A/N: Wow, it's been several months since this story saw an update. Sorry people.
Still alive though (fortunately). I think my work is trying to kill me with the VID though...
It was my desire to end the old year on a high note, however, 2020 had other plans. Instead, we'll begin the new year on an upswing. I am going to try and be more active with updates but I can't commit to a regular update schedule with my current workload. Wrapping up this story, continuing "Nature of the Savage Beast," and picking up "A Daimyo's Tale" - one would think - should leave me plenty to do. Unfortunately, my muse has been getting twitchy and another story couple of story plots have been nibbling at my brain.
Perhaps I might pen out the first chapter or two of each and see where they pan out.
One even appears to be a unique storyline even if the theme isn't all that original (as I said, this genre has been around long enough that there aren't many original stories left to tell).
Anyway, here's hoping 2021 is more forgiving and I leave you with the latest chapter for your amusement pleasure. Enjoy as you will.
~Siva'a-tasi
~III~
Standard Disclaimer: 2020 was not my idea. Also, I make no claims as to 2021 but I hope it's a better year for us all.
Chapter 52: Tales Of High Crimes and Misdemeanors
~III~
"The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people."
― G.K. Chesterton
~III~
Otogakure Command Center, Land of Sound
"Well done, Kimimaro-kun."
It was a rasp lacking any of his former master's resonating strength but the sole-surviving Kaguya drank in the praise nonetheless.
Kneeling with one fist pressed to the hard stone at his feet was a normal condition for the sole-surviving Kaguya. The praise of his beloved master made all things bearable so he stayed put while the weakened Snake Sannin preened. Besides, his position of supplication made it easier to remain unaffected by his master's mummified condition with his eyes firmly affixed to the swirling floor designs.
'Tch! Your so-called master has no idea the meaning of those two words.'
It took a great deal of discipline for Kimimaro not to flinch at the hollow-sounding reprimand. It took just as much self-control not to snap his eyes to his left periphery to glance at the see-through figure hovering by his left shoulder. It would have been better if this was not an old familiar companion.
'You left their corpses to rot,' the leg-less figure spat in bitter condescension. 'You left them just as you did ours. Wherein lies the honor in that, oh honorable warrior?'
Kimimaro would not show discomfort before the dead eyes of his former patriarch anymore more than he would before his new one. It was an old argument from a ghost that kept him chained to a wall or hidden away due to fear of his strength. The youth shifted the barest of movements but otherwise let the phantom's hostility wash over him without further effect.
'We await your return, Heishi.'
The last Kaguya gave the barest flinch at the venom from his spectral tormentor. Heishi, or warrior, was only used in one of two ways in his former clan and the spite in the apparition's voice made it perfectly clear which one was meant just now.
Ignoring the angry thousand-yard stare of the psychotic apparition berating him as he knelt, Kimimaro focused on the semi-lucid comments of his Sannin lord. He had greater issues to focus on instead of the ever-angry ghost of his clan's patriarch or the rotting corpses of the Sound Four, which was now the Sound One. Jirōbō, having been directed to return post-haste, had been the only original member of the Four to return.
Orochimaru-sama's urgent need to switch bodies could not be denied. It was the weakened state such a transition left him in that made the stoic bone-wielder... uncomfortable. His master was at his most vulnerable and, as a result, would not be able to journey to the Valley of the End to claim what was rightfully his per his original plan.
This responsibility would now fall once again to Kimimaro, a duty he would gladly shoulder for his master. If only his departure didn't leave his master so vulnerable. His eyes shifted enough to keep their latest visitor in the corner of his eyesight. Almost as if on cue...
"You promised me power," came the petulant whine from the far right side of the room.
Vivid green eyes slew with unflinching attention to detail upon the smirking and unpenitent figure demanding his master's secrets, the unworthy wretch! He could hear no humbleness, no contrition in the fool's arrogant tone. Where was the respect?
His outrage grew in equal measure to the rampaging of his chakra through powerful coils.
'And you abandoned us for this?'
Kimimaro stilled the irritating twitching of his sword arm and pushed the grating ghost's voice to the back of his mind. Instead, he focused his annoyance on the living corpse he wanted to rage upon.
Did he not understand the great honor he'd been selected for? Did he not comprehend the great man he now stood before? Why was he not on his knees with his forehead pressed to the very sanctified ground at his befouled sandals?
His heart thundered in his ears as the cool darkness easing the ache in his joints bled into a blood-red halo. It wouldn't be long before the rest of his past's shades returned, their voices egging him on to spill blood. He could hear them... just there in the background like angry snakes hissing in the tall reeds.
It was always like this when the Killing Blood took hold of him.
Kimimaro's brow tightened for just the briefest of moments, the skin across his broad shoulders cracking open as sharp-tipped bone projections eked their way into the dark air of the audience chamber.
All he needed was a quiet opportunity, just half a moment when-.
"Kimimaro-kun."
Orochimaru's voice snapped him right out of his murderous fantasy like a whip-crack.
"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." His eyes snapped back to the floor.
"I am very pleased with your work, Maro-kun."
The Kaguya's entire body dipped in obeisance from his already kneeling position and still, he hesitated.
"Yes?" The Snake Sannin crowed.
"What about Sakon and Kidomaru, my master?" His almost non-existent brows knitted together in confusion.
A bandage-wrapped shoulder shrugged ineffectually.
"They were the best the prisons had to offer but they clearly weren't up to the task." The Sage's new body absently waved off their deaths knowing their corpses cooling in his No. Four Lab would be more useful to him in the near future as research subjects.
The fact that Imai was never mentioned again after the report of his untimely defeat (death?) made it all the clearer; no one ever stopped to verify if he'd survived or not and that suited the sickly Otokage just fine.
"No, you've given me what I wanted most of all, Kimimaro-kun, and for that, I am most appreciative."
The Kaguya's head rose, his confusion and uncertainty evident, as the Sannin's new face crinkled up in laughter.
"Leverage. You've given me leverage where I once had none."
The Sannin's pleased hissing temporarily gave the snotty Uchiha the reprieve he needed to survive through the night, even if he wasn't aware of the peril. Another who was last of his line relaxed just a hair as the angry voices finally faded from the back of his mind.
"Now I require one more service of you, precious Kimimaro-kun, before we return you to your rest."
Ever servile, Kimimaro bobbed another bow as he awaited his master's wish.
~III~
Back In Konoha...
(Hiruzen's POV)
The soft clinking of fine china chimed in the quiet but comfortably large dining room. Unlike the cozy breakfast nook, this seldom-used space centered around a long table formed from exquisitely-carved and polished oak with enough chairs for two-dozen people.
The atmosphere, despite the soft music playing through hidden speakers, was made almost cordial by the soft lighting provided by the crystal chandelier hanging low over the table's center. One would call it almost cordial if not for the Komodo Squad watching the home's late-night visitors like wolves eyeing a pair of juicy rabbits for dinner.
At the moment, both visitors felt exactly like hunted prey in a den of carnivores.
Despite the unease in the air, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, sat at the far end of the table across from his former surrogate grandson, Naruto Uzumaki, who occupied the head seat. The loss of his more familial relationship still stung but the old man maintained the loss was a recoverable one and chose instead to forge on toward better days. He just needed patience.
To Hiruzen's right side sat his former female student and the current Slug Sannin, Tsunade Senju, just as to Naruto's right sat his adoptive mother, Keina Uzumaki, his birth mother's twin sister. That was where the party similarities pretty much ended.
To Keina's right sat two more redheaded females fairly close to the Uzu Clan head and ruler. They had been introduced as Karin and Tayuya respectively, the two chatting quietly enough not to disturb the tense atmosphere in the seldom-used formal dining room. Both were wearing rather newish kimonos if their near-constant rubbing at the silky fabric was any indication.
Hiruzen squashed a mental note to ask Naruto about the girl with hair a slightly more pinkish hue than the other. As the former Kage, she was no longer his problem following the Council's failed attempt at forcing them both into the CRA and his still sharp eyes drifted to the oldest redhead in the room.
