Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.

Chapter 25: Seeds of Darkness

In the streets of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

The atmosphere in the Village Hidden in the Leaves was different than that of the Train Mountains. The villagers were minding their businesses as usual, while the sun shined above them. People were chatting and laughing, all the more reason to understand how different this place was from the island were the Chuunin Exams were ongoing.

Sakura Haruno was walking in the bustling streets. She was headed for the Academy to pick up Haruto. Together, they would do something nicely for the rest of the day, because she was about to accompany Tsunade to the Train Mountains. But she had been tasked to lead the medical team stationed on the island, and treat any injuries.

But since Haruto could not come with her, he would have to stay with some of his classmates for a couple of days, perhaps Daichi Akimichi. She knew that Chouji and Sanae were more than happy to have him at their house. At first she had considered her parents, but for some reason, Sakura didn't feel like leaving her son in the care of her bossy mother and charismatic father. But she needed to have his son somewhere while she was gone.

"I hope you are okay out there….Naruto…..Nashiko" she thought about her husband and daughter as she walked. She missed them, even though only a few days had passed since they had left the village. Therefore it was with great luck that she was appointed to accompany Tsunade, so she could keep in better touch with them.

But while she walked, she stopped once she noticed that she stood near the Yamanaka Flower Shop. She sighed deeply while seeing this. The pink-haired woman remembered the previous time she and Ino spoke with each other at the get-together over at Hinata's, which ended badly. Sakura had after the visit, regretted to overreacting to Hinata, as well as starting a fight with Ino. True, they always used to bicker about many unimportant things, but this time, their fight nearly escalated into a physical fight. But Sakura had apologized to Hinata, and she gladly accepted it.

"Well, I better make it up for Ino" she said lowly before heading towards the shop's door. The door opened and the bell clanged at her entering.

As she was inside, she could see that there were no customer there, indicating that she was the only one. However, she could see Ino, who fixed an unenthusiastic look on her face. The blonde-haired girl, dressed in orange apron did not like seeing her rival, especially since what had happened between them last time.

"Oh…..it's you, Billboard Brow" Ino said, indicating she was not glad to see her. "Look, I don't know why you're here, but I don't have any time for any of your stupid jabs. I'm working now, so don't waste my time!" she explained to her.

But she could see that Sakura was looking a bit downed in her face. This made Ino change expression as she saw Sakura come up to her by the counter. The pinkette eventually faced her rival with an apologetic look on her face.

"Ino, I know that a month has passed, but I'm sorry for my behaviour during the get-together over at Hinata's" she apologised while lowering her head. "It was very foolish of me, and I acted like a bratty teenager to you, as well as to Hinata. So I apologise for my stupididy" she explained while apologising once again in a low voice.

Ino was feeling bad to have called her the nickname as Sakura had just given her this apology. She fixed a slight smile on her face while eyeing her rival with a friendly expression. "Awwww, that is so sweet of you, Sakura. Apology accepted" she said and Sakura smiled at her in return. "But shouldn't you also give Hinata an apology? It happened at her home, you know" she suddenly asked her.

Sakura nodded her head in return. "Don't worry, I already did that a day after the incident. Right now, she and Kiba are with Naruto assiting him in cordinating the second phase of the Chuunin Exams" she told him

Ino widened her eyes in hearing that revelation. "So they are also on the Train Mountains? They must be lucky" she said while letting out a deep sigh. "Sasuke was also appointed to this team, so he also left the village. And just as he had returned home and we had started to have good times in this shop" she said as she missed her husband.

Sakura could agree with her rival about missing Sasuke, as she also felt the same thing about Naruto. "But tomorrow, I will accompany Lady Tsunade on her trip to the Train Mountains, which means I get to see Naruto and Sasuke, and probably Nashiko and your boys if possible" she told her.

Ino smiled and nodded at her. "Well I'm glad for you, Sakura" she said. "I don't know yet, but I might be called to accompany her as well. Only when she's up for it that is" she said in return.

"Well I hope you can also tag along with us. We might be able to fully make amends" Sakura said in return. But something hit her head and she needed to continue her way. "Look, I would've loved to stay and chat with you, but I have to pick up Jiro at the Academy. I just wanna do something with him before I leave the village" she said and waved her hand to her.

Ino waved back and showed understanding. "I understand. See you around then" she said as her rival exited the shop.

Sakura then proceeded to walk the streets, until she would reach the Academy. She soon realised that the little talk with Ino had lighten her up a bit. The feeling was good, and Sakura had been right to have this talk with her best friend and rival.

