A/N: Sorry for the delay between chapters. I'm finding Hinata difficult to write and enjoying writing my ShikaIno story a little bit too much.

As mentioned I've been working on a ShikaIno, NaruSaku, SasuHina, KakaAnko epic that you should check out. It's a continuation of the manga rather than an AU like this one. Personally, I'm more fond of it than the Treaty. There's also a bit of Itachi in it if you squint. It's called the Endgame and the sequel is called the King.

A special thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys are the best! The Impossible Dreamer, Nino, NaviTheGoddess, pangpond, bianca504billiot, dumdeedum, PsychoticSky, hinatafan, Yuki no Ai, reneelg1963, aurora0914, LM22102, queenofthenial, chibi beary, jkl, and scarlet letters in the snow.

Chapter Eight

The Marriage Contract

a.k.a "If Shikaku Nara and Jiraiya of the Sannin are drafting a marriage contract, I would bet my first born son that they wrote several loopholes it in that could be exploited."

"I must thank the three of you for seeing me today. I have a matter of the greatest importance that I wish to discuss with you," said Jiraiya. "It concerns a mission that we are trying to coordinate. I must ask that you treat any information I provide with the utmost confidentiality."

"I can promise you, Hokage-sama that no mention of what we speak of in this room will leave my lips," said Okami.

"You can count on my discretion as well, Jiraiya," said Kaba Hato.

"And I," said Hiashi Hyuga.

"As you may or may not be aware, the shinobi world has been hovering on the brink of war for many years. A new and fearsome adversary has been jockeying for power. Their presence and activities have disrupted the fragile alliances between the great shinobi villages. This organization is called the Akatsuki. It is comprised of S-Rank missing nin from villages all over the shinobi world. I'm sorry to say that Orochimaru of the Sannin is one of their members."

"Orochimaru? I wasn't aware of this," said Kaba. "This is serious news indeed."

"The Akatsuki thus far have focused their efforts on capturing the most powerful weapon available to a ninja village: our jinchuriki."

This revelation didn't seem to have the desired shock and awe that Jiraiya expected. Hiashi was already aware of the situation; however, the noblemen were not. Okami looked at his father questioningly. Kaba spoke for the both of them. "You'll have to forgive my ignorance in this matter, Jiraya, but what is a jinchuriki? I have never heard this term before."

"It's an S-class village secret. Okami will be the next daimyo and no doubt you will be his advisor, so I don't believe myself to be betraying the village by revealing this to you," began Jiraiya. "A jinchuriki is a ninja who has a tailed beast sealed inside of them."

"Wait! What?" Kaba interrupted in shock. "A tailed beast? You can't be serious. That is much too dangerous. I'm surprised that the daimyo has allowed this sort of behavior from the Fire Country's Shinobi village."

"Tailed beast," said Okami in confusion. "I've never heard that term before. What's that?"

Kaba turned to his son and said, "You know the story of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox's rampage throughout Konoha seventeen years ago."

"Yes, of course," said Okami. "That monster destroyed much of the village before the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze sacrificed his life to defeat the monster. It's a dark stain in the history of this village."

"These shinobi fools have been sealing beasts like that inside themselves."

"That's monstrous!" Okami gasped out. "That is much too risky a move to make. When I become daimyo, I will outlaw this practice and have these monsters destroyed once and for all!"

Kaba turned his keen eyes on Jiraiya. "What does this Akatsuki organization do with these monsters?"

Clearing his throat, Jiraiya explained, "The Akatsuki extracts the tailed beasts from their hosts, and then seals them for their own use. We do not know what the Akatsuki plans to do with this power, but you can be assured that it will not bode well for Konoha . The group that possesses these beasts can wield unfathomable power."

"And how many are there and how many have been captured thus far?" Kaba asked.

"There are nine tailed beasts and seven of them have been captured by the Akatsuki."

"Only two left then," muttered Okami.

Kaba looked at Jiraiya intently. "You said our jinchuriki. Surely we haven't participated in this savage practice?"

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "Konoha is home to the jinchuriki of the nine tailed demon fox. Kumo is home to the junchiriki of the eight tailed Giant Ox."

"What?" gasped out Okami. "Are you mad? That is the same demon that almost destroyed the village. I hope that the jinchuriki with that monster sealed inside him is locked up somewhere."

"I must assure you that it is completely safe," said Jiraiya. "Our jinchuriki has remarkable control over the beast."

"Who is the jinchuriki of the Demon Fox, Jiraiya," asked Kaba.

"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you that. That is beyond the knowledge that is necessary for this conversation."

