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Chapter Text

Team seven wanted to make a wave, to throw a pebble and hope the ripple it made grew... they would never get to see the tsunami they caused. They found it ironic, after all the mission in Wave was the first real problem they faced together and their reactions to that, the choices they had made followed them to the cave that was about to become their tomb. If only they had trusted each other back then...

The three shinobi looked down at the seal they had made and knew there was no going back. Not like they would have if they could, they were desperate enough to try anything, no matter the consequences. They sat down in a triangle, each in a corner of the seal, the blood loss getting to them. They didn't have any ink on them when they barricaded themselves inside, ensuring that the enemy would not get to them but also that the few allies they still had would not be able to stop them, so they had used their own blood to make the seal. 

The triangle was large and ugly, their hands had been trembling and they had been so tired. They had barely remembered the pattern they had created, their last resort. A space time seal, one that had taken them years to created and had never been tested. When they had first started on it they had been so excited, the war had just started and they had so much hope. They had been so naive, thinking they could travel through time, go back to before Kaguya escaped the first time, change the future. Then the war got worse by the day, their lives became a blur of fighting and planning and mourning... And then their hope got squished like a tiny little bug. The seal they had created could not take them to the past. They could not even send their souls to their old bodies. Nor their knowledge, hell, they couldn't even use it to send a message. They locked it in the back of their minds and didn't think about it again for months, not until they had no other choice.

They looked at each other, eyes dull and skin pale, and held out their hands to comfort each other, the tips of their fingers barely touching. They couldn't send much back, but they could send something... Trust, love, loyalty. That one feeling, that warmth they felt when they were together, even only a fraction of it, would have to be enough. It was all they had, it was a pebble thrown in the ocean, and they hoped to at least make one wave because one tiny ripple making stone was all they had. They started pouring their chakra into the seal and closed their eyes, falling into a state of meditation.

When they first became a team they had been so afraid of the world, so wary of each other that they never even considered telling each other the truth. They had had so much potential as a team, if they had only listened to Kakashi sooner... All they had to do was be a team, trust each other and they hadn't. In their lives there had been many teachers, some better than others, that had taught them many things. Techniques, strategies, fighting styles... It was way to late when they realised the most valuable lesson anyone told them had also been the one least impressive, they had been so young and impressionable, simple words went past them. Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Hopefully they could help their old selves become the people Kakashi thought they could be sooner.

Naruto took a deep breath and poured his love for his team with his chakra in the seal. When he had been a young boy, being raised by his grandmother in the clan house at the edge of the village he had started learning sealing. The old woman had told him all about the history of the Uzumaki and their skills and he had been so eager to make his ancestors proud. To have a connection to the past... the last Uzumaki, a sealmaster. He hadn't been good at what the academy taught them but that he excelled at. He had never told people anything, it was supposed to be the greatest prank when he finally showed what he could do and everyone realised they had been fooled. His grandmother had died when he was ten, so he had moved to an apartment, unable to stand being in the big house alone and continued his studies there. The villagers had started being meaner to him once his grandmother was gone but he hadn't cared, he had his seals. He would become Hokage, prove to them his worth. That the blood of the Uzumaki ran through his veins even if he didn't have blood red hair. He had made sure everyone knew his name, that all of them knew the pride of Uzushio was not gone and maybe when he became hokage they would stop pretending his clan had never existed... Then he had failed the graduation exam and Mizuki had told him about the Kyuubi. It had been then when he had realised that they didn't hate him because he was their failure staring them in the face, he didn't remind them that Konoha let Uzushio fall. He had reminded them of what Konoha herself had lost. When the time had came he had been too afraid to tell the team of his skill at sealing, he didn't want to risk them being afraid he would free the fox. He hadn't told them he could use the powerful ninjutsu of his clan, people feared him enough without knowing what he was truly capable of. The only one who knew he was more than a no good dead last was dead and it was better that way. Even when his team had been at risk of dying he kept his secret, even if showing his skills could have saved them. Fear froze him. He had been worse than trash. He couldn't send powerful techniques to his old self but he could make sure he would trust his team this time around. He would not be worse than trash again.

When Sasuke had been a young boy he had believed the world revolved around Itachi. His father had never been home. He was not a bad father, or a good one, he couldn't be, he would have had to be present for that. His mother had been kind but a little bit of an air head... Or maybe she had just wanted to seem that way but it didn't matter, she had made sure they were fed and healthy and not much beyond that. Itachi had been there, every step of the way. When he had awakened his sharingan at the age of ten Itachi gave him a sword. Every time he had learned a new genjutsu his brother told him how proud he was of him. The only thing his brother had asked for back then had been to keep his skills secret, stay a child as long as he could. So Sasuke had done just that, because how could he deny Itachi anything? When he came home at nearly eleven to find his clan dead and his brother covered in blood he hadn't cryed. Not for the reason people thought anyway. He had loved his clan... but loved Itachi more. So he did what Itachi asked and acted as if he hated him, if his brother wanted to die by his hand Sasuke would do it, even if it broke him. He had never told anyone of the tears he saw on his brother's face nor of his plan to one day find out the truth about what had happened. He had moved out of the compound and continued to hide his skills. People had feared him enough for being an Uchiha, Konoha never truly got over their fear of his clan, without knowing that Itachi had taught genjutsu and kenjutsu and that he already had his sharingan. When his team had been in danger their first time outside the village, he had been too afraid to show what he could do. They were from Konoha and Konoha broke his brother, he had been sure of that, even if he had no proof. They could have died and he chose his secret over them. He had been worse than trash. He closed his eyes and thought of Itachi, after having learned the truth he realised that his brother would have wanted him to trust his team, to not be alone. With a deep breath he poured all his trust into the seal, he knew now that his team was more than worthy of it. He would do better the second time around, he would not be worse than trash.

Sakura let out the breath she had been holding and poured her loyalty for her team into the seal. When Sakura had been little other kids had made fun of her. She had been shy and small and a crybaby. Then Ino had noticed her and Sakura swore to become a shinobi, to prove to Ino she could be the woman the Yamanaka claimed she could become. She had wanted to be able to stand by her friend's side, to protect her the same way the blonde had protected Sakura from bullies. Her parents hadn't understood though, they had been just genin, and even then part of the reserves, they had practically been civilians and had the mindsets of civilians. Not to say that they hadn't loved her, they just didn't understand the path she chose. Didn't think she could make it either. She had wanted to prove them wrong but she still loved them and hadn't had the heart to completely deny them the daughter they wanted. So she went on a diet and put on pretty dresses and brushed her hair three times a day. She wore makeup and pretended to be nothing more than a bookworm. She hadn't told anyone that her near perfect chakra control meant she was faster and stronger than anyone in their year. Her diet made her taijutsu weak anyway. She had never told anyone about her love for healing jutsu either, it was not like it would have helped in the academy and she couldn't have spared the chakra anyway, it went to sustaining her starving body. When the time came for her to step up and help her team she had been too close to fainting to do it. She hadn't had the courage to admit the truth after that, how could she she tell them that she was worse than trash because she wanted to be a lady like her parents desired? She just kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, she knew now that she could trust her teammates, and so would her past self. Her parents would learn to live with who she was, at least they would get to live this time around. 

The seal glowed a faint blue... And then it faded and so did they. Their timeline was gone like it had never existed in the first place and they never got to know that the little ripple they made in time and space became a tsunami instead of a wave.

***

Twelve years old Sakura woke up to the sun shining through her pretty, lace drapes. She washed herself and put on her brightly coloured dress and a big smile on in hopes it would hide the pain she was feeling. She checked her pack twice, it was their first real mission and she didn't want to realise half way there that she forgot her soap or her uniform. She run her fingers over the thick blue fabric, she wished she could wear it, it was much more comfortable than her restricting clothes but it made her look less like a girl so she put it in the pile with her weapons and tiny med kit and sealed them all in a scroll. She went down the stairs and ate an apple as she reassured her mother that she would be safe with her team, after all Kakashi was a jounin. She kissed her parents on the cheek and willed her stomach silent. The bright light outside almost made her throw up the apple.She was the first to reach their meeting place and she wished she could sit down but then her dress would get dirty so she forced her weak body to stay upright and prayed to reach Wave before the little energy she had ran out.

Sasuke woke up on the training ground. He had practiced with the straight blade Itachi gifted him long into the night and hadn't bothered to go to his empty home once he was done. He walked home, buying some dango to eat on the way there. He still didn't like sweets much but they had been his brother's favourite so he ate some at least once a week. He checked his already prepared supplies once more before he sealed them, making sure his sword was at the bottom and no one would see it unless he himself took it out. Genin were told to pack at least one set of the standard uniform in case they needed formal dress during the mission but it was unlikely on missions below B level. He put on a set of his usual clothes, they used to be Itachi's and he was going to outgrow the last of them soon, his brother had always been slender and delicate. Sasuke liked to pretend they smelled like home but the truth was all they smelled of was his mother's favourite soap. He took a deep breath before he set his face into a scowl and left the apartment. Sakura was already there when he got to the bridge and he prayed she would not ask him on a date again. Why couldn't he just put her into a genjutsu and make her think she was in love with someone else? Right... He was not supposed to know how.

Naruto woke up before the sun was up. He packed for the mission using a scroll he made himself, his grandmother would roll over in her grave if her cute apprentice used a standard seal made by subpar Konoha practitioners. He buried his ink and papers under ramen and three sets of uniforms before he sealed everything. He put on his bright orange clothes, his grandma said it was a combination of his parents hair and he liked that it attracted attention. Sure, it made things complicated as a shinobi but it ensured no one could overlook him. They might have erased his clan from the history lessons and made Uzushio a taboo subject but he was never going to let them forget there was still one of them breathing. They could fear him all they liked, if nothing it meant they couldn't ignore his existence, one day Konoha was going to admit the swirl from their uniforms came from Uzushio. He spread a big grin on and walked to his grandmother's grave, watering the pretty white rose he planted there before going to Ichiraku's, after all ramen was the food of the gods. He got to the meeting place later than intended and his teammates were already there. He prayed Kakashi showed up before their client, if they had to deal with the drunk alone he was going to use a paralysis seal on the old man and then his cover would be blown.

Kakashi as a miracle showed up on time, dragging the client behind him and signaling for them to start walking towards the gates. They tuned out the drunk ramblings of their client and waved at the chunin guarding the village entrance when the passed by them. Team seven walked out of the village with masks firmly stuck on and a feeling in their heart they didn't understand. They didn't know what was waiting for them, didn't know what they would have to face. They had never left Konoha before, never faced the outside world before. The one thing they understood though, was that they were going to do it together. Wherever it was that the warm feeling came from, fear of the unknown or maybe the many teamwork exercises their teacher put them though finally got to them, they didn't question it, they were too excited to see what laid beyond the walls of Konoha. That was the day they were going to become true shinobi... if only they knew how right they were.

Chapter Text

It was evening when they saw the puddle in the middle of the road. The genin barely resisted the urge to groan, there went their peaceful day and they had been so close, only an hour or so more of walking and they would have set up camp. What kind of idiot hid in a puddle when it hadn't rained in days? Hopefully there kind of idiot that was weak enough that just out of the academy average genin could defeat.

When Kakashi was attacked they reacted before they had time to think about it. All they could hear was their sensei's words. Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. They didn't even consider keeping their secrets when it could mean their teammates died because of it. 

Sakura jumped in front of the client faster than any genin should move, from up in the trees Kakashi saw only a blur. He was shocked to see such chakra control from the little fangirl. She didn't get to use the kunai she had out though because the enemy had already been neutralized. Naruto threw the paralyzing seal as soon as Kakashi had been cut in half, it hit one of the assailants straight in the chest and Sasuke had the other one in a genjutsu just as fast. That was not what they told him his little genin were capable of when they gave him the team. The three children in front of him looked more like little warriors, with their serious pouty faces and hard eyes, than the incompetent children he was led to believe they were. He would have to ask about that... another time. The jounin jumped in the middle of the road with a sight.

/Well, that was counterproductive. I don't know if I should yell at you or tell you good job./

/Sensei?.../

/I wanted to see who they were going to attack next, the client or the shinobi. I suppose I can always ask who their target was, at least you didn't kill them./

He tied them up next to a tree, making sure to take all weapons off of them and seal them away before asking the two boys to realease their jutsu. He interrogated them on his own, not wanting to have his cute baby warriors face more horrors that day and he had to admit he didn't like their answer. He snapped their necks, noticing the way his team flinched making a note to talk about that as well, before sealing the bodies into a scroll.

Sakura colapsed on the ground as soon as the enemies had been tied up. She kind of regreted using so much of her chakra to enchace her speed when it turned out it was not needed after all but maybe it was for the best, at least it showed her team that she wasn't useless. She felt a little dizzy and nauseous, her sight going blurry. She didn't even have the energy to care that her dress was getting ruined. She came back to her senses when Naruto sat next to her and pushed something into her hand. 

Naruto had released the seal and was about to start bickering with Sasuke about which one of them reacted first when he noticed his female teammate collapse. She was white as a sheet and while he knew it was in part the shock he also knew it was more than that. He took a chocolate bar from his pack and hoped it would do for the time being. He knew she was book smart but it was a surprise her talents went beyond that, seeing as she came from a civilian family and it was doubtful anyone taught her how to do it. She must have figured it out on her own.

Sasuke was getting ready to ignore Naruto's next rant when he noticed the blonde was already sitting next to Sakura giving her chocolate. The Uchiha sighted and wondered why the girl had insisted on looking incompetent for so many years when she had so much talent. Itachi told him the theory behind chakra muscle enchantment once, he knew exactly how difficult it was. Maybe being on a team would not hold him back after all. Naruto was far from a dead last as well, apparently.

/You should eat that Sakura-chan. You look like you need the sugar./

. 

/She needs more than that, idiot. She needs a healthy diet./

Sasuke turned towards her, all of them trying to ignore the fact that their sensei had just killed two people before he approached Tezuna.

/Clearly you are not as incompetent as you led people believe but you are so weakened by your lifestyle that you can not make use of the skills you actually have. You are a shinobi, Sakura, not some doll that sits in a shop all day, you need to eat./

/I saw that too... that you don't eat. It's kind of why I kept asking you to have dinner with me but for some reason it always made you angry./

/I thought you were asking me on dates, moron. You kept yelling that you liked me./

/I do like you. You're smart and my grades were the worst, I figured we could be friends. I have to admit it was only after graduating and seeing you around Sasuke that I realized what it must have looked like. Socializing is not my strong suit./

And neither was it Sasuke's if she was honest. Or her own. Their sensei didn't look like a social butterfly either. Some teams were defined by their abilities in tracking or defence or offence, it seemed theirs was just socially inept. Hopefully they would at least open up to each other. She got up on unsteady legs and gave Sasuke a honest smile when he helped her.

/That's an understatement. We should go to sensei, he and Tezuna seem to be done talking./

The bridge builder was terrified and they would have been sympathetic if they hadn't just been attack because he had lied. They listened carefully to Kakashi as he explained the situation before they shared a look. They were surprised he asked them how they felt about continuing, he was their commanding officer, he could have just ordered them to do what he wanted. They appreciated it though, even if they suspected that if he had actually thought the danger was too great he would have already had them half way back to Konoha. Sakura answered for all three genin.

/I believe we should continue./

/Are you sure? This could very well turn into an A rank, it is already B rank since other shinobi got involved./

/Obviously we are more skilled than we let on but our experience is still as lacking, ultimately the decision is yours sensei. We would like to finish the mission though, what is happening in Wave is disgusting./

/Fine. We will continue but you do everything I say and when we reach Tezuna's house we are all going to have a talk./

Kakashi took in the determined little faces and prayed he didn't just sign their death warrants, he didn't think he would survive it.

/Let's go. Thankfully the fight left no physical signs so we can look for a place to set up camp around here./

***

Kakashi watched the kids set up camp. Sakura did everything by the book, not forgetting even one detail, Naruto used seals to set traps and Sasuke used  four kunai as focus for a genjutsu. It was one that even Anbu used sometimes, not chakra draining but it distorted the senses. It had been Itachi's favourite and he wondered just how young Sasuke had been when he learned it to be so proficient already. The seals Naruto was using were definitely home made and he recognised some of them from when he was younger and Kushina used to force them on his team, saying she could not let them leave the village without the best equipment. He knew they were not exactly beginers level. Sakura was starting a fire for the food, she seemed to know exactly how to do it so no enemy would see the smoke from a distance. He almost laughed at the thought that whoever put those three on the same team hoping they would fail was gonna be in for a big surprise one day. Because someone definitely wanted them to fail, probably the council, so that once they did the boys could be trained as weapons since they so obviously were not fit for a team and the girl could be used for information extraction, which basically meant seduction missions. Sakura was beautiful even at twelve and you would have had to be blind to miss it, coupled with her near perfect memory anything she learned from the target would make it back to Konoha. Watching them move around each other like a well oiled machine Kakashi had no doubt their future laid elsewhere and he was going to make sure they reached their full potential or die trying.

/We will take watch in shifts. Me first, than Naruto. Sasuke, you will have the last shift. Sakura, you will not take watch, eat something and get some rest. I want to see you eat a full breakfast in the morning as well. I am sure the boys will share some of the food they packed, it will be more nutritious than anything you have on you./

The girl blushed a deep red, clearly ashamed of herself. She didn't protest his orders either, being unable to help her team because of her own doing was a wake-up call he noticed. The first thing she had done once they started setting camp was to tie her hair into a tight bun. He was proud of her, she was a child, it was normal for her to take some time to realise some things, what mattered was that once she did she was willing to change. He was proud of the boys as well, they could have reacted negatively to her weakness but they didn't, they helped her instead. Even Naruto who was known for speaking before thinking managed not to say anything stupid.

/I can share some of my own food, sensei. I am sure the boys didn't think to bring any fruits. If we don't count tomatoes that is, Sasuke-kun probably bought a lot of those./

The other two genin blushed as well. 

/Thank you, Sakura. Now, eat and sleep all of you. We have a difficult mission ahead of us./

They all ate some ramen Naruto provided before all three kids settled to sleep close to each other. The adrenaline was out of their sistems and they were so tired that they fell asleep on blankets not even setting up a tent. They were close enough to reach each other if they stretched but not so close that they cuddled each other in their sleep. Tezuna was asleep already on the other side of the fire, Kakashi wished he could hate the man for putting all of them in danger but the truth was he understood where the builder was coming from. He couldn't resent the man for loving his people.

The night was uneventful, breakfast as well. Well, mostly. Sasuke and Naruto kept arguing over whether tomatoes were fruits or vegetables until Sakura yelled at them that it didn't matter as long as there were any for them to eat. They packed everything up again and made sure there were no signs left behind that anyone had been there. Kakashi was growing more and more impressed with his team.

The next few days went pretty much the same, the jonin watched his team become closer with every new thing they learned about each other. It was like the dam broke when they faced their first threat as a team and now there was nothing standing between the three of them. Of course, they were careful about what they said since there was an outsider present and there was the possibility of an enemy listening but they were far more willing to work together than he had hoped they would ever become when he first met them. He was even more surprised when during their third day of traveling together they started including him as well. They were a little wary since he was their superior but they were making an effort to make him feel a part of the team. His sweet little genin were adorable. 

***

Sasuke finished casting the genjutsu around their camp when Kakashi announced he was to take third watch. He was thankful for that, he found it much easier to wake up early than sleep late or have an interrupted sleep. Naruto could take second shift, the blonde never seemed to run out of energy.

When they had first put him on a team he had been sure they were going to hold him back. Even if no one knew the truth and and everyone believe he was full of himself for no real reason Sasuke had always been aware of where he fit in the world skill wise. He trained hard, harder than anyone gave him credit for and improved every day. It didn't matter if his female teammate had perfect grades on tests or his other teammate trained just saw much as him if they were genin level. He hasn't intended to be mean to them, in spite of what some belived of him, he had just been honest. Thinking about what he had just seen of their real skills he wondered if maybe there was a chance he somehow got the only team that was not going to hold him back. If Kakashi lived up to his reputation they just might become something more than a number in a sea of other identical teams. 

He thought back to how happy his brother had been every time he talked about his anbu team and their antics. He never gave details about the missions but could go on for hours about the latest prank war. Maybe he could have that, a family of choice Itachi had called them. It didn't sound that bad.

***

 Naruto set up his traps before he started making some ramen. And people said his pranks were useless, he would have loved to see them try to evade his traps in a real world situation. See who would have dared say he would never amount up to anything then.

He divided the food equally, making sure Sakura got a full meal as he remembered the day teams were announced. He had been sure that if he managed to help Sakura out of her illusions about what it meant to be a shinobi they could be friends, but Sasuke... Sasuke he could have sworn was never going to accept them. The two of them had always had a difficult relationship, they weren't enemies and they weren't friends. Naruto knew he could count on the Uchiha if he was ever in real trouble but the other boy just refused to open up to anyone. They were never going to bond as a team should. His grandmother had told him when he was young that his genin team were going to be his family when she was gone, because she wasn't going to live forever. Teamwork is the foundation of Konoha she had said, and they had none. Not one drop from the day they passed the bell test. He had been so sure that the only history they could ever make was as the idiots who bickered each other to death. For the first time in his life he was glad to be proved wrong.

Maybe he was not destined to be lonely forever. He hoped Kakashi was up for training them because it seemed they were going to be a handful with their different styles and personalities. At least they were finally getting along.

***

Sakura wished the ground could shallow her when Kakashi said she would not take watch. She had believed she could be a strong shinobi and still be the daughter her parents wanted. She knew now that she had to choose if she didn't want to get her teammates killed.

She chose to be a shinobi. She did the moment she jumped in front of Tezuna instead of trembling like the little girl everyone took her for. Sakura had been so happy to be on the same team as Sasuke. She had thought that if she managed to convince him to marry her she could have the family her mother wanted and keep her career. Sasuke was the head of the Uchiha, no one would dare tell his wife to stay at home if she didn't want to. Her parents kind of feared his family name too so they would have just been happy to have grandkids and left her alone. Then she would be free to be herself and show the world what she was truly capable of. Naruto she was weary of, she had been sure he had a crush on her and that he was an idiot with air between his ears. Ino had told her so many stories about her father's team. Sakura had grown up dreaming of having that too, a shinobi family who understood her in a way her parents were never going to. She had believed Naruto and her lazy sensei stole that from her. It turned out they were perfect thought, and maybe with them by her side she wouldn't have to get married just to be herself. Maybe they could help ease her parents into accepting a different kind of Sakura.

She could barely wait to see what the future bought. When they got back to Konoha she would pay a visit to Ino, it was about time she got her best friend back. One year of fighting was one year too long.

***

It was after a few days of travel that they came across a white hare and realised it was not supposed to be so in the summer. They might not have had experience, but they had each other. They were going to fight, they were going to win and they were going to complete the mission, because the people of Wave had no one else to fight for them. And team seven refused to fail.

***

Chapter Text

Zabuza watched his plan fall apart. When he had accepted Gato's mission he had been desperate. The resistance was running out of supplies and he needed the money. Gato was a monster, he knew, the kind of scum he would have loved to see bleeding out on the ground but he couldn't be picky. If he wanted to help his people he had to make sacrifices. He hoped to be able to take the coward out if he found out his stash houses but knew it was a real possibility he might have to leave the worm alive if he wanted to get the money. What Gato did to Wave made his skin crawl but he had to put Kiri first.

The mission had been easy enough: kill the bridge builder. According to Gato the old man was too poor to hire any protection above chunin level and even than he would need a miracle to get more than a three man team. The strategy had been simple too. The Demon brothers were supposed to intercept them and slow them down. Injure them, poison them and if at all possible scare them away all together. Zabuza and Haku would wait closer to Wave in case they made it that far and if the builder was alone kill him clean and fast. If the guards were still there Zabuza would engage them while Haku waited for an opening to kill the target and acted as back up. They were supposed to meet again at a designated place two weeks from the beginning of the mission and head to Mist together. It didn't turn out like he had expected at all.

First, the enemy team turned out healthy and unharmed. He would have celebrated the fact that three of them were obviously genin if he didn't recognize their sensei as Kakashi Hatake, one of Konoha's most dangerous. He was probably the reason the Demon brothers didn't do their jobs. Any hope of the Copy nin not taking him seriously, which he was known to not always do, flew out the window within the first few seconds of the fight. And to make matters worse the three genin proved to be more powerful than they looked.

The little pink haired girl was as delicate as a blow to the head. Fighting his water clones head on and moving with such speed he was reminded of Haku when he was not using his bloodline limit. And she looked strong enough to punch through a tree. She was nowhere close to what the Slug Princess was supposedly capable of but she was definitely on her way there. The blond loud mouth kept making a fool of himself by shouting nonsense but his actions told a different story. He was throwing around seals that the missing nin had never even heard about as if it was nothing and grinning like a moron. And the other one, that one had the sharingan. Zabuza was a little out of the loop but he had believed that clan gone. Apparently not, because one of them was using a sword well enough to keep up with his clones and had even destroyed one, which was ironic consoderig exactly who he was. Fighting Kakashi was becoming tiring and his attention slipped for one second. When he looked in the direction of the bridge builder again the pink one was the only one there, the other two were nowhere in sight and all his clones had been destroyed. He had been so focused on the Copy nin that he hadn't even noticed getting their memories. That, was not good at all.

/ Stop! Or I slit his throat./

 /I am so sorry Zabuza-sama. I have failed./

The Uchiha had his sword at his apprentice's neck, the hyoton user looked frozen, the mask he loved so much was held by the loud mouth that seemed to have quieted down all of a sudden. His fingers were twitching as if to reach for something and as soon as they jerked a little too much the blond did a hand sign that had him paralysed again. So it was the work of a seal. Zabuza didn't take his eyes off them, tightening his grip on his sword. This was not what he signed up for, Haku was not supposed to be in danger of dying. He would have said the kids were too young to have the guts to kill someone in cold blood but he knew better. He gritted his teeth before he turning slowly to Kakashi. The Konoha shinobi looked deceptively relaxed as he waited to see how his students' plan woked out.

/Order them to let him go and you will never see us again./

/Zabuza-sama, you can't!/

Haku looked like he was close to crying, that boy was too soft for his own good. Zabuza had tried to toughen him up a little but he didn't have the heart to use harsh methods. Even if he had Haku was too kind, he was never going to put his own life above those of people dear to him.

/We will be of no use to Kiri if we are dead, as the twins undoubtedly are! ... Look, Hatake. Gato obviously gave me false information, I owe him nothing now. I have no desire to die today, you and your team are too much for us to take. If you let us go I will even tell you what I know about the worm./

Hatake hummed and checked him out, looking for any sign that he was lying before turning to the boys. He could see the pink haired girl in the background still in position to guard the client, she was listening attentively to her sensei, ready to follow his orders as well.

/Hear that boys? Let the pretty one go./

Haku didn't look happy as the sword was removed and the seal released. He was frowning as he walked towards Zabuza.

/Zabuza-sama, the money... My life is not worth hundreds of others./

/Yes it is. It will not come to that, we will find another way. Mei can last another month but you can't become Mizukage if you're dead./

It was true that without supplies the rebels were going to die, they were too stubborn to just give up. But they still had a little time and if he was honest he was past pretending he didn't care. If it came down to it he probably would have chosen Haku anyway, he loved his little brother too much to let him die, even if it was to save Kiri. He wanted to see Haku grow and become Mizukage one day, he was strong and compassionate and exactly what Kiri needed after all the tyrants that tried to squash them like bugs, but he would settle to having him alive if it came down to it.

/So the rumours are true. Terumi Mei is leading the rebels in Kiri. ... Stick around and help us get rid of Gato and I will make sure you get your money./

Hatake had his head tilted to the side, he looked far too innocent and adorable for someone who had been about to beat the crap out of him.