At the Ninja Academy

Haruto Uzumaki was now sitting beside his close friends outside the Academy's entrance. There was Daichi Akimichi, Chouta's younger brother, Yasu Aburame, Saburou's younger sister, Kenta Inuzuka, the youngest son of Hana Inuzuka and cousin of Takeda and Minami, and at last Hikari Hyuuga, the youngest child of Hanabi Hyuuga, as well as a cousin of the Inuzuka twins. While Haruto was often mocked in his class for being soft-hearted and too kind, he was greatly appreciated by his friends, which only made his days at the Academy much better.

"I wonder how big sis and her teammates are doing" Daichi said while munching on a rice-ball. "The last time I saw her, she seemed pretty confident about the Exams, but for some reason, I think so much about her. But mom and dad are pretty relaxed about Chouta being away" the chubby black-haired boy explained to his friends.

Haruto only faced the steps, but he heard what his friend said. "I hear you, Daichi. I have also wondered about the same thing myself with Nashiko and her pals" he said before facing his friend with a slight smile on his face. "But I'm just gonna have to put my faith in her. I mean, my sister is always known to have escaped her troubles…as far as I know" he said with uncertainty, but deep down inside, he knew that Nashiko was capable of handling herself.

Kenta yawned deeply by hearing them speaking about their siblings and their worries. His yawn was so loud that all eyes were on him, even Haruto and Daichi's. He faced his two classmates with a sleepy look on his face. "You two better stop sounding all worried about your big sisters and stuff. I mean, at least Yasu doesn't seem so worried about her big brother. Heck, my cousins are over there and I don't miss them" he scolded them while sounding so simple and cool.

Yasu adjusted her small sunglasses and faced the brown-haired boy with a raised eyebrow. "But you wouldn't understand them, would you? You already have older siblings" she pointed out to him.

Kenta only scoffed at her. "Yeah, but they are like… much older than I am, I'll have you know" he replied to her. "Me and you have that common, don't we Hikari?" he suddenly asked the young girl with short brown-hair and bright eyes, who sat beside him in awkward.

Hikari faced the boy with a confused look, before forming a smile on her face to answer him. "We sure do, Kenta" she said with a sweet voice.

"Oh I know. You two are Minami and Takeda's cousins" Daichi remarked while eyeing them. "Although you are an Inuzuka, while you are a Hyuuga that is" he added while pointing out Kenta and Hikari's clans respectively.

The bright-eyed girl smiled at him in return with a nod. "Yes. But I do care much about my cousins as I do with my sisters and mother" she told him. But she suddenly lowered her head as she felt sad, much to her friends' confusion. "But the thing is…..I don't get to see them much, as my grandfather has strictly told us to not interact with them" she said while facing the steps below her.

Kenta rested his hands behind his neck and grunted in anger. "Oh, that's right. Your grandfather is that cantankerous, old geezer: Hiashi Hyuuga" he exclaimed while expressing his disgust of Hikari's grandfather.

The brown-haired girl faced him with an offended look on her face. "Hey! My grandfather is not cantankerous! He's actually a just and honourable man!" she fought back, but Kenta only ignored her as a whole.

"Whatever. Grandma Tsume may be scary and grouchy sometimes, but I'm glad that I have her as my grandma, rather than your lousy, old badger of a grandfather" he said while still expressing his distaste of Hiashi.

Hikari could not take much more of this badmouthing, even though she secretly agreed that her grandfather was strict sometimes. She was about to hit back, until she heard a female voice calling to Haruto.

"There you are, Haruto!" Sakura exclaimed sweetly when she approached the entrance of the Academy. Haruto immediately rose from his place headed straight to his mother's embrace. "Did you have a fun day at the Academy today?" she asked him.

"Shurriken practice was not necessarily fun, but the rest was" he said, still hugging his mother.

Sakura chuckled sweetly by hearing this, as she understood what her son meant. She then got a glimpse of Daichi and the others and waved back at them. The kids happily returned her waving.

"Oh hey there, Sakura" the voice of Chouji could be heard as he had just arrived at the Academy's entrance. Daichi ran straight towards his father and he happily lifted him up and put him on his shoulders. "Picking up Haruto, I see? I know how that feels" the chubby man remarked with a smile on his face.

Sakura smiled back at him. "It's nice to see you too, Chouji" she said while standing on her feet. "Speaking of which, I was wondering if….." she was asking him, until Chouji held up his palm at her to stop.

