AN: Chapter title: Trust Part 3

Security was tighter than before. It was to be expected after the attack, that every Shinobi would be alert.

If he was less skilled, if he had been a second slower more than once, he would've never succeeded.

But he had.

Kabuto Yakushi held skills that would eclipse most Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village. Even if the Barrier Team had been switched out, if it had gone through a fresh wave of recruitment, he had spent months treating them for migraines, Chakra exhaustion, all of the ailments one would expect from such a position.

He knew their schedules from days worth of treatment, from their incessant desire for small talk.

Even under the strictest of security, the Detection Division's doctrine demanded a switch every 18 hours.

"My window won't be for long." It had taken more effort than he would've liked to clear the room of Shinobi but he had done it. Careful application of Medical Ninjutsu days prior, delaying the effects, picking just how to drive each individual Shinobi out before the end of their shift. He even had to make sure that the other shift would be late, that no one would suspect anything either.

He had been tempted to simply kill one of the Shinobi on the Interception Team and replace them but it was too risky. If their corpse was discovered before everything was in place it would make his mission impossible. Before the attack, he would've done so, staged it as an accident or desertion, but it was too risky now. He had been forced to rely on such a drawn-out plan instead. It had taken days.

But he was now moments from accomplishing his goal.

Beneath the Sensing Water Sphere was the scroll holding the core formula for the Sensing Barrier surrounding the Hidden Leaf Village. It was a massive thing, usually required at least three Shinobi to unlock the security around it. Kabuto Yakushi bypassed the need for such a thing.

The scroll Orochimaru himself had prepared was opened at last. A portion of his master's own Chakra assumed the form of a snake as it emerged from the scroll. It entered the sphere easily enough, would begin the slow and steady process of rewriting the Sensing Barrier. It would conceal his Chakra from the sensors until it burned out.

With the amount he had provided, it would take months.

In moments, he was out the building and concealing himself. The next shift would arrive soon. He'd wait for them to enter the building before he left the area. He had to be sure they didn't discover anything after all.

At least, that's what he told himself.

With the mission complete, his thoughts were allowed to run amok. There was no need to focus on the now beyond his normal caution.

'The Jinchuriki…Lord Orochimaru wants to come back to this village because of him.'

All out of curiosity.

Not for the Sharingan.

Not to retrieve the Hashirama Senju's Scroll of Seals for his research.

Not even to retrieve a rogue experiment, check on the progress of the likes of his Wood Release user or Mitarashi.

'He's not even concerned that she's reawakened her Cursed Seal. She's not even worth his interest but this boy's clone technique is? Why?' It didn't make sense. 'Mitarashi carries the first perfected Cursed Seal of Heaven. In terms of abilities, she's the closest to the progenitor of it all. Her Chakra Absorption Technique is like no other. Her body would be the perfect basis for a new set of research into Senjutsu. I could use her to perfect the Cursed Seal but Lord Orochimaru is the only one capable of bringing her down.'

He wasn't doubting himself.

With her Cursed Seal reawakened, Anko Mitarashi was possibly a greater threat than even Hiruzen Sarutobi.

His preferred techniques would be useless against her.

Her regeneration would make his normal surgical precision all but useless.

Her Chakra absorption would make it nearly impossible to use any Chakra based technique on her.

And he couldn't develop a defense against any of her sound based attacks. Orochimaru's prowess was too great when designing the initial Cursed Seal of Heaven, had turned her into a near unstoppable killing machine even when only partially awakened to her power.

'But he's uninterested in her. She could put the entirety of our Cursed Seal research years if not a decade ahead of schedule but he won't authorize her capture.' Even with preparation, only six Shinobi even had the possibility of successfully capturing her.

The Sound Four.

Kimimaro of the Kaguya Clan.

And Jugo.

'The Sound Four would take casualties. Perhaps even the entire unit being wiped out. Kimimaro would succeed but retrieval would fall to another. The strain would assuredly kill him in his current condition. And a battle between Mitarashi and Jugo is more likely to end in a mutual kill than anything else.'

'Perhaps any benefit outweighs the immediate costs?' It was a thought almost immediately discarded. It provided logic to the illogical.

Kabuto knew the real answer after all.

Mitarashi would never be brought to his lab. He would never be able to dissect her extraordinary body for one simple reason.

'Even Lord Orochimaru can be sentimental. Such a bizarre weakness for a Shinobi as great as him.'

