I'm sorry for all late replies that have and might occur. I blame my life. But at least I'm still able to post in time, much thanks to all the great support I receive. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and followers! This story has received much more attention than any other I've written so far. I hope I'll be able to live up to your expectations, and that you'll all like this chapter :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 10 - Sannin

Sasuke

"I don't believe this." Because it couldn't possibly be true.

"Why? All strong shinobi tend to be a little eccentric. Look at Kakashi." Her eyes flashed from one pervert to the other.

"I heard that."

"Is this the research you mentioned?" Trust the socially inept idiot to ask such a stupid question.

"Yes, Sai. Don't ever read the books, though. They'll pollute your mind."

"Hey! Old man! What're you looking at?" Naruto's voice easily reached them – and everyone else in the near and not-so-near vicinity, causing the peeping Tom to provide some entertainment of his own. Flailing hands, hushed whispers and wild, panicked eyes – the picture was complete. From across the fence the ladies expressed their displeasure with shrieks and indignant yells.

Kakashi-sensei decided this was the perfect moment to step in. More like stroll, actually, and too lazy to look up from his literature. "Jiraiya-san, a pleasure to meet you again." Still flailing, the man turned at the sound of his voice. So, this could no longer be a huge misunderstanding. More like a joke, the fact that such a pervert was the Sannin, after all. A feeling of doom suddenly seemed to fill the hot springs and pull a shadow over the sun. "We've been expecting you."

"Kakashi, still enjoying my books I see." Which confirmed his guess, and explained certain things about their sensei he had preferred to never know. "I heard you finally got yourself a team. Interesting combination." They shared some kind of understanding, in that moment. Sakura seemed to be in on it too.

"And you've already met Naruto."

"Yes."

"I'm gonna be the-"

"Let's go somewhere else." The man glanced nervously at the fence, wincing from the indignant, shrill sounds behind it. "We'll talk elsewhere."

Everyone followed silently, except Naruto. He kept pestering and babbling, but at least he was easy to block out this time. They moved farther away from all buildings, and ended up in the grass along the river. In this particular scenario, Sasuke was a silent participant. He had no real role to play. The same was true for Sai, who trailed after them like a ghost. It felt strange, of course, because Sakura and even the Dobe had a part in this event.

"So?" Suddenly dead serious with a strange glint in his eyes, Sasuke could see the Sannin in this man.

"We're here to bring you back to Konoha."

A white, bushy eyebrow rose. "Really."

"But you'll help us locate Tsunade-san first. And she'll also come with us, by order of the Hokage."

"How unusual. And impossible, I'm afraid. Even if you find Tsunade, she wouldn't come with you."

"We have some leverage." Kakashi-sensei glanced towards Sakura, who just sat there like a good little genin.

"The girl?" Kakashi's crinkling eye confirmed that question. "Tell me why the Hokage sends for us, Kakashi."

"I can answer that." Sasuke almost cringed hearing her light, girly voice. However old and experienced she might be, Sakura looked and sounded like a thirteen-year-old. One could only hope she would be taken seriously. "Orochimaru will invade Konoha when the Chūnin Exam tournament is held. If we don't do anything, Sarutobi Hiruzen will die trying to stop him. If that happens Tsunade-sama will have to come home anyway, seeing as she will be the next Hokage. After all, you graciously decline the position."

Jiraiya directed a questioning gaze at Kakashi. A what-the-hell kind of look.

"Meet my student, Haruno Sakura."

"The leverage," the Sannin finished dryly, and he gave her a piercing look. She didn't squirm under that gaze, as one might have thought. And she held immense respect for this person (despite his lecherous disposition), that much was clear. She looked at him much the same way she looked at the Hokage.

"You see, I'm from a parallel world, or universe, or whatever you might want to call it. Anyway, my world has a four year head start on this one, so we're trying to prevent some of the shit that happened in my Konoha." Kakashi-sensei supplemented her by silently reaching over with a mission scroll from the Hokage. The seal was still intact, but Jiraiya checked it with some jutsu before breaking it. He skimmed through the contents, disbelief and resignation appearing and mixing across his face, although the former took precedence in the end.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, he doesn't believe you."

"I know. I don't blame him."

"I have a great idea!" Naruto's spur of the moment enthusiasm was overwhelming. Thus Sasuke expected something stupid to follow.

"Tell us something you shouldn't possibly know, like, secrets from the future. "

"I suppose… Yes, I can do that. Won't be all pleasant, though." She looked around until she settled on Sai. "You have a sketchbook with two blank pages in the middle. I've seen what they look like finished. I believe you'll figure it out yourself if you stay with our team." She gave him a friendly wink, but Sai probably didn't know the meaning of the gesture. "I'm sorry I arrived too late to save your brother." Too blunt. Sai looked as shocked as he possibly could. He picked up his book with a tiny frown, perhaps imploring it to reveal the unspoken secret.

Next was Kakashi-sensei, because Sakura watched him with teasing but kind of sad eyes. It made people wonder. "I know why you're always late."

