It's been a couple of months but I've got a long chapter for you guys. Personally, it's one of my favorites.

The journey home was tense, to say the least. The atmosphere was so thick that none of Team Seven dared to speak. As it was, Sakura was jumping through the treetops on autopilot, her mind churning over the conversations her and Naruto and had with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke in the last couple of days. The faint 'tak' sound of Sasuke's sandals as he pushed off behind her served to remind the rosette that they were in some deep shit.

Their secret was practically out in the open now that they had to let Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke in on it. Only Kakashi was completely in the know, however, and only because Naruto figured the five of them would need an adult's assistance to cover their tracks. Kakashi could pull out that eye smile of his and claim whatever they were doing was a training exercise. Not to mention that the silver haired man was a highly respected jounin with well-known quirks and he could get away with a lot more than a bunch of twelve year olds could. The Third Hokage was quite tolerant of Kakashi's oddball habits and probably would think twice about whatever lie the silver haired jounin fed him because he trusted the man.

Honestly, Sakura thought it was wonderful to include an adult. It eased the burden on their shoulders now that there weren't only five teenagers in the eyes of the rest of the world, who could hardly meet up now that the Chuunin exams were over, deciding the fate of the entire world.

On the downside, Sasuke's partial knowledge put her on high alert. Amongst the three of them, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and herself of course because the dark haired boy refused to acknowledge it, Sasuke's tendency for jumping the gun was legendary. They all knew Naruto to be impulsive, but the blonde could be reasoned with, or forced not to run off until he had the full picture. The same could not be said for the last Uchiha.

It wasn't as obvious before he left for Otogakure, but there were a couple cases. Most times it was because of his arrogance, like the time when he had been fighting Haku and stupidly thought he could handle Zabuza's apprentice single-handedly. Another was how the Chidori became an automatic response for him. He stopped analyzing his opponents and looking for weaknesses in favor of charging in with his favorite jutsu, believing his speed to be unparalleled.

The most obvious was the Uchiha massacre. Their broody teammate had never really questioned his brother's motives. He accepted them at face value and let Itachi control his life. And once Sasuke learned the truth, he jumped to inane conclusions again and summarily decided that everyone deserved to suffer like he had. His revenge had no restraints. In his eyes, the whole village was guilty for allowing the mass genocide of his clan to occur, so he set Konoha ablaze with his Amaterasu.

Because of that, Sakura believed wholeheartedly that Naruto had made a mistake in only telling their third cell member bits and pieces for two reasons.

First being, Sasuke had a right to know, and hiding the information would only make it appear to be secrets about him. He would put the horse in front of the wagon and assume they were being stingy with details pertaining to him, which was absolutely right, and would lead to point two; Sasuke overreacting without knowing all the cards on the table.

Sasuke would needle them, trying to trick them into revealing the truth she and Naruto were concealing, and when he learned the truth, it would be the destruction of Konoha all over again. There was no doubting that he would discover the whole truth. It was only a matter of time.

But when he did, everything they had been working on, all the changes they had seen in the broody boy, the bonds that were currently paper thin but on the mend, would be for naught. Because Sasuke would sever those bonds in a heartbeat when he unearthed their treachery.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder at her one time crush, thanking Kami she was long over her fangirl phase. It was embarrassing for her to even be called a ninja at that point. The usually bored look was replaced with a pensive one and he was clearly turning over each startling revelation they had shared, comparing it to what he knew, trying to make sense of it all when he didn't know everything.

The sole female member of Team Seven turned to face forward again, her face giving no indication of the internal war raging within.

Unfair was the first word to spring to mind when she had looked back at Sasuke. It wasn't fair, wasn't right, that they told Kakashi-sensei everything but not their teammate. She and Naruto had fought so long, so hard, never giving up even when the rest of the world told them it was pointless, calling them delusional, thinking them to be weak, and scorning them for being unable to let go, to lose their chance to save Sasuke now. He was part of their team. Their family. Because that's what Team Seven really was. A family whose ties were forged in the hellish flames that consumed the world.

If they did not trust Sasuke enough to fully include him . . . what was the point in turning back time and starting over? One wrong misstep, Sasuke would go down the same path as before and that burnt wasteland would be their present.

But what could Sakura do? Naruto was adamant that Sasuke wasn't ready to know everything. Too unhinged were the words her Hokage had used.

