A/N: *looks down in shame* So it's not Monday, but I updated within five days... That's still better than most authors, no? And this chapter is a 1000 words longer than my usual chapters...

But, uh, despite me sacrificing sleep to get this done (I finished this in the course of 8 hours at night. I needed lots and lots of breaks and naps) I'm actually really happy with this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it, too. Leave a review with your thoughts if you're willing.

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he watched Team 7 leave. Naruto and Sakura were excitedly planning a dinner at Ichiraku's. Sasuke followed beside them, content with staying quiet. Hiruzen had caught the smallest of smiles on his face, however.

A cough interrupted his thoughts. "So that's Naruto, eh? He's shorter than I thought he'd be."

Hiruzen chuckled. "The boy's only twelve. Once puberty hits, I have no doubt his parents' genes will kick in. What do you think of him, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya phased out of the shadows in the corner. "It's obvious he takes more after Minato. Besides his face, there's no hint of Kushina. Does he have a tick like she did?" he asked.

"He had one when he was younger. Much like his mother, he used to say 'y'know' every other sentence. He grew out of it a year before the academy, however. A shame."

Jiraiya grinned. "You wouldn't want Kushina to hear you saying that. She hated that tick of hers. One of her biggest wishes was for Naruto to not inherit it. She'd be happy." He sighed. "They both would," he said softly.

Hiruzen looked at him with pity. "You should see him, Jiraiya. Having you in his life would do a lot of good."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Sensei, I'm a wreck. Naruto shouldn't want anything to do with me. Having a kid around me would be disastrous. It's just best overall if I stay away. Are his expenses okay?"

Hiruzen idly puffed on his pipe again. "His apartment is bigger than most of my chunin can afford, and he has more money than he could know what to do with. There was a problem a few years ago when a few shopkeepers tried to charge him unfairly, but my ANBU dealt with them. Naruto's fine and, more importantly, happy."

Jiraiya nodded, smiling widely. "That's good. That's very good. Thank you, sensei. I couldn't take care of him when he was younger, but… now that he's older, I'll see about visiting him. Is he joining the Chunin Exams?"

"I received their nomination during their report."

"When he makes it to the Finals, he'll need someone to train him. The Toads have been hammering me about passing down their techniques. We'll see if they accept him." Jiraiya stiffened, his tone turning grim. "But I came here about something else, sensei. Do you know what happened at the Valley of the End?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "My ANBU alerted me of what occurred, but no one knows the cause. Do you have any suspicions?

Jiraiya eyed the room. "This needs to be private." With a gesture from Hiruzen, the ANBU in the room disappeared. Jiriya nodded in thanks, but Hiruzen waved him off. "I fear the Akatsuki is responsible for it. I haven't heard anything from Raven recently, but the last report he gave me said Pain was planning something. He said he would give me the details after the fact. I suspect this might be it."

Hiruzen frowned. "What could be the motive? Why destroy a landmark such as the Valley? Are they declaring war?"

"I don't have the slightest idea, sensei, but we prepared for this. Whatever the Akatsuki is planning, they won't catch us by surprise."

Hiruzen nodded. "The Kyuubi attack hurt our forces, but we've been recovering. We had to rush, but our forces will be similar in quality to before the Kyuubi attack in a few years. Konoha is ready if Akatsuki is preparing to move. How is Iwa?"

"My spies tell me they're angry. To lose Naruto after they had him captive is a disgrace they can't ignore. Combine that with five of their jonin being killed save for one? And the one that survived being crippled for life? Well, the Tsuchikage has put a discount on any requests asking for ninja opposing Konoha," Jiraiya reported.

Hiruzen, now finished with his pipe, put it away. He had an inkling for another smoke, but he fought against the urge. He clasped his hands together. "I expected as much. I'll make doubly sure to warn everyone about the threat then, but enough of that. I have something else you should take a look at."

