Empty

by zzzgnas

There is nothing worse in the world than the feeling of complete and utter helplessness. That empty feeling you get when you've lost everything and you know there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Uzumaki Naruto was four when he experienced this feeling for the first time. And from then on... nothing had gone right... Strong! Naruto. Third Ninja War Timeline.

6. Chapter 6 - The Aftermath

Chapter-6

The Aftermath

"How come we've never seen this kid before? A talented kid with bright red hair should have been noticed by someone, right?"

*Flashback, About 4 Years Ago, Konohagakure*

Kushina jerked awake, tears in her eyes. 'Damn it, not again.'

She'd lost her home more than 2 years ago. And almost every day since then… It was like this. Her nightmares never seemed to cease. Despite the fact that she wasn't there during the massacre, her mind had no problems concocting visions of those events to plague her sleep. Two years of suffering these horrible nightmares, she had come to live with it…

But she could handle it now. She had come to terms with it. But sometimes, it was worse.

On days where her inner tenant was agitated, she would get the same visions. Only, she would be the one doing the killing. It puzzled her to no end how amazingly clear her visions were, despite the fact that when it happened, she was in a medically induced coma, in a hospital room in Konoha. After all, the tailed beast wasn't being sealed in a baby. There were bound to be complications because of her developed chakra coils' inability to accept the massive influx of chakra. She came out of the coma, three days after the news reached them. There was no way she could know, in this much detail, the tragedy that befell her home.

Even this, she could handle. It was sometimes even worse.

Ironically, the worst nightmare she had didn't have any gory deaths in it. Just a small red-haired boy calling out for his sister.

…

…

She shook herself. Her mind was dragging back all those painful memories. No good came from remembering how she'd abandoned her little brother.

Shaking herself, she got into a meditative pose and started whispering to herself.

'Look at the stars, Kushina. They are beautiful. They are the one constant in the world. No matter where you are, you can always see the stars. If not today, the next day. But they're always there. Even when you can't see them.'

Slowly she opened her eyes and got off the bed. Putting on a more cheerful face, she set about doing her morning chores. She made the bed, started breakfast preparations and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. It was then that she thought to look at the time.

Shiiiitt!

She was late. She was very very late. It was her first day as a Chunin of Konoha and she was already almost a half hour late.

Even as she hurried with her preparations, a small voice in the back of her mind couldn't help but speak out. 'It's their own damn fault. Shift changes could easily be set to happen at 9 o' clock instead of 5… Hmph!'

*10 Minutes Later, The North Gate*

"You're late!" Mikoto yelled accusingly at the redhead grinning sheepishly at her. Unknown to Kushina, she had also been about 10 minutes late and was forced to listen to a considerable amount of pent up anger and frustration from the older chunin they were supposed to relieve.

But Kushina didn't know that and she still hadn't apologized for switching her hair shampoo with detergent which led to a very embarrassing first date with Fugaku. Kushina wasn't going to be let off the hook anytime soon. She was going to be hung in the air and made to twist for her amusement.

"Ma ma, sorry Miko-chan. You know it wasn't on purpose." Kushina spoke softly, her mind far away.

Mikoto immediately lost her mock anger. Kushina replying politely wasn't in the realm of normal things. And abnormal things made any shinobi nervous.

"Kushina, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare again?"

Kushina looked away in apparent shame. "It was nothing, Mikoto. I didn't see anything too bad."

Mikoto was about to press for answers but one look at her best friend's silently pleading face and Mikoto reigned her words in. 'It was probably Naruto… Again…' She instead, decided to lighten the mood. "You know you'll be buying me dinner for a week right?"

Kushina looked at her in surprise. "Huh?"

"You messed up my date with Fugaku. You remember what we agreed on, right? Anything me, you or Hitomi does that messes majorly with any of our day-to-day lives, free dinner for the two victims for a week."

Kushina cursed. She had recently gone on a lavish eating marathon to celebrate her promotion to chunin. She was low on funds.

She could probably have weaseled her way out of it, but she didn't get the chance to argue. The warning seals on their outpost lit up. Someone was coming. And from how fast the seals were turning red, they were coming in fast.

Kushina was the one who snapped out of it first. Running through hand seals, she began activation procedures for the first barrier. They were both surprised at the quick response they received from the Barrier team. They'd always known that some sort of ANBU division maintained the barriers, their last line of defense, but they didn't think they were the sort of quick response teams that worked around the clock in the village.

Either way, it turned out to be a false alarm because the man rushing toward the village was a well-known shinobi of the leaf. In fact, he was one of the strongest, most successful shinobi. He was one of the legendary Sannin, a sealmaster, an expert on Fire Ninjutsu and a master summoner. That was why neither Mikoto nor Kushina expected him to be in the state he was in, when he came into view.

"Jiraiya-sama. Are you okay?" Mikoto spoke in concern.

A semi-conscious Jiraiya didn't bother replying. He unsealed a scroll from a storage seal somewhere in his hand and held it out. Kushina's sharp eyes didn't fail to see that it was a body scroll. Did something go wrong in the mission? Did someone die?

Jiraiya's half-open eyes finally looked out at the people in front of him and saw the red-eyed Uchiha clan heiress. In the back of his mind, he recalled that she was an extraordinary talent and was on her way to becoming one of the best shinobi in the village. He couldn't help but smile at his luck. The outpost wasn't being manned by the usual duffers that couldn't tell a kunai and a shuriken apart. His hand moved forward to hand off the scroll. "Get this scroll to the hospital. Notify the Hokage also. He will-"

His hand froze mere millimetres away from Mikoto's hand. His exhausted mind had finally noticed her. The red-haired kunoichi, staring intently into his eyes. This was Uzumaki Kushina, the sole survivor of the massacre at Uzushio… Or so, he'd thought until very recently. With all he'd seen in the past few days, this was undoubtedly the worst situation he could've walked into. Summoning up the last of his reserves, he disappeared.

Mikoto and Kushina blinked in confusion. What the fuck just happened? Soon, the ANBU, part of the barrier maintenance team arrived and they were left to the troublesome task of explaining that Jiraiya of the Sannin was the reason they activated the barrier. And also that somehow, 'Jiraiya' had disappeared before they could ask anything.

This being their first day on the job, the ANBU didn't hesitate to write it off as some sort of mistake and they both received their first black marks in their young careers. It was only a couple days later that the Hokage met with them both and explained things. Jiraiya ran into a dangerous criminal on his mission and successfully captured him but took a few hits in the process. Delirious with pain and exhaustion, he wasn't thinking too clearly when he reached Konoha. He indicated that the events of that day were an S-rank secret.

Mikoto and Kushina accepted all that reluctantly. They both knew something was wrong about that. After all, why would Jiraiya want a criminal to be taken to a hospital? But being newly made chunin, they weren't in a position to question anything. Jiraiya later found them and offered his sincere apologies for involving them in that mess. He also told them that he'd make sure that the marks on their record would be removed.

Since then, none of the three shinobi involved even thought about the events of that day… Until years later, they were forced to.

Present Time, 4 Days Later, Ninja Academy, Room 309

The journey back had been quiet. No one talked. Yuna was worried for her team. They weren't talking to each other. When they found Naruto's stretcher empty, they didn't know what to think. After a few minutes of frantic searching, they found him coming down a hill with Kakashi, of all people, accompanying him.

It was there, the argument started. Anko chewed him out for doing something so reckless. She said Orochimaru was right. His recklessness would get him killed someday. Most of all, Anko yelled at him about doing it all alone. They were right there with him. He could have just asked them for help.

It didn't help that Naruto brushed her off like she'd said nothing important. "Tch. I'm not going to apologize for killing the bastards that killed my friends." That was what he said to them before walking away. Yuna had seen something in his eyes then. Something dark. It troubled her that her easy going, friendly teammate was no longer the same.

It also didn't help when Mikoto, Team 13's sensei came to them and asked for the body scroll. She was in tears. Naruto practically threw the scroll at her, who caught it, surprised. "You should never have passed him." With that, Naruto stormed off leaving behind a broken Mikoto and a frowning Yuna who tried hard to console her.

Since then, Naruto said nothing, not even to their sensei. Yuna had never thought that being silent would be so difficult. She hated the fact that she couldn't do anything to get them to talk again. She even asked Orochimaru who just told her to give it some time.

After a long and uncomfortable journey, they finally arrived in Konoha. Yuna just wanted to go home, take a shower and sleep somewhere that actually gave way to weight. She was heavily sleep-deprived from being unable to sleep on the ground. A good night's sleep would do her good and she hoped it would help her teammates as well.

But alas, it was not meant to be. As soon as they arrived back in the village, they were asked to report to Room 309 at the ninja academy. Groaning, the group of genin made their way there. For the past 3 hours, they had been sitting there, watching as teams were called inside a room and after a few minutes allowed to leave, looking pretty shaken up, some even in tears.

It only added to their frustration that the teams were being called in order of their seniority which meant that they would be either last or second to last. It was not entirely boring though. Team 7 was also with them. Yuna was able to at least talk with Obito and Rin. The both of them had also been suffering from the relative silence of the past few days.

Once again demonstrating their immense lack of luck, Team 7 was called in first. For the first time in the past few days, both her teammates let out some sound as they both groaned out loud. They even smiled at each other briefly at their mutual displeasure. Obito and Rin smiled apologetically at them as they made their way to the adjoining room.

Yuna sighed. Things were just not going good for them. The same time last week, they were all relatively happy, eating and laughing together without a care in the world. Even Kakashi had smiled for the shortest of moments (or at least, she thought he did. Damn mask…).

Now, a third of them was gone forever. Things would probably never be the same again.

They didn't have to wait as long as Yuna thought. Then, she mentally smacked herself. She'd heard their story from Obito and Rin. It was all very straightforward and short. Kakashi had handled the situation brilliantly and there were no casualties. What would they have to say that they hadn't already put in the report?

Obito and Rin reassured her that there was nothing to worry about before leaving with Kakashi. So, she was feeling pretty good when their team was called in. She expected some tired chunin inside, just wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Anko walked in first, but stopped abruptly, making Yuna walk into her from behind. Yuna was about to ask why she stopped when she looked up and saw who all were waiting for them.

The Hokage and his three advisers were seated behind a desk, with Akira Senju, Orochimaru and Jiraiya behind them and some of the other jonin instructors behind them. Minato was the only one they recognized. Yuna gulped nervously. They did not look happy.

"Team 12. Congrats on making it back. This is a review of what happened on your mission." The Hokage spoke in an authoritative voice.

Yuna internally sighed. Not even an 'Are you ok?'. This was a new level of cold.

Akira had spent the last two hours trying to comfort a devastated Tsunade. After her disastrous confrontation with Nawaki's sensei, Akira stayed with her until she fell asleep, crying. He was also pained at the loss of Nawaki, but he didn't cry. He was far too old and far too experienced with dealing with loss.

Akira looked at Naruto and immediately realized something was wrong. Everything was different about him. His posture, his gaze, his… everything. He just seemed different. He reached forward and grabbed the report labelled 'Naruto' and opened it up. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the report. He chuckled silently. 'This ought to be good.'

Danzo addressed them next. "Mitarashi Anko. Your report went into detail about the annihilation of Team 13 at the hands of Kusa ninja. Were you and your teammates within reasonable distance from the incident which enabled you to write with so much detail?"

Anko nodded hesitantly.

The seated kunoichi spoke next. "If so, why did you not support them? Your support could have prevented their deaths, could it not?"

Anko didn't hesitate this time. "No, it could not. They were jonin shinobi. We barely saw them move. They had already killed all three of them within the blink of an eye. We wouldn't have had a chance."

Koharu nodded. The report stated pretty much the same thing. "Would you say you did the right thing by hiding and watching it happen?"

"No. It wasn't right. It was necessary." She replied quickly.

Danzo nodded. "Alright, you are dismissed. You can wait for your teammates or you can leave now."

Anko stayed put. She wasn't going to leave before she heard Naruto's report.

"Sarutobi Yuna, you spoke about how you and your teammates sent a signal to alert the jonin. Why do you think it was a wise decision?"

Yuna gulped. It was Homura that spoke this time. "We had no idea how many hostiles were there and we did not know if we would be able to make it back to the camp without a confrontation with vastly superior shinobi. We hoped that it would alert our sensei that something was wrong and that we needed help."

"You realize that what you did was in violation of the silent dispatch? You aren't supposed to contact the camp until the mission is complete." The Hokage spoke pointedly.

Yuna didn't reply immediately. Of course, he found something wrong with this as well.

