The smell of clean sheets and antiseptic pulled Kumo into consciousness. His eyes opened and he quickly closed them again. The blinds were open and the sunlight shone blindingly over the white interior of the hospital room forcing him to shield his eyes. He never understood why everything was white in hospitals for this very reason.
"Finally awake I see." Ino's voice said beside him.
"What happened?" He asked pulling his hand away from his face and squinting his eyes to look at her. Ino's hand struck across his face stinging his cheek. "You fell unconscious after you almost completely drained your chakra and nearly died." Kumo touched his warm cheek and looked at her. "Where back in Konoha." He said seeing the faces of the Hokages in the side of the mountain.
"The extraction team arrived shortly after you passed out you've been here for two days." She explained sitting down on his cot and wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tight. "They brought Nenshō into custody with you and are currently prepping him for interrogation and trial."
"I also fixed up your legs and cleared your system of that awful drug and dug those bone fragments." Tsunade said looking in from the doorway arms folded across her chest. Kumo nodded to her as Ino let go of him. "Thank you lady Hokage." He said turning to Ino and brushing a lock of hair behind her hair. "Ino can I talk to Kumo for a second?" Tsunade asked stepping inside grabbing his medical chart off the foot of his bed and checking it over. Ino nodded and stood giving Kumo a soft kiss. "I'll get you something to eat then." She said walking out the door stopping to give him a backwards glance and a smile before leaving.
"Well she's positively beaming." The Hokage said with a warm smile. "That ring's certainly gave a spring into her step. Good job Kumo." She complimented putting his chart down.
"About Nenshō." Kumo said deciding to break the ice right away.
"You can't see him." She retorted cutting him off before he had a chance to say anything. "Not until after the trial.
"And that's assuming you don't execute him afterwards." Spat Kumo. "I'm surprised you didn't kill him already."
"I'm not the villain here Kumo." Tsunade breathed. "I don't agree with what Nenshō did but I do sympathize with why he did it. He wanted to protect you, his friend and I respect that. Hiashi Hyūga may have also been a harsh even cruel man a stone cold product of his ridged clan and their strict rules but that doesn't change the fact that Nenshō murdered the man cold blood. The elder council is breathing down my neck about this and I have little choice in the matter or the thousands of other problems that showed their ugly face since you got back."
"You mean the security breach in the ANBU Black Ops." Kumo said. "That should take much greater precedence than a single rouge ninja, even if it is Nenshō."
"What do you want me to do Kumo?" Tsunade snapped her tone turning agitated and dangerous. "Should I disband the ANBU and short through every piece?"
"Yes!" said Kumo reaching over to the nightstand where Ino had set his skullcap and goggles pulling them over his head and hiding his white eyes behind the familiar tinted glass covering the mark of his Hyūga blood and the purple scars that framed his face. "These people are deeply imbedded into the ANBU meaning we should uproot and eliminate them before they can do anymore harm replace them with new members people you know you can trust."
"I don't know who I can trust Kumo. And if I uproot the entire ANBU then what do you think that will do to the village? Our entire military structure will be unstable and the village will be completely open to attack by outside forces. And I do have people in the Black Ops I can rely on meaning whoever these people are their having to work around them and remain under the radar being watched by people who will report to me!"
"Keeping these enemies close is playing it riskier than I like." Said Kumo. "And there are people you can trust Lady Hokage like."
"Like who?" She retorted. "You?!"
Kumo gazed at the woman through the smoky glass. "What are you saying?" he murmured just low enough for her to hear him.
"Nenshō killed a very prominent member of our village to keep you from having to spend your life on the run. He committed murder for your sake and gave up everything he had. So how do I know you won't do the same thing for him? What's keeping you from killing the men guarding him and setting him free? He offered himself up to me in order to get both you and Ino back here safely. I'd be a shame if that sacrifice was to go to waste because you had to return the favor."
Kumo narrowed his eyes at her. "I am loyal to the Leaf." He said low and determined.
"But who are you loyal to most remains to be seen. You can leave the hospital tommarow, after that you have a paid weeks rest before you return to duty. So get some rest and enjoy quiet time to plan that wedding of yours I'm already planning to buy a new dress for the occasion so make it worth my time. We'll handle Nenshō in our own way and let me worry about the ANBU."
Kumo sat silently as she walked towards the door before she stopped at it. "Oh and one more thing. You're being taken out of the Intelligence Division."
"What!" Kumo gasped.
"It's not a punishment Kumo far from it; we have a new squad of Genin straight from the academy and I choose you to be their sensei."
"I didn't agree to teach anyone anything." Kumo said as she opened the door letting Ino in with a tray of food.
"We may need you for this Kumo I'll brief you later on this and you can decide for yourself. Until then enjoy your R&R and engagement."
