A.N. Hey all and welcome to another unfortunately late chapter. Really sorry for the delay, but it seems my personal life has taken an upturn for the first time in years - there is a strong possibility of delays over the next coming weeks, months, chapters.

The story isn't going to be abandoned so no worries on that, i've worked to hard to get this far, but as it's more than just me now and it's early days yet, my attentions will be elsewhere.

I hope you can appreciate that but also thanks to the support from all of you to this point.

Onward to Glory


The offer is open Sakura; I'll keep in touch…

Are we done with this?

Please Sakura….you are the only one I trust with this…..

.i need you for a consultation.

How about a trade? Oh loyal child of Konoha?

Sakura glanced over the notes Sasuke had left her. A significant part of her wanted to burn the documents outright; nothing good came from playing with traitors.

And yet, it held potentially the names of Oto collaborators that had yet to be found. Given the damage they represented, surely it was a small price to pay…for the safety of the village?

Sakura winced and leaned back on the hospital bed; she lacked the raw resilience of her teammates and so required more care. Also the poison from Orochimaru's white snake had been particularly troublesome, despite her quick attempts to isolate it.

Fortunately Tsunade had been on hand and now she was on the road to fully recovery.

She glanced at her bound hand, tracing the faint echoes of puncture wounds. Then her mind went back to the Sasuke and his notes.

In truth it was only a small notepad; about seven pages thick. And yet Sakura could not remember holding anything as heavy. So far she had only gone through the first page.

It had no names, only a date, including time, and several coordinates around Konoha.

"Three days…" she trailed to herself as she sunk further into the bed. With her delayed recovery she would miss it.

Crap….

"Ohayo Sakura-San" a familiar soft voice chimed through her pensive mood. She turned to the speaker, a smile growing on her face.

"Suzume-San" Sakura greeted. The Medic came further into the room and ran a soft hand over Sakura; tell-tale signs of Medical Jutsu flashed.

Sakura relaxed the Jutsu ran its course.

"You know you're never leaving the recovery unit right Suzume-San?" Sakura blinked rapidly; her words seemed a tad slurred, and the room felt shifty. "You're too good; all the Ninja will revolt if you move one."

Suzume chuckled quietly and shrugged. Meanwhile Sakura tried to puzzle out the problem but it felt as if her brain had missed a few sparks. She managed an accusing glare at Suzume who squirmed guiltily.

"I just need you to relax a bit Sakura. The duty staff have noted multiple times in your report you don't follow their guidelines, honestly you are just as bad as your team. Both of them in fact." Suzume ignored the frown as she continued the diagnostics.

Meanwhile, Sakura let her mind wander on her current predicament. None of her options were particularly appealing. The situation with Team Seven was more than a little precarious, and if she was brutally honest more than a little tiring.

Her eyelids dropped slowly, ushering uneasy rest. A hand brushed over her hair, and the world went dark.


Early hours, Konoha

Tsunade sipped her hot tea while several files lay open before her. For the time being she would work from her residential suite before moving to the Hokage tower.

A glance to her lap made the decision fairly obvious; Naruto shifted, his face turning inwards to her bosom. A hand swiftly went to his hair and he relaxed immediately.

Naruto had been fairly reluctant to leave the day before, and Tsunade herself had been in no real hurry to let him go. He had meandered around the tower while she worked, spending much of it in the office by window. At the end of the day neither had been ready to part so Shizune suggested he spend the evening at their home.

Tsunade glanced at the second futon beside her; Shizune looked so peaceful it was a crime to disturb her. Her attendant snuggled with Tonton and had one hand tight on Tsunade's robe.

Tsunade chuckled quietly at the two she called family.

Three…..

The warmth slowly faded as she considered another individual; Jiraiya's latest message was confusing and worrying. Naruto's initial concerns had been valid and much of his contacts were either missing or dead. The loss of information was crippling and left them scrambling to regroup.

