copied to be of any use."

The Nara gave a deep sigh.

"I'll try to come up with some kind of system, but we'll have to get into contact with them at some point and I doubt they'd appreciate ANBU just showing up on their door. Do we have any way to do this?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, not at this moment." It wasn't a lie on Hiruzen's part, Naruto was still out of Konoha at the moment- likely with the wolves- and so they'd have to wait until his return. It also kept people from knowing that he was aware of the Wolves and Naruto's involvement with them for this long.

Inoichi, however, didn't share the same thoughts.

"We can always contact them through Genin Naruto, I'm aware he has ties to them." He admirably ignored the glares sent at him by Hiruzen and Kushina. "And even if he can't do it himself he's bound to be able to direct us to someone who can."

"You're sure he's involved with them?" Hiashi wondered how this would affect the dinner he was planning on inviting the Genin to. In one way, having ties to a new noble house wasn't' a bad thing, on the other the Wolves were less than popular in Konoha at the moment, and they had only recently become officially present.

"I don't know to what degree, but I know he has ties to them. The first attack on my clan was a warning, an official declaration and he was present flanked by two Wolves. Part of them or not, he knows them."

"I see." If nothing else, the dinner would let him feel out the young man's relation to the Wolves. Just that was enough reason for him to go through with it. Besides, preparations had already begun and he did need to thank him on behalf of the clan. It was already shameful that he hadn't done so before.

"Well, I think that's enough on the subject for now. Thank you for bringing it up, Inoichi. With all that said, however, I do believe I'll call this meeting to a close." No one was about to argue with the Hokage as they all rose and made to leave.

Unfortunately, Inoichi's work wasn't done yet.

"Clanhead Tsume, might I have a moment of your time?"

He just knew this was going to be a long day.

As you can probably guess by now, this was supposed to be a scene, not a chapter. On the upside, I still have the rest of the scenes planned for this chapter to use in the next. Lucky me.

See you all next week.