Promises in Snow and Ice

by KnighteWolfe

What do you get when a temperamental actress with a penchant for escaping is given an ultimatum by her elder council? A remembered promise and a shinobi's heart.

4. Chapter 4

Turning the page to the next chapter.

Promises in Snow and Ice.

Chapter 4.

Lady Yoshino Nara glanced at the wall clock and quietly cursed as she saw that according to the clock it was still unbelievably early for her to be awake. Leaning against the wall, the matriarch of the Nara Clan sighed as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the scent of her favorite extremely potent coffee. Letting the smell of the Yemeni beans waft over her, the 45 year old kunoichi relaxed and opened her eyes. Looking around the antechamber to Lady Tsunade's office and categorizing the Chuunin and Jonin level shinobi scattered around the room, Yoshino ignored the glares being cast her way from several of her contemporaries pissed off because she had been the first one to arrive and (as tradition dictated) had filled the coffee pot with those infernal beans the Nara Matriarch always had a hankering for, Yoshino wondered again why Tsunade had requested her presence at this organizational meeting for the upcoming Chuunin exams.

Forty-five minutes prior to her arrival, the inactive Jonin kunoichi had been snoozing happily in her husbands arms after 'thanking' him for the exquisite birthday celebration he'd put together the day before for her birthday. The lazy man had awoken her that morning by cooking her breakfast in bed and singing her favorite song.

"Ah, I love 'Three Times a Lady' by the Commodores.", giggled Yoshino as she took a sip from her coffee mug.

As she enjoyed her cuppa, Yoshino let her eyes wander around the room. She spotted the head of the Hatake Clan (his snow white face mask now speckled with small swatches of color) as he stood behind his seated wife. Yoshino lifted an eyebrow as she noticed that Kakashi wasn't wearing the cloak of his clan. A closer inspection revealed that the grey and white cloak was draped over Anko's petite form. Seeing that Anko wasn't wearing her usual protective mesh shirt, Yoshino smothered a chuckle as she realized that Konoha's Mistress of Death was presently breast-feeding one of her twins. Shifting her gaze back to Sharingan Kakashi, the Nara Matriarch saw that the silver-haired former ANBU Black Op captain had a baby carrier slung over his shoulder. From the pouch in front, Yoshino saw the light purple-silver hair of Rin Hatake as she watched her father dangle a set of keys just out of her reach.

Remembering when her son was that small, Yoshino laughed to herself as she shifted her over to where Shikamaru was standing with the rest of the Eleven Eternal Flames of Konoha….minus one. Before she could process where Shikamaru's other blonde friend was, Yoshino heard an annoyed rustling and turned her head over to where two of the Inuzuka Clan stood. Her preternaturally sharp eyes picked out the fact that her old academy classmate Tsume Inuzuka stood with her daughter Hana. Tsume was casting worried glances around the room as if she was searching for someone while oblivious to the lustful glances Hana was casting at Iruka Umino. Nobody except Yoshino noticed that the attractive academy instructor was returning Hana's looks with a reddish gaze of his own.

Soon the door to Lady Tsunade's office opened and Shizune waved everyone in. Following the crowd, Yoshino entered the inner sanctum sanctorum and jockeyed for a spot by the window next to her husband. Turning her attention to the massive desk at the front of the room, Yoshino spotted the Hokage reclining in a sinfully comfortable lounge with Master Jiraiya standing a pensively protective guard. From the grimace in Lady Tsunade's eyes and her own experience, Yoshino could see that the Hokage was more than ready to give birth. Yoshino caught Tsunade's eyes and nodded her acknowledgement of the position the Hokage was in.

When Tsunade returned her look with a painful grin, Yoshino leaned into Shikaku's arms and waited for the expectant mother to start the meeting.

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At the gates of Konoha, Ebisu cursed when he looked at the clock and saw that he still had three hours to go until his shift ended. To the jonin time seemed to pass excruciatingly slow and Ebisu sighed as he wondered for the umpteenth time why he'd allowed Master Jiraiya to talk him into filling in as a gate guard during the meeting that was presently going on in the Hokage Tower.

"Of all the….either I'm a nice guy or I'm so hard up for reading material that I'd jump at the chance to get a signed copy of Jiraiya's new Icha Icha book before Kakashi did.", groaned Ebisu as he rotated his chair back to the front of the guard shack.

The high level Chuunin on duty with Ebisu sighed as he listened to the jonin's complaint for the hundredth or so time this shift. Reading the list of scheduled arrivals in front of him, the Chuunin wondered what it would take to get Ebisu to shut the fuck up. He was tired of hearing him complain like clockwork every hour. Glaring at the back of his superior's head, the Chuunin went back to his thoughts on what he'd have to eat when his relief arrived.

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Across the village at one of Konoha's exquisite beaches, Naruto Uzumaki relaxed as he stretched out on his orange and black surfboard and waited for a perfect wave. Scattered around him on boards of their own were the members of his team of genin. Closing his eyes and listening to the relaxed chatter of the trio, Naruto grinned as he heard Hanabi subtly encourage her male teammate in his romantic pursuit of her cousin. Of course Hanabi made sure that Junichi didn't know that she was helping her cousin realize her developing attraction to the junior pervert.

Naruto chuckled as he remembered the fight that had happened when Junichi had revealed that he'd won the writing contest by sending in a story based on the fights between the two Hyuuga. The fourteen year old boy had been beaming when the revered author had shunshined to where they were training under Naruto's watchful eyes to present the genin with his award. Of course Jiraiya being who he was, he'd immediately commented on the budding Hyuuga beauties and smacked Junichi on the back for his choice in women. This had ended when Lady Tsunade had arrived and sent her husband into low-earth orbit with a subdued punch due to her late pregnancy (poor Jiraiya, he can't win for losing when it came to his special lady).

Feeling a change in the light breeze, Naruto opened his eyes and rolled over on to his stomach while looking behind him to search for the wave he knew was coming. Seeing the wave as it developed, Naruto glanced over at his students and grinned as he saw them setting up to catch the wave.

"They deserve this short vacation before dealing with the stress that is the Chuunin Exam. I'm happy that I've kept them out of the exam these past couple of years. I don't know if they could've handled it without the extra experience and training in teamwork they've received.", mused Naruto as he got his board moving.

Hearing the excited yells of enjoyment from his team, Naruto rose to his feet, threw his head back, and joined in the merriment as he proceeded to show his students just why he was the most hyperactive knuckleheaded shinobi in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

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Jiraiya was in a hurry as he rushed towards the front gate. He had to get to Ebisu and give him his 'scheduled' assignment for the second part of the Chuunin Exam before somebody else did. Giving the slip of paper in his hand a quick glance, Jiraiya grinned as he read the writing on the sheet.

'Ebisu - Observation Tower. Training Ground 44'

It had taken Jiraiya an entire week to forge his wife's handwriting on this specific assignment sheet after Tsunade had inadvertently left the list on her desk. He'd just popped in to check on the love of his life and had spotted her asleep at her desk with the list on top of the stack of other assignments. Upon spotting Shizune's name as being assigned to the tower for the second part of the exam, Jiraiya had taken it upon himself to make his wife's assistant extremely happy.

Two months previously, Jiraiya had stumbled on to the fact that Shizune was lusting hard for his number 2 fan after observing the young woman continuously gazing at the completely oblivious Jonin while he and his genin team were accepting a high C/low B-rank mission in the mission room. Judicious use of his 'Invisibility Jutsu' had gotten him the whole story about her crush on Ebisu. Deciding to play secret matchmaker, Jiraiya vowed to get the two together by any means possible. It had become exponentially harder to do when it became apparent that Tsunade did not have any clue that her seemingly innocent and virgin assistant had the hots for the sensei for the genin team of the Sandaime's grandson.

Breathing a sigh of relief as he approached the guard shack at the front gates, Jiraiya saw that Ebisu was turning the duty over to his relief (a low-level jonin from the village defense reserve cell) and preparing to head home to get some sleep. Raising his hand and calling out for the Jonin to wait, Jiraiya mentally smirked. If his actions didn't get Ebisu and Shizune together romantically, who knows what would.

Besides, if it worked, Jiraiya could always trick Tsunade into using her crystal ball and finding out about the relationship. If it didn't work, well, it'd give him some new material to work with for his next book.

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(Author's note – The following lemon scene was not written by me. It was written by Her Excellency Lovesrainscent. It should seem familiar to a lot of readers as it is LRS' Ebisu/Shizune lemon one-shot 'Rules Are Made To Be Followed'. While I was working on 'Promises' Chapter 3, I broached the idea of an EbisuxShizune lemon with Lovesrainscent. She agreed and I asked her to write it since her skill at writing Naruto lemon scenes is almost unparalled. My only request was that if she wanted to post it as a one-shot, I requested she wait until after Chapter 3 of 'Promises in Snow and Ice' was posted on ff [dot]net. LRS agreed and soon after I posted Chapter 3, she posted 'Rules Are….'. I hope that those who read this chapter of 'Promises' get the chance to read her fic 'Rules Are Made to be Followed' and enjoy the lemony fresh fluffiness that is Ebisu and Shizune. Once again, all of the credit for the following lemon scene goes to Her Most Excellent Purveyor of odd Naruto pairing lemons LovesRainScent. Please honor her by giving her a round of applause!!!  LRS, thanks again for writing this lemon. I am extremely grateful that you agreed to write this scene. Knightewolfe. Now my dear readers, on with the lemon!!!)

Shizune looked forlornly around the deserted control room in the observation tower in the Forest of Death. She sighed heavily and sat her small overnight bag down beside the lumpy old sofa in the room. Of all the assignments to draw, this had to be the worst. This was Anko's usual mission but since she was still not yet back on full time duty since the birth of her twins, someone else would have to be manning the control room during this round of the Chuunin exams.

She looked out the window, taking in the sounds and smells of the forest at night. She didn't find it creepy or scary, just boring. She never would understand why Anko loved this place. It was just so ...lonely.

As if it wasn't lonely enough here in the tower at night in preparation for the beginning of the exams tomorrow, she'd had to spend the entire day near the elite Jounin who was her current secret crush (known only to herself and Master Jiraiya) Ebisu. He'd had business in the Hokage Tower all day it seemed and she'd literally bumped into him several times throughout the day.

He fueled her fantasies now the same way he had done in the days before she left Konoha with Lady Tsunade. More so, even. They'd been practically kids when she'd left - he was just her first school-girl crush. But lately, as his missions kept him more involved in the day to day comings and goings in the business center of Konoha she found herself drawn to the man he had become. His deep voice thrilled her. She was fascinated by thoughts of the eyes that lay behind his glasses.

And all these thoughts were doing her not one single damn bit of good stuck here alone in this tower tonight.

She sighed again and pushed away from the window sill. The thick summer air was humid and muggy, causing her clothes to cling to her. Shizune was miserable.

Abso-fucking-lutely miserable and alone and hot and humid and horny.

Nothing to do but take a shower, Shizune thought to herself as she yanked a clean t-shirt and panties from the bag she'd packed. She stalked to the small, utilitarian bath and started the water running, a nice cold shower would cool her down so that she could sleep, she hoped.

A few minutes later she emerged feeling only slightly refreshed, but after drying and slipping into the t-shirt and panties she realized that a cold shower had been the wrong way to go. Whatever conventional wisdom said about men using a cold shower to take their mind off certain things, it clearly did not apply to her. The cold water had caused her nipples to become rock-hard. Even the soft fabric of the t-shirt brushing against them chafed. And the chafing only made things worse, harder.

Shizune flopped down in frustration on the old sofa that was one of the few pieces of furniture in the control room. Covering herself with a light throw she tried to get comfortable but to no avail. Twisting and turning, she finally kicked the throw off and groaned. She'd never get to sleep tonight!