"Asuma abandoned the mission and returned to camp too, didn't he? We at least sent out a signal as soon as we realized that something was wrong. If I understand the timeline correctly, he could have sent out a signal much earlier and possibly avoided many of the casualties." Everyone's eyes turned to Naruto in surprise. "Lay off her, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage's eyes darkened with anger. "Genin Naruto, you will speak only when spoken to."

Naruto shrugged indifferently, surprising every shinobi in the room.

The Hokage stared at him for a few more moments before turning back to his daughter. "Yuna. Why did you violate the rules of the silent dispatch?"

But this time, Yuna's courage was immensely boosted by Naruto standing up for her. "What are you talking about, Hokage-sama? I merely asked Naruto to perform the signal because I knew it would be pretty to watch. We didn't mean to contact the camp at all."

Anko smirked slowly. "Good thing it served that purpose though. Who knows how many lives would've been lost if it hadn't."

The people in the room had been getting very bored with the proceedings, but everyone was wide awake now. Orochimaru palmed his face in exasperation. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse.

The Hokage didn't say anything for a few moments but when he did, his voice was deadly cold. "Are you making light of this horrible situation?"

The change in tone made both Anko and Yuna freeze. After a few moments, Naruto was the one who replied. "It wasn't us who started… Hokage-sama."

Silence reigned over the room. Akira, for his part, grinned widely. This was amazing. Even his former teammates had lost the ability to speak to Hiruzen like this. Yuna stared at her father, trying to gauge his reaction. She had never seen anyone insult him to his face. He was the Hokage for Kami's sake. She doubted that he had ever been talked to like this.

"Listen boy, one more step out of line and I'll have you stripped of your rank and thrown in jail with your chakra sealed."

Naruto stared right back at him, unknowingly activating the sharingan, making every shinobi in the room tense. With three tomoe spinning slowly, Naruto started speaking. "You will do no such thing, because if you do, I'll let every genin in the village know the real reason behind the silent dispatch."

Anko and Yuna blinked in shock. Silence followed his declaration until it was broken by laughter. Shimura Danzo was outright laughing out loud. The rest of the assembled shinobi stared at the veteran shinobi in surprise. They had seen the reputed shinobi do a lot of things, but they had never seen him laughing before.

Akira had stopped listening altogether. 'Sharingan?' He was suddenly glad that he had kept his suspicions to himself and not let Kushina know anything. This meant that his suspicions were completely unfounded. There was absolutely no way that he was Kushina's younger brother.

Hiruzen stood up, leaking killing intent. "What do you mean, the real reason?"

Naruto met his gaze without flinching, the killing intent didn't seem to faze him. "I mean that the real reason you sent us out wasn't to test us or weed out the weak or some shit like that. It was because you needed the majority of your forces in the village for some attack that would be mounted by enemies scattered throughout the land of fire." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "And the attack never happened. Which means that all those genin died for nothing."

Anko and Yuna stared at their teammate in surprise. Just what was he talking about?

The assembled shinobi were silent except for Danzo's small chuckles. Hiruzen spoke again. "That's an interesting theory, boy. What makes you think that we'll believe you?"

"all except one of the 59 teams have been accounted for. The expected 15% loss was exceeded… By far. Only 7 entire teams have reached back. That accounts for 21 of the 48 that survived. The remaining are part of teams that have one or two genin dead. In the sweep of the forest to find the genin, 13 jonin have also met an unexpected end. The fire has claimed the entire forest but we have prevented its spread into the Land of Fire. We are safe for now. I just hope that something happened back at the village. If this didn't make the scattered enemy shinobi act, they all died for nothing…"

Naruto recited what he had overheard without flinching. Yuna and Anko turned towards their Hokage, glaring at him. Hiruzen paled a bit. "This doesn't prove anything, boy. Your word means nothing."

Naruto smiled. "It doesn't need to prove anything to you, Hokage-sama. All I need to do is make sure the other genin know about this. Just how many of them do you think will want to fight for someone who doesn't value their lives? How many of the children in the academy will drop out once they hear how rookie shinobi are treated. How many do you think will even apply next year?"

A long silence followed his questions. Danzo finally stopped chuckling. "Well played, boy. But what if we just killed you right now, where you stand." He asked slowly, making his colleagues frown at him.

"I would tell you to go ahead, Danzo-sama. I already told all this to some other genin before arriving here. Without knowing who it is, you'd have to interrogate all 48 of the remaining genin and kill one more, not to mention my two teammates."

Orochimaru turned around to look at his fellow jonin instructors. Something like this had never happened before. Every one of them had stopped talking, listening intently to what the boy was saying. His mind brought forth a recent council meeting. The same group of jonin had to be yelled at by their Hokage to silence them. Yet here they were. Not a sound.

Danzo chuckled. "What makes you think we won't do just that?" This time Naruto didn't say anything. He just raised an eyebrow, making Danzo laugh again. "What are your demands then?"

The rest of the shinobi looked at the veteran shinobi in surprise. This kid was blackmailing some of the strongest people in the elemental nations and it seemed like he would get away with it as well.

Naruto smiled at the question. "Glad you asked. A-rank mission pays for every surviving genin."

"That's it? Money?" Danzo asked incredulously. It was just getting interesting as well.

"Yes, no shame in that." Naruto replied, without hesitation. "And of course, anything my teammates want from you." He said, surprising Yuna and Anko.

Danzo turned toward them. "Anything you want?", he asked amused.

"No… Danzo-sama." Anko said, surprisingly timid at all the attention.

"Yes, Danzo-sama." Yuna said, smiling at Naruto. "Never send us somewhere uninformed like that again. If you thought that we're not worthy enough to be shinobi, you shouldn't have allowed us to become shinobi in the first place. This 'test' was just stupid." Towards the end, she met her father's eyes and she was surprised when he was the first to break the gaze.

Danzo nodded. "In return for all this, we get your silence?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes."

"And how can we trust that you won't say anything?" Koharu asked.

"You can't." Naruto said bluntly. "Just like we can't trust you to never send us on missions uninformed."

Danzo smirked. This boy would make a good leader someday. He had thought of everything. He had bitten off way more than he could chew. Danzo knew that his demands could be ignored with little to no effort. It would be easy for him to assign him on a mission with one of his root agents and have him killed. But what a waste that would be. Such talent… Danzo hadn't seen it in such a long time.

"We accept." Hiruzen stated, finally speaking. "Except for one thing…" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You will all be paid with an A-rank mission's worth. But since it is a time of war, all pay is cut in half. Also, when a squad loses a shinobi, the cost for the autopsy, the burial and subsequent removal of Konoha's secrets from the body, is taken out of the pay for the mission. Moreover, a percentage of the mission pay is taken to give to the family of the deceased."

Naruto paled considerably. The money was the most important part. He needed it… He needed the money.

Homura grinned at his former teammate, realizing the direction this conversation was going. "Now, 48 genin getting 10000 ryo each would be 480000 ryo. Halving it would give 240000. Now, the total deceased are 129 genin and 13 jonin. A total of 142 shinobi. The cost of the autopsy and the other stuff can be approximated to 1000 ryo bringing the total pay to 98000 ryo. After that, 500 ryo is paid to the family of the deceased leaving 27000 ryo for the genin. Now, dividing that by 48 we get… approximately 550 ryo per genin."

Hiruzen looked at Naruto, almost expecting resistance. "Is that satisfactory, Naruto-san?"

Naruto looked miserable. He slowly spoke up. "So, the funerals will be paid for, then?"

Suddenly, every single shinobi in the room realized why the genin had foolishly started threatening some of the most powerful shinobi in the village. Yuna and Anko stared at him with their mouths open. His pride wouldn't let him ask them for it, but he didn't want to give his friends an improper goodbye. Yuna's heart went out to her teammate. To have gone through so much and still think about others before himself was extraordinary.

Anko stared at him guiltily. She had been making feel bad about himself, when there was already so much on his mind. The fact that he had gone to such extreme measures just so that his deceased friends could have a proper burial wasn't lost on anyone.

Hiruzen's eyes softened. Now, he felt bad that he'd basically 'stuck it' to the boy. But… this was a democracy. He couldn't give in to every whim and demand made by an angry shinobi. It would set a bad precedent.

Orochimaru looked at his student thoughtfully. Everything he had just seen went against what he thought the boy was capable of. Naruto was the type to ask for something instead of just taking it. When he started blackmailing the strongest shinobi in the village, Orochimaru had wondered what his aim was. Now, it was clear.

"Of course, my boy. All funerals are paid for by the village. It's the least we can do for the shinobi that lay down their lives for our village." Hiruzen said with a surprisingly gentle tone.

"Then I accept." Naruto said without any delay.

Silence met his declaration. For a few moments, no one said anything, each of them forming an opinion of the bold genin in front of them. Minato was somehow reminded of Kushina. When she wanted something, she took it. She didn't bother with asking permission or who she offended. This boy was the same. He wanted something, so he decided to take it.

Akira also connected the dots. His change in behavior and his admittedly stupid act of blackmail had seemed odd. But now, he understood. Team 13 that they spoke of, Nawaki's team, had Shinzo and Shizuka as well.

Anko saw that Naruto was drained mentally and voiced her question. "May we be excused? This has been tiring for us all."

Surprisingly, it was Orochimaru that answered. "No, Anko-chan. His review has yet to be completed."

Anko nodded reluctantly. Hiruzen reached for the report that Akira handed him. "Naruto, in your report, you state that… Your report… is empty…"

Naruto nodded, but said nothing else.

A tic-mark formed on the Hokage's forehead. "Why is it empty, Naruto-san?"

"The written mission parameters were never provided, Hokage-sama. We need only report on what services the written mission scroll requires from us and it was never provided." Naruto said, idly wondering if he had finally overstepped his bounds.

Small chuckles started from the rear of the assembled shinobi and soon, they were all laughing. The tic-mark on the Hokage's forehead widened. 'This cocky brat…'

Orochimaru was trying hard to not meet anyone's eyes. 'Oh… The embarrassment!'

"I suppose that we could question you based on what your teammates wrote." Danzo helpfully supplied.

"Firstly, how do you have the sharingan?" It was Jiraiya who asked. He had been silent for the entire time he was there. He heard the story of how his teammate's brother had been killed. He wanted to meet the shinobi who stood by and watched. He didn't know it was him.

Naruto's eyes immediately sought out the source. A white-haired shinobi standing in the corner of the room. For some inexplicable reason, Naruto was immediately wary of him. "Your guess is as good as mine, Jiraiya-sama. I am an orphan. I have no idea who my parents are."

The assembled shinobi accepted the answer. It made sense. But a select few of them knew that something was wrong. A sharingan never emerged with three tomoe. It took a long time to mature the sharingan. This was not his first time activating it, whether he knew it or not.

Hiruzen asked the next question. "How did you come to know of the Violet Flames Formation barrier technique? It is a Konoha kinjutsu. Also, no genin could have enough chakra to activate it."

Naruto's eyes widened. He had no idea that it was a forbidden technique. He would have to be more careful from now on. "I found it in the security seals of one of the houses in the village, Hokage-sama. It was an ingenious use of the violet flame seal which forces the surrounding air particles into hyper-vibration releasing a purple flame, combined with a nice utilization of the corner-style barrier fuinjutsu. I had no idea it was a forbidden technique, Hokage-sama."

This caused an uproar in the room. Hiruzen, Jiraiya and Minato all gasped at what had just been said. A security seal was often an interwoven combination of proximity seals, chakra-detection seals, chakra-storage seals, familiarity seals, barrier-seals, chakra-masking seals and sometimes, if the user was especially paranoid, things like the violet flames formation to hurt any intruders that dared to enter. To look at such an intricate and complicated seal and properly isolate one part of it was nothing short of extraordinary. Something normal shinobi shouldn't be able to do. 'The Uzumaki blood runs strong in him.'

This was just amazing. This level of skill was not anticipated. If this potential was properly developed, he could become one of the strongest shinobi to ever come out of Konoha.

Akira met Naruto's eyes briefly. He was relieved that the boy said nothing to involve him. He did not want to explain himself to anyone, let alone to the Hokage and his advisors.

Hiruzen finally spoke. "I commend you on your skill in fuinjutsu, Naruto-san. You are a credit to the art itself. But in the future, make sure you talk with your sensei before using something new like this. We can all agree that your use of this jutsu was not quite apt inside a forest filled with flammable material."

Naruto nodded, slightly embarrassed.

"On another note, why were you snooping around the security seals of other people's homes?"