/Killing him does not guarantee you will find his stash, there is a chance his thugs will run with the money before we get to them once he's gone./

/Or they might not. Either way it's the best chance you have, finding another source of income will take time, even for someone of your skills./

It was the best chance they had and getting rid of the spineless worm would feel good. Maybe it would wash away the guilt of having worked for him in the first place. Most shinobi didn't get to choose their clients and Zabuza had worked for his fair share of trash but Gato was in his own league of lowlife.

/Why are you helping us?/

/Let's just say I owe Mei one./

That sounded like a story.

/You have yourself a deal then. We kill Gato, destroy his empire, I take the credit, Konoha's name stays out of it and we get the money we need./

/She did tell me you are more than just a pretty face. It would have been a shame to have to kill you./

Of course, if he wanted to he could have let them leave. Gato was a civilian, his thugs too, Hatake could have taken them alone. If he wanted Zabuza there it was because he didn't want anyone to even suspect Konoha had been involved. The ruling sistem of a country crumbling as soon as they stepped on it's soil would look bad, it would make people wary of hiring them again. If Zabuza killed him though, a mission nin with a bloody reputation, that could claim Gato refused to pay him? Well, it would only ensure no idiot would ever try to trick him.

/You are a moron, Hatake, if you think I will let a Konoha dog touch me./

/We will see about that.../

He really hoped the kids didn't understand what they were talking about but it was unlikely. Haku and bright pink were already blushing. It was going to be a long few days and not because of the mission.

***

The second time they were attacked team seven was ready. Sasuke activated his sharingan and took out his sword, Naruto prepared his seals and thought of some of his more subtle ninjutsu while Sakura used her chakra to strengthen her muscles and took a kunai from her pouch.

Eating and resting for a few days had done wonders for Sakura. She was no longer constantly tired, her stomach was not in pain... and she had somehow avoided throwing up in front of her team while she got used to real food again. The shinobi they were fighting, Zabuza, was scary like hell and only days before she would have crumbled under the pressure of his chakra alone but that was no longer who she was and the new Sakura was not going to let her team down. His clones were strong though and she was thankful that Naruto and Sasuke were there to have her back.

As soon as the clones attacked them Naruto activated some seals and sent them flying. He set a subtle barrier around Tezuna as well, just in case. He made sure to be loud and obnoxious to mask the sounds of the shield activating and of his own two clones going into the forest to look for additional danger. That Zabuza guy might have been strong but even missing nin liked company and it was better safe than sorry. He laid a few seals on the ground and tried to sign to his teammates what to do, luckily they understood. They really had to come up with a communication sistem.

Sasuke used his sword to destroy one on the clones just as he noticed something move in the trees. He signaled the direction to Naruto's clones, remembering what Kakashi had told them one night about Naruto getting their memories. To the naked eye it would have looked like the wind moved some leaves but with the sharingan he analized the movement in far more detail. It made sense, even anbu took back up on missions, lone shinobi were dead shinobi, it was one of the first lessons in the academy. He waited for Naruto's signal to push the clones into the traps and prepared to go after the second enemy directly after.

As soon as the clones were gone Sakura fell into a defensive position while her teammates vanished. Catching Zabuza's back up was easier than they had anticipated and after they took off his mask they realized he could not have been much older than them. The boy had been so focused on Zabuza' fight he didn't notice the kunai going his way. He managed to dodge but it was too late, the seal attached had landed on his arm and he was paralyzed before he could reach for a weapon.

Team seven found the conversation between Kakashi and Zabuza weird but then again a lot about Kakashi was weird. If he wanted to help their enemy there wasn't anything they could do to stop him, besides there was clearly something about the situation in Kiri that they didn't know. They felt like face palming when the jonin hit on thir enemy turned ally, was that man incapable of being serious for more than ten minutes? As if it wasn't bad enough that he read smut in public all the time.

The way to Tezuna's house had been quiet and uneventful. Team seven kept looking at the two missing nin warily, Kakashi continued to make unappropriate remarks and Haku looked like he was one step away from attempting to kill the Copy nin for harassing his teacher. Zabuza on the other hand kept on calling Kakashi names for every compliment he got from the silver haired man.

By the time they reached his house Tezuna just looked thankful to get away from all of them, going to his room and leaving the six shinobi in the care of his daughter, the poor woman couldn't have looked more lost.

***

Kakashi watched his team walk towards Tezuna's house and couldn't feel more proud of the way they had conducted themselves. They were dirty and tired and their clothes were ruined but they had fought well and had each others backs. They even managed to come up with a plan to stop the fight altogether. Granted, it had been risky to approach the second enemy alone but they hadn't engaged in close combat and actually used their heads so it had worked out.

Before anyone could notice him staring he turned back to Zabuza and thought of another way to make the man blush. He remembered the day he met Mei. He had gotten injured on a mission in Water country and his partner for the mission, a chunin he didn't know well, was unconscious. The mission had been an A rank and he had been pulled out of Anbu for it because of the political importance. It was supposed to be easy, take a scroll from the damyo and deliver it to the leader of Fire country but for some reason they were ambushed on the way by what was clearly high ranking shinobi. Kakashi could have gotten away but his leg got injured protecting his partner. Mei had found them hiding in a cave, enemies all around them, Kakashi had been ready to fight before she showed him the med kit in her hands. She had been surprisingly good at medical ninjutsu for a combat shinobi and she took the opportunity to tell them why they had been attacked. She explained the political situation in Kiri and how more and more of her people defected. The mizukage didn't want the truth to get out and he feared what was in the scroll might tell the world the truth. She told him one of her genin teammates, Zabuza, got sick of seeing his country die before his eyes and tried to take the power. He had failed and fled and she hoped to meet him again one day. When he asked why she did all that for them and gave so much information away she said the he owes her one. It seemed she did meet Zabuza again and decided to finally do something about the situation in Kiri. He was honestly hoping they succeeded because if Kiri could be fixed maybe there was hope for Konoha to become what it's founders had wanted it to be. When they reached Tezuna's house he pulled Zabuza into a room and told him as much. 

/I still don't get why she trusted me, I could have used the information to tear your village apart. I could have reported back to Konoha that Kiri is falling apart and they could have decided to kick you while you're down./

Danzo would have jumped at the opportunity to destroy another village. He watched as the mist nin undressed for the shower, looking invitingly back at Kakashi, he didn't need more of an invitation than that. Maybe being called a Konoha dog was not such a bad thing after all.

/But you didn't. Like it or not, you have a reputation Hatake, just like your sensei had, and it isn't only about how much of a badass you are. She knew you would have never risked war, it would have put too many innocents in danger. You are honourable and spoke out for peace more than once since the death of the fourth hokage, there are as many who wish to see you wear the hat as there are that wish you dead./

/People outside of Konoha want me to become hokage?!/

Watching water fall over Zabuza's muscles was an experience. He ran a hand over the beautifully scuppered back and felt the other man shiver. He moved to kiss the back of his neck and felt himself grow hard as his partner pushed back against him.

/F-From the moment your sensei died. You are a good man, Hatake, and many think that you can finish what he started and create a peace treaty between the five. How didn't you know this?/

/It never even crossed my mind. I never wanted the hat, wouldn't know what to do with it. I am a fighter but politics are a war above my pay grade./

They moved to the tiny mat in the room once the shower was over and Kakashi finally got a good look of Zabuza's face. He was beautiful, so so beautiful.

/Or maybe you just need a nudge. Your students... They are powerful and the moment your leaders see that their lives are over. I know that... You know that. No one fought to protect us, Hatake, but we can fight to protect them./

He growled when his student's situation was mentioned and the man under him got glassy eyed. He reached into his discarded clothes and took his med kit, it was a good thing that the standard ones given to all jounin included supplies for seduction missions. He had never needed them before, there was a first time for everything.

/Are you sure I can not keep you?/

/Maybe one day, when the bloodshed is over and it no longer matters where we were born./

/I will wait then... Don't die before it happens./

/I will try not to, can't let you face peace alone, it would be a far too cruel fate./

Zabuza run his hands over his face and cupped his cheeks, Kakashi couldn't remember the last person who touched the bare skin on his face, it might have been Kushina, he wasn't sure. He was glad that his sharingan was uncovered, Zabuza spread out and flushed under him was not a sight he ever wished to forget. Kakashi had been in many battles, had fought many people ... He  never been grateful for any of them, until he met Zabuza by a lake.

***

Chapter Text

Haku watched from a distance as Kakashi and Zabuza said their good byes. Taking care of Gato and his thugs had taken less than a week and the two mist nin decided the faster they got the money to the resistance the better. They got ready to leave the day after Gato was killed. Kakashi was holding Zabuza's hand in what to him must have seemed a subtle manner as they talked softly.

/I am going to get cavities, I don't know how much more of this I could have taken. No offense, Haku, but I am kind of glad you guys are leaving./

/None taken./

He was amused as the other two Konoha genin frowned at their teammate.

/Hate to break it to you, bastard, but I think that's all the dango you're eating./

/Come on, Sasuke, don't you want Kakashi-sensei to be happy? Just look at them, they are in love. It's adorable!/

/It's sappy./

/Well, I think I will miss it. I have never seen Zabuza-sama so happy./

/They do deserve to be happy but do they have to be so... mushy?/

Sasuke pouted, trying to look serious but they all could tell he was secretly a romantic at heart. Naruto rolled his eyes at the Uchiha before holding his hand out to Haku and they grasped each other's forearms.

/We will keep an ear out for rumors of a new mizukage./

/I wish you luck in Konoha also, maybe by the time we meet again Konoha will have a new kage as well./

He was shocked when Sakura pulled him into a hug.

/Good luck. And thank you for the haircut, I trust my team with my life and my soul but I wouldn't let them even close to my hair unless I wanted to look like a scarecrow./

Haku was still giggling with Sakura when the Uchiha took his forearm in his hand, he could tell the genin was just as emotional as Naruto and Sakura had been saying goodbye. The four of them might not have known each other long but for some reason the Konoha nin had trusted him... more than they should have, anyway.

/Don't be a stranger, Haku. Use that scroll the moron gave you./

Naruto had given him and Zabuza something called communication scrolls earlier in the week. They were apparently connected to a twin scroll and whatever was written in one appeared in the other as well. Zabuza and Kakashi got one set because none of the other shinobi wanted to know what they were going to write to each other while Haku and team seven had another set.

/I will. Take care of each other, ok?/

They didn't answer him and there was no need to, really, Haku had seen how much the cared for each other, there was no way they would leave any of their teammates behind, ever. He walked to Zabuza and they got into the little boat they had borrowed. When he looked back towards the shore Sakura was still smiling and waving at them.

There had been a time when Haku believed all shinobi to be cold and unfeeling, even Zabuza. He realized he couldn't have been more wrong. They all cared about something, maybe even too much, be it a people or a person or a dream. Zabuza hadn't taught him to be cold because he didn't love Haku, he taught him to be cold because he wanted Haku to survive. Team seven cared too, about each other and their village and their precious people, and for a reason he couldn't figure out, they cared about Haku and Zabuza too. He waved back to Sakura as they disappeared into the distance... he really hoped those four were not going to get themselves killed, he had a feeling the world needed them.

***

Team seven watched the boat dissapear into the mist before they started walking towards Tezuna's house. They had convinced the bridge builder to put off construction until Gato was gone and it was set to start again the next day.

The three genin could barely be recognized as the children who had left Konoha. Sasuke and Naruto were wearing their uniforms, dark navy pants tied with bandages at the bottom and navy short sleeved shirts. They had no vest, unlike their sensei and the only thing left of their old clothes were the bands that Sakura and Haku had made for their forearms from what they could salvage of their old outfits. Sakura was dressed in the same pants and shirt, her leaf protector around her waist instead of being worn as a head band. In addition to the bands for her forearms She had her bandages for her legs and the one holding her weapons pouch on her tight made from the same material as well. Her hair was no longer hips length, it fell just under her chin on one side and on the other it was shorter than that of her teammates. It was a little curly from the humidity but she had decided it didn't look that bad. It was the look in their eyes though, that had changed the most.

When they had insisted they wanted to help take down Gato's organisation Kakashi had been reluctant. He had hoped to do it alone with Zabuza and not get any of the children involved but none of them would back down. They had wanted to help and having Haku there to back them up by saying it will be easier for them if they are introduced to the darker aspects of shibobi life by fighting civilians and not other shinobi had helped. In the end they had convinced Kakashi that he couldn't protect them forever anyway and that they had known what they signed up for when they decided to take the graduation exam.

Gato's man had been weak enough that the three genin didn't have to fear for their lives while on the mission. The five days they had spent gathering intel and planning told them there were no other shinobi in Wave and that Gato already feared Zabuza was coming for him, so he was gathering his money on one ship in order to run away. Apparently the moron really was planning not to pay the missing nin and was afraid the marcenry had found out in some way. They wondered how the man could have been so stupid, putting all his money in one place had only served to help them but then again fear does weird things to people. 

They went after Gato first, he was holed up in his headquarters by the beach. The number of guards would have been impressive if they hadn't been so easy to kill. Broken neck, slashed throat, kunai to the heart...none of them even saw them coming. It wasn't until after they made their first kill... and then their second... their third... until the end, when they were covered in blood and had taken so many lives that the faces became one big blur in their minds that they had realised what Kakashi had been trying to protect them from. Knowing what it meant to be a shinobi, reading about it in a book, meant nothing in the field. No training, no horror story, could have prepared them for what they had experienced. They had gone numb for awhile and by the time they came back they had already taken over the ship as well and Zabuza was sealing half the money, leaving the other half for Wave. Their clothes had been soaked and it hasn't been water. 

Sakura hadn't even cared that she was throwing up in front of Naruto and Sasuke, it was not like she could have made their expressions through her tears. She still didn't know how she got back to Tezuna's house but she suspected someone had to carry her. She woke up cuddled between Naruto and Sasuke, still dressed in her dirty clothes. She had been thankful to have bought more than one set of uniform or she would have been left without any clothes. She snuck out from the room and went to take a shower, there had been so much blood in her hair that she broke down again trying to unknot it. All she could do when her teammates walked in was cling to them. They sat with her until she calmed down and then turned around while she washed herself. At that point there was nothing that they could see that would embarrass her anymore. They hadn't left the bathroom until all of them were clean and the first thing she had done was find Haku and ask for a haircut. She hasn't thought she could ever look at her beautiful long hair again without seeing it knotted with dried blood no matter how many times she washed it.

The worst thing for Sasuke had been the many bodies littering the ground. He hadn't even been able to tell which ones were there because of him. He stood frozen as Sakura puked her guts out, Naruto was kneeling next to her but Sasuke hadn't been able to hear him. Kakashi had looked more lost than them if that was even possible and in the end just knocked her out. He had felt like a puppet on strings all the way to Tezuna's house. He had laid down next to Sakura when their sensei put her on the mattress and tried to clear his head the way Itachi had taught him when he had started learning genjutsu. He had wondered if his brother had known what he was going to end up using the meditation technique for from the start. He didn't remember falling asleep but he remembered waking up to sobs in the bathroom. He kicked Naruto awake and they didn't even bother knocking on the door. Sakura hadn't mentioned it later and he didn't think she had cared. They had stayed in the bathroom as the other two washed after that and then he went to eat some breakfast. He had remembered to thank Taunami for the wonderful meal but all he could remember of it was that it had tasted like cardboard.

Naruto could still remember the smell of the night Wave was freed. It was not something he could ever forget, he was sure. Salt water, blood and vomit... He knew he had tried to comfort Sakura by whispering to her some nonsense about how everything was going to be alright. Truth was nothing was ever going to be the same again. His grandmother couldn't stand the smell of iron, she had told him the ocean had turned red when Uzushio fell and the scent still made her sick decades later. He didn't think he was very fond of the smell himself. When he had been tiny, too tiny to even enter the academy, he had believed shinobi were heroes, saviours. He had used to dream of saving princesses... But shinobi were no heroes, they were thieves, assasins and spies, he kind of wished he could go back in time and find that little boy and tell him to stop being a fool. He barely slept at all that night, Sakura had trembled all night and Sasuke looked like he was seeing through him before he completely blacked out, he had just closed his eyes when the bastard kicked him awake in the morning. Just a week before he would have been over the moon to see Sakura in the shower but his teammate was no longer an illusion he couldn't touch, she was real and hurting and she needed them. Once they had all been clean he went outside, he had just needed to smell some clean air, and found Inari sitting alone by the water. He didn't know what made him try to convince the boy heroes were real but maybe he just wanted to know there was one person in the world who still belived it.

Tezuna was waiting for them when they got back to the house.

/So, are you guys leaving today as well?/

/Nah, you hired us to protect you until the bridge is finished, since that will take another month it would be unprofessional of us to go just yet. I'm afraid you're stuck with us a little longer./

Tezuna didn't need to know that Kakashi wanted to keep his team away from Konoha for a while longer. He wanted them to bond before they went back there where other people might try to interfere. He wanted to find out what they were truly capable of and what they knew about the village before they got back to eyes and ears everywhere. They had somehow managed to hide their skills for so long and he had to find a way to keep them hidden while still training them. And he needed help training them so he had to figure out which of the people he completely trusted fit the criteria. Wave had not been the only place led by corruption but strangers didn't need to know that so he just gave the bridge builder one of his eye smiles as his team backed him up.

/Yeah, besides we can train while we're here too. The bastard promised to teach us how to disrupt genjutsu already and Sakura said she would teach us some first aid and I can teach them how to activate seals./

/Speaking of training, Kakashi-sensei, you have to teach us that walking on water trick you and Zabuza did on the lake./

He could have been angry that Naruto told Tezuna so many of their skills if the man hadn't witnessed them already. What surprised him was that the boys were just as eager as Sakura to walk on water. They were so advanced compared to other academy graduates he could have sworn they already knew how.

/Wait... You guys don't know how to walk on water?! But you can do genjutsu and seals and chakra enchantments, two of you can manipulate elemental chakra and the other one has basic medical ninjutsu knowledge! How have you never learned this?!/

It was like they could run, but couldn't walk.

/Well Itachi said he would teach me before I graduated.../

/Grandma said your chakra sistem had to be developed enough to learn it for some reason and then... She's not around anymore./

/I just never came across it in any of my books... Wait, Naruto, did you just say grandma? Aren't you an orphan? And didn't you hate your brother, Sasuke?/

Kakashi watched as they walked towards their fishing spot for lunch. It took them all of one meal that first day in Wave to realize Tezuna's family was too poor to feed so many people for so long. They had decided to have breakfast there and share some of the rations they bought from Koboha with Tsunami so she wouldn't have to worry what to cook for it and catch any other meal for themselves, Tezuna lived by the water and close to the forest so it wasn't a problem. He smiled as he remembered Haku teaching his team how to use senbon to hunt and fish, it killed the animals instantly, painlessly and it ensured that no part of the flesh was ruined. His students had looked so captivated by the hyoton user, and hadn't that been a surprise, a mist shinobi with a bloodline limit. They had practiced their aim with senbon for days until they could do it. They followed Haku around like little ducklings all their stay there and he wondered if they had crushes on him. They absorbed everything he thought them like sponges and by the time they attacked Gato their aim was perfect. Zabuza had called them his miniature demons before he left and told Kakashi to never let them go.

He paid attention while they shared information about their childhoods, it was surprising how little he knew considering that Sakura was from a simple civilian family, Minato had been his sensei, Itachi had been part of his anbu team for two years and his cousin Obito had been his teammate. He had kept an eye on Naruto and Sasuke all their lives and yet he barely knew anything about them. He should have paid more attention to what was going on beyond making sure they were warm and fed. Apparently Sakura's father was away on business all the time and her mother worked in their shop all day. The girl had spent all her childhood reading, from history to anatomy to medical jutsu...  anything she could get her hands on. It appeared that Sasuke didn't hate Itachi, for some reason he still wanted to kill him but it had nothing to do with revenge. And Naruto... Naruto had been raised by an Uzumaki. It made him wonder just how clueless the boy really was, or maybe he wasn't at all. It was nice to see them trust each other though, include him as well. They were stronger than he had given them credit for, he had been terrified when they came to after the mission and panicked. He hadn't known what to do, but Naruto held it together better than him and they were there for each other when their teammates needed it the most. Part of him was still guilty that he had allowed them to face such horrors so young and yet he couldn't help but think that they would have never been really ready. No one ever was, so maybe it was better that they faced them together. He took a deep breath just as Sakura finished telling them about her friendship with Ino and prepared to tell them about his own life. If they could get over what happened in Wave and come out of it stronger, if they could make the first step and trust each other and him unconditionally, than Kakashi could give them the sensei they deserved. They were strong but he was going to make them stronger.

***

Chapter Text

/What we gonna name the bridge, Tezuna?/

The builder looked into the distance towards where the Konoha shinobi had just disappeared after crossing the bridge. He told them a couple times that they could go home, with Gato gone there was no more danger, but they insisted they will leave when they can use his creation to cross the water, after all that was how long he had hired them for. He knew the price he paid didn't cover the kind of mission it turned into, something told him he wasn't the only reason they didn't go home though. He thought about the bridge they had helped bulit, they claimed having a wide range of knowledge and skill was an asset for any shinobi, and what they did to make his dream a reality. Maybe he should name the bridge to honour them in some way.

/Alliance Bridge./

/Why? What does that has to do with Wave? We ain't allied with anyone, that's why Gato got his way for so long. It has to do with the shinobi you hired? You know we can't trust them! They helped because we pays but next time someone else will./

/My bridge, my choice./

His workers didn't know about Zabuza and Haku working with team seven. They thought team seven was a simple genin team who got lucky and survived because Zabuza figured out about Gato's treachery and refused to fight them. Tezuna knew better though, he had witnessed Kiri and Konoha shinobi work together. If there was one thing outsiders knew about the hidden villages it was that they didn't mix well, not even missing nin. Even when villages signed peace treaties it only meant they stood out of each others way until they found new methods to stab their supposed allies in the back. And yet those six worked together, somehow they looked past the simbols on their protectors and to the fact that all of them were shinobi. They formed an alliance, Tezuna was sure that he had been witness to history. That allience was going to change the world, he hoped they would survive long enough to do it anyway, shinobi were not known for their long life expectancy. He  would mark what he had seen even if no else but his family knew about it. 

***

Kakashi looked at his genin huddled around the fire and wondered what he was going to do from there. They had set up camp half way to Konoha, he could have pushed them to make the trip without rest and he knew they wouldn't have complained but he was in no hurry to return them to the village. He kind of dreaded it, actually. The more time he spent with the three little demons, the more he started fearing for them, they were not yet so powerful that they could stand against the leaders of the leaf.

He had shared his concerns with Zabuza through the scrolls Naruto gave them but the other shinobi had no advice beyond become hokage or run away with them. He had been surprised when the scroll actually worked perfectly, he remembered his father told him about such things once and how they were used by Konoha and Uzushio to communicate during the first and second war. It made their village's failure to send back up to Uzu even more shameful as there was no way they didn't receive the message so obviously someone made a conscious decision not to help. How could he trust them with three children they saw as a means to an end, as nothing more than weapons, when they betrayed the very clan that helped them build their home?

He would have to stick to training trips and C ranked missions for the time being, though he would have to choose the ones that also provided the opportunity for them to train while on assignment. He couldn't keep them out of the village for more than a few months at a time, much as it pained him, because it would be too suspicious and some of the people whom he planned to ask for help with training his team resided there. 

The jonin watched as Sakura used chakra to stick grains of salt that Sasuke gave her while cooking to her palm and made them form shapes like stars and flowers and animals as if it took no effort at all. Learning how to walk up the trees took surprisingly little time for his team. At first it looked like the boys were going to take awhile to learn the right amount of chakra needed, Sakura, as expected, did it perfectly on her second attempt. What he didn't expect though, was for her to take her teammates by the hand and drag them to one tree once she did. She made the push a palm each against the bark and then laid one of her hands above theirs pushing her chakra against their own and showing them exactly what they had to do and how. They didn't even have to ask for help. It took them all of ten minutes to get it right after that and Kakashi had to tell them to keep practicing until they could to it instinctively, without having to focus on it. It didn't take longer than a week to reach water walking, and another week to learn that. They still had to practice, of course, before they reached his level but that only experience could provide.

Their last two weeks in Wave he took the time to learn more about their current skill level and train them in teamwork. Most of the locals stayed at a distance and Tezuna's family respected their privacy so they could train in the forest without fear of their skills being discovered by anyone. He had been surprised to find that had they used everything they had the bell test would have been completely different, even without tree and water walking. He doubted they would have taken the bells though, while they were low chunin level, higher rank in certain specialisations, they still had a long way ahead as far as teamwork went. Not to say they didn't want to work together, they did. They made strategies and had each other's backs. They studied the enemy and even started using signs so they wouldn't have to talk and give their next move away. They were young though and so used to being alone that they often got in each other's way without meaning to. Kakashi was confident they would grow out of it soon, until they did he was going to enjoy the show. They were so adorable when they got angry at him for laughing, it was nice to be reminded that they were not perfectly disciplined fighting machines. After their talk, the one he had with them at dinner the day Zabuza left, he had been worried they were never going to be themselves again. He had always known that one day he would have to help them get over their first kills but he had never imagined it would be so soon after becoming a team. They got over it better than he had anticipated and used training and learning from each other to distract themselves from the memories the first few days. They even helped Tezuna. After a couple weeks the memories were all but gone and only when asleep did they struggle with what they had done anymore. He knew killing would get easier with time, he just hoped they never got to the point where it would have no meaning at all.

***

Sakura was almost sad to return home, she was going to miss being herself. In Konoha, Sakura was a little girl who lived with her head in the clouds and while she planned to finally become independent and stop holding herself back she knew she couldn't be completely herself there. And now that the team opened up to each other, she would have their secrets to keep as well. She hoped it wouldn't take long for them to get another mission outside the village.

Sasuke was looking straight into the fire, mentally preparing himself for going home. Not that he considered Konoha much of a home but it was the only one he had. Before Wave he had entertained the idea of leaving, finding someone to train him elsewhere, but after he had bonded with his team that sounded less appealing. Kakashi turned out to be a good teacher once he wanted to teach and his teammates were an asset, it turned out that if they worked together they learned techniques much faster.

Naruto loved Konoha, in spite of all that he had suffered, in spite of all it's flaws. His grandmother had raised him on stories of the founders, of all their dreams. Part of him thought it could still become that one day but it wasn't, not yet. Going back knowing the deceit that hid in the shadows felt wrong. He hoped Kakashi found a way to get them out soon, he couldn't wait to get stronger and be able to finally do something about the situation, with team seven by his side it might even happen faster than he had anticipated.

/So... what are we going to say in our official report?/

Three pairs of eyes turned to Naruto. One confused and two pensive.

/You want to lie to the Hokage? Naruto... I thought you two were close!/

Sakura frowned. She knew there were things they could not tell anyone, she knew there were details about the mission that were never to become public, but she had never considered the hokage himself would be kept in the dark about Wave. How were they supposed to lie to the most powerful shinobi in the village?

/I love my uncle, the man that used to be grandma's friend. The man that taught me how to fish. But I do not trust the hokage and I see more and more of him everyday. I fear my uncle may have died long before my grandmother did./ 

Naruto knew the man must have really cared once, that he used to be good. At first he had believed in all the teachings of the Second, had tried to stay true to them, but that had been a long time ago. The last time he had visited Naruto the boy could barely recognise him anymore. His grandmother would have been so disappointed.