"I demand that you tell us, Jiraiya," shouted Okami. "As the daimyo's heir I command you."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that," repeated Jiraiya.

"Then rest assured that I will speak with my uncle about this travesty!" Okami growled, standing up from his seat. He would have marched to the door if his father hadn't gotten his attention with his next question to the Hokage.

"Then why are we here? What do you require of us?"

"Yes, thank you, Kaba. I will bring up the reason for our meeting now," said Jiraiya. "Won't you have a seat, Okami-san." Okami turned around and stalked back to his seat. He didn't look remotely pleased about the situation. Clearing his throat, Jiraiya said, "The Akatsuki is now focusing on their money making operations. They are planning to enter a high stakes poker tournament in Crescent Moon Country. The entrance fee for the tournament is 100 million ryo and there will be ten players. If the Akatsuki enter and win this tournament, they will walk away with 1 billion ryo. That is more than enough to buy an army. This is very dangerous for the stability of Fire Country and the rest of the shinobi world."

Kaba leaned back in his chair. "You want us to pay for a seat at the table," he said, stating the implicit question. "Did the daimyo refuse you? What are the other nations going to do about all this?"

Jiraiya folded his hands on his desk. "Kumo will be sending along one team and the diamyo has offered to pay the entrance fee for one player. However, we think it would be risking too much to only have one seat at the table occupied by a Konoha ninja. We would like to send two players if at all possible."

"That's an awfully risky move that you're asking us to make," said Kaba. "The Hato family is wealthy, but even we would notice a drop of 100 million ryo in our coffers, even if there is a chance to have a 900% return on our investment."

"Theoretically the expected payoff of the investment is equal to the principle," said Hiashi. "You pay 100 million ryo and then you have a 90% chance of winning nothing and a 10% change of winning 1 billion ryo. Theoretically you should be indifferent to the risk."

"If only it was that simple," Kaba sighed.

"I don't see how this would benefit us," replied Okami. "What do we get in return?"

Jiraiya coughed uncomfortably. "That's why I asked Hiashi to be here as well. It has come to my attention that the Hyuga and Hato families may soon be united by the marriage of your children. This will strengthen our ties with the feudal lord and his family. In fact one of our future daimyo may possess the Byakugan. With this in mind, I was hoping that this could be worked into the bride price or as a gift to the village of Konoha for the wedding."

"I suppose if we presented it in this context that would be alright with me," said Kaba. "We'll have to sit down and draft the marriage contract as well as a contract for this 100 million ryo with the city of Konoha. The matter of who would receive the 1 billion ryo in winnings could be a point of contention."

"Agreed," said Jiraiya. "Perhaps we can sit together tomorrow afternoon to draft this? I will bring my legal representation with me."

"I can represent my family and their interests. No doubt the three Hyuga clan councilmen will wish to be present as well."

Hiashi looked haunted for a moment before nodding and saying, "Tomorrow afternoon."

Neji wiped his forehead with the small towel he had brought with him to his sparing session. It was a bright and hot day in Konoha; he had worked up a sweat. It was always a challenge sparing against a sensory type ninja from the Hyuga clan. Tokuma was adept at masking his chakra and jamming Neji's Byakugan.

Neji looked at the ground in front of him with a sigh. Tokuma chuckled, "You're not still sore about that hit I got in, are you? You need to be careful not to trust your Byakugan too much. Once someone understands how your dojutsu works, it's easy to conjure up false images to confuse you. Uchiha Shisui used to do it to me all the time when he was the captain of my squad."

"I need to focus more on sensing chakra besides seeing chakra," Neji agreed.

"Are you heading out on any missions soon? Would you still be up for a spar tomorrow? Hokage-sama's stealing Ino away for some special mission, so we're off the roster for a couple days."

"We're a man down and Itachi and Shikamaru are going on that same mission, so I'll be twiddling my thumbs for the imminent future."

Tokuma scratched the back of his head. "I wonder if I could steal you in for the fourth member of our squad. You've worked with Kiba and Shino before, so it would be a pretty seamless substitution." Tokuma glanced down the street that Neji usually turned down and eyed him curiously. "Not heading home just yet?"

Wrapping his hitai-ate around his hand, Neji looked ahead towards the Hyuga clan head's home. "No, Uncle Hiashi wanted me to help Hanabi with something before she heads out for the chunin exams tomorrow morning."

"Oh, that's right," said Tokuma. "I forgot that Shisui-sempai's squad was entering the exam this year. I hope it goes well. Where's it being held this year?"