Her tits ached, nipples pebbled up so hard that even the cotton fabric was unbearable. She rubbed the heels of her palms over them but that wasn't helping. Idly she circled her fingertips around one nipple. Maybe...

Well, anything to relax and get some sleep...

Slipping one hand up under her shirt, she pinched her own nipple between thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes, imagining that it wasn't her fingers doing the caressing, but Ebisu's twisting and pinching her, eliciting these little gasps of pleasure.

But Ebisu wouldn't only use his fingers, would he? No, if he were really here with her, he would use his lips and tongue to tease her, too, wouldn't he? Pausing, she withdrew her hand from under her shirt and licked her own fingers and thumb then slid them back to her breast, erect bud sliding easily beneath her now-slicked digits.

Oh, that was nice, while it lasted. But the problem was it didn't last, it was only a fake, a tease. The saliva from her fingers cooled and dried too fast. If Ebisu were here his tongue would stay warm and moist, swirling around her, his mouth would be hot, demanding, as he nipped and tugged at her.

And if Ebisu were here, there would be more than just her own slim fingers to dip beneath the waistband of her panties and play around in the wetness there, now wouldn't there?

Shizune let her legs shift apart to give herself better access to her own needs. Her right leg slipped off the couch, toes grazing the floor, while her left foot braced against the far arm of the couch. With her panties just down off one hip, two fingers of her left hand were slid deep inside herself, while her right hand toyed with her own nipple under her t-shirt.

Her eyes were closed and her cheeks flush, lips parted as she moaned, "Ohhh, Ebisu!"

It was in this state that Ebisu found her.

Master Jiraiya had sent him to the control tower in the Forest of Death this evening to prepare for the Chuunin exams. It seems there had been some sort of scheduling mix-up about whether or not Anko was proctoring this portion of the exam or not. Ebisu wasn't sure he'd gotten the full details of said schedule mix-up because Master Jiraiya had seemed somewhat rushed as he explained it to him. Nonetheless, he was pleased to accept the mission, even on such short notice, in the service of Konoha.

He'd arrived a little later than he had intended, dropping from the trees and landing silently on the window sill of the open window. Cautious, senses heightened because he hadn't expected anyone else to be in the tower this evening, he froze as he caught sight of Shizune sprawled on the couch and realized he was about to disturb her in a very private moment.

Torn between his overwhelming desire to watch conflicting with his desire to remain a gentleman and allow Shizune her privacy he perched on the window sill frozen in indecision, but still enjoying the show for quite some time. The stiffening sensation in his trousers reminded him just how much he was enjoying the show.

But when Shizune arched her back and called out his name it was too much. Ebisu lost his balance and tumbled off the sill into the room.

The sudden noise startled Shizune so that she tumbled off the couch rolling and grabbing a kunai in each hand, throwing the first one toward the direction of the sound. But he, whoever he was, was fast, too fast. He dodged the thrown knife and before she could even cock her hand back to throw the second one, he had her spun around, her back against his chest, her raised wrist in his hand, thumb pushing into the pressure point at the base of hers, forcing her grip on the kunai to weaken. Damn fast.

"Shizune!" he called, "Shizune, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here. I just got here and...I'm sorry." Preferring to live, he hadn't yet released her until he was sure she was calmed down enough to realize he wasn't an unauthorized intruder.

"Ebisu?" she questioned recognizing his voice as understanding crept in. "Ebisu, it's you?" As his hold on her relaxed, she turned to face him, staring at him, starting to comprehend he was friend not foe, relief washed over her - for about one split second until she realized that he must have...seen...her. The color drained from her face. He dropped her arm and she whirled away from him.

"Ebisu?" She cleared her throat slightly and sat back down on the couch with her back to him. "How, er, long have you been here?"

"Oh, err, just got here, actually, must have missed the sill when I came down from the trees and fell...just got here." he fibbed.

Bullshit, she thought to herself. He was the best of the best - a teacher of the best shinobi in Konoha. No way had he missed that sill. So that meant...oh God, what had he seen? Worse yet, what had he heard?

"Look," he said, ", I am sorry...to have disturbed you, to have startled you. It's just that I was assigned to oversee things in the control tower for the Chuunin exams tomorrow and...it appears there's been a schedule mixup." He shrugged, thankful for his dark glasses so that she couldn't see the hungry look in his eyes right now and hoping that she would be polite enough to pretend not to notice the response of the rest of his body. "I'll sleep in another room so I don't disturb you."

"You can't," Shizune responded. "They're redoing all the cabling and have the ceiling tiles down and stuff scattered all over the floors throughout. So unless you want to sleep in a pile of drywall dust this is it."

"Oh," Ebisu replied uncomfortably. He looked around and took out his bedroll from his bag, unfurling it on the floor beside her. "Well, I'll let you get back to sleep then," he said, somewhat flustered, settling himself cross-legged on the floor with his back to her.

"I can't sleep," Shizune said.

"Oh."

The silence between them was deafening.

"Ebisu, are you tired?" Shizune was amazed at her own boldness. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush from being startled earlier. Perhaps she was channeling her inner-Anko, being forthright and outspoken more than her usual self.

"No, but I'll just read a bit if it won't disturb you." Damn! Why had he said that he thought to himself. The only book he had with him was his latest Icha Icha volume, like that was going to help matters any.

"Oh."

The elite jounin made a point of searching noisily through his bag looking for his toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Ebisu, what did you see?"

The young man sat up straight, back rigid but still toward her. It wasn't like he needed any effort to recall how Shizune had looked lying back on the couch, legs apart, her own hand dipping beneath her red bikini panties, grey t-shirt hiked up above her waist.

"I saw you Shizune, I'm sorry that I startled you."

"Oh." Another long pause then she added, "Yes, but how did I look?"

"You were...on the couch..."

She waited for him to continue but when he didn't she prompted, "Well, did you pay attention? Was I sitting on the couch, lying on the couch, sleeping on the couch..." Emboldened, Shizune was smirking to herself, maybe there was some allure to this whole Forest of Death business. Maybe Anko was onto something after all.

With his back still to her, sitting completely still, Ebisu answered, "You were lying on your back on the couch." What was going on here? Was she playing a game with him? Did he need any more reason to be reminded of how she'd looked? For the rest of his life that image was going to be seared in his mind.

This was Shizune, his Hokage's personal assistant! Not that he didn't find her attractive, desirable, he certainly did. She was pretty, smart, funny and had a deep appreciation of the necessity of protocol and orderliness in business affairs. The Godaime's office ran much more smoothly with Shizune in place than they ever had for Sandaime. In a lot of ways, Shizune was all he could ever want in a girl. But his own appreciation of protocol and orderliness had made it seem to him to be inappropriate to pursue her. So he never had. It appeared that that could quite possibly be the stupidest decision he had ever made.

"Like this?" she asked and he heard he shift her body on the couch. He started to turn expecting to see her stretched out on the length of it when her voice caught him, "Don't turn around Ebisu."

Ebisu kept his back straight but no longer quite so rigid. So it was a game and there were rules. Rules were good, he smiled thinking to himself.

"So? Like this?"

Ebisu hesitated, wondering what she wanted from him next. "No...not quite...your...um...legs were apart. One foot was on the floor and the other was on the arm of the couch."

He heard her shift again and the sound of her foot as she slipped it to the floor. Ebisu swallowed hard.

"Like this?" her voice was smoky and warm now.

"Yes," he mumbled, starting to turn once again but she stopped him with her voice once more.

"You're sure?"

Fuck. He would never forget her legs sprawled open like that and her hands... Wait a minute - did she want him to tell him where her hands had been too? And was she going to ...pose? Fuck.

"You're right," he answered her, "Your hands were...one hand was beneath your panties, between your legs. The other hand was..."

"Which one?" she cut him off.

Damn! Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Remember Ebisu, he chided himself. It was ... her hand near the back of the sofa. Yes, that was it. If he had learned anything from Master Jiraiya it was observational skills. He answered her, "It was your left hand, you were lying so that your left arm was against the back of the sofa, right foot on the floor and your left hand was between your legs."

He heard her move slightly again and imagined her hand slipping down the flat of her belly beneath the waistband and between her legs, fingers sliding between her own wet folds.

"And where was my other h...."

This time it was Ebisu's turn to cut her off with his voice. "Shizune, unless you want to do more than just talk about it, I suggest you stop talking about it, now."

There was a long pause before she spoke and said "Well, what if I do want to do more than talk about it?"

He whirled around, lightning fast and was instantly by her side. Damn he was fast, Shizune thought once again. She lay there, posed as he remembered her and his gaze flicked up and down her body hungrily.

"If you want to do more than talk, I'm happy to oblige," he answered her, leaning forward to kiss her long and deep. Shizune started to hold him but his hands held both her wrists, keeping them positioned on her body.

"No. Stay the way I first saw you." Games were fun and rules were good, he thought to himself. Would Shizune be good at following the rules?

She was. Shizune remained still, her hands still in place while he kissed her. Ebisu kissed down her throat and nuzzled at her neck, then drew her right hand from under her shirt and placed it around his own shoulders. Nuzzling up under her t-shirt he captured one nipple in his teeth, tugging gently. Shizune moaned and clutched his shoulder. Continuing to lave the one nipple with his tongue, he reached under her shirt and rolled the other between his thumb and forefinger. Shizune squirmed beneath him and moaned his name loudly. "Oh, Ebisu!"

He chuckled and raised his head to whisper in her ear, "And that's what you were saying when I found you."

Shizune asked him, "And what did you want to do when you saw me and heard me?"

Ebisu tried to think of a polite way to tell her that he had wanted to fuck her like an animal. But actions speak louder than words. "This," was all he said. Shizune gasped as she felt the cool of the flat of a kunai against one hip. So fast! With a tug, he had cut the cloth at one hip, then reached to the other side and done the same there. Laying the kunai down he gently lifted the cloth away from her body and looked at her, seeing her slickened fingers dipping into her own folds, pink and glistening among the soft curls between her legs.

Ebisu rocked back on his heels and just looked at her. "Don't move," he said hoarsely. Shizune had to force herself to remain still while he undressed in front of her. She took in his form, lithe and muscular, cock jutting out proudly in front of him.

He leaned back over her and whispered in her ear, this time drawing both her hands around his shoulders. "Shizune," he said, "Shizune, since I saw you, I wanted you just like this. Just the way you were on the couch." With her hands holding him now, she drew in a shuddering sigh of pleasure as he slipped his own hand between her legs, his fingers stroking firmly into her slippery wetness, thumb circling around the little bundle of nerves that made her writhe in his arms.

He pushed her t-shirt up again and tongued her nipple a little more but quickly drew his face up to hers and kissed her roughly. "We can play more later," he growled. "I have got to have you now." He mounted her and in one swift thrust entered her so quickly she gasped out loud.

He forced himself to be still. Nearly incoherent with need, he managed to rasp out, "Shizune, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"Noooo," she wailed, "Just move! You feel so damn good, just move!"

He laughed warmly in her ear, "With pleasure." And began to slam into her again and again. Shizune wrapped her arms around him and held on, trying to match his thrusts. She wanted to wrap her legs around him to but when she started to shift them he moved both his hands to her thighs, holding her position. "Shizune, just like I saw you."

Nearly pounding her senseless, Shizune savored every stroke. It was marvelous, Ebisu filling her, touching her deep inside, satisfying in a way her own fingers could never be. But when he slid one hand from her thigh and began toying with her clit with his fingers she thought she would lose her mind.

"Oh God!", she cried out. Her entire body was tense, poised on the brink of orgasm. And he just felt so damn good.

