Sum of our Parts
Broken Ties
Big thanks to all my readers.
***I still do not own Naruto if I did the female characters would have been way more important. ***
"Le gasp!" normal talking
'das fuken?' normal thinking
set-you-on-fire-no-jutsu: Jutsu and other techniques
"I will murder you!" Tailed beast/demonic voice
***SooP***
The two sisters stood frozen in place, their eyes focused on those they trusted most in the room.
"N-Natsuko, Akane this isn't…" Hinata called out to the two sisters, trying to save the destruction of her friendship with the two girls.
The blonde just slowly shook her head back and forth, tears pouring down her face at the betrayal she felt in her heart.
A second later she ran from the room.
Akane, however, narrowed her eyes to a glare that would have caused even the most experienced of Shinobi to take a step backwards in fear.
"This is why I hate this village." Was all she whispered out, before turning and leaving to chase after her sister.
Hiruzen swore under his breath, before glancing toward the white haired Sanin, who had lowered his eyes towards the floor in shame.
"Jiraiya…"
The toad summoner lifted his head, and for the first time Hiruzen saw defeat in the man's eyes.
"Yeah…" with that the man took off after the two, hoping to catch up to them and try to make amends for yet another series of wrongs in the young girls lives.
The remaining individuals in the room were still silent.
The Genin were all trying to come to terms with the facts that had just been revealed.
The Jonin who had been left in the dark were wondering how they had never noticed the familiar resemblance.
The Council members…
"This changes nothing. In fact if anything this only make a better case for the CRA to be implemented!" one of the civilian remarked, snapping the various Ninja out of their thoughts and creating a target for the room to focus in on.
"Absolutely not! If you think that my granddaughters are going to be used as breeding stock then…"
"Your granddaughters?!" Ino interrupted Tsunade, as the others also gaped at the woman.
"How do you think the girl has Mokuton, I thought it would be fairly obvious by now." Shikaku stated.
"So you are related to Kushina then…" Asuma muttered out, connecting the dots in his mind.
The slug Sanin shook her head.
"No, Minato was my son."
Again eyes widened in shock.
"B-but that's…"
"It was after Dan died, I briefly fell in love with another man who reminded me of him, a Namikaze. Through that brief affair I was given a child."
"This means that they are biologically related to three major clans as well as three Hokages…" Danzo mumbled, a plan already forming in his mind to exploit the girls.
"I call for a vote on whether to enact the CRA on the two de-brats." One of the civilians shouted, earning nods of agreement from several others.
"You can't be serious…" Anko shook her head in disbelief and rage.
***SooP***
Meanwhile Natsuko was running as fast as her legs could carry her, she had to get away from everyone, from everything.
How many people had known? How many people had she and her sister trusted with their hopes and dreams only for them to be crushed.
Was it some sick joke, another way to torment the 'demon brats'?
'Slow down Nastuko-chan, you can't run without purpose, you need to find somewhere safe to think.'
'I can't stop Kyuubi-chan, I can't…. it hurts so much…'
'I know, but you need to give Akane a chance to catch up, she still isn't recovered fully and you making her run like this is only going to make things worse.'
The blonde's eyes widened as she stopped at a nearby alley and glanced back to where she saw her sister about a block behind, struggling to catch up with her, while holding her chest wound.
"Akane-chan…" Natsuko muttered out, before jogging back to the redhead, who halted to catch her breath.
"You shouldn't have chased after me onee-chan it isn't good for your wounds."
"Did you really think I was just going to let you run off by yourself?" The girl asked, all while gasping for air.
"Come on let's get somewhere safe where we can relax. Kyuubi-chan has an idea where."
The redhead nodded before the two walked off into the shadows.
***SooP***
"All in favor?" Danzo called out.
Most of the civilians raised their hands.
"Aye" called out Shikaku Nara, despite knowing that the girls were not demons he had to act in the best interest of his clan and the village.
"Aye" Chouza Akimichi joined in, knowing that the three clans were too important to allow them to be destroyed by chance.