Keina spoke periodically to ensure her guests were marginally comfortable and to issue orders to the four women wearing light serving robes, three of which appeared to be near-perfect copies to Kurenai Yuhi, Yugao Uzuki, and Ino Yamanaka. The fourth, if Hiruzen was not losing his sanity, was in fact the former kidnapping victim Akimi - no family name given due to her former orphan status.
They would regrettably have to remain mysteries for another night given the rather important reason why they were here at all.
The old man's eyes flicked back to his student in the hope that waiting was not bearing down uncomfortably on her. The excellent tea and finger sandwiches he knew were meant as a mild distraction to pass the time while they waited and, to a degree, it worked. Their position at the far end of the table, while traditionally used to honor a guest, he knew sent a second message: We will tolerate your company but we will keep you at a safe distance because we no longer trust you.
Not very welcoming given the veneer-thin hospitality no matter how well-polished the whole escapade seemed to be.
It was to be expected really. They could have easily moved from the entry foyer into a more comfortable setting if the Uzumaki wanted to ease tensions but Konoha hadn't been very accommodating lately. Kakashi had very much seen to that.
Hiruzen buried and sigh and hummed with appreciation all the same as he chased down another mouthful of the excellent finger foods with more exquisite tea. Good food was still good food and his time in the office did not often come with a freshly crafted meal.
Then the front door opened and the air in the formal room seemed to hum with anticipation. Hiruzen's eyes flicked to the blonde at his side to make sure she didn't do something rash before peering over his now re-filled teacup to the two armed warriors sliding silently into the chamber to kneel and whisper quietly into Keina's ear.
The seconds seemed to drag on with the silent report as Tsunade's hands curled into tight fists. With a stiff nod of thanks from their mistress, the two backed out of the chamber and were gone while the two lead figures conferred at the far end of the table.
"What do you think, Sensei?"
Tsunade's whispered question broke his churning thoughts though his eyes never left the now grim expression on Naruto's face.
"I think Kakashi's retrieval team were less than successful otherwise they would be less secretive about the subject matter."
His peripheral vision caught the tightening of her fists by way of her heaving chest; she'd leaned forward to try and hear better not realizing the table was pushing her cleavage up through her open-necked kimono top. He attempted to hide his blush behind his teacup and cleared his throat to gain her attention.
"We need calm at the moment Tsunade, not brash destruction."
Angry hazel eyes snapped to his own even as her mouth opened to vent and he halted her with the barest flicker of his killing intent.
Her mouth clicked shut and he tried not to be overly smug about it.
"For now, for whatever purpose, they are helping us." He watched her mouth slowly open and close in frustration. "Would you ruin that all for a temper tantrum that won't solve anything beyond making us yet another lost ally?"
Once her head bobbed stiffly in capitulation, and only then, did Hiruzen turn his gaze back to the far end of the table which, had apparently finished their discussion to watch Konoha's byplay.
"Ah, forgive us, Daimyo-Omo."
Naruto's response was to nod once in acknowledgment. It was Keina, however, that took up the conversation.
"Unfortunately, we do not have much in the way of good news," she paused as Tsunade's massive bosom heaved again with the woman's hitched breath, "but there is hope."
Hiruzen placed one gnarled hand over the softer fist of his teeth-gnashing student to once again try and calm her.
"It would appear that our support team did manage to catch up to Kakashi's ANBU squad despite their best efforts to prevent being followed."
The old man's eyebrow hitched up in an unasked question but his pretty counterpart waived it off for later discussion.
"Unfortunately, they did not arrive in time to do more than recover the mostly-dead ANBU squad itself. Both females were missing from the grisly scene. The ongoing presumption is that both are still alive, however."
The Sandaime could feel the bones popping in Tsunade's tightening fist.
"Why do you believe this?" Hiruzen countered.
"They left a survivor, just one, so that he could deliver a message before he was secured for rapid return for medical treatment. While vague and incoherent due to his heavy injuries, those that took Shizune and the Haruno girl were not happy that they didn't get their preferred targets, both of whom appear to be in this room."
Well, that explained the hard set of Naruto's jaw.
The shocking part of that statement was enough to fizzle Tsunade's spiraling despair into confusion, which tended to be a less violent option in her petulant outbursts.
Her statement made sense to the old war campaigner; Orochimaru had always been a fan of the hard lessons.
"Bait and Switch."
Hiruzen's short answer drew a short nod from the two Uzumakis at the far end and a disgusted scowl from his student.
"He has to know that no one here will trust him after his latest treachery," Tsunade blustered. That didn't mean that she was wrong, however, and everyone else in the chamber knew it.
"He wants another trade in two days at the Valley of the End," the young-looking redhead chimed, her eyes avidly taking note of their responses Hiruzen noted. "One hostage each for a specific person."
"Me for Shizune," Tsunade carped immediately only to receive an affirming nod from the fiery Uzukage.
"Am I to presume that he believes you'll trade Naruto-Omo for the Haruno girl?" Hiruzen was honestly curious at the outcome but he couldn't believe Keina would condone such a lopsided agreement.
Hiruzen also tried to ignore the tightening stances of the six Komodo Squad members along the sides of the room at his admission slip, thankful that Keina stilled them with a glance before turning back to her former mentor.
"We will send a squad to back up your second retrieval team and ensure our Daimyo's safety should he agree to meet but, if they expect us to sacrifice our Daimyo for more empty platitudes from Konoha, then they will be sorely disappointed."
Hiruzen nodded despite feeling an acute pang of loss at her response. He'd hoped that the roaring Will of Fire Naruto once harbored had survived Konoha's treachery. It would seem that his former inferno was now reduced to smoldering embers with Kakashi's inexplicable animosity.
"We are also going to be requiring your assistance in return once Shizune is back and healthy from her ordeal," the mostly silent blond added at the end, his eyes locked onto the busty blonde as her confusion continued to rise.
'Odd,' Hiruzen concluded but did not want to push right away considering the night had turned out better than he'd hoped.
Sure, he was worried about the Haruno girl but her vindictive mother was no longer his burden to bear. Hiruzen knew he could not push the issue when the Uzumaki had been forcefully ejected to the fringes of Konoha society despite his best efforts.
There had to be a reason behind Kakashi's ongoing campaign of sabotage beyond senseless animosity.
He resolved to dig further into that even as he rose to bow in gratitude to take their leave. Their hosts had been more than fair following their late-night imposition and he did not want to further burn bridges of hospitality on their last support braces.
He did stop, however, just before they reached the foyer exit to ask one last question.
"If I may, dono, who was the survivor?"
"Rhino," the Uzukage shot back almost immediately.
Hiruzen's shoulders sagged visibly with relief. At least the Akimichi heir survived. It would have been nearly impossible to contain that clan's anger if the clan heir was lost to his former student's untrustworthy ways.
With one final bow of his head, both emotionally exhausted shinobi slipped back into Konoha's mild evening atmosphere to consider what to do next.
~III~
Meanwhile inside the Uzumaki dining room...
"Do you think the Snake will honor the deal?"
Naruto knew the answer to his question before he asked it but he also wanted to rush off and find the two missing kunoichis after pummeling the worthless Snake and his teme of a butt-buddy into the mud. His only problem being that a sitting Daimyo did not rush off to save the day, or so he'd been told repeatedly.
"Of course not," Tayuya scoffed drawing his attention. "The moment you guys show up, twenty of his closest underlings are gonna pound you into the dirt, wrap you up, and cart you off to Snake-central for your next medical procedure."
The rather confident flaming hot-pink head shoveled another mini-sandwich into her mouth with a satisfied murmur of approval and began mashing her jaws together... loudly.
Naruto couldn't remember the last time cucumber sandwiches had been so... crunchy.
"Manners, Yuya-chan." Keina's gentle chiding was enough to get her to at least chew with her mouth closed, which everyone else in the room was grateful for.
"Despite her horrible table manners, she's not wrong, Sochi," the elder Uzumaki commented to Tayuya's blushing chagrin. At least every other word out of her mouth wasn't of the four-letter variety these days.
Improvements in small measures.
"The more pressing question," Naruto continued, "is what will our response be when Konoha returns a second time for our assistance?"