/I don't trust him either and I really don't trust those three that hang around him all the time. I know they used to bother Itachi a lot before that night and being around them just makes my skin crawl. That Danzo guy always seemed to have something to say to Itachi and the last time he had summoned my brother was the night before the massacre. Itachi came back with a haunted look in his eyes and the rest you all know./ 

Sasuke tried to keep his anger out of his voice but he didn't think it was working. He had always been able to keep emotions off his face but his voice gave him away. Itachi had tried to keep Sasuke as far away from his involvement with the council as he could, just as he tried to keep him far away from the Uchiha elders. If Itachi wasn't going to tell him the truth one day, he knew where he would have to look next.

/The council: Homura, Danzo and Koharu. They are supposed to ensure that all the decisions the hokage makes are in the best interest of the village. Don't let anyone hear you talk badly about our government./ 

The three genin turned to their sensei, he was so quiet they almost forgot he was there. It escaped none of them that he said, supposed to.

/I thought Konoha was a dictatorship./

Sakura understood that her teammates were from a different kind of world than herself when she realised all of them were from clans. The last of their blood, at least in Konoha, and heir to their clans. Two of them were of the original three and no matter how young or uninterested, they were part of the political scene in a way she was never going to be. She didn't envy them though, she had the feeling it wasn't an advantage they had over her, it was an additional burden.

/He has the final say, yes, but they are supposed to advice him. Let's just say that the interest of the village was lost to them long ago./ 

If they had ever had it in mind at all. Just thinking about Danzo made the jonin sick. Every time he heard the name he thought of Root and all the other lives the man had destroyed. Even if by some miracle he one day managed to actually help the village, there was nothing he could do to redeem himself in Kakashi's eyes.

/It doesn't help that some of the clan heads are no better, they are more stubborn than mules. My father used to come home from meetings raging that Madara and Hashirama are being betrayed by the people who should honour their wishes. He especially couldn't stand the head of the Hyuuga, apparently what he was doing was a crime against humanity but the hokage and his council refused to do anything about it./ 

It was the one thing Sasuke's father had tried to hide even from Itachi. While he was preparing his brother to take over the clan and teaching him how to deal with the elders, he had seemed adamant to keep both his children as far away from the government of Konoha as he could. Away from the Hyuuga clan as well, whatever they were doing must have been really bad. Sasuke knew very little, from when he used to listen in to his parents talking. The Uchiha hadn't known his father well, the chief of police had always been too busy to spend time with his children, but he didn't remember ever seeing him as angry as he was after coming home from council meetings.

/He told you all of this? Grandma was technically the head of the Uzumaki, and since the clan helped built the village and the First married Mito Uzumaki we are considered a founder clan, just like the Senju and the Uchiha. We have a clan compound and there has always been at least one Uzumaki in the village to represent our clan. She didn't go to the meetings often, though, she said it was better for us to stay out of sight of the council who she was convinced had betrayed Uzushio. She claimed they deliberately didn't sent help, that maybe they even told the enemy how to take the shields down./ 

Naruto had studied the communication scrolls inside and out. He knew every little seal, every glitch they could have. There was no way Konoha didn't get the message the last Uzukage had sent.

 /They drove my father to suicide. He put the lives of his squad above the mission. They claimed that if he had completed the mission the war would have turned and they made sure he never forgot it. It got to the point where villagers tried to take their anger for the continuing war on me. He just... Couldn't take that./

Kakashi didn't expect to feel the need to share such personal details about his life but something about the three genin just told him that he could trust them. There was a silent anger in their eyes that became more intense as the conversation evolved, the kind that simmered and grew, he just hoped it didn't end up boiling them to death one day.

/We really can't trust them, can we? We really are on our own.../

/We are not on our own, we have more allies than you think and some of them will help train you. As for what we will say, well Konoha doesn't need to know more than Wave does. After we were attacked by the Demon brothers and by some miracle you managed not to be injured by them, we never encountered any shinobi again. Tezuna and his family are so grateful for our help that they agreed to keep what really happened to themselves. So we watched the bridge being built and you learned to walk on trees. Pretty boring, don't you think?/  

Kakashi gave the girl one of his eye smiles, he knew that the feeling of being isolated will be the hardest on Sakura. She had her own struggles in life, her own secrets, but she always knew her parents loved her, she has always had a friend in the young Yamanaka heiress. Compared to Naruto and Sasuke who had lost everything she had a connection to the village that went beyond legacy and pride. She seemed determined to stick with them though, no matter what that might turn out bringing into her life.

/And how will we explain all the changes we went through? My hair, our clothes.../

/Trees in Wave are vicious. My cute little genin trained so hard to reach the top branches that they ruined their outfits. And of course you cut your hair, Sakura-chan, all that humidity and the leaves kept getting stuck in it. I am surprised you lasted the first week./

/You know, sensei, you are really good at lying./

/What are you talking about? I am an honest shinobi!/

The two boys watched their female teammate and their sensei joke, even with a dark cloud ahead they seemed to have found a silver lining. Their future might not be easy but they were going to be just fine, after all, none of them were alone in it.They dropped the subject of the council not long after, once everything was planned and they felt confident their stories would match.

When team seven walked through the gates back into Konoha the next day they still had masks painted on their faces, still had secrets to hide, but there was a feeling in their hearts that they knew was never going to leave them, even in their darkest moments. Trust in each other. People say that relationships are like bridges, that the hardest thing in life is knowing which ones to cross and which ones to burn. Wave had taught team seven how to build them and how to make them strong. Be it storms, fires or earthquakes, nothing was going to bring down their bridge and nothing was going to stand in their way. They were going to achieve their dreams and then bring peace to the five one day but first, they had to fix Konoha. 

***

Chapter Text

Sakura swore her heart was trying to beat out of her chest as she stood behind Kakashi and listened to his report. He was the one lying through his teeth and she was the one sweating a bucket. The boys were calm next to her, Sasuke glaring at something outside the window and Naruto buzzing with energy even while standing still, a large grin on his face. She would never know how they did it, act so normal while aware of what was really going on in Konoha and what plans the leaders had for them. When they were finally dismissed she could have kissed the ground. Luckily for her the hokage assumed she was tired from the mission and didn't suspect anything because of her behaviour. 

Splitting from her team to go home was alien but necessary. She had the speech all finished in her head about what she was going to tell her parents by the time she reached the door. She stopped for a second to take in the look of the place before she went inside, it was a lifetime ago she had left. It turned out she didn't need any story as the place was empty though there was a note on the table in the kitchen with the type of food her mom left in the fridge that made her smile. She must have wrote a new one everyday in hopes it would be the one Sakura found. She sat down and ate, wiping two bowls clean, thankful that her mother always made extra, just in case. She washed her dishes before going upstairs.

Her room was exactly as she had left it and the first thing she did was take a shower and change into some shorts and a t-shirt. The second was unseal her things and dump them on the floor in a pile, then she started cleaning. She started with her closet, she put a couple of her dresses in a box on the top shelf, those she would keep just in case. Most of the others she tore to make more bandages for her pants and pouches or set aside to decide later. She took her uniforms from the back and put them on the rack instead, the dirty clothes in her pack she put in the washing machine. She used one shelf for her weapons but not before cleaning everything first. Then she took a big box and started putting in it things she was going to donate to the orphanage, a couple toys she kept because a girl's room was supposed to be cute. Most of her make up, keeping only a few more subtle things she kind of actually liked even if she knew there would not be a lot of opportunities to wear it. Her parfumes which quite honestly even she found nauseating and her too smelly hygene products, keeping only the scentless ones she had bought when she became genin. She packed there all the hair accessories she knew she didn't need anymore and a lot of her jewelry that while pretty would make her stand out too much. A lot of her other clothes and most of her pretty but uncomfortable shoes went into the box as well. The books and scrolls she had in piles on the floor she put into her large desk that she emptied of all the useless things she was going to give away. She even found a pretty doll from when she was young that she knew was going to bring a little girl lots of joy. By the time she was done her room looked empty and she had three boxes to give away, maybe the boys would help her carry them if she asked. All that was left was her closet, her desk with the team picture on it and her bed. The bed covers were still soft and her drapes still lacey and her carpet still a dark red, a pretty girl's room but it finally felt as her own. Her bathroom was empty as well, except for a stack of towels and a few bottles of shinobi grade products. She put what little make up and accessories she kept in the cupboard behind her mirror together with her medical supplies. She looked at herself then, her birthday was coming soon and she wondered if just turned twelve years old Sakura would even recognize herself one year later. She took the clothes out of the dryer and put them in their place just as she was finishing, eating for dinner the last of the rations as she cleaned her pack last. By the time she was finished she fell on the bed tired and slept until morning.

 ***

The moment he stepped on Konoha soil Sasuke felt his mood drop. The chunin by the gates smiled at them as they stepped through but there was a shocked look they were trying to hide. The Uchiha was well aware of how much different they looked compared to the time they had left. Listening to Kakashi give his report was amusing, the man had a style all of his own. He could see the hokage's eye twitch every two seconds and was surprised when the old man didn't yell once. Naruto was almost jumping in place and he made a note to teach Sakura how to lie. They were lucky to be returning from a long mission so no one questioned her behaviour much.

He didn't go home after leaving his teammates, he went for dango instead. He ordered a plate and sat in a tree outside, greeting one of the regulars as she came in for her fix. He didn't react when she came out with her food and jumped up to sit next to him.

/So, shrimp, how was the mission!?/

Kami, she was loud! Didn't the woman hear herself?

/Boring./

/I he-rt it was bu-ed to B r-nk!/

He barely understood her as she talked with her mouth full. He looked at her overflowing plate and rolled his eyes. All she ever ate was dango, it was no wonder she had so much energy and a short attention span, she was on a constant sugar rush! At least Naruto was pretending most of the time.

/News travels awfully fast then./

She made an effort to swallow faster and grinned from ear to ear.

/I met Kakashi on the way here! Tell me, did you see his face on this boring mission? Is he hot? I heard his father was gorgeous, that must be why he hides that face of his! He must be dreamy.../

How had Itachi been friends with this creature? His brother was the most quiet person he knew and over sugared loud being was already making Sasuke dizzy. She had no boundaries, no manners and walked around half naked, how had Itachi even survived her?!

/Are you serious, Anko!? He is my sensei!/

/Come on, you are thirteen... Happy birthday by the way, have some dango!... And I know where your preferences lie, I listened to you gush over that guy in your class when you were still tiny and adorable!/

She was sharing her dango? That was a true sign of friendship coming from her. His birthday had been the day after they left for Wave, Itachi always bought him dango on his birthday, she must have remembered. He took a stick with three balls and when he finished them threw the stick at the tree in front of them.

/I didn't gush... he is cute though. I didn't see Kakashi and if I did I wouldn't tell you./

/You are no fun at all.../

She pouted like a child as they continued eating and made a flower out of the sticks. He had talked about a boy once when he was 10 and she was never going to let him forget it. As if he would tell her anything about Kakashi so she could bother his poor sensei more than she already did!

/Go back to work, Anko. Don't you have people to torture?/

/I do. Bye! bye!/

She was gone before he could blink, a crazy look on her face. He sighed as he took her empty plate to throw away and started on the way home. If she died of sugar poisoning he was not going to her funeral.

He stopped on the way home to buy groceries, all he had left at the apartment were non perishables and he knew they would be in the village for at least another week. He found his apartment dusty so cleaned a little before he took a shower and changed into clean clothes. He really had to do some shopping if he wanted anything other than uniforms to fit him soon. Kakashi said he would take them to a few stores he preferred the next day so he would do all his shopping then. He took his pack and started piling the scrolls on the table, unsealing them one at a time, putting everything in the right place. Left over rations in the kitchen, clothes in the washing machine, weapons were cleaned and put in their hidden place and his sword next to his bed. He made dinner, tomato soup, and cleaned his pack before sleep.

 ***

Naruto hated the hokage's office. He hated what it stood for: a lie. A man too cowardly to even lead them himself. He might not have been the one to do all the horrible things that took place in Konoha but he allowed it all to happen, he looked the other way and did nothing. It made Naruto sick. It made him sick to stand there and smile like an idiot while Kakashi commited treason next to him. They were lying to the hokage, if they were ever found out, death would be mercy... The being in front of them wasn't a man, it was a puppet, ready to bend over for other people's benefit. Konoha was a joke. What had his parents died for? What had entire clans died for? Did they all sacrifice so that corruption could thrive? He was happy, so happy to get out of there he didn't even yell a good bye before leaving. At least he could blame it on exhaustion. 

He calmed down as he approached his apartament, he could smell his plants from two streets away. He saw that quite a few were in full bloom once he got inside, Ayame must have left all the windows open so the air could be breathable when he returned. He checked them all over and made a note to thank her for taking such great care of them when they saw each other again. He would have to ask her to do it a lot more over the next few months or even years. Maybe it was not the best idea to have so many plants for an active shinobi but he wasn't ever going to give them up. They were a part of him. They were his first friends, his only ones for so long.

Naruto remembered his first plant. It had been a half dead weed he found in the garden of an empty house in the compound. The older kids had been mean to him again when he had tried to play in the park and he had ran home crying, not looking where he was going... he ran into the wrong home. Exploring the house took his mind off things and stopped his tears. He found the weed in what had once been a garden, it was nothing more than dirt and a dry empty pond, but that little tiny life had survived somehow. He carefully took away the dead leaves like he had seen his grandmother do with her flowers when they were dry. He went back to water it everyday. He removed parts of the fence so the sun could reach it better... he even talked to it. Seeing it come alive and spread had been a wonder. The first time it bloomed in delicate white flowers he had grinned so much his cheeks hurt. It only spread after that, filling the whole garden and spilling into the neighboring ones as well. He bought or found other plants after that but that one he would always love most. His grandma had never understood what he found so special about a weed and a pest at that. She complained that they were never going to get rid of it ever again, he never had to nurture it  after that one summer, it grew so strong it would survive a war. He would still go to that garden when he felt down. It reminded him that it was never too late, no matter how broken or small something was, it could always be fixed if you loved it enough. He sighed as he looked around his apartament, he would have to move his plants to the compound, his place was just too small for all of them it seemed and he never could resist getting more. Maybe if he kept them in a different place he could try growing some poisonous and medicinal plants too, he was sure Sakura would love them.

He didn't bother unpacking, just took a shower and changed in new clothes before leaving. He would sleep in the garden, under the sky, and deal with everything else later. He knew he was supposed to unpack, to be ready to leave again at a moment's notice, but Kakashi said they would be in Konoha for some time and he trusted the jonin knew what he was talking about. He could unpack before he went to meet his team in the morning.

***

Kakashi watched from a distance as his little demons met their first morning back home. He didn't for a second regret lying for them, he was never going too. Watching them talk and bond made his heart swell, he was so proud of the people they were becoming. Who would have thought they were going to become so close all those months ago? At first glance they had seemed the most dysfunctional team he had ever seen, including his own genin one, they had come so far already...

It only took them ten minutes to realise he was going to be late again and he half expected them to start whining... they didn't. Sakura asked the boys to help her move some boxes, apparently she cleaned her room and had a lot of things to give away. He went to the memorial stone after that, leaving them to their devices. Once he had paid his respects he decided to look for his team again. He knew in a couple of hours they would probably return to their meeting place  but decided spending more time with them would not be so bad. 

He was so used to their chakra signature that it took all of five minutes to find them, he made a mental note to teach the genin how to hide it better. He could hear Sakura scold Naruto about unpacking on time from a block away, he walked into the small apartament to find her just finishing said task for her teammate, showing him how to do it properly while Sasuke read a book about clans and their origins.

/Yo!/

/Sensei! You are early!/

Naruto grinned as he yelled, some things never changed and nothing could completely bring Naruto down it seemed.

/It's 8. I said we would meet at 7, didn't I? If anything all of you are the ones who are late, being so far away from our meeting place./

Sasuke closed his book and rolled his eyes at him.

/Yeah. That's why we thought you would show up at 10. We were going to help the moron move his flowers./

/I can help. We can go shopping after./

/Great! I made a list of the things we are going to need, especially if we are going on the road for long periods of time. Uniforms, weapons, rations.../

He half listened to Sakura as she listed off all the supplies they would need to buy, he made a note to take them to a good weapons shop while they were out. He could hear Naruto and Sasuke bickering about whether they would have ramen or dango for lunch and had the feeling it was one argument that was never going to die. He smiled to himself as he picked up a rose and started walking.

He recognised the house Naruto wanted to use for his plants, the little pond in the garden that reminded him of his childhood. Of the time he had learned to walk on water as a child. It was one of the most precious memories he had of his sensei, how patient and gentle he had been. How he hadn't gotten mad no matter how many times Kakashi failed. Maybe they could fill it again, he was sure Naruto could find some plants that grew on water, it would make a nice place for the team to meet, the garden. It could become a home for them. It was close to the compound training grounds and if they wanted to hide their skills they would have fewer places to train than other shinobi. Only the older clan compounds and a few of the original training fields were protected by seals, which the boys knew since they hid their skills for so long. Sakura was just lucky nobody had their eyes on her and she didn't train much.

He walked to the edge of the pound and breathed in the clean air, the place was filled with tiny white flowers and he could already imagine little colorful fish swimming in the pond, it would make the place truly peaceful. He listened to his team talk behind him, their voices soft. They could make a home there, in the house his sensei and his wife had lived. A little place of their own where the shadows of Konoha could not reach. A pond in the desert... just for them.

***

Chapter Text

Izumo sat next to his partner and watched team seven laugh around the camp fire. When Kakashi had first asked him and Kotetsu for help training his team he had been left speechless. Kakashi never asked for help, ever. They accepted mostly out of curiosity, they have seen the team leave Konoha for their first C rank and had been there when they returned, something had happened on that mission that they were unwilling to reveal to others. The chuunin had been on gate duty for years, he could recognise the look of a haunted shinobi from miles away so when Kakashi, one of the most powerful people in the village, asked him to help train said children he said yes.

He didn't think much of the chosen location being inside the Uzumaki compound, he remembered that the jonin used to have unrestricted access when the Fourth had been alive and probably still did. Considering how discreet he had been when asking for the lessons it made sense that the training ground would be as private as possible. It surprised him how well maintained the place was once they got there, the jonin meeting them by the gate in order to allow them inside. The houses and roads were clean, some flowers growing here and there. What he remembered was the main house, from the times he had visited years before, Kushina had taught him some water jutsu as congratulations for making chunin, had a garden filled with flowers in full bloom and looked incredibly clean. Too clean for an abandoned house. 

The three genin were waiting at the largest training ground, dressed in simple and durable outfits. They were clearly expecting to ruin what they wore so it was quite a surprise when they were asked to teach the kids how to hide in plain sight, Kakashi's exact choice of words. He had thought the jonin wanted his students to learn how to use large blades, maybe some teamwork. There was a look of fear in Kakashi's eyes though that convinced Izumo the man was completely serious. It was never a secret to the duo that Hatake Kakashi was a well informed man, he was dangerous and smart, Izumo had never been under the illusion that he was unaware of what him and Kotetsu could actually do. Still, the jonin never mentioned it, he never asked why they were content to just watch the gates when they could clearly take much more dangerous missions. For him to reveal that knowledge and ask for them to teach his students how to hide as well was telling, whatever was going on was dangerous and the chunin could only pray the team was not found out. They would not be so discreet about their lessons if they were trying to hide from people outside of the village.

When Izumo first entered the academy he had been fascinated by the boy with silver hair that never failed at anything so he went home and told his mother all about him. She sat him down and told him the story of the lightning clan. Of their power. Of the destruction they left behind. Of enemy clans fleeing the battlefield whenever they showed up during the Warring Clans Era. Deadly and fearless. His mother was right, he found over the years, for all she told him proved true. He saw Kakashi turn from a child to a man, one exactly as him mother said. Smart and strong and dangerous. Deadly and fearless. He never backed down, he never let others walk all over him and he was never afraid to speak his mind. He stood up to his superiors, he stood up to the council and he stood up to the hokage himself. He had a spine made of steel and he bowed down to absolutely no one. Kakashi Hatake didn't hide. It was one of the reasons so many wanted him to take the hat, why they would lay down their lives for him in a moment's notice. He made it clear time and time again he would do anything to protect the people he loved. He lived and breathed the teachings of his father and his sensei and thought no one said anything, most of the leaf shinobi were ready to stand by him should he ever decide to take over but he had never showed any interest in being a leader. He had always been content to just hit the old hoots over the metaphorical head whenever they went too far. If there was anyone they feared it was him. It was terrifying to even imagine what would make a Hatake afraid... it all became clear as the days passed though.

Team seven was good. Too good. They had been reluctant to spar at full skill in front of the chunin duo but once their sensei ordered them to do it they shut up. It surprised them to see such level of trust and professionalism in genin so young. Izumo made them spar at academy level once he realised what the whole point of the lessons was and they did well enough. When they had to show more skill than that though they often slipped and showed their true level. It didn't help that besides training with them in the evening the team trained with Kakashi in the morning and afternoon as well and grew even stronger by the day. Holding back turned out to be unbelievably hard for people that managed to stay relatively unoticed for so long, luckily they managed to get good enough in the end that if they continued training they would have no problem hiding, and if they did slip they got good enough at covering it up for each other. Two weeks had passed and they were leaving for a new mission the next day so they invited him and Kotetsu to stay for some dinner as thanks for their help.

/Would you like some tea, Izumo-san?/

He looked up at Kakashi, the man had one of his eye smiles on his face as he offered him a cup.

/Yes, thanks./

/You looked lost in thought./

/I just hope you guys know what you're doing. You're playing a dangerous game./

/We are dangerous people./

Yes, they were. The last two weeks made it clear that the jonin was not afraid for himself, he was afraid for his students. As if it wasn't bad enough they were an Uchiha, an Uzumaki and a kunoichi with perfect chakra control, they were so far above they peers in strength it was not even funny. It didn't help any that they were just as stubborn as their sensei, they would not go down without a fight. They needed all the help they could get to keep the old morons away from themselves because if they were found out they were going to die fighting.

/I am starting to see that. You are leaving before our shift in the morning so I suppose we will see you again when you come back?/

/You will./

Izumo wouldn't have blamed him if he had deemed Konoha too unsafe for his students and decided to take their chances out there. He sipped his tea and watched them listen to one of Kotetsu's stories. He had been waiting for the day Kakashi had a reason to fight against the government, maybe the day had come. It was never too early to let the right people know change was coming, he thought, aftell all their allies needed time to prepare. When Kakashi and his team decided to fight, they were not going to be alone.

***

Kotetsu snorted as he watched his partner accept the tea Kakashi offered. He could practically see the gears turning in Izumo's head, he was so busy planning ahead that he didn't notice the great Kakashi Hatake made him tea. The teeneger inside was going to be so disappointed later.

/So, Kotetsu-san, how do you know Kakashi- sensei?/

Kotetsu turned to the girl. He liked her, Sakura was so different from what he expected. 

/We've always known each other I guess, we went together to the academy though he graduated earlier than anyone else in our year./

/He told us about that. Are you his friends then?/

He looked towards the jonin to see if he was listening but he was talking to Izumo about some strategies. He turned back to the children, they were looking at him wide eyed, eager for information about their sensei. He wondered if it wouldn't be better if he just shut up, he had seen what they were capable of, who knew what they were going to do to the poor man with what they found out.

/More like we run in the same circles, we have common friends but don't know each other very well./

/How come he trusted you with this then?/

The young Uchiha had a curious look on his face but he didn't seem doubtful. He trusted that Kakashi made the right decision, he just wanted to know why. Kotetsu looked towards the house with the pretty garden, over the last few days it had became obvious the team lived there. He remembered when Kushina had invited him and Izumo over and taught them yin and water techniques respectively. He looked at Naruto and decided to go for it and tell them the truth, the kid deserved to know as much about his parents as others could tell, even if it wasn't the complete truth.

/I think that has more to do with Minato-sama and his wife, Kushina-san. The Fourth was his sensei and Kushina-san taught Izumo and me some techniques after we made chunin. I guess he trusts us because they did./

He saw the blond smile sadly at the mantion of his parents.

/He must have been very close to them./

/Yes... The house you guys are using was actually their home, he kind of lived there too, when he was younger./

Naruto seemed happy to hear that and Sasuke and Sakura threw supportive glances his way.

/My parents house... I never knew.../

/You know?!/

Had Kakashi told him? It was one thing to walk on the line and another to ouright break the law, was the man insane?! Naruto must have noticed his worry because he yelled quickly.

/Grandma! ...she was an Uzumaki, she raised me, she told me their names. I figured out the rest on my own, she didn't talk about them and forbid me from doing the same when I was younger./

Sakura took her teammate's hand in her own and smiled at him gently.

/Naruto, if you want us to move to a different house.../

He shook his head rapidly.

/It's fine, Sakura. It feels right, I'm sure they would approve, you guys are family./

/You guys all know!?/

He didn't squeak, he didn't!

/All it takes is an open mind, Naruto looks so much like his parents, I wasn't sure but it isn't exactly a shock./

/Itachi may have dropped a few hints when we were younger./

Of course he did, Itachi had been alone his whole childhood, he wouldn't have wanted Naruto and Sasuke to share his fate. 

/He probably wanted the two of you to be friends, like he remembered your mothers being. He didn't want either of you to be lonely, he has too gentle heart./

The Uchiha looked more like a kicked puppy than anything, it was hard to believe that he was the same person that put him in a genjutsu that gave him nightmares for three days straight. He definitely didn't look like he hated his brother.

/Has? I thought everyone hated him now. The crazy boy who snapped and killed his clan, right?! Isn't that what everyone says happened?!/

There was an angry edge in his voice that told Kotetsu that it was far from what Sasuke himself believed happened.

/There are people who remember, Sasuke. There always will be, we just need someone to unite us. As I said, Kakashi and I run in the same circles, there are more people on your side than you know./

He sighed before he continued.

/Kakashi fought for him, you know? When they made Itachi Anbu, Kakashi threw a fit, he almost attacked the hokage. Izumo and I were in the archive room so we kind of heard everything, the killing intent was terrifying. He only stopped when Itachi showed up and told him he wanted to be in Anbu. He made it a condition that Itachi be a part of his team until Kakashi decided he was ready to lead his own. The fight is kind of legendary, a lot of people were in the tower at the time and heard it./

/He didn't tell us any of this. We do know that my cousin Obito was on his genin team though./

/ He wouldn't, I think in his own mind he failed at protecting Itachi. It's not how most people see the situation though. He fought for the two of you as well, or so the rumours says. Someone suggested to the council that you should be taken out of the academy and trained harder, that as the last Uzumaki and Uchiha alive there was a waste of potential to leave you there. They expected no one to put up a fight about it since you had no family left but someone did./

/Family means more than blood!/

Sakura seemed very protective of her teammates as she said that.

/He has quite the reputation for standing up to authority. More than a few people admire him for doing what's right, he spoke up against the council a couple times when they seemed a bit too willing to start another war. I think they gave you to him as a punishment actually. He either had to fail you when you didn't pass his test or have to face you every day and be reminded of the ones he couldn't save./

It didn't turn up like that, of course. The jonin took a shitty situation and made the best of it, he managed to turn them into a team he could be proud of. Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash, weren't those the words he lived by? If Kotetsu learned anything in the two weeks he trained team seven it was that they would rather die together than leave one behind.

/We got really lucky, didn't we?/

... And in their eyes it seemed, Kakashi was one of them.

/Yeah, you did./

Maybe this team was the push Kakashi needed in order to take the hat. It's been awhile since they had Genma over for dinner maybe they should invite him soon, make sure to let him know there was a change in the air.

***

Kakashi woke up with a groan, who in their right minds wanted to leave so early in the morning? For some reason their client wanted to leave at the break of down and if he was to go by the memorial first he had to get up even earlier. He reluctantly pulled himself out of bed and made his way to the shower, thankful they all packed the night before. He made some noise on the way out of the house, and slammed the door a little harder than needed in hopes that it would wake up his little demons save him the trouble of having to return for them. If the crash and curses that followed were any indication it worked.

