Into the pass(t) Gaidra's story

"…Make sure these messages make it to the Cloud and Rock Villages as soon as possible..." The old man paused, the long day drawing lines on an already creased face, it was surprising that he managed the strain of command so well after all his years as Hokage. "Agh" His rasped in a welcoming manner, it was his distinctive Sarutobi charm; to be warm and inviting even when discussing serious matters. "I did not expect you so early Gaidra"

"I am sorry if I intruded Honourable Grandfather" Gaidra bowed as Sarutobi waved off the notion along with the other two elite Anbu. "You called for me?" She inquired as excuse for instantaneously appearing in the Hokage office through the use of a chakra speed burst.

"I have a very important mission for your team of Anbu elites, one that will determine how strong the bonds of friendship hold between our many different lands" A seriousness hardened its way across the thirds forehead and he rested his hands under his tired face, looking at Gaidra the lone Anbu in his office with wary eyes.

"Friendship my lord?" Gaidra called after, not sure of what he meant by it, 'a friendship between lands'.

"Agh yes, a friendship. Our Allies sit in wait for us to show any signs of weakness so that they can take advantage and rule over our lands" He paused to sip at the clay bottle marked 'wine' on his desk, the position of leadership he carried and the possibility of peace was like the chore of fermenting sour grapes to produce a sweet wine; it took many years and harvests to yield a taste and fragrance of a persistent and resilient friendship. "It is the view of all who possess power, it is their fear, the risk in loss of that power is the only thing that prevents us from making friends"

Gaidra shifted uneasy in her uniform feeling odd that a man who lead a killing force could speak of making friends, that a ninja could speak of making friends, it was unthinkable. "Master Sarutobi if I may… How are we supposed to trust other nations as powerful as us when we know they train ninja as we do, that as a ninja yourself you know of our training that teaches us not to trust anyone, especially not another ninja or those close to us" The statement was paranoid, Gaidra was an Anbu and as such she knew all the teachings of Ninja, but still she lowered her head for shame of disagreeing with the Hokage. Paranoia was a tool ninja often used; it helped them prepare for every attack because they expected it from everywhere and everyone. Trust was never taught in the ninja academy, it wasn't expected and in fact it was what failed most students, loyalty to instruction, dedication and duty were the only values taught.

"hmm" The Hokage hummed, not in argument but rather in a manner of assessment. "Have you ever read the teachings of Sun Tzu" Gaidra confirmed by raising her head up in acknowledgement, Sarutobi continued. "'In peace never forget the possibility of war, in war never forget the possibility of peace' this was what he claimed as his philosophy, yet he was a master of war ruling death and misery mercilessly on the battle field" Gaidra looked at him with confusion, a question once again frowning her eyes. "Gaidra I ask you, do you think we can fight forever?"

"If that is what duty compels me to do then I believe I can. The leaf village and all you command will follow you to death if that is the outcome" Gaidra looked to the thirds face with confusion, his expression showed his disappointment.

"And what will that accomplish? A single ruler who stands to conquer the world alone, who answers to no one, who bodes rule over all things and ones!" His voice echoed into the corridor outside his door and a flutter of noise could be heard on the other side. "No, that is something I would die preventing!" He clarified for those who over heard on the other side "The world was never meant to be ruled by one, not one people or one land, but by a culture of many different peoples, lands and rules" He took a sip of his wine, thinking again of the prospects of peace with the sweet taste on his lips, he hummed in satisfaction. "People need to be free to make their own mistakes and imagine and create their own free will, this can only be done through friendship and peace"

"Yes of course lord Hokage" Gaidra bowed and the mood once again returned to the matter at hand.

"I ordered you here in order to assign you a most important message of friendship" The Hokage pulled a key free from his Hat, he used it to open the draw on the very bottom of his desk, a keyhole that required jutsu hand seals and several turns of the lock before opening. "Our seals master prepared this scroll for the Sand ninja of the land of winds. It contains his new and well tested seals creation. It is our offering of peace and our declaration that we are a powerful Nation that can share powerful secrets if… we are greeted with friendship and war becomes our enemy"

I bowed to the Hokage, the Honourable Grandfather, before being ordered to leave with my team at once. The mission was of dire importance, the Hokage made that clear, which is why I surrounded myself with the strongest Anbu, Anbu of which I did not trust, their strength was a threat.