"Kumo."

Tokuma did a couple take. "What? And Lord Hiashi's letting Hanabi go? Even after the kidnapping attempt on Hinata?"

Neji looked up at the house. One of the windows on the upper story opened and Hinata leaned out, pushing aside the shutters. "It's been fifteen years. But we're not taking any chances. I've been asked to paint a fake Branch seal on Hanabi's forehead. We're hoping that'll offer some protection at least."

Tokuma eyed the seal on Neji's forehead. Tokuma was also a member of the Branch House and like the Branch House head, he covered the mark with his hitai-ate. "You're not going to actually give her the seal are you?"

"We're just going to use green dye. Should wash off after a week or two."

"Sounds nice," Tokuma smiled wryly. "Well this is where I turn off. See you later."

Neji continued up the road until he reached the house. Taking off his shoes at the front door and placing them in one of the cubbies, he padded down the hall making little noise on the tatami mats.

After Hinata's disastrous meeting with the Hyuga councilmen the other day, Neji was surprised to hear soft voices coming from the meeting room. He wasn't aware that there was a meeting. He lingered in the doorway to listen in.

"I'm glad that you've finally decided to see things our way, Hiashi," said Kaede Hyuga of the Main House Council.

"I hope that I have made it plain to all of you how displeased I am about this entire affair," came Hiashi's voice from the inner room.

"Displeased, Hiashi?" came the taunting voice of Kioshi Hyuga. "The Hyuga clan is a powerful clan. We've given Hinata more than enough chances; we cannot continue being so soft. You knew that this day would come."

"Hinata has worked very hard. Last year she became a Tokubetsu Jonin!" said Hiashi.

"Tokubetsu yes, not a full jonin," said Kioshi Hyuga.

"Yet another instance of Hinata failing to meet our expectations," agreed Mitsui Hyuga.

"But to marry her off to Okami Hato! How could I ever face her again after telling her the news? It makes me sick to my stomach," said Hiashi.

Kaede Hyuga chuckled amusedly. "Somehow I doubt that you'll lose too much sleep over it."

Neji was sure that his heart had stopped in his chest. He had so ardently hoped that the whole thing was a falsehood. But Hiashi had given into the three Main House Councilmembers. Hinata would have to marry Okami Hato.

He hurried away to tell Hinata.

"There is the matter of that first man that she was promised to," began Hiashi.

"Didn't we agree, Hiashi, that we wouldn't speak of that?" asked Kaede Hyuga. "What's in the past is past. The whole affair was tragic indeed. But for the Hyuga not to press our advantage would have been foolishness. Neji is no longer listening in on our conversation. Say whatever you want, it will change nothing."

"But the Third Hokage-"

"Is dead," said Hyuga Kaede.

"And Fugaku Uchiha," continued Hiashi.

"Is also dead," countered Hyuga Kioshi.

"We may not have been involved in the accident, but it's not wrong of us to take advantage of it," counseled Hyuga Kaede. "That agreement was an abomination. The Third Hokage took advantage of our position as the wealthiest clan in Konoha to offer our hard earned wealth as a bargaining chip to a savage clan. The Third Hokage forced our hand. We would not have agreed to it otherwise."

"You would have rather had a civil war that to hand over a small portion of our wealth to another clan?" said Hiashi in disgust.

"We did what we thought was right at the time," said Hyuga Kaede. "And now we are doing what we think is right. It will all work out fine in the end."

"But what if someone else finds out about the original Treaty? It could cause a civil war. We should just own up to the treaty. Reveal the Treaty's existence to Jiraiya and Uchiha Itachi."

"That would not be wise," said Hyuga Kaede. "Now that we've signed an agreement with Okami Hato, presenting that Treaty would cause a civil war. Do you really wish to pit the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan against the diamyo's heir?"

"You're despicable," said Hiashi.

"There's no danger of the original treaty being discovered," said Hyuga Kioshi. "Sora Hyuga did a good job of destroying the evidence on our command. The Hokage's and the Uchiha clan's copies of the treaty have both been destroyed."

"And then Uchiha Itachi did a good job of destroying Hyuga Sora for us," chuckled Hyuga Kaede.

"Hinata's marriage to Hato Okami was fated. All of the pieces fell into place so conveniently. I still can't believe how it all turned out. Having Itachi kill his father and the other witnesses was just the icing on the cake," said Hyuga Mitsui.

"Who knew that Shimura Danzo could be so useful? Spreading the poison about the Uchiha clan to the Third Hokage after the treaty was signed," began Hyuga Kaede.