"Don't ask, Sakura. I know that you will be leaving the village to accompany Lady Tsunade on her visit to the Train Mountains. Sanae told me" he said. "But as for your question, Haruto is more than welcome to stay at us while you're out. That's his choice" he assured him while hiving both Sakura and her son a thumb. Both Haruto and Daichi smiled at one another in hearing this.

Sakura nodded her head in return. "We appreciate your kindness, Chouji" she expressed her gratitude towards him and his son. "Now, it's best we be going now, Haruto. We're going to visit your grandparents" she suddenly told her son and he was surprised by hearing this.

Nevertheless, the blonde-haired boy happily accepted it by squealing against his mother, much to her amusement. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go see them!" he said with enthusiasm in his voice.

Sakura and Haruto waved one last goodbye to Chouji and Daichi before taking their leave. It was also not long before the head of the Akimichi clan and his son also left after waving the kids farewell.

Outside the gates of the Leaf Village

Kotetsu and Izumo were standing by the entrance chatting with one another. Ever since the blimp had left the Leaf Village, they never stopped thinking about how they were doing over at the island. But they paused once they noticed that someone was nearing them. As they got a better look, they exclaimed with surprise by seeing Temari standing there, accompanied by the infamous Sand Scorpions and their sensei. The two veteran jounins warmly waved their hands at them.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're finally back, Temari!" Izumo said cheerfully. "But I'm afraid that you won't be able to see Shikamaru and your son. They are currently on the Train Mountains as we speak" he added with a short explanation.

Temari smiled in return and showed understanding towards the two jounins, who were close comrades of her husband, as well as his late sensei Asuma Sarutobi. "It's great to see you two again. And I know that Shikamaru and Shikaien's not home" she told them.

Kotestu widened his eyes as he got a better look at who was accompanying Temari. Izumo noticed his friend gasping and he did the exact same thing once he got a glimpse of the Sand Scorpions.

"Woah…you got the Sand Scorpions accompanying you? Damn, that's fancy!" Kotetsu exclaimed in wonder.

Tsubasa only gave them a formal nod, Haruka smiled at them gleefully and Atsushi gave them his laid-back wave in return. But Chiasa stepped forward and bowed formally in front of the two veteran jounins, who were amazed by her manners.

"Greetings, friends" she said with a formal voice. "I am simply known back in Sand Village as Chiasa. I am also the sensei of the Sand Scorpions" she introduced herself to them.

"It's a great honour to finally be able to meet the Sand Scorpions on circumstances like this. I'm Kotetsu Hagane, an admirer of yours" the man with the bandage on his face said. "But I won't ask for your autographs and stuff, if you catch my drift" he said with humour in his voice.

Haruka pouted by hearing this. "What? But how can you consider yourself an admirer of us if you don't want our autographs?" she asked them.

Both Atsushi and Tsubasa sweatdropped by seeing their teammate act all girly and sassy. "Knock it off, Haruka. You're starting to make us look like a bunch of wannabe celebrities" Atsushi said to her.

"I will have to agree with Atsushi on this one" Tsubasa said lowly while closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

Haruka only huffed at them in return. "I swear, you two are starting to get on my nerves" she expressed her irritation of the two cousins speaking against her.

But Izumo stepped in front of Kotetsu and faced Chiasa and her students with a kind look on his face. "Don't let Kotetsu's humour and sarcasm get the best of you, kids. You just happen to be well-known throughout the shinobi world these days" he assured them with a smile. "I am Kotetsu's partner: Izumo Kamizuki" he introduced himself to the Sand Scorpions.

Temari watched this in amusement, as he felt it was a funny episode to watch. But right now, she didn't have time for anymore of this and she cleared her throat before speaking. "Hey Kotetsu, Izumo" she called out their names and the two jounins focused their attentions at her. "I really hate to ruin the mood here. But me and the Sand Scorpions need to have an audience with Lady Tsunade at once" she said with formality.

"You sound pretty much sad, Temari. Did something happen back in the Sand Village?" Kotetsu asked her.

Temari closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "I have returned to the Leaf Village a day earlier…at the request of my brother, the Fifth Kazekage" she told them and opened her eyes to face them. "A declaration of war has been declared against the Five Great Hidden Villages, including the Leaf and the Sand" she revealed to them grimly.

Izumo and Kotetsu widened in shock by hearing this. "Then we best head for the Hokage Tower at once. Lady Tsunade would be more than willing to hear your warnings" Izumo said and motioned for the Sand ninjas to follow him and Kotetsu through the village.

