When Shikamaru was late for their meeting, Shino didn't take too much notice of it. After all, it wasn't as if he was going anywhere anytime soon, and Shikamaru, being Shikamaru, tended to be late to most things anyway. What really got Shino's attention was that when Shikamaru did arrive, he was noticeably frustrated, his hands tightening around the files he held, his jaws clenched. Shino reacted to this with his customary nonchalance, and hoped that his friend would calm down enough to actually tell him what happened. Sometimes it really would be simpler for everyone if Akimichi Chouji was here to smooth the way.

'What's up?', he asked.

Shikamaru sat down on his couch, exhaled loudly, and began speaking in a tight tone that belied his inner feelings.

'Well, I have some good news, some bad news, and some downright irritating news.' he started.

'Go on'

'The good news is that I know who the traitor is.' There was a slight emphasis on the word traitor, almost as if he had used another, far more profane word in its place. Shino attributed it to the general Konohan hatred of traitors, of missing-nin in general, which he found understandable but not one he believed himself. After all, one of the main rites of becoming a full Aburame involved wondering whether to leave the village. He still remembered his father explaining it to him, that night after he failed his third chuunin exam. He had settled at the village gates for five hours before returning home, to find his father sitting in his living room with a strange pride exuding from him.

It is one thing to doubt your village, Shino, and we all do it. But it is a truly great thing to know that that doubt is, in the end, unfounded, and that our village deserves more than our suspicion of it.

Shino suspected that the reason that so many Aburame were posted in diplomatic missions to other villages and Daimyos was that that was the only way to hide their thoughts of treachery from the village. Not that he blamed them. It was yet another reason he would have to reach for Hokage. If the status quo continued, in three generations every last Aburame would go missing-nin. It was a problem his elders found extremely troubling, but none of them were in a position to do anything about it. Not like he would be, if he managed to do what was slowly becoming the only logical choice.

'Who?' he asked.

'A boy called Uzumaki Naruto. He was in our year at the Academy, actually. Turns out there were a couple of things wrong with the mission briefing they gave us.'

In their year at the Academy? It was certainly possible, he supposed, seeing as how he remembered none of his fellow pupils who didn't make it past the genin exam. 'That's the bad news?'

'There's loads of bad news. For one thing, he left in our final year. The briefing said he left at ten, but the files I found', he nodded towards the stack of papers he'd dumped on the table between them, 'seem to say he only left at twelve. I don't know if the Hokage's office really doesn't know anything about the boy, or if they were deliberately trying to mislead me. I don't know which is worse.' Shikamaru said.

Shino grimaced. Bad intel was problematic, always. Whether it had to do with the colour of your target's favourite kimono or the position of her guards, bad intel was a lot worse than no intel at all. But the Hokage's mission reports rarely contained bad info, but they did so for specific reasons. Especially when it had to do with sensitive subjects like Akatsuki, or other villages' jinchuuriki, because misinformation might be the one thing they needed to prove to the other villages that they didn't have a clue. This kind of endangerment of their ninja would never have happened under the Sandaime, but the Godaime's approach was a lot more utilitarian, and worked better for the village, even if it did put individual ninja at more risk.

He motioned Shikamaru to go on.

'Then we have the problem of the daughter.'

Just as Shikamaru said it, it struck Shino.

'She's too old, isn't she?' he exclaimed.

'Exactly. There's no way she's sixteen and his biological daughter. But there was no way the woman I met wasn't in her teens.'

'So she isn't his actual daughter, then?'

'Seems to be the only possibility. I'm still not sure of it, though. She made a huge song and dance about being the "Last of the Whirlpool". It just doesn't add up.' Shikamaru had visibly calmed down since he had arrived. 'Do you remember Iruka-sensei?'

Shino was a bit startled at the sudden change in topic, but he answered anyway.

'Chuunin, with a scar across his nose? Oh yes, he did some work for the Hokage, the Sandaime, that is', he appended, at Shikamaru's quizzical look, 'filing and general administrative stuff. I ran into him a couple of times while putting in reports, he was exclusively R&A for a good three years after Jiraiya-sama came to power. I don't know where he is now, though. Why?'

'He's the one who wrote these files, he was pretty close to Uzumaki before he ran away. He got pretty cut up about him leaving.' There was no small amount of fire in Shikamaru's eyes now.

'How cut up is cut up, exactly?' This was exactly the kind of emotional involvement Shino found irritating and unproductive. It clearly mattered to Shikamaru, though for what reason he could not guess.

'Read the files if you want to. It's obvious he left without a single consideration for anyone who cared about him.' Shikamaru clearly wanted to say a few more things, but he stopped himself with a sigh. 'I just really, really don't like traitors.'

Shino thought he was being a bit harsh on him, especially seeing as how the boy had only been twelve. An orphan his age disappearing shouldn't even be on the radar of the ninja of Konoha. Why it merited Godaime-sama's personal attention was beyond his comprehension, and also the entire point.

They sat in silence for a while, digesting the information, until Shikamaru started speaking again.

'There's more.' he said stonily.