Ebisu felt her tension, felt her hands clutching desperately at his hips, seeking to keep him deep inside her. When he heard her, he roared his own release, spurting hot and deep within her.

The throbbing of his cock was all she needed to send her over the edge herself. She cried out his name over and over again and she came hard around him. Her heart was pounding but slowly returning to normal. She looked up at Ebisu and smiled. "That was fantastic," she said.

He kissed the top of her head, then sat up, repositioning them so that he was stretched out on the sofa, cradling her in his arms. Her head rested on his chest and she smiled hearing his heart beat racing as fast as hers.

"I don't guess I'll file a complaint about the schedule mix up, then," he said in a soft joking tone.

Shizune giggled, "Me either. I thought it was odd, that I'd be the last person they would need to proctor this portion of the exam, but when Jiraiya-sama told me that Anko couldn't make it..."

"Who told you?" Ebisu asked in a curious voice.

"Jiraiya-sama, why?"

"Oh, nothing," he smiled kissing her again. Ebisu wondered if he should tell his former sensei that for once, peeping had paid off.

(AN: The preceding lemon was written by LovesRainScent. She deserves all of the credit for bringing the image of Ebisu and Shizune gettin' it on to life with her words. Thanks again LRS!! KW. For those who are confused about where this takes place in the storyline of this fic. This scene takes place at least two days after the shinobi meeting that starts this chapter. My next scene takes place at the same time as the events in this lemon. KW.)

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Lady Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha sat in the uncomfortable straight-backed chair that was the centerpiece of her office and cursed. Here she was days away from giving birth and her husband had somehow cajoled her into a little romantic candlelight dinner in the dim light of the Hokage's office when all she wanted to do was to lay down and go to sleep. Every few seconds, she wondered how that loveable pervert of a husband had gotten her to agree to this.

"Oh yeah, he promised me one of his Legendary Massages and since I'm addicted to those, I agreed without hesitation. Like a junkie being promised a free hit of the drug of her choice. In my case, it's those massages of his. Hmm, maybe I should list Jiraiya's massages as the most powerful narcotic in existence and make them quite illegal.", mused the fifty+ year old Hokage with a girlish giggle as she imagined the ramifications of such a decree from her.

"At least, I can make the punishment so severe that no one would even think about breaking the law and I'll continue to receive his lustfully intoxicating massages.", Tsunade giggled greedily.

Tsunade let her mind get lost in daydreams of what could happen before a kick from a bored Jiraiya Junior brought her back to the present. Checking the clock, Tsunade decided to give her husband another five minutes to show up before she left. Idly glancing at the crystal ball that allowed her to see, hear, and know just about everything going on her village, Tsunade saw the perfect way to keep from brooding as she waited for Jiraiya. Concentrating the little bit of chakra she could spare, Tsunade activated the sphere and tasked its all-seeing eye to roam over the village at random so the five minutes left of her set time limit would go by quickly.

Three minutes into her observations, the Hokage's all seeing-eye fell upon the couch of the control room in the center of the Forest of Death and Tsunade lifted one of her delicately arched aquiline eyebrows at the sight of her assistant laying on the couch in nothing but panties (Rio-cut, not much coverage of Shizune's backside) and a tee shirt while playing with herself. Upon seeing the tableau in front of her, Tsunade muted the sound. During their years of traveling, there was one thing about her assistant that Tsunade had learned from the occasional tryst with Shizune during times of need (Even Tsunade needed 'stress relief' from time to time. A 'relief' Shizune often provided most enthusiastically when their plethora of 'toys' weren't any help). Her somewhat timid assistant could wake the dead with her cries of climax.

Tsunade did not need a screaming earache to go with the headache that was threatening to give the Hokage fits in addition to various sundry bruises Jiraiya junior was inflicting on her womb.

Unbeknownst to the Hokage, her husband had silently entered the room while Tsunade was glued to the crystal ball as her light brown eyes took in Shizune's nearly naked form out of the sexless clothes the jonin usually wore to hide her almost flawless body. Jiraiya had been in the office suppressing his chakra levels so Tsunade wouldn't detect him as he waited impatiently for her to activate the little sphere. Seeing the floundering entrance made by his number two protégé in perverted-ness, Jiraiya quietly chuckled as he mused that he'd made it right on time. Dropping his chakra suppression jutsu, Jiraiya watched as his wife whipped her head around in his direction with an embarrassed look on her face (though it was ruined by the lustful look he saw in her eyes).

"Ji...Ji…Jiraiya!!!", stammered Tsunade embarrassed that she'd been caught peeping on the pair of Jonin.

"See something you like, honey-bun?", questioned the Sage of Mount Myoukoubou.

Tsunade spluttered in exasperation as she tried to cut the flow of chakra to the crystal ball so that her world renown for his perverseness and sexually-explicit novels husband wouldn't be able to see what was going on only to be stopped by the gentle strength in his remaining hand as he halted her fumbling attempts and gently returned Tsunade to the chair she'd vacated when she'd first sensed him. Before she could protest again, those lusciously rough masculine lips descended down to lock on her own poutingly full lips and cut her off mid-splutter.

Tsunade's senses went into overdrive as they redlined in less than a nanosecond only to feel the coolness of the air as her husband teasingly pulled away and turned to the crystal ball. Following him with her eyes, Tsunade was at a loss for words as she felt herself lifted out of her seat for a moment. Even though she'd known about the strength in his remaining arm, Tsunade was still astonished as Jiraiya effortlessly lifted her up and deposited her across his broad and strong legs.

"Let's watch them for a little bit and see what happens. Shizune's been secretly loving Ebisu for quite sometime now. Of course, Ebisu is lot like Naruto and is naïve when it comes to being noticed by a woman. Kind of like how Naruto didn't realize that the Hyuuga Clan Head was in love with him all throughout their years in the academy and as genin.", stated Jiraiya calmly as he stuck his unlit pipe in his mouth and leaned back in Tsunade's chair.

"What the…. He's known about Shizune lusting after and loving Ebisu? And he didn't tell ME? He knows that I see Shizune as the daughter I never had and as the niece I lost when Dan was killed? I'm gonna ki….oh Kami his legs are so comfortable I don't wanna leave!", thought Tsunade as she snuggled a little deeper into the pocket created by Jiraiya's broad and firm chest.

Together, the two remaining Sannin sat observing their respective protégés as they reveled in their carnality and provided a running commentary as Shizune and Ebisu fully surrendered to their lusts and dreams in each others arms. Around the third hour of their entertainment, Tsunade grunted as a brief spike of pain hit. Over the past several hours, the Hokage had been feeling similar pains but had brushed them off since they weren't as bad.

This one, however, had Tsunade gritting her teeth to keep from yelling as she waited for the wave of pain to dissipate. Not thinking coherently at the moment, Tsunade demanded that Jiraiya give her a massage for making her wait so damn long before he arrived. Jiraiya snickered as he rose from his seat and headed out to get his massage lounge for his wife to lie on as gave her the massage she'd been wanting.

An hour into the most sinfully delectable massage Tsunade ever gotten, her pains came back with a vengeance. Lifting her head up from where it had rested on her arms (she'd kept watching Shizune and Ebisu make the beast with two backs during her treatment and felt her own libido starting to rise), Tsunade scoured the room to see where her husband was. Jiraiya wasn't presently in the room but she could hear him whistling a tune from his location in the office antechamber. Just as she was about to call him and demand he finish treating her like the queen she was, Tsunade felt a pain sharper than any other hit followed by a sudden dampness covering the front of her maternity outfit. At that instant, clarity struck Tsunade like a Rasengan with the full power of the nine tails.

"JIRAIYA!!!! GET IN HERE NOW!!!", yelled Tsunade as she awkwardly climbed off of the comfortable lounge and immediately had her knees go out on her the minute her feet touched the ground.

Striking the ground with a loud thud, Tsunade wrapped one arm protectively around her bulging abdomen while using her remaining strength to pull herself to her feet. Hearing the sound of running feet, the Godaime Hokage turned to the source of the noise and was rewarded with the sight of Jiraiya rushing into the office to check on her. Seeing the look of horror on his face, Tsunade gave him a lovingly wan smile and reached out for her husband with her free hand. Her arm stretched halfway towards Jiraiya before her strength and willpower gave out and she started to collapse. Her husband caught her with his arm seconds before she would've hit the floor.

For his part, Jiraiya was panicking. He'd never seen his hime that pale in their entire life. Even when his darling Tsunade was so exhausted by a stressful day in the office and dropped her henge to reveal her true appearance; she'd kept the healthy tinge to the skin he loved so much to kiss and caress in their few minutes of intimate solitude. Right now, Tsunade looked paler than the palest Hyuuga. Jiraiya looked down at Tsunade as she allowed her body to go limp and saw her mouth move as if she was trying to say something. Leaning closer to hear what his wife was trying to say, Jiraiya focused a small amount of chakra to his ear.

"Jiraiya-koi……..take me to the hospital. Junior wants to see his mommy…..help me summon Katsuu.", breathed Tsunade instinctively.

Jiraiya frowned at the request but did as she asked. Covering her small hand with his large one, the Toad Sannin focused a bit of his chakra and forced it through his wife's tenketsu. Once that was done, Jiraiya used his thumbnail to pierce Tsunade's skin, all the while hating the marring of her beautiful skin. Seeing the trickle of blood leaking out of the puncture he'd made, Jiraiya helped Tsunade with the handsigns needed for summoning.

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!!!", shouted the Hokage in the loudest voice she could manage.

A puff of thick white smoke appeared and when it had vanished, one could see an enormous slug standing before the pair.

She was Lady Katsuu. The chief summon of the slug clan.

Katsuu looked at the tableau before her and paled; her shimmering blue-white skin fading to a brilliant white. Her Mistress' pregnancy was in dire straights. Figuring out what was needed Katsuu turned her attention to the white-haired man her mistress had married.

"Master Jiraiya, what is wrong with Mistress Tsunade?", asked Katsuu in her soft voice.

"Lady Katsuu, your mistress has gone into labor! I need to get her to the hospital fast. I need you to send some of your offspring ahead to clear the way for us. Once the way is clear, I need you and your clan members to secrete me sort of slippery fluid on the ground. Once that is done send one of your children to let me know. I'm gonna summon the Chief Toad and carry Tsunade to the hospital.", Jiraiya hurriedly stated as he scrambled around the office for the duffle bag full of Tsunade's necessities so that his hime could be comfortable.

Before Katsuu could reply, she heard Tsunade tell her to do what Jiraiya said. The Hokage also asked that once she was secured in the hospital could Katsuu send another of her children to fetch Shizune from the Forest of Death Control Room. Katsuu bowed in acknowledgement and started to spawn smaller versions of her self and several of her children to the living world. Once they were there, Katsuu gave them their orders and dispelled herself only to reappear on the street below and started to methodically slime the way away from the office. When Jiraiya was sure that Lady Katsuu was far enough away he bit his thumb and slammed his hand down on the ground while focusing all of his chakra into the summoning.

The few people out were astonished when a large cloud of smoke appeared only to dissipate and reveal a ten-story toad with a long and elegant pipe in his mouth. The deck of cards in the toad's webbed foot explained why Gamabunta, the chief toad, wasn't happy.

He'd been about to win a poker hand with a royal flush.

"JIR-RAI-YA!!! WHERE ARE YOU!! YOU DIRTY BASTARD, SUMMONING NOW WHEN I WAS JUST ABOUT TO BEAT THE HEAD OF THE SNAKE SUMMON CLAN!!!", roared Gamabunta.

"Stifle it you hopping suitcase. We got a problem and I need your help.", snapped Jiraiya as he helped a wincing and groaning Tsunade to the balcony.