"Please, pass on my thanks to Naruto-kun for this opportunity. It was truly a delight to see everything he's done here." The Third Hokage patted the Praefectus Castrorum on his shoulder as he stood at the doors to the tower. "I only wish he had been here to give me the tour himself."

The tour had been nearly three hours. The Hokage hadn't seen the need to rush and the Praefectus Castrorum had matched his pace, however grudgingly.

"Of course." The Praefectus didn't try to brush the hand off this time. His hands were fists at his side but he didn't act. "I'm sure Caesar will speak to you on his return from his journey with the Toad Sage." His red eyes turned to the still Praetorians who manned the tower's doors. It was enough to drive them into a flurry of action, the heavy doors heaved open with haste. The Praefectus Castrorum stretched his arm out to the door. "If you are done here, I will provide an escort of my men to the border."

"Theres no need for that." The Hokage headed for the open doors. "Again, give my thanks to Naruto-kun when he returns."

He stepped past the Praetorians stationed outside the tower and was simply gone in a cloud of smoke and scattering of leaves.

When he returned to his office, he sat aside his hat. His face was relaxed save for his eyes. They were darkened in a way that was becoming more and more common whenever he was dealing with Naruto Uzumaki.

"Summon Danzo to my office immediately." He spoke the words to empty air, to the ANBU that guarded the building day and night after the failed invasion. One of them hastened to obey his orders, departing as silently as he had stood guard. It would be the work of minutes for Danzo to receive the message, for the aged Shinobi to arrive.

Minutes for Hiruzen to take inventory.

"Secure the outer perimeter." His words were a dismissal the ANBU Black Ops did not allow to surprise them. They simply obeyed the orders of the Hokage. It was an open secret that the man could protect himself better than they could. If he wished for privacy, he would have it.

He was alone in the blink of an eye.

He allowed himself to sink into his seat.

He allowed himself to be tired. For a moment if nothing else.

"What a mess I've made…" Pity. Regret. It was a terrible cocktail of emotions to hold for oneself. He almost wished it was simple anger.

Anger was simple.

If he was a younger man, he would take his frustration out against a training post. He would release it by screaming, by exhausting himself until he could no longer feel this rage inside of him.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

He could only allow this weight to settle in his heart, allow it to find a place among so many more regrets.

He could only condemn himself for his foolishness.

He had allowed sentimentality to blind him.

He had risked the village he had sworn to defend.

He should have acted.

'But what could I have even done?' Over ten thousand clones. Even if he personally led the attack, called upon every resource of the village to aid in it, even if they had the element of surprise, it would be a risk. Naruto would answer any attack with his full force.

His death was too much of an unknown. It could end the Mugen Yureigun. Or it could do nothing. Each clone would then need to be destroyed individually. A daunting task no matter who was present.

And that was discarding the Kyubi. It discarded the very real threat that, if backed into a corner, Naruto could unleash the Tailed Beast in an act of ultimate spite. If Jiraiya's study of the seal had weakened it, if it had decayed with age after containing the Tailed Beast for so long, or if Naruto's Kinjutsu had in some way altered the seal it could be possible.

'What happened? How could things have gone so wrong?'

He rose from his seat.

Danzo's arrival was silent.

"Fourteen of them have been taken alive. The other five were killed. Three others were found dead. The bodies have been disposed of." Shimura's grim report was expected. Hiruzen had expected more dead than alive. It was a cruel blessing that so many of Orochimaru's agents would be turned over to Ibiki.

Hopefully, they had information on the dangerous Missing-nin. Perhaps something to make this all worth it.

His feet carried him over to the window, his dark eyes taking in the village he had sworn to defend, the home he had devoted his life to. He could still easily find the scars left by the invasion. The Hidden Leaf would need more time to heal from this latest tragedy.

He wished he could be here for it.

"My agreement with Chief Judge Yama involves me leaving the village upon Jiraiya's return. Within the month. He will act as Hokage once I depart to Mount Hugao."

Danzo hid his surprise, the silver of frustration, well. His reflection hardly betrayed any of what he was feeling.

"I see." The man held his opinions to himself. "How long will you be gone?"

"He refused to say. When I asked, he only laughed." Hiruzen looked out on the village. A part of him could not believe that a child of it could destroy it, could threaten to do much worse than any enemy ever could. "Enma has assured me it won't be long. He believes, at most, I will amuse Yama for only a year. Perhaps less than that."