Shino wasn't sure if he wanted or needed to hear this, but his partner-in-crime thought it was important, and he couldn't just reject it out of hand.

'Guess who I ran into on the way to the Tower.'

'Surely not the Jinchuuriki from Kumo?' he said with a small grin. Shikamaru's team had nearly died that day, and only the timely intervention of Konoha's ANBU had stopped it. Nonetheless, most people he knew found it hilarious that they had returned unscratched from an S-rank infiltration of Lightning country, only to stumble upon their most dangerous ninja while crossing the border.

Shikamaru glared at him, before going on. 'If that was all, I might not have minded. No, it was Team 7.'

'And what did they have to say?' Shino said flatly.

'They overheard my lie at the restaurant, apparently. I knew Ino-chan was being loud.' Shino wasn't sure if Shikamaru was genuinely exasperated, of he was just amused at his friend's antics. Of course, if she hadn't been that loud, his grandfather probably would not have heard of it either. Probably. 'Threatened to expose me if I didn't do what they said, and gave me a cock-and-bull story about how they had information we might find useful, didn't even tell me what about. I told them to shove it, of course, but I'm still not sure. Damn S-class shinobi and their arrogance.'

The last bit faded into a mutter as Shikamaru seemed to curse to himself, but Shino ignored it. Attention was the last thing he wanted. His comrades in ANBU knew exactly how strong he was, and the more inaccurate the Bingo Book was about him, the better. The bit that did interest him, however, was the offer of information. Uchiha was well placed in Konoha's shinobi structure, even if he was cursed. Shikamaru might not think it worthwile to find out, but Shino could use everything he could get his hands on, and this seemed like a good opportunity.

'I think we should go talk to them', he said.

Shikamaru's head snapped up, and his face was completely bewildered.

'Why would you want to do that?' Shikamaru was equal parts stunned, annoyed and genuinely curious.

Shino's mind whirred as he tried to think of something more plausible than 'Because I'm running for Hokage, and I need all the help I can get.'

'Because it probably has something to do with Jiraiya-sama, and that can't be a bad thing.'

'How do you figure that?' Shikamaru asked.

'He wouldn't have offered, otherwise. The only information that could be of any use to us is something that has to do with the Hokage himself.' Or it could all be a bluff, but given that everyone in this potential conversation was a ninja, and a good one at that, that was not likely.

'No, I meant how is it useful.'

'At this point, anything about the Hokage is useful. And anything that Uchiha knows is bound to be good.'

'You're actually considering this?' Shikamaru said.

'Not just considering. I'm thinking we should go, or if you don't want to come, at least I should go.' Shino's tone brooked no argument, even as his words were conciliatory.

Shikamaru looked at him, as if seeing him in a completely new light, which he probably was, before nodding once.

'Fine. If you want to do this, let's do this. We can probably head over there right now.'

Their eyes met, though Shino's were hidden, and they left the house together.

Haruno Sakura was the best. She was the best kunoichi in her year, she was the best medic-nin in her generation, and she was the best expert Konoha had on Uchiha Sasuke, outside of the man himself. This was not because she was the stupid fangirl she had once been, but rather because being his teammate for more than a decade taught you things about him you'd really rather not know.

However, if there was one thing she hated, however good she was at it, it was politics. It was exactly this sort of politics that Sasuke seemed to revel in, and made her skin crawl. The whole encounter with Shikamaru had been forced, and all three of them knew it, but she had done it anyway. Because no matter what Kakashi-sensei said, and she knew there had been many, many days she had agreed with him, in the end Sasuke was her teammate, her brother-in-arms, and that counted for more than anything else. So she did it, and now she waited at his house, the one he never used because he couldn't stand it, the one he'd threatened so many times to tear down, and she paced up and down the living room, waiting and dreading Shikamaru and Shino's entrance.

'Sakura, stop pacing.' To anyone else, it might have been an order. A harsh command. To her, it was only what it appeared to be. A request.

'How do we even know that they'll come? Or that they'll come tonight? Why won't they wait a few days, come tomorrow, or the day after?' Sakura was tense for more reasons than one, and being the best didn't make you invincible, it just made you much more aware of your own fragility.

Sasuke smiled one of his rare smiles, when he happy and sad and annoyed and joyous all at the same time, and Sakura could never, even after so many years, figure out what triggered them and what didn't.

'They'll either come tonight, or they won't at all. If we were anyone else, they might consider sweating us out, making us nervous. But we're not nervous, are we, Sakura?' Sakura burst out laughing at that. 'Ok, fine, but we're not going to get more nervous than we are now, that's for sure. And if they were anyone else, they'd take some time to think about it, judge their positions, weigh up the pros and cons. but they're not just anyone. They're ANBU, and they're good. No, they'll have made their decision, and they're either heading over to us right now, or not giving us even a second's thought. Either way, it's only tonight to worry about, and I'm not worried.'

Sakura calmed down, just a little bit, at that declaration. Just knowing Sasuke wasn't worried made her feel better. They were Team 7, after all, even if Kakashi-sensei had left them, even if Ginjou-kun wasn't with them anymore. They were Team 7, and they didn't break.

