Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Finally, the fateful day approached. Tenzou woke up feeling excited, anxious, curious-
"-EIGHT THOUSAND NINE, EIGHT THOUSAND TEN..."
-Grumpy...
Tenzou quickly realized why Genma had swooped in and taken the opportunity to trade roommates with him. As great of a person as Gai was, his eccentricities often invoked strong feelings of potential man slaughter or severe beatings. The bubbly jounin had woken up around 5am to warm up for their 'big day' and had been doing pushup for the last three hours.
"-NINE THOUSAND NINETY NINE, TEN THOUSAND!"
Tenzou had valiantly attempted to roll over and fall asleep again, which he supposed he did in rough patches, but with Gai screaming out his counts it was pretty much impossible. Tenzou asked him to count inside of his head, which Gai had attempted to do, but had only kept it up for around three minutes before he forgot entirely and commenced counting out loud again. Finally, at ten thousand, he leaped up and stretched out his arms.
"AH! The feeling of strength, elasticity, PREPAREDNESS! I shall take on the day with every ounce of youthful vigour I possess!"
Constant sexual tension was starting to look really good right now. Tenzou grumbled and smooshed his face into his pillow with an aggravated sigh. With one last exaggerated exclamation, Gai swooped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind him. Tenzou closed his eyes and prayed for at least fifteen more minutes of sleep.
That's when he heard the knocking.
He was going to get kidnapped today due to lack of sleep. What a way to go.
Looking exactly as haggard as he felt, Tenzou swung the door open. "M'yah?"
Genma laughed, a little evilly, at Tenzou's frazzled demeanour. "Ah. I take it Gai has been doing his morning exercises?"
Tenzou's glare had enough venom to kill a snake. Genma laughed again, obviously not sorry at all.
"I'll take that as a yes. We're all going to get some early breakfast and then meet with Shikaku and the other ANBU. When you're ready, come meet Kakashi and I in our -hahaha, I mean your room."
Tenzou tried not to think about the look on his face that made Genma correct himself, but his friend considerately did not stick around long enough to bug him about it. The jounin winked, turned and headed back without delay. Feeling slightly nervous, Tenzou closed the door and slowly walked to his dresser. He knew everyone involved was capable, but they really had no idea what or who they were up against.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The group headed back to their respective rooms from their pre-mission meeting in complete silence. The buzz from their collective skulls was almost audible in the empty hallway. Everyone looked determined, however. As they branched off to get ready, lazy shoulder bumps and back slaps were exchanged, their silent way of communicating 'good luck' and 'you'll be great' to each other.
Tenzou yanked on the straps of his armour and snapped his sword into place with barely any conscious effort. He appreciated the feeling of being in action again, of turning from a helpless victim into a soldier, but his mind was completely preoccupied with 'what if's'. It frustrated him that his ANBU career had started off like this, but what was infinitely worse is if it ended without even having a chance to begin. Especially since he had been teased with a team he had come to truly care for in such a short amount of time.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they reconvened outside of their rooms and headed down to the arena together. They began their usual banter to get into the spirit of acting like everything was completely normal, breaking the general silence that had ruled over their morning. Genma went as far as to slap Gai's ass so hard the echo ricocheted off the walls and down the hall right at the doors of the training arena. The bowl cut jounin leaped about two feet into the air and threw a fist at his feisty friend. Thankfully, there were no hidden ANBU standing at the wall where his arm sank about a foot into the wood. Genma laughed his ass off and Gai was as red as pomegranate.
"Pull your punches until we start training, Gai." Kakashi commanded idly, but his tone betrayed his amusement.
"I can hardly control my dextrous limbs when my faithful companion is fondling my posterior!"
Tenzou snorted so loudly his mask nearly came flying off.
"HA! Fondling. You wish, buddy." Genma retorted with a sassy wink.
The group walked directly into the centre of the outdoor training area and spread out in a convenient semi circle, with Tenzou idling behind, somewhat separated from his team. The mokuton user raked the arena with his eyes, concentrating on attempting to discover any chakra lurking in the shadows. Amazed, he realized he could sense no one. He knew, from their meeting, that there were ten ANBU hiding in various positions around the arena. Tenzou felt a swelling of pride fill his heart for his fellow black ops and their obvious incredible skill.
"Alright. Genma and Gai, I want you doing laps. Don't give me that look, Genma. Last training session was a joke, and you're getting fat."
"Stop staring at my ass if you don't like it, you perv." Genma retorted, but danced on the spot in preparation for his work out all the same.
Gai jabbed his finger into the air and cracked his hip out with an almost audible hip snap. "I SHALL DO 500 LAPS IN THREE MINUTES!"