"Aye" Hizashi Hyuga declared, already planning on his son being one of those chosen.
"Aye" Mikoto Uchiha spoke, softly but full of determination. She knew what this meant for the girls but she also knew the importance of keeping a clan intact. The CRA had already been discussed for her sons.
"Aye" Tsume reluctantly whispered out. Despite knowing what was going to happen to them she couldn't risk the village's future for the lives of two young girls. Hopefully they would forgive her someday.
"Nay" Inoichi roared out in anger, he couldn't believe his friends were voting yes to such a deplorable thing.
"Inoichi why…"
"How can you even ask me that?" The man growled at the Akimichi leader, who lowered his head in shame. "If the situation were different would you be voting on my daughter to be raped?"
"That's…"
"Nay" Hiruzen growled out, casting his vote as Hokage.
"Nay" Asuma also voted. Despite his few interactions with the girls he knew exactly who had saved his father's life. He could never do such a thing to children, especially those who sacrificed themselves for the safety of his family.
"Nay" Tsunade also declared.
"I am sorry lady Tsunade, but the Sanin are not given a vote in these proceedings, and you have been out of the village for too long, thus nullifying your vote as Senju head." Danzo replied with a smirk, earning a death glare from the woman.
A few of the civilians voted no but the majority was in favor of passing
"Well then it appears as though…"
"Actually Danzo-San you are forgetting something." Surprisingly it was Itachi who interrupted.
"You have no right to speak here boy, despite your record as one of our…"
"He is a clan heir Danzo, which means he does carry the right to speak during these meetings." Hiruzen interrupted, gesturing for the Uchiha to proceed.
"You are forgetting three major clans and their votes. The Senju, the Uzumaki, and the Namikaze, since their lineage has been revealed the two sisters are now the heirs and leaders of the three clans."
"They cannot vote on the act concerning themselves!" a civilian roared out in protest.
"True, but you are voting on initiating the CRA with the girls themselves, not the clans the individual clans. As such you are combining three different issues into one, and if I recall correctly 'any attempts to keep a clan from voting in a council discussion that does not directly affect them is illegal.' You wouldn't be attempting to do such a thing would you council member?" Itachi inquired, in a dangerously low tone.
"O-of course not! However the girl's are not here which means…"
"Which means that their vote goes to their closest living relative… which I believe would be one Tsunade Senju if I am not mistaken."
The blonde Kunoichi grinned menacingly.
"I vote nay, three times." The Sanin called out with a grin.
"It does not matter, even with these votes the vote still passes." Danzo reminded the room.
"True… however I notice that Jiraiya has been gone for quite a long time now…" Itachi noted curiously.
***SooP***
"What are we going to do onee-chan? They knew… all of them knew this entire time and no one told us…"
"What do you think we should do Natsuko?"
'This decision is up to you Natsuko-chan, we both know that no matter what you choose Akane will follow you to the ends of the earth if that is what you decide.'
'This can't just be up to me though her life will be just as affected…'
"I-I don't know anymore… you always have the best instincts when it comes to these type of things Akane-chan, what should I do?"
"You should follow what your heart tells you to do." The redhead whispered out after a few moments of silence.
"I don't know who to trust anymore…"
"I hope you can still trust me." A voice called out, causing the two girls to spin around from their place on the Hokage monument and face the intruder.
Jiraiya came walking from the nearby tree line.
"You knew…" Akane growled out accusingly.
The Sanin nodded sadly.
"Yes… and I wanted to tell you believe me I did it's just that… your mother and father had a lot of enemies and I knew that once your heritage was revealed they would force the CRA issue."
"What's the…" the blonde began, before her sister chimed in.
"The Clan Restoration Act, it is enacted when a major clan is reduced to a very small population and is designed to preserve bloodlines. It forces the few remaining members to breed and produce children with no regards for their wants." Akane growled out.
"A glorified rape act created back during the wars, back when survival of the village and military power were deemed more important than anything else." Jiraiya nodded in confirmation, silently cursing the Second Hokage for creating such a thing.