"A year without your leadership will be…difficult for the village."

"I have faith in Jiraiya. For all of his flaws, he understands the burden of this office more than most." Hiruzen looked out over the village. "To safeguard it, he would gladly give up his life."

"His life is not the one the village needs to prosper." Danzo knew some of the reason he had been summoned. "Naruto Uzumaki. Shall I begin looking for a new Jinchuriki?"

"…No." Hiruzen wished he did not hesitate at rejecting the offer. "But we will begin restructuring the Academy's curriculum. Begin placing your ROOT agents as instructors. Our standard for Genin has lowered since the war. I do not intend to reduce our Shinobi Corps but the quality must rise. For the future."

"They'll be pushback. Many will question the more…intense lessons. The Academy will require an attached Medical-nin Squad. Training supplies will need to be restocked regularly."

"A necessity. This attack has shown the need for stronger Shinobi to defend the Hidden Leaf Village from any and all threats. Present and future."

Naruto Uzumaki was now firmly among those threats.

"I will see to it."

The preparations for war would need to be guided by a steady hand. As much as many would rush such a thing, it needed to be done slowly but steadily.

From the looks of things, they had years to ready themselves. Even still, it felt too short a time.

The Chamber of the Primi Ordines was fully occupied save for one seat.

The Praefectus Castrorum had called for an immediate assembly once the Third Hokage had departed from the tower, once the Praetorians watching the Hokage Office confirmed he had returned to it.

Even still, it had taken hours for the last of the eleven occupants to arrive. He would need to see to the dismissal of the Tribunes shortly.

"Praefectus Uzumaki." The Third's Primus Pilus was the last to occupy his seat. He had appeared as suddenly as he had left the room only a few hours ago. "I apologize for my late arrival." He seemed unconcerned. "I was held up in the Land of Waves."

"By what?" The Sixth's Primus Pilus had been among the first to arrive and, by consequence, been waiting the longest.

"Momoichi wanted to speak with me. He had something to present to Caesar, a task for his Orange Legion, and wished for my support when he did so." The Primus Pilus would speak no more on it, his eyes turning to where the Praefectus Castrorum sat at the end of the table.

"Speak with the Legate on his return. He's assumed much of the oversight for the Land of Waves. If it is worth Caesar's time, he will find time for you to speak to him." The head of Caesar's Praetorians didn't have time to waste. "You all know of the Legate's latest orders. The creation of the Tribune Council, the investigation into Tribune Hyuga's actions. We still lack a date for either the Legate's or Caesar's return. The Legate believes he will return within a week. Until then, are tasks remain the same. With one exception: Discipline."

"Regrettably, it has fallen since Caesar's departure." The First Cohort's Primus Pilus spoke up, eyed the leaders of the Seventh and Eighth. "That madwoman should be crucified for what she did."

Hyuga's Decimation wasn't mentioned but it was the thought that dominated all of their minds.

"The Legate has restricted the authority of ordering such extreme measures to those of the rank of Legate and above. He has deemed it necessary only in the greatest of dishonors, undertaken only when the honor and pride of the Legion is sacrificed by the men." The Praefectus Castrorum had already sent word for clarification back to the Legate, would have it by the time he returned to the tower. If he was to ever implement it… "Regardless, the Legion will need to recommit ourselves to Caesar's dream. Our efforts need to be joined, not disparate. If we allow the slightest divide, we risk ruining everything."

"Of course, of course. But all of us have different goals." The Fourth's Primus Pilus leaned back in his seat, the Second's not bothering to look up from the papers he was looking over. "Uzushiogakure is my only focus. It will be years until the ruins are restored enough for Caesar himself to call that place home."

"The Legate plans to have contractors attached to your Cohorts within the next three months." The Praefectus Castrorum earned a raise eyebrow from both. "Supplies will come sooner if the ships are ready." Ten sets of blue eyes promptly turned to the one who would know the answer to that question.

"The ships are of course ready. I did not need to construct simply transport ships. The problem would be who shall man them. We're ahead of schedule in terms of construction but that's out of necessity. We are not only building a fleet for Caesar after all. I am turning my Legion into capable sailors at the same time and that requires training. Even under guidance, it will take time. My Legionnaires are already strained to keep to the schedule amid their duties in the Land of Waves. As it stands? I don't have the men to spare. To crew the ships, an advance force to survey a proper route. Of the five Cohorts I command, not even the First is trained to standard." The Third's Primus Pilus spoke the facts as he knew them.

