Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.

Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), some moderate Dumbledore bashing (he's more manipulative than evil but mostly just stubborn), and who knows what else.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.

Chapter 13: Reprioritizing

A masked Torifu was chatting companionably with Shibi and Ko while Idate played board games with the three younger children as they waited for news about Shin when the wizards Lupin Remus and Black Sirius arrived looking like they'd spent the entire day fighting the most fearsome demon in the village; paperwork. Torifu smirked beneath his mask as he watched the two men drop down onto the couch without a word. It was always nice to see someone else suffering under the weight of endless paperwork and Torifu knew the two men were helping the newly arrived magicals fill out their citizenship applications.

The masked commander of the AnBu Corps was just contemplating the merits of ribbing the two men about looking like the walking dead when Ibiki stepped out of the hallway nearly an hour after Satoshi had asked everyone to stay out of the guest room (so they didn't distract him at a critical moment). The scarred Jounin was quick to report that Satoshi had just exhausted himself in his efforts to cure the terminal disease that one of the Root orphans had been diagnosed with as he took a seat on the couch. The estimate was that he'd be out for at least a full day due to how far he'd exhausted himself.

Satoshi's little termites were less than pleased to learn that their oniisan wouldn't be up to spending any time with them for another day or two but they were old enough to know whining about it wouldn't change a thing. Not long after learning that Satoshi had exhausted himself, the two Hyuuga took their leave along with Idate who had to be up early for a mission in the morning. Shino and Naruto were sent to bed at the same time as they had class in the morning, which left the adults sitting quietly in the living room bar Kanpou; who had stayed in the guest room to keep an eye on the young man that Satoshi was attempting to cure.

Silence settled over the three shinobi and two wizards as they thought about everything that had happened and everything they had learned since Team Kakashi had returned. After several minutes, Torifu broke that silence as he requested, "Shibi, can you please make certain the room is clear and allow me to put up a privacy barrier?"

A couple minutes later the group was securely tucked behind both a privacy barrier and some very strong magical wards (courtesy of Remus). While Torifu really didn't know the two wizards all that well, he did know that they both were held in high esteem by Satoshi (and his father) and that the fifteen year old considered them family. Knowing that, he felt no need to kick them out of the room even though he planned on discussing sensitive matters (mainly Satoshi's earlier mental evaluation).

"Shibi, has Satoshi spoken to you at all about what happened this past year? And I'm not just talking about what he told you in the letters he sent home throughout the year."

"No, but he all but promised to speak with me sometime this week."

"That is encouraging. Ibiki, what have you observed up to this point?" Torifu asked as he took note of the way Shibi tensed as he glanced between the two of them before relaxing back into his seat with a sigh and a shake of his head.

"You know, the first time I met Satoshi-kun was when our respective teams were entered into Kumo's Chuunin Exams that were held in the winter of eighty-seven," Ibiki began to the confusion of the other four adults as they didn't see the correlation between Torifu's question and Ibiki's reason for mentioning that disastrous (for Satoshi anyway) event. "I thought Kushina-san had been foolish to enter her team when the kid was barely out of diapers (and you can't deny he was short enough back then to be mistaken for a toddler)."

"That their team passed the written test and the second test was astounding; even more so considering how severely he'd been injured while in the Circle of Death. The thing that I remember most about that much younger Satoshi though was his endless well of enthusiasm. This afternoon, I saw Satoshi displaying that enthusiasm openly for the first time in the six years since I was first assigned to his protective detail. He was talking, laughing, and interacting freely with the Outsiders that he had brought home with him."

"When that strange little summons brought him the medicine for the boy laid up in Shibi-san's guest room, he seemingly threw together a plan in that instant. It wasn't until Kanpou turned up that I realized that he'd been ten steps ahead of everyone else and had already made plans to deal with any potential problems. He has not once attempted to retreat either physically or emotionally from those around him or shown any sign that he was on the verge of breaking. I also don't believe that he is suppressing any of his emotions but half a day isn't exactly enough time to determine that."

"Inoichi mentioned your request to piggyback during Satoshi's assessment in passing this afternoon," Shibi slowly stated as he frowned and glanced between Ibiki and Torifu once more. "What is it that you two learned that had you assigning a watcher to observe my son?"

"He told you about the attempt to torture him for information, didn't he?" Sirius interjected wearily, drawing the attention of the other adults.

"Hai, we viewed the memories of that particular incident as well as a number of others," Torifu confirmed as he studied the wizard intently. "How is it that you know what happened? I was under the impression that he told no one and I do not recall seeing you appear in those memories directly related to his torture."

"I was the one that found him after they'd finished with him and did my best to patch him up. I'm not a medic and I know I did a half-assed job at best but at the time he'd refused to allow me to fetch Madam Pomfrey or anyone else and I just couldn't leave him as he was because he would have bled to death in short order. And I have no clue as to why you didn't see me in his memories; unless he purposefully edited my involvement in his healing out."

"Why didn't either of you say anything?" Remus asked tightly with a near growl.

"Satoshi asked me not to say anything, more like demanded that I tell no one, and if not for the fact that it appeared it was going to be brought up anyway just now; I still wouldn't have said anything without his permission."

"How bad…?" Shibi demanded with an angry hiss.

"I don't know the details of all that was done to him or even the names of all the individuals involved," Sirius replied as he dropped his eyes to the floor. "All I really know is that they left him a bloody mess and that they used the Cruciatus on him multiple times because he was shaking like a leaf. I was shocked to find him still conscious and laughing at the time; it was not a pretty laugh either. He never spoke of what they did to him or what they were trying to get out of him and I never asked because I didn't really want to know just how badly I failed my godson yet again. That was the other reason why I never said anything; I didn't want to give him any reason not to trust me after failing him for so long."