Jiraiya was going to be abroad for much longer than anticipated, and as skilled as he was it was becoming increasingly clear that Akatsuki were not to be underestimated and had been playing all angles for longer than anyone realised.

Akatsuki

She frowned as another sheet fell from her fingers. The information they had on Akatsuki was limited, very much so, and that made them more dangerous.

She leaned back against the wall and sighed. She panned her head over the room, trying to stave off her headache, when she caught sight of Byakuya.

The now infamous puppet was knelt in the far corner, close to the door. Tsunade cocked her head an appraised the battle weapon; at that moment, Byakuya looked and felt more like a retainer, a guardian to its lord. Its posture was correct and upright, yet lacked rigidity. It was self-assured and fluid, indicating a readiness and decisiveness about it.

She could do without the glow in its eyes though; and in the shifting light it felt worse.

Naruto's preferred weapon choice; the Hades Forge was in easy reach in the event of an attack; all in all it cut an impressive figure.

Tsunade looked up again to its face and blinked. Once were the eyes seemed to bore into hers, if she didn't know any better they were now focused on the stirring figure situated on her lap.

Stirring…

Her eyes widened and she glanced down, just in time to see a blue orb meet her gaze. She wouldn't admit on the pain of death; seeing a freshly woken Naruto, with the vestiges of sleep in his eye was too adorable!

"Maybe sometime today you'll get off, no hurries though." Tsunade said softly with a voice full of mirth. Naruto sharpened as he took in his environment, then groaned and shut his eye as he tried to hold back is embarrassment.

"Please Tsu-Nee, it's too early to start teasing." He muttered under his breath as his face remained concealed. Despite the fact he couldn't see it her could practically hear and feel and shark eating grin.

"Oh really? Care to see what time it is? Honestly you're as bad as Shizune today" She paused and cocked her head, "The fact that of the three of us, I'm the most active right now is disturbing and unpleasant."

Naruto shifted to look out the window but stopped; he gaped at Tsunade only to get an impish grin back. His brain rebooted and he gave a soft snort, before his head fell back into her lap. Mumbled words flew from him as he made himself comfortable.

"What was that, didn't quite hear you" Tsunade said sweetly as she tugged on his hair; Naruto winced and glared at the mistreatment.

"He said the Hokage should be the leader and exemplar to all in the village and wondered how we survived this long with your habits." A drowsy voice picked up to the side. Tsunade shifted; a wounded look about her as she faced a crabby Shizune.

"Shizune" she whined but received no sympathy. Naruto snorted then smoothed his expression as Tsunade snapped back to him.

Shizune shook her head the byplay, and then rose from her futon.

"The early shift is almost gone; we need to move, the village won't run itself"

"Mores' the pity" Tsunade grumbled as she unceremoniously dumped her charge. A slight motion caught her attention; barely a ghost of movement. She turned towards it's and faced Byakuya again.

Nothing about it seemed strange; she frowned slightly, confused.

Those eyes, they are too creepy. Two different colours…

Byakuya's mismatched orbs, one orange the other purple. Tsunade kept careful watch on the puppet, almost suspicious.

Then she blinked rapidly, confused as to her reactions to a combat doll.

Naruto rose to sit beside her, brushing shoulders lightly. He cast his gaze casually around the room, until he caught sight of his puppet.

Both stayed unmoving; time stilled. Tsunade felt a pulse of something between the two.

Shizune grumbled and moved groggily between the two, heading for the bathroom.

Her passing seemed to break the spell; the moment passing just as it started.

Naruto stretched and slowly pushed himself to his feet. Tsunade watched with interest as he seemed to support his weight on his missing hand. As though drawn to her gaze the air around it rippled, revealing the prosthetic limb.

"I have to remind myself from time to time that I still have it." Naruto said casually as he flexed his fingers. The fibre bundles flexed much like real muscles under tension. The plates over his finger clicked open and slid away, revealing the sharp and deadly talons. The talons glowed red hot, leaving a faint trail of smoke in the air as Naruto moved the fingers. The cylindrical locks around the shoulder hissed and spun open; seal scripts lit up all across the limb and chakra ran freely along its surface.