The chief toad lowered his head to the balcony and spotted the couple waiting. Unconsciously, he blew a thin stream of smoke from his pipe right into their faces.

"Come here you overgrown travel bag!! If you ever blow smoke in my face again, I'm gonna cut off your legs and eat em'! Now get down here and help me climb up and you better have a nice place for me to sit!!!", growled Tsunade as she coughed into Jiraiya's shoulder.

Gamabunta had heard tales about the woman whose legendary strength allowed her the ability to summon Lady Katsuu (plus he'd already heard all of the pervert's lewd stories about his Tsunade-hime). Learning from his master that Lady Tsunade was one to hold a grudge and follow up on a threat, Gamabunta lowered his head just enough for Tsunade and Jiraiya to climb on to his back. Telling them to hold on to the collar of his robe, Gamabunta turned towards the hospital and saw the slimy path on the ground in front of him and realized what exactly Jiraiya wanted him to do.

"Jiraiya, are you sure about this? Last time we did this you ended up with several broken ribs. Not to mention what happened to the blonde brat.", grumbled the toad in his deep basso profundo voice.

"Now is NOT THE TIME to be discussing this Bunta'. Just remember to thank Katsuu for her help when this is all over.", growled Jiraiya impatiently as he made sure his wife was secured in his arm and protected by the jutsu that made his hair longer and sharper.

Gamabunta shrugged and told them to hold on before using his powerful hind legs to propel him onto the slick street.

On his back, Tsunade looked up at her husband and asked him why he had summoned the chief toad.

"Three reasons hime. First, no disrespect intended to the chief slug but Lady Katsuu is slow. Secondly, Though Katsuu is slow, everyone respects her enough and knows that she is your chief summon. Anything she says is acted on as if it came from you."

"And the third reason?", groaned Tsunade as another labor pain hit.

Jiraiya glanced down at Tsunade and she was able to see the teasing grin on his face that both infuriated her and made her lust after him even more.

"The third reason; that should be obvious hime, I've always wanted you to go Toad Surfing with me.", chuckled Jiraiya.

Tsunade heard his reply but for the life of her (she had other more pressing things on her mind at the moment) she'd never heard of Toad Surfing. And that is when Gamabunta landed on Katsuu's trail of slime.

Jiraiya whooped in exhilaration as the impetus of Gamabunta's leap propelled them down the slick roadway at insane speeds. Unfortunately, Tsunade's inner ear protested the sensation by giving her an awful case of the leans that developed into a full blown case of vertigo as their speed increased. Tsunade's reaction to her wildly tumbling senses was textbook:

The Godaime Hokage, Lady Tsunade puked all over her husband just as they reached the hospital, much to his mortification and Gamabunta's delight if the shuddering of the giant toads' shoulder was any sign.

Not soon enough, the rough slide ride came to a sudden halt as Gamabunta reached the end of the slime trail and-now a bit more cognizant of Lady Tsunade's condition-gave a short hop and landed on the slime-free ground in front of the entrance to Konoha General Hospital. Thanking his old friend profusely, Jiraiya slid off of Gamabunta with Tsunade riding piggyback and dashed into the hospital. Gamabunta grunted before casting about for a plot of grass to scrub his webbed feet free of the slime. Lady Katsuu gazed at her fellow chief summons with a frown and shook her head.

"Bunta, have all of your summoners been that irresponsible?" asked the ten-story giant slug.

"Oh go slime on somebody else's' day, Katsuu. I'm not in the mood for any of your dry jokes today!", cursed the chief toad as he continued to scrub his feet.

Katsuu chuckled before sending one of her newer daughters off to the Forest of Death to retrieve her mistresses' assistant. Bunta heard the chuckle and let it pass. Finished with his scrubbing, the boss toad summoned his son Gamatatsu.

"Yes Oh Great Boss Toad, you have summoned me?", questioned the yellow and blue toad (who always seemed high on something according to his father) who appeared next to the pair of chief summons.

"Gamatatsu since you know your way around here pretty well I need you to go to Naruto's place and bring him here. Tell him that his obaachan is in the hospital. Then get outta the way!", grunted Gamabunta as he relit his pipe from a handy torch provided by one of Lady Katsuu's children.

"I live to serve and obey my most magnificent leader of the Toad Summon clan.", replied the smaller toad before vanishing to perform his deeds.

Gamabunta glanced over at Katsuu and grimaced as he recognized her way of laughing when she observed something funny.

"Those slugs are cool and all but damn, they have a dry sense of humor.", mused Gamabunta as he sat back on his haunches and enjoyed the relaxing smoke from his pipe.

&&&&&&&&&&

Inside Konoha General Hospital, Jonin Maito Gai leaned against the nurses' desk as he flirted with the pretty nurse on duty. Gai had been on night patrol with some of the police force and had stopped by the hospital to check on the shinobi enjoying a forced respite due to injuries sustained in any number of skirmishes. He'd just autographed a poster he'd done some modeling for awhile back for the nurse on duty when Master Jiraiya came speeding in carrying his wife on his back.

Jiraiya skidded to a stop when he saw the Green Beast of Konoha flashing his infamous smile at the duty nurse (who'd just about shit a ton of bricks when she saw who was on the Toad Sage's back). Glaring at the jonin while mentally cursing himself out for interrupting what promised to be an educational experience, Jiraiya ordered Gai to get a platoon of ANBU Black Ops to surround the hospital and protect it while not being seen. Gai acknowledged the order and sprinted off as Jiraiya assisted the nurse in getting Tsunade into a wheelchair so she could be admitted to the delivery room.

Within three minutes, the speedy Jonin was back with the ANBU platoon commander and reporting to a worried Jiraiya that the requested ops were in place around the hospital to protect those within. Jiraiya told the ANBU Lieutenant in the ferret mask that Gai was in charge for the duration of this assignment and all future reports are given to him.

"As ordered Master Jiraiya; the ANBU Black Ops Thirteenth Platoon will do our duty and protect everyone here. The Thirteenth also congratulates you and Lady Hokage on the imminent birth. We'll protect the inhabitants of this location or die trying Lord Jiraiya.", quoted the shinobi with a salute before using a shunshin to report to his position.

Jiraiya nodded absently as he bit his fingernail. Lost in thought, he didn't notice when Gai stepped by his side and told him not to worry about Lady Tsunade in a low voice.

"Thank you very much Gai, Tsunade and myself appreciate their and your devotion to duty. Lady Shizune should be here shortly. Escort her straight to the hokage's room and make sure nobody gives her any guff. If they do, you have my permission to beat the youthfulness back into them.", stated Jiraiya as he turned to face the Jonin.

Gai's eyes lit up with glee and Jiraiya hoped that whomever gave the over exuberant jonin any problems was granted the sweet release of rapid unconsciousness rather than having to remain awake as Gai gave his infernal speech on 'The Spirit of Youth'. Gai started to step away to wait for Shizune when Jiraiya called him back.

"One last thing Gai, it's better to get the girl home where she can cream your sheets in private instead of creaming her panties in public. You need to work on that. Here's a little thing to help you with that.", Jiraiya muttered to Gai in a low voice while handing him one of his Icha Icha Techniques books.

Now Maito Gai wasn't a prude. In fact, the jonin had had several intimate relationships with members of the opposite sex, yet for the world renowned author to hand over such a thing caught Gai by surprise and his face turned fire-engine red as he blushed fifty shades of crimson at the implications of Lord Jiraiya's words.

&&&&&&&&

It was ten o'clock AM in Konohagakure and the citizens of our fair village were going about their business. Civilians were strolling about hither and yon. Shinobi were leaving on missions, returning from missions, training for more missions, or just kicking back and relaxing. Other shinobi were making preparations for the Chuunin exam scheduled to start that very day by escorting teams of genin from other villages and their jonin sensei's through the city to their lodgings. Konoha's ANBU Black Ops and Root Divisions were keeping covert watch on those shinobi and kunoichi from hidden villages not on good terms with Konoha. The entrants from the Hidden Sound Village were watched especially close since none of the Konoha Shinobi Corps knew where the present leader of the Hidden Sound Village (and Konoha genin-ranked missing-nin) Sasuke Uchiha was. Rumors overheard from the Sound Jonin instructors mentioned that the Uchiha had gotten his ass handed to him in a fight a month or so previous and was recovering at one of the numerous outposts Hidden Sound had.

Of course when the reports of these rumors made it back to ANBU and Root Headquarters, there was much joviality. Even the almost emotionless head of Root, Sai (Danzou had died in a 'mysterious' accident soon after Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya were married and had gone on their long-delayed honeymoon. It was mentioned that somehow the Nine-tails escaped from its seal and wreaked havoc in Root Headquarters where for some odd reason Danzou was there without his personally picked security team. Sai wasn't speaking on the subject and neither was Naruto) had a laugh at the misfortune that had befallen the Uchiha traitor.

Everyone was going about their business when the loudspeaker for the village's public address system flipped on. Now this wasn't unusual since the system was used several times a day for different announcements for the public as well being used whenever the village was threatened as an Emergency Broadcast System so the civilians and retired shinobi could know when they needed to evacuate a particular district. However, the populace wasn't expecting to hear Master Jiraiya's voice in place of the voice of the usual announcer.

"Is this damn thing on? Gamakichi, keep that idiot announcer away from the power panel! Oh the system IS on. Well shit, the whole village just heard me. Ahh what the hell! I was trying to turn it on anyway. Ladies and Gentlemen of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves; I, Master Jiraiya, have some good news, some better news, and some totally awesome great news!", shouted Jiraiya into the microphone (not realizing that Gamakichi had accidentally knocked the volume up to max blast with the ill-advised placement of a webbed foot).

Those listening had to wince as Jiraiya's words blew through the speakers scattered around the village at the volume specially reserved for evacuation announcements. Of course the Icha Master didn't realize it and took a deep breath. To the citizens around the village, Jiraiya's inhalation sounded like the vacuum of death.

"As many of you have already heard if the rumor mill around Konoha is as fast as it was when I was a genin; my wife, Lady Tsunade Senju, the Godaime Hokage was rushed to Konoha General Hospital by way of Giant Toad Express early this morning. The Hokage is doing fine and resting comfortably. That's the good news! The better news is that at 8:32 AM the Godaime Hokage gave birth to our first child, a baby boy: Hiruzen Nawaki Senju! Now if you think that is better than the good news, you're right!!! But the totally fricken awesome great news is that at 9:05 AM, my lovely wife delivered a very early birthday gift to little Hiruzen in the form of his sister Kurumi Senju!!! Tsunade, Hiruzen, and Kurumi are all fine. Kurumi has her mother's strong voice and my eyes. Hiruzen has eyes that are a deeper shade of brown than those of our precious Hokage!"

Outside the hospital, Konoha was in an ecstatic uproar. Villagers, shinobi and civilian alike, were dancing in the streets, cheering till there eyes were full of tears and their voices hoarse. Several pubs started serving free drinks to everybody. Konoha's adult bookstore closed down and the owners nearly wept while their competitors from Konoha's Children's Bookstore three shops up the road threw a massive party and made immediate plans to start work on a section of shelves specifically for the children's books written by the world renown author they were sure he would start writing.

(Though not many people knew it, Jiraiya had ghost-written one book for children. He'd lost a bet with Tsunade and together the couple co-wrote the book soon after Tsunade's pregnancy had been quietly confirmed).

Back at the hospital, two extremely powerful fireworks (one pink, one blue) had rocketed into the sky to share the news of the birth of the Hokage's children with Konoha Villagers who weren't any where near one of the speakers for the announcing system.