Jiraiya watched him curiously as he pulled out a piece of parchment from his drawer. Hiruzen carefully went through it before handing it to Jiraiya. His eyes widened as he parsed through its contents. "What is this?"

"Amegakure asking to be allowed to take the Mizukage's spot in the Kage booth. If their genin make it to the finals, of course."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to let them?"

Hiruzen sighed before handing over another paper, one with the Royal Seal displayed at the top. "I have no choice. The Daimyo himself is backing up their request. This would be the first time a minor village was given this kind of honor, and I don't like it. "

"How could Ame have such influence over the Daimyo?"

"I really don't know, Jiraiya. All of this is perplexing. I would suggest you investigate them."

Jiraiya nodded. "I'll get back to you if I find anything."

Sakura opened the door to her house, wanting to rest before she had to prepare for her team's celebration at Ichiraku's. As she passed the kitchen, she saw her mother in the living room parsing through various documents.

Sakura stopped and examined her for a second. Her mother looked disheveled. Her usual tidy hair was now messy, she had bags under her eyes, and she kept closing and opening them in an effort to stay awake.

Worried, Sakura moved to sit beside her. Her mother never noticed, continuing with her work.

Sakura had never cared to learn more about her parents' line of work. When it was revealed she had chakra, they had accepted she wouldn't take over the family business, but become a ninja instead. The little she did know was that they were the largest distributor of bread in Konoha. Every bakery was either owned by them or they held a large enough share to effectively have control of every decision made. This culminated in a large amount of work, but her parents were passionate about it. They always said they couldn't imagine doing anything else.

"Mom," Sakura called out softly.

Her mother jumped. When she saw it was Sakura, she put her hand on top of her heart and breathed out in relief. "My goodness, Sakura, you scared me! Please don't do that again."

"Mom, are you okay? You don't look so well," Sakura asked.

Her mother rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Your father and I just have a very important deal we need to finalize soon, so we've had to rush, but enough of that. How was your mission, dear?"

Sakura's eyes twinkled, excited at the prospect of chatting about how her mission went. As much as she loved her parents, they would often put too much of themselves into their work and forget her. She always cherished moments when they could talk.

Sasuke blinked. He stared into his bathroom mirror, examining the new addition. His two tomoe sharingan spun slowly under his gaze.

Blood. So much blood. What did they do to cause so much?!

He sighed, deactivating his dojutsu. His father had once disclosed how an Uchiha could advance the Sharingan. In the base form, it could be achieved through intense training, but under specific circumstances, such as feeling intense grief or trauma, one could advance their sharingan without needing to train.

"You must kill your closest friend to awaken the same eyes as mine."

That was what Itachi implored him. Sasuke was even more convicted in never following through with that insane request.

Because after seeing Naruto bruised and bloody in every part of his body, Sasuke had advanced to the second stage of the Sharingan, and he honestly wished he hadn't. Every time he activated his dojutsu, images of his friend's body would haunt him. After hearing Naruto's testimony of what actually occurred, the images grew even more horrific.

After a week now, the grief that suffused him every time he activated the Sharingan was starting to wear out. He had to purposefully activate and deactivate it repeatedly, as Kakashi had counseled him.

His Sharingan greeted him once more.

An arm, an eye, a leg. Every limb was chopped off repeatedly. They tore through Naruto, wanting to inflict as much damage as they could to him. His limbs would regenerate every time, only to be chopped off once more. He was bisected from the waist, but the Kyuubi regenerated his body. On and on this continued.

Sasuke punched his mirror, shattering it. He breathed in and out carefully.

Never, Itachi. I'll never kill him.

Not if he had to watch himself kill Naruto every time he used his eyes.

Sasuke stared at his bloody hand. He'd need to go to the hospital to get it healed. Or bandage and have to deal with questions from his friends, which he wasn't in the mood for. He'd have to hurry, however, so he didn't miss their date at Ichiraku's.

Naruto would kill him if that happened.

