Team Seven consisting of Team Lead Kakashi, Sakura, Sai and Naruto were sitting around a fire, having made camp for the night.

Naruto looked at Kakashi, "So how are we supposed to be helping with these peace talks again?"

Kakashi looked at his team, "We're not."

"Then why are we going?" gruffed the blond.

"We are just to be protection and escorts. We will not be taking any part of the negotiations."

"Oh."

Sai stoked the fire, "Be glad, politics between unfamiliar land is difficult at best."

"Difficult? Don't both sides want what's best for everyone?" Naruto looked from Kakashi to Sai and back as Sakura handed him a cup of freshly made instant ramen.

Kakashi nodded, "Well yes, but deciding on what is best for both sides can be hard."

Naruto stared at him, "Why?"

"Well …" Kakashi scratched his head then an idea came to him. "Think of Konoha and Suna. Would both villages have the same needs. For instance, water …. it's plentiful in Konoha but scarce in Suna."

"Okay." The cup of ramen temporarily forgotten. "So, we have plenty, wouldn't sharing be the best way to keep peace and make everyone happy."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "You would think so but how much do we share? The more we give, the less we have for our own people. The less we have then we become vulnerable while Suna becomes stronger."

Naruto looked down to his ramen, "Oh, I see … it's about balancing."

The smile reached Kakashi's eye as it crinkled, "So if you become Hokage …"

"When." Naruto said, resuming his dinner.

Kakashi's smile widened as his eye closed completely, "… politics is something you will have to master as well."

Sakura sat down. "Naruto's idea of politics will be to have everyone keep eating ramen until they either agree or explode."

"What's wrong with that?" Naruto asked through muffled mouthfuls.

Everyone laughed.

"Naruto, I want you to pay attention to the negotiation process. Watch only, don't say anything."

Naruto looked up to Kakashi.

"It will give you an inside look of what you will have to do as Hokage. Think of it as training."

"Yes sir!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"Alright, let's get some rest. We will arrive in Tsurui village early tomorrow. Sai, you take first watch."

Echoes of "Yes." Rang out.

As the team entered the village, they noticed damage to buildings that wasn't new but that still needing repairing.

"I wonder if the other village looks like this, too." Pondered Sakura.

Naruto looked around feeling very sad. Why is there always so much fighting? I understand to spar with friends to get better but this …

"You'll find happier expressions in a graveyard." Sai commented.

Sakura elbowed him on the shoulder, lightly.

At that moment an envoy of officials came up to them. "I see you are from Konoha. Thank you for answering our request. Please follow us." The head official said bowing low.

Kakashi nodded and motioned for the group to follow.

Naruto looked at the faces of the people they passed. None of them seemed curious about the new arrivals in town.

Sai noticed something different but decided to keep it to himself for the moment.

They were led to the largest building in the center of town. Once, it must have looked magnificent, but now it just looked run down.

It wasn't destroyed but in disrepair. The roof had tiles missing or odd patch work. Some of the windows were boarded up. The ones that were intact were beautiful stained-glass depictions of daily life: harvest, festivals, happier times.

They entered the Great Hall and were led to the Shogun.

"Envoy from Village Hidden in the Leaves, I present you our leader of Tsurui, Shogun Niko."

A tall man stood and came down the steps followed by a young girl. Niko had light mousey brown hair that was probably blond at one point in his life, deep chocolate brown eyes. His face was in a scowl, not angry, but exhausted, as if he'd already dealt with too much for the day. His robes were black with gold and silver trimming. He exuded authority.

The young girl behind him looked to be Sakura's height and age. Her hair was sandy blond becoming brown at the roots, same deep chocolate brown eyes as Niko and same scowl. They were definitely related. She was wearing a sea foam green kimono with pastel pink sash and crane shaped accents.

Niko stopped in front of Team Seven and bowed. "Thank you. We are honored Konoha has granted our request."

Kakashi also bowed, "I am Kakashi and Team Lead. This is my team …"

"… Sai …" who bowed.

"… Sakura …" She also bowed and said "Hello."

"… and Naruto …" looking at his other teammates, he awkwardly bowed and said, "Hi."

Niko straighten. "This is my daughter, Nozomi. She will be part of the group going to the other village, Kitashiobara, for negotiations. Since neither side is allowed to send a show of force, it was agreed each side could reach out to a hidden village for escort."

Kakashi nodded, that matched the information they had been given while still in Konoha. "Do you know which hidden village Kitashiobara is using?"

Niko shook his head. "We will not know until all sides are at the negotiation table."

Kakashi sighed, he had hoped it would be Suna since they are on good standing with them now. Then something caught Kakashi's attention with what Niko had said. "All sides?"

"Yes. Let me explain while I show you the village." Niko turned to his daughter, "Will you show the other three around the Great Hall?"

Naruto looked up. "Wait, you're splitting us up? Why? Shouldn't we know that information too?"

Niko grabbed the bridge of his nose, sighed, then let his hand drop. "I mean you no ill will. I have a habit of rambling plus there are security issues I was hoping your Team Lead would look at. Nozomi can fill you in as well. Is that acceptable?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto and smiled under his mask. Glad to see he's thinking of potential danger. When their eyes locked Kakashi just nodded, ever so slightly. He turned to Niko, "that is acceptable" and motioned for him to proceed.

Naruto also nodded then turned his attention to Nozomi.

Sakura was the one to speak, "Please, show us the way."