As they entered the village, the Sand Scorpions took their time to study how different it was from theirs. Nevertheless, they could see that much like the Sand Village, the Leaf Village was also bustling with activity.

"It is as they describe it" Chiasa thought in her head while looking around her environment. "The Village Hidden in the Leaves is as warm as sunny as usual" she noted while smiling while some villagers passed by her.

Atsushi nudged his reserved cousin by his hips to gain his attention. Tsubasa only faced him with a raised eyebrow, as he could see a mischievous look on his cousin's face. "What are you so happy about? We are about to reveal grim news to the Hokage" he pointed out to Atsushi.

The boy with the turban-like hat only shrugged off his explanation. "Take it easy, Gaara junior. I was just wondering if we could grab us something to eat after this talk with the Hokage. I haven't been eating a satisfying meal for days. I've heard that the ramen bars around here cook delicious food" he said with a gleeful smile on his face, but suddenly slumped once he felt his stomach grumble.

Tsubasa only rolled his eyes in return, but he chose not to focus his attention on him anymore and focused his eyes on the Hokage Tower in front of them. He had remembered what his father had told him back in the Sand Village and it made him think about it.

As they neared the Hokage Tower, Chiasa had some words for Temari. "Lady Temari. Do you suppose that the Hokage will call off the Chuunin Exams once we reveal them about this declaration of war?" she asked her as she faced him.

The dark blonde-haired woman sighed deeply before answering. "It's too early to know the answer, Chiasa. But while we're at it, we would also like to know the situation of the second phase. I just pray that those blue-eyed scumbags haven't done anything to screw it all up" she answered with a hint of stress in her voice.

Chiasa accepted it humbly, as she could understand her feelings, considering that her husband and son were on an unfamiliar island filled with mysteries.

At the Haruno household

Sakura and her son were visiting her parents in their home, which she used to live in. She and her family would still visit them often, considering that her parents were proud to be grandparents.

Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno had changed in terms of appearances since the end of the previous Shinobi World War. But even so, they still retained their personalities. Mebuki was still the same commanding and serious wife, while Kizashi was still the same easy-going and cheerful husband. They both had achieved wrinkles, as well as some straws of grey hair. Even so, the couple was considered healthy to their age.

They were more than happy for their daughter's marriage to Naruto, and eventually became proud grandparents to Nashiko and Haruto. They even didn't fear Naruto being abusive towards Sakura, as they knew that her strength and determination was more than enough to make Naruto think twice.

As they sat in the living room, Sakura drank some tea with her parents, while Haruto had of course been given some cookies by his grandfather. She and her son sat on a sofa, facing Kizashi and Mebuki across the table. So far, the conversation between them was great.

"So glad you and Haruto could drop by, sweetie" Mebuki said while smiling at her daughter and grandson.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've seen each other" Kizashi remarked while resting his arm around his wife's neck. "But I see that Naruto and Nashiko ain't with you. Are they busy with the Chuunin Exams or something?" he suddenly asked his daughter.

Sakura nodded her head as a yes to his question. "From what I gather from Lady Tsunade, Nashiko and her team are at the second phase now" she told them. "And Naruto has assembled a team which will assist him with managing the Exams" she added.

Both her parents expressed interest in hearing this, considering that they fully supported Nashiko in the Chuunin Exams, as well as other kids they knew from friendships with THEIR grandparents, like Yoshino Nara and Chouza Akimichi.

But they could notice that she was feeling a bit let down, and it made the elderly couple concerned about their daughter. Haruto, however, only chewed on his cookies. He didn't get a clue on what was going on until his grandfather spoke up.

"Hey Sakura, what's the matter?" Kizashi spoke up with a worried town. "You seem a little bit upset" he added as he got a closer look.

As much as Sakura didn't want to talk to them about this, she could not bring herself to hide this from even her parents. The pink-haired woman let out a deep sigh before facing them with eyes of sadness. Haruto could notice that his mother was sad and tried to comfort her with a hug, something she really appreciated.

"For the last months, I've been so worried about Lady Tsunade's condition" Sakura told them with honesty. "She doesn't seem to have enough strength to carry on as Hokage! Most people except Shizune wouldn't understand. But for me who is her apprentice, it's a different story" she added while stroking Haruto's blonde hair.

Both Mebuki and Kizashi sat on the same sofa as she and Haruto was and tried to support her. Haruto was sitting on his mother's lap and felt sorry about seeing his mother like this.