The team I assigned to the mission shifted in their gaze when they sensed my presence, I did not like it. We gathered in a high level Anbu forest, a place few enemies could hide and even fewer would venture into. My senses as Anbu cracked with unease; it was uncommon for us to ally ourselves with strong companions, ones that together could easily overthrow me as their leader. Still that was what the Hokage willed, that the message be delivered no matter the cost. However I say this knowing I did not go without take precautions to assure my own existence and the success of the mission.

I briefed them on the mission. "…Our mission is of S rank importance, no one other than the Hokage or a messenger with the Hokage seal is allowed to stop us at any point. Unsheathe your weapons, this is a kill on sight mission, if we cannot go unseen, make sure there are no bodies left to report our sighting" I activated my iron skin technique, as the heart of the envoy and message bearer, I could not allow myself to fail in injury or death.

The first choice of my team mates, of all the Anbu elites under my command, I selected Taka. The Anbu I knew the most with the longest mission history of any comrade, someone I could 'trust'. "Taka, I need you to look ahead and make our way out of the leaf safe and inconspicuous. Make sure you choose the least travelled paths, I do not want anyone to know of our departure or where we travel" Without making a sound or nodding his head in confirmation he vanished in a blur of chakra speed, there was no need to agree, simple do.

As their Anbu elite commander, I personally selected them and their missions ever since they joined the Anbu. I knew them and their abilities well, along with their level of threat to any village including ours. Anbu were trained to go unseen, in their duty and in their very presence in the Village they served under. It was a common logic that this made them very dangerous, both in duty and in loyalty. We were the shadow of the Hokage's will, but we could easily be the shadow that follows the will of a different Kage all-together. We were the shadow that sees and the shadow that hears, the cutting shadow and shearing force of our Village, hidden and unseen; in duty and loyalty.

"Mogura and Ormr follow Taka, if anyone compromises our path kill them" they as well vanished without a word, I turned to the remaining Anbu awaiting my command.

"Unagi stay here, Akahoshi and I will keep a distance behind Taka, you will keep behind us and cover any tracks we leave. If anyone follows kill them" Now it was our chance to blur away in a chakra burst of speed.

The mission for now was to escape the Leaf Village unseen. We did not want anyone (especially not another Anbu) to see us leave, compromising our task. However, it wasn't long before we meet with conflict even before leaving the boarders of the Leaf forest.

Taka, Ormr and Mogura were fighting with a group of ninja I could not identify as any village. Ormr's wind jutsu combined with his earth chakra nature to produce a dust jutsu, cover for us to join the battle. I jumped down and into battle, fighting with these strange ninja who dressed in a dark purple uniform I had never seen before. Their level of skill was great but out matched by our ability and mastery over the chakra nature arts. They attempted to flee but were cut down by Akahoshi's combined Lightning and fire, Blaze technique, erasing their bodies from existence.

I looked from side to side at my comrades. The cover of dust was thick enough in the air to cut through with a hand. It was hard to tell if my fellow comrades were in fact my comrades, but I guessed it didn't matter, I didn't trust them anyway.

"Taka, what are you waiting for, find the path ahead" I ordered as the dust began to clear

Taka stepped one foot ahead and stiffened his leg before easing pressure onto his other "I cannot comply, they've injured my leg" His voice vibrated his monotone argument with frustration.

"Injured, you've never been injured before" Unagi said alarmed, re-joining us, jumping down from the trees, he glided his way over to us. His hands instantly glowing a medical jutsu charka green. As a medic I made sure he was furthers away from any conflict, he was more valuable alive than any other ninja was to us dead; in duty sacrifice.

Taka brushed a hand over his leg and I a felt a spark of chakra, he was hinting at the location of his injury "Agh!" he grimaced on touching his own sore nerves.

"We will have to leave him behind" Unagi assessed, his hands fading back to normal, he looked up at me. We shook our heads, we knew what had to be done.

"Leave no body behind" I voiced, they all looked at Taka with grim acknowledgement.

"No wait!" Taka shouted before we were able to activate his eradication seal, to disintegrating his body. "My, my leg seems fine now." He brushed a hand over his leg and this time there was no exclamation of pain.