Naruto stiffened slightly. That wasn't something he wanted to get accused of. "I wanted to learn more about security seals and I couldn't find anything on them in the library."

Akira smiled. 'Good save, kid. You couldn't tell them that it was to break into my house now, could you?'

The assembled shinobi went silent again. This review was turning out to be more interesting than they thought possible. This young boy was a gem. They all looked forward to seeing the things he would accomplish.

Minato, however, was not one of those people. He had only one thought on his mind. The boy had calmed down and his eyes turned back to its usual purple color. This was the first time he noticed it. It was the same purple-colored eyes that he had grown to love more than anything. But it couldn't be that he was related to Kushina somehow despite his immense skill with fuinjutsu as well. The boy had the Sharingan and black hair. He was an Uchiha, through and through. Minato mentally slapped himself. He shouldn't dig up past matters and bring back all the pain she went through. He wouldn't do that to her.

The Hokage suddenly stood up. "That concludes the review, Team 12. You are dismissed. You all have a week of mandated rest after which your jounin sensei will contact you and resume your training."

"HAI!" The three genin saluted before making their way to the exit. The Hokage waited till they were out of the room before turning around to address the gathered shinobi.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you what this means for us. The forest was the only thing preventing Iwagakure from using that border as a front against us. It would be suicide for them to wage war against us in an area that benefitted us more than them. Now that the forest is no more, we are in more danger than ever. With Kusagakure breaking the alliance, the only ally we have is Takigakure while our opponent is the biggest alliance in shinobi history. Iwa, Suna, Kusa, Ishi and Tani. It has been reported that Iwa approached Kumo as well, with an alliance which was thankfully rejected. It's only a matter of time before Kiri and Kumo enter the war. We need to proceed very cautiously while taking some extreme measures. A mistake of this magnitude can never happen again. Is that clear?"

The shinobi voiced their assent.

"Good, you are all dismissed. Oh, and Orochimaru, get that kid under control."

With that, the shinobi laughed as they filed out of the room. A few minutes later, only the Hokage and his advisors remained. Even Akira had left along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Hiruzen turned to his longtime friend and advisor. "You seemed to enjoy yourself today."

Danzo smirked at him. "What can I say? I like the boy. He's an incredible asset. I don't know how he escaped my eye for so long."

Hiruzen frowned. "Speaking of, you need to get your operation under control. Stop taking children from the orphanages. People are starting to notice."

Danzo's smile never faltered. "Of course, Hiruzen. I already have enough."

With Team 12.

"That was amazing, Naruto." Yuna yelled as soon as they walked out of the academy. "I've never heard anyone talk to him like that. You were so cool."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "No, I was way out of line. Never should have said it like that. It all just came out suddenly."

Yuna stared at him with stars in her eyes. "Doesn't make it any less awesome. You're my hero. You actually told the Hokage off for me. You were all like, 'Lay off her, old man' and 'Go fuck yourself, old man'. Not even my mother defends me."

Naruto nervously looked around before whispering in a painfully loud way. "Yuna-chan. I never said all those things and I never called the Hokage an old man." Two civilian women heard him and quickened their pace.

Yuna laughed at his antics. This was the Naruto she knew. He suddenly realized that something was missing in their conversation. It was Anko's sarcastic comments. She noticed Anko silently walking farther and farther away from them. "Huh? Anko-chan? Where are you going? You aren't still mad at him, are you?"

Anko turned around. "Tch. It just sucks that he would tell all that to someone else without telling us first."

"Anko…" Yuna said sadly. She thought that they were back to being friends again.

"You're right, Anko. I should have told you. It's just that you were angry with me and I didn't want to trouble you with this." Anko wasn't convinced. "You're wrong about one thing though.", Naruto met her gaze. "I never told anyone else."

Anko's eyes widened at Naruto's cheeky response. "You mean-"

"Yup!"

"It was just a bluff?"

"Yup!"

"That… Is… Awesome. You actually tricked the most powerful people in Konoha into accepting your deal?" Anko exclaimed incredulously.

Naruto's smile faltered just a bit. "Not the entire deal though.", he said sadly.

Anko nodded with a pout. "The money would have been sweet, ne?"

"Nothing to be done about that now." Yuna chimed in. "What matters is that Naruto is awesome."

Anko laughed at that before smiling at Naruto. "You as well, Yuna. 'I just wanted to see the big sparkly explosion, Hokage-sama'. "

Yuna blushed. She hoped her father would let it slide. If not, she was probably in for a tough time at home.

The trio walked through the street; Naruto's pain, temporarily forgotten.

Meanwhile, With Mikoto

This was turning out to be the worst day in her life. She should have just let Minato come with her. When a genin died, it was the duty of their sensei to notify the family. She wasn't looking forward to it, but it had to be done. Seeing her struggling with the process, Minato had offered to come with her. A very courageous offer considering who it was that Mikoto was going to meet.

Upon entering the village, she saw that all the genin were immediately asked to go to the ninja academy. She thought about going home and getting something to eat before going to Tsunade, but decided against it. She didn't have to walk all the way to the Senju compound. It seemed that someone informed Tsunade about their return. Tsunade immediately noticed her and dropped down to talk to her.

*Flashback*

"Mikoto-san, are all the genin back?"

Mikoto winced at the question. "Tsunade-same, there is something I have to tell you. Perhaps, we could talk somewhere private?"

Tsunade seemed annoyed. "Listen, I know you tattled on me but I don't care about that anymore. He was ready and I was a fool to doubt him like that."

Mikoto bristled slightly. "I did not tattle, Lady Tsunade, but you're right. This isn't about that. Perhaps, we could go somewhere to talk?"

Tsunade frowned. That was the second time she requested to talk in private. "What is going on?"

Mikoto looked around nervously. People were starting to gather around. This was bad. "Tsunade-same, I would like to-"

Tsunade interrupted her rather loudly, having realized that something was wrong. "I don't give a shit what you'd like. Where's Nawaki?"

Mikoto frowned internally. 'Well, I guess I'm doing this here.' "Tsunade-sama, there is no easy way to tell you this, so I'm going to just come out and say it." She drew a deep breath. "Nawaki died during the mission. Eyewitnesses say that he was killed in a conflict with a Kusa jounin team which wiped out his entire team."

Tsunade flinched and actually moved back in disbelief, tears forming in her eyes. "What are you saying?"

Mikoto cursed. The crowd was getting larger by the second. "Nawaki is dead, Tsunade-sama. His body has been delivered to the morgue along with the others." Even Mikoto winced at how it sounded out loud.

Tsunade fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe it. He was gone. He was gone. He was GONE. Suddenly, she was on her feet again. She ran forward and slammed Mikoto on the ground, grabbing her throat. Mikoto had seen it coming but didn't dodge. "You said he was ready. You said…"

Mikoto winced. She had indeed said that. "The mission exceeded its rank, Tsunade-sama. Enemy shinobi were not supposed to be involved."

Tsunade punched the ground next to her head, forming a small crater. Mikoto stared with wide eyes as tears fell onto her face. "I told you. I told you. I TOLD YOU. I TOLD YOU HE WASN'T READY. I TOLD YOU. I TOLD YOU." Every time she said it, she punched the ground widening the crater. "YOU DIDN'T LISTEN AND NOW HE'S DEAD. NAWAKI'S DEAD. NAWAKI'S DEAD. NAWAKI'S DE-"

Tsunade's next punch never hit the ground. Someone caught her fist, an amazing accomplishment on its own. "What's going on here, Tsunade-chan?"

Mikoto cursed her luck again. Now there were two Senju shinobi in front of her. Tsunade's weight shifted on top of her, letting her slip out from under her.

Akira lifted Tsunade up and hugged her tight against his body as she continued wailing, tears continuing to stream down her face. "What happened, Mikoto-chan?" Akira quietly asked Mikoto.

Mikoto also had tears in her eyes now, but she forced herself to answer his question. "Nawaki died in the mission, Akira-sensei."

Akira's face twisted in pain. But he held his emotions in check for Tsunade's sake. "I see. Thank you for telling us." Akira quietly said, making Tsunade wail louder.

Mikoto watched in stunned silence as Akira quietly led her away through the crowd. That had gone wrong in every way imaginable. The crowd was already saying all the wrong things.

"Did they say Tsunade-sama's brother died?"

"Her whole team is dead. That is pathetic, you know? The Uchiha are known to be the best. The elite. This is disgraceful."

"I guess the old Senju-Uchiha rivalry resulted in this."

"Nawaki-chan is dead?"

"She probably never even taught him anything."

"Yeah, he was a Senju after all."

Mikoto closed her eyes to prevent the tears from falling. Jumping up on the roof, she shunshined away. She knew that these were just civilian rumors but it still hurt. She had given her all into teaching her students. She had tried her best to beat Nawaki's arrogant behavior out of him. Her two other students were happy with her as their sensei. They had only been killed because of something completely out of her control. It wasn't her fault. But no one seemed to care about that.

*Flashback End*

After that, Mikoto went to her brother's grave. That was where she went when she wanted time to think. 'Kagami Uchiha. Devoted Son, Loyal Shinobi and an Adoring Brother.' The tomb read.

It was true. He was a good brother doing everything he could to shield his younger sister from the ugly parts of diplomacy. Their mother had died giving birth to her. He looked after her when she was a child. Their father was too busy with clan matters. She grew up with him to cheer her up when she was down, to teach her anything she was having trouble with, and to treat her with ice-cream when they were out together.

She was a 14-year-old genin when the news came. Kagami Uchiha was dead. She had cried for days. She wasn't even done mourning before her father took her and thrust her into lessons on posture, diplomacy and politics. She hated it. She hated the lessons and her father for forcing it on her.

A few months later, she became chunin. She received a letter from the Fire Daimyo stating that she had been selected as a candidate to join the infamous guardian 12. She did not hesitate even for a moment before accepting. Her father was furious.

She chuckled. It was funny how she had learnt more about diplomacy and politics during her two years with the fire daimyo than during all the lessons. But during those two years, she missed her brother more than anything. So, after coming back she visited her brother's grave almost every week. She would tell him about everything that happened to her that week.

Talking to her brother always calmed her down. But today was different. She found that she couldn't say anything. In all 18 years of her life, she had never failed at anything in her shinobi career. This was a first for her. She had failed at being a jounin-sensei . Her entire team had died. Deep down, she knew that it wasn't her fault. But it didn't matter. In the world of politics, all that mattered was what people thought happened, not what actually happened.

She then cried. For the first time since her brother died, she actually cried. She spent the next few minutes silently sitting there with her brother. It would be ok, she told herself. It would all turn out ok.

Now she had finally made her way back to her house, right next to her father's house. Her father's house was the tallest building in the compound. It could house more than 100 shinobi but only the clan head's family lived there. Except for when meetings were held, it was a barren place with a large number of unused rooms and utilities. When Mikoto came back from the fire daimyo, she moved into the adjacent building saying that she wanted her own space.

Feeling the presence of a large number of shinobi in her father's house, she concluded that a meeting had been called. With a sinking feeling she concluded that it was about her. A note was stuck to her door with a kunai. Only an arrow was drawn on it, pointing toward her father's house. 'Tch.' She didn't have time for one of father's judgmental speeches.

Mikoto ignored the note and made her way inside her house. Slowly, she put away all her things, removing the jonin vest first. She was very sleepy. Right now, she was contemplating whether she should shower first or just jump into bed. That was when a knock came at her door.

"Mikoto-san! Your father wants you at the meeting."

Mikoto sighed. Of course, he would send her. Nanaba Uchiha was one of the few Uchiha shinobi she actually liked. She could get her to do anything if she tried hard enough. But suddenly, she realized something. She had called her 'Mikoto-san'. That was not a good sign. It was usually 'Miko-chan' or just 'Mikoto'.

"Tell him I just got back. Can't it wait?"

"Mikoto-san. It's serious. You should come immediately."

Mikoto gulped at how that sounded. Sighing, she put on her jonin vest again and walked out. Nanaba wouldn't meet her eyes. "Is there a reason you're acting like a normal Uchiha now?"

Nanaba didn't say anything. She just walked away hoping Mikoto would follow.

Rolling her eyes, Mikoto followed. Could this day get any worse? Kushina had told her multiple times about the gods of irony, but Mikoto had never put much stock in them. She was surprised when she entered the meeting hall. Even the children were there. That was not a common occurrence. Her eyes found Fugaku in the corner, looking a bit pale. His fists were clenched so tight that he was actually bleeding.

This wasn't going to be good. "Otousama, can't this have waited until after I got some rest?" She asked, knowing the answer.