Kakashi watched as his team neared the gates at the front of the village. He gave his classic eye smile when he saw the shock on their faces.

"Sasuke, am I dreaming?"

"I honestly don't know, Naruto. This has to be a genjutsu."

Sakura shook her head. "You arrived before us? Is the world ending?" She sounded concerned.

"Maa, maa, you can all calm down. Everything's fine." He set his hand on the shoulder of the man next to him. The three had completely ignored him in favor of gawking at Kakashi's uncharacteristic punctuality. "I had to arrive on time to greet our client, Tazuna."

"Is this it? Three puny children and a half blind man are all Konoha sent to protect me? That isn't super at all!" Tazuna babbled, taking a swig of his sake. The one he'd been drinking from for the past twenty minutes.

Kakashi's genin ignored him, still staring at him in disbelief. Sasuke and Naruto were pinching each other, testing if they were under a genjutsu. Sakura was about to cry.

Kakashi sweatdropped. He snapped to get their attention. "Guys, I can be punctual when the situation calls for it. Relax, alright?"

The three hesitantly nodded, still looking a bit dazed. He ignored them for now. Much like them, Tazuna was lost to the world, drinking his life away. Kakashi slapped him in the back to get his attention. "It would normally take us three days to travel to Wave, but we're going to have to walk at civilian speeds, so it's going to take over a week. Are you… able to walk?"

"I'm the Super Bridge Builder Tazuna! Of course I can walk. I can handle my sake!"

"Right…" Kakashi said, watching as the 'super bridge builder' was struggling to stay on his feet. He sighed. "This'll take a while."

Gozu touched his brother, Meizu, on the shoulder to wake him. Their target, Tazuna, was in sight. The man had a haggard countenance, clearly tired. Traveling from Wave to Konoha and back was clearly weighing on him.

He had a genin team with him. His brother snarled at the sight of the girl.

Gozu nudged him silently. She's a kid, he signed.

But she's a female! Come on, just let me have some fun with her.

Gozu glared daggers at him. There was no way he was going to let his brother rape a child.

Meizu deflated. Fine. I won't touch her.

Satisfied, Gozu examined the rest of the team. A blond-haired kid with a dark orange shirt and dark orange pants was arguing with a black haired boy. The girl would occasionally chime in with a retort, but she seemed content with not participating. She mostly examined the forest idly. The jonin–

Kakashi Hatake was staring straight at them. Despite the distance between them and despite the fact that he shouldn't be able to, considering their hiding spot. Silver hair, a face mask, and a forehead protector covering his left eye. Everyone knew the appearance of the Copy Ninja.

He grabbed his brother's arm, preparing to body flicker away.

The screech of a thousand birds could be heard behind them.

Gozu accepted his fate.

Naruto stood in front of Tazuna, with Sakura and Sasuke to the sides of the man.

Kakashi appeared in front of them in a puff of smoke. He walked steadily towards Tazuna, stopping just before the quivering man.

"Did you know the Demon Brothers were after you?" he asked calmly.

"N-no! You were only supposed to protect me from bandits, I swear!" Tazuna yelped.

Kakashi made a gesture, and Gozu of the Demon Brothers appeared in a puff of smoke. He was dragging the corpse of his brother. His eyes reflected Kakashi's sharingan, completely under his control. He was constantly fighting against it, no doubt wishing to avenge his brother, but Kakashi's hold was tight.

"Did Tazuna know you were after him?" he asked.

"Yes. We've been hunting him for weeks," Gozu said with a blank face.

"Are there any other shinobi you're working with?"

"The Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi."

Kakashi turned his eyes to Tazuna. "Did you know?"

Tears were in Tazuna's eyes. "Please! Gato was going to kill me! If I had told you, I wouldn't have been able to afford it! Me and my family would die!"

A thousand birds screeched.

