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

Chapter 27: What Now?

In the Hokage Tower, Village Hidden in the Leaves

Tsunade, Shizune, Yamato, Temari and the visiting Sand Scorpions had just watched the message Naruto had sent them and right now, they were discussing about it. And of course, those in the attendance waited for Tsunade to come to her conclusion.

"I can't believe it!" Temari exclaimed with horror in her expression. "Someone is laying deadly traps throughout the jungle!? This is an outrage!" she exclaimed by recalling what Naruto had told in his message.

Chiasa rose from her seat to calm her down, something the dark blonde-haired woman really appreciated. "Stay vigilant, Lady Temari" she encouraged her and she reluctantly nodded in return. The brown-haired woman then focused her gaze on Tsunade and Yamato. "The Orb of Asura is stolen. This is something even I didn't expect to hear" she noted grimly while facing them.

"The way Naruto described what the surviving ANBU-watchers had witnessed. Blue eyes and enormous amounts of chakra…sounds similar to the ones who invaded the Kazekage's office" Yamato remarked after getting the description. "However, I can't conclude whether the events happening on the Train Mountains is linked to this declaration of war" he then said to them.

Temari began lifting her head up and faced him and the Hokage with a worried face. "I'm afraid it is, Captain Yamato" she said. "The stealing of the Orb of Asura happened on the same day those blue-eyed monsters declared war against the Five Great Nations. That is why I believe that those are connected somehow" she expressed her opinion on the matter.

"Lady Tsunade, what exactly is the Orb of Asura?" Tsubasa suddenly asked her. "For some reason, it must be more than just an artefact to sell, am I right?" he added as he wanted some answers.

Tsunade faced the Sand Scorpions. "That orb used to belong to Asura Otsutsuki, the youngest son of the Sage of the Six Paths, as well as the one who inherited his teachings" she revealed to them, much to their surprises. "Before his death, the Sage of the Six Path or Hagoromo Otsutsuki as his name was, created something special to Asura, one that would help him carry all his teachings and techniques. That "something special" was that orb" she further told them.

"I remember reading something about Asura once. He would later be confronted by his elder older Indra, who challenged him to a dual over carrying their father's teachings, even though Hagoromo had chosen Asura over him" Haruka said as she remembered something. "Tragically, they both died in their duel" she added.

Tsunade nodded with a slight smile at her. "That is correct, young lady" she said before changing the expression on her face. "But with both Indra and Asura dead, their descendants viciously sought out the orb, until the Senju clan, which was at that time lead by my grandfather, found it" she then explained to them.

"And I take it that they put the orb by that shrine up in the mountains?" Atsushi quizzed. "Cause from what I gather from these history lessons, that Hashirama Senju dude was having an agreement with some random, bearded dude or…" he suddenly added while sounding so clueless. Both Haruka and Tsubasa only sighed in annoyance by seeing their laid-back teammates act so clueless. But Tsunade and her associates didn't seem offended.

Shizune decided to help him. "I think you are talking about Ashina Uzumaki, who at that time was the head of the Uzumaki clan. And yes, both the Senju and Uzumaki clans placed the Orb of Asura by a shrine they had created in honour of Asura, who is actually their common ancestor" she explained, making Atsushi smile in return.

"Right…..thanks by the way" he thanked her, not knowing what else to say.

"But let us set aside the history lesson for now" Tsunade kindly told everyone. "We don't know who these thieves are, but it seems to me that they are interested in Hagoromo's teachings, as well as the Otsutsuki clan" she expressed her opinion on these thieves.

"And they chose to commit such acts while the Chuunin Exams are ongoing…..I don't understand" Temari said in utter disbelief. "And both Shikamaru and Shikaien are on an island which for some reason, has traps lying around" she added with distress.

Atsushi faced his aunt with a smug look. "C'mon Auntie Temari, both Uncle Shikamaru and Shikaien know how to handle themselves in dangerous situations" he tried to encourage her, but he was stopped by Tsubasa, who didn't feel like this would help.

But Temari could fix a brief smile on Atsushi, as she greatly appreciated his encouragement, considering that he was one of her nephews. But things were discussed about whether Tsunade should leave the Leaf Village.