"We suspect that the magicals were attempting to gain enough information from Satoshi-kun in order to launch an attack on Konoha," Torifu added as he relaxed marginally and leaned back. "They failed. They tried coaxing him, coercing him, dousing him with drugs (or rather potions), and attempted to use mind control spells before they resorted to using spells to physically torture him. There was a rather unpleasant man with greasy hair that attempted to read Satoshi's mind as a last resort only for the attempt to backfire on him; leaving the man that attacked Satoshi's mind nothing more than a mindless husk according to the memory."

"That might explain the laughing Sirius mentioned," Remus mused with a shake of his head. "Satoshi hated that man with a passion from what I'd seen and heard. Severus Snape, the greasy man, was the professor assigned to teach Potions at Hogwarts and a supposedly reformed Death Eater. He took perverse enjoyment out of mentally and emotionally tormenting all of the students that were not sorted into his old house but particularly those that were not purebloods, those that came from light or neutral families, and Satoshi; especially after learning that Satoshi was Harry Potter."

"Will you be removing him from active duty?" Shibi asked after he considered everything he'd just learned.

"No," Torifu refuted with a single shake of his head. "I considered it a time or two while viewing those memories with Inoichi but, knowing your son as well as I do, taking him off active duty would only create more of a problem in the long run. There isn't really a reason for him to be removed from active duty in any case; he passed both his medical and mental evaluation this morning and assigning a watcher is standard procedure for any shinobi that has undergone torture during the course of a mission."

"His driving himself to exhaustion tonight to heal that child will see him earning another week off if I know Sarutobi and after working beside the man for as long as I have, I'm pretty confident I can say I know him quite well. I'm actually going to recommend that Satoshi-kun be given a total of four weeks off of active missions so that he can be available to finish the boy's treatment and have Sarutobi explain it away as giving the gaki time to prepare for the upcoming Jounin Exams that are being held in three months."

"That might actually work," Shibi stated with a nod. "He'd still be available for emergencies, will have time to train, and he won't be quite so worried about the young man laid up in our guest room if he knows that he'll be close enough to get to him the moment he wakes. It will also give him peace of mind because allowing him to train for the exams will mean that he has the chance to reach the goals he set for himself. I won't ask you anything more about what happened since I suspect he will bring it up on his own when he is ready; though I do appreciate the heads up (since it will give me time to center myself before he comes to me for that talk)."

"You're being awfully calm about this," Torifu drawled as he frowned at the Head of the Aburame Clan. "You have a reputation for being… quite vindictive when it comes to those who have harmed either of your children or those children whom you've taken under your wing as wards. Or if you even think someone is even thinking of hurting or exploiting your sons and wards. And is there any particular reason why your hair is suddenly glowing yellow-green?"

"The hair is my punishment for picking on Satoshi's lack of height this morning; though I'm not quite certain when he managed to carry out the promised retribution," Shibi confessed with a soft sigh and a chuckle. "In regards to your other observation, my son is fifteen, soon to be sixteen, years old and since joining your department he's become fiercely independent and his current skill level has nearly tripled from what it was prior to him joining the AnBu. As much as I wish he was still my little bug, he's growing up and it is past time that I stand back and allow him the room he needs to grow into the man he was destined to become. Besides, it's not like I can physically get to those responsible for torturing him at this point in time."

"How long will your hair stay that color?" Ibiki asked as he stared at Shibi's glowing head.

"An hour, unless Satoshi doubled the dose," Sirius barked with a grin. "That particular prank was quite popular this past year as nothing can cancel it and there is no magic that can hide it; meaning that anyone who'd been dosed couldn't hide their hair in order to sneak up on someone. You'll notice that even Shibi's mustache, beard, and eyebrows are glowing; that's because it targets all hair and not just what's up topside so shaving or wearing a hat won't solve the issue either. There's another version that lasts twenty-four hours but I doubt Satoshi would have used that one."

"So the prank was meant to be both funny and practical; intended to be seen as a prank while it actually acted as a bit of an early warning system?" Torifu asked curiously as he wondered if it could be used effectively on missions where keeping track of the opposition was a must if you wanted to return alive (such as in a dark cavern where one's sight would be drastically reduced).

"Yes. It is also an example of the types of things that the Weasley twins will be selling should they be allowed to open their store; with the one hour doses being available for the general public and the longer doses only available to registered shinobi," Remus answered around a soft chuckle.

"How serious are those young men and women with them about becoming citizens?" Torifu inquired. "I trust Satoshi-kun's judgment but I can't help but question the motives of ten Outsiders with such close ties to the magical world."

"Normally, this is where I'd crack a joke about none of them being serious because I'm the only Sirius there is but I don't think now is the time," Sirius offered halfheartedly with a ghost of a grin. "As for the close ties those witches and wizards held to the wizarding world; most of them have been completely severed. Longbottom's grandmother passed away due to natural causes earlier this year and his parents (who are both incapacitated and permanently hospitalized) will be transferred to Konoha's hospital the moment he is given permission to stay and the arrangements for their continued care have been solidified."

"Granger's non-magical parents were murdered during an armed robbery attempt while visiting Muggle London last year; a real tragedy as she had been very close to them and they had originally intended to move here with their daughter. The twins were disowned by their parents when they refused to sever ties with Satoshi and his teammates after the fallout from the events that occurred at the end of Satoshi's fourth year. The rest of the young men and women that came back with us all have similar stories. Satoshi didn't just befriend them, he saved them in more ways than one and they would follow him to hell and back; and in fact already did so in some cases."