"Inform the Legate of your greatest needs. He will need something simple to do amid the mess awaiting him." The First's Primus Pilus found the situation funny in some way from the grin on his face. "And five Cohorts? I'm only up to three. Impressive growth brother."

"It's not nearly as great as you believe. Not a single Cohort has more than a Century in reserve. Few Optios were as ready for the command of a Century as I believed and not a single Centurion is ready to lead a Cohort without my supervision. I have the men to hold a country twice the size of the Land of Waves but I have none of the leadership for it." The Third's Primus Pilus shook his head. "The headaches they cause almost make me wish for that fool Daimyo to still be free. I could leave them to shatter his samurai if nothing else."

Nods answered his words, the Primi Ordines of Caesar's Orange Legion of one mind when it came to what showed true prowess: The battlefield.

"I wasn't aware of such things and I'm sure neither is the Legate. While Caesar gave us the authority to raise our Cohorts into Legions, their quality most not suffer in pursuit of it. Reports on your growths into individual Legions will need to be submitted, include any challenges you face in them. The Legate and I will speak on his return, provide guidelines to you all." The Praefectus Castrorum was sure it would take days, if not weeks of their limited time to accomplish even the basics even with the work he had already done, the headache of raising two additional Cohorts of Praetorians.

Even still, it would take days to even suggest it to the Uchiha. The Legate would need to be brought up to speed on everything he had missed while he escorted the Daimyo, solve the problems the Praefectus himself could not.

He had hoped to gather all of that information tonight but it would be impossible.

'I never thought I would find myself missing the Legate.' The longer the Uchiha's absence stretched, the more the Praefectus Castrorum found himself awaiting his return. 'Working with him is preferable to what I've dealt with since his departure.'

She shouldn't have been surprised that her new duties had her in a new office. Sasuke's orders must've been thorough. The new Tribune Council was sharing an office, Legionnaires must've moved quickly have three desks set up in the office, the paperwork that they would be dealing with steadily coming in across the day. Sasuke's personal banner hung on three of the walls, behind each of the desks in the room. Each had either Tribune Inuzuka, Tribune Yamanaka, or Tribune Hyuga across a banner in black ink.

"Oh man. It feels like this stuff never ends." Kiba had been the first to drop behind his desk, start working through the first stack of papers delivered. And he had also been the first to bemoan the sheer amount of paperwork they've been stuck doing all day. "Do we really all have to go through everything or can we divide it up?" It wasn't a bad question. Although Ino didn't give it much of her attention.

A scroll had been waiting for her in the first drawer she opened. Blue eyes cut over the room to Kiba. If he had anything waiting for him, he hadn't said anything even when the room was just the two of them. The Inuzuka seemed to be doing his best to adjust to his new duties.

Hinata stormed across her vision, back from whatever errand she had been off on. Her steps were light but her fury was still clear. She took her seat with all the grace of a Clan Heiress and all the fury of a woman scorned.

'Don't let it distract you.' She could figure everything out later. With the others. They could all go over whatever the message was together. 'It can wait another hour.'

The sun had set hours ago, the others were no doubt waiting for them.

The door to their office was opened, a pair of Praetorians stepping into the room. Their red eyes were focused solely on Hinata. They barely spared Ino a glance.

"K-Kiba?" Ino knew the voice coming from behind the purple cloaks, saw the owner of the voice a moment later when one of the Praetorians stepped aside. She was surprised neither of the two – no four, two more had entered the room behind her – had their swords drawn. Karin was in the center, Akamaru in her arms. The Hidden Grass Shinobi was worried, Ino didn't need her father's training to see the nerves tearing through the redhead.

"Karin!" Kiba was out of his seat and crossing the room in the blink of an eye, a smile on his face that Ino was sure was reserved for the girl in front of him. Even if the Inuzuka didn't know it. Akamaru barked his own greeting, Kiba rubbing the top of the ninken's head once he reached her. "What are you doing here? We could've met up once I was done here."

Karin's response was too low for Ino to catch but Kiba nodded.

"Sure, we can go out tonight! I think you'll like the new place too!" Ino filed that information away for later while Kiba frowned. "Wait. I've got to meet with that Praefectus guy tonight. Think we can do something tomorrow?"