"He always wanted to the Sharingan," said Hyuga Kioshi. "It wasn't too difficult to convince him of the benefits of eliminating several key members of the Uchiha clan."

"Danzo being there at the same time was just the icing on the cake," laughed Hyuga Kaede. "He must have gotten overeager. What an idiot for getting the time of the assassination wrong. All of us knew to stay away from the Konoha Police building that day. As you said, it was fated," agreed Hyuga Kaede.

"I still have a copy of that scroll," threatened Hiashi. "If you don't release Hinata from this marriage, I will go to Jiraiya with it."

"You'd just love that, wouldn't you," said Kaede. "We might not have discovered where you'd hidden it yet, but it would be your word against ours. No one else knows of the document. We would just say that it was a forgery. It's easy enough to use the Sharingan to copy handwriting. I would say that you and Uchiha Itachi are conspiring against us."

"You bastard," growled Hiashi.

"Keep in mind, Hiashi," continued Kaede, "that you have two daughters. If you put a toe out of line in this business of Hinata's marriage, we'll arrange a marriage treaty for Hanabi as well. Be glad that we're generous enough to let you keep one of your daughters and allow her to become the next clan head. We don't have to be so generous."

Shisui was already sitting outside the Hokage's office when Kakashi arrived, approximately an hour late. Shisui of the Body Flicker, like some of the other male jonin and chunin, enjoyed chatting up the pretty young things that Jiraiya hired as his receptionists. The girls were usually recently promoted chunins. It was amazing that they ever got anything done with all the flirting that seemed to go in. Jiraya didn't get to join in the fun, because Tsunade would pound him into flour if he tried anything with one the girls. Nonetheless, the Hokage always said that if he had to sit around doing paperwork, he wanted something nice to look at.

The girl manning the desk in front of the Hokage's office and organizing appointments for the day was quite pretty, with a cascade of flowing black hair and bright blue eyes. She looked to be maybe fifteen. She was gazing enraptured at Shisui, one of the most famous and promising ninja to come out of the Uchiha clan in some time. Letting out a dreamy yet discontented sigh, she pouted her lips a bit in his direction.

Shisui's attention was consumed by the tokubetsu jonin sitting next to him with one long legs crossed over the other and a hand buried deep in the fur of one of her faithful ninja hounds. The three massive grey furred beasts looked more like wolves than dogs. One sat next to the woman with its head in her lap and its eyes closed as she rubbed behind his ears. Another lay at her feet, eyeing Shisui suspiciously and the third was lounging with the huge white furred ninja hound sitting at the feet of the two ANBU members guarding the door.

Although she was not wearing the shirt of the Konoha Military Police with the Police star and Uchiha crest prominent on the shoulder, her affiliation with to group was clear by the small badge pinned on her leather vest. The vest was zipped down allowing a glimpse of her mesh undershirt and cleavage.

"So how are things down at the station, Hana?" asked Shisui with a wide grin from the seat next to her. Kakashi noted how Shisui's arm was resting casually on the back of the woman's chair. "Uncle Kenta was saying something about an important case."

Inuzuka Hana replied, "Nothing we can't handle. We're consulting on a case from a small village near the border of River Country. Grisly murder, we suspect the unsub might be a shinobi."

"Getting Jiraiya's opinion on the matter?"

"Maybe, maybe not," said Hana with an enigmatic smile.

"So when you're interrogating these unsubs, do you usually play the good cop or the bad cop?"

She glanced down at the dog at her feet. The huge wolf-like hound stood up slowly and advanced on Shisui, opening its gaping maw to show razor sharp teeth. "I always play the bad cop."

Shisui leered. "Almost makes me want to get taken in. That sounds really hot." He tried to hide his flinch as the beast brought its head up close to his face.

Hana laughed and rubbed the head of the dog before saying, "Down you, you're scaring this poor shinobi. Teaching that genin cell must have made him soft."

Staring the huge beast in the eye, Shisui turned his head to glance sideways at the kunoichi. "So where do you keep your extra pair of handcuffs? I didn't notice them on your belt."

Hana looked amused at his question. She shifted her legs and the dog in her lap sat back. She leaned forward and gripped Shisui's chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. The tattoos gleamed under the overhead lights as she smiled with all her teeth. "Attached to my headboard of course."

Shisui's couldn't keep himself from grinning. His response was cut off by the door to the Hokage's office finally opening. Hyuga Hiashi walked out with the three members of the Hyuga clan council. They ignored the group of shinobi standing at the door before gliding down the hall gracefully.