Tenzen Uchiha stood up from his chair. "That's far enough.", he said, when Mikoto had almost reached him. She stopped immediately. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

Mikoto responded without hesitation. "What else is there to say?"

Tenzen frowned. He expected her to at the very least be sorry for disgracing the clan. "Your actions have affected the reputation of our clan. Your entire team has been annihilated. Our image has barely recovered from Madara's treachery. Now, you, the Uchiha clan heir, leads the Senju clan heir to death? Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful."

Mikoto frowned. She knew that the civilians were saying stuff like that, but she didn't think any shinobi would believe it. The silent dispatch had only been a secret to Chunin and below. All the clan heads definitely knew about it. They knew what happened as well. Her father knew that it wasn't her fault. He was simply using it as an excuse to do something, but what is it?

"Nothing to say in your defense?", Tenzen prompted.

"You want me to say something?", Mikoto asked. "Alright then. Stop acting like ignorant little civilian children.", she said bluntly.

Tenzen Uchiha glared at his daughter. "Uchiha Mikoto. By your actions you have brought shame to our great clan and we will bring even more shame to the clan if we let you go unpunished. You have been found guilty of acting against the clan's best interests and is unworthy of the name 'Uchiha'. You are hereby expelled from the great Uchiha clan. You will not be allowed in the clan compound, nor inside the police force building. You are allowed one day to pack up your things."

Mikoto didn't say anything. She was hurt that her own family would hold something out of her control against her but she had seen it coming. Her father was 100 percent against the idea of her becoming clan head. That was no secret. He had labelled her as 'too soft' a long time ago and Mikoto had accepted that.

She had no wish to lead a clan full of people that lusted after power. It had taken a bright soul named Kushina to show her that. So, while it did hurt, it didn't matter to her.

"War is coming, comrades. I will choose an heir after the war. The strongest of our warriors will be chosen to lead the clan to a bright future."

Mikoto didn't see this as the horrible thing it was. She saw an opportunity. An opportunity to be free. Something she had not felt in a long time flooded her system. She had not felt it since before her brother died almost 5 years ago. She was relieved.

She turned around and walked away not even bothering to say something. Some people would no doubt think of it as rushing out after being overwhelmed with emotion, but they would be wrong. She was walking away with her dignity intact, no longer a part of this clan of buffoons.

"Mikoto."

She stopped when she heard her name called. She had made it outside and was almost to her house. It was Fugaku. He was coming toward her.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Mikoto. I tried everything. They wouldn't hear anything from me. I… I told them it wasn't your fault. I tried."

Mikoto gazed fondly at him. He was almost in tears. "Fugaku-kun. I love you."

With that, she wrapped the stunned Uchiha into a hug. They stood like that for a long time. He was a true friend. She already knew that. But she had thought of Nanaba like that as well. She turned sides as soon as she was asked to. At least, Fugaku wasn't like that.

His tears fell on her shoulders. "Mikoto. I swear. I will be the fiercest warrior in the war. I will become the clan head. Then… Then I will bring you back into the clan and make sure everyone knows they made a mistake… I swear it."

Mikoto smiled widely. How sweet of him. But for all that Fugaku was, he had never understood her. He came from a poor family. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was 5. He'd fought for every scrap he had. For him, the name Uchiha was a blessing. It was something he strived to be worthy of. Something he used as motivation to power through the darker days. He would never understand how someone would not want to be known by that name.

Mikoto had befriended him as a child. He was the first person that Mikoto saw that was free. Free from everything. Free to do whatever he wanted. Not forced to do anything. Fugaku longed for responsibilities and obligations to give him purpose in life. He strived to belong. Mikoto longed to be rid of them. She didn't want to break his heart, but she had to. She would never be tied down and forced to do things ever again.

"Fugaku-kun. I don't want that. You are wonderful just the way you are. I don't want you to become a fierce warrior for me. I just want you. I don't want to be part of a clan that doesn't want me. In fact, I think I'll be able to do better, now that I can spend all my free time with my friends."

Fugaku stared at her in confusion. "You don't want to come back?", he asked, his voice breaking slightly.

Mikoto smiled at him. "No, Fugaku-kun, I don't belong here."

"How can you say that to me?" he asked, his voice breaking, before storming off.

Mikoto didn't go after him. It was best to let him cool off. For now, she had a lot to pack and little time to do so.

Konoha Hospital, Room 112

Minato entered the room, worried for his girlfriend. He had run into Hitomi on the way back from the ninja academy. She told him about her panic attack and subsequent admittance into the Konoha General Hospital. He rushed there immediately, got the room number from the reception and ran to the room. When he entered, he saw a bizarre sight. Kushina was playing shogi with Yoshino, her face twisted in intense concentration.

"Kushina-chan, are you ok?" Minato asked urgently, wondering what happened to make her play shogi.

"Oh. Minato-kun? You're back?" Kushina asked. But then she saw his stunned face. "Oh. Yoshino-chan said I have no talent in strategy. I wanted to prove her wrong."

Minato visibly relaxed. "I see."

"Mm hmm. I'm doing quite well, y'know? Of the 14 games we've played, she's only won twice." Kushina said, nodding excitedly.

"Kushina-chan, for the last time, you 'accidentally' knocking the board over doesn't mean a draw." Yoshino stated while palming her face.

"It doesn't mean you win either. So, you only won twice and that's how I'll tell this story." Kushina said with a pout.

"Hai hai."

"Kushina, what are you doing in the hospital? Hitomi said you had a panic attack." Minato asked, concern evident in his face.

Yoshino dragged Minato outside the room. "Perhaps it's best that you and I don't talk about it in front of her."

Minato nodded and followed her, leaving behind a frowning Kushina. "It was one measly panic attack. Geez."

They came out of the room and Yoshino headed toward the vending machine. "So, what happened?"

Yoshino sighed. "I told her about this red-haired kid on Orochimaru-sama's team. I spoke without thinking, I guess. I told her that he signed his name as Menma and how I thought it was so obviously fake." Minato raised an eyebrow. "Because who would name their kid after something we put in ramen. That's when she fell backwards with the panic attack."

Minato frowned. "Are you sure about the red hair? Because there is a kid named Naruto in Orochimaru-sama's team. But he has black hair."

Yoshino nodded as the vending machine produced the drink she wanted. "That is strange. Maybe he dyed it?".

"He has the sharingan."

Yoshino's eyes widened. "Then it can't be her brother, can it?"

Minato nodded. "That's what I thought. But I do think he belongs to the Uzumaki clan though. Maybe someone from their village could have had a one-night stand or something?"

Yoshino took a sip of her drink. "Why do you think he's part of the Uzumaki clan?"

Minato held his chin in thought. "Firstly, if you saw red hair, he probably dyed it to not draw attention to it. Then there's his talent with seals. He is amazing."

At the faraway look in Minato's eyes, Yoshino had to ask. "How good are we talking about?"

"Better than Kushina was at his age." Minato knew that without a doubt in his mind.

Yoshino flinched in surprise. "That good?"

"Better." Minato replied. "And his eyes are purple when he's not using the sharingan. That's a well-defined characteristic among the Uzumaki…"

Yoshino nodded. It made sense. "How come we've never seen this kid before? A talented kid with bright red hair should have been noticed by someone, right?"

"You'd think, but no. He is an orphan. He went without getting noticed for this long despite his immense talent." Minato said bitterly. Something was wrong in this village with the way they treated orphans. "Do you think we should tell her?"

Yoshino frowned. "No. At least not now. Let her rest and recover. And when we do tell her, we have to be sure that this 'Naruto' won't hurt her. If we tell her and he decides he wants nothing to do with her, it'll tear her apart."

Minato frowned but nodded nevertheless. This was for the best. He didn't want to hurt her, not even by accident.

Senju Compound, 2 Hours Later.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya walked inside the house they knew so well. Akira Senju was sitting in the living room, reading a few scrolls. He stood up when he noticed his visitors.

"Thank you for coming, both of you." Akira said in a sad voice. "She kicked me out of the room a long time ago."

Jiraiya frowned. "Why? What did you say… so that we can know what not to say…"?

Akira smiled. "She kept asking me exactly how he died. To tell her every detail. I refused repeatedly. She kicked me out."

"Why not tell her? She will hear it sooner or later." Orochimaru asked.

Akira looked at him as if to say 'Be my guest.'

"Oi. Orochimaru… She's grieving. You shouldn't tell a grieving person how her brother died." Jiraiya tried to reason.

Orochimaru didn't say anything. He walked forward and knocked at the door the crying was coming from.

"Who is it? Go away." A small voice told them.

"It's me, Orochimaru."

"And Jiraiya." Jiraiya added.

There was silence for some time and none of them spoke. "Do you know how he died?"

"Yes."

"Will you tell me?" They all heard the whispered question.

Orochimaru took a deep breath. "If that's what you want."

"Orochimaru?!" Jiraiya yelled.

Akira came to stand beside him. "Hush. She does need to hear it. Let him be the one to do it. He probably wants to because it was his team that witnessed it."

Jiraiya reluctantly agreed.

"Come in." Tsunade said. "Only you though."

Orochimaru nodded as he closed the door behind him. He looked around the room. It was not Tsunade's. It was Nawaki's. Pictures littered the walls and some toys from when he was younger were scattered across the floor. Tsunade was sitting on his bed holding a necklace tightly in her hand.

"Tsunade…"

"Tell me." She said, meeting his eyes.

Orochimaru winced slightly at how red her eyes were. She had been crying for a long time. "Nawaki ran out into the open to kill what appeared to be a camp of bandits. However, it was a genjutsu designed by Kusa jounin hiding in the trees using camouflage techniques. According to the genin who saw it, they had no chance. In an instant, the jonin came up behind him and cut his throat, letting him bleed out." Tsunade let out a whimper at his blunt statement. "Shortly after, they did the same to his teammates."

Tsunade cried a bit harder and Orochimaru tried his best to comfort her, but he wasn't the best at comforting people. Nevertheless, he did what he had seen other people do. He held her close to his chest until her sobs died down and she started breathing regularly. Only then did he let go.

Tsunade stood up, her face still covered in tears. "Orochimaru… You said some genin saw it happen?" Orochimaru nodded. "Who were they? Who were the cowards who stood by and watched as their comrades were killed?"

Orochimaru also stood up. He knew it was coming. It was why he wanted to tell her himself. "It was my team. My team saw it happen and retrieved the bodies."

Tsunade's mind went blank. His team had the brat that humiliated Nawaki a week before he died. His team was involved in every event leading up to his death. "Get out."

Orochimaru did not argue. He walked slowly to the door before stopping. "Tsunade-chan. They weren't cowards back there. They were just frightened kids." With that, he exited the room leaving Tsunade inside, who started crying again. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at him asking him what happened. Orochimaru ignored him and Akira as he stepped outside the house. His mind kept bringing up the devastated face of his crying teammate.

His fists clenched tightly.

'Why do people die?'

With Naruto

"So, they went to the same place as Kaa-san?" Yugao asked sadly. Her oniisan had returned a couple hours earlier and seemed sad about something. She asked him to tell her, but he kept saying that he would do so later. He went to take a bath and wore some clean clothes before doing the same for her. She was so overjoyed at his presence that she hadn't even noticed the lack of Shinzo and Shizuka. She had been feeling very lonely for the past day or two. She knew that her friends had jobs and so, had to go out without her sometime. But it still made her feel lonely.

Then, Naruto took her out to her favorite ice-cream shop and bought her and himself a cone. As she sat happily in his lap, licking her ice-cream, he told her why Shinzo and Shizuka were missing. They had gone to the same place as her Kaa-san and she wouldn't be able to see them again for a long time.

Yugao was very sad about that, but she knew that Naruto was sadder. He had known them for so long, so he would be as sad as she was when her mother died. Yet, he wasn't crying. She knew why though. Crying wouldn't bring them back. Nothing would.

Yosh. It was now her job to cheer him up. He did it for her a few weeks before. Now, it was her turn. She jumped down from his lap letting her cone fall to the ground. She turned around and pointed a finger at him.

"I thought you said that no one comes in through this alley.", she shouted in a mock female voice, making the nearby civilians stare at the duo.

"Oh, come on. Don't blame me for this. He's just some senile old man. He probably got lost." This time it was a deeper voice.

With a start, Naruto realized that she was imitating Shinzo and Shizuka.

"That isn't the point. The point is that you had one job. One. And you messed that up as well."

"It's one person, Shizuka. Now, stay silent. You're scaring the kid."