"Alone, 'cause fuck that." Genma grumbled.
Gai hardly noticed him as he had already blasted off. His friend sighed heavily and jogged off to follow him. Kakashi turned to Tenzou, the only thing betraying his tension was how tightly his hand was poised on his hip. "Now...I can't remember what we were working on last time."
"I think the goal was to be as 'big' as possible. I also want to try and work with my water and earth elements a little bit more."
"Keep that to your own time for now. I want to make sure your mokuton is stronger before you put your attention elsewhere." Kakashi made a movement as to approach Tenzou, then stopped when he thought better of it. They were supposed to make him as easy a target as possible, and having his captain directly by his side was the opposite of easy.
"I have an idea." Kakashi continued, playing his words into his pause.
As they set up their training, Tenzou could have sworn he saw movement out of the corner of his eye at least a couple of times. He couldn't even try to believe they would attack him THAT quickly when they were barely distracted, but perhaps they had grown desperate in the long lull between attacks. He glanced to the side, trying to follow the movement, but it was gone. He didn't know if he should bring it to Kakashi's attention. In the previous incidents, their attackers had been almost impossible to detect until it was too late. If they were being this showy, perhaps they were doing it on purpose. Maybe they suspected a trap.
Again, a slight flicker at the corner of his eye. There was no point in having ninja instincts if he wasn't going to use them, so he spun on his heel and jerked his head around.
"Tenzou...what is it?"
"Ah...I thought I saw something. Perhaps we should leave, Senpai."
Tenzou attributed the fact that he was so close to Kakashi that he noticed the slight shift in his demeanour. He had obviously noticed the movement too, and agreed on Tenzou's decision of how to handle it.
"Alright. You grab Genma, I'll get Gai, and be very quick about it."
Tenzou thought hesitating would be obvious, as clearly they now had to act like they were on high alert, but this was basically the best moment their enemies had to take Tenzou out with as little interference as possible. Thankfully for their plan, Gai was eons ahead of Genma, and as the other two shinobi approached them, Tenzou was forced to branch off from Kakashi to meet up with Genma.
He hadn't even gotten half way to his friend when a hand burst out of the ground and grabbed his ankle.
With a yelp, he went down hard, but rolled onto his back immediately. Everything around him blurred as his senses kicked into high gear.
"MOKUTON!"
Roots emerged from the ground and sent his attacker flying into the air. Bodies appeared out of nowhere and descended upon him like black rain. His initial enemy hadn't even hit the ground before Tenzou was completely surrounded by black masked shinobi. Tenzou quickly looked around to find his teammates, but couldn't see them. His welcome party suddenly jerked and spun around, but far too late to stop the incredibly well concealed ANBU from erupting from the shadows and knocking every single one of them off of their feet.
"TENZOU!"
Whirling at his name, the mokuton user finally spotted a familiar masked face. Kakashi was waving frantically to him from the doorway. He wasted no time in flying over to him, noting a couple of pursuers hot on his heels. Kakashi grabbed his arm and spun him into the hall, where he quickly landed against two random ANBU.
"I'll make sure a couple of them get away." His captain breathed before launching back into the arena. Tenzou immediately when to follow him, but he felt the ANBU's grips on his arms tighten.
"You have to come with us, remember?" One of them chuckled, and Tenzou reddened instantly.
"Right..." he muttered, and then felt the familiar rush in his chest as he was teleported away without another word. The next second he was in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen gazing at him eagerly with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Well?" was his curt welcome.
"Everything is going according to plan, Hokage-sama." was the baritone answer from one of the ANBU that Tenzou faintly recognized. The Hokage nodded and seemed to deflate slightly, slowly turning and heading back to his desk. Tenzou was trying really hard to remain calm, but everything had happened so fast that he couldn't keep up. He had no idea what happened to Gai or Genma, but with the amount of backup they had, surely they were alright. When they had initially discussed the plan, it had felt like he'd be around for a far greater amount of time. Now, he felt useless and helpless. Like the bulk of work was being done by someone else. He sighed as he grabbed his foot and flicked off his scouting seeds, noting from his peripheral vision that the other two ANBU were doing the same. He hoped with slight paranoia that he had put enough down to compensate for the amount of ANBU who would surely be stepping on them.
"Everything alright, my boy?"
Hiruzen's cheerful voice pierced through the fog in his brain and made his head snap up.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I ah...just wish I could see what's happening."
The Hokage smiled in response. "I can assure you, everyone will be back in no time. Then, the rest is up to you."
Tenzou merely bowed his head in response. He wasn't going to feel any better until he saw his team with his own yes.
POOF.
"WOW, that was nuts!"
POOF.
"HA HA! It has been far too long since I have felt the youthful vigour of BATTLE!"