He ran his hand over the stone and traced the names of his team. He had been glad the night before when he heard the genin knew about Naruto's parentage, it was one less secret to keep, soon he knew, there would be none between them. He sat down in front of the stone and took out the communication scroll writing a quick message to Zabuza. He found himself wishing the mist nin was there, just to be by his side. It seemed the whole world was ready for him to just walk up to the old man and demand the hat but Kakashi was not sure he ever wanted it. Maybe he should just take it when the opportunity showed itself, it would put him into the position to change everything. He closed the scroll with a sigh and thought of the last couple weeks.

Izumo and Kotetsu proved to be the right people for the job, it hadn't been hard for Kakashi to decide that if he wanted to ask for help training his team they should be the first. His team needed to learn discretion if they were to survive and the two chunin were best at that. He knew they were actually jonin level, even back when Kushina gave them lessons they were stronger than they let on. When Minato had asked what made her decide to do it, she said that it was because she trusted them to do the right thing with what she taught them. She had no doubt, so Kakashi trusted them too and he had been right to do so. While his team improved they made it look like they had barely learned anything since graduating. They even made sure to go out every few days and act almost the same as they did back then. If anyone noticed their new clothes or Sakura's hair they probably thought he forced them to do it. They spent most of their time training, in the morning they trained their elemental affinities, in the afternoon they trained alone in their specializations and in the evenings they trained with the chunin duo. 

He couldn't remember when exactly but sometimes during the first week they had all moved into his sensei's old house, it almost felt like coming home. The house felt safe. Like a waterproof jacked during a storm, you know the rain is cold, but can't feel it. Konoha was dangerous but their home was warm and safe.

He was about to start going back home when he heard his team coming from the forest.

/ We bought your pack, sensei./

/Thanks./

They looked still half asleep and so cute. He wondered if Kotetsu was right and the council really was trying to punish him by giving him team seven. If they were they had failed because passing their team turned out to be the best decision he could have made. 

***

Chapter Text

Sakura was lost in thought as she watched the quiet house from a distance. It had been over a year since they had returned from Wave and six and a half months since they had been in Konoha last. She didn't know exactly what her sensei did to make their extended absence acceptable but with the next chunin exam taking place in their village it wasn't working anymore. Konoha needed all of it's jonin inside the village with so many outsiders coming to participate or watch. It was simply too dangerous to have so many threats so close and it's strongest fighters far away, so it had been planned ahead for all jonin to be free of missions and any that were outside were called back.

They had returned to the leaf only three more times after Wave and the last time had only been for a couple days. After Wave... For their team that mission was a landmark, a symbol, the beginning of a new era. Their time knowing each other was split in half, before Wave and after. 

There was movement close to one of the windows, she knew it meant her mother was cooking, her father was not home, as usual. The first time they saw her, when she had returned from her second C-rank she could see the pain in her mother's eyes, the disappointment in her father's. They didn't say anything of course, but she knew what they were thinking. Her mother was probably wondering how she was ever going to find a husband with hair that short and clothes that unflattering and her father had probably just realized that she was never giving up her career to work for the family business. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she knew she was a coward for not approaching the house and going inside but still didn't do it. She had invited her parents for dinner with her team the next day, hoping that it would make them understand if they saw her happy but it hasn't worked. Her mother had been wary of her teammates and downright terrified of her sensei, it made Sakura want to dig a hole so she could hide forever, especially when her father threw a few rude remarks about Itachi and the kyuubi. She walked them home that night and the fight that followed she would never forget. It ended up with her taking the rest of her things and officially moving out, she hasn't talked to them since. The guilt was eating at her, she knew it wasn't their fault, they had been raised a certain way, lived in a different world than her own. She should give them a chance, she should try more but after all the fighting and violence she encountered in her life she simply didn't have the heart to fight her parents too. So she gave them space and time and hoped they would seek her out one day. She had asked her teammates if it made them think less of her, after all they would probably give anything to have their own parents back. They reassured her it didn't, that she could deal with the situation her own way and they would stand by her choice. It made everything hurt less.

Her relationship with Ino was not doing any better, she had tried talking to the girl all of once and it had been a disaster. The whole experience made her appreciate Sasuke even more, and Itachi for teaching his brother patience. How he had been able to stand them without harming them in anyway she was never going to understand. All Sakura wanted was her friend back but Ino was focused on only one thing and accused her of trying to make her give up on the Uchiha because Sakura wanted him for herself. It didn't matter how many times Sakura said she was over him, Ino had a one track mind, she didn't even notice her so called rival had cut her hair. After that she hadn't had another chance to talk to the blond, she had focused on training after that trying to keep thoughts of her parents and friend out of her mind.

It had been right after their second C ranked mission and they had stayed in the village the longest. Kakashi invited two of his old anbu friends over for training, not that he called them anbu but the three genin were not stupid. Hayate and Yugao were born to dance with swords, of that the kunoichi was sure. They moved as if they were one with the blade and even Sasuke had been in awe. Training had been harsh, she remembered the bone deep exhaustion, the pain in her muscles. Weapons training was done without the use of chakra, "feel the blade, understand the blade, become the blade", for someone like her, who relied on chakra to make her faster and stronger, to strengthen her muscles, having to do it day after day had been three weeks of hell. She had been so tired there had been no time to worry about her personal life and before she knew it she was on a different mission in a different country.

It was their next return to Konoha that she enjoyed most, they focused on taijutsu and she fell in love with it. The teacher their sensei found, an odd man that wore a lot of green, had been incredible and managed to mix her chakra enchantment with her own unique style. She could spend hours coming up with new moves and even though not all of them worked it never got boring. Maybe she could ask for a couple more lessons, show him how much she had improved, he had his own team apparently so that might not be possible.

Every day she got closer to being as strong as Tsunade Senju, she already had the technique down, all she needed was more practice. Her healing was improving too, and with teammates that were always getting hurt during missions and training she got lots of practice.

The lights turned out inside her childhood home and she turned to walk away. She walked aimlessly around the village, it was unchanged, as if it had frozen in time long before she was born. No new stores were opened, none disappeared, nothing ever evolved. It was strange to return after so long to find out absolutely nothing had changed. Her time outside the leaf had been marked by change. They were always meeting new people, making new allies, going on new missions. Training, learning, growing. Nothing was ever enough, there was always more they wanted to know, more improvement to make. They had libraries of three great clans at their disposal and an endless supply of teachers in Kakashi's old teammates and friends. Their sensei himself had endless knowledge of techniques, a well that never ran dry, no matter how strong they got he had more to teach them. Their last months were spent on a training trip, officially in the forests of Fire Country, in reality in the ruins of Uzu. Far away and isolated, they only had each other until they had been called back. They sparred and studied and trained until their muscles burned and eyesight blurred and even their bones hurt. They never stopped, nothing was ever still, even at night. There was a fire crackling, waves breaking, birds singing, wolves howling... Konoha was nothing like that.

Her eye caught a movement in one of the trees as she walked through the empty marked and she turned around. In the dusty corner of one of the booths a butterfly was struggling to escape the web of a spider. It's wings were broken and life was drained yet it was showing no signs of giving up. She had him in her palm before she even had time to think.

/Well, aren't you beautiful?/

Maybe not as much as her summons, the ones she got in Uzu, but definitely just as strong. It flapped it's wings, still fighting, still struggling to fly. Broken, but not dead yet, just like Konoha seemed to be. For the first time since Kakashi told them they had to return, Sakura felt like being back was not that bad. She cupped her hands together and they glowed green, it was not like anyone would see her at that time of night. Watching it fly away was the first time she smiled since they had stepped through the gates that morning. Maybe they were back in the web of the spider but they still had their wings.

***

He recognised her from their academy days. At first she had been the shy girl with pink hair and bright eyes and then she made herself noticed because of her perfect memory but weak body and idiots saw her as an easy target. He would have helped but the Yamanaka girl got there first so he stayed away and didn't pay much attention to her after. He had noticed in the later years that she had somehow turned into an annoying banshee but before it became an actual problem they graduated and were put in teams.

He never saw her again after that, only heard that she became a genin from his loud teammate and that everyone was betting on when they were going to kill each other, they got along so bad. Then they started doing C ranks and slowly disappeared. It had been a process. After their first mission they made sure to make regular appearances, they grew fewer and more subdued the second time they returned to Konoha, by then barely anyone was talking about them anymore, as they say out of sight out of mind. The next times they were in the village they ate out a couple times, they didn't fight as much anymore but they barely talked to each other. Their sensei was there as well giggling into his perverted book and everyone assumed he got fed up with their fighting and threatened them into silence. Rumors stopped and he almost forgot about them, until he saw her walk through the village alone at night. Maybe it had been so long since she had been in Konoha she forgot how dangerous it was, he only wanted to make sure she got home safe. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had grown even more beautiful since they were children. 

She was taller than most girls their age, her body lean. Her curves were subtle and she had a delicate look about her, it made him blush under his jacket even thinking about her that way. Her short hair shined in the moonlight and her face was flawless, puberty was kind to her. Flawless pretty much described her... Her uniform was sleeveless and he could see no signs that she was a shinobi on her skin. No scars, no bruises. No cuts on her hands from handling sharp objects, no burn marks from overuse of chakra or taking care of a campfire, no callouses. No tiredness on her face from sleepless nights on watch that you could see on all genin when they just came back from a mission. Her delicate appearance was in contrast with the aura she had.

There was something about her, in the way that she moved, in the way her steps made no sound as she walked, that made him feel he was watching a predator. That maybe she didn't need anyone to protect her the same way he walked his female teammate home because she was the most dangerous thing around. The sharp look in her eyes as she turned towards the spider web almost made him flinch. He had seen that look before and he was sure the butterfly was already dead, it would not be the first life she ever took. She didn't harm the insect though, anyone else would have, if only to put it out of it's misery, but she healed it instead. Her smile when it flew away made her look even more beautiful.

Her chakra felt warm and strong, like silk and honey. It was only there for a fraction of a second before he could no longer find it. Healing was a difficult skill, it took years to learn the theory and if you managed that, control, discipline and constant practice to learn the techniques. It was one of the most difficult shinobi arts and even the most talented got to their late teens before they learned to heal more than bruises and scrapes. Bringing a life back from the brink of death, no matter how tiny a life, was something most medical shinobi only dreamed of their entire lives. And yet, a girl his age, that only years before was nothing but a weak fangirl, made a miracle look so easy. Just what exactly had they been doing while the villagers were happy to forget them? What had that sensei of theirs been teaching them?

He knew his team was not considered slow, they were not behind in their skills. They learned tree and water walking, trained their taijutsu and clan techniques. They did a couple C ranks outside village, they even learned how to fight as a team once they got to know each other better. He had seen other teams from their class and close to their age and none were anything like her. In times of peace most sensei tried to protect their genin, he had been so sure no one of their generation had their first kill yet. His father had even confirmed his progress was going as expected. He was not so sure anymore.

Surely her teammates had improved just as much, the Uchiha had always been strong and Uzumaki had been a bit of a fool but a skilled one, even if he didn't show it often. How was no one talking about this? Somehow that team had managed to just fade away and no one seemed to care.

He followed at a distance until she got to a big compound that he couldn't enter. He tried to remember which clan had that particular symbol but nothing came up, all he could remember was that it was part of the uniform.

Sakura... Her name was Sakura, he remembered. She was a mistery he would love to solve.

***

It was the next day at breakfast that Shino decided to find more about Sakira's team. His parents looked up when he cleared his throat, thinking of a way to ask them for information.

/What do you know about Hatake Kakashi?/

/The copy nin? Why would you want to know about him?/

Judging by their faces there was something going on, he wanted to know what.

/He is the sensei of some of my old classmates. They might be entering the chunin exams, I would like to know what to expect./

/Well, he was anbu for over a decade, a captain for over half of that, and is one of the most powerful shinobi Konoha had ever had. He was the student of the Fourth, and never treated our clan differently because of our bloodline. If his students are anything like him they are dangerous and fearless, but also kind. There are some who wish to see him in, let's say... A higher position of power./

His mother paled at his father's words, just what was going on with that team? 

/Shibi!/

/He's old enough to know the truth!/

There was only one higher position of power his father could be referring to...

/Hokage? People want him as the next hokage?/

/Yes... Be careful, if what I heard is true, his students are in a league of their own. It isn't the exams he has been preparing them for./

/What are you saying?/

/Change is coming, son. The only question is, will it be the easy or the hard way?/

War, civil war. It wasn't that the team faded away, people deliberately stopped talking about them. To attract less attention, to protect them. Maybe he should not dig into the mistery just yet, he only had one more question though.

/Do we want this change?/

/Yes./

***

Sakura heard them before she even entered the house, no matter how powerful and in tune with each other they got when fighting Naruto and Sasuke never changed.

/Bastard! Why do I have to be the one that fails?!/

/Because everyone already thinks you're stupid!/

/Why can't you fail? Or Sakura?/

They had already agreed to try and fail the exam. It would be too suspicious if they didn't enter, it was the first exam held in Konoha since they graduated and all their classmates would surely enter. While they mellowed out over time they still had their parts to play, everyone would expect Naruto and Sasuke to want to test their skills and for Sakura to follow them naively. 

/Because the first task is usually a written test and no one would buy that, moron! It isn't our fault you enjoyed spending your childhood playing the fool. How hard can it be to do it once more?/

Sasuke was almost growling by the time she entered the house and Naruto was starting to pout. Their sensei was reading on the couch, totally ignoring the argument happening in front of him.

/At least I get to wear orange again.../

/Not too much I hope. Wouldn't want you to attract too much attention./

/Sakura! How was your walk?/

Naruto smiled brightly and Sasuke sat next to their sensei, argument over.

/Refreshing. It cleared my mind. So, first task, huh? Sounds good./

That made Kakashi look up, as if he had been waiting for them to all come together and to the same conclusion without his influence. So much for him being a well of knowledge for them to draw on. It seemed some things they simply had to figure out on their own.

/So, my cute little demons, all ready for tomorrow?/

/Ready as we can be./

***

Chapter Text

Sasuke stood unmoving while his sensei gave his report, his teammates were frozen as well, though Naruto was smiling. It had not been easy but over time they had taught Sakura how to lie. She no longer freaked out every time they visited the tower. The hokage seemed to believe everything his sensei was telling him, which to Sasuke's understanding made them out to be an average team, ready to take the exam for the first time as a learning experience but not expected to pass.

Of course, they didn't actually want to become chunin, mostly because it would split their team up. That would mean less missions together if any at all, considering the council would finally have a reason to rip them apart and try to turn them into weapons. No more training trips, no more Kakashi sensei... He would not abandon them but they knew as soon as they were no longer genin he was being sent back into anbu, the council would send him on long difficult missions and they would be lucky if they were able to at least visit while he recuperated, if he was even given time for that. So no, they were not planning to get very far. Becoming chunin would do nothing but hinder their plans.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they were dismissed and they went back home to unpack. ...Home was the Uzumaki compound, the Fourth's house. It was beautiful and it had a soft and gentle feel to it that his childhood home never had but surprisingly reminded him of Itachi. Maybe his brother had always been his home and that was why the house they lived in was so easy to leave when he was no longer there. His apartament he had given up long ago too, when he realised all it did was gather dust because he was never there anymore.

He unpacked slowly until he got to his weapons, his beloved blade he took out with care and placed on the wall. He could not run around the leaf with it. He traced the Uchiha symbol etched into the hilt. When Kakashi had first told them about Yugao and Hayate he had been angry. He didn't want anyone to teach him how to use Itachi's gift, it was their thing. He changed his mind when he saw them move though, Itachi once told him he had learned how to use a sword in anbu, from a kunoichi that danced with her blade, Sasuke had the feeling he knew who that was. So he accepted the training and was glad he had. In the end it felt like he took one step closer towards his brother... And every step counted.

He didn't like taijutsu training as much, and the jonin Kakashi found to teach them gave him a headache every day, he had been glad that only took a week. Though he had prayed for the unfortunate souls that had that beast as a sensei when he found out he couldn't train them anymore because he had his own team and their break was over. He wore so much green and his smile was so bright it burned his eyes. Sasuke had never met anyone louder, and he was friends with Naruto and Anko.

Anko, who found out where they all lived after Wave and one day during weapons training showed up at the gate and banged on it until she was allowed inside. She shoved a bag of dango in his hands, enough to feed an army, or one of her, and said that whatever they were doing she wanted in. It was how they found out there was a resistance forming inside Konoha, determined to back them up when they decided to act against the government. When they had visited Zabuza and Haku before their trip to Uzushio and told them, the demon of the mist slapped their sensei on the back and laughed at Kakashi for hours. He found it amusing how their sensei had no idea how many supporters he had when all the corners of the world outside Konoha did.

It made finding information about his brother much easier. A lot of the people on their side believed there was something fishy about the whole 'Itachi went crazy' story the council made official and were willing to snoop around a little. They didn't find much but having the anbu commander willing to break the law for you was rewarding in the end. Though the scroll they found couldn't be opened, it had what Naruto called a chakra signature seal on it and could only be opened with the chakra of the person who sealed it, at least it said Itachi- SS rank mission on it. According to Kakashi that meant, S rank solo mission, lenght undetermined, ongoing. If he was on a mission then he was still a Konoha shinobi which proved the massacre had been sanctioned. He still had to find out the details but at least he had proof his brother wasn't insane.

Their always growing Alliance helped as well, Zabuza and Haku always listened for any mention of the older Uchiha and so did everyone else that joined. Naruto had to make so many communication scrolls he started preparing them in advance. According to rumours his brother was part of some criminal organisation called Akatsuki, his partner, one of the seven swordsman was Zabuza's old teammate, big and scary and secretly a sweetheart. For some reason they were looking for the tailed beasts which didn't sound good for Naruto but had yet to find any of them. The blonde insisted it was a good thing and they could use it to lure Itachi into a trap and make him talk. The rest of them were not so happy with the plan. Yes, Sasuke loved his brother and trusted him but there were so many variables to consider. There was the partner, there was the organisation, their unknown plan, even Konoha's government and their involvement. Using Naruto as bait had to be a last resort.

They ate a late breakfast after unpacking and parted ways. Kakashi was most likely going to the memorial stone, Naruto yelled something about ramen and Sakura wanted to go for a walk. That had turned into code for spying on Ino and her parents over time. Sasuke started walking towards the Uchiha district, he should at least check on the warding seals, he probably had to reinforce them. Not that there was anything of importance left to steal but he didn't want anyone snooping. Anything valuable he already put into the vault, just in case Danzo and his sidekicks thought there were valuable scrolls lying around.

He checked all the seals around the houses first, and as suspected they were close to failing. He would have to thank Naruto for showing him how to repair them, though he didn't fear anyone would go inside. Civilians seemed to believe the place was haunted and shinobi either respected the Uchiha memory too much or were still so afraid of his dead clan they refused to step through the gates.

It was because of that knowledge that he found it surprising to feel a foreign presence on one of the training grounds when fixing the last seal. The chakra was so weak he thought at first that some little children dared each other to go inside and see who lasted longer in the abandoned place... He was wrong. The teenager who couldn't be much older than him had clearly been training for a long time. He looked sweaty, long brown hair sticking to his pale skin, face flushed and cheeks bright pink. He recognised the Hyuuga bloodline limit easily, even from a distance, and the bright mark on the uncovered forehead. He was spinning in a move Sasuke knew belonged to the main branch, even drained of chakra and on the verge of collapse he did it near perfectly, leaving trails of blood on the ground from his bare feet. His simple clothes, once white, were dirty and torn. Sasuke had never seen anything more beautiful than the being in front of him, not even the ugly seal he bore could take that away.

Gai had told them of his student, Neji, and his incredible talent. The man was so enthusiastic Sasuke had believed he was exaggerating. Genius was a word shinobi so often misused, they thought some people were simply born lucky but Sasuke knew better. He knew how hard his brother had trained, how hard Kakashi trained. Knew how much Sakura studied and how many hours Naruto spent learning every new seal until he could do it blind and deaf and one handed. So when Gai claimed Neji was a born genius while his student Lee was a genius of hard work Sasuke had barely held back a snort.

Gai had been right, Neji was a genius, his sensei simply had no idea how hard he worked for it to be true. He was starting to sway when the Uchiha walked closer and got noticed. The older boy, who turned out was actually shorter than him, should have noticed his presence sooner but had probably been too tired. His eyes, Sasuke saw once the Byakugan faded from lack of chakra, were clouded with what could only be fever. He didn't have time to say anything before he was being glared at.

/Who the hell are you? If you tell anyone about this...!/

He would have been threatening if he didn't look close to passing out. 

/I am Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. I will not tell, I promise, just let me get you inside one of the houses and out of this heat./

He had no intention of ratting the Hyuga out. Sasuke knew what the seal on the older boys forehead was. Kakashi found out the clan's story from an anbu that was part of the branch house and drew the seal for them later. After searching through the library in Uzushio Naruto told them what it's purpose was. It was disgusting, even more so since their own family was putting it on them. It became clear what his father had been protecting him and Itachi from. Slavery was supposed to be illegal, yet the hokage allowed it to happen right under his nose because he was afraid of loosing the support of the Hyuga clan. It made Sasuke sick to the stomach.

/I don't need anyone's help! I'm leaving!/

He couldn't even stand straight, there was no way he would make it home. The bleeding from his feet was not stopping either and one of his arms looked in no better shape. How had no one noticed he was doing this, were all the people around him so ignorant? By the tiny numerous scars Sasuke could see he had been in similar shape before.

/You're not, you have heatstroke and injuries. You need rest and medical attention. I should take you to the hospital but you don't want that, do you?/

/What do you know?!/

Sasuke caught him just in time before he hit the ground, someone with slower reflexes would have not been fast enough. Neji was damp and way too warm and Sasuke would have scolded him for training too hard if it wasn't something his team did on the regular themselves.

/More than you think. And I know it would not take them long to know what you were doing once they see your injuries. So let us go inside and I will go search for my teammate, she can help./

/No! No one else./

Neji looked terrified of anyone else finding out what he has been doing, Sasuke knew the feeling. There were times he laid awake at night at the thought of what consequences would await them if their plans were discovered. He knew what it took to hold back when you could do so much more because doing more would mean only pain. To fear the punishment for your actions and yet still make the same choice every morning. He sighed.

/Ok, ok... I am not as good but I have a med kit, I will do it myself./

Neji finally stopped glaring, defeated. It wasn't like he had the strength to fight Sasuke anyway. The Uchiha picked him up and started walking towards the closest house, a tiny thing that was still in good shape.

/Put me down! I can walk!/

/I don't know what you've heard about me but I'm not going to watch you leave a trail of blood behind./

/Only that you glare a lot... I am Neji, by the way./

He chuckled as they walked through the door, he had indeed glared much when he was younger. Once inside the house he set Neji down on the living room couch. The place was clean and dust free, it looked recently lived in. It seemed it wasn't the first time the Hyuga had trained there. He ignored it, taking out the med kit scroll and unsealing it. One of the benefits of having talented teammates was always having a fully equipped medical kit on him.

/I know, I had the pleasure of meeting your sensei./

The older boy grimaced at that as Sasuke carefully wiped the hair from his face and placed a cold pack on his forehead.

/If you call it a pleasure you don't know him well./

/He's weird, I admit, but also loyal and he cares about your team. He's very proud of all of you./

/All of us?/

Was he surprised? The green jonin was pretty open about his opinions, you'd think his team knew his every thought. Was it that Neji believed his sensei didn't care about him? Was that why he trained alone instead of trusting his team?

/You should really let him help you, he trained us you know? That's how me and my team met him. He's friends with our sensei, Kakashi./

/The eternal rival? That's actually true? I was convinced he made him up to look cooler. ... I can't involve my team in this, it's my fate, not theirs./

Fate. Sasuke used to believe in fate. When Itachi told him to kill him that night Sasuke had believed his fate was going to be to live haunted by the ghost of his brother. To live and die alone. The last Uchiha. Convinced his bloodline would die with him in spite of what he said about restoring his clan. His team showed him a different path.

/I don't believe in fate, not anymore. We all make our own choices, be it to fall or to fly./

/Caged birds can't fly./

/ They can, if they break the cage./

/Can you? Break the cage, I mean./

/Yes./

They were silent for a time as Sasuke cleaned and bandaged the wounds. The ones on the arm looked older than a day, a little longer and they would have gotten infected. The ones on the feet looked better but were sure to be painful. He applied some of the paste Sakura assured him made healing faster and tried to be as gentle as he could. Neji flinched a couple times but otherwise stayed unmoving, eyes slowly clearing the longer he was out of the heat and looking ready to drop closed from exhaustion.

/You are really good at this./

He closed the kit and sealed it back before taking off his necklace and carving the key to the wards on the back with a kunai. It wasn't easy on such a tiny surface and it would have been more effective to place the seal directly on Neji's skin but he didn't think the older boy would want to be marked by a seal again, even a harmless one. The hawk shined in the bright sunlight, it had been a gift from his summons but he had a feeling they wouldn't mind. Giving it to Neji felt right.

/Thank you. Here, this will allow you through the wards. I strengthened them so you will need it to enter from now on./

/You seem to have a lot of talents./

/You are not the only one with secrets./

Neji carefully put the black cord over his head, a wary look on his beautiful face.

/Does this mean I can still come here? I have been training here for months and saw no one, I thought this place was abandoned./

/Yes. On one condition... My team and I don't spend a lot of time in Konoha but I want you to promise me, if it ever gets this bad again you will try to find us. We live in the compound with the swirl on the gate. I will try to get a communication scroll to you as well./

He knew what it was like to need a safe place, he couldn't take that away from someone who needed it. 

/A what?/

/I will explain then. Just don't wait until you pass out again, ok?/

/Fine./

/I will leave this med kit for you, we have more. You know how to use sealing scrolls, right?/

Sakura liked making her own products and never seemed to be able to stop herself from buying any kind of medical books or supplies, at some point him and Naruto just started paying for them.

/My father taught me when I was young./

/Ok. Get some rest. I will see you tomorrow at the chunin exams?/

He stood up and walked to the door, Neji's eyes were closed already, Sasuke hoped some sleep would do him good.

/Yeah.../

/Rest!/

/Mhm.../

He smiled to himself and closed the door quietly, he should come to the compound more often, spending time there didn't sound so bad anymore.

***

 Neji's memory was a little blurry when he woke up, night had already fallen and it took a few minutes to remember how he got inside.

He remembered training and someone coming out of nowhere. The Uchiha had been pretty... kind, too. Neji remembered how gentle he had been when bandaging his injuries. Sasuke could have been angry, he had been trespassing but not only had the other genin helped him and agreed to keep his secret, he had even allowed him to return.

Neji smiled as he pulled out the hawk necklace. Fall or fly, huh? Maybe it was time for him to try making his own fate too.

***

Chapter Text

Naruto slurped his ramen, trying to get in as much as he could at once. He had really missed his beloved noodles! After she finally started taking herself seriously Sakura got all kinds of crazy, she was always on their cases about eating healthier, it was always vegetables this and meat that, it was unbearable. Not to mention that she made her own medical creames and pastes, some of them smelled so awful he wondered how Kakashi could stand it, the man's nose was more sensitive than a wolf's.

Ayame giggled at him when he raised his bowl and asked for more.

/Naruto-kun, you're going to make yourself sick./

/No! I need this, Ayame-chan. Who knows when I will be able to have the food of gods again?!/

/Come on, she can't be that scary. Sakura is such a sweet girl./

She wasn't, she still let him eat ramen at least once a week, though cup ramen was nothing like Ichiraku's. Truth was he didn't know when he'd ever have a chance to eat there again. It seemed like each time they walked out the gates it took longer to return and became easier to stay away. Easier to forget what they were fighting for and leave old dreams behind... He knew it was a stupid fear, that they were not going to allow it to happen, that there were people that would pull them back, help them remember, but sometimes he wondered if there would come a time when they would simply not return. When they would become content to just stay together, far away from all the problems of the world. 