"They have nothing to return to with the exception of the two oldest young men; and they would quit their jobs in a heartbeat if Satoshi asked them to," Remus added when Sirius paused to take a breath. "He won't but that doesn't change the fact that they would and will most likely end up doing so without him needing to ask the moment it appears that their connection to him will become a threat to Satoshi. There are other friends that stayed behind that feel the same way but their families didn't suffer as terribly as those of the young men and women that followed Satoshi to Konoha or in a few cases they actually plan to join the others here in Konoha at the end of next year when they can legally withdraw from the school if they pass the required tests."

"My godson is an extraordinary young man and I am eternally grateful that he ended up here with the Aburame Clan because I doubt he'd be half the man he is today without the love and support he has received from those he sees as his family. My only regret was that I was not able to be here for him for much of his life."

"And the intentions of those young men and women that followed him?"

"They hope to start a new life here; a life where they are not suppressed, where they can contribute to the community in ways they never would have been allowed back in England, and where they do not have to live in fear that those in charge will destroy their lives on a whim just because they don't follow the doctrines of the older generations. They want a chance to live instead of merely survive and they are willing to work hard to earn that chance."

"Thank you, gentlemen," Torifu murmured as he nodded to both wizards. "That gives me one less thing I need to worry about."

The five of them talked for another hour before the four visitors took their leave; Ibiki and Torifu to file their reports and Remus and Sirius to the small house they'd been given within the Aburame Compound when they'd both been granted citizenship. Shibi then checked on the various children and teens spread throughout the house before he retired for the night, his thoughts on his eldest son as he wondered what the future held for the young man that had grown from the terrified toddler he'd rescued from the forest.

Contrary to Kanpou's estimate of it taking a full twenty-four hours for Satoshi's core to recharge, the fifteen year old was up by five thirty the next morning. He was moving a bit sluggishly and still felt a touch tired and sore but knew he wouldn't be able to sleep any longer and so had climbed out of bed and immediately went to check on Shin. He huffed softly in exasperation when he found Sai slumped over on Shin's bed, drooling on his arm as he slept. Thinking about the promise that he'd given to Shin last night and the one he'd given to his father when he'd first learned of Shin, Sai, and Torune's presence, Satoshi strode forward and gently shook the younger boy awake.

"Time to get up, Sai-kun."

"Huh…?"

"I'll give you twenty minutes to get up, take a shower, and get dressed in clean clothes before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you to the river and toss you in it."

"Nani!?"

"Nineteen minutes and forty seconds left… time's a ticking and I have it on good authority that the river is especially cold at this time of morning."

Sai gaped at him for almost a full minute before he tore off in the direction of the bathroom. Kanpou, who'd been lounging in the chair against the desk Satoshi had transfigured the night before, chuckled over the kid's reaction and Satoshi joined in for a moment before he pulled out his wand to check on his young patient. Once he was certain everything was as it should be, he dismissed the cement clone that he'd created the day before and created a shadow clone that he told to dispel the moment the boy showed signs of waking or if any complications arose.

"Do you need anything, Kanpou-san?" Satoshi inquired the moment he'd finished delivering his orders to his clone.

"No, I'm just a shadow clone under very similar instructions to those that you just gave to yourself. Thank you for asking though."

"In that case, if you need to occupy yourself while doing your duty, you are more than welcome to browse through the healing texts that I was using last night or if you already did that, I have more in my room."

"I wasn't certain if you'd mind or not so I left them alone but I would greatly appreciate the chance to see what other diseases and conditions you are able to cure."

"I wouldn't have minded… after all, you trusted me enough to show me your face; you could have shown up in your mask, after all."

"You know…?"

"I knew the moment you stepped into the room last night; my Kikaichu recognized your chakra signature. I know I can trust you in return because of everything you've done for me since I joined the AnBu. Kasai-sama obviously trusts you as well since he's strangely careful about whom he's let me associate with over the years; if I didn't know better, I'd say that otousan threatened to castrate him or worse if anything happened to me. Then again, otousan has always been very protective of me for as long as I can remember and as you know my memory is very good."

"I guess that means I owe Kasai two hundred and fifty ryō… he knew you'd figure it out but I figured you'd need a hint or two first."

"One word of advice… never bet against Kasai-sama," Satoshi solemnly offered as a half panicked Sai dashed back into the room wearing nothing but a towel, his hair dripping wet. "Ah, right on time, Sai-kun. You've eight minutes and twelve seconds remaining. Please join me in the kitchen once you are dressed."

"But…"

"It is not healthy to sit in here all day and all night," Satoshi interrupted as he held up one hand. "I will not stop you from spending your evenings and your free time watching over Shin but the rest of the time you will train, study, or spend the day outside. You will do your brother no good if, when he wakes up, you are nothing but a ghost of yourself that needs medical treatment yourself. Shin-kun will not be alone and the moment he shows signs of waking or kami forbid, there is a problem, I will know and I will drop everything to see that he is taken care of. Now get dressed."

"Ha…hai."

Satoshi waved a silent goodbye to Kanpou's clone before he left the room and headed into the kitchen where he found his father reading through a report while drinking a cup of freshly brewed tea. Standing at the counter was another of the cement clones Satoshi had created the day before, this one tasked with caring for the infant phoenix who was currently sitting in his box chirping impatiently for his breakfast.

"Ohayou, tousan."

"Ohayou, little bug; what are you doing up already? We thought that you would be out for at least twenty-four hours after everything you'd done last night."