A dozen 'poofs' proceeded to resound through the office. Tenzou, filled with joy, whirled around and did not bother to reign in his excitement. The mokuton user launched himself at his friends and practically tackle glomped the two shinobi.
"You're back!" he shouted around Genma's sturdy shoulders, and felt and heard his friends laugh and pat his back roughly in response.
"It's kind of like having a pet." Genma joked and received a light punch to his ribs as a response from Tenzou.
"Where is Hound?" the mokuton user asked with only slight anxiety. If anything bad had happened to their captain, Genma and Gai would have been in far worse spirits.
"Just helping escort our captives to the prison, no big deal." Genma answered with a shrug. "Hound is a complete badass. I think he took out like four of them."
"Of course." Tenzou answered softly.
"EHEM."
All three turned sheepishly to face the Hokage.
"Well, now that the first stage has been completed, I will ask for your full attention, Tenzou. According to the information from our fellow conspirators, three of your attackers were allowed to escape, and five were captured alive and taken to interrogation. Please tell us anything you can about the current whereabouts of whoever you can sense."
Tenzou's entire body hummed with excitement. Technically, after almost four weeks with ANBU, this was going to be his first mission. He formed his mokuton seal and completely cleared his mind. Slowly, little blips of foreign chakra flitted into his minds eye. It was like feeling someone else stuck to you like velcro. Except, there were four of them. Four little dots dancing around his head. He assumed one of them had to be the supposed Root agent who had been undercover in ANBU and had basically set their whole plan in motion. The Hokage must have successfully planted the tracking seeds on him.
"I've got them." Tenzou murmured. "They're still very close to here. Only one of them is moving...he's heading towards the forest."
"Hmm..." Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he thought. "Alright. We'll wait another ten minutes. Please, Tenzou, keep a very close minds eye on them, haha! It's possible their base is actually in ANBU headquarters, which is why they have not moved far. Perhaps the other is acting as a diversion. Or, possibly, the other way around."
Tenzou nodded and took a seat on a random chair behind him, closing his eyes. With all of his concentration focused on the scouting seeds, he could actually picture the attachment. He thought that maybe the three were discussing their options, perhaps guessing that they would be followed if they fled any further. Another daunting thought is that they somehow discovered the seeds (it rarely ever happened) and had removed them, or they'd fallen off naturally. The fourth was getting farther and farther away.
"Hokage-sama, still no movement from the group, but one of them is progressing rather quickly."
Hiruzen ducked his head as he thought of their options. "The best solution seems to lay in a shadow clone. Tenzou, please, go as quickly as possible."
Almost instantly, a wooden clone melted from Tenzou's body and stood at attention. The mokuton user was getting kind of head-swimmingly giddy at his obvious incredible improvement with his wood release.
"Use whatever means necessary to stay undetected, but discover exactly where he is going. Do not enter anywhere without me."
Once the clone received its orders, it bowed low to Hiruzen and disappeared.
"Tenzou. Is it too much to keep track of your clone as well?"
"No, Hiruzen-sama. I'm not doing anything else, I have them all in my sights."
Hiruzen simply smiled, content and proud, then turned to the other ANBU waiting in the room. "Please, stand by for further orders. We may need all, half, or none of you. If anyone needs a bathroom break, now is the time, haha!" the Hokage barked out a laugh at his own joke. Several of the ANBU shook their heads in warm amusement. Quite a few actually took his advice and left.
Tenzou nearly wet himself at the hard hand that clamped down on his shoulder seemingly out of nowhere. Only because he was already utilizing most of his self control did he not jump a mile. Instead, he merely whipped his head around. Kakashi stood behind him, and somehow, Tenzou could tell he was beaming down at him.
"I see it's going well?"
"Ah...yes, Senpai. Unexpected, but well."
"How are our prisoners, Hound?" the Hokage asked.
"Unconscious, so very cooperative. They are all accounted for."
"Excellent!" Hiruzen beamed, leaning back in his large Hokage chair. "Well, if nothing else, at least we managed to do serious damage to their numbers. Between all three attacks, we have captured eleven of their conspirators. Which...is a disturbing number, upon consideration. You have attracted quite the commotion, young Tenzou."
The Hokage's bright smile did nothing to improve the shallow feeling Tenzou got at that statement.
"Ah...yes. I see that." he responded quietly, but the tightening of Kakashi's hand on his shoulder completely banished his dark thoughts.
"It's worth it. You should see what he can do now, Hiruzen-sama." Kakashi responded smoothly. Tenzou was, for what felt like the millionth time, infinitely grateful for his mask. He could feel his entire face inflame bright enough to light a dark room.
