I do not own Naruto

Evening, Tazuna's house

"Hatchlings, I'm here!" announced Risu, grinning from ear to ear

"Yosh! Welcome home, Risu-san" greeted Gai

"You seem happy, Risu-san. Found anything useful?" asked Kurenai

"You haven't heard half of it! Turns out, our mission is basically done. Zabusa is planning to kill Gato, Gato is planning to kill Zabusa, there are shipments of materials coming on the Fire country's side of the bridge and once the bridge is done, the fire Daimyo is ready to send in a platoon of samurai to secure the bridge and deal with whatever remains of Gato's thugs. All we have to do is sneak a few workers on the bridge, give Zabusa a little push to deal with the bastard before attacking you and clean up a few bandits dumb or cowardly enough to think attacking an impoverished village is better than trying to take Gato's money."

Tsunami dropped the dish she was carrying, tears in her eyes

"You mean that…it's over? Gato has lost?"

Risu nodded.

"Thank you. Kami, thank you." Tsunami started to sob, the weight of what must have been months if not years of hardships had just disappeared. Wave was going to be free. After a few more moments, she stood up, bowing in gratitude to the shinobi and left to tell her father the news.

"Sensei, is it wise to let everyone know this? Wouldn't it put them in danger?" asked Sakura

"Unlikely. Both Zabusa and Gato are planning to betray each other, if rumors start to spread about it it will only increase the tension between them and the chances of them actually killing one another before I can plant some evidence of Gato's betrayal increase."

Kiba frowned "So Gato is not planning to betray Zabusa?"

"Oh no, he is very much planning to betray him. He's just smart enough to not produce any evidence. And speaking of evidence… Hatchlings! Great work with your intel gathering. I think you're ready for some training on more advanced espionage techniques."

"Yatta! Team 7 is the best! 'ttebayo!" shouted Naruto

"Yosh! That's great news for you guys! Such youthful news is cause for celebration! Is it right, Gai-sensei?"

"Of course it is Lee!" exclaimed Gai, flashing his smile at his student

Risu ignored the two, returning to his students. "I caught a glimpse of your training. Want to elaborate what you did exactly?"

"Me and Sasuke followed Gai-sensei's crazy regiment. Lots of physical exercises, but they showed a couple kicks I think I can use in my knife katas." said Naruto.

"After a bit I went to train with Tenten. She's good, but apart from a few tips on how to throw my sword, there was nothing worth mentioning" commented Sasuke.

"I spent the day with Kurenai. She taught me how to break free from genjutsu and I spent most of the day training how to recognize and dispel them." said Sakura.

"Genjutsu kai… honestly it's probably something I should have taught you already. If you can, try to teach that to both Naruto and Sasuke and then spend the rest of the day with Kurenai-san trying to master it. Sasuke, for this exercise I suggest you alternate between using your Sharingan and not using it, get a feel on what feels different and what stays the same. Unfortunately there isn't much written on it, so you'll have to learn by doing."

Sasuke looked at his sensei as if he had grown a second head. "What do you mean that I should use my Sharingan?"

"That you should activate it. What else do you think I was referring to?" asked Risu, somewhat confused at Sasuke's reaction.

"Sensei, I haven't unlocked the Sharingan yet."

"You haven't? That's unusual… Do you remember what happened on the first of October five years ago?"

Sasuke snarled. As if he could ever forget the night. "Of course I do."

"And that's the unusual part. The Sharingan is activated by intense stress and emotional turmoil. If that night doesn't qualify I don't know what could. Can you try channeling chakra into your eyes?"

Sasuke was getting angry. How dare he make fun of that day? Claiming he had the Sharingan for five years and simply never noticed? Absurd, simply absurd. He trusted the man, and now he was mocking him? As he glared at the Hyuuga, his vision started to shift, becoming sharper. The world seemed to slow down and he could see a faint blue aura around sensei's body.

Naruto and Sakura gasped, pointing at him. Before he could understand what they were muttering, Risu-sensei placed a mirror in front of his face. Staring back at him was his own reflection with two red eyes, each carrying a single tomoe.

Sasuke froze.

"I…I had the Sharingan this whole time?"

"I'm honestly surprised no one tried to check for it." Risu looked at his student with concern.