Murderous rage could be seen from Kakashi's lone eye. "Law Seven of the shinobi code states that should the client lie concerning the parameters of the mission, and he risks the life of unprepared shinobi, he is to be executed for crimes against Konoha. Your life is forfeit, Tazuna. You risked my genin."

Tazuna screamed, "Please! NO! I HAVE A FAMILY!"

Looking at them now, Sakura was pale. Frightened beyond belief, she looked as if she was going to vomit. Naruto's face was blank, but Kakashi could see the emotions he couldn't hide boiling underneath. Disgust, terror, and anger were just a few he was able to see. Sasuke looked on with a grim face.

Kakashi ended his Raikiri and smiled. "But you're lucky that's not how I roll."

Tazuna looked shocked. "Wh-what?"

"I'm not going to kill you," he elaborated. "You're lucky nothing happened. If we encountered Zabuza and my genin were hurt because of you… Well, I wouldn't hesitate. But as things stand now, there's no point."

"T-thank you. You don't know how much this means to me!"

The void in Naruto's face disappeared, and he stared at him with a smile. Kakashi winked. Sakura looked relieved. Sasuke sighed, the smallest of smiles on his face, no doubt happy they didn't have to watch their sensei murder their client.

Kakashi turned to address Tazuna. "But this doesn't mean we're continuing with the mission. We're not going to get involved in an A-rank mission again. One of my genin almost died the last time. I'm not going to risk that happening again."

"B-but Gato's going to bleed us dry, and he's going to kill me! The Land of Wave won't be able to survive if I'm not protected. Please, shinobi-san, help us," Tazuna implored.

"No."

"But–

Kakashi shrugged, interrupting him. "I said no, Tazuna." The man looked to be on the verge of tears. Kakashi sighed. "You know, you didn't have to lie about the mission. We can go back to the village, tell the Hokage what's really going on, and Konoha would send a jonin team that can actually deal with this. As for payment, an exclusive trade agreement with the Land of Waves can be set up. Problem solved, Tazuna."

The man's eyes widened in realization.

"Maybe you should stop drinking so much. You would've remembered that missions aren't always paid through direct money. Favors or treaties are just as good of a currency."

Kakashi snapped his finger. Gozu disappeared in a puff of smoke. His genin looked at him curiously, asking for an explanation as to where he went. "Never you mind. We'll be going back to Konoha now. Tazuna," he said, sighing, "just stop with the drinking on our way there, alright?"

Gozu was heading to where Kakashi had originally encountered him and his brother and would kill himself afterwards. Kakashi's dogs would handle informing the village of where the two corpses were located.

Kakashi kept his distance from his team, watching as they discussed whether the mission called for a celebration. Naruto was arguing how the mission was technically a success so they should go to Ichiraku's, while Sasuke argued the complete opposite. Sakura's argument was that it didn't matter, but if they were going to eat together, it had to be at Hebi's this time.

They had just finished reporting to the Hokage what had occurred. The man had eyed Tazuna with unsubtle anger. Considering how much the Third worked on rebuilding Konoha's forces after the Kyuubi attacked, lying about the mission parameters was something that ruffled his feathers, so to say. He hated when shinobi died needlessly. No doubt the trade agreement would heavily favor Konoha as compensation, but it would, ultimately, be fair. The Third wouldn't want to cripple an entire nation for one man's sin.

That was just the kind of man the God of Shinobi was.

Kakashi coughed to get his genin's attention. They turned to him expectantly. "Alright, my cute little genin, the Hokage doesn't need us for any missions, so I've negotiated for us to be left alone for the next month to prepare for the Chuunin Exams."

Three more of his Limited Edition books were gone. The things he did for his genin…

"Shouldn't we rest after our mission?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Rest is for the weak, Sakura-chan!" he said with a grin, articulating it through his lone expressive eye. "You have ten minutes to meet me in Training Ground Seven!"