"Really? Huh, I woke up about half an hour ago and couldn't get back to sleep. So I went in and checked on Shin and when I found Sai sleeping awkwardly slumped on the bed, I decided that there was no reason for him to sit inside moping all day, every day while we wait for Shin to wake. I plan on having him train with me in the mornings but before I can do much I'm going to have to figure out what he can do. Did anyone test all of the children after they'd received medical evaluations?"

"If you are training the other boy does that mean my presence will be unwelcome in the mornings?" Torune inquired softly as he paused in the doorway to the kitchen uncertainly.

"My invitation still stands," Satoshi countered after glancing over his shoulder at the younger boy. "Regardless of who shows up to join me for my morning training, you are welcome to join us and I will make time to spar with you if you wish. Like I told you the other night, the only exception will be when I am out of the village on a mission."

"Before you start your training, you should let Inoichi and the others know that you are awake since they intended to cancel your meeting this morning as they were under the impression that you would not wake in time to attend," Shibi suggested as he took a drink of his tea to hide his surprise over the unexpected interaction between his son and his reticent nephew (the boy had rarely interacted with Shibi since he'd been cleared to come home and even that had been with great reluctance and discomfort). "The Hokage will be able to provide you with answers to your other question as well."

"Hai, tousan," Satoshi replied as he grabbed three apples and tossed one each to Torune and Sai who'd just hurried into the room. "You can eat those on our way to Training Ground Three and we'll grab a proper breakfast when we're done training for the morning."

The last thing Satoshi did before he headed out with the two boys was to dismiss his clone and create two new clones; one to replace the older one since it had been running low on chakra and one to inform the Hokage and Kasai of his intent to attend his review as scheduled. He then bid his father good day as he trotted out the door to catch up with his cousin and quasi ward. As he methodically devoured his apple, he contemplated the oddity of effectively taking over responsibility for the two orphans and wondered how the two boys and his cousin would fit into his life.

He knew his father would ultimately be responsible for all three boys but he also knew that his father really didn't have enough time to dedicate to them since he had his job at with the T and I Department in addition to his duties as the Clan Head. That was one of the reasons why he'd asked Satoshi to look after one of the boys two nights earlier (and part of the reason why his father had allowed Satoshi to take charge of Shino and Naruto's training six years ago). Satoshi didn't really mind helping out, though he worried about what would happen to the boys when he was inevitably sent out of the village on missions.

Torune, while still somewhat cold and distant, seemed to be dealing with things far better than Sai but that could mostly be attributed to the younger boy's concern for his honorary brother. It bothered him that he might not be able to dedicate as much time to the boys as they would need because of his other duties (the teen currently unaware of the plans certain individuals were making to reduce said responsibilities); he didn't think it would be fair to the two boys. Well, he had plenty of time to figure things out before he returned to active duty, so he shoved his concerns to the back of his mind as the three of them stepped into the wide, open clearing that was Training Ground Three.

"I do not know what the two of you usually do for training but I typically start with a warm up run after a bit of stretching before doing some strengthening exercises and katas. You're welcome to join me on my run or stay here and complete your usual routine but I would like an opportunity to spar with you both once I am finished so I can get an idea of where you currently stand skill wise."

An hour and twelve minutes later, Satoshi watched the two boys spar against a pair of his water clones. He was a bit surprised that neither boy had figured out yet that they were both fighting against a clone instead of one of them facing the real him. It was also amusing because neither boy had initially believed that a clone would be all that challenging so he'd bet them both that neither of them would figure out who was sparring with the clone by dispelling it before the fifteen minutes spar was over and promptly replaced himself with a second clone using a smokeless Kawarimi.

Torune had simply shrugged and promptly attacked the nearest clone while Sai had hesitated for a moment before he finally attacked the second clone. Both of his clones had needed to chide the pre-teens the moment it became clear that they were holding back and not taking the spar seriously. He finally resorted to using one of Kakashi's more annoying tricks; pulling out a book from his utility pouch and simply standing there blocking their attacks with one hand while acting as if he was bored. That had irritated Torune, shocked Sai, and amused the trio of watchers that had come to train with Satoshi out of habit but held back when they noted the two younger boys with the teen.

It didn't take long for the two boys to get the message though and they were soon actually putting an effort into their attacks. When he called a halt to the spars ten minutes later, both pre-teens were drenched in sweat and breathing heavily but more than a touch irritated that they hadn't been able to dispel the clone to find the real Satoshi. They were further irritated when both clones turned to water as he dismissed them and he walked out from where he'd been watching from beneath the trees.

"You both did well once you started taking the spar seriously," Satoshi pointed out. "Go ahead and take a fifteen minute break to cool down and catch your breath. You three want to quite hiding in the trees and spar with me for a while before I see where these two stand with their kenjutsu?"

"Three on one, two on two, or melee?" Kakashi asked lazily as he Shunshined to Satoshi's side with his book in hand; earning a scowl from both pre-teens when they were abruptly reminded of Satoshi's clones reading early on during their spars. "By the way, your bookwork still needs a bit of work; you looked like you were just posing instead of actually reading earlier."

"Hard to read when the pages are blank and I was just trying to make a point; not pick up your annoying habits," Satoshi countered with a shrug as he sent a mental note to his swarm to deaden the nerves in his back; his recent injuries still not quite completely healed. "Three to one would be fine; I haven't had a decent spar in at least a week or two. Taijutsu and kenjutsu only?"

"Works for me… Kotetsu? Izumo?"

"We're game," the two Chuunin declared in stereo.