Nozomi sighed but did as she was asked.

On the roof balcony Nozomi narrated the history of her land and the mounting aggression between the two villages that finally lead to open conflict.

She looked out over the roof tops, "I was six when the last attack on our village took place. I was in elementary school when an explosion shook the place. Half the school was destroyed … my best friend was killed along with most of my classmates. We were the closest to the blast."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai all exchanged sad glances.

Sakura asked, "What happened next?"

Nozomi seemed lost in her thoughts and took several minutes to respond. "We retaliated. There is a river that separates the villages. It was red for days afterwards. If our forces wouldn't have been so depleted, we would have won that battle and ended all of this then. Instead, it ended up in a stalemate."

"Stalemate?" Naruto asked.

Nozomi nodded. "Neither side had enough resources or manpower to continue, but the hostility was still there." She turned to them with sad eyes. "My father moved me in here. Taught me all of the secret hiding places and paths in case of another attack. That was ten years ago. I haven't been outside these walls since."

"That's why your father wanted you to guide us here while he took Kakashi out to the perimeter." Sai stated.

She nodded. "My mother died soon after I was born. I guess he thinks if he keeps me close, he can keep me safe." She shrugged. "No place is safe."

Naruto spoke up, "So are you looking forward to the peace talks?"

Nozomi shook her head. "I haven't forgiven them for my losses … my friends, my freedom. How can I make peace with someone I hate?" Her voice was angry.

"So, you think your father is wrong?" Sakura asked.

Again, Nozomi shook her head then sighed. "This constant state of fear of when the next attack is going to happen isn't good either … I just don't know if we can bridge that gap."

She turned to look at them, "Have you ever lost someone close to you?"

Sai replied first. "I have but it was due to illness, not war."

Naruto nodded, "My best friend left of his own free will. I will bring him back someday, but …"

Nozomi nodded, "I hope you never do. This feeling of wanting to hurt someone because they hurt you but also wanting to move on is stagnating." She looked down at her hands.

Naruto unconsciously put a hand on his seal. It's different but in someways the same. She's so lonely but doesn't have anyone she can reach out too … Naruto looked at the Shogun's daughter. "It will be alright." He beamed.

She looked up into his cerulean eyes and noticed they were sparkling. "Oh, and how can you be so sure?"

"Because we're here!" His smile became even brighter.

Nozomi took in his demeanor and his sincerity and couldn't help it … she laughed. Not to make fun of Naruto but because she actually believed he believed those words. "Maybe you're right." She smiled lightly and looked over the village again. When she turned back to them some of the heaviness had left her face. "Come on, there is much more to show you."

Team Seven met back up several hours later and compared notes.

Kakashi stated. "That matches pretty much what Niko told me. He took me about a mile from the river to an outlook post …" He explained that since the last attack and bloody retaliation ten years ago by unspoken agreement each side has not ventured any closer to the river. "Even though it's a great resource for both it's what started the conflict in the first place."

"Like the example you gave at camp." Sakura stated.

"Yes," Kakashi sighed and turned to Naruto. "This is my example in action."

Naruto stood by a window that wasn't boarded-up and gazed at the people walking by. He nodded at Kakashi's words but didn't move to look at his team.

"We've been asked to come to dinner tonight, as a way for everyone involved in the negotiations to get used to our presence. Well, at least everyone from this village anyway."

Sai spoke up. "What did the Shogun mean when he implied there is more than just the two sides?"

Now, Naruto did turn to look at his team.

"Niko explained that we are dealing with three other groups. First, is the group from Kitashiobara who want peace and want to become part of Tsurui. Second, is the group who wants peace but wants to stay independent." Kakashi paused.

"An the third?" Sakura asked.

"The third is the one who doesn't want to become part of this village … nor do they want peace."

Naruto stood up. "What? Why?"

Kakashi shrugged. "When there is open aggression and conflict it breeds hard feelings. It's difficult to put aside those feelings."

Naruto looked down remembering Nozomi's comments from earlier. He looked up to Kakashi. "But they're coming to the negotiations, so they must be ready to talk, right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Only the two factions that want peace are coming. It's the reason we were asked to provide escort … in case the third group decided to escalate."

Naruto went back to staring out the window. Pervy Sage was right, there is too much hate in this world. Is there really any way to overcome it?

Sakura looked over to Naruto. He seemed sad and contemplative, she didn't like it, she much preferred him happy and boisterous.

Kakashi and Sai were also looking at Naruto. The Team Lead cleared his voice, "At dinner tonight, I want you all on your best behavior. Naruto that means you too."

Naruto took a moment to very lightly hit the wall with his fist, took a deep breath, straighten and turned to his team with a big smile and his thumb up in a Might Guy pose. "I'm always on my best behavior."

Kakashi smiled, crinkling his exposed eye. "That's what I am afraid of."

Sai nodded but Sakura just looked at Naruto. That's a fake smile … I wonder how many times he uses that? Is it for him or for us? Sakura thought over the years and knew she had her answer, and she didn't like it one bit. She opened her mouth to say something, however, Naruto cut her off.

"Don't worry Sakura, it'll all be okay." Hie eyes softened a little, but he still looked sad.

She decided to just drop it for now, instead she played along. "You just better not embarrass us!" She raised her fist.

His smile became a little more genuine, "What do you mean Sakura, I've never …"

"Oh yes you have …"

Everyone laughed and the tension was gone from the room.