With a sigh Naruto ceased the activity. The finger plates slid back into place and locked with a firm click. The cylindrical locks spun closed and the seals flashed once before fading.

Naruto rolled his shoulder and grunted, "So far it's good. Hiding it may be redundant now I think about it." he rolled his neck and frowned, "Kisame has seen the previous model, he won't fall for the same trick again. Sasori required nothing less than hundred percent effort."

Tsunade nodded at the assessment.

"It's true; with Akatsuki your deception is wasted and detrimental. Outside them though it depends; Is the advantage worth it?"

Naruto remained pensive, but left the arm exposed. His finger twitched; Byakuya rose to its feet. The puppets chest seemed to flex and its shoulders rolled. The Hades Forge was planted firmly in front of it; two of its arms rested on the shield proper, while the other two rested on the pommel.

Tsunade turned to see Naruto scoff unperceptively at his puppets show. The blonde Jinchuriki moved across the room; as he swept passed he gave a deliberate shoulder check to the puppet.

Byakuya was solid though; like a towering structure, firm and unyielding.

Naruto's shoulder was the one to give way. The Jinchuriki growled and slammed through the door to the restroom.

Tsunade blinked; unsure of what to make of the scene. Meanwhile Byakuya remained standing as though locked into place, although Tsunade could just tell the faint traces of chakra from the puppet that she recognised with her little brother.

The scary part was she wasn't sure Naruto realised he was doing it; it wasn't a conscious decision on his part.

Suddenly Byakuya clicked; multiple gears spinning. The puppet stirred slightly and shifted its gaze to the main door. Tsunade had barely enough time to start when her instincts kicked in and told her a presence was outside her home.

"Tsunade-Sama" she relaxed slightly at the voice; one of many Chunin attendants she was familiar with, "A message from Jiraiya-Sama. Intelligence has begun decoding it and report they will have the details by midday."

"Good." Tsunade mused over the message. As she did Shizune and Naruto both padded silently into the room.

"Naruto I need you on standby" She turned to him and continued, "Most of our Chunins and Jonins are in play; there are few with your level of skill available on hand."

Naruto nodded.

"Before anything though" Tsunade looked like she swallowed a particularly foul lemon, "We need to sort things with the Elder Council" she saw him tense at the statement; Tsunade crossed the distance and place her palm on his bare chest. "Leave them to me" she intoned softly, promise glowing in her brown orbs.

Naruto held her gaze. Byakuya shifted in the background and a few gears clicked; Naruto relaxed and closed his eye.

"As you say, Tsu-Nee."


Danzo had learned over the years the value of patience; to mask one's true emotions and focus on the end goals.

That did not prevent him from being irritated. The only fortune was that he had Homura and Koharu to show those displeasures on his behalf. And with Tsunade's fairly aggressive stance it was becoming more prevalent as time passed. What he considered a blessing was quickly becoming a problem.

"Tsunade you are stretching the terms of cooperation" Homura could barely hide the trace amounts of frustration in his tone despite the impassive look he bore. "Omitting such pertinent details from an official report no less, it is an unforgivable breach-"

"-And pray tell, how was there such a breach?" Tsunade drawled as she cut him off, her eyes glinted with a dark light.

"You had us believe that Uchiha Sasuke was the point of interest in this venture against Orochimaru, former member of the Sannin" Koharu bit out in her usual waspish manner.

"I don't recall any names in the summaries provided" Tsunade replied airily as she leaned back. She turned slightly to the ANBU Commander, "I might have missed that in the documents provided, perhaps?"

The ANBU Commander merely held up the document, the relevant text highlighted,

Location of 'mission critical' identified. Subject is of significant interest of Konoha and would be invaluable in efforts to hinder all future Otogakure operations.