This time both the Squad and the Sirens joined at and around the table to brainstorm late into the night.
~III~
With the Snake Sannin as the Night Closes...
Orochimaru released the smallest sigh of relief as he settled into his plush bed finding himself lying there all the more ironic. Once he obtained his ridiculous levels of genetic self-enhancement, he'd fully intended to leave the mortal contraption behind forever. Now he could only stifle pained groans as its soft folds enveloped his flaming nerve endings.
He felt old for the first time in nearly five decades and it grated on him so. Peripherally, a small part of his brilliant mind wondered if his sensei felt like this from time to time and he had to force down a sympathetic giggle. Him. Orochimaru. Old.
Though his arms were largely useless, some use was better than no use. The good doctor might not have been able to free him completely from his accursed brand, his baleful eyes flickering down towards his partially exposed chest and the glowing red mark of shame it bore, but he had loosened the binding seal enough to "slip loose the leash" just a hair. That hair would be all he needed to finally break his chakra prison as he'd been given more of a most desperately needed resource in exchange for Amachi's now draining corpse.
Time.
It wasn't much now that he thought about it, perhaps another six months or so, but it would have to suffice. If given more time, Amachi might have been able to subdue the cursed thing allowing him enough time to fully train the young Uchiha. It was a pity that he'd never know for sure.
He'd simply have to take the boy's body early and make the best of it.
His pale face wrinkled up in displeasure at one last thought right before his eyes winked closed for a night of needed rest.
'Hmm. Perhaps, in hindsight, I should stop killing my scientists.'
Next Day: Hokage Tower, Office of the Godaime Hokage, Kakashi Hatake
It was far too early in the day for such aggravation and Hiruzen was considering rescinding his offer as a mentor to the frustrating man sitting across from him. He was so done with the insufferable human that was sitting smugly with another smirk plastered across his masked face.
"That missive..."
Hatake paused with his hand halfway extended to the kneeling ANBU Dove, one eyebrow - his only visible one - arched in the direction of his former leader. It was getting harder to be civil with the betrayer of his beloved sensei as the days wore on and he found it such a shame as the day was shaping up to be such a lovely one.
"...is ill-conceived," Hiruzen concluded.
Kakashi's exposed eye crinkled into his well-known eye-smile. "It's decisions you've bungled like that which have left us in the mess we find ourselves."
He completed the hand-off to the rapidly disappearing agent before turning his attention to the growing stack of paperwork nipping at his patience.
"I do hope you'll be more helpful tomorrow than you were last night," the Cyclops opined with an almost cheerful air only to frown at the lack of an immediate response. He glanced up with his "Rejection" stamp poised to commit serious bodily harm upon the unsuspecting request to convert thirty-percent of Konoha's training grounds into farmable lumber yards and locked eye-to-eyes with the Sandaime.
"If I had been less helpful, you would have carelessly lost the Akimichi heir last night."
Hiruzen's retort knocked the wind from the Godaime's early sniping and Kakashi's eye promptly narrowed in defeat. He had to admit the old man had him there.
'Hnh, never would have thought the Uchiha brat would have voluntarily absconded to the Snake pedo. So much for Obito's legacy.'
Instead of verbalizing his thoughts, the one-eyed Kage shrugged his still sore shoulders and slammed his disapproval of the Civilian Council's greed all across the offensive paper's surface not once but three times. Shuffling it into the rejection pile, he reached for another in preparation of repeating the process once the annual "Kunoichi Escort Petition" popped into view.
'Are they stupid?! Who is going to warm my bed if they're all tied up with sweaty civilians?!' He shuddered uncontrollably and gave the request five glaring "Thumbs Down" before moving on to the next headache.
While his favorite orange-bound obsession kept most at bay, he still had a few hardcore reliables of the feminine persuasion that he could depend on.
"If I may be so bold, why?"
Kakashi tried not to sigh too heavily at his predecessor's question. After all, he knew this conversation was probably well overdue by now. He instead pretended not to notice and moved on to the monthly reports on troop strength and resource allocations.
"Why do you provoke them so?" the Sandaime continued undaunted.
"Why do you give them such leeway?" the Godaime responded with considerable edge to his voice.
"I asked you first." The Sandaime's eyes narrowed and Kakashi eye-smiled in response.
"I wear the hat now."
Hiruzen frowned at the rebuff but the answer was clear. I no longer answer to you, old man.
Hiruzen's hand twitched with the strong desire to smack down his former elite shinobi and instead drew a steadying breath. "Both Keina and Naruto have been faithful to Konoha for decades."
Kakashi scoffed.
"You refute this?" Hiruzen shot back in surprise. "Their records speak for themselves."
Kakashi responded glibly with, "I'd be loyal for life too if you spent millions of Ryu propping me up to live a lie."
"What lie?!" Hiruzen was beginning to show his annoyance and Kakashi's ongoing conspiracy nonsense. "You've spouted this wild theory for months but have shown no proof, not a single shred of evidence to back your claims!"
The ensuring stare-off actually forced the hidden ANBU to shift uncomfortably.
The tension grew for a moment more before the new Godaime reached into his vest and tossed a worn yellow envelope atop his desk, his eye never leaving the older nin's face.
"There is your proof, old man." He watched stonily as Hiruzen rose from his comfortable couch. "And I hope you choke on the evidence of your own deceit."
Hiruzen broke his gaze from the secret stash only for a moment before taking up the wrinkled package to flip open the worn pack of color photos. The topmost photo jarred him to a battle-ready posture as he looked upon images of a night he wished he'd finally be able to forget in his golden years of retirement.
Soo much blood... the Yondaime's signature cloak draped over another bloody figure...
When his wrinkled hand brushed against the first image of a war-torn forest clearing, his eyes blinked reflexively as a gentle brush of chakra swept across the tenketsu of his left hand before inching its way up along his forearm. For a seasoned war veteran, his response was both instinctive and immediate as he dispersed the unwanted intrusion to his own network.
For several uncomfortable seconds, Hiruzen stared uncomprehendingly at the images displayed in the first photo of the stack while his mind sorted and processed what his body was already telling him.
Refined.
Steady trickle.
It was Kakashi's chakra signature.
Subliminal, like a feathery caress.
It was a very subtle intrusion, the chakra so faint it would be unnoticeable to anyone without finely tuned senses or a partially-calcified chakra network no longer able to flex with sudden influxes of foreign chakra. It would be even harder to detect if the chakra belonged to the person in question and thereby indistinguishable from the chakra already flowing through their body.
It was possible if Kakashi hadn't used his Sharingan that the very subtle influence may have been covered up under his own shocked and adrenaline-fueled reaction to the rather graphic images in the photos. They were images intended to draw a reaction from someone not present the night the images had been taken. If it hadn't been for the fact that Kakashi's chakra was so easily differentiated from his own, Sarutobi himself might have missed its subtle embrace.
As it stood, he'd have to figure out the "How" of it later. He already had a good guess as to the "Why" and his anger spiked once again at a man already long-dead.
Danzo.
Hiruzen hid his concern behind a wrinkled brow and stole a quick glance up at the Godaime to see the man's unphased, and somewhat bored, countenance.
Without another thought, he shuffled the top photo of the Yondaime's death scene to the rear of the stack and was relieved to find no additional brushes of chakra-powered Genjutsu. It was bad enough that the next few photos didn't do more to ease the growing lump of ice and bile building in his intestines, his battle instincts raging at the older nin to move with caution, to flee at the first opportunity.
Instead, he plowed on finding three more finger-like brushes against his chakra network, each trying to layer its impulses upon its predecessors gently. He instinctively purged each invasion remembering both how increasingly difficult the task became and which images spurred the reaction.
The images themselves were bad enough, damning enough even in their outright lies as he'd forbidden any pictures the night of the incident flashing before his eyes in perfectly-staged replicas. Even the models the bastard used were almost identical to the originals. It was the fact that the growing compulsion associated with the images could only mean one thing.
Without help, recovering Kakashi was a futile effort in the making.
Without breaking the secret compulsion on the Godaime, he was a lost cause. If he believed the lies depicted through these images, the Genjutsu would compel him to reject attempts to purge its influence, violently if need be.