"I'm most certain of that, Hound." The Hokage responded with blatant affection. Tenzou ducked his head, unable to suppress the emotion he felt. Everyone had so much faith in him, and on so little grounds. He was roughly brought back to the mission when he felt movement from the group of three who had barely moved since he pinpointed them. They seemed to blast off simultaneously. Tenzou's head snapped up.
"Hokage-sama, they're on the move."
"Excellent! Let them get about a couple minutes run away from here, then tail them immediately. Hound and Spike are to accompany you."
Tenzou heard Gai huff slightly under his breath at being left out of the chase. The mokuton user grinned to himself.
"My clone is catching up to the fourth shinobi. He...is almost at the gates. If he tries to leave, he'll have to get through the guards first, which will slow him down."
"Hmm...perhaps we should send backup, then. We do not want anyone injured, and I do believe there are two chuunin on guard at the gate right now. They would be no match for him, if it is who I think it is."
Hiruzen turned and nodded to two of the ANBU. "Go to the gate and tell the two chuunin to stand down. I still want to see where he will run to. Keep them at the gate, as to not arise suspicion from our target, but tell them not to put up a fight and preserve themselves instead. Protect them if need be."
The two ANBU saluted and disappeared without another word.
"Hokage-sama!" Tenzou gasped, standing abruptly. "We should leave now."
Kakashi and Genma tensed beside him and Hiruzen levelled him with an intense stare. "You know what to do. Go."
They went.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Kakashi, Genma and Tenzou leaped through the trees with ease. They were all utterly silent, as scouting always required complete concentration and silence. Most of their chakra went to ensuring they landed on every branch soundlessly, rustling not a single leaf. Scouting was one of Tenzou's speciality's and because of it, his favourite type of mission. He lead his group with confidence, sensing their targets a fair distance away, still on the move.
Suddenly, he felt them stop. They were either resting, or they had reached their location. He motioned to his teammates to go faster, as there was a very real possibility it was hidden and their only chance of discovering how to enter it was to watch what they did.
Luckily for them, their targets had only a small lead, and they slowly crept up on them just as they were casting a jutsu over a seemingly inconspicuous pile of leaves. With a flourish of wind, the foliage soared into the air, twirled around, and formed a door. With a quick, and useless, glance around to see if anyone was watching, the three enemy shinobi leaped inside and disappeared. The door fell apart instantly afterwards, the leaves trickling down till they landed in their original pile as if they'd never moved.
The three friends turned to look at each other. Kakashi motioned for them to stay perfectly still and silent, so they did. For about five minutes, they waited. Nothing happened, no one else came. Kakashi seemed to be satisfied and motioned for them to move forward.
They hit the ground and stared at the leaves silently.
"Well. I have no idea how we're going to replicate that jutsu..." Tenzou mumbled, scratching the back of his head. He noticed none of his friends had made any attempt to answer him and looked up from staring at the dooming foliage. Both his friends were staring at him, obviously amused. Tenzou wasn't. He put both his hands on his hips in frustration.
"What?"
Kakashi stepped forward. Quick as a flash, he perfectly imitated their enemies jutsu. Tenzou stepped back in shock as the leaves surged up and formed the door once again. It struck him, frustratingly late, that one of Kakashi's terror dubbed nick names was "The Copy-nin". Because of his sharingan. Which is where his other names came from. Duh.
"Right." Was all Tenzou came up with.
Ignoring the mocking pats to his back as his two teammates leaped up into the door of leaves, Tenzou attributed his blunder to the fact that he had never actually, REALLY seen Kakashi in action. How was he supposed to remember he imitated jutsu if he never did it. Psh. Totally not his fault.
Before allowing Kakashi to go through, he made him form a shadow clone, quickly joined by one of Tenzou's wood ones. Together, they teleported back to the Hokage to inform them of their location and of the jutsu needed to access the entry way. He figured now was a good time, as there was no telling what was going to happen to them once they entered. With one last confirming look to one another, all three stepped through, and the door dispersed into leaves behind them.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
They found themselves in a cool, damp, stone hallway. It reminded Tenzou, chillingly, of Orochimaru's lair. The mokuton user realized with nervousness that they were on someone else's terms now, and there could very easily be a gifted sensor within the hideout who already knew they were there. Kakashi seemed to think the same way as him as he wasted no time in flagging them forward. Using the utmost caution, the group slunk along the glistening walls, every one of their senses on high alert. Tenzou could feel the group of shinobi they chased close by, and he gestured every so often to let his team know where to go. Their targets were all conjugated in the same spot, and so far, the team had run into no one.
