Chapter 16 – How Shinobi Gamble

"Senpai, where are you going?"

Kakashi turned sharply at the voice. "Training grounds." Actually, the abandoned yakitori place near the Uchiha grounds.

The village was still covered with a cloud of dread, and civilians locked their doors and stayed inside because the Uchiha police had better access to them than anyone else. Anbu breastplates and green jonin vests classified everyone else on this side of Konoha.

His kohai flicked to a stop before him with his Cat mask clicked in place. He straightened and took in Hound's lack of breastplate and typical slouch, along with the slight lump under his shirt where his Hound mask was hidden. "To see Owl?"

"Of course, Tenzo-kun," he replied lazily. But this time, he only had five minutes at most before he was called back to duty within the tenseness of the village. Fukurou was the only inside informant he had. He needed to see if she had discovered anything about the status of the prisoners.

The younger man unclipped his mask, revealing stern eyes. "You shouldn't say that so openly, senpai. She's been reported missing, and there have been talks of her turning traitor. It's rumored that she was actually an Uchiha."

He'd forgotten about that. Kakashi reached up to scratch his head sheepishly, "ah, rumors are just that, Tenzo-kun. You'll keep my secret, won't you?"

The anbu Cat went red and glanced away. "I don't want to know, senpai. And I can't say what I don't know." His words were tinged with the type of loyalty one quickly developed from being the subordinate of Hatake Kakashi.

A smile in return. "Good. Maybe I'll just go home, then. My houseplant's been quite lonely these days." He turned to leave, still headed in the direction of the abandoned yakitori place. Every day Minato-sensei's son spent in a prison was like another bloody hook through his conscience.

It wasn't that he knew the boy. He had purposely avoided the kid since the day he was born, because he knew painfully well that people tended to die around him. It wasn't any sort of curse. It was a simple fact that the type of people who tended to associate with him was also the type who tended to have a higher risk of dying. Correlation, causation, he didn't care, it couldn't happen again, Minato-sensei's son had to live.

At that moment, the two anbu heard the sudden flicker of shunshin and their necks snapped round to see another figure in grey metal breastplate materialize behind them.

"Hound-taichou, Cat, report five kilometers north east. The Uchiha are launching an attempt against the anbu headquarters at the back of the Hokage's tower."

"Shit," Nightingale said eloquently. "They were able to walk right in through the civilian areas they were allocated. The village gave them too much power in that regard and now we're paying for it, aren't we, Hound-taichou?"

They laid low beneath the crumbling stone of the building's overhang and peered out the side of the wall to where the battle raged. Behind Kakashi, Tenzo was hitting Sparrow's back with sharp thuds, trying to ease away the wracking coughs that shook him. It had already been in full play when they arrived, but their orders weren't to join. They were only told to lay in wait and act as reinforcements if the Uchiha managed to break through.

It was unlikely that they would, either way. Green flak jackets could be seen among the mess of moving forms. The council was not officially permitted to command the jonin, but Konoha's shinobi fought willingly against the threat, through some left the skirmish with the injured when they could.

Kakashi turned back to see Nightingale crouched over Sparrow, muttering what sounded like soothing words. In the rage of noise around them, it was unlikely he'd ever hear them. But when she reached down to run sure fingers through his hair, it didn't seem to matter. He kept watching a while longer, contemplative at the strange type of almost-caring that these new recruits had. He'd never seen them before, but they were definitely new recruits. Owl would laugh her strange, chiming laugh if she saw them.

He ripped his gaze away when there was a questioning pull at his arm, and turned to raise an eyebrow at his kohai.

"Taichou, will you permit me to put up a defense for the main building and the passage that leads to the headquarters? You'll have to carry me out, but-"

"Do it." Kakashi nodded sharply. This person, he could work with. Tenzo had been in the anbu for many years. He was sufficiently hardened, neither steel nor cotton. He did what his taichou told him to do, and in return Kakashi protected him from both enemy-nin and the higher-ups in anbu (though not, Tenzo would complain, from himself). He wasn't like Nightingale, or Sparrow who coughed up blood nearby.