"Well, what is your decision, Lady Tsunade?" Yamato asked her. "Are we still heading for the Train Mountains, in light of what has happened?" he asked her again.

This took about a couple of minutes. The people around the Hokage respected her pace, as she needed to think this through cautiously. Therefore, nobody dared to speak up until they had heard Tsunade's answer. After minutes of silence, the blonde-haired woman finally faced the Sand Scorpions with a serious look on her face.

"It won't make any difference" she said first. "We are still going to the Train Mountains" she said with seriousness in her voice. "I have complete confidence in Naruto's abilities, but as the Hokage, I must be there to fix up whatever problems the Exams faces" she then told them.

Everyone had different reactions to this, but deep inside, they understood her motives for doing so. Shizune and Yamato fixed approving smiles by hearing the Hokage's answer. But they could notice that she was standing up from her seat. This made them confused.

"We will depart tonight! But first, I must gather us the team that will accompany me on this trip" she suddenly told them and they nodded formally in return. She then focused her gaze on Temari and the Sand Scorpions. "Temari, you and the Sand Scorpions must stay here in the Leaf Village. I know it pains me to do this, but the village can't be left unguarded" she told her while expressing hints of regret in her voice.

But Temari showed understanding and stood up with a smile directed at her. "I don't care if you make me sad or not. Just make sure that my husband and son are brought back safe" she told her with a chuckle. Tsunade did so in return, as she knew that Temari had confidence in her.

In a distant dream

As Inojin opened his eyes, he could see that he was standing in the middle of an abandoned village. But he also noticed that the sky was red and the clouds were black. This shocked the raven-haired boy and he slowly took his steps forward.

As he wandered through the empty streets, he could notice that there was no life in them, and it made him feel uneasy. Never before had he witnessed a despairing place such as this. But he could hear a voice coming from one of the buildings, and it looked like a mansion. The young boy snuck himself to the mansion's walls and moved slowly, hoping not to make any noise.

Inojin could spot an opening in the wall, and with reluctance, he decided to take a peek. But he wanted to do it fast, as he was afraid that someone might see him. As he stretched his head through the opening, his black eyes caught something disturbing.

"What….." he thought as his eyes couldn't change direction.

It was in a dark room where there was no light shining. But he saw someone standing in the middle of a carpet. It was a young man with a similar hairstyle to his, much to Inojin's surprise. But as the young man turned around, he could see that he also possessed the Sharingan.

Inojin was stunned, as he didn't move a muscle as the young man spotted him in the opening. The young man only stared at him with emptiness, even though his red eyes could not picture any emotion. Inojin was completely stunned, as this man reminded him of someone.

After a brief moment of silence, the young man finally spoke up with a soft voice. "How long are you gonna stand there staring?" he suddenly asked him.

This snapped the raven-haired boy, as he realised that he hadn't moved since he had caught a glimpse of this man's Sharingan. This made him turn around and he proceeded to run away from the hole in the wall.

"What…..what is this!?" Inojin asked in a stressful voice.

But as he ran into a small alley, he froze by seeing the young man he had seen in the mansion standing before him with his arms crossed. Inojin couldn't believe his own eyes, as he felt himself blocked by that man's position.

But instead of running away, Inojin stood his ground and readied himself for combat, much to the young man's surprise. The raven-haired boy gritted his teeth in anger while facing him. "Who are you!?" he demanded to know. And how come you possess the Sharingan? Are you an Uchiha!?" he added with another couple of questions.

The young man before him never fixed the expression on his face, as he continued to stare at him with his crimson eyes. "It is as you suspect. I am an Uchiha…..or more likely, was in life" he said lowly.

Inojin could notice some resemblance between this man and his father, so he got more suspicious by his answer and tightened his fists. "There is something about you, stranger. You bare a strong resemblance to Sasuke Uchiha" he said coldly while thinking about his father he despised.

The young man surprisingly fixed a slight smile on his face by hearing this. "You are so much like him, young Inojin" he said out of the blue, making Inojin's eyes widen by what that man just said.

The young boy eventually got angered by hearing this. "How do you know my name? And who the hell do you think you are, likening me to that bastard!?" he said with anger in his voice.