With a puff of smoke, he disappeared. He blitzed through Konoha's rooftops until he reached his destination. Pulling out his last Limited Edition book, Kakashi almost wept.

Hopefully his genin would pass the Exams and become chuunin. He couldn't justify these massive expenses anymore. The Hokage grew harsher with every transaction between them.

He carefully opened his book, Icha Icha Paradise: Bloody Rebellion.

"Oh, Hazuza-kun, is there anything I can do to repay you for defeating the Turtle King? Because of you, Kibigakure is now free from his tyranny," Mai Tebumi said, teasingly caressing his thigh.

He pulled her in close, pressing her warm body up against his, her large breasts practically engulfing his chest. They were staring at each other face to face. Her red lips were just begging to be consumed, but he held off. He watched her reaction as his Zaku-chan entered the office, wearing a kimono he bought for her. She shyly attempted to cover her large breasts, which, with how tight the kimono was, was a useless endeavor.

Just as he liked it.

"As long as you're okay with Zaku-chan joining us," he snarled in pleasure.

"That… is more than okay," Mai purred, drinking in the sight of Zaku.

Hazuza pounced on her, prepared to break every inch of her. She would become his, just as Zaku was.

Kakashi sighed when he heard his genin arriving. Just when it was starting to get interesting, he complained. He read through a few more pages until they stood before him, waiting for his guidance. He couldn't help but be pleased with that.

There was a stark difference between how they viewed him now vs a couple of months ago. After their last month-long training, they knew the value of his tutelage.

He closed his book. From his pouch, he pulled out a scroll. He threw it to Sakura. "You and I are going to work on something I've always been curious about. You have perfect chakra control, Sakura, but you're held back by your low reserves. As useful as Water Release can be, you won't get much use out of it if this continues to be the case. If you want to catch up to Naruto and Sasuke, you'll need more than Genjutsu."

Sakura unsealed the scroll, multiple textbooks appearing in a puff of smoke. "Chakra replenishing?" she asked, reading the title of one of the books.

Kakashi nodded. "Using Medical Ninjutsu, a medic can replenish the chakra of others by transferring their own. We're going to figure out how to do the opposite. Is it possible to absorb the chakra of others by reversing the technique?"

Sakura's eyes widened at the possibility.

"We'll also be working on increasing your speed, strength, and stamina. If things go well, you should be on par with the other two."

Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "It's been three weeks. Have you mastered Chidori?"

Sasuke nodded, using a singular hand sign. The screech of a thousand birds could be heard as lightning encased his left arm. He blurred towards the nearest tree, impaling it. His hand passed through it as if it was butter. He pulled his arm out, admiring the new hole. He showed his hand to Kakashi. "No burn marks. I struggled with that in the beginning, but I've been practicing every chance I get. I haven't had the chance to use it, however, since it's a killing technique."

Kakashi hummed. "You'll get a chance to in the Chuunin Exams. Killing is very much allowed, and I encourage it. I'd rather your opponents die than any of you because you decided to play safe with your morals."

Sasuke nodded. "I understand."

"Now, Sasuke, I have a way we can improve your usage of the technique. Have you ever heard of Shisui Uchiha?"

Sasuke blinked. "My brother's friend?"

"Yes, that's the one. Another name he went by is Shisui the Teleporter. His usage of the Body Flicker Technique was so masterful, it looked more like he was teleporting than anything else. We're going to prepare your body, and your Sharingan, to recreate this."

Just like Sakura, Sasuke's eyes widened at the possibility. "Shisui was the only one my brother struggled against…" Sasuke hesitated for a second but bowed to show his gratitude. "Thank you, Kakashi."

Kakashi smiled. He pulled out a scroll from his pouch that contained the jutsu and handed it to him. Sasuke caught it gingerly. "Of course, Sasuke. My top priority with all three of you is making you stronger. Now, Naruto," he addressed. He pulled out another scroll and tossed it to him.

"Earth Release: Earth Armor?" he asked.