Cat nodded. Without hesitating, he stood up and flicked out of their position, right to the middle of the field where a single Uchiha shinobi was holding a jonin up by his throat. Kakashi watched dispassionately as Tenzo took a moment to break both the Uchiha's arms and push the jonin away with a roughly barked order to find shelter. Then he put both hands together.

His kohai was a rather talented kid.

A slow groan followed the hands that were slapped together, reverberating through the cloud-dimmed field. Tenzo stood in front of the official entry building to the anbu headquarters (which housed the passage that led to the actual place) and allowed the ground to rise.

There. The glint of steel passed through the air and Kakashi and Nightingale were there to meet it. He watched curiously as her shuriken shot it off its path, but there was no surprise. His orders were more important than taking care of her teammate, and that was something that was better left unchanged for now. More Uchiha police began to attack but they underestimated the power of their own doujutsu in another and watched in slight horror as Kakashi deflected each one.

Behind him, Tenzo's eyes were screwed shut in concentration. It was a special skill of his, though there was still a long time to go before he came close to mastering it. But the ground still rose out of the earth in a thick slab, breaking free before the building they guarded.

"Taichou, it doesn't seem like Cat will make it," Nightingale shouted over the sound of clinking steel.

"Let him try, he can do it," he told her. Tenzo's defense was halfway up, protecting the back of the Hokage's building with a meter-thick wall of wood. He was slightly impressed. His wooden constructions had never been on such a grand scale.

His teammate took one look at his sure eye, and nodded sharply, turning her attention back to the gathering number of Uchiha police who had begun to notice and attack them. But it was clear that their interest in the target waned as the wall rose, because getting through it would be almost as much work as getting through them.

Finally, the slab of wood was almost twenty meters high, arcing smoothly before the building. The ground beneath them had lowered by almost a meter, but it was in better use. Nightingale used her blade to send back five more kunai before spinning on her heel and catching Tenzo as he fell.

Kakashi stood before the two of them, eying the crowd of Uchiha. But there was no need for worry, the jonin who had joined the skirmish had noticed what they had done and were grinning in triumph, leaping eagerly in front of them to scare off the police. In the midst of the chaotic whir of battle, he gripped Nightingale's arm and flickered back to their position.

Right before that shunshin, before his presence left the battlefield with his subordinates in tow, he caught a glimpse of a pale face. She was far off on the field, and the glint of kunai metal was at her throat, held by an anbu member who – from the slightly forlorn look in her eyes – she had known before. He watched in that split second as she wretched the kunai out of his grip and slashed back defiantly, a sixteen-year-old kid who was protesting everything in her life with that single furious motion.

Kakashi closed his eyes as they landed. The people who tended to associate with him were the type who also tended to die, and Owl had pushed herself into his association from the moment she'd laid eyes on him. Meeting with her had been a mistake, but he needed the information source and she was the only Uchiha willing to turn traitor. It was no longer a matter of what he could afford to do, and he didn't know how to fix what had already happened.

For one, terrifyingly calm moment, the thought passed his mind that she was going to become one of his dead.

But for now, his priority was sensei's son.

When they were safely behind the other building, Nightingale sighed and laid Tenzo on the hard ground, eyeing the figure propped up against the wall nearby. Kakashi kneeled by his kohai's prone form and pressed a finger to his throat. A strong pulse, that was good. The adrenaline and chakra exhaustion had knocked him out, but Cat was a resilient kid, long hardened with anbu life under the legendary Hound. He would survive.

So he turned to Nightingale, and to Sparrow, who was pushing himself to sit upright.

"I apologize, taichou," Sparrow rasped. "The attacks come less frequently since I started administering the medic's pills, but when they do come they are worse." He gripped weakly on Nightingale's arm, steadying himself. "I didn't expect …"

"It is a condition of his that he has had for years," she cut in. "He will be fine in a few minutes. I request permission to accompany him to anbu base four's infirmary."