On sight recommendation: immediate retrieval of 'package' and extraction to Konoha Borders. Failing retrieval subject is to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

Subject value to current Otogakure Leadership = S-Ranked.

The irritation only grew on Homura and Koharu at the succinct delivery; Tsunade however kept smiling.

"I believe that clears matters nicely yes? And while I can understand some individuals concerns with regards to the 'Uchiha-"At the name Tsunade's voice tinged with mocking and disgust, "-I am sure it is understandable that Konoha has other more urgent priorities, than simply playing with a juvenile."

Danzo leaned forwards, halting any comment from his colleagues.

"And why was this information kept from us? Knowing the true target of this raid changes the scenario completely Hokage-Sama. The Shinobi world is not static or rooted as firmly as one may believe. It is fluid, dynamic; context is everything and being left in the dark is dangerous Tsunade."

Tsunade turned toward him the smile fading as she squared herself, "Indeed, and as the designated head of this military organisation it is my uncontested right to determine what levels of information are most pertinent and more importantly who merits the information in respect of the value obtained from its dissemination."

"The Elder Council was given enough information as context allowed; if you made a conclusion to any contrary then it clearly tells of your desires now doesn't it?" The comment stopped the Councillors short.

"Also," another file found its way towards them, sliding along the table. She gave a negligent wave but the intense look in her eyes gave them pause. Koharu reached for the files, never taking her eyes of the suddenly dangerous woman, once she had it to chest level she glanced down at the information.

The sudden intake of breath alerted Homura and Danzo and the attentions quickly fell to the file.

"How many files? How many sleepers?" Koharu's tone fell neutral to Homura's alarm and Danzo's suspicions.

"Unknown and unknown, although for the latter we estimate no more than five at this point" came the reply from the ANBU Commander. Seeing Koharu's eyebrows raise Tsunade shrugged, "Less than we feared but more than we liked."

"I see"

"Do you though?" Tsunade leaned forward sharply. "This information was taken from Orochimaru's base; a base he was cleaning out so who knows how many files have already been transferred. And this document is almost a word for word replica of our latest contingencies against Sand! A report I reluctantly agreed and signed off at the arguments of my Jonin Commander and this Council."

"Can you imagine the ramification if Orochimaru decided this information was far more valuable on the open market?!"

"And what does this security oversight have to do with the Elder Council" Homura imperiously queried, his gaze hovering over the file, "As you are so very fond of stating matters of security are strictly for the purview of the Hokage and those she deems eligible."

If anything the atmosphere went darker and a shadow seemed to fall over Tsunade and the ANBU Commander.

"As present there are only two variations of this report; each one imbedded with markers. No two markers are the same." The ANBU Commanders neutral tone seemed to grow ominous with each word, "One report was provided for the Jonin Commander…the other to the Elder Council; the only stipulation was none of these documents were to be filed or in any other way be compromised."

"Would you care to guess, which variation was found in Orochimaru's possession?"

Homura laid the document quietly on the table; no one spoke.

"We are loyal Tsunade" Homura's tone was tired, quiet; Tsunade blinked slightly at the change, even Koharu looked uneasy and cast a worried gaze at her companions.

Danzo however, remain unmoving.

"I am aware; it is the only reason you are still before me" Tsunade shrugged as she leaned back, "No security is absolute, that said I'm sure you three will now appreciate the level of discretion taken in terms of future operations. You will be provided with the details necessary to render an unbiased judgement. For now though, my commanders and I will re-evaluate what little we have recovered and prepare a response."

"And what of Uzumaki?" Danzo finally queried.

Tsunade turned towards him, "What of him? There will be a mark on his file noting the failure as per protocol and an extract for future reference. Beyond that no further action will be taken.

Danzo's stare met grim resolve and a promise for retribution should he voice any other way. In this case it was no loss to the old Ninja; he closed his eye and gave a soft nod.