/Sweet?! The little devil is trying to kill us! Kill us, I tell you! Poison us with vegetables!/

/Vegetables are healthy Naruto-kun. You are a growing boy... /

How would he ever repay her for her kindness? She was only a few years older  but she always found ways to take care of him. When he was younger and his grandma or the hokage took him for ramen she always put extra meat into his bowl. Her father liked to pretend he didn't know. And then there was his garden that she still took care of. He paid her, true, but it seemed she took it upon herself to also keep their house clean while they were gone as well. They had returned to a dust free, fresh smelling place. Maybe he should buy something nice for her, Sakura might have an idea what a civilian girl Ayame's age would like. Clothes, make up... jewelry maybe? 

/Thank you for taking care of my plants again, I know it isn't easy./

/It's fine, besides, I have great help./

There were only two people that had access to the place and time to help as well. She had a far away look on her face that he could not overlook.

/You mean Izumo and Kotetsu? I think you are barking up the wrong tree./

/What!?/

Her pretty smile disappeared in an instant. Kami, it felt awful to be the one to ruin her hopes. And she had probably been so excited as well but the truth was the two chunin were probably just trying to be kind.

/Just saying... I always thought they were a little more than just partners on gate duty./

/All the pretty ones, I swear!/

/You will find someone, I'm sure. Just give it some time./

It was hard to think of a girl that was like an older sister to him as someone looking to settle down. If it was up to Naruto no one would ever dare touch her but he knew if she found that out she wouldn't be happy. Still, once she found someone he would make sure he knew to treat her well.

/Don't get wise on me, Naruto-kun... We miss you around here./

When Naruto got the owl summons Sasuke laughed so hard they thought he was having a psychotic break. When he finally calmed down the Uchiha told them the noble birds couldn't have found someone in more need of their wisdom if they searched the Elemental Nations for a century... It had started an argument, which had turned into a mock fight that destroyed the training ground they were using in Uzu. Kakashi had to forbid them from using certain techniques when sparring each other after that, last they end up destroying everything around them. Sakura scolded them while healing Sasuke's broken arm and Naruto's stab wound and threatened to never fix them again if they didn't promise to be more careful in the future. He hadn't had much time to miss Konoha while he was away, he put some money on the table and got ready to leave.

/I will try to come again before we leave, ok?/

/And remember to bring your team with you! That sensei of yours is still single, right!?/

Oh, kami, no! Not Ayame too. What was wrong with everyone? Everywhere he looked someone was after Kakashi. Civilians, shinobi, clients... Hell, Zabuza had been the enemy. Was it the silver hair? The lazy attitude? That stupid mask?...

/Naruto! NARUTO, DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?!/

He started walking faster. At least he knew she truly had no chance there, though maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. Kakashi was a perverted idiot at times but at least Naruto trusted him. 

/...NARUTO!.../

Or maybe it would have been a disaster and it was a good thing his sensei met Zabuza before Ayame laid eyes on him, That woman was loud.

*** 

 Naruto climbed to the top of the hokage monument and sat on his father's head. He wondered what the Fourth would think of Konoha if he could see it, if he knew how they twisted his sacrifice, ignored his teachings. The shadow grew every day and Naruto was afraid if they didn't act soon they might be too late.

At least his parents would have loved his team, of that he was sure. When he told them about the kyuubi, on his thirteenth birthday, he had expected at least a hint of fear but there had been none. Kakashi, of course, already knew. Sakura was disappointed, not in him, but herself and her family. Everything her parents always told her about Naruto made sense and she had never been more ashamed of being their daughter. Sasuke looked ready to go and kill someone for the injustice his friend had to face. It was only when Kakashi mentioned his brother would have wanted him to think things through first that he stopped growling and squeezing the hilt of his sword. The easiest way to get through Sasuke was Itachi, Naruto thanked Kami his fangirls hadn't figured that out. Who knows what strange courtship rituals they might come up with. Being the container of the nine tails changed absolutely nothing about their relationship, Sakura was curious and she asked a lot of questions and Sasuke was a little overprotective for a couple of days until they sparred again and ended in a tie and the Uchiha was reminded Naruto was capable enough to take care of himself.

After that they had to return to Konoha again, it felt easier for him knowing there was always someone he could talk to. Meeting Sakura's parents had been uncomfortable at least, Sasuke had not fared any better and Kakashi was probably planning murder in his head the moment her mother implied Sakura was never going to achieve anything of worth unless she married and had children. That had truly confused Naruto, there were clans made entirely of shinobi, where did civilians get the idea they didn't have children? Sure, the rules were a little bit different but they still needed babies in order to not die out. 

Shinobi, despite so many of them dying young, settled down later in life than civilians, who by their twentieth birthday almost always had children. It wasn't unusual even for clan heads to only have their heirs when they, themselves, were in their thirties. Kunoichi only stopped taking missions during their pregnancy and rarely for a few months after. Sasuke's mother, Kakashi told them, had been injured during the kyuubi attack and many mistakingly assumed she had retired to raise her children. Her heart never fully recovered, any strenuous activity would have been dangerous for her. Not that all of them married, or even had partners of the opposite gender. 

For civilians it was considered shameful to have children out of wedlock but shinobi only cared about whether or not the parent claimed the baby. Even heirs to clans only had to be claimed and prove they could perform the clan techniques. Same sex couples could have children if they found someone willing to help but most chose to adopt.  Civilians looked down upon such lifestyle, they didn't say anything, of course, mostly out of fear, but they raised their children to have the same opinions as them. Even the simple act of raising a child not of your blood wasn't something they understood.

For shinobi it really did take a village. In big clans, retired elderly and older children helped raise the little ones. Outside of clans it was friends and genin teams. When he had been young, and his grandmother busy, she used to leave Naruto with genin and, if necessary, anbu. Sasuke had been raised by Itachi and the elderly couple that lived across the street, because his father was never home and his mother, even though retired, was too weak to play with him or help him train. Kakashi had been raised by his father's friends, which was how he knew Naruto's parents before Sakumo's death. They joined the academy very young and if necessary there were programs that allowed them to spend hours there once classes were over. There were no shinobi in the orphanage, if they were old enough, they lived on their own, if they were too young, someone took them in. In contrast Sakura pretty much raised herself. Her grandparents, when they had still been alive, claimed she was not their responsibility, and her parents were too proud to seek help elsewhere. Her situation was normal for civilian children she told them once they were old enough for their mothers to start working again. She had been young, very much so, when her mother started hinting at marriage. It wasn't that she didn't love Sakura, or wanted to get rid of her, it was that on average, civilians had shorter lifespans.

Yes, shorter. Because shinobi might die in battle but diseases took civilians. Naruto never knew how far apart the two social classes were because it was not something they were taught, not in school. Civilians didn't have the same access to education, to medicine... They had to pay for their children to study, for their children to have the same privileges shinobi children were born with. Medical care was expensive too, and chakra healing out of the question. Most medical shinobi were not advanced enough to work on undeveloped chakra networks, so the price for such procedures were unbelievable. Even traditional medicine was something only the rich could afford so unless it was an emergency, they didn't go to a medic... Most of them waited until it was too late. Shinobi, if lucky, lived to die of old age, civilians were lucky to reach forty. Naruto had been shocked to find Tezuna had been only forty two, and Tsunami twenty four. Sakura was privileged, she said, because most of the kids from her neighbourhood never learned anything past reading and writing, they joined the family business as soon as they could stand on their own and most never learned another way of life. Infants died before they could draw breath, or were raised without mothers because of birth complications that could have been avoided if there had been proper check ups. Sakura even said that most women gave birth at home alone or if they were lucky, had an older, more experienced woman there to help. 

There was a line drawn between the two classes and it was most obvious in shinobi villages. The situation was worse, though, in poor tiny settlements, the kind Naruto saw only by chance because no one who lived there would ever be able to afford hiring them. People were starving and dying in the streets. Their world was broken and he hadn't even noticed. 

Naruto sighed. Uzushio had been different, there civilians and shinobi had been equal. They had the same rights, the same opportunities. Your birth did not determine your worth, it didn't seal your fate. It wasn't weapons training, or taijutsu, that Naruto enjoyed most, though he saw their use. It was their time in Uzu.

He knew he was going to love the place the moment he had smelt the sea. They traveled by boat and could see the islands stand tall and proud even from hours away. The city had been reclaimed by nature but it's beauty had not faded in the latest. The towers, still standing and seal carved, were covered in flowering plants and the streets were covered in grass. Someone, probably Konoha, had at one point taken care of the dead and new inhabitants had moved in, animals ran and hid as they walked by.

There was a story told by every wall, he could read it in the blend of markets and training grounds. There were no clan compounds, no separation. The school was at least five times as big as the academy and there was more than one clinic. The library was so big he thought Sakura might faint of happiness when she saw it. "Knowledge is the only treasure worth more than words could ever say" was carved into the entrance, fading as nature took it's course and smoothed out the stone little by little. 

Naruto had wanted to become hokage so that Uzu would be remembered. He had wanted to make his ancestors proud. Seeing Uzushio made him realize honouring their memory meant more than becoming a seal master, or learning powerful ninjutsu, or screaming his name every chance he had. They would not be proud of him for wearing a hat and sitting in a chair, ruling a village that defied everything they stood for. His reasons for wanting the hat had been selfish, childish. The uzukage's tower stood in the middle of the city, it was the tallest building by far, and it was also the home of the nation's leader. Uzu had been an independent nation, they had only one ruler, and they had been a protector. A leader's job was never over, the people didn't live to serve them, they served the people. The uzukage lived and died in service of it's nation. It wasn't a position for people that demanded the most respect but for those that earned it. If he was ever to become hokage, that was who Naruto wanted to be. He used to want the position for all the wrong reasons, he would fight for it for the right one. Hashirama and Madara had built Konoha to be a place of opportunities, he would strive to make it so, for all its people.

***

 People stared as he walked by but he ignored them and kept walking towards the academy. He could no longer hate them, resent them. They knew no better, he could not blame the blind for being unable to see. He could try to make it better for the next generation though, just like his father had, and so many before him.

Classes should be just about over and it had been a really long time since he had seen Iruka last. The teacher had always been kind to him, even back when he hadn't wanted to. After finding out about the kyuubi Iruka's attitude towards him and the way it changed suddenly one day made sense. Even so the man had been the only academy instructor that had never sabotaged him or tried to teach him wrong. And then one day he had started helping Naruto. The blond didn't know what had changed the teacher's mind about him but he was glad it had happened, who knew where he would have ended up otherwise.

The place was just as he remembered, same paint, same trees, same swing facing the entrance. He watched from a distance as parents and caretakers came to take the children home. He could hear some still playing in the playground, those would leave much later, they were the ones who stayed for the after school programs.

He found Iruka inside the same classroom, with the same desks and the same board and the same smell old books and flower crowns from the kunoichi classes. He grading papers, he didn't even hear Naruto enter.

/This place hasn't changed at all./

The teacher jumped up and turned towards him.

/Naruto! Don't scare me like that!/

It was nice to see the man again, he looked well. Naruto felt guilty for not seeking the man out sooner, the last time they had seen each other had been before Wave. He had asked Anko how Iruka was when he heard they were friends but had never had the guts to visit himself. For some reason he couldn't stand having to face the man and pretend to be someone else. Even forcing himself to just stand there and grin hurt, he could feel his face stretch unaturaly.

/Sorry. Just wanted to see how you were doing./

/I'm good. I didn't know you were back./

/Chunin exams. We are so gonna crush the competition!/

He tried to act like his old self but it had been so long. He wondered if Iruka could see through the cracks in his act. If he even cared to look. Naruto liked to believe he did.

/What?! Already? But you have just graduated!/

/It's been close to a year and a half, sensei, and we will totally kick ass!/

Looking around he could see why it would feel like yesterday. The academy, just like the rest of Konoha, had not changed a bit. Like a ghost unwilling to let go and move on. He wondered if Danzo and the council were the result or the cause of that. Maybe they were not the shadow, maybe the shadow made them, and getting rid of them would solve nothing. He put that out of his mind for some time and focused on Iruka, they spent the rest of the day talking.

Night was falling when Naruto finally made his way home. He was almost at the gate to the compound when a flock of crows flew over the village, circling and cawing. Most people believed them to be bad omens but Naruto always found them to be incredibly intelligent creatures. One of them flew lower, missing him by a hair, it was bigger and darker than any he had seen before. The Uzumaki could swear it had a red eye... What a weird bird, he wondered what kind of change it would bring.

***

Chapter Text

Gaara walked through the scorching sand, the heat burned at his feet. His siblings and sensei kept a safe distance away from him so he couldn't even benefit from Baki's wind technique. They were traveling alone, the rest of the army was only supposed to reach Konoha for the third task. It was one of the rare moments, when in the middle of his beloved desert, Shukaku finally fell quiet. It allowed Gaara time to think for himself. 

He wished his siblings didn't fear him so much but he couldn't blame them for doing so. He remembered them trying when he was younger, a time when Kankuro tried to play with dolls with him and Temari gave him her desert at dinner whenever he came home sad because children wouldn't play with him. She said she didn't like sweets anyway but he knew she was lying. They refused to give up, no matter how hard their father tried to keep them apart, it was only after the death of their uncle and his following breakdown that they started to fear him. Though even his psychotic behaviour failed to make them give up on him. He knew the tiny wooden figurines that showed up on his doorstep every few weeks came from his brother who truly believed dolls could keep people from being lonely. Temari cooked his favourite food for dinner every chance she had and kept sneaking blankets into his room as if keeping him warm at night would make up for the lack of human touch. He never said it but he loved them. They were the only people he would risk his life for, if it wasn't for them he would have given Shukaku full control long ago.

Gaara wasn't a fool, he wasn't a child anymore either, he knew Shukaku was not his mother but the one tail did his best to care for him. He tried to protect Gaara as much as he could, be it by teaching him how to control his power or by protecting him from harm when the boy wasn't paying attention. Time in captivity had made him mad though, and there were times when even Gaara could not keep the madness at bay. Killing people was not something that he enjoyed but it was necessary, experience has taught him it was the only way to keep himself and his siblings safe. 

They stopped for rest and food only when they reached the edge of the desert. Vegetation was starting to appear and they sat under the shade of a tree unsealing their supplies. Shukaku was still asleep and calm as they ate and Gaara had to force himself not to smile at his purring. He pretended not to notice the piece of sweet bread that Temari tried to subtly push on his napkin, same as she did for Kankuro, his sister was such a mother hen. She got it into her head when they were younger that being the eldest meant she had to take care of them, Gaara wasn't sure but he suspected it might have been something his mother told her before she died. It said something about his father, the genin supposed, that none of the siblings shared the same mother and none of the three women survived to see her baby grow.

The plan to attack Konoha was just another bad decision in a line of many and it was going to get a lot of their people killed. He knew better than to argue with his father though, all it ever accomplished was having more assassins sent after him. The best he could do was try and stay in control, which wasn't easy with a faulty seal and a half mad tailed beast in his head, and hope Konoha was reasonable and didn't try to crush them once they inevitably lost. What was the kazekage even thinking? Or was he not at all? Konoha was the largest hidden village, they could crush any of the other four great villages with numbers alone. They had more clans than you could count and powerful techniques sand could only dream off, heavily guarded and passed down from sensei to student, parent to child... Forbidden techniques the thought of which made Shukaku sudder and bloodlines that struck fear in the hearts of enemies all over the elemental nations. Konoha produced more prodigies in a generation than Suna had in its entire existence. Kakashi Hatake alone could probably decimate their entire force, including his father... They had no chance to win, Gaara could only pray they survived.

***

Orochimaru licked his lips as he finished his meal. Finally, revenge was in his reach. The taste of victory was in the air. He had waited for so long for the time to come. Had been patient, stayed away, bid his time. And it was all paying off. Finally he would be free. He felt giddy.

/Lord Orochimaru, are you well?/

/I feel wonderful./

Well, his body wasn't. He had pain in his joints and even walking made it worse. He got tired so easily he was always half asleep by lunch time. It didn't matter though, he survived for so long with the pain, he could stand it a little longer.

/The vessel must be uncomfortable by now. If you would just consider Kimimaro.../

/We've had this talk before. Kimimaro is too young and his sickness too advanced, he wouldn't survive this. Besides, I don't think I will need another vessel. By the time this is over I will be able to return to my old body./

The vessel needed to be at least in their late teens to survive the body transfer, and healthy to be able to recover once Orochimaru left them. Kimimaro was neither, becoming a vessel, no matter how much he wanted it, was a death sentence. Even if Orochimaru hadn't cared for him one bit, which wasn't true, the snake sanin wouldn't allow the last of the Kaguya to die if he could help it. He would have his own body back soon, anyway. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so excited about something.

/I take it you will not mark the Uchiha boy, then?/

Sasuke had been an option he had considered for some time after Itachi turned him down. The Uchiha had strong bodies and as it turned out were very compatible with him. Sasuke would have been an ideal candidate for his next vessel, once he had time to grow a little older, get a little stronger. Having the seal a for a few years before the transfer would have made the whole process pain free for both of them if the youngest Uchiha agreed. Orochimaru was distracted from his thoughts by Kabuto wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. No matter how much he claimed to be fine there was no stopping the young man's doting nature.

/No. The plan has changed. I need you to deliver a message to his team during the exams./

/And what is that?/

/That it is time to pull the disease out from the roots. And that the way will be clear during the third task./

/My lord?/

Kabuto frowned, confused. He had grown so much since Orochimaru had found him. He had been a stubborn child, clinging to life with all he had, now he was a strong young man, prepared to face anything life threw his way. Taking Kabuto in had been one of the best decisions he had ever made.

/Kakashi will take care of Danzo for us, which means you will not have to fight him anymore./

/You think he will betray Konoha like that? He is a Hatake, he doesn't have a disloyal bone in his body. He will never condone what we are doing, he will turn us in./

Hatake. The reason he had saved Kabuto had been bacause he had looked like one. Tests proved that he didn't have the blood but in the end it had changed nothing for the older shinobi. He had already loved the little boy as if he was his own son, there was nothing that would have ever made him give up on the boy anymore.

/He will think about it because so many lives will be in danger but in the end he will decide to take advantage of the situation after all. He is loyal, Kabuto, but to him the hokage and the council are the enemy, so while he won't agree with the method, he will do it./

/How do you know this?/

Because he had never stopped watching, had always been aware of what the silver haired shinobi was up to. Kakashi and his team were good at hiding but not good enough to hide from him. There were times when the man had been younger when Orochimaru wished he could be there for him but it would have been too dangerous. He doubted Kakashi even remembered him at all.

/Because I know him... He is as intelligent as he is powerful. It will not take him long to realise less lives will be lost if he lets us do this and helps kill the council than if he keeps letting the rule longer. There are few things he hates more than Root, he will take the chance./

/You think we will actually succeed?/

/The invasion will fail without doubt. A humiliating failure, in fact. That doesn't matter though, our goal will still be reached, the government will fall./

It wasn't like his true objective was to take over Koboha, how would he even lead two villages at the same time anyway?

/I would still feel better if you had a back up plan./

/If it comes down to it, I promise I will look for someone else./

He sighed as the young man started fussing over him again. It was no wonder Kabuto became a medical shinobi, taking care of people came naturally to him. He snuggled into his blanket and sipped his warm tea, maybe Kakashi and Kabuto would meet one day. He would like that. He would really like that.

***

Sai watched team seven get ready for the exams. They were particularly funny in the morning. Sasuke was prone to burying his head under the pilow and pretending that he was still asleep. Naruto seemed to be an expert at falling out of his bed. Sakura had an attitude similar to that of an angry bear. And Kakashi seemed to enjoy being the one to wake them up. This time by throwing cold water over them. Sai shivered in sympathy.

Spying on them was his favourite assignment. When he had first been ordered to do so he had been surprised to notice the three targets were so close to his own age. Being witness to their everyday lives had been eye opening.

Sai didn't remember much of his life before Root. He had almost no recollection of his parents at all. He knew that his father had been a shinobi and his mother an artist. They took him on walks by a lake every week and they had pie on the shore. She died of some sickness when Sai was three and he took more and more missions to distract himself... One day he never came home. Sai's aunt was his only living relative and was a teacher at the academy. She enrolled him not long after his father passed away and enjoyed spending long hours teaching him how to turn the talent he had inherited from his mother into an asset in the field. Unfortunately that got him noticed and one day someone else picked him up after classes. He had tried to run away a few times but there was only so much a four year old could do. As time passed he forgot their faces, their voices, got more and more tired from the training he was forced to do every day. Running away slipped further and farther away, together with the memories of his family. It was years later when Shin showed up, a civilian orphan that showed incredible chakra control. Sai didn't know what he did to get noticed but they tried running away together a week later. It didn't work then either.

Sai gave up on trying to escape once they had been marked, sealed, but he knew Shin never did. Never would give up hope. Sai was content to be able to stand by his brothers side... And then he was assigned team seven.

They were loud. They fought all the time. They were destuctive. They had no teamwork. And they were weak. How were they even genin? Their sensei was a lazy pervert and there was no way they would even survive their first mission outside the gates. He told lord Danzo just that.

They did survive and something had changed in their dinamic after that. They still acted the same in public, or at least attempted to, but their eyes... Their eyes couldn't lie so he decided to pay closer attention and they turned out to be incredible. He used his skill to copy the key to the Uzumaki wards and reported to Danzo that they were just as disruptive to the quiet of the village as always. Which was true, they were... In public.

The moment they left the village again he got into their house and started looking through Naruto's notes. He found an entry on a seal similar to the one Root used, the writer of the scroll called it an abomination. The author claimed there was no method the victim- yes, they used that word- could use to take it off themselves, but they could modify it enough to make it close to useless. It took Sai five tries to succeed and by the time he did he almost passed out from the pain but it was done. He knew he wouldn't be able to use it on his brother though, because it was to harsh on the body and while Sai pretended not to notice he knew Shin got weaker by the day. He couldn't leave without his brother so he stayed and continued to give back false reports.

From Sakura he learned a lot. What kind of tea was good for easier breathing, what plants were good for pain. He wished he could ask her to look at Shin, wondered if she would care for someone like them if they ever got out. She probably would. From Sasuke he couldn't learn much. Sai wasn't good at genjutsu, their affinities didn't match and Sai could already use a sword. There were a few moves that he found very useful regardless. It was Naruto that he found the most interesting though. The genin was so open with his emotions, so expressive. He was unlike anyone else Sai knew... It was from Naruto that he learned how to smile.

Sai watched as they planned and got stronger and hope grew in him. Kakashi was so powerful Danzo paled in comparison. The three genin were closer to jonin level than anything else even before they left on their last trip outside Konoha. The thought of them participating in the chunin exams was hilarious.

So Sai watched. He watched as they bickered over breakfast, he watched as they fought on the way to the academy and he watched as they pretended to be someone they were not. He would count the days until they finally reached their goal, he had a feeling it was time to find allies inside Root as well. He knew of at least two people that would find the thought of a revolution lovely.

***

Itachi leaned back and watched the clear blue sky, it was such a beautiful colour. Akatsuki got word that the kyuubi vessel would be in Konoha for the chunin exam and Pain wasted no time to send him there. He didn't know how to feel about it. One one hand he was glad it wasn't someone else sent on the mission, on the other he wished he didn't have to do it.

Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha genin, fourteen years old. Graduated at twelve, had no special skills and no particular talents. He spent most of his time outside the village on missions and training trips and was dead last of his generation. His sensei was Kakashi Hatake and his teammates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. It was like fate was playing tricks on him.

He would have to face his baby brother. His sweet Sasuke... Rumor had it he wasn't so sweet anymore and it broke Itachi's heart to know it was because of him. Sasuke had been the last Uchiha born, the only other Uchiha younger than Itachi had been Izumi and she had died on a mission when they were thirteen. So Sasuke had been the youngest and it showed in the way members of the clan acted towards him. Their love for him made him love them in turn. Every one of them. He had been completely unaware that his beloved uncle and aunts and cousins were not as innocent as he had thought.

Sasuke had been Itachi's little sun, so bright and so warm. Taking care of his younger brother had been his escape, his time of peace. Itachi had been born and raised for war, his father never made it a secret. His mother had been kind and gentle, training him with patience and a soft voice but she fell ill not long after Sasuke's birth and couldn't do the same for him. So Itachi did it. He raised his brother while his parents were too busy or too ill to do it themselves and there was not one moment of it he didn't remember in joy. He wanted his brother to have every opportunity he never had. He even tried to push him and Naruto into becoming friends and while it had not worked then he hoped it would one day.

It had been obvious early on that Sasuke was not like everyone else. Itachi himself was no stranger to talented people, especially once he had joined anbu, but none of them were like his little brother. He learned things too fast, awakened his sharingan too young, his talent was unmatched. Itachi lived in fear every day that someone would find out. His clan would try to use him, the village would turn him into a weapon. He was not proud to say he tried to hold him back at times, too afraid of what would happen to him if anyone realized the truth. If there was one thing he knew it was that he would stop at nothing to protect his brother.

When he had found out what his clan was planning, Itachi knew he had to do something about it. The Uchiha were strong but so was the rest of Konoha and they had numbers on their side. A full blown civil war would have been disastrous. He had joined anbu in hopes it would help and he had been lucky to meet Kakashi. The older shinobi had been the only person Itachi ever remembered willing to fight for him, be it with heaven or hell. It took a weight off his shoulders to know there would be someone watching over Sasuke if something happened to him.

Killing his own clan had been painful but it was the best chance he had to keep his baby brother alive so he did it. He was aware the council and the hokage used him, he knew they had no intention to ever pardone him but he still did it. He let them and Tobi believe they won and hadn't cared because Sasuke was safe. He told him to grow strong and seek revenge because he knew one day that strength would keep him alive. Killing his mother broke his heart but he knew she loved him with her last breath, she was the one who understood him best. The only one who would never blame him for the impossible choises he made. But leaving Sasuke... Leaving Sasuke behind had been by far the hardest thing he had ever done. He wasn't sure he would be able to do it again. 

Such a clear blue sky, Itachi envied it. It was so free of shadows and clouds, so beautiful. Dew formed around him, signal of a new day. Soon they would reach Konoha, and he would have to face his fate. He closed his eyes and let the sun warm his face and wondered what the new day had in store for him.

***

Chapter Text

The morning before the chunin exams went as usual. At one point all of them had managed to sneak into Kakashi's room, each with a blanket and pillow under their arm. His bed was huge and he had long ago stopped registering their presence as a threat so he slept through the whole process of knees knocking and elbows jabbing each other as they made themselves comfortable in his bed next to him. Kakashi always slept with his back against the wall so Sakura snuggled into him, his only response being an arm around her waist. Sasuke was next, facing Sakura and Kakashi, Naruto settled behind him. They could only imagine what anyone would think if they saw them but for them it was normal. Touch deprivation was unhealthy, Kakashi told them as his sensei had once told him, a thing that had never crossed their minds before. Sakura looked it up in her books and found he was right so they started sneaking into his bed every once in a while. That morning he must have felt like being particularly mean and woke them up by dumping water on them. Freezing water. Didn't he realize they were sleeping in his bed?!

Needless to say, their morning sucked. After a consistent breakfast, and a few supposedly easy morning exercises and stretches, -they were not easy because Kakashi was the devil- they took a shower. One shower, which meant a repeat of elbows to the ribs from the night before they got dressed in the clothes prepared the day before with grimaces. It was not as bad as what they used to wear at twelve but kami! They looked ridiculous! What kind of shinobi in his right mind wore bright orange? And tight clothes, red ones even? What had Sakura been thinking? Sasuke was doing better but it had been a long time since he wore anything other than black and dark navy, the light gray made him feel self conscious. It was so ... bright. And that collar! 