"How do you know about it Akane?" The white haired man inquired.
"I overheard discussions about it one day. When I found out about Natsuko's 'gift' I broke into the library and I knew that she had to keep it a secret."
"That's why no one knew about her ability to do Mokuton. You realized what they would do to her…"
"Exactly." The redhead nodded, while shifting closer to her sister in a protective way.
"Listen you don't need to worry about me, I swear. I am not going to let that happen to either of you. Right now the council is going to be initiating a vote and if they pass that 'act' I will be taking the two of you out of Konoha."
"Where will we go Jiraiya-Sensei?" the blonde asked hesitantly.
"You let me worry about that, I may be a bit of a pervert but I am also Konoha's greatest spymaster. I always had a suspicion that they might try this on the two of you when they learned about your heritage so I had backup plans setup should we ever need to leave."
"So what is the plan then Jiraiya-San?"
The man smiled at the trust the girl was now placing with him.
"Go back to your apartment and quietly pack anything you want from it. After tonight I doubt you will ever see it again."
***SooP***
"This is ridiculous! Hiruzen deploy the ANBU immediately and have them retrieve the girls!" Danzo shouted, losing his cool attitude at the thought of his newest plans being ruined.
"Excuse me?"
The room fell silent at the tone that was returned, while The Third slowly stood and walked around the council table.
It was not the same Hiruzen that everyone had known though, each step was measured, calculated.
He seemed more like a predator circling his prey than a kindly old man.
The God of Shinobi was awake once more.
"I must have misheard you Danzo, surely you did not give me an order of how to deploy my ANBU."
There was no rise in volume, no killing intent released, there was no threat directly stated.
Still everyone in the room grew fearful of this man.
"O-of course not Hokage-Sama, but the council has voted and…"
"Then the council members may go and retrieve them if they are so eager to do so." The Hokage responded to the civilian.
The non-Shinobi who had voted 'yes' paled at this declaration.
Even the Ninja seemed reluctant to speak up. Jiraiya might have been a pervert and a bit of a weirdo but he was still a Sanin for a reason.
"B-but Hokage-Sama, the ANBU are here to serve the will of the village as well as yours. Surely they should be deployed to…"
A chuckling interrupted the random civilian's protest.
"Jiraiya of the Sanin is a six foot three inches tall man with waste length white hair. He is one of the most successful authors in the world and one of its best known perverts. He is probably one of the five most recognizable Ninja alive today." Itachi called out.
This only further encouraged those in favor of the CRA, causing many of them, Danzo included, to smirk at how easy the task truly would be.
"And yet, how many times as he slipped past border patrols in how many countries? He has infiltrated every Ninja village in existence and escaped without detection. He has contacts in every town and in every nation, speaks every local dialect, and knows every custom. He will blend in, disappear, you will never see him again. They could easily live off of the income from his current books for the rest of their lives without issue. That is even if you could find enough Ninja to send after them. The ANBU are loyal to three people, The Hokage, Kakashi whom many view as their only true Captain, and myself who the rest view as a hero. None of us are going to ask them to retrieve the girls. Most of the Jonin have either trained them or owe them for saving their Genin. Hell even many of their classmates have been saved by them, my brother included."
"Of course this is completely pointless to begin with. Jiraiya doesn't even need to hide. Natsuko has signed the Toad summoning contract and as far as I have been told they have welcomed Akane with open arms as well. The three of them could live at Mount Myoboku for the rest of their lives without problem and if any of you get the stupid idea of trying to forcibly take them from there then remember this, there are three 'sacred' places for all Summonings. Places that all have agreed upon even despite their differences, taking an army to that mountain is the equivalent of declaring war on the Summonings themselves. At best you would break all current contracts in the Shinobi world, at worst you risk a war that no nation could win." Tsunade chimed in with a smirk.
Several moments passed while the various leaders thought in silence.
"Then what do we do?" Chouza asked quietly.
"Pray that they someday decide to come back to this Kami forsaken place."
***SooP***
The various Genin sat shocked at how the meeting had gone so far.