Ino noted the fifth Praetorian to enter the room. The crest on his helmet identified him as a Centurion. He eyed Kiba with suspicion but the red-eyed glare he shot towards Hinata was just like the rest of the Praetorians.

"Tribune Inuzuka." The Centurion didn't salute the Genin but he nodded to him. "As Karin has requested your company, the Praefectus Castrorum has agreed you should see to her safety tonight in the village. Your absence from the meeting of the Tribune Council will be excused."

Kiba didn't need to be told twice it seemed. Akamaru wiggled out from Karin's arms to drop to the ground and bark at the two, his tail wagging behind him. The Inuzuka grabbed the Kunoichi's hand and was leading her out the office with that same smile on his face, more than eager to spend the night with her.

The Praetorians followed after the two (and the ninken). The Centurion shot one last glare towards Hinata before the door was closing behind him.

The silence in the office was almost stifling.

Hinata's fury was perhaps finally near the breaking point. She had held it in all day but the pressure seemed to have built too much. The pen she had been using laid in two pieces on her desk, ink staining the stack of papers beneath her hand. Her pale eyes were focused on the door but, even without the Byakugan active, they were burning through it.

'Time to go.' Ino didn't want to be close to the heiress when her temper finally broke and she snapped. She was out of her seat and halfway to the door.

"Wait." The single word was an order.

Despite herself, Ino found herself stopping. Hinata spoke with authority. It surprised her. The Hyuga seemed full of surprises these days.

Even more surprising, the Hyuga had closed the distance between the two of them. The girl obsessed with Naruto was at her side and Ino didn't need to see her eyes to know she was examining her. She didn't even need her Byakygan to do it.

"You surprised me. If I didn't see it myself I wouldn't believe it. It makes sense no one else has caught on. None of them can see Chakra." Hinata made her point perfectly clear when she ran a hand through Ino's long blonde hair. "I have to know: Why do it to her?"

"She needed it. She wasn't taking care of herself." She didn't regret what she did.

"And you needed to do it every day?" The Hyuga wasn't smiling but there was satisfaction coloring her words. "Especially during your meetings with the others."

Ino's grimace was tell enough. She had been paranoid. Too paranoid. Sakura had been the one with her in Naruto's office that day, could've seen the scroll that had weighed down her thoughts for weeks. She hadn't wanted Sakura to let anything slip.

So she had put her to sleep to keep her quiet.

She needed it. She was burning herself out, was pushing herself too hard with training and stress and this mission that made no sense. She didn't have a choice. She did it for Sakura, to help her.

"She doesn't even suspect anything. She must think its because of all of her training. If she knew, she wouldn't let you touch her." Hinata's smile was in her words and stretched across her face. "I wonder how she'll feel once I tell her."

Ino had expected a physical threat. Something simple. A demand that she not get in the Hyuga's way, that she not stop her.

Not this.

"What do you want?" It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that she had to accept whatever the Kunoichi wanted from her. Sakura…She couldn't let her know.

"I want you to do nothing." Hinata's demand was simple at least. "I don't have very long until Sasuke returns to the village. I don't need you distracting me from helping Naruto-kun achieve his dream." Ino didn't know what was more disturbing. Hinata's resignation when she spoke of Sasuke's imminent return or the adoration and devotion dripping from her voice when she spoke of the insane blonde. "If you don't use your veto, Sakura won't ever have to know what you did to her. I'll even let you continue without a word to any of the others. As long as you stay out of my way."

"And what about Kiba?"

"He'll be too busy with Karin to bother me." The Hyuga wasn't wrong. It was a longshot even under the best circumstances. Kiba was direct but would listen to her if she slipped a message to him, explained that Hinata had her keeping quiet. He could also tell the others that Hinata was blackmailing her. And they would need to know what. Which would make her tell Sakura the truth.

She couldn't risk it.

She hadn't hurt her. She just couldn't risk anyone else knowing about the scroll.

But the idea of Sakura knowing, it wasn't something she could even imagine. The hurt, the betrayal, Sakura wouldn't understand. She had done it for her. To help her.

"How do I even know you'll keep your word?"

Hinata brought a hand to her heart, the satisfaction on her face proof enough of her victory.

"You'll just have to trust me."

AN: 6/6 chapters for this update. Naruto will return in the next update. Most of his chapters are already written. 1-3 months for the next update.

Review/PM if you want.

Peace.