After another long and equally futile argument with the sitting Godaime, Hiruzen Sarutobi found himself storming from his former office wondering if it was too late for him to barter a servant's or advisor's position with the Uzumaki regent.
He was getting too old for this crap.
~III~
By the time Naruto completed his assisted morning rituals, ANBU Dove had come and gone leaving behind the latest in Konoha's desires. Naruto adjourned to the breakfast nook to find Keina, Karin, and Tayuya frowning over the Godaime's latest demands.
"It is as bad as we thought?"
Coming from a place of assumption based on the new Kage's recent behavior, Naruto chose to follow the rancid feeling bubbling in his gut from more than a full night's rest. As a reward for his instinct-laden loyalty, he frowned as three heads nodded in return, Keina's voice raising as she read out a small part of the request to him.
"In light of recent events, it has become clear that the distinguished representatives of the former Uzushiogakure no Sato are seeking a renegotiation of the established mutual defense treaties signed under Konoha's esteemed Shodaime and Uzu's alleged Sandaime Uzukage."
"Alleged?" His repeat of the contentious phrase brimmed with "taken offense." Naruto tried not to scowl at the insult as she continued reading but everyone listening to the interaction could see his annoyance plain as day.
From the tone in Keina's reading voice and the grumbling of his extended family, he was not the only offended party.
"It is in this light that Konoha will be forced to concede that a further lack of response or any lack of support in the next forty-eight hours of this official correspondent's signing will be regarded as an official dissolution of all formal ties. As such and within thirty days of such a change of status, all Uzu representatives will be forcibly evicted from Konohagakure no Sato, their diplomatic status within Konoha and its environs temporarily revoked in its entirety until negotiations can be rejoined."
"That doesn't seem rightly fair to me."
Every pair of eyes swiveled to the kitchen entrance at the tone of irritation in Anko's voice, several smirking at her lips pursed in clear annoyance only to be joined by the Komodo members closest to the entryway; everyone had been so engrossed in Konoha's proclamation, no one picked up on her arrival along with two of her closest friends.
Keina, for all her focused concentration, withheld a smirk at the gobsmacked faces of the Inuzuka dog doctor and her friendly Genjutsu specialist. Even with their increased presence to visit Yugao, neither seemed to be overly comfortable around the Hatchling brood lazing about like a pack of docile alligators.
The Komodo Squad, whether they were in fuzzy pajamas or hardened leather armor, were notorious throughout Konoha for a well-deserved reason.
"What will you do?" Anko prodded.
"What we always do, 'Ko-chan." Keina seemed largely unaffected as her eyes rolled back to the fresh scroll in her hand. "We'll move and then move on."
Silence reigned until the Snake Princess' nonchalant, "Huh, guess I should get my resignation paperwork in early then."
Kurenai and Hana flinched bodily at the unruffled delivery, mouths gaping like fish gasping for air even as the purplette hiked a thumb over her shoulder indicating the rooms upstairs.
"Mind if I check up on our girl?"
She paused just long enough to receive Keina's eye flicker to Naruto who only nodded once in tacit approval. With a bubbly, "Right, I know the routine!" Anko promptly dashed up the stairs leaving behind her still-gawping friends.
The young Daimyo hummed appreciatively at her easy-going nature as his slender Yuki attendant gently placed a piping hot mug of coffee in his hands complete with a gentle peck on the cheek.
"Any other big reveals we need to worry about?" he asked turning the conversation back to the morning's delivery.
Keina locked eyes with him but a single negative headshake answered. We'll discuss when there is less company around.
"Then the only thing that changes is our timeline," he concluded happily. "We'll send missives via summons to both locations asking if they can accommodate us earlier rather than later and why. We'll keep our timetable to Tetsu and, once we return, we'll begin the purge phase of the plan."
Karin blinked in confusion before glancing nervously toward the two Konoha-affiliated Kunoichi taking an overly keen interest in their rather private familial discussion. "But... aren't we going to help the nice Sandaime and the woman with the colossal bazongas?"
Kurenai tried not to choke on her tongue as the Inuzuka barked out her obvious joy at such a comment.
Several chuckles from the lazing predators sipping coffee at the kitchen island further broke up the tense silence but there was no illusion as to whom they'd come looking for should this conversation get repeated beyond the estate's walls.
"Yes, well... kinda." Naruto patted her on the shoulder before joining them at the table. "We are still going to need to tweak a few bits to get through this."
Eavesdropping near the top of the stairs, Anko's lips pursed in contemplation before she quietly stalked the rest of the way into the upper hallway. Not even bothering to knock, she flung open the well-polished portal only to pause at the rather rank body odor trying to gag her where she stood.
"Gah!"
Tsking, head shaking and eye-rolling the entire way, Anko unlatched and flung open both sets of windows in the rather spacious bedroom not for the first time grumbling about it being almost as big as her entire crappy apartment. She could not wait to get moved in and hang up her body mesh for some really comfortable kimonos. Preferably she'd get some made of that really expensive Aburame-grown silk.
Yeah, she'd start there and work her way up.
Anko turned from the open double-paned glass to glare at the brooding purplette trying to die from body odor asphyxiation and snarled while grabbing a fistful of the now filthy, greasy locks she used to be soo envious of.
"Ahhhh!"
Anko snorted disdainfully at the woman's yelp of pain. Even her protesting squawk lacked any real heat.
"Anko! Wha-...wait!"
"Nuh-uh girly. This has gone on long enough." Anko bodily flung her through the open door to her own personal mini-onsen-sized bathroom with a satisfied growl as Yugao's body hit the polished tiles with a SLAP only to slide into the middle of the bathing area.
"If you're going to live with my future hubby, you're not going to embarrass me with this emo garbage after he stuck his neck out on the block to protect you!"
The anger flashing across the former ANBU captain's face almost brought a satisfied smirk to Anko's lips. Almost.
"I never asked him to!"
Good. It was a start. Her anger was a better reaction than abject apathy. Anko knew how to handle anger.
"Oh?" Anko casually commented as her trademark trench slapped to the floor near the entrance.
...
Yugao's pause allowed for the Konoha forehead protector to join it as the woman once wearing both calmly bent over at the waist to begin unbuckling her shin guards.
"Um, Anko..." Yugao blinked back totally unsure of what was going on. "What do you think you're doing?"
The kunoichi in question didn't answer choosing to dump her orange mini-skirt and weapons pouches on the floor with the rest of her gear completely unconcerned that her uncovered nipples were poking through her body mesh and that her black high-cut thong was the only thing protecting any sort of modesty.
The truth was that Yugao was still recovering. Though her chakra had fully recovered, her injuries during the Konoha Crush hadn't been healed by Tsunade, and, barring orders from a sitting Hokage, Konoha medical staff would let her heal naturally leaving the seasoned ANBU sore and sluggish until everything finally knitted together. At best, Anko knew she only had another week of advantage at best.
Best to take advantage of that advantage while she could.
"Ankooooooo..."
The grinning Snake Princess completely ignored the warning tone in her purplette-twin's voice.
Two clones of the scantily-clad specialist popped into view, one skipping off to begin warming up the four-person-sized tub while the other began wrestling the unwilling - and more importantly still weak - ANBU Captain out of her sticky, sweaty jammies.
Anko tried not to gag at the way they crinkled like parchment in places.
"You're no help to Naru-chan this way," the original griped out as her mesh crumpled atop the rest of her clothes with a muffled CLINK. She didn't give Yugao's offended pout a chance to morph into outrage before she plowed on with her usual bull-headed diplomacy.
"You think we don't all miss Hayate-kun?"
That comment struck a very sensitive nerve and the older woman flinched as if she'd been slapped.
Yugao's eyes flickered from the determined face of the clone trying to strip her bare - and succeeding - to the angry scowl of her long-time friend. Too bad any retort she was going to fling back faltered at the pained look in the younger woman's eyes.
"We all miss him and want to see the bastard that killed him pay but so help me," Anko nearly growled out as she yanked the ponytail holder out of her marginally lighter shade of purple hair, "if you do something stupid like off yourself or, kami help you, get Naruto killed because of your stupid whining..."