Sakura could feel her mother pat her on her back and she really appreciated it. And as small tears dropped out of her eyes, Kizashi gladly handed her some paper to dry them. This made the pinkette smile and she eventually faced her curious and concerned son.

"Are you feeling any better, mom?" he asked as he felt worried. Sakura smiled sweetly at her son and hugged him tightly. She also kissed the young boy's forehead, which made him hug her mother tighter in return.

"We understand your concern over Tsunade, Sakura. But wouldn't Tsunade want you to focus on your duties as a kunoichi instead of crying over her?" Mebuki lowly asked her, making Sakura's eyes widened in wonder. The elderly woman smiled seeing her like this. "That's right. Tsunade would prefer if you prepared yourself before Naruto's ascension as Hokage. We all know that he will need you, me, your father and everyone else in the Leaf…as we need him" she further explained.

This made Sakura's eyes filled with tears, but not because of sadness. Rather, it was because of overjoying. She fully embraced her mother in a tight hug and leaned onto her. Mebuki happily returned the hug while Haruto sat on his grandfather's lap.

"Grandma is comforting mom" Haruto said while seeing this.

Kizashi lovingly stroke his grandson's blonde hair and smiled by seeing his daughter and wife embrace one another. "I must admit. You're lucky to become the wife of a hero. Or rather, Naruto is lucky to have a heroine as his wife" he thought with pride.

But as Sakura eventually exited her sad mood, her father had begun to notice something drastic related to her figure. This made the easy-going man ask her something dumb for a father.

"Hey Sakura, can I ask you something?" he asked her.

Sakura faced her father with a sweet face. "Sure dad, what is it?" she asked, as she was always up to answer a question from her father, whether it was related to Naruto or not.

Kizashi suddenly pointed his finger towards his daughters' chest, wrapped tightly in her red dress. This made both Sakura and Mebuki raise their eyebrows, while Haruto didn't get a clue of what they were talking about.

"Is it just this dress or did you actually get bigger breasts?" he dim-wittedly asked her, causing both Sakura and Mebuki to flare in anger.

"What do breasts mean, mom?" Haruto asked her, causing Sakura to get even angrier at her father.

"YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT, DAAAAAD!" Sakura roared as she was about to punch her own father

Kizashi freaked out in fear by seeing his daughter getting this aggressive. "Wait! You wouldn't hit your old man, would you girl!? Not as long as Haruto sits on my….." but it was too late, as Kizashi got a taste of her fist and was blown away through the wall.

Fortunately, Haruto had managed to jump off just in the nick of time before Sakura's fist hit his grandfather's face.

Inside Tsunade's office, the Hokage Tower

When Kotetsu and Izumo informed her of Temari's return, she told them that she would have to wait for an audience. But once she got aware that the Sand Scorpions had been accompanying her, she immediately changed mind and requested their presence in her office at once.

Once inside, Temari told her of the incident in Gaara's office, as well as the mysterious beings who for some reason declared war against the Five Great Nations. She was also informed of the unknown Brotherhood of the Blue Moon, but for some reason, she and Shizune began linking this to something else.

"The Brotherhood of the Blue Moon…what an unfamiliar name" Tsunade stated lowly while thinking about it. "From what you have told us, this threat doesn't seem to come from either Orochimaru or another crazed follower of Madara Uchiha" she noted grimly after being told by Temari.

The dark blonde-haired woman nodded her head while fixing a troubled look on her face. "Yes. The enormous amount of chakra they carried…we are dealing with something much worse" she stated with fear.

"Now this is very odd. First we have border villages being purged, and now this?" Shizune asked in shock. "It may be too early to conclude, but those events must be linked to one another somehow" she stated her opinion.

Temari raised an eyebrow at this. "What makes you think so?" she asked her.

"Temari, while you were in Sand Village, did your brother the Kazekage tell you about the cooperation between our ANBU Black Ops?" the Hokage asked her.

"He told me that. But he didn't mention anything else" she answered as honest as she could.

Tsunade showed understanding by nodding, as she couldn't fault her for not knowing such facts. "When the ANBU Black Ops got back from the fields, they revealed something very shocking to us, something happening along our borders" she told them.

Shizune put a picture on the table for the Sand ninjas to see, and it was similar to what Naruto had showed his comrades aboard the blimp. Buildings were destroyed, but their walls had been painted red in the form of the crescent moon. The Sand ninjas couldn't believe what they saw.

