To those who celebrated it, Hope you enjoyed Tanabata! Since it's Bastille day [14th July], Happy Independence day to you folks in France! Vive la France!

A special thanks to everyone who's reviewed and favourited. It's really nice to hear what you guys think about where the story is going, so please keep it up!

Read and Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

24th January, 2032, En route to Pacific Heights, Time- 20:35

Memoirs of 25th January, 2013

"I'm resigning." Dr Senju's voice echoed through the laboratory.

Both men turned towards the haggard doctor.

She looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"We all are." Orochimaru said after a long pause.

"T-this line of research was never meant to be discovered." Tsunade said as she threw the file she was holding on the floor.

"It's far too dangerous to stay in normal human hands." Jiraya said. "We stop this now and we make sure it never gets out again."

Orochimaru threw another file onto the floor disgustedly. "What we know stays between us. Nobody should ever make the same mistake again. And to be sure- we won't meet again after this- and won't associate with the same research."

The decision had lingered on their minds for a while now. They had discussed what discontinuation of their work would and would not include or extend to. But with the push brought from Tsunade's resignation, things were finally finalized.

"This counts as an oath. Everything we've done till now ends with this. We take it with us to the grave. And nobody else will have to die as a direct or indirect consequence of our actions." Jiraya finished, adding another file to the pile on the floor. "That's the last of our data."

Orochimaru and Jiraya walked out of the door while Tsunade pulled out a lighter, which she lit.

Two vats of oil lay near the heap of folders.

"Everything we've worked on till now burns with this room."

The lighter fell from her hand as she turned and stalked out of the room.

Five minutes after they left the building, it blew up.

That was the last time Jiraya ever saw either of them.

Jolting out of memory lane, Jiraya found himself at his destination in front of Tsunade's office.

Jiraya looked at the large, looming building in front of him. He had known all along where Dr Tsunade and Orochimaru had established themselves independently. But true to their agreement, he never once made an attempt to contact them.

How would Tsunade react to seeing him after twenty years from that day?

He wasn't given much time to ponder that answer as the woman herself walked out of the building wrapped in a thin overcoat.

She didn't notice his car as she walked onto the main street, signalling for a cab.

Was she about to pack up and go home? He knew that she lived in Pacific Heights.

But she was headed in a direction opposite that of her residence.

Then what?

Revving the engine, he started following her.

24th April, 2032, Wish lounge, San Francisco, Time- 20:35

"Remind me again why I let you convince me to come here with you?" An incredible annoyed Sasuke Uchiha asked.

"Well, when my only friends are a romantically challenged sadist and a socially backward emotionless bastard, how can I not convince you to come with me to a bar?" Naruto supplied.

"You flatter me." Sai quipped.

"You know what? I don't want to put up with you tonight, I'm leaving." Sasuke said, suddenly vexed by Naruto.

"Aww come on. Humour me! I know you've been down all day, and I know that me being such a blabbermouth earlier on today didn't help at all! So just loosen up and let me make it up to you!" Naruto asked in earnest, adding in an undertone, "And please stop talking to me as though I'm the stupidest person on earth."

Sasuke said, "You are the most retarded person on the planet. No simile required."

"You can act all stoic and emotionless with your clients, but we know you best. You're super annoyed- let loose a little!"

Much to his chagrin, Sasuke allowed himself to be towed into the bar and get roped into their conversation.

"So Sasuke!" Naruto said five minutes later after he had dug into what must have been his third drink. He had a surprisingly low alcohol tolerance. "What happened on the date I set you up on yesterday?"

Sasuke was still sober. "I have half a mind to strangle you now that you admit to being responsible for last night at Ichido's."

"Don't be a stoic. Did you have fuuun with Sakura?" he slurred.

Sai asked, "What date?"

"I set him up with an FBI officer." he giggled, adding, "I think he enjoooyed himself."

"Oh? Now I'm intrigued. " Sai said, turning towards Sasuke.

"Did you ask her out again?" Naruto added.

"Considering that you openly revealed that we had been lying about our identities the whole time, I doubt all efforts you might have made were in vain." Sasuke said pointedly.

"Oh!Oh! Look who's getting all touchy. Maybe...don't tell me...did you kiss her?"

Sasuke was impassive as ever.

"Ohmygod! Sasuke Uchiha kissed a girl who I set him up on a date with!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yell it a little louder why don't you." Sasuke said sarcastically.

Sai, seeming to take this literally, prepared to shout out before Naruto stopped him, bursting into laughter.

"I was right! You know what? I was right the first time! You like her! And not just like! You liiiike like her!" he said, doing a miniature victory dance.

Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance, before he noticed a flash of pink hair in another part of the bar.

Lifting his head up, he narrowed in on the pinkette. Sure enough, Sakura Haruno was in the same place. Confused, Sasuke considered the fact that she might have been there to drink away whatever depression had caused her to act like she did that day. "To reject him the way she did, she mustn't have been in her right mind." He thought to himself with a smirk.

Then his eyes narrowed in on the man next to her.

He ignored and pushed aside the burning sensation which arose in his chest as he saw her laughing and joking with the other man in such a carefree manner. He was not jealous. There was no way that he, Sasuke Uchiha, could be jealous over a mere girl. He denied the pang of pain he felt as he recalled how he had felt after he had spoken to her earlier that day. Those emotions faded to a nonexistent throb in the back of his mind.

At least that's what he tried to tell himself.