Yugao squawked again as the original tackled her in tandem with her clone removing any vestiges of modesty along with the final holdouts of her sleeping attire, which both promised silently to burn later.
"...I'll come find and kill you myself if you aren't already dead, Yu-chan!"
Unarmed and outgunned, Yugao could do little but sputter and yelp under the unrelenting assault of lavender soap, body luffas, and water.
"It's time you start paying back the debt you owe lady!"
There was a frustrated flail of arms and legs as the two Anko's half-successfully scrubbed the unwilling bather to a reasonable facsimile of cleanliness before dumping her into the warmed bath with an indignant splash.
Yugao's screams of, "Not there!" were pointedly ignored by anyone within two rooms of Yugao's quarters.
~III~
Hiruzen, for the first time, entered the Council Chamber that afternoon as a senior member and not the senior member and felt it to be a refreshing change of pace. Even as Aoba and Raido took their new places flanking the Godaime's chair, Hiruzen took a moment to absorb the nervous energy of the chamber and tried not to feel weighed down by it.
Their arrival meant Kakashi wasn't too far off, a surprising thought considering he was only an hour late this time.
His eyes flickered briefly to the still-empty Hyuuga Clan seat bringing on a momentary pulse of sadness at the loss. Despite their many debates in this chamber, the man cherished his village and often did the right thing when needed. Alas, he couldn't afford to dwell on the past as the Hokage and his new advisors once again drew his attention to the growing debacle that would become another Council gathering of fools.
Remembering the day he walked in on Kakashi discussing those photos with both men, the Sandaime had to wonder how under the influence these two former guardians of the Yondaime were by the sinister Genjutsu affecting Kakashi.
Minato would be incensed if he were alive today.
He would also be ashamed of Hiruzen for his stellar failures to date but that did little to address the current mess.
He still didn't know what to think of the treachery from two of the Yondaime's former guards but assumed it had something to do with the foundation of mistruths Kakashi had been thriving on lately. His disappointment from that realization nearly crushed the old man. Even worse, his attempt to debunk the egregious conspiracy fraud failed in its infancy leading to another round of internal cursing at its deceased originator.
The insidious bastard left one last mess for him to clean up but now he was limited on resources with which to resolve the situation.
Another round of internal swearing made Hiruzen wonder if Tourette's could be developed through old age. In the end, he just gave in and went with it.
'Damn that one-eyed bastard! I should have removed Danzo long before now!'
Soo many past mistakes. Too many.
Shaking himself free of that depression-laced thought spiral, Hiruzen resolved to later chew through options to fix the mess and instead focused on the here and now. Most notably he tried to recenter himself on the liberating feeling of not being the one responsible for dealing with the nest of vipers he found himself sitting among as the lowly Sarutobi Clan Head.
It was an enormously invigorating sensation, almost like a leaf floating on a bracing fall breeze, and, for the first time in a long time, Hiruzen could feel his pulse race at the political intrigue lingering among his fellow council members.
At least until he spied the flash of platinum blond hair he needed desperately to speak with. With a gracious nod of the head, he slipped away from the babbling Inuzuka matron to sidle up next to the semi-retired Yamanaka Clan Head, the urgent need for his counsel driving his steps.
"Ah! Hokage-sama, I didn't see your approach at all."
The old man waved away his sudden start with a mild-mannered smile.
"Is there something you need of me?"
Hiruzen conspiratorily drew the much taller man closer to his side with a not-so-surprisingly strong thumb-forefinger grip on his kimono sleeve.
"We need to speak when there are much fewer ears to overhear. May I impose upon your generous-."
He never got to finish his comment as the large double doors of the chamber opened once again to admit the man of the hour. Kakashi strode in minus his normally lackadaisical gait.
Yamanaka, being quick on the uptake, turned to his former leader indicating he would wait after the meeting by nodding once followed by an accommodating smile and a gentle, "Of course, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen couldn't help but smile at the congenial tone.
The two parted for what promised to be a stirring debate if it required a short-notice assemblage. Hiruzen tried not to roll his eyes while doing so as the civilian side of the room nearly genuflected themselves into a coma. Not for the first time he hoped the fat merchantile lead would "accidentally" smash his brow against the table's edge.
"Let's get started, people." Kakashi paused to eye smile at the Sandaime, one Hiruzen did not miss.
"There are only two items to discuss so I am confident that this sudden interruption in your busy schedules will be minimal and highly productive."
Hiruzen shuddered once, his eyes briefly flicking to Inoichi as the younger man's mouth thinned to a grim line.
"For the first order of business," the former elite Jounin turned Kage seemed to swell with anticipation waiting for people to finally settle down in their seats. "Konoha will be severing all ties with the Uzumaki Clan upon their return from Tetsu no Kuni in one week's time."
Having dropped the first chakra bomb, Kakashi calmly interlaced his fingers beneath his chin and waited.
It didn't take more than ten seconds once his words registered in the minds of both furiously blinking sets of council members, both shinobi and civilian, for the chaos to begin. True to form, Hiruzen braced for the coming explosion predictably from the shinobi side of the house.
Kakashi eye-smiled as the Council writhed and thrashed like a wounded animal.
If they liked this proclamation, he couldn't wait until the topic swung around to Sasuke Uchiha.
~III~
Plip. Plop. Plip. Plop. Scuffle.
Pause.
Plip. Plop. Plip. Plop. Scuffle.
"You really need to save your energy."
Shizune tried not to bristle during her fifth pass of the room's cramped environs for the last hour, the younger girl's voice harping yet again and in that grating tone her fellow captive resonated with as her eyes continued to trace the seams of their earthen room for signs of any weakness to exploit. The girl's nascent belief that someone would come to save her was a deadly one she would not encourage.
Hadn't anyone taken her under their wing prior to her arrival to the Med Nin course to set her straight?
The thought was rather disheartening, as much as it was equally pathetic in her eyes. It hurt all the more that it uncomfortably rivaled her lackluster life following along aimlessly behind her master, a point she tried often not to think about in much detail.
That line of thinking would only lead to more depression and resentment.
How often could you excuse a person's self-destruction and loathing in an effort to not hate yourself for being emotionally compromised because of it?
She had been pointedly ignoring those bitter feelings rising in her gullet once their captors gleefully informed her that the same woman she'd been following for just over two decades was the exact same reason why she was being held captive in the first place. She did swear (internally at least) then only to wonder if her life would end prematurely once she refused to help the injured snake Sannin by declaring his injuries beyond her skill.
They bought the denial... barely. To her continued surprise, they opted to keep her as a bargaining chip for her master, which led her back to her current and failed attempt to escape her earthen prison.
Also, for the fifth time, she silently cursed her shishou for failing to teach her earth manipulation, which was her master's little-known specialty.
She'd given up on the door, which oddly enough remained unlocked all hours of the day. Then again, why lock it when two Oto shinobi stood guard round the clock?
"Are you listening to me?"
'Not really, no,' Shizune sniped to herself.
Shizune grit her teeth trying to block out the annoying voice of her inmate and turned her attention back to the wall space between their cots, her silence encouraging the girl to continue.
"At least you have someone willing to help you," the pinkette groused. "No telling what they'll do once Naruto-baka fails to come in my place."
This line of thinking did make her stop and turn to glare at what she considered to be a useless kunoichi. The nerve. The absolute cheek of the girl to denigrate the very person her continued existence depended on.
"You say that as if you know he'll refuse," Shizune shot back losing all pretense of civility.
She'd seen the Uzu Daimyo from a distance but he seemed like a good-hearted person from her limited exposure. He seemed very warm and friendly with several merchants during the festival portion of the Chunin Exam. Unlike some of the rulers she'd met traveling with her master, he seemed very approachable.
Young Sakura's heavy burst of air behind her chuckle made her seem confident in her belief.
"I wouldn't come were I in his place."
Shizune raised an eyebrow as her annoyance abated behind the desire for a story and waited patiently for an explanation, something the talkative girl noticed producing another sigh before she continued.