"If we have time, I might give you a Wind jutsu, but I'd rather focus on your Earth Release for now. It's a versatile Release, and one I have an affinity to. This is one technique I stole from an Iwa-nin. The earth moves to cover you in the form of armor, allowing you great defense. You're more suited to frontal attacks, so I thought it would be fitting. We'll also be working on reducing the hand signs needed for Earth Release: Earth Tremor Sense. Preferably, you shouldn't need any at all by the end of the month. You have the chakra needed for it. How's your fuinjutsu coming along?"

Naruto grinned. "My calligraphy's perfect, and I know the language really well now! It was hard at first, but it became easier after a while."

Kakashi chuckled. "You are an Uzumaki. I would expect it would come easier for you. Personally, it took me a few months to get proficient in the language to start creating anything. I'll teach you how to make storage seals and explosive tags. Those are always useful."

He clapped. "Alright, you three. We'll start off with a couple of hours of running, and then you'll all split up to learn your respective techniques."

Kakashi grinned at the groans coming from the three.

Nagato grinned, leering at the body of Black Zetsu, a seal on the creature's forehead. It was restricting its movement, paralyzing it completely.

He nodded to Itachi, who was staring at him unblinkingly. "Any complications dealing with him?"

Itachi's face was an unreadable void. "None. A Genjutsu to paralyze him and a subsequent Tsukiyomi were all that was needed to apprehend him. Your seal did the rest."

Nagato hummed in reply. Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, and Madara. A complexing trio that were an annoyance to him for the past decade.

After gaining the strength to contend with Madara, it was a simple matter enlisting the help of Itachi. Nagato had long ascertained the true motive behind the impassive Uchiha–protecting the village from Madara's clutches. Informing Itachi of Nagato's goal of ending the old fossil's existence and promising to avoid Konoha for the foreseeable future was enough for him.

Having such a powerful asset under his control was advantageous. Nagato's first order to ambush Zetsu was completed with no hitch whatsoever, thankfully.

Nagato planned on dissecting the creature, finding out every one of its secrets, and Madara's along with it. There was no hiding from an Uzumaki once you were under their particular hospitality. He had more than enough seals to pressure him into squealing, with or without his conscious awareness.

Nagato sighed, stretching his sore muscles. He and Konan had to rush to Amegakure; her, to run the village, and him, to discover Zetsu's fate.

His Uzumaki life force was hard at work recovering his chakra coils, but the constant usage would wear him out.

He needed to rest soon.

"Itachi, I have another task for you." With but a gesture, a map and a piece of parchment appeared with nary a puff of smoke that usually accompanied summoning objects from a storage seal. He handed it to Itachi. The parchment contained his orders and the map contained the location of where Nagato needed him to go.

Itachi's inexpressive eyes widened the tiniest bit, denoting surprise. "There's a reason they were destroyed, you realize? If the other villages were to discover your plan, there's nothing they wouldn't do to stop you. This could cause the next Shinobi World War.

Nagato chuckled. "Ah, but that's exactly what I want." His expression turned serious. "You have two years to find where it was destroyed, Itachi. Do not disappoint me."

Itachi blinked. Nodding, he walked away. "It will be done, Leader-sama," he muttered.

A/N: I just hit 40k words! That's half of 80k, which is practically 100k! In a couple months, I'll have gone farther than most authors in this site! I'm very excited.

So, yeah. No Wave. I think after 40k words, it's very obvious that this story isn't going to tread canon, and it's definitely not going to start with Wave. Sure, I could've put a twist on it, but it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Unlike Land of Frost, it would be a filler arc (in my story).

I didn't just want to leave the country hanging, though, so I wrote this. Credit goes to Introverted for inspiring me.

Zabuza and Haku aren't done yet, however. I have very big plans for them. The Civil War's still occuring, is it not?

And what the hell is Nagato planning?

Tell me what you guys think. :)

- DoctorNiklaus