"Right" I said unsure, I did not like the possibility of a mission followed through without him to assist if my fellow Anbu turned to be enemies. "Just as well, Akahoshi take Taka's lead, he will stay with me and guard the message and I personally." It wasn't uncommon to show cowardice in the Anbu, by asking for personal protection it may have seemed that way, but generally cowards are killed before mission end. "If Taka shows any signs of slowing the mission, I will personally deal with him" I reasserted my Dominance within the unit by showing that I was loyal to the mission no matter the risk to me, or the personal loss of a comrade who I served so many missions with.

They vanished ahead, my steely gaze of determination breaking their doubts of my loyalty. We followed, the mission continued as we glided from branch to branch.

Taka seemed strange and several times shifted his eyes to look at me instead of the mission's task; kill on sight. It did not go unnoticed that I etched my opinion towards eliminating him, more and more as the mission progressed.

"Taka, I've decided to relieve you of your duty. Do you wish to activate your seal or shall I" It was a rare order within the Anbu, it was a matter of duty, Anbu do not fear death they only feared failing to follow orders and dread impeding mission success. Which was why the suicide seal was created, to leave no body behind, it was there to eliminate yourself from your enemies advantage. If you hindered your team, if you gave away your presence in death, the seal was there to remove the problem; you.

"Taka, I will not say it again. Do you wish to activate your seal, or should I" I disappeared to appear behind him, my iron skin would protect me from the activation of his suicide.

"You keep calling me Taka" I could hear the smile behind his mask. "You really shouldn't" He jumped down to the ground, I followed, Unagi will be here soon.

"Your name is not Taka" He nodded, "You are not Taka" he removed his mask to reveal a smirk on a face without any features, no eyes, no nose, nothing that symbolised a face other than a board hauntingly grim smirk that told me the real Taka was dead.

He burst into Chakra smoke revealing his true identity, a ninja clad in the same purple uniform as the ones before. "My name is Kabuto but you don't need to know that, you will all be dead very soon" I advanced and he leapt back, revealing a large group of ninja, 15 of the Sand ninja.

"Friends indeed" I spat in remembrance of the Hokage's words, a bitter taste finding the back of my throat like unsweetened wine. "This is a Kage validated seal, granting me diplomacy against your nation, unless your kage intends war, stand down" I held up the scroll so that they could see the wax stamp sealing it, but the leering stares and heavy laughter that was my response told me that it didn't matter.

"Refined earth; sharp metal expulsion" I summoned striking my arms out, my chakra turning to steal within my hands firing out with sparks of speed at the threat, a success. I was utterly surprise I had killed three of the fifteen, the now twelve looked unprepared for what I had planned next. "Volatile metal, blast!" The shards of metal I shot at them exploded as I shouted the last of my words and pulled in my hands, the air in the clearing pulled in towards me and now only 9 of the ninja remained, but I had forgotten someone.

"I wouldn't have expected less from an elite" Kabuto's voice chilled me and I turned around to face him, it wasn't his mission to face me, my scroll vanished before I could look to the one who took it. I yelled out feeling the cut in on my side, the ninja behind me taking advantage of my split in objectives.

….

The remaining ninja fleeing as they watched me kill them with bitter regret, my fellow Anbu dead and my mission failed. After my comrade's deaths, their bodies erased from existence by their seals, not an hour had passed before I meet with Naoki and Arjies. From the blinding anguish and rectifying killing of the enemy, my mind was set firm in its task again when seeing a Leaf ninja with a Sand. My mission became clear, retrieve the scroll, make it to the sand and create a friendship, a bond like these two ninja formed.

In our journey to the land of valleys I learnt that their bond of friendship was not as different as my first assumption of ninja making friends. It was an untrusting ruthless kinship, one that could turn to slit throats sooner then it could to firm affections, yet at the same time as I acknowledged this I realised that they both admittedly wanted a friendship. It was as if they feared betrayal but refused to be the first to show disloyalty towards the other, it was a start. Like the bitter harvest of grape vines, their friendship would grow sweeter with time.