"I can still fight," he pushed at her hand.

Kakashi couldn't tell if it was from a misplaced sense or duty or the fear of being released from anbu. For some reason, the new recruits always wanted to stay. He tilted his masked face to one side, "I have to leave, so this team is disbanded. Nightingale, I'll leave you to take Cat and Sparrow to the infirmary."

The two nodded sharply, the clay of their masks clinking with the motion. Nightingale reached over to throw Tenzo over her deceptively lean shoulder, and Sparrow hobbled to his feet, lifted his mask to spit out a mouthful of red liquid, and turned to follow her.

When he saw their retreating backs, Kakashi realized that he had wanted to ask something. "Wait," he called. "How long have you two been in anbu?"

"I've been an operative for five years," she said, tapping a finger to her masked chin. "I rose to vice-captain eight months ago."

"Seven years," Sparrow said in a voice strained from the dried blood still in his throat. "I taught her." He glanced proudly at Nightingale. "I don't think I'll ever be able to make vice-captain with my condition, but that's fine. I'll live those dreams through her."

Five years. Seven years. As long as him. As he headed to meet with his information source, Kakashi wasn't sure what to think.

When she was finished laughing, the Legendary Slug Sannin reached one hand out to playfully ruffle Itachi's neat hair.

"That's cute," she snickered. "The way you spoke, I almost thought you were going to go ahead and tell me that you were one of those idiots and being Hokage was your dream, but this is even funnier."

Itachi retreated from her hand and pushed his hair back into place. "There are many reasons why I cannot become Hokage," he said calmly.

Sasuke rubbed his temples. His brother's patience was otherworldly but it wouldn't work here, on this stubborn woman.

"Primarily, there is the fact that I am an Uchiha," Itachi began. "After what has happened, it would be impossible for them to accept me. Secondly, there is the fact that you are stronger and are therefore a more suitable candidate for Hokage."

Tsunade leaned back against the bedroll of the futon, watching him with an amused look. "Oh? That's interesting. But you see, I don't want to return. What makes you think I'll become Hokage, of all things?"

"Because you still love your village," he replied. "You still hold true to its values, even though you left it."

Sasuke gripped his cup of milk. Tsunade was no longer harmlessly amused; those words had done something to her. Now she was frowning slightly, and a displeased Sannin was not something he wanted to have on their hands.

"I'm not interested," she said carefully.

"Come back, Tsunade-sama. You're the only one who can fill this position. You're a Senju – everyone trusts you."

She stood up, "kid, thanks for being entertaining, but you're not forcing me into that position. There's a reason I never took it, even though jiji was the Shodai and my sensei was the Sandaime. I grew up around that position. I know that position. And no one who knows it as well as I do would ever want to wear that hat. I would suggest that you leave."

He followed her to his feet and looked back with calm defiance. "Then I propose a gamble, Tsunade-sama."

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"We will decide with a spar," he told her. "If you win, I will settle each and every one of your debts. I know where the finances of the clan are stored and I have easy access to them. If I win, you will come back and become Hokage. "

Sasuke immediately walked over and pulled at his brother's sleeve. This was not good. Nii-san could not propose something like that. He was incredibly strong, but he wouldn't be able to defeat a Sannin at the age of thirteen! He'd only just gotten the Mangekyou Sharingan a few days ago, and his chakra pathways weren't developed far enough to use it for prolonged periods of time. And if nii-san lost … but Itachi ignored his half-desperate hisses of warning.

"Hah, I'm not being beaten by a kid. You said yourself that I'm stronger," she replied, although her tone was curious. "Why would you risk that if you know I would win?"

Itachi nodded sharply. "You are stronger, but I can defeat you once."

There was quiet in the room as Tsunade stared at them contemplatively. Her eyes were sharp now, unmuddled from their previous haze of sake. She tapped one finger against her chin. "I'm worried that this would be considered 'taking advantage of a naïve kid'."