In a quiet and private hospital room, an exhausted Tsunade leaned back against the brace of pillows and sighed in happiness as she ran a gentle fingertip over the features of a suckling Kurumi. Hearing the mellow baritone of her husband as he broke into song, Tsunade glanced out the window and observed the gathering crowd of her villagers as they congregated outside the hospital beyond a cordon of the special unit of ANBU Black Ops the Hokage had formed two days ago under the command of Yoshino Nara. The Fifth Fire Shadow shifted her gaze from the window of the hospital's specially protected wing and glanced around her room at those gathered therein.

Standing next to Tsunade's bed was her assistant and closest friend sporting a dull blush and wearing a hospital robe (when Katsuu's daughter had found her, Shizune was playing 'Bad Nurse, Horny Doctor' with Ebisu and had to hurriedly put on the robe she'd just slipped out of in order to make it to the hospital without giving everyone a show). Sakura was next to Shizune taking notes on Shizune's observations, or trying to. Konoha's Merciful Cherry Blossom was spending more time casting looks at her blonde teammate as he gently held little Hiruzen while sitting in the room's sole rocking chair. Sakura remembered how Naruto had been the first among the rest of the Konoha Eleven to see her daughter Satsuki after she'd given birth.

Naruto was cooing at the sleeping boy he held in his arms (correctly-much to the amazement of Tsunade and Shizune) as he slowly rocked the chair back and forth. One could see that the Golden Whirlwind was exhausted but they knew that there was nothing that was gonna keep him from being there as his nephew and niece were born. Indeed, he had used his version of the Hirashin to arrive at the hospital seconds before Shizune did. Glancing up at the speaker over his head (which had been turned down the minute Jiraiya started speaking), Naruto chuckled as he heard his Sensei sing a line from Usher's song 'Appetite'.

"Ero-sennin sure does know how to sing. And he picked a good song even if the premise of the song is a bit skewered in his eyes. He sure does 'Love His Ladies', baachan.", exclaimed Naruto quietly.

"At least it's not 'Moving Mountains' like he sang at our reception. I still wonder how Jiraiya, of all people, managed to get all of my male shinobi to come onto the dance floor and sing that song. Although the line about him 'standing in gas and me being his flame' did make me cry for a bit.", replied the Hokage as she mimed wiping a tear out of her eye.

"Shishou, I think that line got all of the women of the village and Kunoichi crying. I heard that after the reception, Kakashi corned Anko in one of the classrooms and sang to her. By the way, Lady Tsunade, at your wedding I noticed you were wearing a pair of diamond encrusted garters. Yet when Jiraiya threw the garter at the reception, it was a regular silk one?", asked Sakura as she went back to her notes after a concerned glare from Shizune.

"Sakura, do you think I was going to allow that buffoon to toss the garters he designed and had made specifically for me to a bunch of slobbering men? Ya gotta be kidding me! Those garters are put away in a special place. Well one of them is.", answered Tsunade with a blush.

"And before you ask, she was wearing the other one when she was admitted last night.", Shizune cut in as she saw Naruto open his mouth in preparation for asking a question.

Before the blonde could reply to that, a gust of wind blew in and Jiraiya appeared in all of his sagely glory. Tsunade cut her eyes to Shizune and one could see the smirk forming on her face. She still had to punish her husband for his tardiness last night. Shizune nodded and subtly moved away from the bed.

"Jiraiya-pudding cup, come here for a moment. I have two things I want to ask. Well, one thing I want to ask and one thing I want to tell you. First off, why did you set up the….activity last night?"

"Because Hokage-koi, I noticed Shizune's apparent attraction to Ebisu a few months back and wanted to get them together. I felt that since you married me, an admitted super-pervert and Anko married Kakashi (both of them are perverts in their own right), why not get Shizune together with her own pervert; and from what we witnessed last night, it was a good idea. Besides you know you women go crazy for us perverts!", replied Jiraiya with a grin.

Tsunade nodded at his reasoning while Shizune spluttered her embarrassed indignation. Sakura and Naruto, though understanding the conversation on one level, completely missed the subtext and stared confusedly at each other.

"One last thing loving husband of mind, I'm appointing you as acting Hokage for the Chuunin Exams. I had planned on letting Shizune perform those duties but she's my post-natal doctor and can't do both jobs. Sakura can't do it because she's temporarily assuming Shizune's position as head doctor. Naruto can't do it because his team is in the exam. So out of those that I can trust, you're the only one experienced enough to handle it. Ahh, here comes Koharu and Homura to make it official.", mused Tsunade with an evil glint in her eyes as a knock was heard at the door.

Sakura answered the door and stepped back as the two elders of the council entered with the stately grace reserved for those venerated ones whose advanced age allowed it. The steel grey elder kunoichi cast a warm glance at her late teammate's pupil that caused Tsunade some concern and a twinge of anger for some odd reason. It was as if Koharu knew something about her husband that Tsunade didn't know. And that made her jealous. Her jealousy was forgotten as she felt a breeze on her nipple and looked down to see that her daughter had pulled away from her meal. Passing Kurumi to her father, Tsunade closed up her tunic and pulled the blankets up. She watched as Koharu and Homura draped the specially made acting Hokage's cloak over the stunned Jiraiya while his student took a picture. Once the announcement was made over the P.A. system about Jiraiya's temporary assignment, Shizune and Sakura threw everybody out of Tsunade's room and placed the sleeping twins in the two incubator beds brought into the room. Once that was done, Sakura excused herself and left Tsunade and Shizune alone. Shizune closed the blinds as her adopted aunt nestled down into the warm blankets and immediately drifted off to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&

Outside of the gates of Konoha, two shinobi waited. One was a fourteen year old boy with dark skin and brown hair. He wore the shinobi outfit indigenous to his village; a one piece, tiger-striped jungle camouflage outfit and a pair of soft moccasin closed-toe shinobi boots. Next to him was his sensei, a kunoichi of immense skill and a forgotten legend.

The kunoichi stood five foot eleven and a half inches tall, was slender yet full-figured in the way that some kunoichi were and had light hazel eyes. Her long starlight purple hair was done in a simple ponytail that draped over her shoulder in a relaxed way. On her dainty feet, the kunoichi wore a pair of heeled black moccasins made from the skin of a dark colored bull. Taking a deep breath, the kunoichi looked around with a sense of familiarity. Spotting the face added to Hokage Mountain, she snorted her amusement.

"So, Sensei-Iron Tits made Hokage. I wasn't expecting that. Although it does suit her better than it suited either of her teammates; Rochi was a bastard. I'm happy he's dead. I just thank Kami for all Konoha Kunoichi that Jiraiya wasn't appointed Hokage. He would've had the uniform for all kunoichi changed into something perverted. Hmm, I wonder how my old friend Royokan and my son are doing?", mused the woman as she and her charge waited for their two teammates to join them before entering the village she'd been a part of for several years before receiving her assignment from the Yondaime Hokage, over twenty years ago.

"Saiga-sensei? How much longer do we have to wait? Chiara and Horus are taking too long.", asked the boy from his perch in the tree his Jonin Sensei leaned against.

Saiga didn't answer her student. She just turned and indicated a direction where a cloud of dust was being kicked up. She'd sensed her other two genin and their senseis' a short while before and knew they were on the way. When the foursome arrived, they slid to a stop in front of the imposing woman.

"Zaiden, get down. Your teammates are here."

"Yes ma'am!", answered the boy as he lithely jumped out of the tree and landed next to the fourteen year old girl with dark blue hair and tribal markings on her face and the other fourteen year old boy with short green hair. Together the trio of genin waited for their sensei to speak.

Saiga looked at her three students for the exam and her two assistants with an impossible to interpret gaze. She put her hands on her hips and began to speak.

"As the five of you know, we're here to enter a team into the Chuunin Exams. Even though according to our village you're jonin, members of your age group from the five Great Shinobi Nations are considered genin or Chuunin depending on whether they've participated in the exam and passed. This quarter's Chuunin Exam is being held in the village of our longest ally Konohagakure; the Village Hidden in the Leaves. A few months back one of our messengers sent Lady Hokage a request for one of our teams to be entered in the Chuunin Exam. Lady Tsunade agreed and sent the applications and paperwork needed to travel to Konoha without being attacked. Zaiden, Chiara, Horus, you three are our team. Ever since you graduated from the Hidden Jungle Village Academy for Shinobi and Kunoichi and were sent on your Chuunin exam to find us three, you've been the most reported on ninja from our village. It was decided that since Konoha and the other four nations put their newly graduated genin into teams of three with a jonin sensei instead of sending them off to find their sole sensei like our village and train independently as one student, one sensei, our village chief decided to assign Horus and Chiara to a team with Zaiden and me forming the traditional one jonin-three genin four man teams with the sensei's of Horus and Chiara becoming my assistants. Once we enter this village, I want the five of you to be on your best behavior. I also want you to adhere to the rule of not mentioning the name of our village and just referring to it as the 'Unnamed Hidden Village'. To end this lecture, upon entering the village, I want the five of you to find our lodgings and get settled in. With the Hokage giving birth today, I expect the exam will be postponed by one day. I have to visit an old friend of mine and see if he still has what I left him. That is all.", stated Saiga as she dismissed her team before turning towards the gate and extracting the sheet of parchment with their invitations on it to have ready when they entered the gates.

With her head held high, Saiga Hatake strode determinedly through the gates of her former village.

&&&&&&&&&

Over at the compound of the Inuzuka Clan; Royokan Inuzuka, the head of the clan, caught his breath as he jogged around the compound with his familiar, a dire wolf named Cujo, beside him. Standing six foot, six inches tall; Royokan towered over his wife Tsume Inuzuka and daughter Hana while being two inches taller than his twenty-year old son Kiba.

The forty-nine year old man narrowed his eyes as he remembered his daughters halting confession after he caught Hana and her lover Iruka canoodling in a shinobi bar he occasionally frequented when he was in Konoha proper during his month of downtime after being a renowned tracker-nin on Konoha's far border with the Unnamed Hidden Village during his long assignment. Usually he was only home once every so often depending on the situation. This time he was home for good and ready to take assignment as a jonin sensei while his son replaced him in the border guard.

Surveying the compound with the eyes of a wolf as the clan recuperated after celebrating his return and the betrothal of Hana to Iruka (a particularly brutal procedure whereas the academy instructor had to fight several of the clans' male members as well as Royokan to prove his ability to protect the Jewel of the Inuzuka), the clan head stiffened as his sensitive nose caught the faint smell of a familiar scent. Recognizing the scent as the one of his old ANBU Black Ops cell commander, the only person to hold the highest ANBU rank of general, Royokan panicked. If the smell he was scenting belonged to who he thought it belonged to then he was in a world of trouble.

"Cujo, go wake up Hana, Kiba, and Iruka; tell Hana and Kiba to put on their best clothes and have Kiba go into my office and retrieve the elegant scroll sitting on the windowsill and the sheathed sword next to it. I'll get Tsume and start my explanation. Impress upon Hana and Kiba that the guest we are about to have is not one to anger. Have Hana tell Iruka that he needs to disappear for a short bit.", breathed Royokan as he sprinted towards the main house.

The slender dire wolf barked its acknowledgment of his orders and sprinted off. Within minutes the sounds of an aggravated Kiba could be heard echoing throughout the compound. Minutes later, Royokan was out of breath and sitting in the formal living room awaiting the one he knew as the general. Next to him knelt a harried looking Tsume. Even though she'd managed to slip into her formal robes and tame her hair into a semblance of orderliness, to Royokan's eyes, she was perfect. He cast a glance at his beloved and offered her an apologetic smile. She returned it with an understanding nod of her own.