"Hey Sasuke, are you ok? You have the Sharingan now! It's a good thing, no?" asked Naruto

"Yes! I mean, no… I mean…" stumbled Sasuke, unsure what to say.

Risu clapped his hands, snapping Sasuke's out of his musing before they could even start.

"Ok hatchlings, it's getting late and we all have a lot of things to do tomorrow. Why don't you three go to sleep?"

Sasuke nodded, not trusting his voice. He had the Sharingan. He unlocked the Sharingan five years ago. He had had the Sharingan for five years and didn't even notice it. He was supposed to be an elite. Uchiha were supposed to be elites, and yet he somehow failed to notice he had the Sharingan for FIVE FUCKING YEARS. Almost in trance, he went to his bed, Sharingan still activated, staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours, before Kiba's loud voice called him downstairs for breakfast. Still processing, he followed his teammate downstairs for what he knew was going to be a miserable day.

That same morning, Gato's mansion

Risu was once again sifting through Gato's finances. Tsunami had spread the news about what he said yesterday and, as expected, the rumor spread like wildfire. One of Gato's men was going to betray him and had already made a deal with the fire Daimyo to ensure Wave would prosper as a protectorate of Fire country. He wasn't sure exactly how the rumors of a missing nin wanted to kill his employer turned into a Daimyo annexing a neighboring nation, but he had sent his fastest summon to inform the Hokage of what happened. The Hokage would then discuss it with the Daimyo and the two would decide how to deal with the situation. Sending a handful of samurai and maybe one of two teams of ANBU was well worth expanding their territory and gaining a new base for sea commerce, but they had to consider how many resources would be required to protect Wave, not to mention the potential reaction of other nations. If handled incorrectly, this had the potential to spark a war. A lot of things way above his pay, but that could be a great teaching moment. Foreign politics were a complicated matter, but one Naruto had to learn to navigate if he truly wanted to become Hokage one day.

Still, for now he needed to look for something that would accelerate Zabusa's plans. Maybe some kind of evidence that Gato had a history of hiring missing nin and not paying them? Possible, but a bit convoluted. Perhaps some correspondence with Kiri? Maybe signed by Yagura's jonin commander? Certainly easier to believe and far more in line with Gato's ambitions. He finally found some private correspondence, analyzing it for speech patterns or unusual expressions that, if absent, would cause Zabusa to question the authenticity of the letter. He quickly scanned the building with his Byakugan and, once he was sure no one would come snooping around Gato's office, he started to read the letters.

One hour later, he had forged a series of six letters bearing the seal of the Mizukage's office discussing Zabusa's death and the percentage of the bounty Gato would be entitled to. Risu was extremely pleased to have kept the fake Mizukage stamps he had made back when he was stationed in Kiri before the bloodline purges started. He hid the fake letters within Gato's private correspondence and started to work on the final piece: the letter he would deliver to Zabusa, the one from Gato to Kiri where the imaginary hunter ninjas were given a date and a place to ambush Zabusa and his apprentice. He finished the letter by borrowing Gato's stamps and left the office with a Shunshin.

A disguised Risu stopped in front of Zabusa's hideout, checking his contacts to make sure they hid his Byakugan. On the way there he had snapped the neck of one of Gato's thugs and was carrying the slumped corpse over his shoulder. He had spent some time breaking the corpse's fingers and pulled out a tooth to make it look like the man had been tortured for information to better sell his act. He stepped into the clearing and started walking, fully aware of the fact that Zabusa's apprentice had spotted him. A small hail of senbon hit the ground in front of him, halting his advance.

"You are not supposed to be here, leaf ninja. Turn around."

"Are you Zabusa's apprentice? I have something for him."

"I am Zabusa-sama's weapon. You have nothing that interests us, ninja-san. Turn around and leave."

Risu faked an exasperated sigh "Look, it's nothing big. I just need to deliver him a letter. I can leave it here if you'd prefer."

"A letter from who?" asked a new voice from the treetops.

Risu turned around, faking surprise. He swallowed.

"F-from Gato to a jonin named Juzu Karatachi. I think… I think you may want to read it."

Zabusa's eyes narrowed when he heard the name of Yagura's cousin and jonin commander.

"And do you care to tell me how you came to have such an important letter?"