Then she spoke in a ridiculously deep voice while trying to imitate a hunched back. "You are ninjas, and this was the best hiding place you could think of?"

"Run, Yugao-chan. Run and hide. The old people are the worst in Konoha. We'll come find you once we deal with this."

"How are we doing this? Should we dump his body in this dumpster? But that would mean that I'll probably have to search for another alley. But you'll probably whine about that one as well."

"Well, how am I supposed to not whine, when the best you came up with is this putrid alley."

"How dare you, I spent a lot of time on this, while you both were off eating ice cream. I expect you to be at least a little grateful."

"What do you mean, off eating ice cream. We were in the street, doing goddamn circus tricks for money, you fucking asshole." The nearby civilians gasped when they heard such words coming from the cute little child.

Naruto laughed as tears fell freely from his eyes. He also let his cone fall to the ground. He knelt down and wrapped her in a hug which made her stop her little 'play'.

Yugao smiled. "Cry, Naruto-nii. My mother told me that crying is how we get the sadness out of our body."

Naruto tightened the hug on Yugao as he wiped his tears so it wouldn't fall on Yugao. "Arigato… Yugao-chan. You are awesome."

Yugao just smiled and they stayed like that for a long time until Naruto spoke again. "Yugao-chan, I'm gonna tell you a secret."

"Ohhh. What is it? What is it? Tell me."

Naruto smiled. "I don't have any money."

"Huh?" Yugao said, puzzled. "Then, what will we do about-"

She didn't get to say anything more, because Naruto yanked her up off the ground and placed her atop his head and before she knew it, they were up on the roof.

"Weeeeeeeee."

"Oi. Gaki. I know what you look like. Don't think you'll get away with this." The shop owner ran out of his store to see the retreating form of the two children that had just cheated him.

"This is fun. Where are we going next?" Yugao asked cheerfully.

Naruto smiled. "What do you want to eat next?" he asked, making Yugao laugh.

Mikoto had been walking through the street, heading toward the apartment complex near the weapons store when she heard the commotion coming from the ice-cream stall. She watched in surprise as a very familiar boy carrying a young girl, ran outside and took to the roof. It reminded her of how her brother used to carry her. Almost unknowingly she started following him.

She wasn't particularly discreet about it, but even so, she didn't expect the kid to find her as fast as she did.

"Oh, Mikoto-sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, confused.

Mikoto smiled at him. "Just Mikoto now, Naruto-san. I was heading toward the apartment complex over there when I noticed some commotion and saw you on the roof."

Naruto looked embarrassed. "Oh. You saw that?"

"Yeah." Mikoto said enjoying the way he was embarrassed about it. "By the way, who is this gorgeous young lady here?"

Naruto looked confused for a second before recovering. "Oh. Sorry. Yugao-chan, this is Mikoto Uchiha. Shinzo and Shizuka were learning with her as their sensei. Mikoto-sensei, this is Yugao Uzuki, a fellow orphan we take care of."

Mikoto looked stricken at the mention of her deceased students, but she was surprised at how well Naruto seemed to be holding up. The girl held out a small hand in front of her. "Nice to meet you, Miko-chan."

Mikoto grinned as she shook her hand.

"Oi oi. Show her the respect she deserves, Yugao-chan." Naruto scolded. "Call her Mikoto-sensei."

Yugao pouted. "Then call me Yugao-sensei." She said, making a tic-mark appear on Naruto's face.

Mikoto laughed as tears formed in her eyes. The two of them were acting so much like her and her brother. Seeing the usually grim genin act like this was refreshing as well. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed that Naruto looked a bit serious.

"What is it, Naruto-san?"

Naruto frowned. "Mikoto-san. I wanted to say sorry. I said some offensive things earlier and I'm sorry about that. I was angry and I lashed out."

Mikoto's eyes softened. "It's fine, Naruto-san. It probably is my fault. You were right." Here, she hesitated a bit. "He should never have passed. On the day of the genin exam, Nawaki was the most cordial and pleasant young man I'd ever met. He worked well with the team and demonstrated excellent coordination. So, I passed them. But the very next day, he revealed his true colors and it was too late. It was almost as if someone already told him that teamwork would be tested."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Then, -"

"It's nothing, Naruto-san. I should have seen the signs. Both Shinzo and Shizuka had their jaws on the floor when they saw him acting so politely. I should have known then that it was not his normal behavior." Mikoto spoke sadly. "I should have looked underneath the underneath. I've failed as a jounin-sensei."

"No." Mikoto flinched at the commanding tone of Naruto's voice. "Shinzo and Shizuka both thought the world of you. They said you were the best teacher they'd ever had. Based on what they told me, they were right. Don't blame yourself for this. It wasn't in your control, just like it wasn't in mine. Blame doesn't matter. We should honor their memory by living as best we can."

His speech was met with silence as Mikoto stared at him with wide eyes. Yugao looked from Naruto to Mikoto, not knowing what was going on.

Finally, Mikoto let out a small chuckle. "You're right, Naruto. I agree. Live as best we can, huh?" Mikoto said thoughtfully. "Thank you for cheering me up, Naruto-san. You too, Yugao-chan."

Mikoto giggled at the embarrassed look on Naruto's face before she turned around to continue with her task.

"Mikoto-sensei?" This made her stop. "If I may ask, why are you heading to the apartment complex?" Naruto asked curiously.

Mikoto looked pained for a moment. "I am… I was the heiress of the Uchiha clan, Naruto. When in a position such as mine, failure is not accepted. And my clan has an especially low tolerance for it. So, when-"

"They kicked you out?!" Naruto asked incredulously.

Mikoto nodded sadly.

Naruto stared at the ground angrily. "Just when I thought I might have some family in Konoha…"

Mikoto tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Naruto lifted his head and activated his Sharingan, making Mikoto gasp. "How?"

Naruto shrugged. "Beats me. I don't know who my parents are, remember?"

"Why were you planning to go to the Uchiha clan?" Mikoto questioned, ignoring his sarcastic response.

Naruto shrugged again. "We need the money. We've been mooching off this old shinobi for the past few weeks and we're starting to feel bad. But until I get enough money, I can't do anything. I've heard that the Uchiha clan takes care of their own, so I thought I'd give it a shot. But if this is how they treat its members, I don't think I will."

Yugao nodded happily atop his head. "I like Akira-ojiisan. I don't know why Naruto-nii wants to move."

Mikoto couldn't help but smile. These were the things she missed out on. She didn't have to struggle for anything in life. She didn't value things as much as these two orphans did. She knew that she didn't need to offer them anything, but she felt like she wanted to. "You know, the apartment complex I'm leaning towards is very big. You could occupy one of the extra rooms?"

Naruto immediately shook his head. "That's too much, Mikoto-san. We don't want to impose on someone else like we already are."

"You wouldn't be imposing at all. With war coming, we'll both be very busy. I need someone looking after the apartment when I'm away. With you there, it would be less lonely. Plus, it's the least I could do seeing as your income is now only a third of what it used to be."

Naruto looked like he wanted to refuse. "Mikoto-san…"

"Think about Yugao-chan. She needs to be around other kids her own age."

"Mikoto-san…"

"Plus, I can instruct you on using your sharingan when we're both free."

"MIKOTO-SAN!" Mikoto looked at Naruto, surprised. "Thank you for the offer, but we can't accept any more charity. We already owe Akira-sama so much."

With that, Naruto turned around and left. Yugao turned around on his head and mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry'. Mikoto smiled, reassuring her that it was ok. She hoped Naruto would reconsider. She was indeed looking for a roommate. It would be amazing if it was someone that she could actually get along with. If she was reading the signs correctly, she was going to be a bit of an outcast.

Plus, she felt like she owed it to him. She was part of the reason why his two closest friends were no longer with them. With all the money she had accumulated over the years, an apartment would cost next to nothing. Giving him a place to stay would help him get on his feet. She felt like it was a nice thing to do, but perhaps, she shouldn't have pressed so hard.

She knew from experience with Fugaku that some people wanted to earn their stuff. She shouldn't have just offered him help; she should have given him some way to pay her back.

Later that night, Sarutobi Household.

Yuna frowned as she listened to Asuma's story. The jonin instructors had made this big show of telling everyone that Asuma's team was the reason for most of the teams' survival. Him making it back, had alerted the jonin to the danger they had unknowingly sent their genin teams into, which enabled them to arrive in time to save some of them.

It had gone straight to Asuma's head and now, he just would not shut up about it. The moment Naruto heard the story, he scoffed and told them why as well. If he had just sent a signal instead of trying to rush back to camp with wounded teammates and no chakra left, many more teams would have been saved. Of course, no one told Asuma that. Who would even dare to?

The Hokage knew of this particular fact as well. Naruto had said it in front of him earlier that day. But he never even tried to interrupt Asuma's story. If Yuna had been in his place, she would have been showered with criticism halfway through the story. She didn't understand why it was like that.

Sarutobi Biwako knew exactly what was going on through Yuna's head when she saw her frown. So, when Asuma was done recounting his tale, she made sure to ask the same from Yuna. "You did a good job, Asuma-kun. How was the mission for you, Yuna-chan?"

Yuna internally sighed in relief. Her mother understood her frustration. She was the only one who did. Other than her other brother. But Sasuke was no longer a chunin who worked around the village. He was an ANBU captain. He did not get much time to spend at home. Yuna understood it. But she didn't like it.

She started collecting her thoughts, preparing to tell her story, but she was interrupted by her father. "It's been a long day and I've already heard her report. Can you ask her some other time, Biwako?"

Biwako glared at her husband, who wasn't even looking at her. She knew how Yuna longed for her father's attention despite how he never entertained even the smallest of her desires. Asuma started snickering, but at least he was silenced by the glare Biwako sent his way.

She turned to ask Yuna to go ahead despite her father's neglect, but Yuna was no longer at the table. Moments later, they heard the sound of a door smashed shut. She had gone up to her room.

Biwako glared at her husband, who didn't even seem to care about what just happened. He had changed. He was no longer the man she had married. He knew that part of it was her fault but he was just as much to blame. At least she had the decency to leave the children out of it.

With Naruto

Akira came home a few hours earlier. He did not say much, but he did congratulate Naruto on a job well done in the mission review. It had been so long since a shinobi had the guts to stand against his former teammates, even if it was only for a little while. Almost all the shinobi these days were all like, "Hai, Akira-sama", "Of course, Akira-sama", "As you command, Senju-sama". It was sickening. They were supposed to be shinobi. Warriors. Not chronic ass-kissers.

Jiraiya had tried to comfort Tsunade, but he had been kicked out faster than even Orochimaru. He got the feeling that her anger now outweighed her sadness. To that effect, he warned Naruto to avoid her if at all possible. A confrontation tomorrow would not be pretty.

Naruto was not fazed. He would be damned if he had to hide while attending his friends' funeral. But he did agree that he wouldn't go looking for trouble. That was probably all Akira would get from him.

Now, they were seated around the dinner table. Akira wanted to be with Tsunade right now, but she had adamantly asked him to get lost. Maybe she needed to be alone? Akira didn't know. He just hoped that she would have the strength to get over it soon. War was coming and they were facing the worst odds in the history of shinobi villages. And that was without considering the variables that were Kumo and Kiri. They would need every able-bodied shinobi in the village.

Yugao happily drank the soup Akira had prepared for them. Naruto had to hand it to the man. Whatever flaws he had; his culinary skills were not among them. He was an amazing cook.

Naruto looked at Yugao in deep thought. When they left the roof after their conversation with Mikoto, Yugao asked him why he refused the offer. He tried to explain by saying how nothing was ever free and how she had to be careful in accepting such things. Yugao didn't understand, but she could tell that it was important to her nii-san.

"It's just that I get lonely when you are out on missions. Akira-ojiichan is also very busy. I don't have anyone to play with now. But it wasn't like that earlier. The apartment building I lived in had lots of children like me. I had so many friends. But I know you know what is best, oniisan. So, it's ok."

That's what Yugao told him. He really felt it. She needed friends her own age. Mikoto was right. Maybe he should take up her offer and swallow his pride? For Yugao's sake. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Ne, Akira-san. Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did.", Akira stated, not looking up from his bowl.

Naruto frowned in annoyance. "Another one?"

"You just did."

"Fine. I get it. You're not in the mood." Naruto said, pouting slightly.

Akira guffawed. "Come on. You know you can ask me."

"Yeah right.", Naruto scoffed.

"Hey. I didn't say I won't answer."

Naruto looked at him in deep thought. Whatever it was, it was serious. "How much does an apartment cost?"

