Okay all, here is the next Chapter! I am very sorry it took so long for this one, and that it is so short. I was pretty much done with a really long chapter and my laptop conveniently decided to crash. I of course had no back up. So this Chapter is part of what I had (or as close to it as I remember). While I would have liked to re-write the whole thing and give a really long Chapter I wanted to get something up so you guys know that I haven't abandoned this. Don't expect the next installment for a least a week and a half because I really want to get all of what I had plus more in the next one.

So thank you to all that have followed and Favored and thank you to all of you that have posted reviews and/or have messaged me about this story, I love hearing what everyone thinks. I also try to message everyone that does review to say thanks and answer any questions, so don't hesitate.

So here it goes, I don't own Naruto, not money is made, and I hope you all enjoy!

Where Loyalties Lie: Chapter 6

Tenzo stood next to The Hokage, awaiting his next orders, watching as Umino Iruka, Nara Shikaku and Shikamaru exited the office. To say the ANBU was annoyed was an understatement. As a member of the ANBU and part of ROOT at a young age, Tenzo was diligently trained to recognize abnormalities in everything, and this was something that he excelled in. Nothing escaped the Cat-Masked Man, it didn't matter how trivial the detail seemed, he noticed it, because he knew that anyone that misses the small things will start missing the larger ones too. Which meant that everything about today needed further analysis, because nothing made sense. The moment that the Hokage summoned every available ANBU, questions started to form and as of yet, none of them were answered. Naturally, this had his mind reeling, trying to figure out the young girl and why she caused the normally pleasant Hokage, and his normally stoic Captain to throw murderous, and in Senpai's case mutinous, tantrums.

Tenzo frowned behind his mask as he stood next to the Hokage's desk, contemplating the information he was allowed to witness today. Although a missing Jinchuriki did warrant a full ANBU search, and those responsible did deserve the Sandaime's ire, what bothered him was the way some responded. His Captain should not be as emotionally compromised from the disappearance of Uzumaki Naruto as he was. He should not have held a kunai to his superior's throat, he should not have threatened the Academy instructor, and more importantly even if he was emotionally invested in the girl he should not have been showing it. And what bothered him more than anything was that the Hokage was letting this all happen, looking amused at the Elite ANBU Captain's behavior. Behind his mask the frown he wore deepened.

"Now Tenzo," the Hokage said, as he shuffled papers around in his desk, searching for something, "Tell me, what has you scowling into the floor right now?"

The ANBU almost let out an audible gasp, and if he was a lesser Shinobi, he would have.

"It is nothing Hokage-sama, I apologize for my misconduct."

Hiruzen sighed, "If only all the shinobi of this village had your discipline." He snorted then, "Well…" he admitted to the ANBU, "One shinobi in particular, I'm sure you can guess wh- Oh! There they are."

Tenzo had never been happier to be wearing his ANBU mask, he doubted he would be able to keep the outright confusion he was feeling off of his face, and surely the Hokage didn't need to see that.

The Sandaime stood from his desk then, three square pieces of paper in his hand, Tenzo watched as he inspected the scraps of paper which were decorated in odd symbols. Seals. Obviously satisfied with his findings the Hokage stood abruptly and motioned for the ANBU to follow him.

The duo were almost out of the tower when Tenzo's curiosity got the better of him, "May I ask you a question Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime only nodded.

"Well, Hokage-sama, if finding Uzumaki is of utmost importance…why are we walking?

The Hokage laughed loudly at his question, amusement etched onto the old man's face, "Like I said before I need to give your Captain enough time."

"Enough time for what exactly, Hokage-sama?" he asked, his skepticism apparent.

"Let me put it this way Tenzo, I spent weeks trying to figure out who would teach Naruto, I hand-picked Iruka and Mizuki to be her instructors this year, why those two? Because I trusted them to put any prejudices behind them and actually teach the girl. Not only has this not happened, but one of them planned, from the beginning it seems, to harm her. I do not want this man arrested, I want him dead." The Sandaime ignored the gasp that escaped Tenzo, "An idea that both myself and your Captain share."

"I.." the masked man started, choosing not to comment on the fact that the Hokage wanted one of his Shinobi dead, "It is obvious why it is important to keep a close eye on Uzumaki, but what I don't understand is why both you and Senpai were so...distraught."

"Well, I can tell you my reasoning at least."

"I appreciate your faith in me Hokage-sama."

"As I'm sure you could tell, both myself and Hound are…attached…to Naruto." The man in the cat mask nodded to the Sandaime, "I think of her as a granddaughter, I knew the day that she became the Jinchuriki she would be hated. Many are scared of her, not able to separate the girl from the demon, so instead of keeping out of her life, I became a constant presence in it, as long as I am around that little girl knows there is someone that cares for her."

Tenzo nodded at the Hokage's words, he understood too well the feeling of isolation, of loneliness.

"And Senpai?" he asked.

The Hokage brought his left hand to his face, dragging it down, and sighed, "Your Captain's case requires an explanation that is much more complex." He nodded to a small house with one window broken, "An explanation that will have to wait for another time."