Those who had parents who had voted 'yes' were disgusted beyond belief, many of them knowing exactly what they were voting on.
Those few whose parents had disagreed were still outraged that the idea had even come up.
Choji felt like vomiting at his father's vote, while Shikamaru had a look of being betrayed in his eyes.
Neji could only wonder how their clan had fallen to such low levels as forcing young girls to produce children against their will.
The various Kunoichi felt mixtures of betrayal, horror, and fury that their classmates were being considered for such a vile thing.
***SooP***
"Alright is that everything?" The white haired man inquired, seeing the two girls with backpacks approaching him.
"Yes, everything we care to bring with us." The redhead nodded in confirmation.
"Alrighty then, let's get this show on the road, we have a lot of ground to cover before…"
"Where are you headed Jiraiya?" the slug Sanin called out from nearby.
The redhead was instantly on guard, narrowing her eyes in suspicion towards the woman.
"Ah hime how are you? I'm surprised the meeting is over so soon."
"It isn't, but considering I haven't been in the village for years I don't have much to talk about with any of those bastards."
"I see your point, so why are you here then?"
"I came to see my two grandchildren."
The woman took a step towards the two sisters, only to receive glares in response.
"You don't get to call us that, you were never there for us growing up so we have no interest in you being here now." Surprisingly it was the blonde Uzumaki who growled the response towards the woman.
Tsunade winced before nodding sadly.
"I know, I realize you have no reason to trust or even care about me but… I am trying to make amends for not being there, could you give me a chance at least?"
The two nodded slowly, still fixing their gaze on the woman.
"Thank you, I have agreed to take over the mantle of Hokage so that Sensei can finally retire. Hopefully I will be able to keep Konoha away from you. Any idea if you will ever come back to Konoha?
"That depends on what happens in this village Hokage-Sama." The white haired man replied with a grin, earning him a glare from the woman, "It appears our location has been discovered though, so unless either of you want to speak with your team again we should get moving." Jiraiya remarked, before glancing towards the two sisters.
"We have no team." The redhead muttered out, before walking away from the village, with the Sanin and her sister following closely behind.
***SooP***
A few minutes later the newest Hokage ran into the remains of Kurenai's team, along with Anko.
"Greetings Hokage-Sama we were just passing by and were wondering…" Kurenai was quickly interrupted by her remaining student, who did appear to have the time or patience for the pleasant conversation.
"Have you seen Akane-chan or Natsuko-chan?"
The woman looked sadly at the young Hyuga girl before giving out a sigh.
"I'm sorry Hinata, they have already left. It appears that they no longer wish to be a part of this village and I can't say I blame them."
The blonde paused before glancing over the three Kunoichi, "You three knew… didn't you?"
"Yes…" Anko muttered out, directing her gaze at the ground in guilt.
"I see now why they did not wish to say 'goodbye'. Even I knew that the girl's one true wish in life was to know about their family."
The Senju shook her head sadly before returning to the village, leaving the three to stare sadly into the night.
***SooP***
"I should have told them…" Anko muttered out, as she stared at the full bottle of sake.
"You know it was forbidden to do so, it's not your fault Anko…" Kurenai responded, trying to break her friend's depression.
"To hell with 'forbidden', the Hokage should have told them!" The snake summoner roared out, before turning back to the bottle she had originally bought with the intent of getting drunk. "I could have at least told them they were loved… that isn't against the rules is it? It wouldn't have been breaking some big S-rank secret or started a massive war, just to let two orphans know that their parents loved them…"
The red eyed Jonin nodded slightly before staring down at her lap. She knew that her best friend was correct, they should have damned the consequences and just told the girls, or at least given them enough hints for them to figure it out. The Hokage was not cruel enough to punish them for helping the two sisters.
Now though her team was in ruins.
Two members leaving the village, maybe permanently.
The other Genin having become so depressed that she hadn't left her room in days.
Anko barely holding on to her own sanity.