"My God…is that blood hanging on the walls!?" Temari asked in disbelief while holding her hands near her mouth.

"Damn…..this is the villagers' blood" Atsushi cursed while seeing the picture.

"Where is this picture taken?" Tsubasa asked Tsunade and Shizune. "If we remember it correctly, we discovered something similar happening to a village near the Land of Wind's border to the Land of Rivers" he told them, thus surprising them both.

"This is a picture of a fishing village near the Land of Tea" Shizune said to answer his question. "So it's true then, border villages in the Land of Wind has also been razed?" she asked the Sand Scorpions.

This time, it was Chiasa's turn to answer and she cleared her throat. "We cannot be entirely sure whether all border villages have been razed. But what young Tsubasa just told you, we stumbled upon something like this near the border to the Land of Rivers. It was a village in ruins, not a single soul in sight" she explained to the Hokage and her assistant.

"But did you see any of the buildings having this symbol written on their walls?" she asked her while showing her the picture and the crescent moon painted by blood.

Chiasa shook her head in return. "No, Lady Hokage. We saw no paintings or blood. Everything was deserted" she told her with formality, making Tsunade show her appreciation for her answer.

Haruka fixed her gaze at her sensei and she could notice it. "But this happened a couple weeks earlier before the incident at the Kazekage's office, didn't it, Chiasa-sensei?" she asked her.

"Yes. That is correct" she told her student before fixing her eyes on the picture Tsunade was holding. "That symbol…..it seems very familiar. I admit that it looks very similar to the Village Hidden in the Moon's symbol" she commented while studying the picture.

"But that's not the case, is it?" Temari asked them while she also had gotten a view of the symbol.

Tsunade closed her eyes while sighing. "You are correct. This isn't the Moon Village's symbol. This symbol belongs…..to the Otsutsuki clan" she revealed to them grimly.

The Sand ninjas widened after hearing her revelation, as it was indeed something they didn't expect to hear. They knew very well who the Otsutsuki clan was.

"Otsutsuki clan…..the clan of Kaguya Otsutsuki…who was the first to ever wield chakra" Chiasa said lowly.

"Are you all suggesting that an extinct clan could be behind this?" Atsushi asked them all with curious eyes. "A hypothesis such as this sounds pretty unrealistic if you ask me" the boy remarked while stating his opinion.

"But we should not be ignorant here, Atsushi. The Otsutsuki clan was the progenitor of all the greatest clans in the shinobi world!" Haruka exclaimed while scolding her comrade's behaviour.

Tsunade nodded her head in agreement at Haruka's words. "This young girl speaks the truth. The Senju clan, the Uchiha clan, the Hyuuga clan, the Uzumaki clan and even the Kaguya clan, all of them have the Otsutsuki clan to thank for their existence" she told them grimly.

Tsubasa smirked in amusement by seeing her like this. "Come to think of you it, you are technically a member of the Senjus, considering that your grandfather and granduncle was this village's two first Hokages: Hashirama and Tobirama Senju respectively" he told her.

This only made the blonde-haired woman smirk in return, as she was impressed by the young chuunin's knowledge, considering that he also was Gaara's son. "You have done your homework well, son of Gaara" she commended him.

The door to her office suddenly bust open and Captain Yamato came in. The man had officially left the ANBU-forces to act as the captain of the jounins stationed at the Hokage Tower. He was beginning to show signs of aging, but still retained his good shape and attitude. From the looks of it, he seemed in a rush to tell them.

"Captain Yamato, I assume you have a really good reason for interrupting us" Tsunade said as she faced him.

The captain cleared his throat before speaking. "My apologies, Lady Tsunade…but we should all head for the screening room below us" he told them, much to everyone's confusion.

"Why? I mean, what just happened, Yamato?" Shizune asked him.

"It's Naruto" Yamato finally said to them. "He has sent a videotape to us to explain the current situation on the Train Mountains. From what was written on his message…..it sounded like grim news" he said to them.

To be continued…

Author's note: We have arrived at chapter 25. Things are getting interesting. The next will take us back to the Train Mountains. However, we may also get to see Tsunade making her decision on whether to travel to the Train Mountains or not. Let us also see who the voices of the younger shinobis are, as we did get introduced to them in this chapter.

Haruto Uzumaki – Maile Flanagan

Daichi Akimichi – Kathleen Barr

Yasu Aburame – Cristina Vee

Kenta Inuzuka – Matt Hill

Hikari Hyuuga – Erica Mendez