Behind Royokan knelt his daughter, daughter-in-law, son, and future son-in-law (who agued that if he was going to be a part of this family it'd be best if he were to appear by Hana's side. Kiba had protested but Royokan had grunted his assent). The main members of the Inuzuka Clan sat quietly and that was how Saiga found them when she was conducted into the room by an Inuzuka cousin. Kneeling in front of her subordinate, Saiga saw that the Inuzuka children had grown up and were either married or betrothed. Seeing Royokan wave a hand, Saiga lifted her head and gazed demurely at the younger man.

"Hello Lord Inuzuka. It has been a long time since we last spoke, hasn't it?"

"Yes General Saiga. It has. I am grateful for you and your team rescuing us during that fight with those hostile to your village. My wife and family thank you as much. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today."

"I see. Well, I am just returning the favor you gave me when our group attacked and defeated the Sound Shinobi who were attacking my village as a diversionary tactic during the Chuunin Exams all those years ago. Are any of our comrades still alive?"

"No milady. You and I are all that remains of Konoha's Claws and Fangs. As you know the Emerald Claw died soon after the White Fang while the Blue Fang and the Purple Claw were killed when my son was three. That leaves just you 'The Scarlet Claw', and me 'The Jade Fang' as the only ones left."

Saiga bowed her head as she remembered the ache of losing her partner Sugumo Hatake, Konoha's White Fang. Royokan and the rest of the family gave the woman a small amount of time to grieve before returning to the business at hand. Saiga looked up as Royokan passed a sealing scroll across the table. Recognizing it for what it was, she accepted the scroll and placed it in one of the pockets of her vest.

"I hear that my son married a few years back and his wife gave birth to twins. I'll go visit them after I leave here.", stated Saiga.

"That is understandable. But be forewarned, his wife is one of the most aggressive women out there and a jonin in her own right considering who her sensei was."

Royokan lifted an eyebrow when he heard Saiga give a laugh. He knew who her son was and who he was married to. He also knew that if her daughter-in-law got to uppity, the general would show her the error of her ways very quickly.

"If she has a bad temper like my old jonin sensei Iron-Fist, it'll be interesting. Oh by the way, I see that my sensei gave birth today. I'll drop in and give her my congratulations a little later. Thank you for watching over my sword and cloak, Royokan I'm extremely grateful."

"It's no problem general. I remember all the times when the Claws and Fangs of Konoha were there to protect our village. My eternal thanks go to you for all the things that you did to help me adapt to the other five when I was the Jade Fang of Konoha. Is there something that brings you back here?", asked Royokan.

"Yes, two things. First, I have a team of genin from the Hidden Unnamed Village entered in the exam. Secondly, it's time to renegotiate and confirm the Treaty of Alliance with Konoha. Once those things are done, I plan to retire and be a grandmother to my grandchildren. I humbly request that I take my leave of you and your family. I've imposed to much of my time on you and your family.", stated Saiga as she bowed deeply.

Royokan nodded his assent at her request and watched as the older woman rose to her feet and gracefully turned around and departed like an elegant cruise ship in the night. Closing his eyes and remembering times long past, the elder Inuzuka turned to face his son and saw the question he'd wanted to ask but decorum prevented him from asking. Nodding at Kiba, Royokan gave his son permission to speak.

"Father, who was that woman? And who were the Fangs and Claws of Konoha?", asked the curious jonin.

"Kiba, that woman was one of the deadliest kunoichi of her time. She was so deadly, she makes Anko look like a first grader. To answer your second question, Konoha's Fangs and Claws were a team of six shinobi; three men and three women, who specialized in numerous assassination jutsus, fighting styles, techniques, and the like. Each member was given a name so classified that if the Sandaime or the Yondaime had been alive today, she would've immediately been executed for her transgression. When I joined, shortly after I met your mother, I was given the name 'Jade Fang' and partnered with a woman named 'Emerald Claw'. My partner and I replaced the previous fang and claw who'd been killed in the Third Shinobi War while on a top secret assignment. They completed their mission but were bushwhacked on their way back to Konoha. That woman, her husband, and I went out to retrieve their bodies and killed some shinobi who were trying to autopsy the bodies. We did what we were supposed to do to keep the secrets of the Claws and Fangs of Konoha from being found out. Years ago when Hana was little, she asked about a tattoo I had on my shoulder. Hana, do you remember what I told you back then? I told you that you had to wait until you were older. Well now you are older so I can tell you. That tattoo is the marking of the Fangs and Claws. It was used to cover up a serious wound I was given upon my joining that elite group. Lady Saiga personally made that cut with her sword. That is enough for now Hana, Kiba. There are still some things I can't tell you. I can reveal them to your mother but unless Lady Saiga unseals a certain scroll, no one will know about the Claws and Fangs of Konoha.", replied Royokan with a pensive look on his face that Tsume knew all to well.

"Hopefully, Lady Saiga won't ask Lady Hokage to reform that elite group of shinobi. Royokan revealed more to me in our room than he revealed to our son. I know the hell he went through as Konoha's Jade Fang. After all the missions, he came back to me, to us. Please Lady Saiga, please let that hideous group stay dead.", thought Tsume as she observed her husband lapse into his long buried memories.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Anko Mitarashi-Hatake watched as her husband slept on their couch with Rin resting on his strong chest. Kakashi had been exhausted for the past few days due to training and helping around the house. With her son secure in the sling over her shoulder and wearing a simple house dress, Anko looked every inch the successful house wife.

Wonder of wonders, Anko had been cleaning up the kitchen for some odd reason and had just finished. Leaning against her broom, the smiling mistress of death had a normal smile on her face as she observed father and daughter catching some snooze time. Lifting her head from where Rin and Kakashi lay, Anko spotted the hole in the wall made by Rin when she got a hold of one of Anko's kunai knives out of her pouch and had unconsciously charged it with chakra before giving it a toddler's toss as her father had walked through the door. Anko's heart had leapt up into her throat as the flash of white flew past her face. Only her husband's skill had allowed him to evade the kunai knife.

Up until that time, Anko had never seen Kakashi angry. After that incident, she hoped never to see him that angry again. Kakashi had read her the riot act fifty-two ways from Sunday and had cowed Anko into a state of slight despair due to her carelessness.

Anko giggled as she remembered that Kakashi had apologized in his special way after he'd calmed down a bit. Of course Anko took every bit of advantage from his apology and had finally released him from her sensual clutches the morning of the meeting two days ago. Deciding to finish up the housework later when her children were in bed and she had an able 'assistant', Anko put her broom up and was in the process of bringing the sling that held Sugumo around to her front so that she could join her husband and daughter on the couch when there was a knock at the door.

"Oh fer the love of dango!!! I was just getting ready to take a nap with my husband and kids. Of course there would be a knock at the door. It better be Kurenai or one of my other friends. If word got out that I liked being domestic around the house, my reputation would suffer.", grumbled Anko as she stormed to the door.

Putting on her best 'don't fuck with me now' scowl, Anko slung the door open. Standing outside the door with an amused smile on her face was an unknown older woman wearing some sort of shinobi uniform. Only this uniform was unlike any Anko had seen anywhere. It consisted of a halter top, calf-length pants, and a pair of the cutest heeled soft boots Anko had ever seen (see, Anko has a feminine side. She loves boots!). The woman was carrying a sealed scroll and had a short sword sheathed in a standard ANBU Black Ops sheath. Hoping her scowl was dong its job, Anko brusquely asked the woman what in the hell did she want.

Saiga chuckled in appreciation at the woman in front of her. So this was her daughter-in-law. At least she had a fighting spirit that approached Saiga's own. Hearing the woman repeat her rude question, Saiga decided to have some fun.

"I like you spirit, young one. But no matter how good you think you are. I'll always be better. The copycat ninja made a good choice when he chose you. I approve. Now move it tiny, I'd like to see my son.", snapped Saiga in response to Anko's question.

There was a moment of silence as Anko realized what the rude woman had said. Then she reacted and did the first thing that came to her. It was very nearly the last thing she did.

If Saiga had been fishing for a reaction, she got it as the purple haired woman stiffened and struck without warning, or tried to. Saiga saw the move as it developed and avoided the fist coming towards her face at a respectable speed. Parrying it with her empty hand, Saiga drew her short sword and placed the sharp tip along the underside of Anko's throat. Anko gulped and feared what could have happened if this strange woman had continued with her thrust.

"Now as I've already said, I like your style. Can I see my son now?"

"Your son, who is your son?", asked Anko with baited breath as the sword rested against her neck.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You married him. My son is Kakashi Hatake. My name, dear girl, is Saiga. Saiga Hatake."

&&&&&&&&&&&

It was the preliminaries to the final round of the delayed Konoha Chuunin Exams and fourteen-year old Hanabi Hyuuga was watching her teammate and cousin Chitose fight her match against one of the three Genin from the Hidden Unnamed Village. Unfortunately, Chitose wasn't doing well. The member of the Hyuuga Branch Clan was bruised and breathing heavily. Hanabi could see that even though her cousin had her Byakugan active, Chitose was fast running out of the necessary chakra to sustain the vaunted Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuuga. Turning to her other teammate, Junichi Iketani, Hanabi commented on her cousin and the match.

"Her Byakugan is about to shut off. She's used it for too long and has got to be way low on chakra. "

"I'm more worried about her opponent. He hasn't been exerting himself as much as Chitose has. Hell, since that pair of attacks he used earlier, he's been evading every attack Chitose could throw at him. Granted, she's restricted herself to your families Jyuken style so as not to reveal her true capabilities.", replied Junichi as he wiped some of the sweat off of his forehead from his victory two matches previous.

Hanabi nodded as she continued to observe the match. She'd already advanced to the final round after her victory in the first preliminary match against one of the Genins from Suna. Leaning against the railing surrounding the arena in the Forest of Death Tower, Hanabi hoped that Chitose would win the match. However, if her cousin lost, Hanabi looked forward to facing the boy who beat the Branch Clan's Kunoichi Prodigy.

Down in the midst of the arena, Chitose Hyuuga was oblivious to the ruminations of her cousin. The young woman was mentally trying to come up with a strategy that would allow her to finally beat this upstart who'd had the balls to insult her family. She remembered his words at the start of the match and felt the fire from then reignited. Settling into her stance again, Chitose watched her opponent with hooded eyes.

"Third-rate clan, fourth-rate fighting-style my Hyuuga Ass; does this bastard know that the Hyuuga are the most important and respected family in this village? Second only to the extinct Namikaze! Whether Main Clan or Branch Clan, the Hyuuga are revered amongst the shinobi of Konoha. Lady Hinata has brought more prosperity to the Hyuuga and has healed the rift between the two branches of our family and yet this foreigner deigns to insult us! Upon my honor as a Hyuuga, I will defeat this…this…this…boy.", thought Chitose as she prepared to perform the technique first shown by the head of the Hyuuga Branch Clan.

Zaiden stepped back as he recognized the intent flaring up from his opponent. He knew what was coming and yawned in boredom. During his travels to find his sensei, he'd run into a few Hyuuga shinobi and had defeated them in combat. Zaiden never killed those Hyuuga because he believed that it was wrong to kill those who wasted his time. Like all shinobi, Zaiden had no qualms about killing. In fact, he'd eliminated a quartet of missing-nin two months into his voyage who thought that a thirteen year old kid was an easy mark.

"Those fools paid for their underestimation with their lives.", mused Zaiden as he reached up and adjusted the headphones to his portable CD player for a more comfortable fit.

Jumping back, Zaiden cast a glance up at the balcony and looked at Saiga-sensei and his two teammates. Nodding to the trio, Zaiden gave them a grin and returned his attention to the Hyuuga in front of him.

From her position against the rail, Saiga groaned and slapped her forehead with her hand. Her student was about to do something foolish. Her two students cast concerned glances in her direction as Saiga mumbled under her breath.

"What's wrong Saiga-sensei? Is Zaiden doing alright", asked Chiara as she worriedly shifted from one foot to the next.