"Well then, it would appear the matter is closed. Lead our people well Hokage-Sama; these are dangerous times."


Konoha Training Grounds

The gentle rumble of earth played in tandem with the beating of ceremonial drums. The tempo was deliberate, building into crescendos, only to suddenly drop, the rumble just discernible enough for the fever to continue; interspaced in between was the clash of blades; iron against iron, the grunt of fighter's and the shifting winds.

Gears spun, air parted; all contributing to the deadly dance. The keeper sat on his hunches; his ancient eyes missing nothing of the display. Behind him in a rough half circle were the ceremonial drummers; their calls stirring the hearts of the fighters and offering clarity.

The fighters seemed to move with the tempo; every swipe, every motion resonated deep with the rumble of the earth, the desperate charge at a crescendo and the abrupt shifts in tactics at the fall in the beat.

Sweat poured on one side; matted and heavy fur drooped on the other.

Naruto dug his heels as he was forced backwards; deep tracks etched into the ground. His mouth remained firmly closed, unwilling to give voice to the exertion. Chakra cascaded through his hair and his puppets replied; his wolves sprung from either side of him, their launchers primed and deterring any would be attackers.

Up ahead his warmonger moved with the ferocity of a wild beast; it motions aggressive and predatory, its sharp talons gleaming in the light, scything through the air. Its armoured carapace also looked fresh, save for a few new scars and scratches. The head had been redesigned to look more like a drake; its current configuration had its claw glowing with heat seals and caused the ambient temperature around the puppet to rise, distorting the air.

Its opponent though was not making it easy; Amon seemed to dance in the wind, each move keeping him out of reach of the Warmonger's sharp talons. The lagomorph's swords rang out as the scrapped across the armoured carapace. The mismatched orbs of seemed serene, to the point of almost glazed, despite this it was alert to the slightest motions. The ground seemed to faintly ripple with each step, propelling the lagomorph with unexpected force.

Meanwhile a few yards away; if Amon was like wind, the Koga was water. While it lacked the verve of Amon it was much more fluid, refined. For the white furred noble it was more craft than combat. And yet his blows held a power like the crashing of waves, a tsunami threatening to swallow up all that lay before it.

Unlike Amon, Koga's features bore is irritation, along with grudging respect. Hovering above the lagomorph was the Valkyrie puppet. Both underslung launchers on its arms were primed and singing with chakra. Blankets of metal were spat out in waves as it sped in tight loops. Koga's gaze sharpened and his chakra shifted; a faint shimmer coloured the air around him, stretching out like a dome, pulsing like a heartbeat. Slowly, almost in a lazy action, he plucked the individual shurikens from the air, whilst side stepping the kunais. Each stack was then sent back in return, whistling loudly through the air. A similar shimmer appeared around the Valkyrie, only this one ticked, much like the sound of gears. Each time the puppet would drift out of harm's way, and another storm of metal spewed forth.

All this happened rapidly, in the space of seconds. Neither side willing to give in.

All that paled however, to the showdown between the final pair.

A thunderous blow rang out in the distance. Pulses of chakra, inter spaces with shockwaves, sang through the air. Everything was rapid and brutal.

Ranek grunted as he was forced backwards, digging his hind legs into the ground. He spun his halberd as he slowed, and leaped forwards with an overhead blow; the blade shimmered, sheathed in space-time distortions. The halberd came to sudden stop; another shockwave rang out as the distorted space-time clashed with another space-time distortion.

Ranek grunted as his attack was effectively neutralised by Byakuya's shield. The panels hidden in the puppets back vented bursts of compressed air and chakra, keeping the puppet upright. Darts fired from the launchers built into Byakuya's neckline. Ranek's paw quickly rose up, folding space and diverting the darts away, however it lost him his leverage. Byakuya's shifted his bulk and the Lagomorph began to slip, his halberd scraping across massive shield. With Ranek completely vulnerable Byakuya struck; the puppet side-stepped with a spin, putting him to the exposed side of his opponent. As he moved the he locked his sword into shield and chakra flared; the distorted space-time seemed to split, covering both sword and shield. As he came to a stop he pulled the sword out with a flourish, the blade now shimmered with distortions, ready to cut through Ranek.