Surprisingly, the young man laughed by seeing this, thus irritating Inojin further. "Come now, is that a way to speak to your own uncle?" he suddenly asked him.

"Uncle…" Inojin repeated slowly as he got confused. But he soon came to a realization as he faced the man before him. "Are you…..Itachi Uchiha…Sasuke's older brother…my…..uncle?" he asked slowly as his eyes widened.

The man before him took a few steps towards him, surprisingly poking his forehead with his fingers. This stunned Inojin, as he remembered that his father used to do that on him when he was a young child. He looked up and saw the man smile to him, as his Sharingan disappeared and returned to his usual black irises.

"I think there is no reason for me to answer, as you have already figured it out" he said with a smile before changing it into a frown. "But I sense a darkness within you, something that you have inherited from the darkness your father possessed" he told him grimly.

Before Inojin knew it, he could feel himself floating above the ground and he was gradually lifted up towards the red skies. But he could see his uncle standing on one of the roof, smiling at him once again, much to the young boy's confusion.

"I hope to see you again soon, dear nephew. But the next time we do so, I hope not to see you dragged towards the darkness. Remember those who love you!" he said to him loudly, as Inojin was shot up towards the skies, making him scream with fear.

2 days later, inside a ruined room, Shimbala

Inojin's eyelids slowly began opening, as he could see that it was light in this room. He rose up quickly, to see if he was not in some abandoned village with crimson skies. To his surprise, he was not. He could see that he was lying on a bed, although not a real one. All this confirmed that what he had been thorough was just a dream. Inojin sighed deeply to compose himself.

"You're finally awake" a voice could be heard from his right side. As Inojin turned his head, he could see Ayumu leaning against the wall with a smile on his face. This surprised the young boy. "I was wondering whether you were stuck in a coma or something" he added with sarcasm, but Inojin didn't get it.

"What…..where am I?" Inojin asked lowly while looking around.

"Relax, you're safe now. We're in Shimbala" he said while stretching his arms to each direction. "This is one of the many rooms used by the medics. They arrived yesterday" he told them, making Inojin confused.

"How long have I been here? Or better yet, how long was I asleep?" he asked him.

Ayumu took out a cigarette from his small box and put it in his mouth. "You've been sleeping for about two days" he said before using a lighter to ignite it. "But a couple of things have been going on while you were snoozing. Lady Tsunade and her team of associates arrived yesterday along with the team of special medics. Surprisingly, your mother is among these associates, and she is here in Shimbala even as we speak" he told him while smiling with the cigarette in his mouth.

Inojin slightly smiled by hearing this, as he didn't mind that his mother was here. "What is the other thing that has happened here?" he suddenly asked his sensei.

Ayumu fixed a grim look on his face and he faced the ruined floor before facing his student again. He let out a deep sigh. "I really hate to clash with you Inojin, but at this moment, it would be best if you had some time with those you know well, including Shikaien and Chouta" he said lowly.

The raven-haired boy cooked an eyebrow. "Why? What is going on here, Ayumu-sensei?" he asked, before he noticed Ayumu walking to the opened doorway. He looked over his shoulder to say something.

"I'm gonna let them know you're awake, so just stay there and don't try anything funny. Apparently, it would be wise if you did what I just told ya, considering that the majority of us Leaf ninjas are currently wary of you and your newfound abilities" he told him before leaving.

As his sensei left, Inojin could only wonder what he meant by that. But still, he would stay on his bed and not move, hoping he would see his family soon.

Meanwhile, by a fountain in the ruined city of Shimbala

As the sun shined brightly, most people had tried to get some fresh sun by exploring the city. But for Nashiko and Minami however, it was different. They each sat by a golden fountain, thinking about what was next to come. Apparently, they had been through something harsh in the last days since the confrontation on the snowy tops.

"This doesn't make any sense" Nashiko said lowly while facing the ground. "Why did they interrogate each one of us?" she asked, as if she didn't understand it.

Minami was stroking Riko's fur as he lied beside her. "Well, there has been a theft on this island, and the organizers want to find the thieves so badly" she answered while looking at her. "Plus, some jerk claims that Itachi will become a dangerous threat to the village, which is complete bullshit" she added.