It was a mess of catastrophic consequences. Not only for them but the village as a whole, with three promising Kunoichi's futures in the balance and two more having emotional instability there could very well be a push to begin excluding females from the Ninja training programs on the basis of being ineffective.
Kurenai was not going to let that happen.
***SooP***
Hinata took a deep breath, calming her nerves, before knocking on the doors to the Hokage's office.
"Enter" the voice called from the other side, prompting the young Hyuga to walk in with as much confidence as she could muster.
Before the Kunoichi sat the current Hokage, Tsunade Senju, along with the previous Hiruzen Sarutobi who appeared to be helping her make the transition.
"Ah Hinata Hyuga, please have a seat, what can I do for you today." The blonde asked in a friendly manner.
"Train me."
The two older Ninja's eye brows raised in surprise at the tone the young girl had used.
"What was that?"
"You heard me I want you to train me."
"I already have an apprentice, along with several requests from various other Kunoichi for personal training including two of your classmates, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno. Why should I choose you over them?"
"Because I am different than they are." Hinata shot back, almost in an angry tone.
"No doubt, but I am missing as to why…"
"Because they want training to impress their 'boyfriend' Sasuke Uchiha, they want to be trained by you because it sounds 'cool' and because they want to be like you."
"I don't see any problem in that, do you Sensei?" The blonde asked, masking a smile as she glanced towards the man, who replied with a knowing smirk.
"You do not want another Tsunade Senju, you want an apprentice who will take what you teach and develop it rather than copying it. You want someone who will continue your legacy and improve upon it. I can do that." Hinata answered, her confidence slightly wavering before images of her two teammates brought it back in force.
"An interesting proposition, but why do you think that Ino or Sakura wouldn't do that."
"Neither one of them take their training seriously. Undoubtedly you have heard the reports of their match during the Chunin exams, it was a disgrace to Kunoichi everywhere. Sakura barely showed above graduation level skill and wields no Jutsus save for those required to become a Genin. Ino was only slightly better due to her usage of the Yamanaka clan Jutsu. Neither one of them train apart from their teams, neither one of them strive to become better. They simply wait for their 'knight in shining armor' to rescue them from harm." The bluenette pointed out, earning a subtle smile from the eldest Shinobi in the room.
He knew that Hinata would be an excellent choice for Tsunade's apprentice as soon as he learned of her interest in medical Jutsu and willingness to train and learn.
"Hmm all good points, I will tell you what Hinata, I am going to leave this decision up to you and your fellow Genin. We will have a group match between you three tomorrow at ten o' clock, training ground one. There you will all be given the opportunity to show me what you have learned."
The girl nodded before running off to prepare.
As soon as the door shut Tsunade practically squealed in happiness.
"Can you imagine it Sensei? A medic-nin with my skill and the Byakugan's ability to see Chakra flows and the internal workings of the body, a Kunoichi with my super strength combined with the lightning precision and speed of the Juken? She could become the poster child for all Kunoichi to aspire to, bringing about a new age for us women. I was a bit worried with the other two, but with Hinata… the only way this could be better for the village is if the two Uzumaki girls had been able to stay and develop as they should have been."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement with his student, a slight frown forming on his face at the loss of the two girls he considered his granddaughters.
***SooP***
The next morning found the two Hokages, along with the Jonin Sensei, their students, and the parents of those participating, or in Hinata's case Hizashi, all situated at the designated training ground.
Anko and Kurenai were busy discussing last minute strategies with Hinata, both having become extremely excited for the girl when they had been told about her opportunity.
Hinata was originally reluctant to explain the situation, not wanting to upset her Sensei or make it seem as though she was abandoning the woman.
Kurenai just waived her worries off though, claiming that this was an opportunity that no one should miss out on, and promising to continue training Hinata should she request it.
Hinata promised that she would be spending what little free time she was left with doing just that. She was very much aware that she had learned but a small portion of what she could from both Anko and Kurenai.
Ino also looked excited, and appeared to be ignoring the last minute planning with her Sensei and team. Instead she was alternating between glaring at her two opponents, and staring at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes.