That right there was the crux of the matter. Pulling Sasuke aside would be simple when they got back to Konoha. The Uchiha was so antisocial that getting him alone would be as easy as reciting the Shinobi Code of Conduct for Sakura. But doing so meant going against her Hokage whom she had sworn to follow and obey unwaveringly.

Naruto had struggled, sweat, blood, tears, and suffering, to get to where he was today. He had earned his position as Rokudaime Hokage a dozen times over. In her opinion, and there was no bias, there was no one that deserved the title more. He had toiled tirelessly to get the recognition, the respect, and eventually, the loyalty of the Leaf Village. His instincts, which he based all his decisions on, were sharper than the intellect he had gained over the years. If Naruto thought the best course of action was to tell Sasuke just the basics, who was she to argue?

Sakura steeled herself. She couldn't be wishy-washy. She may have pledged loyalty to the blonde, but she wasn't a sycophant. She wasn't going to follow Naruto blindly. He had to have good reasons for his decisions. The medic was one of his advisors. Along with Neji and Shikamaru, it had been her responsibility to ensure that Naruto made the most informed choice possible, balancing benefits against consequences.

If Naruto thought his current stance was the least likely to backfire, he was in for a world of surprise, and hurt, when it did come to a head. Sasuke's temper was explosive, especially if he had a righteous leg to stand on.

That decided it for Sakura. She wasn't a wallflower. Considering the fact that she was technically twenty-three, she had vowed eleven years ago that she would never walk behind her boys again. She had to walk beside them on her own merits.

She'd take matters into her own hands. Naruto would be angry with her, but it needed to be done.

Feeling infinitely lighter with a decision made, Sakura quietly trailed Yamato to the Hokage's office to give their oral reports. They covered the essentials. Whether or not the mission was a success and any significant snags they might have encountered. The written reports, due the next day, had to include every detail, no matter how inconsequential it seemed. There had been a class in the Academy dedicated to the proper way to write up a report, because they were supposed to be factual, but also include any inferences they made.

The moment Team Seven stepped into the Hokage's office, she knew they were screwed. Her green eyes snapped to Naruto, and his tightened jaw told Sakura everything she needed to know.

They were royally screwed.

The reason being the figure sitting behind the desk was not the Sandaime, but Tsunade Senju instead.

That was an unexpected development. Previously, Tsunade took the helm because the Third Hokage had died. When they had split from Kakashi, Sakura thought Tsunade would be gone from Konoha before they returned from their mission. The Sannin didn't have a reason to stay behind, so it made sense to Sakura that she wouldn't stick around.

Discovering that she was still taking the hat was like getting punched in the stomach by the woman. She and Naruto could have bluffed their mission report for the Sandaime, provided Tsunade hadn't said anything about a couple of chuunin crashing Kakashi's infiltration mission.

The Fifth Hokage to be would know it was bullshit before they said a word. She was going to nail to them the wall. They should have sworn her to silence when they had the chance.

Well, Sakura thought cynically, at least she would have company for her second visit to T and I's illustrious holding cells.

Even so, when it came her turn to report she took her cue from Naruto. She straightened her spine, folded her hands behind her back, and lied through her teeth.

Naruto had wanted to groan when he saw Baa-chan in the old man's place. All the lies and half-truths he had told were piling up into a giant snowball. Not telling anyone what they had accomplished had really come back to bite them in the ass.

Tsunade had listened intently to them recount their mission to the Land of Snow, now the Land of Spring. The only indications of her mood were the narrowed eyes and lack of sake.

For whatever reason, the woman did not call them out on their lies. Didn't summon the ANBU to take them away immediately.

The heavy silence remained after Yamato finished his report. Naruto was surprised to hear no suspicions cast on his and Sakura's character. He wasn't sure if he was disappointed that they were capable of tricking the elite, sad that their deception was going unnoticed in a village of ninja, or just jump for joy because they hadn't been caught yet.

The busty woman reclined in her chair, twisting her wrist to call Shizune, previously standing in the corner with Tonton in her arms, to her side. The brunette bent at the waist so her lady could whisper in her ear.

"Right away, milady!" she answered, hefting Tonton the pig higher in her arms and slipping around the still assembled team and into the hallway.

"Now, I know none of you told me the whole truth." Tsunade stood sharply, pinning them with menacing glare. "If you were any other team, a stunt like that would get you demoted and torn apart so fast. As it is, it's extremely unusual for a gennin team to stay together after they make chuunin."