Tenzou fell backwards as Genma jumped back and slammed into him. The mokuton user was on his feet in a second, sword unsheathed and ready to go. It seemed as if he'd mentally jinked them, as Kakashi now held an unconscious shinobi in his arms. The copy-nin quickly formed a few seals and, to Tenzou's amazement, sealed the body into a scroll. That was some high level shit, and without missing a beat, his captain shoved the scroll into his pouch as if he'd written himself a memo. Turning slightly, he regarded his subordinates calmly. They both nodded at their captain. Tenzou motioned them to go straight, and they were on their way without further delay. He couldn't shake the unsettling feeling lingering in his gut at the Konoha forehead protector their enemy had been wearing. It made the young shinobi slightly sick to think that people from his own village were conspiring against him.
Finally, they reached a thick wooden door. He could sense their targets just beyond it; so tantalizingly close, and yet so far. Kakashi turned and gave Tenzou the 'information' hand sign. As well as he could, he answered that they were just beyond the door.
Kakashi seemed to think for a moment before he pointed at Tenzou, pointed at the door, and then pointed at his face. Tenzou understood immediately and quietly, slowly, pushed his face into the wood of the door just enough so that he could see through to the other side.
Tenzou nearly jerked his face right back out again, as their targets were on their knees side by side directly across from him. They seemed to be facing a person in a large stone chair, who had two guards on either side of him. They did not look too happy, and from the tone of the person they were answering to, they had good reason not to be.
"-put them on their guard. Thankfully, they have nothing to tie the attacks to us, but you have completely blundered the purpose of the expeditions into ANBU. We have almost no resources left. What do you have to say for yourself?"
The man who spoke stood and took two slow steps towards his subordinates who unconsciously lowered their heads in response, obviously shamed.
"With all due respect, there was no way to know that ANBU would have concentrated so much effort into the protection of a single, junior member. I suspected they would retaliate at some point, I just didn't think it would be so...so collective. We obviously underestimated how willing they are to protect the mokuton imitator." One of the shinobi responded with slight contempt.
Tenzou stiffened. Imitator? He wasn't whittling wood and throwing it at people, for shits sake.
"I left this mission in your care, Daisuke. It was your job to interpret their movements and you failed. I warned you that Hiruzen is softhearted and would protect him, and you clearly did not listen. Hiruzen commands ANBU, how hard was that to put together?"
The one named Daisuke had no response. He lowered himself so that his nose touched the ground.
"You're right, I am scum. I accept my punishment."
"Good." The apparent commander bit back instantly. "Guards, take him to the back room."
Tenzou tensed and was ready to flee, but the two men standing beside the large chair moved forward, grabbed the arms of the shinobi in the middle of the three man lineup, and literally dragged him through a door facing the backs of the now obviously terrified ninja.
Their leader sighed roughly, rubbing his temples in frustration. "I didn't want to have to take this to the council, as it will be far too messy and will incur the wrath of not only the Hokage, but any ANBU who may have -no, have obviously- formed attachments to this Yamato. But...we have no choice. I will not lose any more of my men to this ridiculous man hunt. You two are dismissed for now, but for your failure, you will also receive punishment. Go."
After the two remaining shinobi left, the man finally turned to the door. It was Danzo. He seemed frustrated, disappointed, and angry. Tenzou wondered what he had done to incur the wrath and resources of someone who should have had far better things to do.
"What will you do now, Danzo-sama?" someone asked quietly from a spot beside Danzou who Tenzou could not see.
"We have enough incidents to appeal to the council, and I am certain they will entertain us. However, I'm not entirely sure that is the best course of action. If Hiruzen is willing to gather a dozen ANBU to protect just one shinobi, he will surely do everything in his power to protect him politically as well. I want to remain on the good side of all council members. Directly challenging the Hokage is certain to make me look like an enemy. Also...if they willingly give Yamato to us, than they will expect to be able to check up on him whenever they wish. Hiruzen will most certainly do so. That is directly against our goals; we cannot kill him if the village expects him alive."
Tenzou felt his entire body go ice cold. Holy shit.
"We could just say he died on a mission, couldn't we? No one really knows what we do, it's entirely possible."
"Yes, and then Hiruzen would assign a team of shinobi to look into it. Stop underestimating the Hokage and his ridiculous attachment to his underlings. He has obviously gotten it into his head to protect our target, and if he knows we have him, then he will keep tabs on the boy for as long as he's able."
Tenzou was starting to get nervous about how long they were listening, but he really needed to know what Danzo was planning on doing from this point on, or listening at all was pointless.
"Should we wait, then?"
"No. I don't know. Wasting more men is senseless as we have already lost eleven, and potentially one of our top informants. I may decide to, inevitably, take it to the council. If we get him officially, we will just have to keep Yamato hidden until everyone forgets about him, and then dispose of him properly."