Ino wanted the chance at being the blonde's apprentice for several reasons. First she knew that Sakura was fascinated with her. When the Yamanaka heir won she knew that it would be a serious blow to the pinkette in their rivalry. Plus it would only further cement her goal of being with the Uchiha prodigy.
Sakura was the most nervous of the three, and for good reason. She had barely tied with Ino during the first stage and although Kakashi had offered to find her a teacher while he focused on Sasuke, she had declined in favor of relaxing for the month.
She knew Hinata had only grown stronger.
But she had to win. She had to prove to Sasuke-kun and Kiba that she was just as important to their team as anyone else. If she could obtain training from the legendary Sanin then she could finally get her crush's attention, maybe even his respect.
Hinata had no doubts of victory there was no other outcome that she would accept. She had to win, to become stronger not only for her team, but for herself and her sister. Once she was trained by the Slug summoner her sister would be even safer under her protection. Hinata might even be able to convince Shizune to teach Hanabi in her free time.
***SooP***
"Begin!" Shizune called out, before leaping backwards out of the arena that the Kunoichi now stood in.
Hinata immediately charged Sakura, her Byakugan flaring.
The pinkette's eyes widened in fear as she began leaping backwards to distance herself from her pursuer, hoping that she could figure a strategy out.
Just as Hinata was within a few steps of her target she jumped to the side, allowing the 'Mind Transfer Jutsu' to hit Sakura instead.
Both girls fell to the ground as they battled for mental control, while Hinata simply threw a Kunai at each body.
"The explosive tags are not active, if they were they would both be dead, apparently Ino-San forgot that the Byakugan gives me three hundred and sixty degree vision." The Hyuga called out in a monotone way, before walking to a nearby tree stump and sitting down.
"Uhm Hinata shouldn't you…" Shizune began, before the bluenette glanced over at her.
"This is just a friendly spar correct? Unless the Hokage wants me to coup de grace them?"
"No no this is fine Hinata, though I must say this battle is not nearly as impressive as I thought it would be." The Hokage replied with a sigh.
Asuma and Kakashi both found the ground quite interesting to stare at to hide their embarrassment.
***SooP***
A few minutes passed before the battle of wills came to a draw allowing both Kunoichi to awaken and resume their combat stances.
"I can't lose here Ino, I won't! I am going to win for Sasuke-kun and show everyone that I deserve his heart not you!" Sakura shouted out as she charged her former friend.
Ino growled response before charging as well, "Let's see you prove that forehead!"
The two Genin once more clashed in a Taijutsu match, each one trying to gain the advantage through the use of the academy Jutsu or basic combat styles.
"Kakashi, Asuma what have you been teaching these two?" Tsunade inquired, with a slight edge to her voice.
"Uhhhh teamwork?" Kakashi replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Asuma simply avoided the glare and once again stared at the ground.
"To be fair I did offer to find Sakura a trainer for the break in the exam, but she declined and wanted to take a month off instead." The silver haired man defended, earning a nod from the younger Sarutobi.
"Same here, Ino said she was just going to focus on her clan specific techniques while I worked with Shino and Shikamaru."
"So what did she learn during that month?" the current Hokage directed this question towards the girl's father.
"Don't look at me, I was told she would be training with her Sensei and teammates." The blonde man replied, raising his hands defensively at the question.
Tsunade sighed as she returned her attention to the 'fight'.
"What do you think Shizune?" for the moment the Kunoichi had taken a bit of a break from being referee since the match was obviously non-lethal.
The woman's apprentice took a moment to gaze over the three Kunoichi before answering in a no-nonsense way, "I think we should have had Hinata fight different opponents, this is pathetic."
***SooP***
After a few more minutes of standing at the sidelines the Hyuga charged into the combat, and the match quickly ended.
Neither of the two other Kunoichi were even close to being able to match Hinata in close combat and she tore through them easily.
When questioned why she had waited for so long her reply was simple, "so that they could have a chance to show their own skills."
All in all Tsunade had been impressed… by the bluenette's skills and personality.