"By now, you should know who I am, Tsunade-sama."

"Yes, I know. One of Fugaku's sons, and that kid must be the other. I still keep up with some news, you see. Whatever Shizune managed to collect. Poor girl, she's still rather attached to that village."

"Will you come back for her sake, Tsunade … sama?" Sasuke tried to put on his most childish expression of hurt, because he could not allow nii-san to do this. Nii-san was stupidly determined and wouldn't back down when it came to sacrifice and something at the corner of his awareness told him this would end horribly. "Won't she be happier in Konoha?"

"My student is tougher than you think, she can adapt," Tsunade replied dryly. "I'm rather interested in this challenge of yours, but only because something tells me that you'll actually pay up when you lose."

Itachi nodded, "I would. Just like you, Tsunade-sama. You will return and become Hokage when I win."

Sasuke watched helplessly, because his tugging at his brother's sleeve wasn't doing anything. This was not good. Tsunade had the same expression that she'd had the previous night at the gambling place, that expression of challenge that almost imitated her drunken state. She wouldn't back down, and that was not good at all. He swallowed his pride and allowed the desperation to show on his face.

"Please don't fight nii-san," he pleaded. "Our clan can't afford to lose money right now."

"Sasuke, it's fine," Itachi's hand was on his head in an almost soothing way. It was the first time that his touch had been so familiar, so brotherly. Right then, when Sasuke was acting like the child he was supposed to be. "Even as I am, I can do this once."

"You shouldn't underestimate your brother, kid," Tsunade told him with a slightly more feral smile, now that they had brought out her inner gambler. "Anbu captain at thirteen, huh?"

Sasuke frowned. How had she known something like that?

"You pick up things when your former teammate has the largest intelligence network in the five countries," she went on. "I'll give you all the time you need. Tomorrow morning at seven outside the eastern gates of Sugi, we'll see how rusty I might be."

Itachi nodded sharply. "Thank you for accepting my challenge, Tsunade-sama."

She grinned and sat down on her futon, "thanks for paying my debts, kid."

With that, Sasuke felt a hand pulling at his arm, and he stumbled along as Itachi drew him out of the room and back to the room Shizune had vacated for them. His mind was a whir of thoughts as they passed down the empty corridor of the inn.

"Try not to interfere, alright?" His brother told him once they were back inside their room. "I can do this. Konoha needs her more than they need me."

"Why, nii-san?" Sasuke demanded, hands balled into fists. "Why are you so set on her? Just tell me the word and I'll even take you to Orochimaru. I'm sure he'd be great as Hokage, if we how the village that he's 'changed'. He's even great at paperwork!"

Itachi leaned back against the window and looked away. "She is suited for it. She is old and powerful and has lived through wars and politics. As she said, she has grown up around the position and knows what it entails. Her transition will be an easy one, and that is necessary at a time like this. And she is one of the successors that have the right to take the position, since her sensei was the previous Hokage. Above all, she remains true to her values despite having left her village."

Sasuke stood there, utterly confused.

"Did you see her last night?" His brother went on. "Did you know how much money she was playing with? That case contained at least five-hundred-thousand ryo, enough to put a man in debt for the rest of his life. And she played with civilians, of all people. It would have been child's play for her to cast a genjutsu over the cards, or to do something to prevent her loss from mere luck. But she didn't. She played fairly and handed over that borrowed money."

The room fell into silence. Sasuke looked down at his feet in disbelief. It was clear that despite her drinking and gambling, there was something that held Senju Tsunade in place, a sort of loyalty to truth that she'd never lost. But could something like that be enough?

"Everyone seems to take her fairness for granted," Itachi said quietly. "That's why they invite her – a master of chakra-control – into their gambling places so willingly. But I cannot take it for granted. I have met shinobi nearly as strong as her who cannot even approach that level of discipline. She is perfect."

"And … for this you will use up some one-time weapon of yours, nii-san?" Sasuke asked. "What will you pay to defeat a Sannin?"