Nara Shikaku poked his head out the door. "Good Kakashi's here already. Sorry to keep you waiting, our previous appointment took a little bit longer than expected." Turning to Hana, he said, "Thank you for arriving so quickly. Why don't you all come in? Don't want to fall farther behind schedule."

Hana released Shisui and rose gracefully from her chair. She walked into the office, not sparing Shisui a backwards glance. All three of her dogs watched Shisui warily before trailing after the girl. Kakashi shook his head in amusement before heading into the office himself.

Shisui lingered in the doorway and turned to the ANBU with the wolf mask and the white furred ninja hound. Every muscle in the ANBU's body seemed tense. Shisui remarked to the wolf-masked ANBU as he passed, "Damn, Kiba, your sister is so sexy."

The door closed behind him, muffling the ANBU's growl. Hana was already speaking with Jiraiya when he entered. Jiraiya was sitting at his desk with his advisor Shikaku leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "… I haven't noticed an increase in reports since they arrived. However, I believe there may be an increase in non-reporting. We've had four civilian girls in the station this week to report sexual assaults and then they all changed their minds an hour or so later when we were about to assign a case worker."

Shikaku spoke up from behind the Hokage's chair. "Do you think that they were crying wolf or that their silence was being bought?"

"The latter," said Hana. "I was assigned to the second girl and was cleaning her up when she had the change of heart. I didn't see any words exchanged, but she looked at the window and her eyes widened. Then she turned to me and said that it was a misunderstanding and she didn't want to file a report."

"Did you follow up about it?"

"Yes, of course. She was adamant about not pressing charges. A day later a huge sum of money was transferred to her family's bank account. I was able to trace it back to the Hato family."

"Well that's concerning," said Jiraiya. "But we can't charge them with anything because none of the girls will press charges."

"Yes. I've spoken with all of them and they're simply too scared of him, the little swine. I wish I could do something about it. None of the girls is much older than seventeen."

"Thank you, Hana," said Jiraiya.

After the woman swept out of the room, Shikaku spoke from behind the Hokage's chair. "We should definitely add that clause to the prenup. If we can have one of the girls testify, we can get the money for the mission and except the girl from the arrangement. That along with the clause about existing engagements."

Jiraiya grinned, "I've gotten out of many an engagement by saying that I was already engaged to someone else. Tsunade was always my secret wife in those cases. She was always damned difficult to find and too scary to be trifled with for divorce papers."

Kakashi and Shisui glanced sideways at each other. Kakashi cleared his throat to get their attention. Jiraiya turned his head to look at the two jonin standing in his office. "I haven't forgotten about you. We'll be sending Team Shisui and Team Ebisu to Kumo as the Konoha representatives in the chunin exams that they will be holding next week. I will also be sending Kakashi's ANBU team. They will help guard the genin on the way to the village and while they're there, Naruto will be training with the Eight-Tails jinchuriki."

Kakashi was visibly surprised. His single eyebrow lifted emphatically. "They finally agreed to that? I'm surprised they would."

"With the Akatsuki closing in and the Shinobi World on the brink of the Fourth Great Ninja War, they were able to see reason," replied Shikaku. "We have a different mission for you Kakashi, so Yamato will be acting as Team captain. Neji Hyuga will be joining the team in your stead."

Shisui flicked his eyes to the left and right, verifying that only he and Kakashi were present in the office. "Will you be passing this news onto Ebisu later or would you like me to?"

"He's coming in during the afternoon. If we can tear him away from the Hot Springs. I presume that he's trying to get his fill on peeking on the women there before he leaves for Kumo tomorrow," Jiraiya theorized.

Sasuke found himself in front of Uchiha Kagami's house again. His mother had sent Sasuke over with some reports for the Uchiha clan councilman and Konoha councilman to sign. Sasuke didn't mind running the errands for his mother. It just gave him an excuse to visit Kagami again. He had a lingering question about his father's assassination that hadn't yet been answered.

Kagami answered Sasuke's knock this time. The white haired retired shinobi smiled at the Uchiha clan heir and waved him in. "I wasn't expecting you to be the delivery boy. Thank you for bringing these over for me."

Placing the papers into Kagami's hands, Sasuke slouched in with his hands in his pockets. The hallway was quiet. Seeming to sense the young man's question, Kagami said, "Masaru and Kosho are completing some last minute preparations for the chunin exam and the trip to Kumo. Would you like to come in? I can boil some water for tea."

"Sure," Sasuke replied, following Kagami towards the room in the back of the house which served as the kitchen.