Akira was kind of surprised at the question. "I don't think you can afford an apartment, kid."

"Oi, jiji, just answer the question."

Akira sighed at the blatant disrespect. "About 15000 ryo for a mediocre one."

Naruto stared at him in confusion. "That's it?"

Now, Akira was very intrigued. What kind of orphan didn't think such an amount was high. Then he realized something. 'Ah, he probably thinks an apartment is like food or clothes.' "Yup. 15000 ryo… Monthly."

"What the fuck?" Naruto blurted out. Yugao yelped as her spoon slipped from her hand at the sudden exclamation.

"Niichan, what does 'fuck' mean?" She immediately asked. It sounded like a bad word. 'Gee hee', she grinned internally. She was going to have so much fun.

Naruto felt sweat form on his forehead. "It doesn't mean anything, Yugao-chan. Don't say it again." Yugao grinned at him mischievously, making him slightly anxious. "Now, go brush your teeth."

Yugao nodded seriously. Before making her way to the bathroom. But on the way, she stubbed her toe on a chair. "Ow. What the fuck?"

"Yugao!" Naruto exclaimed, terrified that he had unintentionally corrupted her young mind.

"Sorry sorry.", they heard the fading apology from the 4-year-old.

Akira was looking at him, barely containing his laughter. "Oi, gaki. You remember telling me to clean up my act? That I'm a role model for a young kid?"

"Shut up." Naruto said sharply.

Akira laughed. This kid was so easy to rile up. "But seriously though… What's with the apartment discussion?"

Naruto sighed. "It was recently brought to my attention that Yugao needs people around her own age to grow up with. An apartment building has loads of children… Or so I'm told."

Akira nodded. "That's a good point. And you obviously can't be trusted to be a good influence.", he said cheekily making Naruto growl at him. "But yeah. About 15000 ryo per month."

Akira watched as Naruto's face twisted with worry. He knew what was probably going through his mind. On a genin's salary, that kind of money would take the entire month's work. And then, he would have no money left to pay Akira. His financial situation was worse than Akira had imagined.

Akira briefly wondered whether he should tell Naruto about the results of his investigation. That Inuzuka Sanae was not real and that someone had lied to him. He wanted to continue investigating on the side, but the only lead he had was the medic who was treating him when he woke up in the hospital. But he needed Naruto's help to identify the medic. He decided against asking him now. The kid had enough on his plate. He could pick this up later.

With Mikoto

"You're kidding me." She yelled at Minato. "He blackmailed the Hokage?" They were in the jounin-exclusive bar in the shinobi residential district. Today was relatively empty but she knew some people there. Minato had come here to find her actually. He told her how sorry he was about her situation with the Uchiha clan. She told him not to worry because it was, in part, what she wanted as well. Then he told her the really depressing news. Kushina had been admitted into the hospital because of a panic attack.

Mikoto was extremely worried and wanted to head to the hospital immediately. But Minato stopped her saying that she had already fallen asleep. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here. So, they sat together talking about the events of the past few days. Soon, the bar started filling up with more people and they were joined by the legendary trio, Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara and Chouza Akimichi, the students of Sakumo Hatake, Konoha's White Fang himself.

After a few minutes of talking, Shikaku asked Minato what he knew about this Naruto character who had apparently blackmailed the Hokage himself.

"Tried to. Shikaku-san. I wouldn't say he succeeded." Minato replied.

Mikoto had been very busy throughout the day and therefore wasn't privy to the latest rumors in the village. So, she did the normal thing. She spat up her drink before staring incredulously at Minato. "You're kidding me. He blackmailed the Hokage?"

Minato frowned in annoyance. "Tried to Mikoto-chan. The Hokage shot him down rather brutally." His four companions looked at him to continue. "He wasn't aware that the village pays for the funeral arrangements of shinobi that die on a mission. He wanted money to give a proper goodbye to two of his friends. He grew up with them."

"That's commendable. The fact that he would go to so much trouble for them." Chouza pointed out.

"Commendable. Yeah. Also, pretty fucking stupid." Shikaku remarked. "What did he even use as leverage?"

Minato chuckled at Shikaku's remark. "He used the fact that 15% of the genin on the mission weren't expected to return."

"Oh." Shikaku immediately understood. The fact that a genin did as well was astounding. "If that gets out, the number of applicants to the ninja academy will be less than half of what it is now. The Hokage would lose many of his supporters in the civilian council and maybe even the shinobi council. After all, if he can send his genin on suicide missions, what's stopping him from sending others on similar missions."

Minato frowned. "I don't know. The Hokage didn't seem that worried."

"That's because he has an excellent poker face. Trust me. He was worried." Shikaku stated confidently.

"Still. It's amazing that he was able to do that." Inoichi said, his brow furrowed in thought.

Minato had to let out a laugh at that. "You haven't heard half of it. He's the most amazing genin I've ever seen."

"You're joking. You have Sakumo-sensei's son on your team.", Chouza exclaimed incredulously.

"Kakashi is good. But he's not that good." Minato took a sip of his drink. Feeling everyone's eyes on him, he continued. "In the three weeks since he's come to our attention, let's look at what he's accomplished. He dispelled Orochimaru's strongest summon; he forced him to use one of the Rashomon gates to defend himself, something that's known to be used against tailed beast attacks; he forced Orochimaru into taking on a team against the Hokage's express orders; he learned the shadow clone jutsu; he learned some way to use fire elemental techniques using just fuinjutsu despite the fact that it's not his affinity; and finally, he performed the three-tier version of the violet flames formation by himself using shadow clones." At the end of his speech, the other jonin had their mouths wide open staring at him. "Oh, and he has the sharingan. This is all in the three weeks I've known him. Who knows what else he has going on?"

Shikaku was for once, speechless. This was incredible. His father was a seal master. He knew a lot about the barrier seals because his father was actually second in command of the division that maintained the security seals around the village. The Violet Flames Formation was an A-rank technique requiring perfect calligraphy, for one thing, and great amounts of chakra. And he did it while his chakra was divided among clones? That was extraordinary.

Mikoto had heard Orochimaru report the same, 3 weeks before. But at the time, she had filed it away as an exaggeration. After all, she wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to dispel Manda. She had no idea that he was so skilled.

"And to top it all off, he didn't even learn the seal from a scroll or something like that. He copied it off some dude's house's security seal."

This was met with a sharp intake of breath from both Mikoto and Shikaku. It was impossible. She doubted even Kushina would be able to do it without anything going wrong. It was a very difficult task to design seals to coordinate and coexist with other seals. To look at an intricately interwoven complex system of seals such as a security seals system and isolate only the barrier seals was possible only for the best of the best seal masters.

She listened intently to the conversation that took off from there. Shikaku was asking for more details while Chouza and Inoichi were asking why it was such a big deal. It made sense that the two of them didn't know what was going on. Mikoto only knew because of her prolonged and borderline unhealthy exposure to the character that was Kushina.

Suddenly, Mikoto smiled. She knew how she could help Naruto without it being a charity case.

The Next Day, Konoha Memorial Stone

Yuna stood next to her brother. They were all dressed in black except Tsunade who was in her normal clothes. Apparently, she couldn't be convinced to change. Orochimaru and Jiraiya stood next to her. She was leaning on the shoulder of an older shinobi she identified as Akira Senju. Her family along with herself was directly behind them. A large crowd had formed in front of the memorial stone to honor the passing of the Senju prince.

Yuna felt uneasy. She hadn't forgotten about yesterday and she definitely had not forgiven it. But here she was. Forced to smile and be happy with people she was not currently happy with. She wanted to be with her team. But she knew Anko wouldn't come to something as depressing as this. And Naruto, she was actually waiting for him to get here so that she could ditch her family and go to someone who she could actually talk to.

According to the gossip, the top candidate to create a problem today was Mikoto Uchiha. Apparently, there had been a public dispute the previous day when the young jounin had broken the bad news to Tsunade. Most people here, appearing all sad and sympathetic, were only here to keep up appearances and hopefully see some of the excitement.

But the ceremony went off without a hitch because Mikoto never showed. Yuna watched uncomfortably as Nawaki's name was engraved on the memorial stone. Naruto had also not bothered to show up which was strange. Perhaps, he wanted to avoid a confrontation?

People started leaving as rain started to pour down. Soon the only people left in the clearing were the three Sannin, Akira Senju and the Sarutobi family. Hiruzen walked forward and placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder.

"Time will lessen the pain, Tsunade-chan."

He spoke so gently that Yuna barely heard it over the rain. But she could hear everything Tsunade said in reply.

"This is your fault, sensei. No matter how much I want to think it's the Uchiha's fault, we both know whose fault it really is."

Yuna frowned. Her father was indeed to blame for that disastrous mission. Being the Hokage, he held the lives of every single villager in his hands. He chooses who dies and who survives. Yuna wouldn't wish that job on her worst enemy. Her father had done a marvelous job throughout the past two wars and as long as she had been alive, she never even thought him capable of mistakes. But he had made one. In his haste to clear the Land of Fire from the scattered enemy shinobi, he had overlooked the very simple fact that the alliance with Kusagakure was just a piece of paper. If offered something more, then who would refuse. After all, they were ninja too.

Hiruzen did not say anything. He turned around and nodded curtly to his students and his former teammate. Then, after one last look at his only female student, he disappeared in a shunshin; which left the remainder of the Sarutobi family in a very difficult position. After all, they were only here because of Hiruzen's obligations. Now, he had left without even saying anything.

'Typical.' Yuna thought. Now what were they supposed to do? She glanced around at her brother, who seemed just as uneasy as herself. Her mother however was… indifferent to it? Almost as if she was used to this.

Biwako walked up to the Senju family and started talking with Akira as if they were old friends. Asuma and Yuna just stared at each other in confusion. If they were such great friends, why had they never seen him before?

"Ah, Biwako-chan. Thank you for coming." Akira said quietly as he led her away from Tsunade, leaving her to her teammates.

"I'm sorry for what happened, Akira-kun, and for the part my husband played in it." Biwako met his eyes as she said this, making sure that he knew she was being sincere.

"Well, in his position we cannot fault him for everything bad that happens in the village…" Akira paused as if something had just occurred to him. "Say, Biwako-chan, I know we haven't talked in a long while, but I have something I want to talk to you about. Can we meet later? I'd rather not do this here."

Biwako frowned. Why was he doing this? "You know, I'd love to, but the hospital keeps me very busy. And with Tsunade on leave, I'm about to get much busier.", she spoke with an apologetic tone.

Akira smiled at her. "This is not a social call, Biwako. I have something I need to ask you, about a medic in the village who once treated an acquaintance of mine… …. … An acquaintance who is, against my better judgement, still alive."

Akira's face showed some annoyance toward the end as he looked over her shoulder and a frown crossed his face. Biwako turned around to see a young raven-haired boy, carrying a little girl, walk into the clearing. As soon as he saw the people assembled at the memorial stone, a frown formed on his face. Akira was about to run interference but it was already too late. She had seen him.

"YOU! What are you doing here?" Tsunade yelled at the new arrival. "You have no right to be here."

Naruto scoffed at her. "I have every right to be here, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade didn't take too kindly to him scoffing at her. She walked up to him threateningly. "You brat. Haven't you done enough? You and your worthless teammates stood by and watched him bleed out."

Naruto snarled in anger. "And then after I watched my two best friends get killed the same way, I stopped whining, got down there and dug their bodies out so you'd have a fucking chance to say goodbye." He yelled, making Tsunade's eyes widen. "And then, I lured the bastards that did it into a trap and blew them up."

Naruto let out a deep breath as he composed himself. "So, yeah. I think I have done enough. I retrieved the body, put him in the best body scroll I have so that he wouldn't decay and I even got your fucking revenge for you. So, either get the fuck out of my way or turn back time and save him yourself."

With that, he brushed past her to see everyone staring at him with wide eyes and mouths open. He knew all of them, though he was surprised at the presence of one of them. They were in three groups. Asuma and Yuna on his right, Jiraiya and his sensei on the left and right in front of the memorial stone, Akira and... was that the doctor who treated him when he woke up in the hospital?

"I thought you were going to make yourself scarce." Akira stated, looking at him disapprovingly.

Naruto sighed. "What do you want from me, old man? I waited till the ceremony was over and a good 10 minutes after that."

Akira growled in annoyance. "And why couldn't you wait another 10?"

"Because Yugao didn't want to wait." Naruto stated plainly.

Yugao nodded her head vigorously. "I need to pee."