Walking to the academy was a nightmare, they had been away for so long that everyone was staring at them. The bright clothes certainly didn't help them stay under the radar. It had been some time since they had been stared at so obviously, did those people have no shame? Or fear for that matter?

Once at the academy they gave in their paperwork to the chunin on the first floor and started going up. Acting like their old selves and not attracting too much attention was going to be an exercise in creativity. Sakura and Naruto used to be so loud at times it surprised even them that people they used to interact with managed to keep their eardrums intact. Sasuke had tried to stay unnoticed but it took him way too long to realise that the more he ignored people the more he intrigued them.

Sakura linked her arms with her teammates and put a ditzy smile on before she started going up the stairs. Naruto was grinning and Sasuke frowning, they wondered how long it would take for their faces to start hurting from being stuck like that.

***

The genjutsu on the second floor was so pathetic even Naruto wanted to scream when he realised how many of his fellow genin had been fooled. It was the kind of illusion you didn't even have do dispell in order to see through. He hoped whoever was unable to do so failed before their incompetence got anyone killed.

Academy teachers were chosen from the chunin ranks. They had the fate of future generations in their hands. They had to be ready to be put in charge of a team at any time and during war were expected to lead the genin reserves. In Uzu shinobi had to prove themselves emotionally and psychologically ready before their skills were tested and analized, they didn't just take a test and get promoted! He didn't know what the kages were thinking, no kind of exam could determine if someone was ready for such responsibility. It was not something you could determine in a day or a week. It made him mad how careless the kages were with the lives they held in their hands.

Sakura stopped them before they could go higher, probably because their whole academy class, the ones that graduated that is, seemed to be stuck at the second level and it would be suspicious if they went through so easily. He could see a few people that seemed aware of the illusion but just like them chose not to go up yet.

There was an older boy from Konoha with silver hair and glasses that had an intelligent glint in his eyes. The container of the one tail and his siblings, the three children of the kazekage. Naruto had expected the infamous Gaara to be older but there was no mistaking the red haired child was him. He leaked more chakra than a spring had water. He was adorable, though, but Naruto suspected he would not appreciate being called that. Naruto was tempted to hug him and never let go, Kurama purred in approval. 

Naruto didn't interact with the fox much, but they had managed to come to an agreement. Scrolls in Uzu opened his eyes to the real history of the bijuu, and so Naruto no longer feared the being inside him though the truth made him even more determined not to use the power of the bijuu. Kurama was a being, not a chakra battery. He felt the fox try to reach out to Shukaku, and as a result his pain when it failed. Naruto couldn't talk to the bijuu unless he was meditating but he could guess as to the reason... The faulty seal drove the one tail mad. He made a promise to himself to try and fix the crappy piece of trash Suna called sealing before the redhead went home. Uzumaki red. And Naruto really felt Kurama's pain.

Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed another splash of red, a little girl with a grass headband and a scared look in her eyes. He had a feeling she didn't have a happy story either. No surviving Uzumaki did, it seemed. He wondered if he could find a reason to approach her later.

Sasuke was talking silently with a fellow leaf shinobi. Him and his team also seemed aware of the situation, thought the one dressed in green could use a lesson in deception. Neji, Sasuke had called him, was pretty with pale skin and beautiful long hair. There was no mistaking the eyes of the Hyuuga. He remembered the light blush Sasuke had been unable to keep off his face the night before after dinner when he asked for a pair of communication scrolls. He could see how his teammate has been captivated so easily. Beauty like that was not often born, he just hoped there was more to the Hyuga than that. Naruto glanced towards his forehead, where he knew that seal was hidden. The caged bird seal, his clan had called it, was another proof that sealing techniques should have never fallen in the hands of greedy people. Naruto wondered if a lifetime would be enough for him to fix the mistakes that his clan's trust had caused.

He turned to his year mates last. Had they even noticed his team arrive? maybe not. With the exception of the Aburame they looked lost in their little world. He almost frowned before his fixed his grin, trying to remember the other boy's name. Kami, it was something like Rhi-, no, Shin- Shino. Right, Shino. He was standing next to Kiba and that meek girl Hinata that Naruto pretended didn't know had a crush on him. Shikamaru might have noticed something but he was sleeping standing up! Ino was not paying any attention to anyone but Choji who was munching away on chips, her eyebrow was twitching in annoyance. They looked like they had barely changed since graduation, with the exception that they were taller. Same clothes, same attitudes... Much like Gaara was leaking chakra, they leaked something else. Weakness. He could practically smell it in the air. They were prey... Easy prey, and there were sharks in the water.

***

The first thing Sakura noticed when they reached the first unofficial test was chakra. Lots of it. She had heard the horror stories about the Gaara of the Sand. Unstable. Insane. Bloodthirsty. Untouchable. All she could see in front of her was child. 

Huddled in a corner, away from his siblings but close enough to protect them if necessary. He didn't look mad, he looked terrified. He was just a baby, he couldn't be older than they were when they graduated! He looked so small compared to most of the people in the room. Thin and frail and tired. Another one sent to war too young, with worries one too many. Maybe a kind soul, they always had it worst. He had seen death too soon and blood too much and cruelty more than most. It made her want to scream that the world was unjust but knew it would be useless. All she could do was hold her tongue, it seemed to be all they could do those days. 

There was nothing she could do for Gaara so she forced herself to turn away from him. She saw Sasuke was already talking with an older Konoha shinobi, a Hyuga by the looks of it. It had to be Neji, the guy that trained in the Uchiha compound. Sasuke was good at hiding his emotions, at pretending he was an arrogant son of a bitch, but Sakura knew better. She knew how kind hearted he was, she hoped the pale eyed pretty boy realised if he broke said heart she would break his chest cavity. 

She noticed Naruto was not moving next to her and followed his line of sight. Their former classmates, the ones connected to important clans anyway, couldn't have looked more like pray if they tried. All she could think of was that they had no control. No control over their bodies, their movements rigid and broken. No control over their expressions, she could see how edgy and tense they were from across the room. No control over their chakra, pulsing from them as if they were trying to communicate in some kind of frightened mouse code no one else knew. And was Shikamaru sleeping!?

There was one of them though, hidden behind the others, silent and steady. If she hadn't been paying close attention she wouldn't have even noticed him. She remembered him from classes, yet remembered nothing about him. She didn't remember his grades, didn't remember his friends. Not his favourite subject, not if he was good at taijutsu or ninjutsu or even written tests. She didn't even know if she ever heard him speak, he had just been... there. His name was Shino, that much she knew, and Shino was the only one in their graduating class other than her team that didn't feel like pray. The only one to look in their direction, straight into her eyes. He was not pray, that much she was sure of. His look sent shivers down her spine and she wondered what he his under those glasses, behind that jacket. Maybe the exams would not be so bad after all, it was almost a shame they would have to fail the first task. He was an Aburame though, maybe she could ask about their bugs later. As a future medic she would need to know how that relationship worked and how medical techniques affected their bodies, after all.

Just as she was about to take Naruto by the hand and drag him to Sasuke she noticed one of the medics she remembered from the hospital was in the crowd of genin. Sakura had visited the institution a few times to buy basic first aid supplies for their team. She made sure to act stupid and clumsy and so managed to wonder around without anyone suspecting anything. Most of the staff it turned out didn't even know chakra healing techniques and she had been surprised to notice that the ones that did were no where close to her level. With one exception, and that was Kabuto. The grey haired shinobi had a calm voice and was gentle with the patients. He was also very talented in his field of choice though few seemed to notice, Sakura herself had only realised just how talented because she saw him heal a civilian using chakra and knew from experience how difficult that was. His control over his chakra was remarkable too. She couldn't point fingers though because it wasn't like they were genin level themselves and they too were taking the exam so she supposed he might have a reason of his own for keeping his own strengths close to home.

One thing was for sure, there were some strong people in the chunin exams that were far above chunin level and she didn't know yet if it was a good or a bad thing.

***

Sasuke made a bee line for Neji the moment they reached second level, pale pretty eyes followed his as he got closer. The older boy looked healthier and the bandages looked freshly changed. Sasuke didn't rush to his side, waiting for the Hyuga to give if a sign if he wanted Sasuke to stop but he didn't. Neji's teammates, a girl with a pink top and dark simple pants that blushed when she saw Sasuke and a boy that looked like a miniature Gai, looked ready to comment on the situation before their long haired teammates sent them a glare cold enough to freeze fire. How could someone be so beautiful no matter what they did?

He subtly passed the scroll to Neji once he was close, making sure no one saw them and using a weak genjutsu to hide it, making it seem like he was passing some kunai to the other genin.. The Hyuga startled when he felt something round and not at all sharp press into his hand.

/You dropped this./

/Thank you./

/Don't mention it, just don't lose it again./ 

Neji squeezed it before putting it into his weapons pouch, the look he was giving Sasuke conveyed he understood what he was given.

/You should check it out when you have the chance, it looks a little dull./

He hoped Neji understood that Sasuke wanted him to open the scroll when he was alone. He wrote a message there that explained how it worked. The little nod the Hyuga gave him told him he did.

/I will./

Sasuke leaned on the wall next to Neji, ignoring the way the girl's eyes, Tenten Gai had called her, were wide as plates. The boy, Rock Lee, looked like he was trying really hard to stay quiet. Sasuke hoped he would not make a scene. 

Naruto and Sakura took a few seconds more to look around the room and Sasuke knew it was all they needed to take in the room before they walked over. Sasuke looked around the room as well. Except for their team, and it seemed Neji's there were a few others that noticed they were on the wrong level.

There was a Konoha genin that looked a little similar to Kakashi though Sasuke knew his sensei had no living relatives. Their old classmates looked particularly oblivious, except for Shino. But Shino had never been even remotely like everyone else in his life so that came as no surprise, he didn't look in a hurry to tell the others anything though. And then there were the kazekage's children. Gaara was smaller than Sasuke had imagined he would be, his cheeks had that puffy look to them that made it impossible to mistake his young age. The Uchiha was under no misconception that being young meant Gaara was weaker than the rumors indicated but it did make something pull on his heart. The way he was leaking chakra everywhere reminded him of the lecture Naruto gave them on the dangers of faulty containment seals. Power hungry people were the same everywhere, willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for their desires, even their own children.

Sasuke wondered if Itachi had looked that small when he took the exams. Smaller probably. To Sasuke Itachi had been larger than life itself, it was so easy to forget that he had actually been so tiny in reality. For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt hatred at his fallen clan. How could they push a ten year old that looked like the wind could blow him over to take the chunin exams!? He clenched his fist so tight he almost expected his fingers to break. Naruto shifted next to him and Sakura twitched as if she wanted to cover his hand with her own. It was Neji though, that brushed his hand across his, following his line of sight.

/I know./

/He can't be older than twelve!/

/Others had been even younger./

He clenched his teeth before he looked away. The last thing they needed was to anger an unstable jinchuriki in an enclosed space. 

/Life is not fair, Sasuke. Maybe fate really is set in stone./

Sasuke took a deep breath, everything in him was screaming to find the ones that put that sad resigned look on Neji's face and make them pay for it. Was that what Itachi felt when he killed their clan? Rage towards the people who took his childhood away? That threatened to take Sasuke's childhood away? It hadn't occurred to Sasuke, until he himself was even older, how young his brother truly had been that day.

/Unfair, true. But not set in stone, I don't believe that. I won't believe that./

Not with Naruto and Sakura right next to him, willing to fight the world by his side. He took another deep breath and calmed himself.

/I chose to fly, Neji. I always will./

He refused to fall. He would only fall when he was dead.

***

In the end it was a team from Rain that announced it to the whole room that they were on the wrong floor. Kotetsu and Izumo had tried to protest but then Kiba decided to join in, screaming about how they better get out of his way and how he knew all along what was going on. If he got any louder they were going to hear him in Stone. 

Team seven followed Neji and his teammates upstairs and into the examination room. There were even more teams inside, a large number from their villages. They were about to settle down at a desk when their old classmates finally noticed them. It turned out to be a bad thing. 

***

Chapter Text

Sasuke realised what Ino wanted to do the moment he heard her screech his name. His whole being screamed to get away before she got a hold of him. He was glad they chose a table in the last row, hopefully they could avoid getting the attention of all candidates. With Ino and Kiba involved, they would be lucky if they could manage only making themselves known to half the people in the room.

/Ino! Let go of him!/

/You wish, forehead! Why are you trying to whisper anyway!?/

/Because, Ino pig, I would like to survive this exam, and you are painting targets on our backs with all that noise you are making!/

He took advantage of the fact that his pink haired teammate had completely distracted the blonde and slipped away from her grasp. How had he been able to survive the academy? Naruto squeezed a little on his seat to make room so Sasuke could take a seat between him and Neji. Sasuke was glad that even though sometimes Naruto could be dense, when it came to emotions he was not. The two of them may bicker about the smallest of things but the blond would always support him when it really mattered. Even if it was though small things like giving him communication scrolls just so he could talk to someone he liked and making way for him so he could sit next to Neji. Team Gai, who had managed to settle down before the whole spectacle begun, were watching the old classmates with wide eyes. He turned Neji's focus to him by touching his forearm gently. No one was paying attention to them, too distracted by the ruckus.

/How are you feeling?/

/Better, thanks to you. I talked to my team this morning. Not about everything, mostly about sensei. He was very disturbed to find out I didn't think he cared equally for all of us. Apparently it would be unyouthful of him./

/It would be./

/Don't encourage his weirdness!/

Neji glared cutely at him. His eyes were fiery and so captivating. He looked at Hinata from the corner of his eyes... No, it was not a Hyuga thing.

/He's a good kind of weirdo though. You should all come visit us when you have some time, we could have a joint training session. It would be good teamwork exercise, I think./

Sasuke was honestly curious to see how they would do against each other. They never went against opponents close to their age, except for Haku that was. It would also give him the opportunity to spend time with Neji freely, openly without fear of being heard or seen by the wrong people and getting the beautiful genin in trouble. Said genin looked at him questioningly.

/Aren't you afraid that being seen talking so much will ruin your reputation?/

/I would be but they probably think I am telling you why the Sharingan is the superior bloodline or something. Besides, not even our teammates are noticing us right now./

His reputation had never been something Sasuke cared about, the only reason he was not more open was because it would cause too much trouble for both of them. Besides, he hadn't stopped glaring their entire conversation and Neji himself made a point of not showing much emotion. 

It was Tenten that interrupted them a while later, no longer able to follow the madness in front of her.

/What are they doing? Do they want to get killed?.../

Sasuke himself turned to see. Shikamaru as expected was slouched over Choji, who was eating. Loudly. Shino and Hinata were standing to the side, Sasuke got the feeling that they wanted to disappear. He understood completely. Though with that blush on her face the young Hyuga didn't send the message of a strong kunoichi, just of a weak one, she looked ready to faint. One would think that after so long not seeing Naruto she would at least have less of a reaction to being in the same room as him. Ino was still arguing with Sakura and Sasuke could tell that his teammates was barely paying her any attention, she had a role to play but it seemed she had better things to think of than whatever Ino was screeching still. Naruto was turned towards the edge of the bench, half listening to Kiba rant how he was going to win the exams. As if, they were exams, not a competition! His blond teammate had put on a dumb look, acting as if he didn't think Kiba could win because he would. And he said it too, loudly and repeatedly. Everyone was looking and Sasuke feared what would happen should any of them pass the first part. The second part was when deaths happened. It was an all out survival race! It was the reason that a lot of sensei chose to wait before entering their teams in the exam. Sasuke remembered that his mother hadn't slept for days when Itachi had participated. At the time Sasuke hadn't really understood that there was a real chance his brother was not coming home. When he saw Itachi again, they were going to have a long talk about his brother doing dangerous things. He had a feeling that Itachi jumped over brave and into completely reckless long ago.

He looked at his teammates again, to see how they were holding up. Somehow Sakura and Naruto were managing to be loud and yet attract less attention than their old classmates. Though if you looked close enough you could see Sakura's glazed eyes and hear Naruto's bored tone. Not to mention that Sasuke himself had been all but openly flirting with Neji. There was so much to say, and maybe there were many ways to say it, but he didn't know any of them so he sent Tenten an exasperated look as he answered her.

/Hn./

Acting like their old selves, he thought, they were nailing it...

*** 

Sakura wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. Why did Ino have to be so insufferable?! She could hardly recognise the kind hearted, soft spoken girl she met in her childhood in the loud and superficial teenager before her. How had they grown so far apart? It didn't matter, though, she decided. Ino had been her saviour when they were young, had saved Sakura from loneliness and set her on a path that led her to a real family. So she was not giving up, no matter how long it took, or what she had to do, one day she was going to save the blond from herself and return the favour. Ino was a good person, she just lost herself in the influence of those around her and her new teammates did not have strong enough personalities to show her any different. They were content to let her say and do whatever she wanted as long as they could stay out of it.

As she continued to argue with Ino absentmindedly, she looked at said teammates. She knew that Shikamaru's laziness was a side effect of his clan's high intelligence and not an actual long term problem. According to their research on the well known clans in Konoha, the Nara clan's IQ became stable sometime in their late teens. Until then their brains were, in a way, volatile, and in spite of apprentices rarely allowed them truly restful sleep. After that, once things settled down, they would become more active as their bodies finally got the rest they needed. The pink haired kunoichi thought it might also be related to puberty but could not prove it without any research on the matter.

The real problem of their team was Choji and not for the reason most people thought, his size was a consequence of his bloodline. No, the problem was his personality. He was not a fighter, it was simple as that. His heart was proportional to the rest of his body and he had no desire of ever harming anyone. He could change, of course, could find a reason to fight. It would break him but he would do it as many others had before. He would see one of his teammates get hurt or lose someone and never be the same again. Sakura figured, though, that his career could also go a different way. Kakashi told her that Senju Tsunade had once argued that there should be a medic on every team and Sakura agreed with that. Choji was an ideal candidate should the program actually be implemented. He had the right attitude, gentle, but not exactly a push over. He had great control, because it was required in order to use the techniques of his clan so he had to have started on it young. He had the potential to become strong enough to defend himself as a field medic and had the physical strength needed to carry unconscious bodies around. His bloodline limit would allow him to transform his mass into chakra and he could continue healing for much longer than other medical shinobi could.

She made a mental note to talk to Kakashi about said program. She didn't understand why it hasn't been done yet but her sensei would agree with it being necessary, after all his teammate Rin had been a med nin and he understood their value more than most. The kunoichi didn't understand why others didn't? Where had the idea that med nin were weak and had to be protected came from anyway? It was one of the stupidest things she had ever heard. There should be an introduction course in the Academy so that people who had an aptitude for it could be identified early, it was always best to start learning the basics young, so that the chakra could adapt better.

She turn to the other teams around her. Gai's team was already more well rounded than the ones in their year so it would be harder for them to change specialties, who would have thought that being weak could be an advantage for something? Maybe their classmates slow growth was not all bad. If they survived the exams, that was. Lee was too energetic, and Gai told her that something was wrong with his chakra points so he was out. The girl, Tenten, though Sakura had been told was a big fan of Tsunade, was out as well. She didn't have the strength nor the chakra capacity or control. That left Neji, which was all well with her, because he was smart, strong and like Choji had to have started control training young. The Byakugan would be a great asset as well.

There was only one other team left and she turned to them. Kiba could never be a medic, no matter how good his mother and sister were at healing he didn't have the right attitude. Shino was an Aburame and while Sakura didn't know much about him she knew his bugs fed on chakra. Tragic as it was he would have a higher chance of killing his patients than healing them. Hinata, despite being a Hyuga, was not as good a choice as her cousin. Her control was great, but she was meek and while very agile and flexible not very strong. She was simply not built for it, something her clan elders didn't seem capable of grasping with their tiny, old brains. She was very smart though, so maybe that and her impeccable control could compensate somehow.

She was so lost in her own thoughts and her arguing with Ino that by the time she paid attention to anything else Kabuto was next to them, talking to Naruto. She was lucky her teammates were there or else getting lost in thought could be dangerous, she would have to be more careful in the future.

***

Naruto had no idea what the silver haired genin wanted from them but he was glad to finally have a break from the nausea inducing shitshow. Had he acted that annoying? Somehow Sasuke managed to escape and sit next to the pretty Hyuga. Sakura looked like she was solving world problems in her head. Or at least Konoha problems. Knowing her that was probably what she was actually doing.

Maybe it had been so long since they had interacted with other people their own age that he had no idea how to do it anymore. Most of the time missions they took turned out brutal and if Kakashi felt like it he also took side mission of higher level that he was supposed to do by himself, mostly assassination. Of course, he used them as training opportunities. When they were not on missions, or training somewhere alone isolated from the world, they were training in Konoha. Isolated from most of the world. Their range of teachers, though talented, tended to be Kakashi's age or older. Naruto appreciated them, he did, but they didn't exactly help his social skill which weren't so great to begin with. So interacting with their old classmates? Not his idea of fun. Which was sad because Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru used to be the closest thing he had to friends once upon a time. Their whole relationship narrowed down to skipping class together a few times, but at least they noticed him.

So yes, distraction, thank you!

/How about you tone it down a little, you guys. Before even more teams decide you rookies are easy prey./

He was one of the genin that caught the genjutsu on the second floor but chose not to go up. His smile reminded him of Sakura's, the scary one she gave whenever him or Sasuke got hurt doing something particularly stupid. Like that time in Uzushio when they took their spar a little too far. Naruto decided to answer him if only so he could talk to someone quieter than Kiba.

/Sorry. This your first time too?!/

/My seventh./

Seventh time? Most people gave up after the third or fourth failure, Kabuto was either really stubborn or he had different reason to keep coming back. Naruto subtly checked him over. He was in very good shape though he tried to hide it with baggy clothes and a seemingly relaxed posture. His chakra had a contained feeling to it, like he was trying to hide just how much of it he had, that act in itself took some control. He was clearly above genin level so he should have passed based on that at least, even if he knew no particular techniques. Something smelled fishy, and it was not Kiba's breath. He put on a bright smile and learned towards the older teen.

/Wow! So you must know all the cool tricks!/

/A few. I have information on most participants here. Anyone you are particularly interested in?/

The silver hared genin made a point of acting embarrassed. He fidgeted as he pulled out a pack of cards and showed it to Naruto. Most of the audience the rookies had attracted had lost interest when they realized their prey was not unsuspecting anymore and as such would put up a fight. They had that to thank him for, at least. His teammates were paying close attention though, Sakura with a curious look in her eyes? Did she know the other genin?

/Yes. I want to see what you have on Gaara of the Sand. ... and the red haired girl from Grass. The shy one./

/Gaara is easy, but I might not have much on the girl./

He looked apologetic and for once the expression was completely genuine, as if he truly wished there was more he could tell Naruto about her. The blond was curious as to what kind of information the other genin had, and wished to ask on more on Sasuke, if only to see how well informed he was. If the boy was an enemy anything he had on them could turn out to be dangerous, on the other hand a well informed allie could be the difference between death and survival. Naruto was glad that except for their group everyone had turned away from them, he didn't want to put Gaara and the girl on the spot and make them targets. 

He watched as the genin spun some cards with his chakra before he passed them over. The first card was a generic card on the exams, statistics on how many teams from each village there were, unsurprisingly most were of Konoha. It wasn't that hard of an information to get, anyone over chunin rank could simply request it from the archive, he could have very well gotten it from his sensei, their team sure did. The second was the information on Gaara, impressive but not alarming. His sources were good and it made him only being a genin ever more suspicious. It did confirm that Gaara's maternal grandfather had been an Uzumaki, though. Next was the girl. Karin Uzumaki, genin from Kusa, below average in everything with an useful bloodline, the details of which made his blood boil. He was lucky the next card was so shocking it completely distracted him. A simple code hidden in another generic card, this time of age groups, that most chunin learned upon promotion but that most people in the room would not recognise. ''Meet, second task, message'' He put on a smile as he passed the cards back and anything he would have liked to say was interrupted when the proctor walked in the room and started the exam.

Well, shit! was his only thought as he sat in his seat.

***

The moment they were told they could start writing they put a little seal in the corner of the paper. It was a simplified version of the communication scroll seal that would allow them to have a short conversation. It didn't hold for long and wouldn't work over long distances but it did its job.

A little bit of ink on paper in the form of a simple card was enough to change their whole plan. Kabuto, as the boys found out he was named, could be drawing them into a trap. Or he could turn out to be a great ally and that made them decide to meet him. As they erased the seals and their conversation with it, there was one thought on their minds. They had to pass and they had to do it without revealing their abilities.

***

Chapter Text

Team seven stared at the gates in front of them as Anko tried and succeeded to scare their competition. It was amusing to see the other genin tremble in fear in front of a woman that had sweets for breakfast every day. If she had been surprised to see them there she didn't show it, though everyone who knew them was aware that they had no intention of getting promoted. The plan had been to fail the first task but it wasn't as if they were unable to think a new way of failing and Anko provided the perfect opportunity as she explained their next task. 

Sakura looked at the teams that got so far. There was Gai's team and the Sand siblings, the girl Uzumaki's and another team from Grass and Kabuto's obviously. Their yearmates had passed, unfortunately, and Sakura didn't know what to make of that. There was a team from sound and one from rain. A few more Konoha teams and a couple from Kumo. She knew Kiri would probably keep out of the exams for awhile as May had just taken over and wanted some peace and quiet before facing the world at large. Iwa made a point of not stepping foot in Konoha and the exams were no exception which was good because her old classmates were in enough trouble as it was. Anko ordered them to their gates and Sakura followed silently. Hopefully Kabuto would not turn out to be an enemy, she really didn't feel like trying to hide a fight in the middle of the exam even if Anko did know the truth about their skills.

Sasuke looked around at the camp they had set for the night, it looked adequate, finding Kabuto would have to wait another day it seemed. He closed his eyes as he listened to the report of their summons, they had split the teams between them once inside the forest so one summon could go after each team. The sand team had apparently already passed, killing a grass team in the process, thankfully not the other long lost Uzumaki cousin. Shino's team had gotten the second scroll and were on the way to the tower, Sakura sounded suspiciously happy about it. Ino's team had no luck so far but was safe still and had yet to fight at all. His own hawk, one of his most loyal was still following Neji and had been instructed to not leave his side unless it was to call for help so lack of a report on his team was actually a relief. He got comfortable for sleep as the summons returned to their tasks, he would have the last watch, Sakura was already asleep next to him and Naruto was studying their scroll.

Naruto smiled at the scroll, it was... inventive. He would have to congratulate Anko on her efficient way of using the Konoha limited sealing skills and knowledge. If anything the chunin exams were interesting. The first task had been easy to figure if you knew how to read between the lines and Naruto took great joy in leaving a blank paper behind, their original plan to fail would have ended up with them passing anyway. Kurama was restless but trying to send calming waves towards Shukaku and it made Naruto's skin crawl. It was not a good thing if one of the bijuu had a bad feeling, hopefully whatever storm came would be in their favour. He put the scroll away and laid back on the grass, a flash of red caught his eye and he looked to the side just in time to see the red eyed craw fly away. He really had to figure out what that was about, the last thing they needed was for the old hoots to send another spy after them. Kakashi told them about the root agent when they returned from Wave, so they had tested him. He passed, if he had tried to run to Danzo they would have dealt with him fast, he chose to free himself instead. They used all the sources they had to figure out all they could about him, found his aunt and all they could about his 'brother'. Sakura took to leaving out medical supplies and scrolls for him, they hoped it would not be too late for Shin by the time they took down Root. That was the problem for another day, he figured, as he woke Sakura for her shift. Though, someone had to tell Sai that ink animals did not in fact blend in in the forest.