Rules agreed upon, Satoshi unsealed his wakizashi blades and settled into a neutral stance while the other three spread out and surrounded him as they took out their own swords; Kakashi a katana and the other two each opting to use one of Kotetsu's giant kunai. The moment Satoshi announced his readiness, the other three attacked in a coordinated strike and Satoshi used both of his swords to block Kotetsu and Izumo's attacks before he twisted his body and lashed out with his feet and hit Kakashi in the chest, his body ending up parallel to the ground for a brief moment before gravity reasserted itself and he rolled forward between the two Chuunin after pushing off Kakashi's chest.

He spun around to attack their backs and was met by the sword-like kunai they wielded before he swept Kotetsu's feet out from under him and forced Izumo back several feet with a combination of kicks, punches, and swings of his blades. Kakashi and Kotetsu jumped right back in just seconds later and Satoshi was once again splitting his attention in three different directions as the four of them danced back and forth in a whirlwind of attacks. It was an intentional display of power, speed, and skill intended to show the two pre-teens that Satoshi was more than equal to keeping up with the younger pair as well as being capable of teaching them.

It was both impressive and intimidating to witness and the two boys were as riveted by the display as they had been two nights earlier by Satoshi's storytelling.

After a grueling twenty minutes, Kakashi called an end to the spar and Satoshi introduced his teammates to his cousin and Sai before spending another thirty minutes sparring against the two younger boys to test their kenjutsu. When they finished, he dragged everyone back to the Compound for breakfast all the while trying not to reveal just how much pain he was in. Shino and Naruto joined them for the meal and once they finished eating, Satoshi walked the two nine year olds to the Academy before heading off for his appointment with the Hokage to hear the results of his assessment.

He left Sai with a small list of things to do about the house (to keep him from moping the entire morning) and asked both Torune and Sai to write out a list of their current skills and at least three things they were interested in learning before he left. Hinata was waiting alongside Ko when Satoshi arrived with Shino and Naruto and the fifteen year old couldn't help but chuckle as the diminutive kunoichi in training tackled the two boys with a hug before she skipped over to give Satoshi one as well. He lifted her up and swung her around once before setting her back on her feet and admonishing all three of them to behave and study hard.

Satoshi stayed just long enough to watch the three laughing children slip through the doors before he turned and walked with Ko for a short ways as the Hyuuga headed back to the Hyuuga Estate. They parted a few minutes later after they made plans to meet up later that afternoon once the termites were finished for the day. When he reached the Hokage's Tower, Satoshi hesitated for a brief moment before shaking his head and walking up the side of the tower. As he drew level with the window he took a moment to send in a few bugs to make certain that he wouldn't be interrupting anything important. He sighed when the Kikaichu reported that Kasai and Inoichi were already inside and turned to stare out over the village for a moment before he slipped in through the window, startling the Hokage.

"You've been hanging around with Kakashi for far too long if you're actively avoiding doors without him dragging you through windows now," Sarutobi groused as he chewed on his pipe stem and half glared at Satoshi as he activated the privacy barrier for their meeting.

"Nah, I still haven't taken to reading Icha-Icha in public or at all, really. I figure if I ever suddenly find myself craving to read smut, then I've got a serious problem," Satoshi countered with a small grin as he nodded in greeting to all three men. "I'm also fifteen minutes early, not two hours late. Besides, I wouldn't want my routine to become too predictable because that would allow someone to easily catch me unawares."

"Impertinent gaki."

"What can I say? I learned from the best."

"Hmpf…" Sarutobi grumbled while he hid a grin behind his pipe. "How are you feeling? I was under the impression that it would take at least twenty-four hours for you to recover from the impromptu miracle you began last night."

"I was a little sore and sluggish when I woke up but I feel fine now; the required spells took a bit more out of me than I expected but it was well worth it."

"You are certain that you can cure the child?"

"Hai," Satoshi replied without hesitation before he frowned a bit before continuing in a softer than normal voice (which was more of a whisper to begin with) that the three adults had to strain to hear. "I can cure the disease but I can't fix all of the damage the disease caused to the rest of his body. He lost a considerable amount of muscle mass, he has no fat reserves left from which to draw energy, his bones have grown weak enough that they could break fairly easily if placed under too much stress, and his internal organs have suffered as well."

"There are potions that can repair some of the internal damage he suffered and healing spells can help to an extent once I've finished treating him but magic can't fix everything. Strengthening his bones should not be a problem though his spine might retain a measure of brittleness due to his spinal cord being the origin of the disease. On the other hand, he'll have a hard time gaining weight; either in muscle mass or in fat cells. I suspect he'll have a hard time coping in certain climates (specifically in cold or wet environments) and will be susceptible to respiratory infections during inclement weather. It's also possible that he'll never regain his full strength or range of motion."

"So, basically you are saying that his shinobi career is over?"

"No, not over; more like restricted. I'm not certain if he'll ever rise above mid-Chuunin levels and that's only if he works hard and applies himself. Reaching the rank of Chuunin would be difficult but not impossible but that would only happen if he was placed on the right team and they were willing to work together as a team. His body will most likely be unable to cope with the stress of the training required at higher levels though. In the end, the extent to which he recovers will mostly be dependent upon him."

"Is he aware of that?"

"Yes, I told him flat out that I couldn't fix everything."

"His response?"

"Self pity as expected but it was beat out of him fairly quickly by his self-claimed little brother; otherwise I doubt he'd have been as willing to take the first dose of the potion last night."

"His current condition?"

"Potion induced coma; the first stage of the treatment completely shuts the body down in order to isolate the disease and eliminate it. That was the reason I needed to cast all of the spells I did last night and why I couldn't carry out the treatment at the hospital. Due to how far the disease has progressed, he'll be unconscious and unresponsive for at least a week but I expect he will most likely be out for closer to a full month."