Finally, Tenzou pulled his head out when Danzo came too close to the door for his comfort. He whirled around to his teammates and gestured for them to move back quickly. They did so without hesitation, and when they heard the door creak open behind them just as they'd turned the corner, Kakashi made a slicing motion across his neck which signified getting the hell out of there. Tenzou hoped that the Hokage was on his way as his fears had indeed been confirmed.
The three made it back to the doorway without being confronted. They stood there, searching for the door out. There was only a blank wall. Kakashi formed the jutsu that had conjured the leaf entry way and nothing happened.
Oh shit.
They turned to look at each other. Tenzou could only think of one option; teleporting out. He knew where to teleport to, so that wasn't a problem. He just hoped there were no trapping jutsu's placed on the door that made it impossible for anyone to leave unless they actually went through the process properly. Tenzou lifted his hand, folded into the teleportation hand seal, and waited for confirmation. Kakashi nodded, and when all three of them had their seals ready, he nodded again. Mentally crossing his fingers, he felt himself rush away instantly.
Relief flooded his body like a shove to the chest when he found himself in the forest, standing before the pile of leaves. Both Kakashi and Genma were with him. His captain motioned for them to step back, so they leaped into a tall tree just a few yards away from the entrance. When Kakashi felt comfortable that they were alone he turned to his teammates.
"I could only hear bits and pieces. What did you hear, Tenzou?"
"Their goal is actually to get rid of me." he answered flatly and saw Kakashi and Genma stiffen. "The whole thing with the council is just a backup plan, which they are loosely considering now that all their other options have failed. But, that is actually a 'worst case scenario', as Danzo would rather kill me with no red tape or potential backlashes from the Hokage. If he stages it as a kidnapping, and no one ever sees me again, then I'll go down in the books as missing in action. If the council and the Hokage know he has me, then Hiruzen-sama will keep tabs on me for as long as possible, which makes things complicated for Danzo."
Silence greeted him as his news sunk in with his friends. Kakashi's fists were clenched and Genma's head was hanging dejectedly.
"We need Hiruzen. I can smell him, though. He's close." was Kakashi's response. It was a testament to how rattled Tenzou was that he didn't question how the hell Kakashi could 'smell' anyone from so far away. His captain obviously noticed this, as he stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Tenzou's shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." was the mokuton users automatic response, but his team could tell it was a lie.
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
Tenzou met Kakashi's eyes at his soft, determined words. He petulantly wanted to answer "might as well give myself in and get it over with", but remembered he had promised Kakashi he'd never let him down. If his team were willing to sacrifice so much time and effort to protect him, then giving up would be spitting in their faces. He squared his shoulders and took in as silent of a breath as possible, but the tension leaving his chest was visible to Kakashi.
"Right. I know...I just...it's weird to have someone want you dead who, not only have you never met, but is also not supposed to be your enemy. He's one of the heads of the village, and thinks I'm such a canker to Konoha that he utilized a portion of his forces to get rid of me. I don't know if I should be flattered or depressed."
"Danzo is a dickhead." Genma answered harshly. "No one with half their braincells trusts him. Most, if not all, of the Jounin hate him. He wants to be Hokage so badly it's practically carved in blood on his forehead. I don't know how I'd feel if I was you, but because it's Danzo we're talking about, you should not feel bad about yourself. I swear, the only reason he's still on the Council is because he's old friends with Hiruzen-sama and the other Council members."
"Spike..." Kakashi warned, and in the next moment, everyone could feel the emanating force of Hiruzen coming through the trees. Tenzou felt a surge of excitement and anxiety grab his heart and squeeze the crap out of it. What if the Hokage couldn't get back into the Root hideout? What if what he said to Danzo made no difference? What if Danzo attacked the Hokage, kidnapped him, and took over the village by-
"Hokage-sama" he heard his friends greet, snapping him out of his inner turmoil. He quickly bowed and greeted Hiruzen as well. The Hokage was being accompanied by the two clones and two other senior ANBU.
"I'm shocked to find you all out here. What happened?" The Hokage asked.
"It is an underground lair, built like a labyrinth. We found Danzo almost immediately and overheard his plans. It was too risky to stay, and since we had what we needed, I ordered us out." Kakashi responded, then bowed his head slightly as if to welcome whatever criticisms the Hokage had.
"Very well." Hiruzen responded. "What did he have to say?"
"The goal is to kill Tenzou, not acquire and hide him. The ambushes were meant to capture him, Danzo had no intentions of using the attacks as leverage to attain Tenzou legally. Bringing the attacks to the council is actually a last minute resort that Danzo is not very keen on utilizing. He wants to eliminate Tenzou with as little resistance as possible."