Naruto's teeth dug into his bottom lip. That was the worse punishment that she could give them. Team Seven was all its members had. The three males were all orphaned by tragic circumstances and Sakura's civilian parents didn't understand the lifestyle she had chosen. If they no longer had each other, they would be alone, and Naruto wouldn't wish the feeling of being alone on anyone.

This Tsunade was so different from the Baa-chan he knew. His Baa-chan had understood how important the bonds between teammates were. "It's so uncool. I save her life and she thinks I'm some sort of spy."

The Kyuubi chuckled. "Brat, it's not like you saved her life this time. You just freed her from captivity."

"So! That should count for something."

"You're a different person this time. When you first met her you were just an obnoxious brat with more determination and guts than a squad of Iwa shinobi combined. You set out to prove a point to her, which you managed through sheer stubbornness. And that was how you connected to her. You reminded Tsunade of her brother and lover. This time—"

Naruto sighed, resigned. "This time I came from nowhere to a place I wasn't supposed to be. I get it. I'm still an idiot."

Feelings of acceptance, pride, friendship, trust, and caring flooded through the blonde. "An idiot you may still be at times, but your heart is always in the right place. Don't take her coldness personally. If you want that close relationship again, just keep on her like the annoying brat you used to be. Shout that you'll take the hat from her. She'll warm up to you."

"Thanks, Kurama." Naruto valiantly tried to suppress his grin so Tsunade wouldn't think he was mocking her.

"As it stands, I'm willing to ignore this incident, since it didn't occur during my tenure, so long as it is the only one."

If Naruto hadn't faced the Juubi, he imagined he'd be sweating bullets from the substantial killing intent Tsunade was giving off.

There was a click behind them as the door swung open wide enough for Shizune to poke her head in. "I have it right here, milady. Do you want me to bring it in?"

"Yes."

Shizune entered carrying a stone bust of Tsunade's head, which she placed on the corner of the woman's desk. It was a miniature replica of the face that would be carved into the Hokage Mountain when she was officially accepted.

"If it happens again . . .," she flicked a forefinger at the statue. It exploded into a cloud of dust. The three chuunin hastily brought up arms to cover their mouths and noses. When the dust settled there wasn't even a pile of rock fragments to prove there had once been a statue there.

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki swallowed tightly at Tsunade's display, which certainly got her point across.

"The only thing that will be left of you will be smears of blood on my floor. Which I will leave as a reminder for the rest of my shinobi," she finished.

Silenced reigned. "Team Seven, you're dismissed. Don't let me hear of anything like this happening again. Except for you, Yamato," she called after their stand in team leader. "Kakashi has completed his mission and will be taking back command of his team. I have another assignment for you."

The youngest three members trooped out of her office. Tsunade sent Shizune to the records room to find those for Team Seven and then activated a barrier seal that would give the two of them privacy.

"I know you were assigned to that team primarily to spy on Haruno, and Uzumaki by extension. I need you to step it up. The situation screams impersonators, but the girl's already gone through interrogation. A Yamanaka pronounced her clean. It's obvious that whatever it is, the Uchiha's part of it."

"Are you sure, Hokage-sama?" Yamato asked tentatively. "He could have remained with the mission to throw off suspicion on him."

Tsunade could see why the wood user would think that. It would be a logical choice, keeping one man undercover. And if you had to choose one, she would have picked the Uchiha as well. The brat was the least likely to be watched. But it didn't fit.

She shook her head. "No. If it's genuinely them in control, Uzumaki and Haruno would have never left him behind. Not if he knew. That's not Kakashi's style. Teamwork comes first, so the Uchiha's not part of this."

"But—"

"Even if he was a plant too, the master mind would have known Team Seven doesn't leave anyone behind. Focus your attention on the other two. I want this settled as quickly as possible."

Yamato frowned. "Then why not just bring them in? Question them again."

"Tell me how you knew they had left," the blonde woman countered.

Yamato drew his eyebrows in, more than a little puzzled, but did as ordered. "It was rather simple. I knew from the beginning. It was clones of Naruto and Sakura that left with me."

"What?" Tsunade interrupted. "They had clones take their place from the start? No clone should have lasted that long. The distance from the creator would have caused it to disperse."