"Please let me know how the treatment progresses," Sarutobi instructed before he set his pipe down and brought up the true reason Satoshi had been requested to join them that morning. "I spent the morning reading through your medical and mental evaluations and I'm a bit concerned with some of the findings. Tell me, Satoshi-kun, why did you not inform the others that you had been interrogated in addition to hiding the extent of the torture you suffered from at the hands of the wizards during said interrogation from your teammates and captain?"

"It would have endangered the mission, my teammates, and the village."

"Explain."

"Kakashi and the others would have done something stupid out of a misplaced desire to seek revenge on my behalf; like attack or kill the individuals involved. In retaliation, the wizards would have used that as an excuse to not only ban them from the castle but to arrest them and toss them into prison without a trial; if not just execute them outright. As much as I would have loved to get revenge and see Kakashi and the others to punish them, it would have made suffering through the torture in silence meaningless since the end results would have been the same as if I'd spilled my guts. Besides, that's part of the reason why they did it; to provoke us into doing something stupid so they could claim that we breached the contract and give them a chance to demand reparations from Konoha."

"So you aren't just trying to keep it from him out of a misguided sense of shame or guilt?" Sarutobi asked as he studied Satoshi carefully..

"What do I have to be ashamed of or feel guilty about, sir? I didn't break and they got nothing from me. If anything, I am angry that they dared to think me so weak that a bit of blood and pain would break me. I will admit that I sometimes feel pride and satisfaction in knowing that they failed but I do my best not to give into those particular two feelings because I don't want to allow myself to think that the next time I am tortured (if there is a next time) that I can as easily resist as I did this time. If I had felt shame or guilt, I would not have allowed Kasai-sama and Inoichi-san to see those memories or even mentioned it to them in passing."

"I must say your reasoning is far sounder than I expected. Tokage's report indicated that your injuries are mostly healed and that you are expected to make a complete recovery, though there was nothing he could do for the scars. Aside from a recommendation for an extra week of medical leave, you will be pleased to know that you passed your assessment with flying colors."

"Arigatou," Satoshi replied as he bowed to the Hokage and then to the two men who'd remained silent throughout the preceding conversation.

"Now that that is out of the way, I need to know how serious you are about taking the upcoming Jounin Exam."

"Earning the full rank of Jounin will allow me to stop holding back," Satoshi replied with more passion than expected, though his voice was still soft. "During the past six years, I found that I truly enjoy teaching and helping others. Passing my hard won knowledge and skills onto the next generation of Konoha's shinobi is something I've wanted for several years now. Doing so as Jounin sensei would allow me to continue learning alongside any team I was assigned to look after and continue my own training since there is no guarantee that any mission will turn out to be as easy as it appears at first glance. And while I could teach at the academy, I don't think I would enjoy being stuck teaching a set curriculum inside of a classroom year after year because of the risk that I would grow rusty and complacent behind a desk."

"The exam will be held three months from now; do you think you could be ready by then?"

"That is sooner than I expected but yes, I think I could be ready by then."

"Then I will have you reassigned to light duty for the next three months in order to give you plenty of extra time to train after Tokage clears you for active duty. Whether or not you choose to do a few missions during that time is entirely up to you; though you will be called upon in the event of a village wide emergency or if there is a mission that requires your specific skills. At the end of your second month, you will be required to apply to take the Jounin Exam and attend a briefing regarding the rules of the exam. Do you have any questions?"

"I have several, actually. First, will Team Kakashi be disbanded now that our long term infiltration mission is over?"

"Not officially, no. The four of you have worked exceedingly well over the past five years and it would be foolish to break up such a cohesive and well rounded team a second time. On the other hand, Team Kakashi will be placed as an entity in the reserves and only called upon when a mission comes along that is best suited for the skills the team as a whole has developed. All four of you have other duties above and beyond those assigned as Team Kakashi though, so I doubt any of you will have time to grow bored."

"I understand and I thank you for not disbanding the team outright; I have grown fond of working beside my honorary brothers. Next question; what about my duties and training as a member of the AnBu? I typically have guard duty with my team during the summer."

"The individual that particular team usually watches over has become the ward of a well respected clan and after monitoring the situation for two years, it has been decided that the initial risk is no longer present and therefore the team will be reassigned other duties," Kasai answered blandly in the Hokage's place. "I have heard rumors that the shameless flirts collectively known as Gaichuu are planning to enter the upcoming Jounin Exams though and if the other two Chuunin from Team Kakashi have no interest in taking the exam with you, I would suggest approaching them about the possibility of forming a three-man cell."

"Ano…" Satoshi blurted out in confusion only to let out a snort a moment later when he realized what Kasai had just told him; the Jounin Exams required team formations much like the Chuunin Exams. His suggestion to form said team alongside his alter egos would give both himself and his alter egos a reason for not taking any missions during the next three months. Knowing that, Satoshi finally stated, "I'll sound them out later this afternoon since I already know that Kotetsu and Izumo have no interest in taking the Jounin Exams anytime this century; they fear the paperwork."

"Did you have any other questions?"

"Yes, several actually but they have to do with the children that were discovered within the Root facilities. I don't know if otousan mentioned it to anyone yesterday or if he had your permission before hand but he has turned responsibility of the two orphans he is personally housing over to me. Well, originally he was only going to give me responsibility for one of them but I refused to separate them after they'd fought so hard to remain together."