Nenshō held the single sheet of paper out pinched between his thumb and forefinger channeling a bit of chakra into his fingertips. The single white sheet ignited and in a bright flash of flames was gone again. No ash and no smoke. Ibiki had written everything down on flash paper, almost completely untraceable with little ash and almost odorless smoke. It seemed that the cigarettes Ibiki had packed into his envelope weren't just to help him relax but to help him cover up what little remained of the flash paper. He read through the list of lies and false evidence written in great detail upon the pages. Whoever's idea this was had been planning this for a long time working to bring him back into the Leaf Village's confidence, and they were creating one hell of a fabrication to do it. The papers detailed his phony involvement in an internal affairs operation covertly investigating privileged members and clan leader for signs of possible dissent. He only reported to the Hokage during this time and acted to stop a coup being planned by a small collection of members within the Hyūga clan and being led by Hiashi Hyūga who was under orders by the Hokage to execute. After disposing of Hiashi he was to leave the village and investigate outside threats to the village under the guise of rouge shinobi. The various other papers gave details on his work investigating into possible security threats outside the borders to the Land of Fire. The documents were even updated to include the recent event involving the security breach in the ANBU Black Ops making him a centerpiece to the investigation.
It was all right here in full detail, the most brilliant lie he had ever seen was right here in front of him making him an unsung hero of the Hidden Leaf. His little act of friendship was being twisted into an act of patriotism. If Tsunade agreed to play along with this he could actually manage to come back to the Leaf and pick his life back up where he had left it. Every crime would be erased in a cloud of lies and be forgotten; it would cost the reputation of a single dead man and the truth would forever be buried. But his life was still there right in front of him for him to take back.
The sound of locks turning caught his attention and he channeled his chakra into the papers making them incinerate in a second without a trace, confident he had taken each page to memory. The door opened and Ibiki strolled in carrying his meal tray.
"The interrogation is in one hour." He said putting the tray down. "Have you memorized everything?" he asked. Nenshō nodded. "Whose idea was this?" he asked pulling a cigarette from the pack and lighting it. "Who put this all together, all these lies and everything?"
"You like it?" he asked leaning against the wall. "I cooked it up myself after you left. I gave it to the Hokage once you arrived, it's pretty good considering it's only half finished and I had to improvise with the recent events involving the ANBU but I managed to tie everything together quite well."
"So you did this? I guess I shouldn't be too surprised after all you sort of liked me. Was this supposed to be some kind of Christmas present to your star pupil?"
"The Leaf needs you Nenshō, you're a valuable asset and I don't like losing you, your unique Kekkei Genkai can be used to serve the leaf for generations we can't let that slip away from us."
"So when I'm being interrogated you want me to flip the lid on everything tell them these lies you've prepared?"
He shook his head, "roll with the punches and just say you have vital information for the Hokage's ears."
"I don't think it'll be hard to stick to the plan while you're there." Nenshō chuckled.
"I'm not going to be the one interrogating you." Ibiki explained. "Like I said roll with the punches these guys are the sloppy type."
Nenshō stepped into the Hokage's office hands bound with strong silk cords. Tsunade eyed him from across her desk hands folded in front of her. Several members of the Elder Counsel sat by her side in wooden chairs. The shinobi who led him in sat him down on a chair and bound his legs to the chair.
"Leave us." Tsunade commanded the ninja who silently obeyed and exited out the door.
Nenshō looked at the several elders around the room. He took a deep breath that hurt his chest from the bruised and fractured ribs the interrogation had given him. "I have vital information for the Hokage ears only." He said repeating the only words he spoke while having the living shit beat out of him aside from making fun of their weak punches.
"There's no need for that." One of the old women said cutting him off. "We've all been briefed on Ibiki's plan and all the elaborate lies he's concocted for this."
Nenshō raised an eyebrow. "So then why bother having one? Just so you can claim you had one?"
"Exactly" she said, "We going to keep you here and try and try to integrate you into the Leaf again. Considering your unique Kekkei Genkai and advanced skill level in ninjutsu we've agreed it would be in the village's best interest if we overlook your past intercession."
"Although we are not all in complete agreement in this plan recent events have left us desperate and we have all agreed it's better if we keep you close and under observation." One of the other elders chimed in. "You mean since those rouge ANBU appeared." He commented.
"The ANBU were after you according to both Ino and Kumo's debriefing meaning village or not they're going to come after you again. And if we can keep an eye on you it's possible to track you them back and uncover the traitors." Explained Tsunade. "What's more you can undo the damage you've done and return to serving the Leaf as you've once done."
"So I'm supposed to just walk the streets of Konoha and wait for one of your rouge special forces to attack me in the night." Nenshō reasoned.
"No" she said sternly. "You're going to have an escort Nenshō at all times, one that can keep you in line and handle anything thrown at you."
The door behind Nenshō opened; he turned to see Kakashi Hatake step inside. "Hello Nenshō." He said, "I look forward to catching up with you."
"Kakashi's been assigned to guard you round the clock he goes where you go is that clear?"
"Crystal" Nenshō said not having the energy to whine about having a babysitter.
"Then your dismissed" she said, "You'll be released tommarow and might I recommend you visit your daughter while you have the chance."
Nenshō nodded as he was led out of the office. He tried to think of something to say once he saw Tenten, something that would help her be not quite so angry.