Ranek however vulnerable hadn't been idle; the lagomorph spun in the air and tried to use his halberd as a pole vault. Seeing the sword incoming he grimaced and braced himself; his left paw shimmered again with space-time distortions, this time it became smooth and flat, like a glass wall. The ensuing shockwave sent Ranek hurtling backwards at speed. Byakuya kept up the pursuit; the sword locked into place once more, the shield spun its gears and rotated, forming the large axe. Seals scripts lit up its edges and the distortions grew more visible and chaotic. With one step Byakuya crossed the distance and the axe head sang for Ranek.

The Lagomorph's red eye narrowed, respect and thrill shone through its ruby menace.

The blade slowed suddenly; Byakuya visibly struggled to keep pushing. Cracks appeared in the air, an unearthly screech sounded as the folds of space-time bled over each other. Naruto could only sense in disbelief the multiple layers of bent space surrounding the grizzly Archon. As each layer fell the force required to break through increased exponentially, and with the two other battles holding his attention it was becoming more difficult.

Heat built up within him; a warm pulsing fed through his limbs. The orange-red streaks in his golden hair flashed and his chakra strings tinged with a faint redness. His puppets stiffened, almost immediately becoming more menacing and more powerful.

The seekers eyes narrowed at the change; the ceremonial drummers picked up the difference and their beats shifted with a warning.

Ranek stiffened with a frown. He cast a quick glance to the Seeker; seeing the expression and approval the Archon nodded and took a deep breath.

The bent space-time around him dropped sharply, causing Byakuya to overreach. Ranek dropped low with unusual speed and grace, far more than he had ever shown. With a quick swipe the threads connected to Byakuya were cut.

Spatial-Lock

A border appeared around Byakuya; space bending and folding around him, caging him in place. Ranek appeared suddenly on top, seals running over his left power.

Key – 15 Seconds

Seals bathed the newly formed prison, one Naruto had no hope of unravelling quickly. A kanji for locked appeared, bordered by a timer that ticked down. Before he could decipher or even guess however, Ranek was on the move.

With one step he was in front of Naruto. His halberd was left spinning in the air as both paws lit up with chakra and seal scripts.

Restrain!

With a loud roar the grizzly lagomorph drove his paws into Naruto's sternum, knocking him senseless. Immediately the growing chakra spluttered and seemed was forced out of back, dissipating into the air. Naruto gasped and fell to his knees; immediately his other two puppets stopped and crumpled. Valkyrie plummeted from the sky and would have smashed into the hard earth, only for Koga to reach out and swiftly catch the falling puppet.


"Exquisite craftsmanship…for one such as you" Koga commented as he unceremoniously dropped the puppet too the earth. He drew closer to the passed out Jinchuriki, "I have enjoyed this exercise, and perhaps he may yet have something to offer us."

Amon came up next and gently placed the warmonger beside Naruto.

"Lord Koga speaks wisely, I believe he is worthy of us. I am in favour of his inclusion." The soft spoken Lagomorph intoned.

"Ranek?" The Seeker queried of the final and leader of the Archons.

"He will do well. He has the right to call us for aid." Ranek grunted and shifted his weight.

The Seekers gaze lit up and a soft hum echoed.

"Very well." He turned to the Jinchuriki, lying face down in the dirt, completely out cold. "There is much for you to still learn, but for now it is enough."

"Welcome to our clan, Uzumaki Naruto."


A.N. Another chapter down, short and hopefully sweet. next few chapters things will finally pick up and the story will progress.

As i've rushed to get this one out no shout-outs to newcomers unfortunately. I will make a note on the next one however and answer all questions i may have missed.

Thanks again and keep the love of words alive.