"I knew him, well, I knew of him during our early academy days." The girl's face started to darken with flushed blood beneath the surface. "He was annoying to me and kept trying to get me to date him despite my clear affection for Sasuke-ku-."
Sakura straightened up a bit and took a steadying breath.
"Despite my interest in Sasuke Uchiha."
"That doesn't sound like a horrible person to me," Shizune countered. "Just a delusional one." Shizune tried not to judge him harshly not knowing what sparked his interest in the shallow-appearing girl. It certainly wasn't her skill as a kunoichi.
Sakura scoffed. "I didn't want to encourage a nobody orphan thinking it would ruin my chances with the Uchiha heir, so I..." Her voice seemed to fade away.
"I'm sorry but I didn't quite catch that," Shizune prompted as her eyebrows knitted together in growing annoyance. She had a feeling that she knew where this story was headed and her disapproval was growing by the minute.
"I was particularly harsh in my rejection of him!" the girl burst out. "At times," she paused, "I was physically violent."
Shizune's face collapsed into a "what a bitch" sort of glare and the pink blob shrunk further in on herself. Still, she needed the less than helpful kunoichi to focus if there had any hope of getting out alive so she tried to mitigate the damage of her snap judgment.
"Well, if he was abusive or mean spirited I could see where-"
"That's just it," Sakura interrupted. "He never was. He never lashed out at me, whether verbally or physically. He just wouldn't take 'no' for an answer so I tried harder and harder to prove that nothing would come between my love for Sasuke-ku... Sasuke Uchiha."
Shizune Kato, for the first time in a long time, blinked dumbly in response to what she was hearing.
"So, he has very little reason to risk his life for mine."
Unfortunately for Sakura, the pinkette's pity party was having little effect on the more seasoned medical practitioner.
"You mean the same Sasuke Uchiha that abandoned his village for the traitor now holding both of us hostage and spoke not a word in your defense when they threatened to murder us should Konoha not come to our rescue? That Sasuke Uchiha?!"
Screw mutual support. Shizune was ready to slap a hoe.
The seething recrimination in the older woman's voice made the underfed but recovering kunoichi flinch but she did not speak, only nodding her head in silent affirmation.
Shizune's face wrinkled up in displeasure and the recipient of its gaze shrunk even more in on herself if that was even possible as the silence between them drew on. Sure, you can never tell how people will act or change under pressure and the clan survivor was under a lot of pressure with the Council but surely his behavior in the academy had to have been noticeable to those that spent all day each and every day around him.
Someone willing to betray his village at the drop of a hat must have had noticeable tells in his daily behavior. Surely people couldn't have been that blind...
Her mental rant never finished as she glared down at the withering Councilwoman's daughter, the girl's rampant shame radiating from her hunched frame in near-visible waves.
Then it hit her like a charging Akimichi.
Of course, they would have seen it.
They would have seen his behavior just before they wrote it off as "fixable" or "negligible."
With a teeth-sucking huff of air, she pointedly turned around to resume her inspection of the seamless architecture ending their discussion with a mumbled, "You'd better hope he's a better person than you are."
She never saw the tears leaking from the clenched eyes of the pink-haired fangirl lamenting the poorer choices of her life. It would have mattered little once the door to their prison opened to reveal the large one, Jirobo she thought he was called.
She was overjoyed that it wasn't the creepy one, the blue-haired one with conjoined heads. That one gave her the shivers the way he constantly licked his lips whenever she was around.
No, she'd much rather talk to the big one. At least he was courteous even when shackling them in chakra-restraining cuffs like he was currently doing.
"Come along, ladies. It's time to head out to the rendezvous."
Shizune thought the timing was odd even with the time-distorting darkness of their cell. There was no way they'd been underground for a full day and a half. It almost gave her pause enough to seek an escape. One look at the downtrodden pinkette disabused her of that notion.
Sakura may be a person of questionable morality but Shizune was not.
Shizune was positive she could escape but Sakura would suffer for it. Of that, she was certain so she trudged obediently along behind one of her captors until they breached the surface.
Too bad that sinking sensation that they were never getting free only got multitudes stronger once they reached the open air of the former nation of Rice Fields and she glimpsed the force waiting to escort them to their meet-up at the Valley of the End.
~III~
The next morning at the Uzumaki Manor came with a fresh surprise: a still clean (and once again freshly scrubbed) Yugao Uzuki actually making it down to breakfast among the bustling Uzumaki Clan and their retainers. The Cheshire-like grin on Anko's face may have had something to do with that but Keina and Company didn't care as they tried to stuff the emaciated female full of food to make up for lost time.
Nibbling sedately at pieces of fresh fruit and sweetbreads, the damp kunoichi quietly observed the hustle and bustle of her host and his guardians gearing up for war at the kitchen island, the pungent smell of metalworking oils and clean steel mixing rather oddly with mango, strawberries, and bananas.
It reminded her of the ANBU breakroom...
Her chocolate eyes blinked as Keina fussed over her like a mother hen in between drilling contingency plans with her blond savior while critiquing everyone's equipment condition.
They blinked again when she noticed the purple-haired woman that could have passed for her near-identical sister; she'd ask about that little factoid once they got back from wherever it was they were going.
They looked rather focused at the moment and she didn't want to seem ungrateful or intrusive.
It was all rather surreal in the very domestic setting of their lavishly comfortable home complete with large and intimidating males wearing fuzzy-footed pajama onesies.
Someone was going to die in a most horrific fashion - onesies aside - and she was a bit sad not to be joining them. Not that she'd be able to help all that much in her weakened condition.
Anko was right.
She needed to get healthy so she could start training again and the sooner the better.
Maybe she'd even get a shot at Hayate's killer one day.
Small steps, Yugao. Small steps.
~III~
Amegakure Tower of Command
"How certain are we that this is accurate and not a trap to lure us out into the open? How do they even know how to reach out to us?"
A pair of ringed eyes belonging to the Deva Path would have rolled if their owner ever deigned to show the slightest bit of emotion. As it was, Nagato fixed his automaton's eyes upon the masked pest of his organization while the puppet master plotted another way to murder the man behind the scenes.
"It is a logical question, Pein. This did not reach us through Sasori's usual channels."
Somehow the gravelly baritone seemed oddly out of place given the man's more outgoing persona, more intimidating.
It was also all the more reason for him to be petulant and force the man to wait another moment before he responded.
One did not pester a Kami.
"This information comes from a most reputable source."
"Seals, even official ones, can be forged," the masked Uchiha carped.
Deva rose without answering from his high-backed metal seat to languidly stroll across the empty chamber to his usual perch atop the tower safe in the knowledge that only three people ever entered this heavenly Fortress of Sanctuary; Zetsu hated the metal tower as he found it difficult to travel easily through any of the metal buildings in Ame.
The spiraled mask muffled a rather deep-throated snort of amusement.
"We will be ready at the appointed time. You need only to prepare the seals necessary to contain the vessel until we are able to seal it away."
His underlings took the dismissal for what it was and began to fade away one by one.
Konan's grey eyes bounced between the bantering men, her normally stoic features locked into curious inquisition.
"You think these miscreants can pull this off given the vessel's protective detail?" the man calling himself Madara in private conversations scoffed, the way his voice dropped several octaves making her shiver briefly.
His condescending attitude did little to ruffle the mood of Akatsuki's semi-public leader.
"The team selected should be more than adequate. If not, we have excellent health benefits they've yet to use this year."
Another scoff from the masked agitator despite the truth of the statement. It also reminded him that the open season on benefits enrollment was ending soon...
Clearly, this Pein, the more reserved and less approachable face of the group leader, was seldom seen by the rank and file but Obito knew better.
Hubris was not solely the purview of mortal men.
"If all else fails, we can claim him last as originally planned."
The blank eyes of the walking doll did not turn around for Tobi to see his expression.
"He can do little to avoid his fate."
Unspoken was the usual "God Bravado" both occupants were used to hearing. Having had enough of the walking kami complex, Tobi tossed the now collapsing scroll onto the extra long conference table and vanished inside of a swirling chakra maelstrom.
Konan's eyes, once she was certain he'd left, flickered to the settling scroll in time to see the partially broken seal of the Godaime Hokage from Konohagakure no Sato roll to a stop.