"I see." He returned her statement with a disarming smile, typical Kakashi-sensei. It fooled Sai and Naruto just fine. Sakura apparently had no more to say on the matter.

The latter was next in line. "That thing you have locked inside you."

Naruto flinched.

Sakura didn't seem to feel the pressure of a certain Sannin suddenly watching her very closely. For the first time his sharp eyes revealed the true strength inside said Sannin. Then again, only Kakashi was unaffected, unsurprised within their little circle of sharing – or rather, spilling secrets. "And also… I know who your parents are. Well, were."

His face drained of color while his eyes grew wide. A very slight trembling of his bottom lip revealed how Naruto, despite everything, was still a child. "My…"

"Yes. Well, Naruto-" her Naruto. "-found out not so long ago, and with the Edo Tensei bringing his father back, even an idiot would make the connection. At least if they had time to look, I mean, we were in the middle of the front lines, at a rather critical moment… Anyway, I can't understand how they kept it hidden in the first place. I know why, of course, but... And I'm less than impressed by how you handled the situation." Her hand flailed in the general direction of Jiraiya and Kakashi, both rather pale at this point. "Which of course leads me to my next statement. Jiraiya-san, with all due respect, you should shoulder your responsibilities as a godfather. It's about time, actually more like long overdue."

From her maze of words and the reactions to those involved, Sasuke understood this: Naruto's parents held some high position before they died, there was a clear resemblance between father and offspring, and his Godfather, although hard to believe, was in fact that perverted Sannin. Sasuke doubted the Dobe in question managed to deduce that much, though.

"Who? My parents… Please, Sakura-chan, tell me?"

Before she could answer, Kakashi-sensei drawled in his lazy voice; "that's enough, don't you think?" at the same time a rather panicked Jiraiya-san said "I'm convinced, no need to go on."

"Jikes, relax. I'm sorry Naruto, I can't tell you. You'll find out by yourself when the time is right." Her own clichéd words made Sakura wince. Luckily for her, clichés achieve their status for a reason, so naturally Naruto accepted those words and settled. He still looked like a kicked puppy, though.

Sasuke stepped in. Not to be nice, just… because, he felt like it. "You forgot me."

Sakura tilted her head slightly, a contemplative look in her eyes. "There's nothing to say."

"I see." So, she already told him everything. Good.

"Unless you prefer that I tell them, of course." Surely, she was teasing.

"No." And it was far from necessary.

"They'll know sooner or later anyway."

"Hn."

"Later it is."

Kakashi

She insisted on going in alone, although Jiraiya obviously itched to get some 'hands on' action. Not that they wouldn't see everything from the window, and enhance their hearing with chakra, just to keep an eye on her, and absolutely not to spy on their comrade, because that was below their dignity as shinobi of the Leaf. Thus the pub found a twelve years old little girl – or was it thirteen? – sitting alone across from a busty blonde and her nervous sidekick.

"I like that diamond on your forehead."

"Why, thank you."

"Can I get one too?"

"I rather doubt that."

"If I did, would you help me? My gramps has a rather serious problem, and I heard you're a really good healer."

"Did you now? So, do you suggest… A bet?"

"Yeah."

"Tsunade, I don't think-"

"Like… I win if I can get the same mark as you before you finish your bottle of sake."

Tsunade gazed longingly at her half done flask of clear liquid. "And if I win?"

"I have some savings… And I'll work for you the next three years."

"Deal."

"Tsunade! You're exploiting that little girl!"

"Oh, hush Shizune. She's got a forehead protector, she's obviously an adult with every right to make her own decisions." Legally adult from the point of achieved genin status, as it were. Any further protests were promptly ignored, and they shook on it.

"A deal it is." Tsunade smirked smugly. "You better hurry."

It was bottles up from that moment, as Sakura closed her eyes. Mere seconds later a fine fountain of crystal droplets found their way from Tsunade's mouth, spraying the table separating the gamblers. It was clear that with high stakes, the now smug winner would take it all.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So, you see, you'll come with us, help us save Sarutobi-san, and become the Godaime Hokage as he retires."

He would admit, he was entirely too happy to be a silent spectator in the oncoming events. And since Sakura called them out and asked – more like demanded – that they come inside, everyone were blessed with front row seats. Maybe it was the human nature of self-preservation kicking in, but he did value his life.

"Do I look like a Hokage to you?" Tsunade thrust her cup between them so that the content broke against its confinement like irascible waves on a beach. Her angry flush and droopy eyes were all too influenced by those dozens cups of sake. With a smirk Sakura nodded her consent. "If we were to put a desk and ten stacks of paper in front of you, it would be perfect."

"You have some guts, little girl." Or a death wish, possibly.

"I'll still work for you. You can't have my savings, though. Sorry." She didn't seem apologetic at all. "But I will sneak in sake to you every opportunity I get… well, some of them at least; without Shizune noticing. And you'll have many glorious naps on the unfinished paperwork, and you'll smash several training grounds to smithereens. I'll even help you."