"And also, I just want to see their names. I'll be gone in 5 minutes." Naruto spoke softly. "I should probably tell you that other people are waiting to pay their respects."

Akira reluctantly nodded. Other people were obviously waiting. More than a 100 genin had been killed. They had already kept their families waiting long enough by having the funeral here. He turned around and signaled Tsunade's teammates to follow him.

Wordlessly and without so much as a look towards him, Jiraiya followed. However, Orochimaru stopped to speak with him. "Thanks for doing that. She needed someone to stand up to her."

Naruto scoffed. "I wish that was me yesterday. She has caused enough pain."

Orochimaru frowned. "What do you mean?" Tsunade hadn't done a single thing the previous day. She stayed in Nawaki's room for the entire day, looking at his old toys and worn-out clothes.

Naruto looked confused. "I suppose it hasn't been made public yet. Mikoto Uchiha is no longer an Uchiha. She was disinherited and thrown out of her clan."

Orochimaru's eyes went wide upon hearing that. "That can't be true."

"She was apartment hunting yesterday when I last saw her." Naruto paused to look directly into his sensei's eyes. "I have been an orphan for as long as I can remember. It is not a good life to have. If there is one thing worse than being born into it, it's probably having experienced a good life first. She probably doesn't know it yet, but I've heard the civilians talking to each other. Rumors will spread and her reputation and image will be shattered."

Orochimaru grimaced. "Rumors are just words. I'll talk to the Uchiha clan-head. I will tell him that they are all baseless assumptions."

Naruto smiled at his sensei. "I doubt Mikoto-san will want to return even if it is offered. What her father did because of Tsunade-sama's actions showed her that he was willing to do something so drastic."

Orochimaru nodded. His interference would achieve nothing. "Who is this, by the way?" He asked, pointing to the confused little girl in his arms.

"A fellow orphan. We took care of her when we weren't training."

Orochimaru nodded. "Well, I should go with her. She will probably say some very nice things about you and your teammates that I'm just dying to hear."

Naruto almost laughed at the sarcasm but he hesitated making Orochimaru raise his eyebrows. "Tell her to be careful, will you? If it were anyone else in Mikoto-san's place, she would probably be facing a few defamation charges by now."

Orochimaru nodded. It was a fact that hadn't yet been acknowledged. Tsunade and Akira would soon need to thank the young Uchiha. "Good. Anything else?"

Naruto hesitated again. "I don't know if it is important or not, but I have it under good authority that someone told Nawaki about the purpose of the second genin test. He faked his teamwork and coordination which led to him passing. The very next day, Mikoto realized that it was a mistake to have passed him." He turned away from his sensei. "If she's looking for someone to blame, I suspect she only needs to look in a mirror."

Orochimaru's eyes hardened. That was bad news for Tsunade. No one else would have revealed it to him and because of that revelation, he was dead. Tsunade had unknowingly sentenced her own brother to death and Naruto had found out. He would need to contain this as well.

Naruto walked away from his sensei and came to the memorial stone. Yugao jumped off his shoulders and landed on the grass. "Naruto-nii? Their names are written here?"

Naruto looked kindly at the young girl. "Yeah. Because they were heroes."

Yugao stared at him with stars in her eyes. "Amazing."

They stayed silent while they both tried to find the names. Unfortunately, it wasn't written in alphabetical order or anything like that. The only order they followed was the order in which they were killed.

Naruto stopped his search when he felt people behind him. He turned around to see his teammate and her family. "Hey Yuna." He stood up to greet her.

"Hey Naruto. This is my family. My brother, Asuma and my mother, Biwako." Yuna said quietly. She didn't know if he was in a sad mood or if he would appreciate the interruption. But he didn't seem to mind. So, that was good.

"Oh. It's nice to meet you both." Naruto replied as he held out his hand towards Asuma.

"Tch." Asuma started walking away. Biwako sighed. "Forgive him. He has inherited far too many bad qualities from his father. It's very good to meet you as well, Naruto, is it?"

Naruto nodded hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he should mention it but he decided he had nothing to lose. Either she remembered him, in which case, they would have a laugh about his improved height, his black hair and other such changes, or she wouldn't remember him and there's no loss for either party. They didn't notice Akira returning after having escorted Tsunade out.

"Actually, Biwako-sama, we've met before. You were the one who treated me back to full health when I woke up from my accident."

It was there in her eyes. It had gone as quick as it had come. But it was there. She recognized him. But she was quick to hide it. "Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto-san but I've treated many patients in my time at the hospital. After some time, all the faces and voices blend together and I can't remember anyone clearly."

Naruto's eyes narrowed before he could control it. In that moment, both Naruto and Biwako realized something. Naruto realized that she indeed remembered him, but for some reason, she had lied. Biwako realized from the narrowed eyes that the young man knew she was lying, but didn't know why. Both of them recovered quickly and smiled almost simultaneously.

"That's quite alright, Biwako-sama. I imagine it's quite hard for you when patients come to you outside the hospital."

"Quite so, Naruto-san. Thank you for being so understanding, but we should get going now. You and your other teammate should come to our house one day. We'll have a small get together for you." Naruto smiled and nodded. "Come along Yuna." She said smiling all the while.

"You go ahead mom. I'll come later. I want to spend some time with my teammate." Yuna replied.

"As you wish, Yuna-chan. Be home before dark." With that, she waved goodbye to her daughter and her teammate and started to leave the clearing with Asuma but Akira Senju stood in her way.

"As I was saying before, Biwako, now that I know who treated him, I'll come by the hospital later. We need to talk."

Biwako took a few quick glances around the clearing but gave a hesitant nod in the end. She then made her way out of the clearing adamantly ignoring all of Asuma's questions.

Meanwhile, Yuna turned around and smiled at Naruto. "Hey Naruto. Sorry for the awkwardness."

Naruto waved it off. "Nah. Don't worry about it." Then, he went back to the stone to help Yugao in her search.

"By the way, why didn't you come to the funeral?" Yuna asked.

Naruto stared at her in confusion which was replaced by understanding a moment later. "So, you didn't know after all." Yuna looked confused. "Only people related to the kage and other such important people are buried near the memorial stone. There's a separate graveyard for people who are not as important."

Yuna flinched at the blunt declaration. "Then, it's over already?"

"Yeah." Naruto said sadly.

"Sorry I wasn't there to support you." Yuna stated, her voice full of regret.

"Don't worry, Yuna-chan." He said with a smile. "It's not like I-"

"I found them." Yugao yelled. "Look. Shi-zu-ka. And Shin-zo Aru… Abu-rama?"

Naruto looked at where she pointed and smiled at her. "Good job, Yugao-chan. And it's Aburame. Shizuka and Shinzo Aburame."

Yugao nodded seriously. "Should I do it now?"

"Yeah." Naruto said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Yugao nodded again and took a scroll out of her pocket making Yuna stare in surprise. She opened the scroll and unsealed it to reveal a bunch of beautiful flowers. She then gave it to Naruto.

But Naruto shook his head no. "You put them, Yugao. After all, you're the one who picked them out."

Yugao looked hesitant but bent down to place the flowers nevertheless.

Naruto smiled down at her for a few moments before he swooped her up into his hands. "Thank you for coming with me, Yugao-chan.", he said as he pressed a kiss on her cheek. "Now, let's get you home." Naruto turned around and saw Yuna look sadly at them both. Gently, he nudged Yugao and pointed at Yuna.

"Wow, lady. You're so pretty.", she went off as if Naruto had just pressed a button. "Can you show me how to tie my hair like that? Naruto doesn't know how to tie my hair up."

Yuna looked genuinely surprised at the question. She had never cared much about her hairstyle. She just took care of it sometimes and at other times, kept it in a ponytail which would minimize its interference in her job.

"Oi oi. That's not my fault. Shizuka always let her hair flow freely. Why would I know any different?" he asked, irritated at his implied lack of knowledge. "Shizuka called that a ponytail, didn't she?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"Why a pony-tail?"

Naruto frowned. "How should I know? Ask her."

Yugao turned to her again. "Ne, Oneechan. Why is it called a ponytail? We aren't ponies."

Yuna blinked a few times before finally answering. "I… I don't know."

Yugao nodded seriously. "I see… Okay then. Naruto-nii, take me to the library. We have a mystery to solve."

Naruto palmed his face. "The mystery of the ponytail? I'll pass."

Yugao hit his head lightly. "Baka. You can't refuse a lady's request."

"Tch. And who told you that?"

"My mum told me."

Naruto suddenly became serious. "Yosh. Then it must be true." Yugao started clapping. She loved going to the library with her mother. "However, … I do not see a lady making any requests. Besides, didn't you have to pee?"

Yugao blushed. "Oneechan… Don't say that aloud."

Naruto scoffed. "You said it first for everyone in the place to hear."

"No. I whispered. Only Akira-ojiichan heard."

"No, you tried to whisper. I'm telling you. Everyone in-"

"Guys, I think it's time we leave." Naruto was interrupted by Yuna who had not failed to notice the people starting to come in. Apparently, a lot of people were waiting for Tsunade to leave so that they could pay their respects. And all of them were shooting dirty looks in their direction for talking so casually in such a sacred place.

Following Yuna's eyes, Naruto noticed it too. "Yeah… I think you're right." He walked forward and grabbed Yuna's hand. "Come join us. We're celebrating."

"Celebrating?" Yuna asked, incredulous at the prospect of a celebration. "Why?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. Because I have a little bit of money now, I guess." Yesterday, late at night, when Akira came home, he gave him his share of the money. Apparently, chunin had been sent out with the money to every genin, but no one knew where he lived and so, Akira had volunteered saying he was interested in the boy.

It wasn't much. But it was enough for a good meal for the three of them which Naruto would happily pay for.

"We'll swing by Anko's place. I'll treat you. Come on, let's go." Naruto yelled as he dragged Yuna along. This would be the first time he was going to treat his teammates and it wouldn't be the last. He would probably lose the entire mission pay on this, but he didn't care anymore. Akira could be trusted to keep his side of the bargain and Naruto knew that one day, he would pay him back. But for now, he was celebrating and he didn't want to think about anything else.

Hokage's Office

"Biwako?! What are you doing here?" Hiruzen asked, surprised. In all the time he'd been the Hokage, she had never once visited him at the office. He suspected that she blamed him for the death of her teammates. After all, he was the one who sent them on that godforsaken mission.

Since then, Biwako would never ask for any information from him. She was afraid to know. They would talk about the political situation and about the many power plays that went on behind the scenes, but never about his actual work. She didn't want to hear it. So, she never visited him at the office.

"Officially, I just came to bring you your lunch." Biwako stated, making her way to a chair. "In reality though, I have something I want to ask you." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. This was serious, whatever it was. "Why did you burn the boy's locket all those years ago?"

Hiruzen's mouth fell open in surprise. That hadn't been anywhere close to what he expected. "What brought this on?"

The corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly. "I asked first."

It was a statement but the tone made it seem like a direction. "So, you will have no problem with answering first."

"Cut the crap, Hiruzen. Don't stall. Out with it." She snarled at him.

Hiruzen sighed. He was just having a bit of fun. "I don't remember."

Biwako narrowed her eyes on her husband. "You don't remember… Fine, don't tell me then. But what I do know is this. When that boy woke up the first time, I saw his eyes, Hiruzen. Only for a second, but I saw it. Then, your student came in, applied some seals on him and after he fell unconscious, he took him away. When he was returned to my care, he no longer had the same eyes." Biwako stood up and turned around to face the door. "If I'm asked about him again, I will tell the truth as I know it. Inuzuka Sanae is a fake name you provided and Jiraiya was the one who actually brought him in. I will say that and I'll be proud of it." Biwako snarled. "I'd never lied to a patient before that and haven't lied since. I won't lie again."

Hiruzen looked at his wife's retreating back. "Who asked you about him?" he asked in a soft voice, but his wife heard him and stopped walking.

"I don't remember."

Mitarashi Weapons

"So, this is better for stabbing and this better for cleaving, is it?" Mikoto asked the young purple-haired girl at the counter. She had been wanting to take up kinjutsu ever since she watched her friend and rival face a member of the seven ninja swordsmen of Kiri and match her. It had been amazing to see the battle with her sharingan. Their movements were so intricate and with purpose. It was like a dance. A dance of death. She had been captivated by both her friend and her opponent.