After filling up the kettle and setting it on a burner, Kagami set out two mugs on the counter. "I assume that you still have some questions for me about those events surrounding your father's death."

Sasuke leaned back against the counter as Kagami turned to face him. Watching Kagami carefully, Sasuke asked, "What was Danzo's involvement in the assassination? He wasn't supposed to be there that night was he? I've already spoken with Itachi about the assassination. He doesn't know about Danzo's involvement."

Kagami's eyes widened in surprise. "Shimura Danzo. Shimura Danzo. He wasn't too pleased with my inclusion on the Konoha village council. When there seemed to be little resolution to the Uchiha problem, as he called it, he urged the Hokage to purge the bad blood from Konoha. He wanted the entire Uchiha clan wiped out, down to the last child. Koharu and Homura were all for it. He had them wrapped around his finger. Hiruzen was ill at ease with the idea.

"Naturally, I was vehemently opposed. Why should the Uchiha children be punished for crimes they didn't commit? Was it right to kill my grandson for the sins of a handful of selfish men? Luckily, I was able to persuade Hiruzen to see things my way. We decided to assassinate the leaders of the coup instead of causing a massacre. Uchiha Itachi was a member of the ANBU forces who had inherited the Will of Fire. The Uchiha clan could be turned back into the light under his leadership."

"But why was he there that day?" wondered Sasuke.

"Danzo was always more interested in power than sense. He was obsessing about the timeline for the massacre and was trying to get an idea of when it would be safe to enter the building again. It had never been proven, but during the years of the Third Shinobi War, Danzo was implicated in a scandal in which the bodies of deceased Uchiha clansmen were desecrated and their Sharingan stolen. I had a suspicion that Danzo wanted to harvest more Sharingan eyes."

"Disgusting," spat Sasuke.

"My thoughts exactly," agreed Kagami. "So I spoke with Itachi about his timeline for the assassination and passed the word onto Danzo. I might have gotten some of the times and details of the assassination a little mixed up."

"So you killed him," concluded Sasuke.

"I ensured his demise. It was the only way to protect my family, my clan and my village. Who knows what mischief Danzo might have schemed up next."

"Was the Hyuga clan involved in all this?"

Now it was Kagami's turn to look surprised. "That Hyuga clan? Not that I know of."

The sound of the kettle boiling caused both shinobi to flinch. As Kagami prepared to pour the tea, Sasuke shook his head and said, "I don't feel very thirsty anymore. I can show myself out."

On his way back to his mother's home, the thoughts whirled around in his head begging for his attention. His brother had killed their father to prevent civil war and to ensure that the rest of his clan wouldn't be slaughtered. Kagami, fearing the machinations of the most powerful councilmember, had ensured the death of Shimura Danzo.

The young Uchiha heir felt a shiver run down his spine. Both actions were no doubt justified, but what would he have done if he found himself in Itachi's or Kagami's place? When it came down to it, would he be able to do what was best for the village even if it wasn't necessarily what was best for him? Could he bury his heart like his brother had in order to do what needed to be done?

Neji caught Hinata slipping out her bedroom window. "I won't ask why you're sneaking out the window," drawled Neji. "I'm sure that you have a perfectly reasonable explanation for it."

Hinata started and almost lost her grip on the shutter. Noting that it was her cousin, she sighed in relief. "Thank Kami, it's only you, Neji."

Crossing his arms behind his back, Neji said, "I heard something today when I was passing the Council of Elders meeting room. I wanted to tell you about it."

"The Hyuga elders have just gone inside. I don't know when I'll have another chance to sneak out to see Ino. Can this wait?" Hinata asked as she leaned further out the window, balancing on the outside wall with her sandals. She stepped outside onto the side of the building.

"It's important, Hinata," said Neji. "It's about Hato Okami."

Hinata poked her head in the window and gripped the shutter for balance. "What about him?"

"Your father and the elders have arranged your marriage to him."

This time Hinata did lose her grip on the windowsill. She hung for a moment in space before she gripped the shutter again in a death grip. "What did you say?"

"They've promised you to him," Neji repeated.

"B-but I-" Hinata sighed unhappily. Her knuckles were white from her tight grip on the shutter. "I'm sad to say that I'm not surprised. It's a comfort that all the cards are on the table now. No use in delaying the inevitable."

"Don't speak like that, Hinata," Neji said. "We might still be able to find a way out of this."

Hinata sighed unhappily.

Choji was munching anxiously on his chips as he walked with her up the stairs to Jiraiya's office. Ino had known Choji and Shikamaru for so long that she was easily able to tell when Choji's chip munching betrayed anxiety or a slight lift of Shikamaru's eyebrow betrayed annoyance.