~III~
It really was a beautiful day as Konoha began its descent into fall. The leaves were just beginning to turn that nice golden-red hue he liked...
Blond hair and blue eyes took in the milling crowds of the main market thoroughfare with little actual interest. No, the brain behind the whiskered face was too distracted with the task at hand and the risks to those precious to him even in this twisted version of his life.
His body, having been long since set to autopilot, followed silently in the wake of the ever-faithful Umi, the larger man's frame smothering his presence behind a wall of well-muscled flesh.
Umi, when set in protector mode, was an intimidating mass of walking threat that required little effort to part the throng of shopgoers. He was a walking bulwark that afforded plenty of time to think.
He had to admit that the new addition to the hatchling's back made him even more intimidating. It also made the Water Sect adept stand a bit straighter, and walk with a bit more strength in his spine.
It was a good change in his opinion and long overdue.
There were other significant changes in this slide backwards through time yet some things, despite all their efforts, remained unchanged.
It was good to see Yugao on the road to mending her shattered soul. For all the good her smiling face at breakfast indicated, her being under Uzumaki protection was a stark reminder that Hayate, her beloved mate of several years, was dead and not everything could be changed for the better.
He still failed his Genin Test even if the end result was the same; he found a way to pass.
Wave still happened and people he knew still died. It was just different people.
Orochimaru, despite knowing his intentions and even the major workings of his plan, still got what he wanted and that bastard Sasuke still got away.
His successful record was looking very shaky.
Blue eyes narrowed to angry slits.
Not one to believe in that fate nonsense, it was beginning to look like some things were unavoidable.
The blond mane of spikes shook along with the side-to-side motion of its owner's head to help clear the cobwebs. Those were riddles for another day.
Another subtle change in direction. Another minor shift in their flow through the crowd and suddenly the noise opened up drawing his attention to the less-crowded press of bodies.
They'd reached the northern gate without him noticing the passing of time and distance. There was no helping it now...
Given that the northern gate rarely opened due to its proximity to the northern clan section of the village, there was plenty of privacy for the Godaime's predictable reaction to their arrival.
"Uzumaki-Omo," his trademark eye smile noticeably absent, "you're almost under-dressed for rapid travel today."
The blond chose not to respond right away and instead brushed some imaginary dirt from his pristine hakama trousers. There wasn't a single weapon visible upon his body unless you counted ornamental fans in that category.
Not out of the question for an accomplished wind user but also not the point.
"Did you not receive my missive?" Kakashi appeared to be torn between disappointment and elation at the same time.
"Oh, we received it and gave it the appropriate level of concern it required," the attractive redhead shot back.
Keina's voice took up the impromptu interrogation with her usual smirk despite the growing amount of fear and concern blowing up on the face of Mebuki Haruno being hugged by her husband standing just to the Hokage's left side. Everyone in the Uzumaki party saw conversations die the moment they appeared and Umi stepped aside to give Naruto an unfettered view of the gathered.
That was about the point at which panic, raw and unfiltered, began to seize control of Mebuki's heart and facial extremities.
As a former Genin, she had a basic understanding of shinobi protocol. Her role as a leader among her merchant clan gave her a detailed understanding of geography and now she was beginning to add up the sums she was being presented with.
One plus one was definitely not adding up to "two" here.
Kakashi, unlike his panicking Councilor, took a second to enjoy the moment that his plans were coming to fruition.
"You do know what this means... yes?"
His smug look of self-satisfaction was enough to let the Uzumakis know what was on his mind and put both Tsunade and Hiruzen on edge. The latter both knew that renewed conflict would not help in the retrieval of their stolen shinobi.
"We don't have time for this!" Tsunade's voice rang out with just enough concern to jar loose the Godaime's focus on the blond Daimyo out for a stroll.
"No, of course, we don't." His concession was half-hearted at best.
Without taking his creepy smile off of the former Genin, a single wave of his left hand towards the large gate saw the smaller personnel door swing open. Through that doorway stepped a five-man ANBU cell of seasoned assassins bracketing the last Senju.
The blond pointedly nodded to her once making sure that she caught the confident smirk on his face.
Once the door closed, the Uzumaki delegation turned to leave only to halt at one final call from Konoha's latest dictator.
"Finally showing your true colors then?"
Ocean blue eyes pivoted around to glare at the smug scarecrow trying to placate a near-hysterical Mebuki, his hands gently holding at patting her own.
"No more than Konoha did the two months it deliberated in Council whether or not to send aid to Uzushio," Naruto countered.
"Not this same old tired argument," the silver-haired Kage sighed.
Keina snorted in laughter even as she placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to keep him at bay. "This argument never expired because Konoha's own Council records bear out the truth."
Kakashi's hand flapped in the wind in a futile attempt to wave it away. "I was not in charge at the time."
"That's irrelevant, Kakashi, since Konoha never made amends for their treachery and you are clearly the one in charge today." Keina's eyes narrowed right above that perfect smile, er, smirk the masked nin secretly loved.
By all the Kamis, she was a gorgeous slice of a woman even if she was a fake.
"So you would let my daughter pay for this village's inaction?!" Mebuki's hysteria was beginning to blossom as her panicked eyes flickered rapidly between the Uzukage and her mini-Daimyo.
"She's never harmed you!"
The blond gaped and sputtered, his right pointer finger rising in the air to refute the woman's argument with documented historical facts and medical records.
Keina merely reapplied pressure to his shoulder sharp enough to make his mouth click shut with authority.
"Councilwoman, let's be honest with each other," the redhead cooed.
(Mebuki) Blink. Blink.
"What do mean by that?"
"You know exactly how your daughter behaved around Uzumaki-Omo. Did she or did she not share her stories with you when she visited you in your public offices?"
Keina's tone was almost conversational.
(Mebuki) Blink. Blink.
"Um, I-I don't... I can't..."
"...and did you or did you not share those stories with Councilwoman Ayano and Councilman Hifumi on an almost weekly basis?"
Mebuki blanched paler than her normal fish-belly white complexion. As the rise in her fear skyrocketed, she'd unconsciously reached out to clinch the Hokage's robes for reassurance, much to the taller man's annoyance.
He was in public though, so the "Caring Kage" could only pat her hand in response as her panic ticked upwards another notch. He was also hoping no one noticed him gently prying her fingers away from his official robes.
For Mebuki Haruno, her mind was a whirling mess. Those conversations were supposed to be intimate, personal affairs. Any thought of the Hokage spying on Council members, given Keina's former position as the ANBU Commander, brought up many reasons to be terrified as she tried to replay each one over in her mind.
(Mebuki) Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink.
"H-How do you-... when d-d-did you..."
She never finished her question before the powerful Kunoichi's palm halted her sputtering attempt to evade reprobation.
"Suffice to say, we'll not be surrendering our ruling heir in exchange for a fresh Genin, no matter how important a figure her mother may or may not be."
Keina politely nodded her head at the distinguished Councilwoman.
The smaller blond scoffed as he turned to walk away and Mebuki's heart plummeted to her feet. True she'd never outright attacked or worked against the former orphan but she also never went out of her way to assist or defend him either.
To be completely honest, her abstention during any vote remotely related to the largely unwanted child provided her political neutrality with her peers giving her an image of fairness she exploited in the extreme fostering the success of her family business. She never had a need to coerce Sakura into any sort of malicious behavior as her own peers saw to that; children naturally sought to "fit in" and, when it came down to it, Sakura was the, "it's you or me" type of girl and her selfish nature all but guaranteed the Kyuubi vessel would bear the brunt of being unpopular.
Mebuki knew it yet did absolutely nothing to curtail it. To be honest, she savored each incident of abuse like a fine wine not because she liked abusive stories but because it allowed her daughter to display dominance in a predominately male profession, which would be good for overcoming her terrible social anxiety.
The orphan boy simply provided an emotional outlet.
She couldn't jeopardize her cultivated image after all. That simply would not do.
Looking back over it all, the whole situation was the best of both worlds politically speaking. At least it was until now when her intentions reached up to bite her squarely in the rear with Sakura's disappearance.