She had shown growth at every stage of her career, not only in Ninja skill but also in her personal life. The confidence problems that had been reported during the academy were nonexistent and her drive to become stronger was high than virtually every other Genin that The Hokage had witnessed.
The decision was a simple one from the start.
***SooP***
"I hope you realize what you have gotten yourself into Hinata, the training I am going to put you through will not be easy and I expect results."
"I will not fail you Hokage-Sensei."
'Hmmm Hokage-Sensei, I rather enjoy that title' the blonde mused, before snapping back to the present situation.
"Very well, we will be doing training five days a week from ten in the morning to six at night. Any other time is yours to spend how you wish. We begin tomorrow, dismissed."
***SooP***
"Alright my cute little Genin we will be doing some training today rather than those stuffy D-rank missions, Kiba you and Sasuke begin sparring while I do some solo work with Sakura." Kakashi spoke out with an eye smile, before turning his attention to the Kunoichi.
'Spar? I am an Uchiha, one of the elite. We do not spar with these weaker clans! Kakashi should be training me to become stronger not wasting his time on Sakura. She obviously has no talent' the boy fumed before turning to his opponent.
"Alright Sasuke let's do this!" Kiba shouted in excitement as the two came to blows.
***SooP***
Weeks passed in Konoha as the village settled down into a somewhat awkward peace.
The villagers were happy now that the two 'demons' were gone.
Kakashi and Asuma stepped up their training of Sakura and Ino respectively.
Hinata continued training every day, during the week it would be with Tsunade or Shizune, while the weekends and evenings would be with Anko or Kurenai.
The hole in Team eight had never been properly filled, meaning that the two Jonin were back to taking their level of missions while Hinata would focus on training, hoping one day to see her teammates again.
Meanwhile Sasuke continued to grow frustrated with the lack of individual attention he had grown so accustomed to during the academy and the exams. Kakashi would spend much of his time working with Sakura, or finding her a temporary tutor for when he would work with the other two.
His progression with the Sharingan had come to a screeching halt, while he felt his two teammates getting closer to him in skill with each passing day, perhaps even worse was the fact that Kakashi had absolutely forbid him from trying to utilize the Curse Mark. He had so much power at his fingertips, why was he not trusted enough to tap into it? Were they afraid he would become too powerful, that there would be a new, more powerful Itachi? Why was his training being put on hold for those weaker than him?
It was an outrage.
***SooP***
He had failed his master, and thus far had been left to rot in this cesspool of a village.
Word had reached him that Orochimaru's plan had failed, that the invasion had been stopped and that enemy casualties were high.
The Third had survived and now Tsunade had returned to take over the mantle.
For once Kabuto was actually glad to be safely imprisoned in Konoha, safe from his master's wrath.
A soft thud alerted the white haired traitor to the incapacitation of the guard outside, as the door to his cell opened quietly.
"I was told that you worked for Orochimaru, that you might know how to find him." a voice rang out from the darkness.
The man grinned in a sickly sweet fashion.
"Of course Sasuke-kun, I assume that you have finally realized the truth, that they will never give you the training or strength that you desire?"
"They won't train me at all Kakashi is always training the other two failures while Itachi is busy 'on missions'."
"I'm sorry to hear that Sasuke-kun, believe me when I say that Lord Orochimaru can give you the power you seek, that you deserve. He can grant you abilities that no one can rival. He can give you the strength to surpass your brother."
Sasuke smiled as images of himself sitting behind the Hokage's desk flowed through his mind. Itachi would be his inferior, taking orders from him, acknowledging him as the superior Uchiha. The world would know of his power, his strength.
He made his deal with the devil.
***A/N***
This chapter was a bit harder for me to write than most, my original plan fell apart but I rather like this change to the original.
I am having Tsunade train Hinata, because I found that Sakura was boring as hell even with her training. She turned into a younger Tsunade with no originality. At least Naruto was able to improve upon what Jiraiya had trained him to do.
I actually have received a few really cool suggestions on what to do with Sasuke, but for now he will be following the manga and heading toward the snake Sanin.
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!