"Naruto has mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Tsunade placed her fingertips to her temple and rubbed them in circles to massage the headache she felt building. The usage of Shadow Clones pretty much shot a hole through her theory of them being spies from a foreign village. Like Mist had water clones and Rock had earth clones, the Shadow Clone was unique to Konoha.

That left some kind of mind control as the only option, but was there a way to control someone and be able to use their chakra? She knew members of the Yamanaka clan could enter the minds of others, but they were always using their own chakra even if they could control their opponent physically.

Did Konoha even have any rogue Yamanaka? Kami, she needed sake.

"There was a point during the mission where both Naruto's and Sakura's clones were dispelled. I did not witness it, but when we regrouped, Sasuke had used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to mask their disappearance." The Mokuton user continued.

"How could you tell the difference?" Tsunade asked, more from curiosity than anything else. Shadow Clones were notorious for being indistinguishable from the original. Not even the Hyuugas with their Byakugan could differentiate them.

"Naruto does not have the greatest chakra control. So, while I didn't know he was a clone immediately, I did know Sakura was, because he could not regulate his chakra to mimic her lower levels. As for Sasuke," Yamato shrugged, "he didn't have the chakra capacity to mimic Naruto's."

Tsunade snorted. That was a damn good thing. She shivered at the thought that someone could have enough chakra on their own to match that of the nine-tailed beast. She stood up quickly, sending her chair clattering to the floor.

"Yamato, I've changed my mind. I want them brought to Ibiki tonight. All of them. Uchiha included. Tell him he has permission to do whatever necessary to get answers."

Large dark eyes blinked at her sudden change. "Ibiki, Hokage-sama? They are only thirteen." Yamato cursed himself for the hint of concern in his voice. He was ANBU. He wasn't supposed to display any emotions, but Team Seven had grown on him in the short time they had been together. He feared they would be utterly shattered under the head interrogator's ministrations.

"Now!" she snapped. The ANBU knelt briefly in salute, fisting a hand over his heart, and vanished. Tsunade stood alone in her office overlooking the heart of the village.

Yamato's words had resonated loud and clear. Handing off three newly minted chuunin to be interrogated by Ibiki was not something she enjoyed doing, but it had to be done. Her sensei would have skinned her alive if she did not give the brats a second chance, but she couldn't afford second chances. She could not risk that some unknown person was manipulating Konoha's Jinchuuriki. The Kyuubi had devasted her village once already.

As Hokage, Tsunade had to put the safety of her village first, above personal morals.

If she was wrong, and Kami did she pray she was, she'd compensate them somehow.

Sasuke tilted his head back when they hit the street. Maybe because it had been so tense and he was worried that the dobe and Sakura and maybe even himself would get arrested for treason and conspiracy, but that meeting hadn't taken as long as he thought. The sun still hadn't set.

Just then Naruto's stomach rumbled, reminding him that it was past time for dinner. The three of them paused in the middle of the street and burst into nervous laughter.

Sasuke was honestly amazed they had gotten away clean with nothing more than a threat to be turned into paste.

When they finally calmed down, the dobe suggested they go to Ichiraku's. Sakura readily agreed. He grunted. Naruto took that as acceptance and the trio made their way to his favorite ramen stand. Now that he knew about the time travel miracle, his teammates made sense again.

From the start, Sasuke had been the Rookie of the Year. The most talented gennin on the team. Then, without warning, Naruto, who was nowhere near his level, could hold his own against him and was winning spars left and right. Naruto's unexplained talent had aggravated him to no end. To the Uchiha, it happened over night. One day the blonde was a pathetic dobe who yelled a lot but couldn't back it up. The next, he was as experienced as their chronically late sensei.

Sakura's transformation blindsided him more than it angered him, although he had been vastly annoyed that she trailed him like some fangirl if she actually had the skills she had been showing off during practices. And that was Sasuke's first thought. That, for some reason, Sakura pretended to be weak. Because no one could learn medical ninjutsu or how to enhance physical strength with chakra in the time she had.

To Sasuke, it had been mindboggling to suddenly go from being superior to be equal, if not inferior to two people he had known he was better than. Kakashi's training exercise before the final part of the Chuunin exams had given him a lot of insight into his teammates. In light of their revaltion, he knew it was a ruse.

Unconceivably, he felt like he was floundering. Until now, he had never cared that Naruto and Sakura were much closer to each other than they were to him. He knew that was on him, for the pair had tried to include him all the time and he brushed them off. Suddenly, Sasuke felt alone, like he didn't belong because he hadn't come back with them.