Taking a lead from the information I extracted from the ninja I tortured, I found the seal the Hokage tasked to me. The very same seal, still protected and shielded by my iron skin jutsu, I confirmed it was authentic by looking at the mission code imprinted on it. Kabuto either didn't see any value in breaking the seal or knew of the consequences of breaking a Kage seal without the proper authority. Kage seals were addressed only to the ones who they were meant for, the seal could sense deception. The trader I bought it from was reluctant to give it up, he wished to use it for its diplomatic immunity, allowing him to travel and trade anywhere. On seeing my eyes change in their intent, his resolve thinned to my will.

After meeting the sand and cementing our bond as allies, I return now to the Hokage. The new Hokage my comrade Arjies tells me should now be in power since the time that his journey has stretched.

We enter the surrounding jungle of the Leaf by morning, through a different Anbu sector of the forest. A secret entrance I know well for it is my entry of choice when I undertake solo missions. I did not want another infiltration unit to intercept the message of peace I hold now or for the ambassador of Peace, Naoki, to be killed. No, it was far too important that I succeed, no matter the cost. Into the pass we go, no longer to stare at my past with regret, acknowledging their sacrifice and victory over Orochimaru's deception; we have made the first step, let our allegiance grow into a friendship between lands.

…

"Hey Naoki" I ran after him. It felt strange being back in the Leaf, the pass Gaidra guided us through wasn't very friendly, I didn't feel like I wanted to return just yet. "Naoki wait up, we need to gather some wood" The air still held the fresh smell of dew from the early morning fog that cleared when the sun rose. We were setting up camp, the wild animals sparking the air with the distant gentle calls of hunt and pray.

"Yes Arjies" He sounded detached, like he wasn't really thinking here but somewhere else. I picked up some of the wood around where he was making an absent attempt to do a perimeter check. I didn't see much of him after the council meeting. We stayed a day in the sand in order to pass the storm blasting in the distance, gather supplies and collect a little of Naoki and his masters stuff.

"I saw you and Gaara meet before we left the sand, what did you guys talk about?" I was a little more than enthusiastic to hear the answer. It kind of bugged me in a good way. I wanted to know if it was possible for a monster like Gaara to make friends; it meant the possibility for me was even greater… I hope.

"That's odd, I was just thinking about it" he ended the conversation there, it was unsaid that he wasn't willing to share it. I was getting used to it though, getting used to him; the shading between the friendlier and darker side of Naoki.

"Your master seems like a… ergh" I drifted off, I wanted to say how I appreciated his master's personality. He was different from any other Sensei I had ever met. He reminded me a little of my Guardians but at the same time that he was harsh he was friendly. It took a little while longer getting to Konohagakure because of the man's old age, but he made up for it by telling us stories of history and his part in it. We made regular stops, like we were currently making, to refresh ourselves with old war stories and sleep while Naoki's master rested.

His bitter response turned my face up from the wood at the ground to the revitalised voice. "His what Arjies" Naoki's seriousness was drenched in paranoia, the stare he gave was piercing and fierce with daggers. I already knew he wasn't fond of people calling his master 'Old', I just had never been on the other side of the blunt stick I now knew had a spear on it's head.

Even though it was a misunderstanding, a drop of sweat made a slow nerves path down my face as I raised my hands in defence. "Hey I said nothing, you just assumed. I like your master." The words caught in with the stare I received and a gulp made the wrong way down "His different, *harrumph* in a good way" I coughed. Naoki could still do that to me, intimidate without trying.

"My message got through to Gaara, I hit a soft spot in that tactic and made a friend" Naoki became distant again; he was talking about the tactic of attacking Gaara the only place we could. Where he was vulnerable, apparently, was in his heart. He could kill a homestead of ninja without a single injury to himself, but couldn't take a blow to the heart. I don't know if that was the tactic that saved us but Naoki was willing to explain further. "It was because of a Ninja named 'Naruto' that we survived that encounter with Gaara"

Naruto…My heart stopped. WHAT!?

"Farts and cream, that bastered!" I blurted out, not the best connection of words but it collectively explained how disgusted I felt and how unwanted was my saviour.