"Nothing Chiara, nothing's wrong except the fact that your teammate is about to antagonize every Konoha ninja here. Dammit, I really hate it when he taunts his opponents! I always end up having to write a report back to our village explaining why we need to send funds to pay for all the damage he's caused. Crap, crap, crap, crap crap!!!"

Chiara gave her other teammate a questioning glance only to be disappointed when Horus shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what their sensei meant by that either. Seeing Horus return his attention to the ring, Chiara cussed beneath her breath. Just because Horus had lost his match against one of the other Konoha Genins (although his opponent had to be rushed to the hospital after the match), it didn't meant that he could cop an attitude with her.

"Shit, I won my match in record time and he's fuming. Ahh, screw it, I'm just gonna enjoy the match.", griped Chiara.

A few steps down the railing from Saiga and her team, Naruto cast a worried look at his young Genin. At the beginning of the match, Naruto had been concerned when his most level-headed genin had stiffened and gone on the attack. At least she had followed his instructions and stuck to the Hyuuga Gentle-Fist style. Chitose Hyuuga was the most level-headed genin on his team. She wasn't as active as her cousin except when an opponent intrigued or insulted her.

"I bet that kid insulted Chitose's family. If there was ever anything that would set her off such much so that she'd attack without thinking, insulting the Hyuuga Branch Clan was at the top of the list. At least Hanabi wasn't like her old self. That would of set off a serious fight between the two.", murmured Naruto as he gazed intently down at the arena.

Returning his concentration to the fight, Naruto hoped his student wouldn't be devastated if she lost. There was still a chance she'd be promoted sometime in the future.

Back in the arena floor, Zaiden was tired of the match and wanted to end it as quick as possible. He'd been playing with this Konoha Kunoichi long enough. Shutting off the CD player and removing the headphones from his ears, Zaiden faced his opponent and gave her a bored once over as he categorized her appearance. Ignoring the rips in her clothes from his parrying her attacks, Zaiden catalogued his opponent.

"Breathing heavily, near exhaustion. Chakra almost depleted but still enough to keep her Byakugan active although at a vastly reduced level of ability. Defiant, proud, and pushing herself further than she'd ever pushed herself before. She's waiting for my attack so that she can go into the Hyuuga Kaiten. I better keep an eye out; she may have created a counter attack to complement her clansmen's absolute defense unlike the other Hyuuga I've fought. Oh well, Saiga-Sensei is looking worried so I guess I must end this.", thought Zaiden with a sigh as he cleared his throat in preparation for the reaction he knew was coming.

"Ah, the Infamous Hyuuga Clan of Konohagakure: wealthy, powerful, influential, and unfortunately, quite predictable in battle if you know what to look for. First, the Hyuuga always activate their Kekkei Genkai. Next they settle into the Jyuken or the bastardized version of the Gentle Fist the present clan members' use. It's quite easy to get past this Gentle Fist if you are not intimidated by it. The true Gentle Fist originally practiced by the Hyuuga was impossible to get around. Back to my main subject here, the Hyuuga prefer to defend than attack although some do attack first. Their defense, the so called 'Kaiten' is stout and very interesting. Unfortunately, it too has a weakness that can be exploited if you know what it is. I won't mention that weakness here in the spirit of détante and peace, plus it could ruin the civility between my village and Konoha. Once you drive a Hyuuga to a limit, they will always, always use the 'Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms' Technique to close off their opponents' tenketsu which they can see with their Byakugan. I've fought Hyuuga many times and each time, they sealed their defeat when they initiated that technique. Now as I stand here over my defiant opponent, I can see the fire in her eyes that screams for my defeat, if she can. I will give you a choice; either surrender now or attempt to use the 64 Palms and seal your defeat. Which do you choose, Hyuuga?", Zaiden asked with an edge to his voice.

Chitose was in a state of shock. Her opponent knew of the ultimate Hyuuga techniques and had defeated them. This was…was…inconceivable. To top it all off, he had the absolute gall to ask for her surrender? The frown on Chitose's face became more intent as she scrambled to her feet, the audience in the area stepped back as she unleashed her killer instinct. Up in the stands, Hanabi was quietly cheering her cousin on. This boy from an unnamed village had grievously insulted her family. There was but one course of action for one who would do such a thing. Hanabi waited for the word that would signify that Chitose was going to uphold the family honor. They weren't long in coming.

"For the honor of my family I will defeat you. For the honor of Hinata-dono and Neji-sama, I will utterly defeat you and regain the lost honor of the Hyuuga. Fool you have just sealed your eternal fate.", growled Chitose.

Zaiden gave a bored yawn, then, with a smirk, deliberately stepped into his opponents striking range. Chitose saw her opponent's move and grinned in triumph. Up in the stands, Hanabi, Naruto, and Junichi were all ecstatic. They were going to be the only team to have all three Genins in the final round of the Tournament. Just a few steps away from the rejoicing Konoha Team, the two members of the team from the Unnamed Hidden Village were groaning in disgust. Though neither Chiara nor Horus had ever faced a Hyuuga before, they knew the Hyuuga routine. Chiara sighed and turned her attention to her teammate. Just as she was about to say something, the fourteen year old Kunoichi saw that her sensei was laughing.

Saiga Hatake had heard her student's speech and had most wholeheartedly approved of his choice of words. For the nine+ months she'd been traveling and training this young genin, Saiga knew that nothing any Hyuuga did was going to be able to stop him. Looking around to see if she could spot the Jonin-sensei in charge of Zaiden's opponent, Saiga let her eyes rest on the blonde-haired guy several paces down from her and her team. Chuckling to herself, Saiga made her way down to her fellow Jonin.

Naruto was in the process of telling Hanabi and Junichi that he was going to treat them to ramen at Ichiraku's when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, the nineteen year old man saw a beautiful woman wearing odd clothes for a Kunoichi. Letting his eyes lift from the woman's face to the hitai-ate around her head, Naruto quirked an eyebrow when he saws that the plate on the headband was blank. Shifting his facial expression from happy to neutral, Naruto waited for the stranger to approach him and start the conversation. He wasn't waiting long.

"Is that your student down there facing mine?"

"Yes, she is my student. What's it to you?"

"Oh nothing, I was just curious and wanted to meet the idiotic sensei who'd allow one of his students to foolishly think she can defeat a genin of the Unnamed Hidden Village."

"WHAT?"

Hanabi heard the words of the strange Kunoichi and got angry. Ignoring the pleading of her teammate, the main family Hyuuga member butted in to the conversation.

"Lady, I don't know who in the fuck you think you are but if you believe that my cousin will lose to your student, you have another thought coming. My cousin is one of the protégé's of the head of the Hyuuga Branch Clan and the only Kunoichi studying under Neji-dono, the honorable head of the Hyuuga Branch Clan."

Saiga looked at the young woman and snorted. Returning her attention to the blonde Jonin, she frowned and asked him if he always allowed his students to show such pitiful manners.

"Only when they are defending their family and their teammate. Now if you will excuse me, I have to get ready to celebrate with my students."

"Hah, well if you have that much faith in your uncouth students then why not place a wager on the one in the arena. If you have the balls to do so that is."

Naruto growled his assent, all the while ignoring the whisper of his subconscious trying to stop him from doing something stupid.

"Okay, I'll bet you twenty thousand dollars that your student loses to mine. If your student wins, I'll pay for your team's trip to the restaurant of your choice. If my student wins, I would like public and written apologies from you AND your team apologizing for your comments.", commented Saiga with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face.

"I accept. Be prepared to pay up, lady.", chuckled Naruto as he returned his attention to the fight in front of him.

Oblivious to the byplay between her sensei and the sensei of her opponent, Chitose spoke her final words to her opponent.

You are in the range of my divination. Eight Trigrams, Sixty-four palms.", yelled the young Hyuuga as she ran towards her opponent with her hands outstretched to reach her opponents tenketsu.

She never reached her intended target.

It all happened so fast; one moment she was attacking and had just started verbalizing her strikes (she never even got the first half of two palms out). The next, Chitose found herself on her back looking up into a pair of the darkest eyes she'd ever seen before. All was silent, then the pain hit.

Zaiden took one look at his downed opponent and knew that the exam for her was over. In the span of a few seconds, he'd inflicted serious damage to the Konoha kunoichi. Beneath his knee lay a thin layer of his chakra keeping him from striking what would definitely be a fatal blow to the sternum of his opponent. Seeing that Chitose was gasping for breath, Zaiden eased the pressure and started chastising the young girl.

"I told you to surrender and you, like the majority of your foolish clan, decided to continue this fight. I gave you the choice yet you threw it back into my face. Well you have your own self to blame. You see, I held back and you're still very close to dying. To keep you alive, I added a layer of chakra to my knee to cushion the impact. Right now, you have at least four severely cracked ribs, a couple of very bruised vertebrae one of which is just millimeters away from breaking and paralyzing you for life. You also have a bruised jaw, broken nose, dislocated shoulder, at least five broken fingers, and you almost fractured your larynx. Do you see now why I wanted you to surrender? You have potential; a lot of potential, as do your teammates. I saw that in the Forest of Death when your team was confronted by that team from Hidden Sound. But you fell into the same prideful trap shinobi worldwide do when they face me. Now I suggest you do not move until the medi-nins get here. Proctor, I believe that my opponent can not continue this match. I petition for you to declare the victor!", stated Zaiden as he rose to his feet and offered a bow to the Exam Proctor.

The cigarette in his mouth forgotten, Shikamaru Nara just stared at the young man in front of him. Like everyone else in the arena except for a select few, the lazy genius had gone white as a sheet as the boy had recited the litany of injuries he'd inflicted on his opponent. Hearing his name called by his fiancée, Shikamaru brought his attention back to the present and gazed at the patiently bowing shinobi. Growling under his breath, Shikamaru did what he was supposed to, albeit with a bit of reluctance tinge with worry over the young woman trying to breathe on the floor in front of him.

"The winner is… Zaiden from the Hidden Unnamed Village.", snapped Shikamaru as he unconsciously let some of his killer intent trickle out as he glared at the young man.

Zaiden felt the intent and sighed in resignation. It disturbed him when people let their emotions get the best of them whenever it came to him. Stopping in his walk back to where his teammates and sensei were standing, Zaiden turned around and faced the smoking Jonin before letting his own killer intent leak out. The minute they felt the vast killer intent between the two shinobi, every ninja in the arena went on alert.

"Proctor, I'm only going to tell you and everyone else here once and only once: the next time I feel ANY killer intent coming from anyone here no matter the village, I will kill them without warning. As you can see, my opponent tested my patience and lost. Do not look upon my kindness in sparing her life as a weakness. That is the first and only warning I give to all participants.", stated the boy in a graveyard voice that had chills going down everyone's spine.

Everybody's, except for one person.

Up in the balcony, Naruto was fighting an internal battle against his tenant. Kyuubi had heard the words of the boy and his anger had turned white hot. Kyuubi's anger and bloodlust was so intent that he did not realize that he was affecting his container. In the real world, those shinobi who knew or suspected the identity of the Jonin sensei of the of the wounded kunoichi lying on the floor being attended to by the medics led by Sakura Haruno cast worried glances in Naruto's direction. Many took one look and crapped their pants.

Naruto's eyes were flickering from blue to red and back before settling into an agitated dark purple. A purple that signified (for those in the know) that both Naruto and his tenant were observing the Genin. The combined rage was palpable, thick, and flooded the arena.

Down on the dais, Jiraiya felt the familiar feeling and immediately looked up at his student with a stern expression.

"UZAMAKI!!! Go outside and calm down, now. That's a direct order!!", yelled the Toad Sannin with a look that showed his displeasure at his student.