'Are you sure about this? Telling them might not fix anything. For all we know, neither of them will get to Hokage.'

'One of them will get to Hokage. They might not be rated as such in the Book, but they're good shinobi. Nara could take me on in a fair fight and come out ahead, given enough time, and no fight with the Aburame would be fair, if he could help it. They're ninja to their bones, and if they want to make it, they will. What I find really odd is why they've teamed up.' That was a subtle question, because Sakura was good with people, good with behaviour, good where Sasuke wasn't, and he wouldn't mind knowing her take on it.

'It's obvious, really. They're the only competition they have. It makes sense, given they're both Konoha born and bred, to talk to each other instead of fighting each other. The only other ninja I can think of who has the skill, the charisma and the contacts is Sarutobi, and he hasn't wanted it since, well, you know...' Sakura trailed off.

And Sasuke did know. That was the point of this conversation, after all. The Sandaime and the Godaime, both terrific Hokage in their own way, but both so flawed as well. Their actions had had a huge impact on everyone in Konoha, and Sarutobi Konohamaru exemplified that. Grandson of the Sandaime, apprentice to the Godaime, summoner of Toads and Monkeys both, and yet so unwilling to take up any position of responsibility within the village. And it had everything to do with what Sasuke hoped to tell the two ninja approaching him, and what he hoped to get out of it.

'Will you tell them everything?' Sakura asked.

Sasuke looked at her, his gaze showing just a glint of the pain that had been with him since he was seven. He spoke slowly, choosing every word with care.

'It depends. I will have to tell them about the Curse if they are to understand what I need from them. I will have to tell them about Itachi and the Sandaime if they are to gain anything from this. But how much detail, whether or not I give them the background, the truth about the massacre and the Clan, all of that is up for grabs. If I want to see my brother's name on the Memorial, I can't just give away his secrets so lightly.'

'I still don't know about this. If Jiraiya-sama hears that we're trying to-'

Sasuke cut her off.

'If he hears, we're screwed, yes. But I don't think anyone in this conversation will tell him. They'd have to admit their lack of faith in his ability to lead to do so, and their rubbish about him getting old in age won't fly. I'm amazed Yamanaka believed it at all. And this is all too much to be a bluff. If he suspected us of leaking the story, he'd have us hauled up to his office and string us up by our toenails. They're going for Hokage, and they've picked a good time to do it. ANBU clan-heirs with experience, not to mention they're both extremely good at their specialisations. Nara's infiltrated Lightning, Earth, and Rice in less than ideal conditions, and he hasn't suffered a single casualty yet. Aburame's in R&A, and from what I hear, he's good at it. If they expose themselves well, they've got it made.' Sasuke said.

'Fine, fine.' Sakura huffed. 'If you've made up your mind already, I don't know why you need me here', she teased him.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.

'Who would make tea for us otherwise?' he said.

'Chauvinistic barbarian!' Sakura muttered, a small grin belying her words.

They waited in silence for a few more minutes, until both heard the distant patter of footsteps.

Sasuke winked at her, a display of emotion so rare she remained dumbstruck for three seconds until she remembered herself. Letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, she brought the teapot onto the table, and sat down for what were surely going to be the longest three minutes of her life.

Shikamaru prided himself in being efficient. Why waste energy on doing stupid things when you could so easily save it and save time, too? But even he realised that simply running into someone else's home was a tad rude, so as they approached the Uchiha compound they both slowed to a walk.

Shikamaru was still unsure as to their reason for being here. It was highly unlikely that the information Uchiha and Haruno wanted to give them had anything at all to do with Uzumaki, or the Sandaime stepping down. But Shino had been unnaturally keen on coming to find out, to deal with Team 7 and all their drama. Something was off, somewhere, but Shikamaru had no idea what. He'd have to wait, and watch, and do so not with Ino or Chouji, whom he knew best, or with someone like Inuzuka Kiba, who gave away a lot of emotion and was proud of it, but by watching Aburame Shino, the most taciturn ninja in their generation.

It would bear some observation.

It was about Shino and his idiosyncrasies that Shikamaru was thinking when he realised they're reached the only house in the compound that still had lights on. Shino looked at him, and knocked once.

Uchiha opened the door, and said 'Good evening, Aburame-san, Nara-san. Please, come in.'

As they padded into his rather large living room, feeling like he'd just stepped into a viper's den, he noticed four still steaming cups of tea.

'Have some tea, and then perhaps we can move on to other things.' Haruno said.

Shikamaru was regretting this already.

hello and welcome to you all! i hope you've been well and al that. some of the exciting reveal comes next chapter, sorry for the mostly filler nature of this one. i've got exams for the next couple months, so the updating will not be frequent, but i have a plan! like, sorta. kinda. it involves some people. and stuff.

just to make this clear, much of this fic examines Konoha, and not Naruto. so while i love vindication as much as the next person, i want to tell you what happens with the Hyuuga, and Jiraiya, and Konohamaru, a lot more than i want to tell you about Uzumaki. though there's a plan for that shit, too.