Nashiko was still facing the ground with a hardened expression on her face. "I bet those Sound ninjas are gonna be disqualified from the tournament, considering what they have done!" she said while thinking about the ninjas from the Sound Village.

"Yeah, they did plead guilty to have broken the rules for this tournament. But we also did that, naturally" Minami said with a low voice.

This made the pinkette look at her with defiance in her face. "But our reason for breaching the rules was justified! We didn't lay out deadly traps, use dangerous beasts or assisted criminals in their wrongdoing!" she said defiantly at her.

Minami faced her with a similar glance, although with not much defiance. "I know that! But we were still breaching an important rule of the Chuunin Exams!" she pointed out to her. "Even though we don't know the results yet, I doubt we will ever make it to the finals" she said lowly this time.

"You sound pretty determined on making it to the finals, Minami" the pinkette pointed out to her.

The bluenette only sighed deeply in return before facing her again. "If you had an alcoholic as your father and an old asshole as your grandfather, you would understand" she said, making Nashiko feel like no need going further with this conversation.

But the two girls were approached by Sakura and Hinata, who sat beside their daughters respectively. Both girls could notice that they each were about to tell them something.

"I just spoke to Ayumu, and he tells me that Inojin has awoken from his sleep" Hinata told her daughter, who faced Hinata with a surprised face in return. "If you girls want to, then you can go visit him" she said.

Nashiko faced her mom. "Can we really do that, mom?" she asked Sakura who shook her head in return.

"You can afterwards, but Ayumu said it's best if Inojin had some time with his family first" the adult pinkette said while stroking her daughter's hair.

"So that means Shunsuke and his parents are in there now?" Nashiko asked her and she nodded in return. "That's okay. I can wait. But in the meantime, I wanna see what dad's up to" she decided, making Sakura raise an eyebrow in return.

"Why would you do that, Nashiko? Your father is busy at the moment" she told him, but Nashiko was not finished.

"No, I wanna know from him about what will happen to Inojin!" she said with a strict voice, making Sakura sigh at her stubborn behaviour.

Minami and Hinata only ignored the two pinkettes and continued their conversation. "Mom, where is dad?" the young bluenette suddenly asked Hinata, who was still smiling at her daughter.

"He's having a discussion with Lady Tsunade" she answered and suddenly put her hands on Minami's shoulders. "And don't worry about us, me and your father has slowly begun getting along. Give him a chance, sweetheart" she encouraged her, although Minami was unsure about this.

Back in Inojin's ruined room

Inojin was having a time with his family, as his mother hugged him deeply. He could tell that she had been extremely worried about him, as he could hear Ino sobbing a little. Shunsuke was standing beside their mother with a smile directed towards his twin brother. Sasuke however, was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, as he was getting a little annoyed by Ino's sobbing, although he didn't bother to stop her.

"Inojin…I've missed you so much…" Ino said lowly while drying her tears. "When I first heard about your current condition, I was completely horrified when I heard what happened with you" she remarked with a sad smile.

Inojin smiled to his mother in return. "I am alright, mom. I just had a dream that I have never experienced before and I suddenly find myself here" he said to her.

"Well, I'm glad that you're awake, Inojin" his brother said lowly. "After you fell unconscious, dad carried you all the way to Shimbala" he suddenly said, making Inojin's eyes widen in outrage.

However, the raven-haired boy with long hair faced his father briefly, who had begun opening his eyes to him. The two didn't smile at one another when their eyes met. "It is as your brother tells you. I carried you all the way to Shimbala, and even put you on this bed. The rest I left to Ayumu and the medics" Sasuke told him.

While the two was still staring at each other with frowns, Inojin reluctantly said something that he had not in years. "If that's so...then thank you" he said lowly to his father.

Surprisingly, Sasuke formed a slight smirk on his face while facing his oldest twin son. "You're welcome" he said in return.

Both Shunsuke and Ino were actually surprised by seeing the two having a friendly conversation between them for once. But as much as she wanted to continue smiling, Ino was frowning deeply, and she eventually fell into sadness. This resulted in her leaning onto her husband, who accepted her embrace. Sasuke tried to comfort his blonde-haired wife as best as she could.