"Yes, Hokage-sama", replied Naruto in an emotionless voice that worried those who knew him best.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Konoha's Fifth Fire Shadow sat at the desk in her mansion and calmly sipped from a mug of tea as she gazed at the two shinobi standing at a rigid attention in front of her. Tsunade had been observing the preliminary matches in order to see how her husband handled his role as acting Hokage. As expected, the old pervert had excelled as her temporary replacement at the exam while she stayed home and helped her two infants to adjust to their new surroundings. Much to the relief of Koharu and Homura, the menial housewifey chores the Godaime Hokage performed, kept Tsunade busy. The most powerful woman in the Five Great Shinobi Nations slept during the early part of the morning, tidied up around the house of her grandfather, the Shodaime Hokage, in the afternoons after a quick nap before concentrating fully on the small amount of paperwork she took home that needed her direct attention while dealing with Hiruzen and Kurumi.

Placing her mug on the coaster, Tsunade shifted her gaze to the pink-haired Medical Jonin, with a glare worthy of her sensei, Tsunade gave Sakura her orders.

"Medical Jonin Haruno, effective immediately, you are suspended from your present duties as head of medical duties to the Chuunin Exam. You are to turn over everything you've gathered on the wounded genin to Ino Yamanaka. She will be replacing you as medial liaison to the exams and head of the field response teams assigned to the Chuunin Exam. Before you can ask, Amaru will take over Ino's position as the Chuunin Exam medical liaison assistant. You are ordered to go home. I do not want you anywhere near the arena for the final round. I don't care what you do but if I hear of you approaching within fifty yards of the arena, I will throw your ass in jail for disobeying the Hokage's orders. You've already embarrassed our village enough. Attacking one of the exam participants from the Hidden Unnamed Village, who I might add, have been allies of Konoha since before there was a Konoha to begin with. With this unexpected time off, spend some time by yourself; go shopping, eat out, start a new hobby or go and get laid for all I care. It's your time off. I don't want any of the others to see either hide nor hair of you in the immediate vicinity of the Final Round. Now get out and turn your files over to Ino.", stated Tsunade in a strict but calm tone of voice.

Sakura's mouth hung open and she was about to comment when her shishou gave her a casually imperious wave of a hand dismissing her from her sight. The dismissal hurt all the more because Tsunade didn't even look at Sakura during the last part of her speech; choosing to return her attention to her simmering cup of tea before casually fixing her eyes on Sakura's file. Letting her head droop in dismay, Sakura acknowledged her orders and turned in preparation for exiting the office. As she reached the door, the Hokage's voice rang out again.

"I hope you realize that that genin kept you from making a bigger fuck-up than you did with his jutsu. And before you ask, that genin is right, I can't perform that jutsu, and you shouldn't even try. It requires a lengthy list of hand signs and more concentration than either you or I have. Unlike you, however, I took his words as a compliment instead of an insult. You're dismissed Haruno.", murmured Tsunade as she finally settled her gaze on the other shinobi on the side of her desk.

There was a loud click as Sakura's mouth snapped closed and her teeth crashed together. Recognizing the Hokage's body language expressing that it was futile for her to argue the point any further, Sakura bowed her head in acknowledgement and turned to face the door. As she exited the room, Sakura cast a depressed glance at her teammate and saw that Naruto was trembling with barely controlled anger at how callously his obaa-chan had treated his childhood crush.

Feeling better at the concern Naruto still showed her, Sakura reached out and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. The warmth of her touch helped still the trembling figure and the blonde returned her concerned smile with one of his usual-albeit not as bright-smiles. In her chair, Tsunade ignored the byplay between the two and shifted her gaze to the paperwork on the desk. She wanted to give the pair a moment before she passed judgment on the Jounin sensei for Team Nineteen.

When her highly attuned sense of hearing, Tsunade heard her protégé leave and close the door behind her and lifted her head to face her adopted brother. Recognizing the stubborn cant to his chin and the barely visible glare in his eyes, Tsunade sighed.

"Naruto, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. You, like your teammate, almost caused an international incident with your actions. Unlike Haruno, your actions were levels above and beyond what could be called hostile. I cannot believe you allowed some of the Kyuubi's killer intent mingle with your own during the last part of the match. Dammit Naruto, I felt that burst of deadly chakra here and the fact that this mansion is a nice distance from the arena in the Forest of Death AND my suite of rooms is so reinforced against detection of those hostile to not just our village but to my family as well should tell you how strong your chakra was. I've already expressed my unhappiness with Shikamaru and Temari as well as a few other shinobi here. I had planned to suspend you along with your teammate but my oh so loving husband talked me out of it.", stated Tsunade as she looked over to where the acting Hokage was standing ramrod stiff against the wall.

Jiraiya gave a short angry nod in acknowledgment before his wife continued her counseling of his student. He was trying to figure out how to keep the Hyuuga Branch Clan from taking action against the shinobi. Jiraiya knew that the Branch Clan Matriarch, TenTen Hyuuga would have her hands full trying to be the voice of reason within her clan when her spirit was demanding they take offensive action. Tsunade saw the quandary Jiraiya was facing and decided to give her husband a hand and find several constructive outlets for the Hyuuga Branch Clan to vent their anger.

"I May have to enlist the help of the Hyuuga Main Clan in diverting the attentions of the Branch Clan.", mused Tsunade as she returned her attention back to her rebellious possible successor.

"So in place of suspending you, Naruto, I am ordering you to enroll in an anger management class for one month. Seven days a week, twelve hours a day you are to be in class. This means that you are not to take a majority part in training either of the two Genin from your team that qualified for the final round. Every three days you will be allowed to train them for six hours after all of your class work and assigned homework is done. Now I have other things to deal with. You are dismissed.", finished Tsunade with an air of finality as she spun her chair around to face the window.

Naruto glared at Tsunade's back as she ignored him to concentrate on the scene outside the window. Growling to himself, the nineteen year old Jonin and ANBU Black Ops cell commander whirled around and stalked out of the room. Tsunade gritted her teeth as she fought against her innate instinct.

Over in his position, Jiraiya watched and sadly shook his head. With the actions just taken, he knew that the loving bond between his student and his wife had started to fracture. Jiraiya agreed with the lesson but did not agree with the way it was taught. One way or another Naruto had to learn that being Hokage meant having to sometimes severely discipline the people closest to him regardless of how bad it felt. The Toad Sage opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the Slug Sanin.

"He has to learn, Jiraiya. Naruto has to learn that once he ascends to this seat, he cannot have the same mentality as he does now. There are times when he'll have to agree to things that on the surface may seem extremely distasteful to him but will benefit the village as a whole in the future. To teach him that lesson, I have to be hard; harder than the hardest substance in the world. Many years from now, I hope and pray that when he looks back on this ass-chewing I gave him, he'll understand why I had to do what I did."

"Are you sure you did the right thing, Tsunade? I don't think now was the proper time to handle this like you did. I mean, one of his genin is in the hospital almost fighting for her career. Sakura's punishment, I understand. She made a big mistake and let things get to her head. You did the right thing with her. The Haruno needs to learn that sometimes, diplomacy is better than action.", replied Jiraiya.

Tsunade didn't say anything in response. Her head just dropped to her chest while her shoulders heaved. Having known his wife for a long time (and knowing women in general), Jiraiya walked over to Tsunade and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He knew that sometimes, even Hokage's had to cry.

&&&&&&&&&&&

At Ichiraku's Ramen, the usually boisterous crowd was quiet. The reason for the silence sat stewing at the counter as he waited for his two Genin to arrive. When they did, Naruto forwent his usual greetings and told both of them that he wouldn't be able to help with their training during the month leading up to the final round. As expected neither of the teenagers was happy. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Naruto slammed his hand down on the counter.

"I don't want to hear any complaints out of either of you now!!! I called you here to let you know that for this month, I've asked Rock Lee and Gai-sensei to teach you the basics of their taijutsu style. Hanabi, I want you to find a way to integrate their Goken style with the Hyuuga Jyuken and see if you can combine the two into an effective style. I have a feeling that you will end up facing the shinobi who defeated your cousin. I want you to do this because he knows the Hyuuga Family Style and defeated it without breaking a sweat. It would be better that IF you were to face him in the final round, you have to have all of the advantages you need. And with him expecting you to fight using Jyuken, he should be real surprised when a Hyuuga uses the Goken style of Taijutsu. Junichi, I also want you to train with Lee and Gai-Sensei but only in the mornings. In the evenings, I will be training you in the basics of my own taijutsu style when I can. Since I'm on the Hokage's shit list, I can't train you as much as I'd like to in this reprieve we have before the final round. Junichi, I believe my style will work for you. Combine it with your innate tactical sense and I believe you can beat this guy.", growled the blonde as he scarfed down some more ramen without looking at his charges.

Hanabi and Junichi glanced at each other once before acknowledging their orders. They finished their meal and were leaving when Naruto called them back.

"Before you start any kind of training, I want the both of you to go to the hospital and spend an hour or two with Chitose. Afterwards, I want you to return home and meditate. Clear your minds and don't focus on the events of the match. Once you've finished that, take a bath and go to bed early. Tomorrow you'll need to be well rested for your training. Learn everything you can and keep practicing. I want you ready for the final round. .", stated Naruto with his trademark grin.

"Okay, Naruto-sensei. We'll do as you ask. Don't worry sensei, we'll be ready and one of us will defeat the genin who eliminated Chitose.", Hanabi replied.

Naruto nodded at his students, yet he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something was going to happen. Putting those thoughts in a secure place of his mind for later, Naruto watched as his students left the restaurant before returning to his own meal.

&&&&&&&&&&&

It was a late night and the Fifth Hokage was up dealing with her fussing son. Walking around the office with Hiruzen in her arms hoping he would calm down and return to sleep, Tsunade almost missed the light gust of air that brought a familiar scent to her nose. Stopping in the middle of the office, Tsunade reached for one of the kunai knives she always carried and allowed her demeanor to become the ice cold demeanor of a lioness protecting her young from predators.

"Alright, I know you're there because I can smell you. It would behoove you to do one of two things. First you can leave without revealing yourself which would be the smart thing to do. Or two, you can reveal yourself and face my wrath.", snapped Tsunade as she got ready to defend her family.

The gust of wind got stronger and with it so did the smell of roses and whatever was mixed with them. As the scent got stronger, Tsunade's eyes got wider. She knew that smell. It had been over twenty years since she last smelled it but she knew that scent. A flutter of motion caught Tsunade's eyes and she whirled in that direction. A figure stepped away from its enclosing shroud of fabric and moved towards the circle of light. Once the figure was close enough for the dim light to reveal some of the interlopers' facial characteristics, Tsunade gasped and dropped the kunai.

"YOU!!!!!", shrieked Tsunade as the face of her visitor became visible.

"Good evening Tsunade-Sensei. It's been a long time.", replied Saiga Hatake as she gracefully slipped into the room and took a seat.

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And with that, I close out the fourth chapter of 'Promises in Snow and Ice'. I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As usual, I want to thank those readers who've followed this story up to this point and have been patiently waiting for the next installment. I also want to thank those who've reviewed this story. I greatly appreciate your reviews both positive and negative. My greatest thanks are given to Lovesrainscent for her editing and reediting (and getting on my case to finish this chapter ASAP) and for her continued support.

This chapter did not end the way I wanted to end it but I figured that the part I was going to put in would be better served by being in the next chapter. Speaking of the next chapter, Uchiha fans rejoice, both Itachi and Sasuke will be making their grand appearances in this story. Also, Naruto's quest to find Koyuki will begin. But before he can start, there's something he has to do and something he has to learn.

Ta ta for now, my friends.

Knightewolfe's Lair

April 2009