When the fight was done, they were both spent and flat on the ground. Mikoto had stepped forward to finish her off, but Kushina stopped her saying it was not honorable to interrupt. After a while, when they had recovered enough, they stood facing each other and shook hands, promising to one day, do it again. That 'honor' was something Mikoto had never seen before. Ninja didn't let people get away because they fought valiantly. But swordsmen did. They loved the fight, not the end. From the day she saw Kushina Uzumaki and Ameyuri Ringo clash, she wanted it. That sense of honor.

Now that she was out of the clan and could use her money as she saw fit, she was free to purchase whatever she wanted. But it was probably better to wait until her friend got out of the hospital. She didn't know the first thing about swords.

Anko shook her head. "No. It's the other way round. That one's better for cleaving and that one's better for stabbing."

"Oh, I see. How much do they cost? I'll come later with the money… and someone who knows my fighting style and would know what suits me." Mikoto said, a little embarrassed. The genin in front of her knew a lot more about these weapons than she did.

"Miko-chan." The shout came from behind her and she turned around to see Yugao running toward her. Naruto and his teammate stood at the door.

"Ohayo, Yugao-chan. What are you doing in a weapon shop?" Mikoto asked softly as she knelt down to pick her up.

"Naruto-nii wanted to ask his teammate to lunch and I tagged along to make sure he doesn't get all sad and mopey." Yugao said happily.

Anko looked at the deadpan look Naruto was giving the young girl and couldn't help but crack a smile. "Did you cry in front of this little girl, Naruto-chan?"

Naruto, now visibly irritated, turned to Anko. "I made a mistake coming down here. Oi, Mikoto-san. A spot just opened up. How would you like a free dinner?"

Anko grimaced slightly. "Sorry sorry. No need to be an ass about it."

Mikoto just smiled at the interaction. "Unfortunately, I have to go see a friend in the hospital. But I do want to talk to you. Do you have the time?"

Naruto looked at his teammates who shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Anko sighed. "I'll go tell my dad that I'm going out. He won't be very happy about it."

"I'll come with you, Oneechan." Yugao said and ran up to Anko. "Wow, lady. You're so pretty. Can you show me how to tie my hair like that? Naruto doesn't know how to tie my hair up."

Sweat formed on Naruto's brow as he felt Yuna's suspicious eyes on him. Deciding that a change of subject would be best for everyone, he turned to Mikoto. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Mikoto smiled at him. "I'd like to make you a new offer."

Naruto paled at that. He had escaped her offer before by just walking away. He would have to use some unnecessarily harsh words to refuse it this time. "Mikoto-san. I appreciate the sentiment, but I already told you. The last thing I need is charity."

Mikoto was unfazed by his comment. "You are mistaken, Naruto. I have a job I suspect only you can do. This isn't charity. This is just payment for a job."

Naruto's mouth fell open in surprise. "What could I possibly do that you can't?" This wasn't a normal offer. She was asking him to do something for her, something she couldn't do herself and he was capable of.

Yuna was similarly surprised. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but she knew that Naruto would never accept charity. Whatever mission Mikoto was offering, if it had the smallest tinge of pity in it, Naruto would refuse.

"Yesterday, at the bar, I heard about a rookie genin who blackmailed the Hokage and his advisors." Mikoto stated, making their eyes widen. They didn't think that rumors would spread so fast. "I asked to know more about him and imagine my surprise when I heard about the things he'd done. This newly-made genin performed one of the most intricate barrier seals known to the village and one which has been classified as a kinjutsu, with no help from anyone or any books. He just saw the seal in someone else's security seal matrix and isolated it and performed it flawlessly on the first try." Mikoto paused to catch her breath. "So, when you ask what you can do that I can't, I'm referring to your skill with seals, Naruto. And fuinjutsu is not a common skill. It pays well."

Naruto took a few moments to process it. "What would you even have me do?"

Mikoto smiled at him. He was hooked. "I want you to develop security seals for my new apartment. I want them to be properly hidden and weather proof. I want something that would hurt shinobi trying to break in but if they use the key, it wouldn't do anything. I want a barrier that activates when someone without authorization touches my stuff, trapping them inside, that only I can take down. I want proximity sensors that will alert me if someone gets close to my apartment but not if I'm in the middle of a battle or something where such a distraction could kill me. I've heard it's possible to use seals for air conditioning. If possible, I'd like that as well. And finally, I want a seal that will alert me if someone without an ANBU mask is up on the roof of the building when I'm inside my apartment."

Naruto flinched back in surprise. "That… That is a lot." Inside, his mind was running a mile a minute. It was possible. It would definitely be within his capabilities but it would take a considerable amount of effort… and time… "How much are we talking about… exactly?"

Mikoto smiled and held up 3 fingers.

Naruto's visible eye widened. "Only 3000?"

Mikoto outright laughed at him. She shook his head no.

Naruto was speechless. "Are you saying 30000 ryo for this? Just this?"

Mikoto continued laughing. "Closer, but still not close enough."

Naruto was almost hyperventilating. If she was telling the truth, every problem he faced now was over. "300000 ryo? Are you joking?"

Mikoto let her hand fall down. "Who you call 'Akira-ojiisan' is Akira-sama, Konoha's Golden Flame, isn't it? My friend and I were his students. She's the one who designed the seals for his place. With the money she received from that, she bought a piece of property from the Senju clan and established her clan in Konoha. Now, she sits on all shinobi council meetings as a proud clan-head. She bought a sword crafted by the legendary Muramasa-sama from Kiri and she eats about 20 bowls of ramen a day. And she still has money left over from other such missions she has since undertaken. I'm actually paying you a little less than the normal amount because of your inexperience."

Naruto and Yuna stared at her as if she were mad. Yuna opened her mouth to ask something, but nothing came out. She would have to take up fuinjutsu. It was amazing if these were the kind of benefits she could get. "How are you able to afford all this?", she finally managed to ask.

Mikoto laughed again at what she thought was a silly question. "Yuna-san, I've been a shinobi for close to 12 years now. I have done more missions than I care to keep count. I was a member of the guardian 12 of the fire daimyo for 2 years. He pays a lot to the people he likes. Each A-rank mission gives 10000 ryo ideally. Don't you think I've done more than 30 of them? You are the daughter of a clan head as well, aren't you? Have you ever spent your own money for food, housing or clothes? While I was with the Uchiha clan, I had a steady income and no expenses and it has all piled up to a rather large amount."

Naruto was now thinking more clearly. It made sense that she would have this kind of money, although he didn't expect her to throw it away so carelessly. "If your friend is so skilled and she has done this before, then why are you asking me?"

Mikoto sighed. Why couldn't he just accept the offer? "Because I met with Akira-sama yesterday. He told me about how you disabled his security seals, the ones that his student, my friend, assured him were foolproof, by simply drawing over them or something like that. That is well beyond my friend's capabilities and you are quite honestly, better than Kushina. Of course, you are inexperienced and there is considerable risk of failure which is why I am offering only 60% of the usual 500000ryo."

Naruto continued to stare at his best friends' sensei. This was something he could, in all good conscience, never refuse. Every single problem he had would be solved. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anko and Yugao arrive, Yugao wearing a large hat that continuously fell over her eyes no matter how much she adjusted it. He couldn't refuse. Not if he wanted to take care of Yugao.

Mikoto continued. "What I'm offering is 300000ryo for a couple of weeks of your time and skills. I will provide the money for the sealing supplies separately since I am offering you less than the usual amount."

Anko's eyes bulged out of its sockets. '300000ryo? What is going on?'

"And since I am paying you considerably less, I'd like to compensate by instructing you on the usage of your sharingan. It's fascinating that it is already fully mature when most Uchiha only achieve it long after they are made jonin. I would like to instruct you because of that."

A small grin was developing on his face. He held up his hand in front of her. "I accept your proposal and thank you for the generous terms."

Mikoto grinned and accepted the handshake firmly. "It's a deal, Naruto. I think this is the start of a brilliant partnership."

Naruto only nodded. In the events that followed, Naruto only observed silently. Yugao ran forward and told Mikoto that she was glad they made up and that she should come with them to celebrate. Mikoto agreed that there was indeed cause to celebrate but she would join them some other time. They proceeded to one of the restaurants Anko recommended that was quite close to them.

In the rush of things, Naruto observed two things which he mentally added to his list of things to investigate.

The first was that Anko's father seemed to hate him instinctively which was strange as he'd never met the man before. He knew that there was some bad blood between her family and the people who lived south of the residential district. It was probably the reason for Anko's father to act this way. It was for the same reason Anko hated him in the beginning. He was kind of hoping for a friends and family discount at this weapon shop but it would seem that it wasn't meant to be.

The second thing was that he recognized the name of Mikoto's friend, Kushina. The name was oddly familiar. Orochimaru may have mentioned the name but somehow, he felt like there was more to it.

Whatever… He'd look into it later. That "to-do" list was getting bigger and bigger ever since he became a genin. He'd have to start sooner or later.

Unknown Location, Underground

Danzo looked at the shinobi kneeling in front of him. What was this about? In all the years he had worked under Danzo, this shinobi had never requested an audience with him. He was the perfect ninja, killing, spying, infiltrating, and doing all kinds of things without question. But so did the hundreds of other shinobi working under him. Why was he any different?

This particular shinobi was special to him. He was the first of his kind. The first to be without emotion. The first root agent. Shinji Aburame was the very first shinobi to be trained up in his care. He had proved that the ideal shinobi exists. Danzo's philosophy had been proved by this man. And nothing but good things had come from it.

"He's dead?" Shinji asked.

Danzo nodded. "He died a hero's death."

"Danzo-sama." Shinji interrupted. "You know I don't care about that. What matters is that you sent him in to die. You were in charge of the silent dispatch."

Danzo nodded. "And it's about time I did." Danzo would never deny it. "I only corrected the mistake you made all those years ago. And despite that, I protected your brother. I never recruited him for my institution and according to you, that's protection enough, isn't it?"

This, however, provoked a reaction. Shinji stood up threateningly, but was immediately forced down to his knees by the seal under his tongue. His breathing accelerated. "You asked me to kill my father. And I did."

Danzo scowled. He was the first root shinobi because he was the first one who succeeded in the last stage. Kill someone you care about. When Danzo chose his father to be the target, he had no idea that they were pretty much estranged. The process fails if the subject doesn't care for the victim. Nevertheless, Danzo had made use of his unique circumstances and made him out to be a spy. One that defected to Iwagakure and had been successfully spying for him ever since.

This… failed experiment was the reason why he paired off his recruits and made them fight to the death. No one could really know the person closest to someone unless that person was the only person in his/her life.

"No, I asked you to kill the person closest to you. You told me that it was your father. You lied."

Shinji struggled on the ground. "Then why not kill me? Why keep a broken tool around?"

Danzo chuckled. "Even broken tools have their uses, Shinji. In their eyes, if they ever find out who you are, you are a blunt kunai thrown aside by the great nation of Konoha. In my eyes, it's a kunai directly under my control in the hands of my enemies. I can attach anything I want to you. An exploding tag? A chakra seal? Anything I want. You can't do anything about it because you have my seal on you."

Shinji growled in anger. "A seal I accepted in exchange for the safety of my brother."

"A seal that will nonetheless stop you from going against me. You are under my control, Shinji." Danzo stated authoritatively. "Now. Let's leave these silly matters behind. Report."

Shinji felt his mouth open forcefully and the secrets he had been entrusted with by Iwagakure spilled out. Secrets he wouldn't have revealed for anything, if it weren't for the damned seal on his tongue. As he looked at his creator with malice, he was sure of one thing. He would get his revenge. Someday… Somehow… He would not rest until he did.

---

Ufff. I think this was the longest chapter yet. Anyways, hope you like it.

AN0: Kushina still hasn't quite figured out everything. She still thinks that kid Yoshino saw was named Menma and because of recent developments like him getting the sharingan, Minato, Akira and everyone else decided it's probably best to not tell her. Sad :(

AN1: Shinji Aburame is yet another OC that I have some plans for. I've always found it odd that Danzo would just start stealing kids from orphanages without having the emotionless training shit tested. Shinji, in this story, is his prototype, ig. And there's no way Hiruzen didn't know about Danzo's little project. I think even Canon Hiruzen probably knew and just accepted it because of the precarious position they were in and later just stopped condoning it.

AN2: I've put Mikoto, Kushina and Hitomi together in the same team, but I think I've mentioned in some scenes from previous chapters where Akira's talking to Mikoto like she's a stranger. Will edit them when I get time.

AN3: This chapter just dealt with the fallout, funerals and all that stuff. Nothing too over the top unfortunately. But if I don't squeeze in any character development arcs for Naruto's teammates, I think the next chapter will definitely make up for the lack of action.

See you guys next time :)