That nearly brought the Uchiha boy to a halt. Naruto had explained a lot, but Sasuke just realized that the whiskered boy never said what had happened to him. What had Sasuke been doing after the Fourth Shinobi World War? Why wasn't he chosen to travel back in time with the rest of his time?

Honestly, he hadn't given any thought to the other three people that had come back with his teammates. He knew Shikamaru was a genius and figured he was needed if they wanted to affect something as delicate as the future successfully. Two of the Sabaku siblings had given him cause to blink, but they, too, made sense when Sakura commented that Gaara was the future Kazekage. Sasuke would have chosen Temari over the brother as well.

Dark eyes fixated on spiky blonde locks. Naruto was walking between him and Sakura, and slightly ahead in his hurry to get to his favorite haunting ground.

Sasuke blinked at the formation, recognizing another subtle change his teammates had made in their dynamic. They had never presented a united front before the mission to Wave, but afterwards, more often than not, the three of them walked together.

It was never in the same order. When Sasuke had learned Naruto's worst secret, he had unconsciously put himself on the blonde's left side. Sakura was always on his right. Knowing that he held the Kyuubi and that was the reason for the awful treatment he had witness during that team shadowing exercise had stirred a sense of anger in Sasuke. It was completely unfair that a whole village treated Naruto like he was the demon.

Sasuke hadn't realized it at the time, but whenever one member of the team was feeling vulnerable, the other two took up positions on either side, offering silent support. He had gotten an odd feeling when it was him in the center.

He understood more now, but their story didn't explain why it was like they were trying to protect him. Just what the hell had happened to him in the future? Sasuke needed answers. Naruto clearly wasn't going to give them to him. Sakura on the other hand might.

Dinner at Ichiraku's was lively. Naruto was loudly telling the cook and his daughter how awesome he had been on their latest mission. Sasuke called it a night after his first bowl, by which point the dobe had already inhaled six. Surprising, his pink haired teammate rose as well, setting down a couple of coins for her meal.

"I'm going to head home, too," she said with an apologetic smile towards Naruto. "It's been a stressful week. Normal time?"

Sasuke briefly wondered what she was referring to. Naruto respond, however, aside from a nod. The rosette bid them both good night. She brushed past him as she left but was gone before he could even open his mouth to ask her to train with him tomorrow so he could grill her.

The black haired boy left Naruto to his dinner, huffing as he began the trek back to his apartment. He shoved his hands into his pockets. His left hand brush up against something kind of rough and paper like. The napkin, as it turned out to be, held a message from Sakura.

Training grounds. One o'clock.

Sasuke smirked. He didn't even see her write it. His gait was determined as he approached his apartment. He lay in bed mentally composing a list of questions. The top most being why wasn't his future self involved and what could he do to help.

Whatever they weren't telling him must have been truly horrible if they went to such lengths to change it.

Sakura balanced atop the wooden post Kakashi-sensei had once tied Naruto to for breaking the rules of his gennin test. She thought she would have felt anxious, going behing the blonde's back and filling Sasuke in when she was well aware of how the truth might upset him. The only thing she felt was peace.

Sasuke would have startled her, all dressed in black, when he arrived, if not for the fact that she could sense his chakra. Right on the dot, as usual. He was always punctual.

"What is Naruto hiding from me?"

If that wasn't a loaded question. "Sasuke, before I tell you anything, I need you to promise me something. Promise that you'll listen before you get angry. There's a lot that won't make sense to you and even more that will hurt you. But I need you to not flip out."

The Uchiha looked at her quizzically, but, thankfully, fully considered her warning. Sakura imagined he was trying to guess what secrets she knew could possibly infuriate him to that extent.

"Alright," he consented, jumping up a little to sit on the post next to her.

"Promise?" she pressed.

Sasuke gifted her with a deliberate stare. "Ah. I promise."

Sakura released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It certainly explained the light headedness she was feeling. Promises were the backbone of Team Seven. Ironically enough, no member had ever broken one.

Naruto, who had promised her he would bring Sasuke back, had finally made him see the error of his ways. Sasuke, who had promised to kill Naruto if he kept interfering, succeeded in doing just that. Sakura had trained like mad to be on their level and not the weak member of the team they always had to protect. And Kakashi had died protecting them at the end of the war.