Naoki continued despite my poor choice of words. "Gaara said 'that' ninja convinced him to give up killing people as an achievement. He said Naruto told him that 'the people around him, that count on him, and those he could call friend, were how he measured his success'" He looked away from me for a moment. I imagined Gaara, the Sand's most deadly ninja, looking into the sunset and explaining this to Naoki.

"There was something else he said" Naoki continued like he was in a haze of memory, I let myself daydream the dramatic scene he relayed.

*Flash Back!*

Gaara looked off into the sun set, his silhouette catching the afternoon light on his face to glitter away the black around his eye with a shine "You called my hands cold and my heart hard" He whispered "Do you think if I let myself care for other people's lives that they will love me?" he rasped and his voice ached with sorrow.

*Flash present!*

"He didn't kill us because Naruto changed his heart." Naoki read his words like a verse of poetry resounding of the sound of his mind. The air vibrated and the twigs on the ground all snapped in a rushed slid in at me. "Do you have a problem with that!"

I gulped at the kunai at my throat, I didn't even have time to flinch before I found the thread posed as a question. "uhm" I thought hard for less than a second, "No"

"Good" He tucked his kunai back into a pouch at his hip. "These areas are safe for now, let us collect that fire wood"

…

"…The insects and animals are alike in this sector of the forest; they all kill with the first bite" Gaidra had just finished giving her break down of the forest and why we are never allowed to use this gateway again. Not only was it deadly because of the chunin level animals but if you were ever spotted traveling through the sector, Anbu ninja would be permitted to kill you on sight. I fully understood that it was off limits (far beyond my rank) and that it was dangerous, but I had the feeling that she told us this so that the Sand ninja wouldn't think of it as a weak spot. Any secrets shared with the enemy/ally were invitations to threat.

"Could I gain Clarence to use this sector of forest?" I asked, offering Gaidra the chance to clarify further that there was no possibility of ever using an Anbu sector.

"If it was not heard from me, Ibiki Morino would torture you to find out how you even knew about our sectors" Gaidra used her foot to hovelled sand into the fire pit, extinguishing the flames, as she ignited fear, dread and panic in our hearts. She crippled us with fear at the mention of Ibiki, her killing intent coupled with the sound of the wild animals baring their teeth in the distance; made the scene playing out in our minds feel tempestuous and grim.

Naoki's master broke the silence with a firm commanding tone. "I believe it is time for us to move camp and head towards the Leaf for our final journeys end."

…

Walking out the Anbu sector entry, it was kind of shocking to admit that it was probably the safest place we could have been; surrounded by Deadly Chunin level animals, a place only Anbu use, a sector that was mostly hidden from the world. Now we were out in the open realm that was The Leaf Village. I felt exposed the moment I left the woods that was the surrounding of Honokagakure, the defence we prided ourselves on, and entered the Village we live in. The Guards greeting me were not the normal gate guards of the Leaf's main gate, these were special masked black uniformed guards, Anbu specialist guards I guessed.

Instead of a post building to house them, they simple stood there out in the open next to a gate that read 'Pass' in big Letters. The instant they saw us, the range of our age and the variations of our height registering in their heads, their guard was set to alarmed.

"Stay right where you are!" One of the black clad ninja commanded as soon as he saw us, approaching us at a slow threatening stride that whispered death. The other ninja held a hand seal in place and the air around us quickly stopped moving to the eminence of his technique, wind style. The stiffness in the air made it hard to breathe but Gaidra spoke regardless, her tranquillity unfailing.

"Grant us pass, I bare pass-way and the rights for safe passage under the command of both the Hokage and Kazakage" Her fingers unravelled the scroll that materialised in her hand, a copy of the treaty both Kage's sealed in peace between their lands; the scroll she delivered to the Sand, a memento of a mission complete.

The ninja who confronted us scanned his eyes over the seals, His pupils widened as he realised whose seal it was. "The 3rd Hokage!" He almost faltered to a knee in reverenced surprise before pressing his teeth and tongue together to form a loud whistle. A falcon came down from the sky, gliding to land gently on his down turned arm. A quick scroll was written and attached to the bird's leg before it flew off directly to the Hokage's office which we could see in the distance.