The mokuton user found it slightly comforting that the Hokage looked like he was about to kill something.
"Is that so. Bring me to him."
Kakashi nodded curtly and the lot of them leaped down from the trees. They stood around the leaf pile, as Kakashi motioned for them to do, and he flew through the jutsu again. Tenzou marvelled at what an incredible skill his captain had, and realized with awe that it was no surprise he was so popular and well regarded.
For the third time the door was formed. Kakashi leaped in first, just in case, and the Hokage went after him. Tenzou had never felt so tense in his life. All his muscles were practically locked in place, he was so wound up. He had no idea what was going to happen, but this was pretty much the moment of truth. He couldn't believe the plan had gone as flawlessly as it had.
With that thought lingering on his mind, he stepped through the door.
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The group appeared in the same place as before, but it was vacant. Kakashi motioned them forward, the Hokage walking beside him. Tenzou glanced at Genma, who looked as stiff as he did. At least he wasn't the only one on edge.
They walked into the room Danzo had once occupied, but found it empty as well. They really had no idea where else to find him, so running into anyone seemed like a good idea at this point. Having the Hokage with them basically granted them immunity from any attacks, unless Danzo and his creepy Root thugs felt like starting a revolt.
Thankfully, they didn't have long to wait. Someone entered the room a moment later and nearly leaped through the ceiling in shock.
"H-H-Hokage-sama!"
"Greetings." Hiruzen replied smoothly. "Do bring Danzo to me, will you?"
The startled shinobi stared in horror for another few seconds before Hiruzen calmly cleared his throat. Jumping up a couple of inches, their unprepared host bowed low and practically ran out of the room. Tenzou found the encounter to alleviate his tension somewhat.
The group waited, Hiruzen totally calm, everyone else in a mixed state of alertness, anxiety and in the case of their clones, boredom.
Finally, the door opened again. Danzo walked in with his lacky by his side, along with a couple other Root agents. The council members mouth was set in a grim line and his shoulders were stiff.
"Hiruzen. What a surprise. What brings you here?" Was Danzo's chilled greeting. The Hokage smiled pleasantly in response.
"Well, I know you don't like wasting time, so I'll cut right to the chase. Your men attacked my ANBU base. I know this, because we planted tracking seeds on them and followed them here. I'm sure you figured that part out by now."
Danzo merely stared, obviously angry, in response. Hiruzen continued unabated.
"I'm sure you realize the gravity of this situation. Attacking ANBU is an offence punishable by death, since it is technically treason. What a state the village will be in, with one of their council members imprisoned. I am truly disappointed in you, Danzo."
"The sentiment is mutual." Danzo growled. "First and foremost, do not dare threaten me with death or jail. I was working on a matter of national security, which you ignored completely. No ANBU were injured, there is no treason."
"No ANBU were injured? Tenzou was recovering for a week with a broken jaw. I do not see that as uninjured, and he is ANBU Danzo, no matter what your opinion on the matter is. No; he is a Konoha Shinobi, and attacking our own, no matter what rank, is treason."
"Oh, come ON, Hiruzen! We all know you're bluffing. Getting rid of me because of one lowly chuunin would cause such a commotion in the village there is no way you'd risk it. Not only that, but I highly doubt the Feudal Lords and other Council members would agree to it."
"You are thinking far too small in this situation, Danzo." Hiruzen practically purred, advancing on his old friend slightly. "The fact is that you took extreme action without my permission, or the permission of any of the elders, infiltrated the ANBU base which is a huge security risk, attacked a fellow shinobi who had done nothing illegal to deserve it, and directly posed risk to other ANBU agents who had nothing to do with your imagined security threat. You broke practically every law and rule in the book. The only thing you are not guilty of is murder, which is only due to our vigilance and not your own willingness to preserve the life of your comrades. You are, however, guilty of conspiring to kill, which is also punishable by death."
Danzo looked like he was ready to kill something, alright. His fists were clenched, his teeth were bared and his one good eye looked venomous. Tenzou wondered, not for the first time, what other extreme actions Danzou was capable of.
"Fine. Try and take me to court. I am more than confident it will never go through."
"Yes, I could do that. I could tarnish your reputation in the eyes of the entire village, which you would deserve. Because, Danzo, even if you do win and avoid the sentence due for your crimes, everyone will know what you did. And, just because the majority of the council doesn't find you guilty of punishment, doesn't mean the majority of the village will. Even if they agree with you about Tenzou, I don't think they will appreciate you risking the lives of some of their most beloved members." Here he was speaking of Gai, Genma and most importantly, Kakashi. Not that anyone was allowed to know their identities as ANBU, but if the situation called for it, Kakashi's name could be dropped. Interestingly, most people in the village seemed to know the Copy-nin was ANBU, despite it technically being classified information. "I highly doubt you will be able to accomplish much in the future without the support of the village."