"The Council ordered the Uchiha Clan killed because they were planning a coup d'état. They were going to overthrow the Third Hokage and take complete control of the village. Itachi had to do it."

Sasuke reeled back, teetering on his wooden post. Worried, Sakura reached out a hand to steady him, only to have it slapped away. Bright red Sharingan eyes glared at her through the fringe of his hair. "Don't tell me," he grit out, "that . . . that man is innocent. He murdered my entire clan!"

"For the good of the village."

"For the good of the village!" Sasuke shouted, tomoe spinning madly. "What about the good of my clan? Even if some of them were planning a rebellion, did every child deserve to die?"

Sakura flinched at his cutting words. "Look," she pleaded, "I know this is difficult, but if Itachi didn't kill them, the Council was going to have ANBU kill everybody. You and your brother. Itachi did it to save you."

The retort he had prepared died. Taking that as a sign, Sakura continued. "Itachi loves you. Everything he has done, and would have done in the future, was to protect you. You're his most precious person," she said softly.

Sasuke remained oddly somber as Sakura finished telling him everything they had left out the first time. For his own good, she didn't pull any punches and try to spare his feelings. The pinkette simply told him everything. She bit her lip to keep from asking how he was feeling after she revealed what he had done to Konoha and the moments leading up to them using the time travel scroll. Uncontrolled emotions had flashed across his face. In the end, all Sakura could do was let him think.

"For what it's worth, Sasuke. I'm sorry."

He looked up at her. His Sharingan was turn off. "Sorry for what? That I turn out to be a bigger mass murderer than my brother?"

"That this happened to you at all. That we couldn't save you. That we couldn't bring you back with us. For everything, I guess." This time he didn't knock her hand away when she moved to comfort him.

Sasuke's shoulders hunched, like he was carrying the weight of the world on them. In a way, he did, but Sakura didn't point that out. He looked so defeated and weary that she couldn't resist hugging him. She pulled back after a minute. Looking him directly in the eye so that he couldn't miss the sincerity, she said, "Whatever you chose, Naruto and I will support you. You're part of Team Seven. We're like a family. We'll help you in any way we can. I promise."

He nodded solemnly and Sakura released him. "Just . . . take some time to think about what you want."

"Ah." Sasuke's eye's widened. The pinkette started at the fear she saw in them. "Sakura, behind you!"

The girl whirled around just in time to see a black cloaked figure with the iconic painted animal mask of the ANBU division. Then there was only darkness.

She cursed herself with her last thoughts. Because she had been caught out at night having a hushed conversation with Sasuke, they would think he was in on it too. She didn't mean to get him in trouble. But he had a right to know the truth.

Sakura should have known better. She knew her shishou's moods. Of course, she wasn't going to just let them go. She had been careless. She had let her guard down at the most critical time and now Sasuke was going to pay the price for her mistake.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke."

Tsunade stared at the three files sitting on her desk. They belonged to the chuunin that made up Kakashi's team. Naruto Uzumaki's picture was smiling brightly. She looked away, unable to bear how much the boy resembled Nawaki, from smile to ambition. Sakura Haruno's picture showed a girl that followed protocol and didn't understand what it meant to be a kunoichi. And Sasuke Uchiha's was one of a surly child forced to have his picture taken. It had only been a couple months since the picture was taken, but the boy's eyes held less hatred when he stood on the other side of her desk.

As Hokage, she alone had access to extensive files on every single shinobi under her command. After diligently reading through them, she concluded that the Uchiha was himself. But the other two had changed between the mission they took in Wave and the start of the Chuunin exams. Talents they hadn't shown before and mannerisms they couldn't hide.

She wondered, once she had finished reading, if she should rescind her order to take the Uchiha into custody. But she remained firm. Tsunade knew his teammates had left him in order to rescue that Suna girl who had been in the cell with her, and instead of all three of them running off, he attempted to cover their asses and lied about them ever leaving.

He might not be as involved as Haruno and Uzumaki were, but he was in the mix somehow. One way or another she was going to get her answers. She believed Uchiha was the ticket. He would crack first and then they would have ammunition to use against the other two. He wouldn't be as attached to whatever secret his teammates were hiding, so he would be the first to give it up.

An ANBU flashed before her. "We're ready, Hokage-sama."

"Right." She slung on her green haori bearing the kanji for gamble on its back, unable to not think about the huge gamble she was taking. "Let's get this over with."