"Ino," said Choji. "Have you ever been on an S-Rank mission before?"

Ino shook her head. "No. I've never been on one. But we'll be with the Shikamaru and Asuma. We've been a team for so many years, I'm confident that Team Asuma will be a sure match for any Akatsuki team. Besides, Kakashi-sensei and Itachi-sempai will be there too. It'll be fine."

Choji munched unhappily. "I'm still nervous. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Ino was surprised to see Hinata sitting outside the Hokage's office when she walked up. Hinata was wearing her medical coat still. She must have come straight over from the hospital. The Hyuga girl jumped up in surprise when Ino and Choji walked over.

"Ino? Choji?" wondered Hinata. "What are you two doing here?"

"Same thing as you, I suppose," said Ino. "We're here for a mission assignment."

The chunin at the desk in front of Jiraiya's office looked up from filing her nails. She glanced down at the document in front of her and said, "If all three of you are here, you can go inside. They're waiting for you."

Ino nodded at the girl and opened the door for the others. Jiraiya was sitting at his desk talking with Asuma, Kakashi, Itachi, and Shikamaru when they walked in. The conversation broke off when the three newcomers walked in.

"Good, you're all here," said Jiraiya.

Ino went to stand next to Shikamaru, who handed her a scroll. Hinata lingered awkwardly next to her. The blonde haired kunoichi skimmed the mission assignment in her hands.

Date Commissioned: August 5th

Mission Sponsor: Jiraiya

Date Assigned: August 5th

Date Completed:

Mission Rank: S-Rank

Mission Parameters: Escort Hato Okami to Crescent Moon Country, Prevent the Akatsuki Team from winning the Poker Game, Win Poker Game if possible, Gather Intel about Akatsuki, Capture or Kill Akatsuki members if Possible.

Team Assigned: Alpha Team (Uchiha Itachi, Hyuga Hinata, Hatake Kakashi) – Beta Team (Sarutobi Asuma, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji)

Hinata followed her father into the Hokage's office. It was the moment that she'd been dreading. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shikaku were sitting behind the Hokage's desk. Kaba and Okami Hato sat in chairs in front of Jiraiya's desk. Okami leaned back in his chair with his arms stretched out over the back of the chair.

Hinata shuffled in, her elaborate kimono was restrictive around her calves, making movement difficult. As she walked in, Jiraiya, Shikaku, and the village elders were arguing about one clause in the marriage treaty.

"Let's take out that prior engagement clause in the prenup," said Kaede Hyuga. "I've heard how you've scheme up pretend engagements and wives to slip out of engagement, Jiraiya. Hinata and Okami have no prior arrangements with other families, so there's no need to have that clause in here."

Shikaku smiled wryly at Jiraiya and crossed out the line. "What about the clause concerning proper behavior?"

"That's insulting, Shikaku," said Kaba. "My son would never find himself in a position where that clause would even be necessary. He has not shamed himself or a woman in Konoha in anyway as described in the clause."

"Then you should be indifferent to its inclusion in the treaty," retorted Shikaku.

Kaba crossed his arms over his chest. "We're doing Konoha a great favor by fronting this one hundred million ryo buy-in for you mission in the Land of the Crescent Moon. You would waste our time with games like this. Adding that clause in the prenup invite unscrupulous woman in Konoha to take advantage of my son and break his marriage to the Hinata Hyuga. Please strike that from the treaty as well."

Shikaku frowned at Jiraiya, but crossed out those lines as well. He glanced back at the treaty. "Everything seems to be in order then."

"Can you read me the section about the settlement of winnings from the tournament again, Shikaku," asked Kaba.

Shikaku cleared his throat and read,"In the event that either Konoha team wins the Poker Tournament, the winnings will be divided as described below. The Fire Daimyo and the Hato family will both receive the one hundred million ryo buy-in that they fronted for Konoha. The remaining eight hundred million ryo will be split among the Fire Daimyo, the Hato Family, the village of Konoha, and the ninjas who participated in the mission. The Fire Daimyo and the Hato Family will each receive a further two hundred and fifty million ryo. The village of Konoha will receive one hundred million ryos. The ninja who won the tournament will be awarded twenty-five million ryos and all seven ninjas who participated in the mission will receive twenty-five million ryos."

"Everything seems to be in order then," said Kaede Hyuga. Turning to Hinata he said, "Come sign the contract, Hinata."