"I…I was investigating the rumors going on in the village. A…After hearing about the fire Daimyo, Gai-san ordered me to check all communications in and out of the country."

Zabusa looked at the corpse. He showed obvious signs of torture, that must have been how that ninja found out about their location. He glanced at the Konoha ninja, but after a few seconds he was pretty sure the man was an unknown with no bounty. He couldn't even notice a clan symbol. Fighting him would be a waste of time.

"Me and Haku will take it from here. Drop the letter and the corpse, then scram."

"Of course!" Risu did as requested and bolted away into the treeline.

Zabusa shook his head in disappointment.

"Coward. These tree huggers are way too soft."

He approached the letter and, after checking for any exploding tag or other nasty surprise, turned it over and started to read the content.

Haku saw his master rip the letter into pieces in fury. He had never seen Zabusa so angry.

"Haku! We're going to the midget's office. I need confirmation."

Risu smirked, following their movement with his Byakugan. As expected, Zabusa barged into Gato's office and started trashing the place looking for the letters he planted. Soon, Gato marched up to his office, screaming at Zabusa who, in turn, had located the letters. Gato didn't even have the time to say anything that Zabusa had already cleaved the man in two and was screaming obscenities while mutilating the corpse of the shipping magnate.

Risu smiled. Another job well done.

Lunch time, at Tazuna's home

"No matter how hard you train, you're no match for Gato's men! No matter what glorious claims you make or how hard you work, when facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed!" Shouted Inari with tears streaming down his face,

"Old man, break out the sake! Gato's dead and Zabusa is running away!" Announced Risu while barging through the door.

The silence became almost palpable.

Risu had to restrain himself from smirking. He had been waiting ten minutes hoping to make a grandiose announcement and he couldn't ask for better timing than this.

"D-did you kill him, Risu-san?" stuttered Hinata

"Nope. Convinced Zabusa that Gato was about to sell him out to Kiri. He was so pissed he practically turned Gato into mincemeat. Kubikiribocho is one hell of a weapon, let me tell you."

"I was so close to one of the legendary swords and I didn't even get to see it" mumbled Tenten in disappointment.

"Yosh! Although I cannot condone such unyouthful methods, we have a lot to celebrate! Everyone, let us cheer to a Wave free of Gato!" shouted Gai, breaking the silence and starting the celebrations. Tazuna broke out his best sake and started to cry as the group shared a toast. The lunch was poor, but filling and soon enough, the shinobis were ready to resume their duties.

While Tsunami was cleaning the dishes, the sensei gather up their genins at the table "Since Gato has died, his goons are now without a leader. While it's true that most of them will head to the mansion to steal as much as they can carry, it is very possible that some of them may decide to attack the village. That means that for today and tomorrow we're going to halt all training and focus all our attention on patrolling the village." Announced Kurenai

Risu handed each of the genins a flare " If you see any number of thugs heading towards the city, light a flare and we'll come to provide support. If you see a green flare, ignore it and let us jonin handle it. If you see a red flare, run back here and barricade the house to the best of your abilities. If you see a blue flare, it means you can abandon your post to link up wherever the blue flare was fired."

Risu silently handed everyone a red and a green flare, keeping the blue ones for the sensei.

Gai nodded, unrolling a map of Wave. "Yosh! As you can see on this map, we have divided the village into sectors and assigned each of you one. Do not leave your sector unless you see a red or a blue flare. Now, friends, let's head out!"

A few minutes into guarding their sectors, team 7 got a message via their sensei's centipedes, assigning them the secret mission to spend their time there observing the population and try to read their lips. Sasuke was not allowed to use the Sharingan for it, but his centipede also gave him a pair of colored contacts, with the instructions to put them on to get used to their feeling, but take them out as soon as he got uncomfortable or the vision started to become blurred. Sasuke didn't have the energy to protest, his sleepless night robbing him of his usual energy.

Notes

About Sasuke's sharingan... yeah, kinda had to have unlock it this way because from all the information we get on how it works in Shippuden, it's pretty clear that Sasuke should have activated it on the night of the Uchiha Massacre. I was debating having Sasuke subconscioully repressing the Sharingan and forcing him to go to therapy, but ended up scrapping that idea