Then the man next to her turned so that Sasuke could see his face.

And then, with a tidal wave of rising anger, he recognised the man she was with.

24th April, 2032, Orochimaru's laboratory, Time- 20:49

"My my, another visit so soon? It seems like you really do want to take me up on my offer. Am I right, Tsunade?" A reptilian voice asked.

"You cloned Cynthia!" Jiraya watched in hiding as Tsunade practically growled at Orochimaru.

How did Tsunade know about Yuki? And did Yuki really look that much like Cynthia? He hadn't officially met the child yet, so he wouldn't know. And did Tsunade also know about the toxin? Just what had these two gotten themselves wrapped up in now?

Orochimaru looked at her blankly. "I did what now?"

"That girl! She's a clone of Cynthia, you rat! How dare you!" Tsunade said.

"First of all, before you try to accuse me of destroying the moon while you're at it," he turned towards the doorway. Jiraya felt a stone drop in his stomach as he realised Orochimaru was looking a him. His chest constricted in anxious anticipation of the lines that were to follow.

"I know you're listening, so why don't you come on out and we can make this a three way reunion?" Orochimaru drawled.

Sheepishly, Jiraya stepped out of the shadows.

Tsunade exclaimed with surprise as she recognised him as she swore colourfully, while Orochimaru smirked amused.

Trying to dispel the awkward tension in the room, Jiraya tried for a laugh as he said, "So who was it that destroyed the moon?"

Tsunade's expression resembled that of a cornered animal. Ever since the incident which brought their research to an end, she had always been averse to problematic situations. Jiraya knew her well enough to know a least that much.

Orochimaru cleared his throat, causing Tsunade to divert her attention to him again.

"I believe you came here to speak with me?" Orochimaru said, adding, "If that is the case, do not waste my time."

Jiraya watched as Tsunade's eyes darted between him and Orochimaru. Behind her shrewd, calculating exterior, she looked scared and haunted.

"Since it's the three of us again, why don't you just answer the question honestly, Orochimaru. How long have you been experimenting on children again for?" She said after a long, deliberating pause.

According to police records on Orochimaru, he had shrunk to a small time dodgy scientist- nothing on his record enough to instigate an investigation- but not entirely clean either. But Jiraya had been sure that Orochimaru, although many things, was not one to go back on his word. It seems he was proven wrong.

"I don't see why you're adamant about accusing me of all people when any one of us could be responsible for the continuation of the experimentation we originally began. " Orochimaru said.

Tsunade clenched her fists as she said, "What the heck is wrong with you!? Only two days ago you admitted to continuing your 'research' and asked me to help!"

"You must be deluding yourself." Orochimaru said. "You approached me and I gave you a proposal to collaborate on a different branch of research which your scientific expertise would assist greatly."

"Don't twist my words! I went to accuse you of sending Kabuto as a proxy to do your dirty work, and you admitted to it!" She suddenly seemed to remember that Jiraya was in the room, and turned to him, saying, "You should know as well as anyone that he's restarted our experiments! I doubt he ever stopped! You're supposed to be FBI! DO something about it!"

Jiraya was unsure of what to believe at that point. Orochimaru had always had a knack for confusing people beyond all comprehensible scenarios. He seemed to have done that with Tsunade, and Jiraya too.

But with Tsunade's mention of Kabuto's connection with Orochimaru, Jiraya was more inclined to believe Tsunade's words. There must have been some basis to her accusations. Apparently Orochimaru had picked up where the three of them left off and continued what they had sworn to abandon. Which raised some unwanted questions, assertions, and suspicions.

The three of them were unanimous on keeping what had led them to stop their research a hidden fact. Aside from that- everything else was on the table.

"If you want me as FBI to 'do' something about it, that would mean I need a willing civilian witness. Are you offering?" Jiraya asked.

"N-No! Of course not!" Tsunade said. Which solidified the fact that she wanted nothing to do with an investigation which might investigate further into their past research.

"As much as I appreciate this cozy get together, and you're baseless accusations are amusing in the least, I think it's time you left. Assuming you don't wish to come to me with yet another collaborative proposal?" Orochimaru smirked with his last question, following which Jiraya turned and walked out the way he came, Tsunade not far behind.

Before he could walk to his car, Tsunade intercepted him.

"Jiraya."

He turned towards her with a questioning glance. She replied with a question.

"Have you told anyone about..." she hesitated, before lowering her tone and finishing with, "About our research from twenty years ago?"

The first time they were formally talking in twenty years, and for this? Typical of Tsunade.

"No." he said, straightening up, "I haven't."

A look of relief crossed her face before she fixed him with a stern gaze and turned away, saying, "Make sure it stays that way."

Jiraya watched her retreating figure

At least Jiraya had a lead.

Orochimaru was connected to Kabuto. That he had found out for sure. And Mr Yakushi was already under suspicion.

And though he had no proof or witness to aid in a formal warrant, he knew that Orochimaru was continuing his child experimentation with toxins and implementations akin to what he had used twenty years ago. In other words, he was the primary culprit for the case.

The problem was, without proof, they had no way of bringing him in.

Unanswered questions included; where was he getting his test subjects from? Where was he holding them? Experimentation like that need funding and facilities too- was the funding all from the Sahara group? And where was Orochimaru's actual laboratory?

But those were for the rest of his team to discover.

As for him, he brought his phone to his ear with the unit chief on the recieving end of the call.

"We finally have a lead."