***

It was the third day in the Forest of Death when they tracked Kabuto down. He was close to the tower but not so close the proctors inside knew of him. It was the perfect place to ambush an unsuspecting team already tired from the fight and with both scrolls ready for the taking. The other two genin stayed behind while the gray haired young man approached team seven.

"Kabuto."

"Sakura-chan"

Sasuke and Naruto stood behind the kunoichi, letting her take the lead in the conversation. The boys had dropped their masks and looked serious but she still put a dumb smile on.

"We both know we are not friends. How about you just tell us what you want from a team of incompetent genin."

Not that they were incompetent, from the smirk on his face he knew it too. He pushed his glasses up as he looked them up and down.

"Incompetent is not the word I'd use... My lord would like to inform you that 'it is time to pull the disease out from the roots. And that the way will be clear during the third task.' "

So he worked for someone, someone powerful. A spy, from a rival nation. Would it be a better idea to just take him out? But then they wouldn't find out who was planning an attack and it was someone who knew about Root. Their tail had followed them in the forest, so whatever they decided to do, Sai would know and prepare. Tenzo, Kakashi's friend, was good at keeping tabs on the agent and had even managed to aid him without being detected. There were a lot of operatives in the shadow just waiting for a revolution.

And yet, who knew about Root? Even in Konoha they were ghosts and none of the other four great nations let alone the smaller villages even suspected Konoha was capable of such atrocity. On the surface it was the most moral of the shinobi villages, Root and the Hyuga abomination seal, the destruction of Uzushio and the Uchiha massacre, those were things changed or erased until history told the tale Konoha's leaders wanted. Battles manipulated, wars rewritten, it was the way it has always been since the first brick of the Hokage tower had been laid. And yet, someone knew what no one should know.

"Is that so? Does your lord have a name?"

"Think of him as... Ouroboros."

The snake that ate it's own tail. An enemy homegrown. Was he an enemy though, if he could offer them the opportunity to erase the rotten shadow of their home? They could do in a month what they had thought would take years, decades to achieve. Kill Danzo, destroy Root... Start Konoha on the road to what it's founders once dreamed it would be. 

"We'll think on the offer. Now, I do believe all of us have a test to fail."

More than think of it. Kakashi never talked about Orochimaru beyond telling them who he was and they never asked. They understood the need for secrets but they hoped whatever it was that made their sensei's voice catch in his throat whenever he said that name, it would not stop him from realising the chance laid before them.

***

By the time they reached the tower without a scroll the five days had just passed. They made sure to look rugged and dirty and tired. Ripped their clothes and skipped a few meals, let a team from Ame run them in circles and lost their scroll. They looked like something the cat dragged in, it made Kakashi proud. His cute little demons had not only failed but no one suspected a thing. The hokage even pulled him aside to invite his team to watch the preliminary matches because he thought they would benefit from seeing how much their classmates had improved. Said it might be incentive for his little genin to do the same, it was a good thing his mask hid the smile threatening to break on his face.

Team seven had managed to spectacularly and utterly fail nearly every aspect of the exams and he couldn't be more proud. Not only did they not copy even one answer during the first task but Naruto actually left the page blank. They even failed the unofficial genjutsu test and the only way they could have done the second task worse would have been by opening the scroll... Well, they didn't want to appear completely unprofessional, just incompetent.

He looked down from the balcony they were situated on to the teams below. One of the candidates that passed was apparently too tired to continue, the jonin almost snorted at the looks on the faces of the others when they were told it was not yet over.

He smiled at his colleagues when they passed their team, his little monsters sprawled on the floor and against the railing, looking as rugged and frazzled as they were supposed to feel. Not even capable to lift their heads and make a scene when Yamanaka made a comment about how Sakura and Naruto dragged her Sasuke-kun down to their level of failure or when Inuzuka yelled how it was now proved that his team was superior. Aburame looked suspicious though, before he settled on Sakura. At least he was trying to be subtle, it was adorable. 

/My eternal rival, it warms my soul to see your team has made it! Oh, how youthful of them to stay to encourage their friends!/ 

Gai was holding his hand, tears running rivers with his mini-me at his side, lips trembling, before Kakashi could even think of running. A female genin, tired and exasperated was sitting next to Sakura looking like she was trying to hide behind the pretty girl. The Hyuga was sitting next to Sasuke and the jonin could almost see the hearts in his sweet little monster's eyes, the Uchiha was so screwed. Naruto took a step back when it seemed like baby Gai was going to focus on him and Kakashi wondered if it was too late to sneak off to the other balcony. He would rather take the sand jinchuriki and the creepy vibes team than spend the entire time with Crazy, capital C. The hand Sakura had fisted into his shirt and the glare in her eyes that promised death if he abandoned them there took the dream away. Yep, Gai was going to kill him... with enthusiasm.

***

Team seven held their breaths as Lee and Gaara descended the stairs. They were the last pair and the other fights had been almost pathetic.

Choji didn't even try, and the only reason Shikamaru didn't surrender first was because he was TOO LAZY TO DO IT! Ino lost to Temari of Suna before the fight even started, knocked out by a burst of wind in the first five seconds. Shino defeated Gaara's brother Kankuro by draining his chakra until his control on the puppets failed at which point he lost because his other skills were abysmal. Kiba and that Misumi guy ended in a draw after that Inuzuka moron showed every trick he ever learned and completely exhausted Akamaru instead of knowing his limits. Hinata lost to Neji but at least her cousin had let go of his anger at her enough that she wasn't too badly injured. He was impressed by her though, probably because she kept getting back up, because he was the one to pick her up and take her to her team when the fight was over. Tenten defeated Kabuto's other teammate by sending weapons from so many directions he couldn't stop all of them, he never even got to touch her.

They were surprised by Lee, they had to admit, though opening the gates was too dangerous to be taken lightly. They didn't think anything short of controlled training or an actul battle was worth the risk the genin was taking.

Then again, everyone else seemed to see something in the exams they simply couldn't comprehend. They hadn't even wanted to be there, if it was up to them they wouldn't have even returned to Konoha. They couldn't care less what most people thought of them, having such a low rank officially had all kinds of advantages. Were the others really so desperate to get out of their teams?

Team seven couldn't imagine a life without their teammates, having to part was one of the worst fears they had. They pulled at each other with a force that was almost palpable, a tide pulling and pushing love and trust and loyalty and respect between them, a bond nothing could break. It was a strength and point of pride, that they worked together like they were one. They had worked to build it with everything they had, had dedicated their time and their sweat and their tears and their entire lives to their common goal. For a better future and a better world than the one they found and no one could achieve that alone, they knew that to the last cell in their bones. Their team was their family, the support when they fell, the peak under their feet when they were on top of the world. And yet, that bond seemed absent in the other teams. Even Gai's team fell short they realised, as the sensei and their own stopped Gaara from seriously injuring Lee, and they knew it was only because Kurama was still sending calming vibes as he had done for days that they could stop Shukaku, and Lee's teammates didn't have that look on their faces that screamed they could feel his pain. They were relieved and happy he wasn't hurt worse, closer than the other teams in the room but nowhere close to their own bond. Truth was they hadn't really interacted with other teams since graduation, but it put into perspective everything they achieved themselves and it was at such times that they understood just what Kakashi did for them. And they were greatful for all of it.

***

They reached their home late into the day, Kakashi cooked while his cute students took a shower. They came out changed and clean, as if they hadn't looked like death warmed over just minutes before.

"So... second task, huh?"

He had to admit it had been a little bit fun. Morino had looked at him with an incredulous look and slapped Naruto's paper in his face followed by an incredible rant about his responsibility and how could he allow his team to be so ignorant of the state of the world around them?! Even the hokage actually seemed to think they were only able to finish missions because he did the work for them. Did everyone believe he took them out of Konoha just so he could be lazy and not teach them anything where no one could interfere? 

Sakura stretched and took a plate, Naruto was already shoving food in his mouth so Sasuke answered while he ate slowly.

"We improvised. The guy that withdrew before the preliminaries, Kabuto... not the most loyal Konoha shinobi."

"He had a message."

He was greatful they had managed to teach Naruto not to talk with his mouth full or else all of them would be wiping food of their faces with the speed he spoke. It was interesting though, Kabuto had never been suspected by any of his allies as being anyone other than who he said he was. Sakura nodded, confirming what her teammates were saying.

"A spy, for whom?"

At that their faces became blank, Sakura turned away, Naruto started pushing his food around and Sasuke was looking at his hands. It was not good. It had been a long time since they had last been uncomfortable telling him something. It was Sakura who turned back to him eventually and he noticed the sadness in her eyes... they were not scared, they thought the information, whatever it was, would bring him pain. He gently squeezed her forearm and smiled at her, he had stopped wearing his mask around them long ago, if they trusted him, he trusted them. Whatever laid ahead.

Sakura sighed.

"Orochimaru."

Naruto and Sasuke looked up as well, the jonin was frozen. The Uchiha laid his hand over his own on Sakura's arm, silent in his support. Naruto tried to look reassuring as he continued explaining.

"He is going to attack during the third task, he sent a message with Kabuto. That's why we passed, so we could talk... He wants us to pull out the roots while the rest of the of the village is distracted."

Orochimaru. His Orochimaru... Kakashi barely remembered him, never spoke of him and certainly never told anyone of their relationship ever. The only one who had ever known had been his father and his father was dead. Sakumo and Orochimaru had been together for years before his birth, his mother had been one of Sakumo's teammates and even she hadn't known who the other father would be. She died in the war not long after his birth and Kakashi never knew her. His fathers had kept their relationship secret from even their friends, had been so afraid of the wrong people finding out and going after their son. And what good did it do? One of them was dead and the other abandoned them when Kakashi was barely old enough to remember. He was a monster but he was his father and Kakashi would have at last wanted to know why his loving papa who made the best pies and kissed his ouchies and taught him how to hold a kunai suddenly betrayad them all. He had left and not come back, not for the scandal that lead to Sakumo's suicide, not for the funeral, not for any day after, and Kakashi had waited, for years. But more and more time passed, and memories of long shiny hair and of a soothing voice and bright eyes became more and more blurry and dull. And the gentle touched and the kissed on his forehead and the smell of soup when he was tired were pushed into the back of his mind... forgotten, so it would hurt less.

"He wants us to aid in attacking our own home?!" 

He left! He left and Kakashi didn't owe him anything! He didn't want to cry in front of his team but he was failing and his chest felt heavy. First sign of contact in decades and he didn't even have the guts to show his face. He sent the message through his students! A coward once, a coward always! And he dared ask Kakashi to attack Konoha after he left him there to live or rott on his own!? He really wished Zabuza was there, Kakashi just wanted the other man to hug him and let him not talk for awhile.

"Not harm Konoha, take out Root. This is an opportunity we might never get again. We have been preparing for this for so long, we might have a chance to actually do something! To matter... To win... And lives will be lost, yes, on our side too, but think of the lives we will save... "

Sakura's voice was soft, and she was right but it didn't make it hurt any less. His little demons looked determined and he knew they had already made up their minds. Maybe it was time he told them the truth about his family, he had talked about them before but never gave the name of his other father or said where he left and they had kind of asummed he had died also. He had let them. He knew they would never push about why he reacted the way he did but maybe it was time he told someone the truth. Maybe it was time there were no secrets between them, that they became his teammates and not his students anymore. Later though, there was already a conversation to be had at present that couldn't wait.

"You already think it's worth it."

He sighed and wiped his eyes, not even bothering to be subtle about it.

"We will never come back from this. You will never come back from this. There will be no going back, no forgetting, no erasing. Maybe nothing at all after this, we might die or worse, get caught."

If they got caught, if it all failed, they would be traitors. And death would be the last of their worries.

"We might win, and that will be worth it all..."

Yes, it would be. It really would be.

***

Chapter Text

Kakashi looked out the window of his new office, by the gate his team was departing with the toad sannin. It had been a long month...

***

It was close to morning when his baby demons walked through the door, he turned away from his written conversation with Zabuza. The Mist nin wanted to tell him something but it would have to wait.

"How did it go?"

"I fixed the seal."

There was a tight look around the blond's eyes. They had left as the night fell to deal with the Shukaku situation, the siblings would make for good allies if handled right and even so they couldn't let Gaara be driven mad by a situation outside of his control. He had wanted to go with them but Sakura had insisted they would feel cornered if they were approached by someone of his reputation.

There was something though, they returned tense, rigid. Dare he say scared and they didn't scare easily anymore, he had made sure of that.

"Why do I get the feeling it wasn't that easy?"

"Because he tried to kill all of us?"

The Uchiha growled as he sprawled on the couch, Sakura gave a quiet sigh and lifted his legs so she could sit. She leaned back and closed her eyes before she continued herself. 

"He was... defensive. He's better now, and his siblings are very grateful too. We gave them a communication scroll and got some interesting news."

Defensive? More like murderous, he was sure. It said a lot about what they considered dangerous to themselves that they thought a barely in control jinchuriki was defensive. There weren't any visible wounds other than Naruto's exhaustion but that was expected after dealing with a seal of such magnitude. It was why Kakashi didn't let him go alone. Still the Uzumaki refused to sit down, he was going to wear a hole in their floor.

"What news?"

Naruto growled. Taking lessons from Kurama?

"Apparently the Kazekage made a deal with Orochimaru, Gaara is supposed to be the signal for the invasion."

They were going to turn an unstable host loose in the middle of the exams? That was... Kami! And the kid, what consequences would there have been for him? No wonder they were so mad, they had wanted to practically adopt the kid since they saw him, the fact that he was Uzumaki by blood didn't help either. He was surprised they were even willing to let him go home. Though, it may have been because he had some words with them about it.

"Suna and Konoha are allies."

Used to be might be more accurate.

"They were not exactly approving of their father's choices but we managed to convince them to play along. They are afraid of Konoha's vengeance."

The blond stopped pacing, turning to look Kakashi in the eyes. There was a sadness there, and he looked close to tears. His voice wavered a little as he talked again.

"Sensei... I think you should accept the position as hokage."

They had discussed it already and they knew his stand on it. Sakura and Sasuke were sitting up straight, eyes on him, Sakura already crying.

"I can't. I can't just leave you, I don't want it."

"But we need it. It's a lot to ask, we know. We apologize sensei, I can not imagine the weight of such sacrifice..."

He trailed of as the other two genin came to stand by them. When had they grown so tall? But they were still so young, he couldn't give them up yet. And Zabuza... he didn't want to give him up either, even if it was the path the Mist nin had been pushing him on all along. He had truly thought they would find a way to each other one day, that they had a future. Sasuke squeezed his shoulder when it looked the other two didn't know what to say.

"Taking them down will do no good if they get replaced by someone who will just continue the status quo. We need someone to dismantle Root and reintroduce the members into society, to deal with the Hyuga situation, to implement the healing courses, to tackle the academy teaching system, the segregation of the civilians and shinobi... Someone smart and powerful enough to stand up to those who still believe in the old ways. A leader who will not give in. We need you. Konoha needs you and we are so, so sorry we can't protect you from this."

Sakura was already sobbing, not even listening to her teammate as she stumbled into his arms. Her body shook with hiccups and apologies, it had been so long since he saw her in such a state. He gestured for the boys to join the hug and they hurried as if they had been waiting an eternity for the invitation.

"We are so sorry..."

They hadn't even realized what taking the hat would mean for him until he pointed it out. They might be more mature than most kids their age but they hadn't even thought about his relationship when they had opened the discussion that first time. They were young, powerful but young. He couldn't let them be the ones to worry about how to fix the world, he couldn't let that burden be on them. He let out a deep breath and leaned his forehead on top of pink hair.

"It's ok, my little demons, it will be ok."

He waited for them to go to sleep that night, a tangle of limbs on his bed, before he turned to his desk. The scroll was open to the last message from Zabuza. He hadn't read it yet. Part of him was hoping it would be something that would change his mind, turn him away from his decision. Anything so he won't have to break his lovers heart by saying they could never be them again. He had grown to love Zabuza, every visit, every message, he loved the man more than he ever dared to think he could. Being Hokage meant giving him up. The Hokage only left the village in times of war, he would be chained to that chair for years to come. It wasn't something he would ask the man he loved to accept, he couldn't. 

His mind was made but the selfish part of him still hoped his lover's words would change his mind, remind him what he was giving up... They didn't. He would not have to break his lovers heart, the first sentence already broke his.

"I'm marrying Mai..."

And suddenly the choice wasn't so hard anymore...

***

"There is still time for us to go and break his bones."

Kakashi looked up from his book, exhausted from their morning training. Sakura continued to mix her potion-cream-thing as if she hadn't just threatened to maim someone. Poison, he was pretty sure it was poison. Had she always been so violent or did being part of Team Seven break her? Looking at the glint in her eyes he was inclined towards the former. All the way in Mist the swordsman probably felt a shiver down his spine.

"It's better this way, cleaner break for both of us. Besides, it's not like he's been playing me, it's a sound political arrangement."

He ignored Naruto's mutterings of sound political agreement my ass and the smooth sounds of Sasuke sharpening his sword. Their bloodthirst was not his fault, he could swear they were like that when he got them!

"Mai thinks it will be easier for Mist to accept the changes she wants to implement if they can see a softer side to their leaders. And if they have a family, if they have children, the direction they want to push their education system towards will be looked at differently. They will no longer tell others how to raise their kids, but setting an example, trying to make the world safer for their own. They will have their own stake in the game. I can't hold it against him when I, myself, had already chosen my own village... Maybe it was stupid for us to think it could end any other way."

Naruto looked up from where he was watering his plants, frown on his face.

"Stupid, no. Rushed, yes. You are young, you barely knew each other before you had to part. I think it was just meeting someone who got you. It's natural to feel like this, we all need someone to rely on and he was that for you. Just because your relationship didn't last doesn't mean it wasn't real or that it didn't matter. You were a beautiful couple, it's alright to still love him, feelings don't just vanish overnight."

"Kami, you grew way too wise."

"Right? Just one of my many talents."

They grinned like morons at each other and his heart already felt lighter. Naruto was right, it had been real.

"Shut up, moron, bragging makes you look stupid."

"Bastard!"

"Is it something you wish to do, get married once you get the hat?"

He could barely hear Sakura over her teammates bickering. He frowned as their attention turned to him.

"It's not what Konoha needs, no."

"Our village doesn't need someone who looks gentle, Sakura. The third was soft and they walked all over him, he let them do what they wanted. This needs a firmer hand, I still think we should reveal our strength after the ceremony, it would make a more powerful impact in showing them just how insignificant they all are."

Sasuke did have a point but he didn't feel like revealing the ace up their sleeve from the start. Even with the Third and Danzo gone they would still have enemies inside Konoha.

"Not yet, I will need to send you after Itachi and Tsunade and that will be easier like this. The time will come to reveal yourselves, but not for awhile. You will be stronger still by then."

"Fine. Let's plan then, we only have one more week."

Sakura was already bringing papers for their plan as Naruto added an interesting tidbit of information. 

"The idiot sannin is in town, we need to make sure he doesn't get in the way."

He could get in the way but he could also lead them to Tsunade... but that was a future him problem.

***

Months, years spent preparing for one win, one moment, and it passed in the blink of an eye. Kakashi looked at the burning body at his feet, they had cut and burned the arm with the sharingan eyes separately, not willing to take any chances. 

Yamato had come down not long ago to tell them the invading force had been stopped but not before the Hokage fell. That hadn't surprised them, they had left clones there to keep appearances and would get the whole picture later. Yamato was helping Sasuke deal with the few resisting Root agents while Naruto was taking the seals off of the ones not too far gone. The process didn't look painful when he was the one doing it but he doubted it had been the same for Sai when he weakened his own seal. Thankfully the kid had it easier this time and even his brother hadn't looked like he had been in pain.

He was pleasantly surprised by Sai. He had done an exceptional job of turning the agents on their side, one day he would make a great commanding officer, maybe even have a team of his own. He felt weirdly proud.

Close to the wall Sakura was healing Shin. She had made a quick job of the battle injuries before the former Root agent had asked if she would look at his brother. He had been reluctant, as if already sure she would refuse but desperate enough to try. In time he would learn they already considered them theirs, there was little they were unwilling to do for the brothers.

"Thank you again, Sakura-chan."

"There is nothing to thank me for, Sai did more for us than you will ever understand. I'm glad we caught this in time, anymore and it would have been too late."

She had a gentle look on her face, his sweet genin. 

"Take care of yourself and take the medicine. Once a day for two weeks and I will give you a check up once you're done. No strenuous activity, rest and keep warm. And for kami's sake, Sai make sure he eats. Don't make me pour it down his throat."

"Sure thing, flat chest."

The pale boy had an odd smile on. Judging by the exasperated look on the kunoichi's and his brother's faces it must not have been the only comment on the kind he had made. So, they would have to work on social interaction. Well, nobody's perfect.

"Brother, that's not how compliments works. Sakura-chan, if there is anything we can do to thank you..."

"Actually, there is. There is this girl, Karin. We just got Grass to hand her over to us, she is an Uzumaki and they didn't want Konoha to make a fuss out of it. We would love it if you looked after her, we don't have the time to spend with her as we wish."

Karin, yeah. Kakashi remembered telling her jonin-sensei something along the lines of flattening his nation like an ant. Considering that Grass was supposed to be an ally, the fact that they had an Uzumaki and didn't turn her to Konoha in the first place was grounds for war. Of course they didn't protest to her staying, even the Hokage's hand had been tied at the time. The gray haired boy's face fell, he could actually feel his disappointment.

"I don't think we're qualified to look after kids."

"She was a prisoner there... they used her for her bloodline. She's a little shy, but she is sweet. We moved her into a house at the compound and she said she would be open to you living with her."

Sakura was already sealing her supplies, she carefully didn't look at the brothers so they wouldn't feel pressured to accept. They would both be good for Karin, her gentle nature would be good for them.

Sasuke and Naruto had finished their own jobs and were coordinating the survivors. Some would return to their clans and plans had been made with their contacts to expect them, those who had no family or had been civilians would also be divided between the clans. The Hyugas, of course, he would definitely not send to their own clan. He shouldn't have been surprised by how many people were willing to help but he was.

"You really want us to move at the compound with you?"

"We would love to have you there."

All three of his baby monsters smiled. They really were his, he helped raised them. No accomplishment would ever beat that.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?"

He had heard Orochimaru come, Kabuto close behind, but hadn't acknowledged him. He wasn't afraid.

"Yes, especially when you leave with no explanation and then show up after decades. Why!?"

He growled the last word, heavy with resentment and years worth of anger.

"I was young and stupid. An idealist. I was supposed to be able to trust him, he was sensei's teammate, an uncle to me. Sensei always told us that they were good people."

He turned around slowly, the man was the same as he remembered. Long silky hair and bright eyes like the sun. His papa, his dad... 

"Danzo..."

He took away one father, why not both? Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Sai and Shin had left to talk to their fellow assassins but Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were listening. He wasn't mad. He knew they did it to protect him, he would do nothing less. Sakura was subtly waving Kabuto over.

"He gave me a lab, money, everything I needed. He told me he believed in me, that my work could change the future. Your dad, he tried to warn me but I was too far gone. I let Danzo put that seal on me. So the enemy can't get the information out of me, he said..."

Kashi was sure the heartbreaking expression was mirrored on his own face. Sasuke had to actually hold Naruto and Sakura from going to him.

"When I found them... babies. He was using my research on children. It could have been my son, it could have been you. I couldn't lead him to my family, he didn't know yet, and I couldn't tell your dad what happened because of the fucking seal! I had to protect you, from me! He had me, he owned me! I kissed you goodnight, then I slipped something in Sakumo's drink, and I was gone by morning."

There were no tears but he could hear them in his voice, like they were stuck in his throat. His own run freely. He remembered that night. He remembered that night.

"The seal was on my body, not my soul, I figured a way around that but by then Sakumo was gone. You were safer with Minato. I... I watched from afar, it was on one of those occasions that I found Kabuto. I would really like it if you two got to know each other."

He had a brother, didn't he? He had a dad. And he loved him... He slowly pulled the man into his arms, he became so used to hugging his team it felt like such a natural gesture. It was just as warm as he remembered from when he was young, his face buried in his papa's long hair, which was why it was weird when soothing arms didn't automatically close around him.

"What happened to your arms?"

"It's not the worst thing they've ever taken from me."

"Is going back into your own body going to fix it?"

"No, this time he aimed for the soul, no getting around that. Unless you're Tsunade, maybe."

"Then you should come back soon, I am going to recall her to the village the moment I can give the order."

He pulled away, he could feel his team behind him. Kabuto, and it really was weird to think of the younger man as his brother, was helping the sannin lean on his shoulder. He grinned before the older man could refuse.

"As you wish, Hokage-sama."

"I wish."

They were going to get along just fine, he had a feeling.

"I will, then."

Maybe they were not perfect, they couldn't erase the years past but they could try. They would try. He may have taught his team a lot of things but they had taught him that believing in people was worth it.

"Thanks, dad."

***

There had been some close calls, and the jonin was sure Hayate and Genma wouldn't have made it without a healer of Sakura's prowess on their side. There were many who died still, and far too many injuries. Two elders were still alive, and far too many clan heads on their side. But Suna was an ally now for he had no doubt Gaara would make a great kazekage soon. Root was burned to the ground and their dreams were so within reach. He couldn't bring himself to regret his choice, maybe him and Zabuza had always been meant be each others safety blankets. The other shinobi had been a safe mist that sheltered Kakashi and helped him grow, had believed in him before he believed in himself. If life was never going to have them be together again, there was not a thing he could regret. The only way from there was forward.

***

Chapter Text

Jiraiya didn't know what to make of Team Seven. He had them walking for hours and they hadn't made a sound, didn't ask to stop, didn't complain of hunger or any kind of pain. They didn't even talk to each other, just fell in line behind him, girl in the middle. He didn't know what kind of slave driver Hatake had been but he'd never seen genin so disciplined. Not outside of war when the treath of death waited around every corner.

He was ashamed of himself but he couldn't say he knew anything about them. Sensei never offered information and he nerver asked. He had sent a present for Naruto's birthday once and he didn't even know if he got it. His godson was a stranger, the last time he had seen him, the blond had been four and running around dressed in orange. Happy, laughing. Now he was almost grown and eerily calm. He didn't fidget, didn't yell. There was no orange, no personal touch any of their somber uniforms. Their steps didn't make a sound and all he could hear were the taps of his own sandals on the ground and the sound of his own voice. They were there but he was alone...

Out of the corner of his eyes he caught a glimpse of golden. He looked so much like Minato it almost felt like he was haunted by a ghost.

Minato would be so disappointed in him and Kushina would beat him to a bloody pulp in true Uzumaki fashion. They weren't redheads for nothing. He sighed, it echoed in the silence.

He had abandoned their son, there were no excuses they would ever accept for that. He didn't even know who raised the boy. Young man, really. He wasn't a kid anymore, Jiraiya had skipped right over those years. He didn't honour their sacrifices and he didn't honour his promises.

He didn't know what made Hatake trust his genin team to him, even temporarily, but he would take it and maybe one day make up for his failures. He had relied too much on his old sensei, took every word he said as truth, never questioned anything. That was all on him. Loosing the old man had been a hard hit but everything that followed? With every secret uncovered, every speck of dirt dragged into the light his heart broke just a little more. The man had been a father to him, the only one he'd ever had and it was in his care that he had left his godson, and now... Now he only had regrets left. And silent ghosts to haunt him.

Hatake was dragging Sarutobi's name through the mud, should Jiraiya fight him? The old guard sure looked at him like he should but he didn't know anymore. Had Orochimaru been right all along, had Jiraiya been the delusional one? 