"I understand, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage didn't quite know what to expect when he finally crossed the threshold of the small house (cat had already jumped through the broken window to unlock the front door) but he did not expect the house to be so welcoming. As soon as they figured out who kidnapped his Sunshine, the Sandaime's mind formed a very real image of how Mizuki should be. The house should be dirty, he should be seeing dried blood splattered on the walls, cockroaches and rats should be dancing on the floor with little regard for the presence of humans, but the house that should look like it was home to a mad man, didn't. It was open and airy, although the house was cramped, it was tidy. The Hokage scowled as he looked around the living room with pale yellow walls, pristine furniture and an assortment of flowers decorating each available surface. A dark spot on the immaculate cream colored carpet drew the Hokage's attention, he crouched down to investigate further, "Blood." He said, old bones cracking loudly as he stood up, "Search the bedrooms." The ANBU set off without a response.

Reaching into his pocket, Hiruzen pulled out one of the small seals he grabbed earlier. The Hokage always found himself in awe of Jiraiya's work, although he was no amateur in fuuinjutsu he never seemed to be able to have as much finesse as his student. Pushing out a small amount of Chakra as his right hand pressed the seal to the wall, he watched intently as barely visible lines spread out across the walls, they reached to the sealing, crawled across the floor, and disappeared down the small hallway, searching for other areas, when finished the intricate designs glowed bright blue for a few seconds and then were gone. He turned to the ANBU when the seal was completely activated, the younger man had re-entered the living room after his quick search of the bedrooms down the hall.

"Nothing, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime nodded and walked into the kitchen, the only room they hadn't searched, at that far wall was a doorway. And it was open.

Although Mizuki's home thoroughly surprised The Hokage, the basement did not. He knew he would find the Academy instructor dead, even in Kakashi's exhausted state the man was too skilled a shinobi for the Chunin to pose any type of threat. He also knew, based on the fact that the house was eerily quiet, that the ANBU Captain most likely passed out from said exhaustion after he secured Naruto's safety. The only unknown was Naruto, she could be severely injured, unconscious, or even (Hiruzen did not even want to think about it) dead.

The Hokage spared only a glance at the dead Chunin in the corner before he found himself kneeling next to the little blond, checking for a pulse, Tenzo was next to him looking for the same in Kakashi. The Sandaime let out the breath that he was holding when he felt the pounding underneath his fingertips.

"Senpai has a pulse Hokage-sama," he paused before he added, "Naruto?" he asked, question clear in his voice.

"Alive." The Hokage barely chocked out the word, his voice rough with emotion, it was then that he realized that he was crying, tears dropping onto the little girl's marked cheeks.

"I'm so, so sorry Sunshine." Whispered the Hokage, as he gently brushed away the few strands of hair that fell over her eyes.

Hiruzen, knowing that he wasn't helping the broken girl on the floor fought back his tears, and started to look over the six year old, he was only vaguely aware that ANBU next to him was assessing Kakashi's injuries as well. His Sunshine was scraped and bruised, the ninja wire that she had obviously been wrapped in left small slashes all over the bright orange jacket she wore, blood seeping through the thick fabric. It took the Hokage longer than it should have to realize that something wasn't right. Naruto's injuries should not be bleeding, they should be fully healed, the Kyuubi's chakra should have at least sealed the smaller wounds all over her body, and even though the cuts on her cheeks were considerably deeper, those should at least be partially healed.

At that moment the Hokage noticed a small glass jar of purple liquid, barely a foot from her head, and a single kunai. Purple and red swirled on the edge of the blade as he, very carefully, picked it up, and then promptly threw it on the cement floor when he realized that the red substance was Naruto's blood, and it was this Kunai that tortured the small child. The jar was in his hand next, the sweet scent assaulting the Sandaime, as he drew it closer to his nose, "Mizuki poisoned her." The Hokage spit out as he tightened the lid (the one that he found conveniently placed on the floor) onto the small container, killing intent bleeding into his words.

"We need to get them to the hospital."

Hiruzen nodded at the ANBU, "Can you carry The Captain?"

"Yes Hokage-Sama." Tenzo answered, as he moved to place his unconscious Senpai over his shoulder.

The Hokage, very carefully picked up the small girl, trying hard not to aggravate any injuries, and brought her closely to his chest. Satisfied that she was secure in his arms he turned to Tenzo and his unconscious Captain, "Don't worry Tenzo, we will not be walking this time."

And with that the Hokage was gone in a swirl of leaves.

So there it is Tenzo and The Hokage, I'd love to hear how everyone feels about Tenzo's part. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, so knowing what you guys think will help me decide if I am going to write more from his perspective in the future. The next Chapter will be much more interesting, I promise. I really just wanted to get something up for everyone reading this.

Also to the guest that left a review (I hope you are still reading). Thanks for your compliments on my writing style and of young Shikamaru, He is one of my favorites so I am trying hard to do him justice. I won't go into detail with some of your questions because i am writing this publicly and I don't want to upset other readers by going into it more than I should. I will say this though because it doesn't give away any information on the future of the story, just my reasoning behind it, plus many people have messaged me about Mizuki and the scars.

I will be getting into some canon eventually, but I am focusing this story more on developing relationships and other's motives as opposed to completely re-writing canon events. Sorry you didn't like what has taken place, I wrote her whisker marks being scars because I can't get behind "birth marks". Even IF they could have been a result of the Fox's chakra in the womb, I still feel that scars make much more sense.

Also If anyone(guest or otherwise) has any questions, i won't go into too much detail but you can message me here or my gmail: xxurbanmanateexx

Thanks all!