Seeing as how the scarlet kunoichi was turning her attention back to the Hokage, she was beginning to wonder if all their chickens were in fact coming home to roost in the most uncomfortable of places.
"As for you Kakashi, who are we kidding? Konoha ended our alliance decades ago. You're only now getting around to making it official."
The one-eyed nin eye smiled lazily. "I admit to nothing."
Keina's return smile was equally evasive.
"Of course, you don't."
The Uzumaki party didn't stick around to see Kakashi hand off a now distraught Mebuki to her husband and flicker away.
They were not privy to his happy giggling as plans were being made to ensure more than their departure from Konoha's safe environs.
They wouldn't have cared anyway since their focus was already beyond the village's thick walls. It also stayed that way until the group re-entered the Uzumaki compound and, once the doors closed and the seals were again charged, allowed the six Guardians to vanish in small puffs of chakra smoke.
An hour north of Konoha, a single clone processed the memories of the now "deceased" Guardian clones and then dispelled itself in a smokeless release.
Another hour further north from there, another clone repeated the process.
Yet another repeated the process an hour north of that.
At that exact moment, only four hours north of Konoha and moving at speeds more suitable to high-level shinobi traveling in the upper tree branches of Konoha's forest, nine hooded and masked figures were ghosting along the shinobi superhighway, the laborer disguises they'd worn to escape Konoha's gate sentries long abandoned as the wind whistled harmlessly in their passing.
Having left Konoha right after breakfast, Naruto would be damned if the Snake bastard caused any more pain to his beloved Baa-chan, even if their relationship was a bit strained this time around. He'd be damned to hell if he let this happen again and he'd take the snake pedo with him if at all possible.
Six Guardians, two Sirens, and one Walker were making good time towards the Valley of the End.
Naruto only hoped they would be early enough to get a good lay of the land before everything went to hell.
~III~
Hikari was trying to be very still in her chosen task. Excessive motion tended to draw attention and, despite being fortunate enough to be assigned under Jirobo-taichou, he was nearby.
He gave her the creeps and she already had her hands full trying not to draw Lord Orochimaru's gaze whenever they were encamped at home.
People that drew attention to themselves in the Otokage's focus invariably ended up strapped to a dissection table.
So she made sure to stay very still sitting safely in the middle of their campsite at the valley of the end, which lay far from Otogakure's true location hidden deep in the Yubiwa Forest. It was at best a temporary reprieve but safe (relatively speaking) was still safe. She'd take it for what it was.
Sitting still meant that she could slouch a bit and hide her modest figure in the bulky combat garb made standard issue to Oto shinobi. For some reason, it also muddled her chakra signature making it easier to control and use the flow of her life-giving energy by masking some of the tenketsu emissions from the surface of her skin.
All she knew was that it had something to do with the odd-colored patches of coloring in their clothes breaking up their ambient chakra through a random dispersion pattern, some kind of chakralitic dye.
It was effective despite the unattractive camo pattern and every little bit helped.
She hadn't had time to fully master her trade before she abandoned Konoha so there were some things she was still kind of figuring out on her own. The Leaf Barrier Division was a good learning source so her time as a Konoha kunoichi wasn't completely wasted. It just wasn't long enough.
She was happy to escape with what was left of Oto's shinobi once her job as a spy officially ended with the invasion. In her mind, it served the traitorous village right for bringing in and executing her nii-san over some stupid flashy sword.
So what if it once belonged to some powerful shinobi. That was her brother and Aoi deserved more than a traitor's death on the executioner's block.
He'd served faithfully for years despite his jealous superiors taking credit for his hard work. She used to listen with rapt attention as he'd relay his adventures and how they kept holding him back, about how he'd get his revenge one day.
Now it was too late and she'd never again be able to sneak away to visit him in Istoria.
Konoha found him where he lay hidden, where his letters said he'd be safe. Apparently, he was not safe enough. They'd finally dragged him back to the village murdering him in cold blood.
Now she had no reason to pretend anymore.
So she fled to Lord Orochimaru at the first opportunity rather than watch his execution but then the game of "Predator Hide and Seek" began while she continued to build up her own strength.
One day she'd be strong enough to avenge him but, for now, she needed to be careful. She'd always been a talented sensor nin but talent in Otogakure often brought the worst kind of attention.
It brought the surgical kind of attention she didn't want at the moment so here she sat limiting her twelve-kilometer sensor range to just under five. She was doing her best to modulate her range and focus on the immediate area around their camp while filtering out the disgusting feeling of Sakon's and his symbiotic twin's chakra.
Jirobo's heavy footsteps stopping next to her snapped Hikari's eyes open and up to meet his searching gaze.
"Hai, taichou?"
His grunt sounded a lot like, "Anything?"
Hikari shook her head in the negative and he grunted in addition to his head nodding once. She understood the unspoken message that came with it. Like her taichou, it was simple and straightforward.
Keep up the good work. Let me know when that changes.
At least, that was how she interpreted his meaning.
In the next moment, he was thumping the earth as he moved to join the other two, to keep the one away from her Hikari liked to believe. The leaders.
Hikari ducked her head one more time blocking out the nervous energy of the two hostages and the associated noise of their camp. Pushing her awareness outwards again in the increasing spiral pattern she'd learned at the feet of her brother's traitors, the green-haired kunoichi settled in for another multi-hour wait for something to happen and, for a few hours at least, she peacefully did just that while trying to ignore the greasy feeling of Sakon's eyes on her back.
She sat near the fire, ignored the hostages, and kept her awareness up. What else was there?
Their force had moved out a half-day early to set up two camps, their smaller one here in the Land of Fire and their main camp back across the border in the Land of Sound. They were hours ahead of schedule and the larger camp holding the bulk of their forces was hidden safely across the border just ten kilometers away, mere minutes in terms of ninja speed.
Nothing was supposed to happen until closer to sunset so she had time to relax.
That's why it was all the more disturbing to feel a large chakra signature flare to life at the southern edge of her passive detection range headed in their direction. It was moving with five others in tow.
She smiled and signaled to Jirobo-taichou indicating the expected direction and how many.
Then she immediately froze at the second and much more massive signature off to the east sweeping northward across the river border between Fire and Sound. It dwarfed anything she'd ever felt before, even the chakra signature of Lord Orochimaru and that terrified her for some reason.
Worse still it was in high-speed motion.
Correction, it was also moving at inhuman speeds and on a direct collision course with their main camp, a moving swath of power dwarfing all chakra around it for hundreds of meters in a near-perfect sphere.
She had just enough time to leap to her feet and shout a warning to Jirobo-taichou, her eyes filled with alarm.
Then that massive chakra signature swallowed the northern camp and all she could detect was panic from smaller signatures she could no longer detect.
But the fear, she could clearly feel all of that from where she was and it made her skin crawl, her spine shiver.
Just like that, what little was left of her feeling of safety vanished like so much smoke from the campfire and the terror in her eyes screamed at Jirobo louder than her original plea.
The leaders clearly noticed judging by their reactions.
Kimimaro-san spurred everyone into action with a hissed, "Leave everything not immediately important."
That was enough to jar the three Jounin into motion and they began laying sandal leather to anyone not moving with purpose. They knew it would be glorified nanny duty but the urgency behind the Kaguya's order sent shivers down every spine, not just her own.
Anything that worried him was to be shown a healthy amount of respect.
Then, just as suddenly, all motion stopped and focused on the southern treeline of their camp.
"You're not thinking about skipping out on our... understanding... are you?"
Five emotionless masks of porcelain stood surrounding a blonde tart with a chest that defied all the laws of physics.
"Tsunade," Kimimaro-san hissed.
Hikari, mid-reach for her travel pack, couldn't help but join the muttered curses of her fellow nin-fodder, her desire to flee only compounded with the unnerving stares from five motionless ANBU masks.
For the first time, Hikari felt her dead brother may have been on to something with his "Flee-First" mentality.
Sometimes it really sucked being a low-ranking nukenin.
~III~
A/N: A chunk of filler to chew through to get caught up. We are building to a nice conclusion at this point so strap in avid readers and I'll see you next update.
~Siva'a