"Ok what now?" Naoki slurred with mild interest, I got the whiff that things were done differently in the Sand. He turned his head to look at his master who stared ahead with steely focus. He tilted his head down at me before folding his arms, not amused by my grinning face. Gaidra glared a near immediate upcoming date with death at him, averting his eyes. He looked ahead, there were now 4 Anbu with the ninja dressed in black.

"Gaidra Erito!" One of the Anbu breathed, his mask failing to hide his surprise, I had the feeling it was because she must have already been reported dead.

"Where is your mask?" Another Anbu probed before righting himself due to the questioned look he received as reply.

The apparent head of the Anbu unit, sent for us, addressed us next "We are here under order to escort you and your company to the Hokage" he recited with his hand's pressed in salute to his chest; his greeting striking the other Anbu to react with audible shifts in both intimidating and gratifying veneration.

Not long after we were discreetly and quickly ushered into the Hokage's office, I could feel genjutsu at play. It felt a little concerning at first to be hurried in so unnoticed, if we were to go missing no one would know, it made me consider how easy it was to kidnap or eliminate someone if you had the right associates.

"Report!" The women behind the desk instructed as she swung around in the Hokage chair, I expected a man but quite noticeable double checked before settling into the fact that our new Hokage was a lady, a ladie Sannin? A brief pause lead the report Gaidra voiced, she shortened her mission details and mainly stated what Naoki and his master were doing there.

With her hands clasped behind her back, I heard Gaidra summarise our 4 day mission and her long long task as envoy "…Naoki Yamane was decreed Ambassador of the Sunagakure, he and his master have joined with us in the Leaf to ensure peace between our two Ninja Villagers" Gaidra unclasped her hands with her report concluded, she stood firm an essential statue in the room.

"I see…" The Hokage concluded resting her hands in front of her face, something I'd seen the 3rd Hokage do often; something all Hokage do? I wondered. "I cannot break agreement with what my predecessor has decreed, Naoki Yamane and your 'master' are to be mark as allies." she said finding it strange that the elder man did not possess a name. "Similarly the Land of Wind will now be the Ally of The Land Fire." She gestured towards the door, "Arrangements will be made for you", and Naoki and his master bowed and left.

The Hokage formed a pyramid with her hands, waiting for them to leave and be far down the passage way before… "What were you thinking!"

A lady with a small pig in her arms rushed in through the door at the sound of the Hokage's voice raised in demand "Sorry Lady Tsunade it won't happen again" The pig had a little crimson office jacket on, cute.

"Not you Shizune can't you see who I am addressing" She meant us, the Hokage did not look pleased and quite comically the lady (Shuzune) holding the pig sighed in relief that she was not the focused of that displeasure.

I stood there expectantly, waiting for Gaidra to receive the brunt of the attack, but she was not the source of infuriation to which the throbbing veins in Tsunade's head pulsated to. "L-lady Hokage" I stammered the words like I was in disbelief of both the fierceness aimed on me and the Hokage being a her. I stepped forward to address her again, her shut eyes and grimace didn't bode well. "Did I do something wrong Honourable Hokage?" I didn't exactly know if Honourable 'Grandmother' would be an appropriate address of a Lady Hokage. We titled the 3rd honourable 'Grandfather' out of respect, but to say that to a lady could be seen as insult. I circled this around in my head before coming back to her rage red face. Did I do something wrong?

"Did you do something wrong…" she spluttered in disbelief, looking at Shizune who held her pet pig even tighter as she cringed. "Shizune, get me the File" The Hokage looked at Gaidra with disapproval. "Why aren't you wearing your mask" The Hokage's mood spilled around reprimand like a cooked pot releasing hot air, looking for every opportunity to escape her rage throw any opening.

Shizune bowed from behind the desk, she faced the Hokage and asked, "Sorry my lady, but what file do you want?" she stayed bowed down as if expecting the reply to be too loud to face directly.

"Get me the file pertaining the missing ninja Arjies Ages, code twenty one five" The lady Hokage recited the number off memory, my ninja number, like it was a topic that was of strain to her. "There is something else I must tell you" She faced me again, her expression calculated, her assistant leaving the room to retrieve the file. "Your Guardians are missing" she was assessing my reaction, missing ninja.

"Missing?" Argies returned in response, his heart beating to the concern shown in his widened eyes which narrowed their pupils with growing apprehension. "What do you mean? Where are they?" He asked the unknown, there was little else he could do.