Ino managed to face her son with eyes of sadness. "I'm sorry Inojin. But the majority of the Leaf's leadership are wary about you now" she said as she loosened herself from her husband. "They have witnessed what horrors you are capable off" she added.

Inojin widened his eyes in surprise, as he remembered what had happened on the snowy tops, as well as what his uncle had told him. This made him filled push his hands against his face, as he understood the picture.

"It's alright, brother. Everyone knows that you are not the bad guy here. It's those Sound ninjas" Shunsuke tried to assure his brother before focusing his attention on their mother. "And besides, we all know that Inojin would never fall into the darkness, especially since he has a family" he said to her.

Ino smiled by seeing her son like this, and she stroked his hair. This made the raven-haired boy hug his mother tightly. "I will always be there for you, boys. No matter what those selfish bastards back home say about you!" she said with determination while expressing bitterness over those who expressed their disdain over her sons. Both Shunsuke and Inojin smiled at their mother.

Sasuke fixed his stern gaze on his wife. "Hey Ino, those boys are old enough to take care of themselves" he said as he was getting tired of her cuddling them. Ino fixed an annoyed look at him and walked towards him with a seductive look on her face. Sasuke only sighed in annoyance by seeing her like this. "You were just stressed four seconds ago. How come you are suddenly so cheerful?" he asked her while seeing Ino standing right before him.

"Why? Because I'm such a lucky wife and mother, Sasuke" she said while kissing him directly on his mouth. Their sons had different reactions to this, although Inojin was in secret disgusted by seeing this.

But as soon as they were done kissing, Sasuke fixed a serious glance on Inojin, who returned it back to him. Surprisingly, Sasuke smirked at him, much to Inojin's confusion. "You have managed to achieve the Mangekyo Sharingan, which is indeed impressive" he surpassingly commended him before changing his smirk to a frown. "But you know nothing about its true power, nor do you know how to perfectly master the Amatareasu. This means that you are not strong enough to surpass me" he said before taking his leave, as he didn't feel like conversing with his son any longer.

As Ino watched her husband leave, she could only wonder whether what he said was true or not. But she patted Inojin on his head and faced him with a motherly smile. "Forget what you father said. I think that deep down, he is impressed by your abilities, even though he hates to openly admit it" she whispered to him. Inojin did not know if he could accept her explanation. But he gave his mother a hug before she left, but not before facing Shunsuke to tell him something. "Do you want to stay with Inojin a little longer? Now that me and your father has had our time with him, your friends can come see Inojin" she asked her youngest twin son.

Shunsuke nodded his head with a smile. "Yeah, I will stay here a little longer. I think Nashiko would at least come here" he answered, making Ino show understanding in return. The blonde-haired woman went outside to catch up with her husband.

This left only Shunsuke and Inojin alone in the room together. There was silence between them, as both brothers had not forgotten about their brief confrontation on the snowy tops. Inojin could still remember Shunsuke standing firm with his Sharingan, while Shunsuke could still remember Inojin's slow descent into darkness.

"Hey Shunsuke" Inojin finally spoke up to his twin brother. Shunsuke faced him with curious eyes. Inojin's face was filled with hints of anger and his twin brother could see that. "I don't know if I am to thank you or not, but next time, don't interfere in my fight" he told him sternly.

Shunsuke frowned by hearing this, but he stood his ground against Inojin. "I was only helping you coming back to your senses, Inojin" he said lowly in return, although he could see that his brother was not listening. This made Shunsuke not motivated to speak to him any longer.

Inside a ruined prison

In this ruined prison, the ANBU-watchers were using this place to interrogate certain shinobis. But right now, they were interrogating the Sound trio. Their sensei, Shinichi Yamauchi was also present, but he was not charged with any crime as he was unaware of his students' actions. The revelation about their schemes had made Shinichi lose faith in his students, as he felt they had disrespected him all along.

Naruto, Konohamaru, Tsunade, Shizune, Yamato, Anko and Ibiki were the ones interrogating them and the ruined building was tightly secured, filled with ANBU-watchers. The Sound trio had admitted their role in creating the death traps, but denied ever stealing the Orb of Asura, although they were in business with the thieves. That is what Naruto and the others wanted to find more about.