Okami stood up as well and used the kunai Kaede handed him to prick his finger to draw some blood into the ink well. Using the special quill, he signed his name on the marriage treaty in his blood. Hinata accepted the second ink well and quill and did the same. Her hands trembled as she signed her name beneath Okami's.

"I would give anything to see that Marriage Treaty that the Hyuga clan signed with the Hato family," whined Ino as she walked over to lean against the ship's railing next to Shikamaru.

They had disembarked from the port nearest to Konoha only that morning. The merchant vessel was on the way to the Land of the Crescent Moon. They would arrive with plenty of time to familiarize themselves with the casinos in the area and formulate their plan to thwart the Akatsuki.

Shikamaru glanced sideways at her. They two of them were alone on the deck of the ship. The seabreeze tossed her hair beautifully. He was sure that her skin tasted like salt. Kami, he was so pathetic.

"I've told you before not to get involved in it, Ino," Shikamaru commented. "No good can come of it."

Ino turned to her friend, her eyes flashing. "But if I know what's on the Treaty, maybe I can help Hinata to get out of the marriage to that odious man. There must be a loophole or something."

Shikamaru snorted, "As if Kaba Hato would allow a loophole to be written into the Treaty. He's not a simpleton.

Ino pointed a finger at him. "I know for a fact that your father was involved in the drafting of that Treaty. If Shikaku Nara and Jiraiya of the Sannin are drafting a marriage contract, I would bet my first born son that they wrote several loopholes it in that could be exploited. Kami, I wouldn't be surprised at all that Jiraiya's drafted a bunch of marriage treaties that he was later able to wriggle out of."

"I hope you don't go around betting your first born son like that," said Shikamaru with no small amount of horror. He didn't think it necessary to mention that he hoped said son was his son too.

"Only on bets that I know I'll win," countered Ino. "Are you sure that you know nothing about the marriage treaty, Shikamaru? Your father didn't talk about it with you at all?"

"I didn't say that," Shikamaru said.

Ino pounced on him. Grabbing his upper arms in a vice like grip, Ino whispered, "Tell me! I'll do anything!"

"Anything?" Shikamaru asked, completely failing to hide his smirk.

"If you keep trying to trade in sexual favors with me, Shikamaru Nara, I'm going to start wondering about you," Ino quipped.

Shikamaru didn't notice the presence of Asuma-sensei and Kakashi-sensei behind them until it was too late. The two jonin had of course heard the whole exchange. Asuma was going to tease Shikamaru endlessly about this. Shikamaru dreaded to think what Kakashi-sensei was going to think about it. He would probably tell Jiraiya and then Shikamaru and Ino would become characters in that next Icha Icha book that the Hokage was always threatening to write. Troublesome.

But it would be totally worth it if it worked.

Asuma coughed loudly. "Yes, Shikamaru. I thought that I taught you better."

"Oh, piss off, you two," said Ino annoyed. "Shikamaru and I are having an important conversation."

"Everyone's always impressed by your mad crazy kunoichi skills, Ino, but you should know better than to try them out on poor Shikamaru here," teased Kakashi.

"If you do, we'll have to tell your father and that is one conversation that I would like to avoid," continued Asuma.

"So says the man who knocked up Kurenai-sensei and is still yet to marry her. You're no better, Asuma."

"Now-" began Kakashi.

"Don't even get me started on you, Kakashi," said Ino.

"Point taken," muttered Kakashi to himself.

"Yeah, yeah, girlie," said Asuma. "I'm sure that Shikamaru's brain is very impressive, but you shouldn't trade his tactical advice for sexual favors. It's just not right."

Ino put a hand on her hip challengingly. "Who says that it's only his brain that's impressive, Asuma-sensei?"

"Kami, my ears," said Asuma. Shikamaru blushed bright red. Kakashi looked amused, muttering to himself that this was better than Icha Icha. He would have to tell Jiraiya all about this.

"Now shoo, sensei! Shikamaru and I are trying to have a conversation."

"She's scary when she gets like that," said Asuma to Kakashi. "Good luck, Shika. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do."

Ino raised a manicured eyebrow. "Why Asuma-sensei, I didn't know you felt that way about me."

Asuma looked half seasick and half embarrassed. "I'll just go now."

"Please do," snapped Ino. Turning back to Shikamaru with a predatory grin, she said, "Now, why don't we go somewhere private to…talk."

Shikamaru couldn't stop his face from lighting up in a bright red blush. He tried to ignore the thumbs up that Kakashi gave him.

A/N: This is a bit of a plot heavy chapter, but some fun Casino Royale ItaHina will be coming in the next chapter!