"We will get to that in a moment" The Hokage wasn't concerned by the question, she looked through the folder handed to her, Argies file. "You are a threat to the Leaf and a very suspicious one at that, I don't trust you Argies. Why did you leave the Leaf!" Tsunade probed, bringing up a registry form Argies vaguely remembered hanging in his Aunt and Uncle's bread house. "You weren't originally from the Leaf, in fact I hold no records of you or your family until little under a decade ago" The form Tsunade held out was a certificate of Authentication to sell bread, Argie's Aunt and uncle's bread, one of their many cover jobs in the leaf!

"Why aren't you doing something about my missing guardians?" He stepped forward, provoked, deflecting from the enquiry, he didn't want these questions, he wanted the whereabouts of his Aunt and Uncle.

Tsunade slammed the file down on her desk "You're a plant, and infiltration unit sent by the Mist to join and learn our Leaf Academy secrets!" her accusation forcing Argies back on his heels, he found himself dazed by the allegation.

"Why… you have no claims to this assault of my loyalty to the Leaf" He looked around as a ninja does when they feel threated, looking for advantages and exits in the room. "Why would I return if I was an infiltration unit" He looked at Gaidra, her stiff expression and tightened fists told him she wouldn't accept it; letting another infiltrator escape her.

"I don't know" The Honourable Hokage looked to her assistant, lowering Shizune's hand, a weapon revealed to be strapped to the underside of her sleeved arm cocked and loaded with needles. "If you are not an agent of the Mist, why did you leave the Leaf. I have good reason to suspect your Guardians left towards the Village of Mist, perhaps to share the secrets of our Village. You could still be an agent of the Mist, only your mission was to meet with a Sand Ninja and sell infiltrator secrets to their side and bridge a secret allegiance." The lipstick on Tsunade's lips crinkled up into a smile, she folded her fingers together and waiting for Argie's response in defence against her well thought out accusation. This was indeed something she had toiled with repeatedly in her mind before Argie's arrival back.

"No, I'm not an agent, I'm not!" He shouted back, tears burning the corners of his eyes in denial to how plausible it began to sound. He felt like the whole Village was against him, that they had conspired against him sitting in wait to land on him with accusations he couldn't find prove to deny, but just as he thought this…

Gaidra intervened "I agree Honourable Hokage, he is not an agent." Her words softened the quite sobs Argies made, the loss of his Guardians and the attack on his character over bearing. "An agent would be an exceptional ninja, Arjies is not, he is simple a ninja loyal to the Leaf." Her words though they cut, did not feel harsh but rather empty; she was simply stating the facts. "An Infiltration unit would not have competed in the Chunin exams and would not have shared vital information leading to the Alliance of Sand and Leaf" These things were all true, why risk losing or exposing your spy to a tournament both deadly and vulnerable to discovery by hundreds of spectators and ninja officials. "In recounting the events of the invasion of Honokagakure, I was able to better cement the arguments which resulted in our pact with Sunagakure. Without Argies, I would not have known the Allies of the land of Wind were not behind the attack on my envoy team, that the sound was to blame"

"I see" Lady Tsunada simple said, arguing the matter in her mind before speaking again. "You're working for Danzo!" her voice raised in realisation, the thought just then coming to her.

Argies shot back with his reply, not even knowing who the man was, "No I'm not working for Danzo!" His raised voice sounding near the brink of tears.

"Very well, we will be watching you Argies, you are dismissed to the debriefing room to write your report of the events in this mission. An A-rank sum will be paid to you for assisting in the task of this assignment and the undertaking will be sealed into the ninja archives. You are not to tell anyone of you or your comrades undertaking during the mission's progress" Argies bowed to Tsunade's words, leaving the room in silence to complete his mission report and be debriefed on any details missing from Gaidra's recap of events.

Lady Tsunada looked down to the note she mysteriously found in her lap. It was a braded and coded message, allowing the Hokage to read it by hand and decipher it using the Hokage personal decryption, it read 'Honourable Lady Hokage, I apologise for not handing this message to you personally. I could not trust that anyone else would decode it, for my news is grave. We have a spy within the Leaf, I see no other way for Kabuto the ninja from the Chunin exams and the ninja responsible for the death of my envoy team, could have known of my mission. Arjies Ages has let known to me that the infiltrator Kabuto also knew of ever genin level ninja's mission history and ability. Anbu missions will have to be given in code to secure future mission success.' Her eyes widened to the news.