"That is not important."

The way he said it cemented the notion. Aniki was going to risk something. A single thought burned furiously in Sasuke's mind. He couldn't allow their spar to take place.

Within the main house of the compounds, Uchiha Fugaku sat by the kotatsu in complete silence.

Mikoto would be sitting there with him, practicing her beautiful calligraphy. No one else in the clan could compete with her writing – she still had the hands of a kunoichi. Itachi would be in the clearing behind the house, and the occasional thud of kunai-on-wood would echo into the room as a constant reminder of his dedication. Sasuke would be chattering away to his mother about his day at the academy. Sometimes, he would bring one of his test papers and lay it before Fugaku like an offering, waiting with downturned eyes for something to be proud of.

The house had never been so quiet before.

He looked down at the table where a map of Konoha was spread out, with red pins gathered in stark concentration in some places and littering about in other places. The plan to take the main anbu headquarters behind the Hokage's building had failed, but that was expected. It was more of a test. They wouldn't be able to deliver with their full strength anyway, not until the Hyuuga sent their shinobi. And not many of his police had died in the end. Only two had lost their lives, though a few others were almost fatally injured. He couldn't afford to think of that – the next target had to be planned, and quickly.

A single tap on the window to the room alerted him to her presence. He raised an arm, and she flickered to stand in front of him.

"Naori, report."

She nodded. "Some of the civilians have been coming out to say that their children haven't come back. We have gained intelligence that these children are being housed by a few jonin who have taken them, and we told this to the civilian families to prevent them from making trouble."

"That is fine. How is the Jinchuuriki?"

"He remains in the holding cell along with the other child. He has no way to fight my genjutsu, I can keep him there for as long as we need."

"I see. About the skirmish?"

"The police have retreated to the areas under our jurisdiction for now. The next attack should be more successful since the Hyuuga have readied their shinobi and are seeking to meet with you to make plans."

"I will meet Hiashi soon," Fugaku said. "Is there anything else to report?" Have we found either of my sons?

"Itachi and Sasuke are still missing," she said evenly. "As for anything else … there are rumors that you took down Mitokada Homura."

Fugaku's brows furrowed, "rumors?"

"Yes. Council member Danzo reported that Mitokada Homura made to meet with you in secret to take you down by himself. He has not been seen since, and has been reported killed-in-action because a bloodied piece of his sleeve has been found." She paused. "Did you defeat him when he came to you, Fugaku-sama?"

"… I did not meet with him at all. This is the first I am hearing of it myself." Fugaku watched her with narrowed eyes. But it did no good to doubt Naori, she was only a skilled messenger. She told the truth, but if it was true …

Naori kneeled down opposite to him by the kotatsu, "yet it remains that Homura-san was killed by someone, and this person had to have been powerful."

He knew what she was suggesting. "What if he is still alive?"

"It is doubtful."

He paused. "Konoha will no longer underestimate us."

"But it will boost morale, Fugaku-sama."

It was a valid point. Fugaku sighed. He was aware that the Uchiha had come far due to the extent to which they had been underestimated, but being seen this way was not suiting for a powerful and prideful clan. It was almost demeaning, in a way. Something like this would remove their temporary advantage, but the clan shinobi would be more determined now that they had a hint of victory.

"Fine," he told her. "Confirm the rumors."

A few kilometers south in the village of Tanzaku, a white-haired man leaned against the conveyor at the bounty shop, pen in one hand and clinking purse in the other.

"Why're you here?" The bounty place owner glared at him, perpetually red fingers tapping restlessly against the wooden desk.

"Someone in my network told me that you've met some interesting people recently, aside from the hunters. Mind sharing?"

The bounty-collector eyed the green purse. For a while, there was silence in the small shop. Then the clink of coin was traded and his look was slightly more placated.

"Sure I saw people. Pair of idiots. They came here to ask for the Legendary Sucker."

The white-haired man grinned.