The three young shinobis sat on their chairs, being tied up in ropes, while Shinichi stood while being handcuffed by watchers. Rei was not wearing her mascara, thus exposing her true beautiful face, while Yuudai had taken off his gasmask, and it revealed his brown curly hair. They had to cooperate with the Leaf Village's leadership if they wanted to survive, from their perspectives.

"Before we start, the Hokage would like to say something to you three" Naruto told them sternly before focusing his attention towards Tsunade, who was facing the trio with eyes of disapproval.

"Noburu Yakushi, Rei Tsurugi and Yuudai Akado, I cannot express my utter disappointment with what you have committed during the second phase of the Chuunin Exams. I had hoped that you didn't possess the darkness of your fathers, but it seems I was foolish to believe such distant facts" the blonde-haired woman told them sternly while facing them.

Each of the Sound trio was not looking back at her, and was only staring at the ruined floor beneath them. By seeing them ignoring Tsunade, Konohamaru was filled with anger over seeing this and he angrily approached them. Naruto tried to make him stop, but he was prevented by Tsunade, who had decided to let Konohamaru take out his frustration on them.

"Can you three brats please show some damn respect for once!?" he asked them while gritting his teeth. But the trio still didn't respond. "Do you have any idea what you have done!? I swallowed my pride for the sake of you Sound Village-scoundrels, and look at where that got me!" he exclaimed with anger, as the brown-haired man was filled with outrage over what the trio had done. This time, both Yuudai and Rei lifted their faces to see his anger with tired expressions, while Noburu was still facing the ruined floor. Konohamaru sighed in disappointment. "I was right all along. You three carry the stench of Orochimaru and Kabuto within you. I pity you" he surprisingly said in a low voice.

This caught Noburu's attention and he began forming a frown on his face. "You pity us?" he asked lowly, making the adults listen. The four-eyed boy had fixed eyes of anger while facing Konohamaru and this made the brown-haired man confused. "Excuse me, but I didn't expect an arrogant Leaf jounin to understand how our lives has been. And instead of badmouthing my father, you should actually be grateful to what he has done for your pathetic excuse for a village!" the four-eyed boy hit back at him.

Konohamaru felt offended by the grey-haired boy's words. It made him angrily grab Noburu's collar while lowering his head to his level. But he tried to repress his anger while doing so. "Why the hell would I show appreciation to the same man who assisted that pale-skinned bastard in murdering my grandfather!?" he asked with low anger in his voice. Noburu still glared at him in return. "You think that Kabuto was a hero or something? He was a poor victim of Orochimaru's molestation!" he suddenly said and Noburu spit on his face in retaliation.

Before he could explode, Konohamaru was grabbed by Yamato and Anko, who tried to restrain the angered brown-haired man from punching a tied up Noburu. He was furious by this and tried to loosen himself, but to no avail.

"Let go off me! You two understand this, don't you!? You were both molested by Orochimaru!" he barked at them, but they didn't respond to that.

"That's enough, Konohamru!" Tsunade said strictly at him with determined eyes. "Your anger will not be of any use to us. So as Hokage, I must ask you to stay calm and watch, is that clear!?" she commanded him.

The brown-haired man tried to gain Naruto's support, but he couldn't as he saw him staring at him disapprovingly while having his arms crossed. This quickly made Konohamaru realize his mistakes and he hung his head in shame in front of his comrades. The jounin went outside, as he needed time alone. His comrades understood that, including Naruto.

Tsunade returned her gaze on the three Sound ninjas, and motioned Naruto and Yamato to step forward beside her. "We know of what you have accomplished. You made deadly traps throughout the jungle, an act that was forbidden by participating genins like you. Moreover, we found out that you have been co-operating with a new threat" she told them sternly.

Noburu faced her with an annoyed look on his face. "I already told you, we only did what our clients asked us to. They told us that we would be rewarded the Orb of Asura once we had laid out the deadly traps, but we were scammed" he pointed out to her.

"Whether you were scammed or not doesn't really matter in this case" Yamato told them. "You were still cooperating with them" Yamato told them. The brown-haired man suddenly faced Shinichi, who stood in handcuffs. "You were not involved in any of their schemes. But I would really like to ask you something, Shinichi Yamauchi" he told him and motioned the watchers to bring him over to Yamato.