"Lady Tsunade, you asked why I removed me mask." Gaidra spoke with a clear voice like silver entwined with silk. "I removed it because the enemy cannot imitate a face they have never seen" her teeth sharpening themselves on the words she sung to the lost memories of her comrades.

Tsunade's loss for patients with other ninja could never be the same for Gaidra, instead she refined her attention in notice of Gaidra's tempest mood "What exactly is your statement" she knew a ninja of Gaidra's level would never let the surfacing of emotion break sway over efficiency. No, if Gaidra wanted to say something it was because it was important to how the Leaf progressed as a ninja Village.

Gaidra split her stance and folded her arms, she took up the mantle of speaker once again just as she had before the council. She was prompting a new form into the Anbu hand book of Shinobi, a new trick that would improve the ninja and the Leaf as a ninja village. "My statement is that a secret force without a familiar identity is to the enemy's advantage"

Tsunade hummed before probing further, "What do you propose" she asked to the sound of wine being poured by her assistant Shizune.

"A protocol" Gaidra announced "'The protocol of the three faces', Evasive, Defensive, Aggressive. Through my mission I have established that this protocol is essential for communication between Anbu. That identity should never be secret between Anbu members of the same unit. Instead we should mask our true faces with the faces of ninja we have personally removed from existence, giving ourselves three recognised faces which can switch between when the situation is of defensive, aggressive or evasive natures. I request to undertake the development of this new protocol personally." She paused awaiting the Hokages permission to vanish into that task.

Shizune spoke in place of the Hokage, her words dripping from her tongue in realisation even before she fully became aware of them "The protocol of the three faces, it seems so simple but in the field of battle it solves so many problems. As Anbu you do not know the faces of your comrades, making an infiltration unit always a possibility, yet at the same time it also protects you and your comrades from your actions on the field being linked back to your identity in life." Gaidra and Tsunade did not stop the young lady from her interruption; they both listened with eager ears to hear if the concept would be easily understood. "A face for aggressive encounters would put the team on high alert instantly on seeing any member of their team displaying it. Just as well as the face for evasive encounters will make the team slit up even when seen from a distance. Defensive could be used when a single member of the team wants to convey that any party of an Allied nation or people were not to be trusted" Shezune was unabashed by her sudden break in standing, she simple smiled at the brilliants in the protocol she had just learnt.

"I see." The Hokage complemented her assistant for the information before looking to Gaidra's determined gaze "do you wish to do this under a personal debt to your fallen comrades or for the betterment of our Village" As Hokage Tsunade couldn't afford any slip in judgment, even an emotional one.

"For our Village" Gaidra's plain calm noted her steely commitment to only the endeavour of improving the Anbu hand book and not to honour her comrades or any sources of revenge.

"Then you are granted free rights to this protocol's development and maturity" Tsunade gestured for the Elite Anbu to depart and in a blur the air shifted Gaidra's presence out of the room. "Has Arjies Ages been full debriefed?" Tsunade called not to anyone in the room but to the ears in the walls, not long after an irate Arjies was ushered back into the Hokage's office.

"Why won't they let me leave… Why won't you let me go home" I shouted under my breath, I was mad at the Hokage for all the things she's doing to me but she was still our Kage.

Ignoring his muttered rage Tsunade lifted her voice to boom with felicitations "Argies Ages it has come to my attention that you have been designated the rank of Chunin by the officials of the Chunin exams and by the Ninja Village of the Leaf as a whole. As of this accomplishment I now present to you the rank of Chinin. Please come forward to receive your vest and new Ninja ID." Argies stepped forward to accepted his new ID card and Chunin vest, he reached out his hands with numb fingers not fully able to celebrate the occasion under the strain he felt, the turmoil within his heart and mind.

"The Leaf Village and the people of the Land of Fire Congratulate you and indebt to you your promise to protect the Village and serve with Honour. You are from now on a leader in your own right"

…

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