"No, I was not aware that Shibi would be asking you to help him but then again, up until you returned, we all believed that you would be out of the village on two more long term missions over the next two years. What is it you wished to know about them?"

"If I am to properly test and train the two children… correction, three children; since it appears my itoko might actually join me when I train each morning. Anyway, as I was saying, I will need to know more about what they are capable of before I can put together an appropriate training programs for all three of them. I've already asked Sai and Torune to provide me with their personal assessments but I'm not naïve enough to think they will tell me everything. There is also the chance that they will both be more than a little biased in regards to their current skills. Shin's former levels will also be important; so that I will know what he is expecting to regain in order to better help him strive to reach as many of his goals as possible."

"What exactly is it you are asking for, Satoshi-kun?" Inoichi inquired when it appeared Satoshi's ramblings were going no where.

"Gomen… I would like to formally request access to any and all training or assessment records pertaining to Aburame Torune (formerly Shinichi) and the two orphans designated as Shin and Sai so that I can assess their current and former skill levels."

"You still plan to take responsibility for the two orphans even knowing that you plan on dedicating your time to a Genin Team in a year's time?" Kasai asked in surprise. "What will happen when you no longer have the time to train them?"

"I will have a year in which to establish a proper training program for all three boys and since they are familiar with all three of the children that I hope to have on my Genin Team, having them train together with those three should not be an issue. The interaction with children near their own age that is not forced through whatever training they received while in Root will help integrate them back into the village and potentially create bonds that will help them adjust mentally and emotionally. And while Shin won't be up to it for a while yet, the other two can certainly spend a year in the academy catching up on anything they missed out on after they ended up in Root and receive formal recognition from the village; which I think will be important for them."

"You do not think you are taking on too many responsibilities?" Sarutobi asked with some concern.

"No, though at first glance it may seem that way. I have been training or helping to train three children in chakra control, physical conditioning, and teamwork for several years now but in the beginning there were five children; Shinichi-kun disappeared four years ago and Neji-kun opted not to continue after he was enrolled at the academy at age six. Adding three more children will not affect the training regime I started all that much."

"I might need to devote more time to Shin once he is up and moving but that won't be for at least another six months because he'll need extensive physical therapy before he is ready to once again start training. And while I can keep a close eye on him during his recovery, I am not qualified to oversee that therapy; yet another reason why I asked Kasai-sama to recommend a trustworthy medic that would be willing to work with me."

"The rest of my normal duties are actually less involved than the multiple long term missions I was previously required to take, since I will no longer be required to attend daily classes in addition to doing extensive research and my normal training. I also don't have to worry about hiding the majority of my skills from a bunch of civilians anymore which means that I will be working under fewer restrictions. That's not even taking into account that you've further reduced my expected duties for the next three months in order to give me time to prepare for the exams."

"I was more worried about growing bored now that I will not be leaving the Hidden Countries for a sixth and seventh time to attend Hogwarts for another two years," Satoshi finished with a casual shrug.

"May kamisama above preserve us from your boredom," Inoichi, Kasai, and Sarutobi all intoned solemnly at the same time, causing Satoshi to huff as a light flush spread up the back of his neck and over his cheeks. All three men were well aware of the trouble that a bored Satoshi had gotten up to over the years; especially after he'd developed a renewed interest in pranks after his first year at Hogwarts (mostly due to spending a year alongside of his original teammates).

"So long as you are not struggling to keep up with your regular duties, which truthfully aren't nearly as numerous as they have been in previous years, I will not interfere," Sarutobi continued after a moment. "Was that the last of your questions or did you have more?"

"I only have two more and the answers will have a considerable impact upon any schedule I create for myself and the children for the next three months. How many former Root Operatives still need to have Danzou's seals removed or the altered AnBu seals to be restored? Did any of the children that were found have the seals as well? I suppose I could have asked those that are on the Aburame Compound if they had them or not but I did not wish to make them uncomfortable or put them on edge."

"There are far more individuals that need to have the seal removed than I would like to admit. We also found a handful of spies that have far more advanced seals; including a few that have Orochimaru's cursed seal," Sarutobi gravely answered as he tamped fresh tobacco into the bowl of his pipe and lit the pipe. That was a sure sign that the Hokage was agitated since he rarely smoked around the Kikaichu; the smoke was an irritant to the sensitive beetles (bar those that developed an immunity to smoke).

After drawing deeply on the pipe a couple of times, Sarutobi continued, "Thankfully, the children do not have the full fledged seal but they do have what appears to be a precursor to the seal that incompletely seals away memories of their past lives, dampens their emotions, and prevents them from speaking about certain aspects of their training. Because the numbers are rather high, it would be unrealistic of me to ask you to sit down and remove them all in one sitting."

"I take it you would like me to spend a set amount of time each day removing seals until they have all been removed?"

"Precisely," Sarutobi agreed. "I would like you to focus on removing the Root seals and alterations to the AnBu seals first; cleaning between ten and fifteen individuals a week starting with the children. Jiraiya has been closely studying the cursed seal in his spare time over the past year in the hopes that he could find a way to utilize the jutsu you developed to remove and alter seals as easily as you did the more benign Root seals without putting you at risk. I expect he will turn up sometime just before the Jounin Exams are expected to begin since he usually recruits potential spies from amidst those that participate in the exams."

"Please warn the pervert that I will not appreciate any attempts from him to recruit Satoshi or his alter egos as one of his spies," Kasai growled as if just realizing how appealing Satoshi's current skills would be to the Gama Sennin. "He's shown far too much interest in my subordinate as it is and I don't have any plans to lose him to that white haired gaki any time soon. Bad enough Nara, Mitokado, and Umeboshi have recently started making plans to take him on the sly again. Yamanaka here would be after him as well if not for the fact that he's close friends with the gaki's father and knows Shibi would be unhappy if the gaki was recruited into the T and I Department."