The man with black beard was calm, as he didn't try anything stupid. But he nodded in respect to Yamato's wish as he was brought before him. This made him, Tsunade and Naruto smile, as they admired his manners and his ability to show humility.

Naruto stepped forward to face him. "From what we have seen, you're much different shinobi than your students" he said in amusement. "Konohamaru even admits that you're interesting" he said while mentioning his comrade.

"I humbly thank you, Master Naruto Uzumaki" Shinichi said with respect, thus surprising the blonde-haired man. He then briefly faced Konohamaru with a nod directed towards him. "And I will thank Konohamaru Saurtobi when he's finished with his time for himself" he said.

Tsunade mused by seeing this. "This one holds Naruto in high regard, and he speaks of Konohamaru like he's an acquaintance of him. Very odd to find such personality coming from a Sound jounin" she thought in her head.

Yamato then cleared his throat to speak up. "Alright, what we would like you to do is to tell us about…the Sound Village" he said, thus catching Shinichi by surprise. He raised an eyebrow to why he would do that. Yamato smiled. "There are some of us who refuse to believe that all who comes from the Sound Village carries Orochimaru's taint along with them. And we have seen it in you, as you are nothing like them. Not selfish, not scheming, and loyal to his students, even though heartbroken by their disloyalty" he explained his reasons for doing so.

Shinichi looked at the Hokage, who was smiling at him in return. "We want to know why your hidden village continued to exist, even though it's most prominent members disappeared from the face of the world" she told him.

Ibiki surprisingly smiled at Shinichi too. "Let me assure you that me and my boys won't torture you or your students" he assured him out of the open.

Realizing that the Hokage and Naruto would listen to him, Shinichi knew that he had to tell them everything so he took a deep breath before beginning. "After the Fourth Shinobi World War, when Orochimaru and Kabuto disappeared, their former test subjects in their labs began regaining their freedom and liberated the other prisoners held within the Sound Village's compounds" he told them with honesty.

Yamato suddenly widened his eyes when he heard this. "Wait…were you one of Orochimaru's test subjects?" he asked him out of curiosity.

"No. But my father, Shin Yamauchi used to be one. H, along with other freed slaves and test subjects, reestablished the Village Hidden in the Sound, but it was different" he told them, much to everyone's surprises. "Even though their original motives were to destroy what Orochimaru had created, they could not help but to realize how this hidden village could actually help its country" he told them further.

Naruto's eyes widened, as he remembered something his late master Jiraiya had told him in the years he was on a journey training with him. "Oh I know. Pervy Sage told me about this country of yours once" he said while facing Shinichi. "The Land of Sound, or the Land of Rice Fields as it was called before, was a country plagued by chaos. Orochimaru convinced its corrupted feudal lord to establish his hidden village there, insisting that it would increase his influence, but the feudal lord was wrong" he said grimly.

"You are correct. Orochimaru only sought to expand his own influence through his studies and experiments. But after he and Kabuto disappeared, the free people decided to use the hidden village to help its troubled nation, something Orochimaru had never bothered to. After exterminating his machinations, the Village Hidden in the Sound was reborn under a new and caring leader: Hide Kinuta. Like my father, he was also a former test subject and slave, until he guided us to freedom" the bearded jounin told Naruto, who was somewhat amazed by his explanation.

Tsunade mused by hearing this. "From what you tell us, your hidden village went through a big reformation. You were once slaves and Guinea pigs, but eventually became true shinobis. I am impressed" she complimented his people's effort. "Tell me, is this Hide Kinuta still the leader of your village? Based upon the tone in your voice, you seem to hold him in high regard" she asked him.

Shinichi smiled at her. "He is. And he has done many things for our people" he said and suddenly faced his students with a concerned look on his face. "He even allowed these three kids and their fathers to stay in the Sound Village, with the notable exception for Kabuto, Noburu's father" he explained while facing them.

Naruto studied the kids briefly before speaking to Shinichi. "This young boy with the glasses is Kabuto' son, correct?" he asked him.