Hiruzen smiled pleasantly at the end of his threat. Danzo, for once, looked worried. The weight of what the Hokage proposed seemed to fall on his shoulders with their full gravity. If he fell out of favour, becoming Hokage would be impossible. Even if the Council voted him in, the village and Jounin would protest. One needed the Jounin vote to become Hokage, and they were a very tight knit group of ninja, many of whom were ANBU.
He snarled loudly and tossed down his cane. "Fine. What do you want?"
"Simple. Leave Tenzou alone and never step foot in ANBU headquarters again; that includes your men as well. I don't think I'm asking for too much."
Danzou glared so heatedly at Hiruzen that the mokuton user thought he was genuinely trying to make his head explode.
"You are a fool, Hiruzen."
"Watch it." The Hokage growled, much to the surprise of everyone in the vicinity, including Danzo. "You are talking down to the Hokage in front of senior officers. I suggest you remember your place."
Tenzou was suddenly overcome with the strange urge to shout "OH SNAP!", but squelched the desire rightly.
"Fine. I accept your terms, but be the consequences on your head when the village's secrets have been handed over to the enemy."
"Danzo..." Hiruzen began quietly. "They obviously already have. He is a product of that."
Danzo's eyes widened as he was schooled so righteously that he had absolutely nothing to say in response. Collecting himself, he merely nodded so slightly one was barely able to catch it. He turned to leave, but Hiruzen called out to him.
"I really wish it didn't come down to this. We are supposed to be working together to protect the village, not fighting against each other."
Danzo responded by continuing to walk out the door, waiting until his lackeys followed him before shutting it quietly. Hiruzen sighed loudly, rubbing his forehead with obvious stress.
"Let's go home."
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The run back was dead silent. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, especially Hiruzen and Tenzou. When they got back to the base, the Hokage blessedly ordered everyone to relax, deciding that they would save the debrief for tomorrow.
When the team got back to their quarters, Gai burst out of his room and nailed them with strings of very loudly phrased questions. When the jounin noticed how dejected the group looked, he asked worriedly if the mission had been a success.
"Yes, Gai. Everything is fine. Come to my room, I'll debrief you." Kakashi answered softly, which caused even more confusion to his lost teammate.
Genma and Tenzou proceeded to the other room silently. Tenzou flopped down on his new bed, Genma on Gai's. They stared at the ceiling, lost in their own thoughts. Quietly, Genma rolled onto his side and regarded his teammate with a soft expression.
"Hey, buddy."
Tenzou's head flopped over to look at his friend.
"Why did they call you 'Yamato'?"
Tenzou seemed to darken slightly at the question."That's my civilian name. I meant to tell it to you guys, actually. We should really be using it when we're in the market."
"Ah. It suits you."
Genma smiled brightly as Tenzou absorbed the compliment. The mokuton user couldn't help but return the smile.
"What's your family name, though?"
Tenzou's smile instantly evaporated. He was quiet for so long Genma assumed he wouldn't answer him.
"I don't have a family, so I don't have one."
Genma's gut twisted."...Right. Who named you...?"
Tenzou shrugged, his movements almost puppet like he had so little emotional attachment to the subject. He'd given up on caring about it.
"I always assumed it was the Hokage. I don't actually know, though."
Now, it was Genma's turn to be quiet. He glared at the wall in thought. His eyes flicked back to Tenzou, a new light in them.
"Well. If someone gave you your name, then your new family will give you your family name. It's gotta be good, though, so give us a second. But you'll get one."
Tenzou felt his throat constrict with emotion. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten choked up about anything, but at the moment, he wasn't sure he trusted himself to talk. He couldn't put into words how much he appreciated how his team had accepted him. Swallowing thickly, he smiled, genuinely bright, at his friend.
"Thanks."
Genma seemed to understand how he felt. He merely nodded, grinned right back, then turned his back to Tenzou and ended the conversation. Tenzou turned to face the wall as well, letting the day slowly sink in. He wanted a nap desperately, but his mind was buzzing. The thought of finally being able to start his ANBU career with his new 'family' without fear of harassment was enough to set off the water works for an embarrassingly long period of time. He closed his eyes and tried to force his mind into silence. Surprisingly, he drifted off soon afterwards. He did not dream.
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PHEW! That took far longer than usual to get out to you guys, but I've had a pleasantly busy holiday the last few days. I don't think i've been home for more then two hours a day. Hope you liked it, though! More to come!
Happy new years, if I don't get a new chapter out before then!