Inoichi snorted in response to his name being brought up before he drawled, "I'm not stupid enough to anger Shibi; I was one of two witnesses present the day my predecessor made the mistake of mentioning his desire to have Satoshi brought into the department in front of Shibi. Whoever it was that said that an Aburame is incapable of expressing their emotions has never seen an Aburame truly reach their boiling point. I still say it was no coincidence that my former boss resigned shortly after Shibi expressed his displeasure with the man in excruciatingly painful detail. He's also the reason why I got shafted into taking over the Department when I know for fact that Ibiki was originally slated to take over; the others assumed I'd have the best chance of keeping Shibi in check should someone piss him off again."

Satoshi felt a mixture of anxiety, annoyance, and exasperation at hearing that the department heads were once again fighting over him. He disliked being the center of attention on general principle and each time he witnessed one of said arguments between the four men over the past four years it had deeply troubled him. They were like a pack of jackals fighting over a recent kill or a bunch of unruly children fighting over the last piece of dango.

In the beginning, he hadn't understood why they were fighting over him and now that he had a better understanding of their reasoning (each of the heads wished to exploit him and his skills to an extent) he considered the ongoing battle of wills more a nuisance than anything else. He wasn't certain he liked the idea of Jiraiya entering the fray since the Sennin had the uncanny ability of getting what he wanted and Satoshi had no desire to spend the majority of his time outside of the village for yet another five or ten years spying for the man.

"Jiraiya knows better than to try and entice Satoshi away from the village; Shibi made certain to put my old student in his place last year when Jiraiya let slip he his desire to groom Satoshi to take over his spy network due to his intelligence and rather versatile Kekkei Genkai. Satoshi's status as clan heir is a deterrent as well, since his future obligations to his clan take precedence over any claim on his skills. He is also fully aware that Satoshi and Gaichuu are one and the same so he won't approach the red headed annoyances either."

"Good."

"Thank kamisama," Satoshi breathed to the amusement of the three adults.

"As I was saying, Jiraiya will be in town relatively soon and he is going to want to work with you on creating a way to remove the cursed seal so it would be in our best interests to have all of the former Root Operatives dealt with before he arrives. It would also be one less thing to worry about during the course of your Exam."

"Wakatta, Hokage-sama; I will start with the children that have been placed in the custody of the Aburame Clan this evening. If you can give me a list of names for the remainder of the children alongside which clan they were taken in by, I will make arrangements with each Clan Head to tend to the children in their care during the rest of the week. The only problem I foresee would be in Shin's case, since I will be unable to remove his until his treatment has been completed and it would probably be best to wait until he has recovered a measure of his strength before subjecting him to the process of removing the seal."

"That is not unexpected and the medic assigned to his case will monitor his progress and let you know when it will be safe to proceed with the remove of his seal," Sarutobi assured him as he leaned back and drew on his pipe before continuing. "I already anticipated that you would need a list of names and locations for the children in addition to the rest of the former Root members and you can collect that from Inoichi before you leave. Was that the last of your questions or was there anything else you needed?"

"No, I think you've pretty much covered everything, Hokage-sama."

"Then you are dismissed."

Satoshi bowed to the Hokage before turning to Inoichi who held out a scroll for him to take. Before leaving, Satoshi turned to Kasai and tilted his head to one side in silent question and the older man snorted behind his mask before passing the teen another scroll. Satoshi accepted the offering with a small grin (he knew that the scroll would contain a couple of jutsu or seal arrays the older man expected him to learn) and bowed a second time as Sarutobi dropped the privacy barrier before he slipped out the same way he'd entered.

A quick check of the time let him know it was getting close to lunch time and he headed towards the hotel where his friends were staying as he tucked the two scrolls into his pocket to go over later.

Translations: Japanese to English

Ano – um, uh
Arigatou – thank you
Gaki – brat
Gomen – I'm sorry (informal)
Hai – yes
Itoko – cousin
Kami (kamisama) – god/spirits
Kekkei Genkai – bloodline limit
Kumogakure/Kumo – Hidden Cloud Village
Nani – what
Ohayou (gozaimasu) – good morning (informal/formal)
Oniisan/niisan – older brother
Otousan/tousan – father
Wakatta – understood/I understand

AN: And now you know why Inoichi is the head of the T & I Dept. and not Ibiki in this fic. We also have confirmation that Satoshi is not going to be separated from his best buddies again. I know a few readers were upset that I broke them up early on but their team was hardly the only team that was split up at the time. And the reason why I didn't put Satoshi back with them sooner (such as back when Team Twelve fell apart) was because Kotetsu and Izumo were still part of a four man cell at the time and he wasn't going to split yet another team without a good enough reason for it. That reason came when Satoshi was sent to attend Hogwarts.

Anyway, we've got lots of stuff happening in the next few chapters. There will be updates on Shin, training, the Jounin Exams, the introduction of a few canon characters, curse seals, a sadistic kunoichi, and a bit of drama just to give you a taste of what to expect. We'll also be seeing just how much Satoshi's presence has changed/twisted a few of the more familiar events that happened in Naruto canon. There will also be fewer overviews of events and more action as we have finally reached the point where the main focus of this story will come into play.

So get ready to hang onto the seat of your pants because it's going to be a wild ride. At least I hope it will be. I know I had a ball writing this part of the story. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will have the next one up in four days so long as R/L doesn't step on my toes again. ~ Jenn