"Yes. But he was brought to the village alongside Rei and Yuudai and their fathers. Their fathers were former comrades of Kabuto, Misumi Tsurugi and Yoroi Akado" he revealed to Naruto. "Even they didn't know about Kabuto or Orochimaru's whereabouts" he added.

Rei and Yuudai were watching their sensei as he was quickly accepted by the Hokage. Noburu was still facing the ruined floor, closing his eyes to pretend he was not listening. But he was actually listening to all this talk, even though he didn't show it.

"I can't believe it. From what we know, other smaller hidden villages are still ruled by corrupted and greedy warlords. But the Sound Village is a difference" Naruto remarked after hearing Shinichi's explanation.

Shinichi fixed a grim expression on his face, as he was about to reveal something Naruto and Tsunade would definitely like to know. "There is something I've neglected to tell you, something that may have led to all this…..madness" he explained to them, and all their eyes were on him with question marks. "It happened last year…..when our village was visited by three strangers dressed in white" he told them grimly.

Something hit Yamato in the head as he heard what Shinichi said. "Three strangers, what did they look like?" he asked him.

"At first, they wore white hoods, but once they removed them, we could see what they really were. They had blue eyes, black markings around their necks and enormous amounts of chakra. They were almost identical to the Sage of the Six Path himself, although they had younger appearances" he answered while describing the strangers that had visited their village.

Naruto and the others suddenly got a feeling that what Shinichi was telling them about, could be those strangers who trespassed into Gaara's office to declare war, as well as stealing the Orb of Asura. It just had to be them!

"What were those strangers after?" Naruto asked him.

"At the meeting me Lord Hide and I had with the strangers, one of them, the white-haired man, tried to convince us to pledge our village and its people to their holy Brotherhood of the Blue Moon. They preached about domination and conquest in over the world" Shinichi told them while recalling the meeting he had participated in. "But we aggressively rejected his call for unity, as we could see that they were manipulative, no different from Orochimaru" he told them further.

Naruto and the others showed appreciation for his answer. "We thank you for sharing this information with us, Shinichi. Whoever you are, you have done us a great service, as we needed to hear this" the blonde-haired man expressed his thanks with his cheeky grin.

Tsunade stepped beside him. "Earlier, we interrogated your students and they told us a lot of interesting details about those strangers. Would you like to know what we found out?" she asked him, while Shinichi briefly fixed disapproving glances on his students. He then faced the Hokage and nodded his head. "Unlike the majority of your village, these kids disagreed with your leadership turning down the brotherhood's offer" she said while facing the trio.

But both Rei and Yuudai snapped their heads by hearing this and faced them defiantly. "That's bullshit! It was all Noburu's idea!" Rei tried to pin her blame on her four-eyed teammate.

"Yeah, it was his dealership with those blue-eyed freaks that messed things up! We only got dragged into his schemes by the promise of power!" Yuudai joined his black-haired teammate in pinning the blame on Noburu.

But the grey-haired boy surprisingly didn't care that his teammates were doing that. He had begun facing Naruto, his sensei and the other adults with a defiant look on his face. This indicated that he did not regret his actions, much to his sensei's disappointment.

"Why would you do that, boy?" Shinichi asked him lowly. "Did you honestly believe that working with this brotherhood would be beneficial to our people? You and your father share many similarities, Noburu Yakushi" he told him, much to the young boy's anger.

"Shut up, you damned vagabond! My father was an outcast, always deemed not useful by his comrades, especially when he served the Leaf Village!" Noburu barked in return. He suddenly faced Naruto. "This Will of Fire you Leaf ninjas keep rambling about, are not even worth shit! Didn't my father deserve to be considered as one of the ninjas who inherited this will!? He was never honored! Only Orochimaru could see the potential in him" he went ton badmouthing the effect that most ninjas considered valuable.

Naruto couldn't help but to sympathize with the young boy as he was glaring at them with anger. He was just a victim of the darkness that this world had. Naruto understood this, as the world consisted of both light and darkness.

To be continued…

Author's note: Surprised by reading this, huh? I was focused on the second interrogation the Sound ninjas had with Naruto and co. I will explain what will happen with the different teams and what effects it will have on the Chuunin Exams. We may also get to see the Sound Village in future chapters.