Danzo had been allowed to run free, Sarutobi turned a blind eye to children being kidnapped and enslaved under his own nose. What else had he ignored? What else had he condoned? Where did he draw the line? Minato's memory had been spit on, the First and the Second's poured down the drain. Kanoha was a disgrace, even to shinobi. They were worse than the Bloody Mist, at least they had the guts to own to their savagery.

Hatake was determined to demolish every law and every lie until all that was left of Konoha was a foundation. Already there was outrage on both sides of the fance and Jiraiya feared it would not end without a civil war. 

He didn't understand why the man would trust Sarutobi's most devoted student with his vulnerable genin. It appeared there was so much he didn't know about Hatake that he might never understand. He had played a game and he had done it well. 

Now Jiraiya had to go and break Tsunade's heart again. Take away her freedom after she had already lost everything else. Sensei had let her leave and stay gone, hadn't asked much of her, but he was dead and his every decision was under scrutiny. Even the sanin himself had to admit he had doubts. The last Senju, the last blood link to the two hokages just gone from the village they had built with their own two hands. The Uchiha's all massacred in one night... Uzumakis forgotten and erased. The founding clans turned to ashes. And no one ever asked why.

He sighed, it was too late to cry over spilled milk, too late now...

"We are stopping for the night."

No answer, he was walking with ghost, talking to ghost and ghosts haunted him.

***

Sasuke wished the old man would just shut up, he kept talking and talking and talking, even his walking was loud.

A week had passed since Kakashi had been made Hokage and they had set out to find Tsunade. It felt wrong to leave the village without Kakashi, something was trying to hollow out his insides. He knew from the blank looks on his teammates faces that they felt the same. Their sensei could take care of himself, had done so long before they were even born but it still made him uneasy. It's not that they left him alone, he was surrounded by people they could trust, the Anbu commander himself had probably sworn loyalty to Kakashi long before the young man even realised it but they weren't there. 

The Root situation was settling just about how they expected, which was not surrounded by roses. The civilians didn't seem to understand what was going on very well but even they were starting to feel the tension in the air. Their mission needed to be successful, they needed to crush the opposition before it broke out into a less silent war.

Officially they left to bring back Tsunade Senju, they needed her link to the founders. The people of Konoha still remembered her, they still loved her. They looked at her and saw her ancestors at her back.

There was also the Hyuga situation, which Sakura wanted her present for. His teammate was talented, growing still and already at a level people would spend lifetimes and still fall short of but she couldn't lean experience. Naruto was confident, after studying Neji's for the past week, that he could successfully removed the seals without any side effects. But this wasn't the same as Root, the masters of those seals weren't dead. They couldn't risk the Elders trying to erase the evidence by activating all the seals. 

He would make sure Neji had his freedom if he had to drag Tsunade back by the hair.

Unofficially they were also supposed to return with Itachi. Once Naruto told them about the mysterious bird with a red eye it didn't take Sasuke long to realise his brother had been keeping an eye on them for a while. Even as they carefully set camp, as to not announce to the sanin or anyone else their true skills, Sasuke could see Itachi's summon watching them. They couldn't reveal the truth about the massacre until Itachi was safe in their home.

On the bright side they were lucky Danzo had been so arrogant he had truly believed no one would ever touch him. Every little atrocity he had committed was carefully recorded in his underground office and Sai had been all too happy to sort them out. Scrolls upon scrolls of proof. Anyone else would have swept it under the rug, careful not to cause unrest between the people, which was why Kakashi was the right choice for Hokage. Sweeping things under the rug was exactly how people like Danzo and the Hyugas not only got to keep their power but actually thrive. It was time for the whole world to see the truth, there were no more shadows left to hide in. Not anymore.

He cleared his throat and signaled his departure.

Sakura pursed her lips while Naruto nodded, they already decided it would be better if he approached Itachi alone. Show his brother that he was not afraid nor did any of them wish him harm. The sanin looked put out at being left out. The Uchiha felt almost sympathetic. Almost. Maybe they would stop giving him the silent treatment if he got his head out of his ass and apologized to Naruto. 

He stepped into the cover of trees and looked straight at the crow. It screeched before flying away but not too fast for him to follow. The official message Kakashi had given him felt heavy when unsealed, no matter how powerful they were, if his brother refused to return an army would not be able to move him.

The first person he saw when he stepped into the clearing was blue. Literally blue. He almost didn't believe his eyes but his brother always did keep strange company, after all Itachi actually liked Anko.

"Hoshigaki Kisame... Terumi Mei is looking for you."

A sharp smile split his face, he looked like something out of nightmares. Kami, did Zabuza have teeth that sharp? How had Kakashi let him close to his dick?! 

"Little shit still kicking, huh?"

Little shit? Wasn't everybody little when you were half giant? Itachi stepped out from behind the Mist nin and Sasuke realised the blue man must have stepped in front of him when they heard noise. 

Huh? Maybe he wasn't so bad after all... for a missing nin. Team Seven knew Mai had been trying to get in touch but the shark man was a hard man to get a grasp of. And oblivious, or maybe he just didn't like gossip. Well, Sasuke had time to inform him, it was better to wait for his brother to address him first anyway. Kami, were they treating Itachi like a scared wild animal?

"You really are clueless, aren't you? Mist had some changes in management, Mei is the Mizukage now. Married Zabuza too."

"You're shitting me."

"I wish."

The blue man burst into laughter, Sasuke couldn't share the sentiment. Haku had ended up explaining the situation in great detail and it turned out Zabuza really hadn't played with anyone's feelings. That didn't mean Kakashi wasn't still hurting. 

"Foolish little brother, don't you know still waters run deep? Have you come to die early?"

He finally dared to look direct at Itachi. He looked just like he remembered, sharingan fully activated. Too bad Sasuke wasn't intimidated anymore. Kisame's giant frame dwarfed his slender frame. It made Sasuke want to cry. He had missed him, so so much. He was still as beautiful and his presence was still larger than life. He pushed his emotions into the back of his mind. He could smother his brother with love, as Naruto put it, when they were all safe home. 

"Itachi. You are being recalled home. You both are."

He took out the scroll and tossed it slowly at his brother. He made sure they saw it wasn't a weapon but it was still Kisame that picked it up first. At least someone had been looking out for his brother.

"We are missing nin kid, that's not how it works."

"Mei-san revoked your status."

He swiped a hand at the message as he looked his brother in the eye.

"And the new Hokage has terminated your mission."

Itachi gave a deep sigh and Kisame looked as thought Sasuke was a little wrong in the head. Was it too late to regret not going for the fight first option? No, no he didn't want to fight. Sakura would kill him herself if she had to heal people because he was the one to start the fight.

"I don't know what you speak of Sasuke."

"I don't care what blue over there does, but you are coming home. It was an order, not a request."

Bringing the older Uchiha home was something he wanted, yes, but it was also his official mission. Itachi might be inclined to ignore his foolish little brother but he had always been a loyal shinobi. 

"From the new Hokage?"

As if he didn't already know. He was fishing for information. Sasuke frowned... Danzo. Itachi wasn't given the mission only by the Third, it was Danzo. He gritted his teeth before trying to calm down, he didn't want the other two to think he was brimming for a fight. That piece of trash was gone and he was never laying eyes on Itachi again, let alone anything else.

"Hatake Kakashi, the Fifth Homage. Sarutobi is dead, Danzo too. We are on the brink of civil war, Itachi. We need you home."

When in doubt, appeal to his protective side. Itachi was always, always going to be loyal to Konoha. Not that Sasuke had any intention of letting him fight again. His brother hated fighting, he knew that much. He had protected Sasuke for long enough, he was grown up now. Time for him to do some protecting of his own.

That familiar face was just as calm as he finally read the message.

"This is indeed official. Kisame..."

"Don't apologize!"

The blue man growled, unfazed. He must have found out his partner was actually undercover every day.

"It makes you sound weak. I will escort you on your journey, then I'm going home."

And just like that he started walking towards the camp. He had to admit, the guy was definitely something. Maybe one day he would get to test his sword against him. That was something to think on before their next visit to Mist.

"We are going after Tsunade first?"

"Yes. You would probably have to change though."

It was better if there were no complications, and those uniforms were not subtle. He fell into step besides his brother, it took all he had not to bring him into a hug. Sakura's words were echoing into his head: always let him take the first step. He had waited years to have his brother back, he could wait a little longer for a hug.

"That will be fine, we have some supplies. You don't hate me, little brother?"

There was real wonder in his voice and the genuine look on his face made him look years younger. He was still a little taller than Sasuke but he was built a lot more delicate. Like he would break under his touch. He moved slowly, waiting for a hand to stop him, it didn't. He pushed a strand of hair behind Itachi's ear.

"Why would I?"

There was nothing in the world that would make him hate his brother. He didn't think he could.

***

Jiraiya almost had a heart attack when the Uchiha shrimp just strolled back with two missing nin behind him. His thumb was already in his mouth, ready to call his summons when he noticed the other two shits weren't even twitching. And they were shits, they've been playing him for hours!

"What the hell is going on?! Will someone talk to me?!"

"The silent treatment hurts, doesn't it?"

He knew! Of course he knew, a historical laugh almost broke out of him. The pink haired girl was trying to herd the older Uchiha closer to the fire, a worried look on her face. They knew and would rather accept mass murderers than talk to him.

"Catch."

The Hokage seal was clear on top of the paper, shiny and new. Official.

"Why wasn't I told about this?"

"I guess he just doesn't trust you, does he?"

His godson turned his back on him as if he didn't matter. To Naruto, he didn't matter, he was no one. A stranger.

Being left out hurt, being ignored hurt. If this was revenge, Jiraiya didn't want to be on the wrong end of it anymore.

***

Chapter Text

Itachi's brother was insane. In fact all three teenagers were raving mad. Kisame had heard rumours that the copy nin was not right in the head but his students were taking it to a new level.

The pink one had tried to make him eat vegetables. Vegetables. He was part shark, not rabbit, it was meat only for him, thank you very much! The young Uchiha had approached two missing nin in the forest alone, that alone took balls of steel. And the blond was teasing him, teasing! Did they not know what fear was? Fear of him was healthy! They were genin, they had to have some kind of survival instinct!

His partner was walking at his side, his usual calm infuriating self. When Konan had assigned him a small fourteen year old as a partner he had thought she wanted the kid dead. No one in their right mind would want Kisame near a kid, sharks eat each other from the womb. He was not a babysitter!

Itachi had looked like a strong wind could blow him over but there had been a steel in his eyes, in his voice... He had obliterated Deidara with no mercy. He was powerful but he hated fighting more than anything. That was fine, Kisame could love battle enough for two. He grew... attached, to his quiet and gentle presence.

It was hard not to love the kid, there was a soft side to him that drew people in like he was the light of the sun. Even as the enemy, one of the most dangerous monsters out there, kids flocked to Itachi like little ducklings everywhere they went.

When the coughing started it had been only once in a while, Kisame didn't think of it much, people got colds all the time. But that first fever, that had scared Kisame. Life on the run was no good for the kid and their short periods spent in Rain only made it worse. He took it upon himself to look after the young one, keep him warm, keep him fed but the swordsman wasn't a healer and the cheap medicine they could get their hands on was useless. He hated that the kid had made him soft but he still wanted the little shit safe.

The news about Mist were tempting, even a little chance they were true was worth it, but he couldn't leave Itachi until he saw him safe.

The sanin had gotten the information they needed in the last village they passed through and was still eyeing them like a hawk it was clear he wasn't happy with the situation at all and it didn't help that the three genin were giving him the cold shoulder.

They set up camp a little ways from the village where the old hag had been spotted and Kisame laid his coat over Itachi's thin shoulders. He was built for colder climates anyway. Should he be ashamed that part of him wanted to cling to the kid? The thought of parting with him almost hurt but he would be safer in a village and Mist was already calling him home.

He watched as the girl pushed a cup of warm but foul smelling tea in Itachi's hands. The little brother had almost freaked out when he had first heard the coughing and literally threw the kunoichi at the older sibling. It turned out she had at least some rudimentary healing skills because she had given him a check up that didn't leave her very happy. They had drawn Itachi in like they had been waiting for him. Maybe they had. 

He accepted his own food, watching. The blond was watching Itachi out of the corner of his eye, he looked like he wanted to talk to him but didn't know how. That was... kind of adorable, actually, and he couldn't believe he had even thought that word.

Itachi would be fine, his brother practically worshipped him, the blond already had a crush and if the girl wasn't a good enough healer surely Tsunade Senju would be. Kisame had done his job, had kept the kid alive this long and it was time to let him go. They were both going home.

***

Sakura couldn't believe how easy Itachi complied, she had expected at least a couple broken bones. Maybe she was spending too much time around her teammates. She should have believed Sasuke when he said his brother had a gentle nature but even Mist nin didn't seem to want to fight.

Maybe it had something to do with Itachi's condition, it seemed like it had been going on for months but she should be able to heal it once they were home. His illness at least was not as advanced as Shin and it was apparent the blue man had tried to provide at least some kind of medicine. It had helped more than he seemed to think. They left them in a hotel room with strict instructions for the younger to stay in bed as Team Seven and Jiraiya tracked Tsunade down.

"This is where she is? Tsunade-sama?"

"Yep. Inside this fine established."

The fine establishment was a casino. Sakura could smell the booze from the door and hear the giggling of the prostitutes that were no doubt there to pick up easy prey. She squeezed her fist in the opposite hand loudly remembering the shit he pulled in the other towns under the guise of looking for information.

"Listen, old man, if this is one of your perverted jokes..."

He leaned against the wall content to wait, eyes on the door. It had been a slow process but after an honest apology towards Naruto they were now at least acknowledging the old man's presence. 

"And here she comes."

A body flew out the door, falling into a heap on the street, blond hair and green clothes. A dark haired woman walked with the disgruntled owner, bowing and apologizing on someone else's behalf. The words and movements looked practiced as if she'd done it a hundred times before.

"...and don't return until you are ready to pay all of your debts."

The door slammed hard enough to rattle the walls and the heap on the ground groaned. The old man walked to it and nudged it will his sandal while the dark haired woman looked at them with wide scared eyes.

"Hello, hime."

The thing got up fist first and Jiraiya went flying into the wall. Next to Sakura Sasuke was twitching to face palm while Naruto slowly shuffled towards the young woman.

"Incorrigible pervert! What do you want?"

Tsunade, as Sakura finally made the connection between the bum in front of her and the target of their mission, was drunk off her ass. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair didn't look like in had seen a brush in days. She didn't look a day over thirty and glared at the sun like it was her personal enemy. In contrast her companion looked put together and apologetic for the way her friend reacted to them. 

"We're here to take you home?"

She turned on her heels and started stumbling away.

"Shizune, let's go. We're done in this town."

The brunette. Right, Shizune. Mouthed a quiet sorry to Jiraiya before hurrying to keep the blond on her feet.

"I will pay for the sake."

That made her stop. Turn. Even from a distance her breath smelt like a distillery and the idiot offered her more sake? She was a step away from a coma. She looked Team Seven up and down, eyes narrowing like they were bugs under a microscope.

"And what moron trusted you with young impressionable minds?"

"They are just, um... burrowed."

"Huh, sure."

More like Kakashi trusted them not to kill him but... semantics. They walked across the street to a diner, the staff looking like they wanted to block the door but were too afraid to try. Another place she'd been banned from then, great. Sakura eyed the table with distance, it was a dump. She stuck with her boys and smiled Shizune's way. The woman looked reasonable, it would be good to have an ally in the following conversation.

"Sensei is gone, hime."

"Look, if you are here for some insane idea that I will take his place..."

Sasuke snorted next to her, the very idea an insult to him.

"Already filled."

Naruto was at the end of his rope too.

"Old lady! You are a Konoha kunoichi, the Hokage has reacalled you to the village, hence you are coming with us. So go pack your bags and stop wasting our time."

A vein popped in her head, hand slamming into the table. It cracked, wonderful, extra damages to pay for. It kept getting better and better.

"Look here, shrimp, I don't know who you think you are!"

"Tsunade-sama, you should keep your voice down. They will throw us out again."

Poor Shizune, how did she deal with this all the time? Sakura was never going to complain about her teammates getting into fights ever again. Her boys were a delight comapared to that shit.

"What we are, is not running cowards! Our sensei is working his ass off to fix all that your sensei has broken. What you allowed to happen while you were getting drunk in a ditch and gambling away your familie's fortune. So don't give me the woe me look. I. Don't. Care."

"You don't know what you're talking about! Tsunade-sama has suffered so much..."

Yeah, Shizune, everyone had. Jiraiya was suspiciously quiet, eyes between his godson and friend. Sasuke growled before Naruto could continue, getting to his feet and slamming his own hand next to hers.

"You think you're the only ones with a sob story? Everyone has suffered. We all have our demons but not all of us ran away with our tails between our legs! You are coming to Konoha if I have to drag you there myself."

"You think you could, you little shrimp!?"

Sakura sighed, if she let the boys keep going they might actually drag her by the hair. She was just as disappointed as they were but the point of their mission was not to make a scene. She put on a fake smile and turned to the older healer.

"I will make you a bet. You like bets, right?"

"Sakura, don't indulge her crazy!"

"If I can lend a hit on you, you come back and start the healing program you wanted so long ago. If I can't, you do whatever you want and never see us again."

The grin she got in response looked almost feral. Yup, there was Uzumaki blood in her, alright. There was the same mad glint in her eyes that Gaara had when they showed up at his door and Naruto got whenever someone insulted his precious ramen.

"To the street, little shits!"

"Not the street, there are civilians here. And witnesses. There is a clearing just out of town."

Team Seven got them first. Sasuke and Naruto had cooled off and the Uchiha was looking thoughtful.

"Sakura, I don't think this is a good idea."

"I do."

She didn't have time to add more before the others showed, Shizune shaking her head at the madness and Jiraiya looking like he swallowed a lemon.

"Come on, pinky, show me what you can do."

Sakura knew under different circumstances it could devolve into a disaster, it was specifically why she didn't say she had to win, just land a hit. Or ten. On her worst day she could do at least that, maybe not win even on her best, she still had room to grow. But she didn't have to and that's the catch they didn't get. They wouldn't expect a genin to land a hit on a sanin in a million years but these people didn't know her. 

They didn't know the endless hours spent learning, training. Her and her teammates had worked themselves to the bone to be where they are. She'd seen people, people like Haku, like Sai, like Gaara, like Neji, like Itachi... who have suffered and sacrificed and been treated like trash. As if they were not even human. They took it and got up and had the strength to smile at the world. To fight. To love. Who did they think they were, that their pain mattered more? What gave them the right to weight their worth against that of others and deem them less? That didn't just make her angry, it made her rage boil, it was like a dam had been broken on the emotions stirring inside her. They had abandoned their people, their brothers in arms, their friends. The innocents who needed them. Children who couldn't possibly protect themselves against the foul creatures of the world. Konoha was crying for help and they had run away, they turned their backs on those they should have protected. The very future of their nation. Was this the person she had admired? The legend she had been striving towards. They were not legends, they were old and broken. They've already given up, and that was worse than failing.

She wasn't ready to reveal her true level but that was fine. She could take a few punches, it would be worth it. She didn't like the sanin but they needed them, they couldn't afford to lose them. She didn't dodge the first fist to the gut that almost made her lose her breakfast. She used the arm as leverage and twisted to kick at the ribs. She put just a little speed and strength in her moves and was stopped easily but already she could see the shock on the old woman's face. Shock that grew with each second that passed without Sakura falling to her knees. As if she would give these people the satisfaction of seeing her down. Each of Sakura's hits got just a little stronger, just a little faster and Tsunade had sobered up upon the realisation. And then she saw her opening. She gathered chackra into her fist and didn't hesitate. The punch threw the Senju back a few meters and almost dislocated her jaw. It would leave a nasty bruise.

"Pack your bags."

She didn't even bother to see what the woman did next, she wiped the blood from her own mouth and walked towards the town. Sasuke and Naruto followed her lead and she knew they were going to fuss over her when they reached the hotel.

"You're a med nin, aren't you?"

The voice was quite, shocked. 

"The shrimp? You're kidding."

"I'm right, aren't I?"

Sakura stopped but didn't turn around. What, did she think she was the only one capable of learning medical ninjutsu on her own?

"What, did you think you were a special little snowflake? The world doesn't actually revolve around you, it actually kept spinning after you climbed into a bottle."

***

Chapter Text

Tsunade wasn't as much of an airhead as she liked people to think, she had heard all about Hatake airing Konoha's dirty laundry. She was sure they could smell it in Stone. Her ancestors were surely rolling in their graves.

She was prepared to ignore whoever they sent after her, not even for a second under the delusion that they were going to let her be. She could defeat any upstart that thought they could take her on. The one thing to that had never occurred to her was that they would send genin. The new Hokage's own team at that. It showed a level of confidence in their abilities that didn't line up with their rank. And if it had been just her she would have put it up to him trusting her not harm them herself but missing nin? 

She tried to ignore the two missing nin, it wasn't like she was in any position to point fingers anyway. They ignored her in turn and she was happy with that, it was not that she could pretend she had ever loved the Uchihas much. She turned her attention back to the three genin, where they sure that was actually their level?

It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her as just Tsunade. Most people saw her as a drunk. Shizune saw her as a responsibility just as much as the reverse was true. Jiraiya saw a symbol of a happier time long past, sensei had seen a ghost of people already dead. Enemies had seen a Konoha soldier, the injured saw a healer. The people that had once known her were long gone, her grandparents, her parents, her brother, her fiancé... her clan. Leaving had been so much easier, caring hurt. She had never, never before seen such rage directed at herself as a individual. That girl, that young kunoichi had been seething. The sanin could see herself reflected into those geen eyes. It was an ugly image.

Was that what she had become? Someone even genin found unworthy of respect? She had had fire once, entire armies flinched at her name. She used to stand for something, now a kid looked at her and found her lacking.

The girl was a healer, the blond wasn't so far gone she wouldn't recognize her own technique. She hadn't taught her and Shizune hadn't taught her so she must have learned it on her own. She looked at her to where making tea by the fire, some medicine for the older Uchiha. She was on the same team as Minato's son, she couldn't be more than fourteen years old!

As a healer, she saw them through different eyes than Jiraiya did. A little tall for their age, very fit for someone still supposed to find the ground under their feet. Healthy. They all had short hair and she could tell from the way it shined they took care of their bodies and had good diets. Sakura herself didn't have any blemishes on her skin, it pointed to a skill lever of healing Tsunade could admit she hadn't possessed at that age. The uniforms hid most of their looks though. It was eerie to see an Uchiha and an Uzumaki exist in such harmony, she had waited for the other shoe to drop for days and it didn't come. The three teens actually did get along that well.

The way they held themselves, the way they acted. Her mind went to someone far more experienced than regular genin. Genin were still kids playing at being adult, catching cats and cutting grass. The three before her were real shinobi, she had felt it in Sakura's every move. That girl had killed before, she could kill without a flinch. It made her curious, curious about their sensei. About the Hokage who wasn't just willing to implement her med nin program but has send his own monstrous students after her. It mean that to him medical shinobi had worth.

Maybe her grandfather's dream actually had a chance of coming true after all.

***

For the first time in a long while Naruto was happy to be back in Konoha. Kakashi was still kicking, Tsunade was at work studying the Hyuga seal and Itachi was safely tucked into bed at home, doctor's orders. 

He ignored the kids dogging his steps, they couldn't be older than ten and their disguises were so bad he barely stopped himself from giving them advice. They had picked his trail up somewhere in the middle of the village as he walked towards the academy. He was curious to see how long they would keep it up.

"Iruka-sensei!"

He waved at the man by the entrance. He looked exhausted.

"Naruto, I haven't seen you since before the exams. I've been so worried!"

He allowed himself to be turned and fussed over. Shit! He had forgotten to check on Iruka-sensei, what if he had been hurt during the invasion?!

"I'm sorry! I didn't think about that. It's been busy."

The older man sighed and crossed him arms. It made Naruto feel like a five year old all over again. He looked down.

"Sorry."

"Hokage-sama kept me up to date, so to speak."

Naruto frowned. Up to date... Oh. OH. Kakashi had told Iruka everything then, he knew the truth! Naruto felt oddly relived about that.

"So you two have been talking?"

"He came over to check on the academy, it's a work in progress. He put me in charge actually."

Had they even known each other before? Naruto wasn't sure. Making Iruka headmaster was wonderful idea though. The man was smart, resourceful and he genuinely cared about his students. It would save them a lot of stress to have him on their side pushing reforms through.

"That's great, there's no one more deserving. Want to get some ramen to celebrate?"

"I've been working since morning so yeah, I'm starving."

Dragging sounds could be heard behind them as they made their way to Ichiraku's. A box painted as a rock could be seen walking after them.

"You do know we have a tail, right?"

"They are the opposite of subtle."

Iruka gently shook his head looking up towards the mountain, the genin followed his line of sight. Kakashi's face stared at them from next to his father's. We're making your dream come true, dad. Naruto wished the Fourth was actually there to see it.

"Konohamaru is-was the Third's grandson. I'm worried about him. His friends help but he took it pretty badly."

"Oh."

Naruto frowned at that. Poor kid. His grandfather had been far from perfect but he doubted that was true for Konohamaru. The Uzumaki remembered what it was like to lose a parental figure at that age. The kids stayed out while Naruto and Iruka stepped into the ramen place, there was no on there but he could hear noise from the kitchen. He could see their shoes from under the blanket they were hiding behind. And hear their stomachs growling. He turned around, this was getting ridiculous.

"Ok, listen here, shrimps! I don't know what you want so say it and get going home."

The cloth got practically ripped away, revealing three trembling little kids. Kami, they were so tiny. Their lips were stuck out and their eyes shiny. They braced themselves like they were waiting for a blow. They were... They were waiting for him to hit them. They actually thought he would, his stomach pulled to the ground. He felt sick. He'd seen that look before, when he was younger and villagers still thought he could turn into Kurama at any moment and eat them.

"You're the student of that lying, liar who lies! My grandpa was a good man and I'm gonna prove to the whole world that you are just a bunch of manepu- manicu-manispulating weak fakes!"

"The word's..."

They were already running, tears trailing behind them. Kami, were they the monster under the bad now? 

"... manipulating."

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. He's just- he's just hurting."

"It's fine. You should go after them, I'm not hungry anymore. I promise to visit again sooner."

Iruka didn't look so sure he should leave him alone but finally relented. Ayame had come out to see what the ruckus was about but Naruto only smiled at her. He could visit her the next day.

The long walk cleared his head a little. He was walking by a dark alley when a tiny black kitten peaked it's hear out of some trash. Strays got picked up pretty quickly but no one must have wanted this one because of the colour. He crouched down by the thing picking it up by the scruff, it was thin and smelt of dumpster.

"You're pretty pathetic too, aren't you?"

"Miau."

"My sentiment exactly... Let's go home. I think I know someone who will love you very much."

He remembered Sasuke talking about chasing cats as a child for their paw prints. Itachi apparently loved the little critters, Naruto knew he had been feeling pretty down for the last couple of days, since their return to the village.

He walked in quietly and sneaked directly into the bathroom, dumping the little thing into the sink. He washed it as fast as he could and wrapped it in a towel, changing his own shirt for good measure. After all the little thing had been swimming in the trash when he picked it up. It stayed quiet as he thought on how to dry it up. Waiting for it to happen naturally might kill the poor animal and elemental manipulation, while he could make a fire, was way too dangerous. He took another towel from the closet and slapped a heating seal on it before proceeding to rub it around the kitty. There you go, clean and dry. It purred up a storm.

It kneaded it's tiny pows on his chest all the way to Itachi's room. He made a mental note to feed it later. And buy a litter box. And warn Kakashi so his summons don't scare it. Ok, so maybe it had been a little bit impulsive to pick it up and bring it home but it would be worth it, right?

The answer was instant when he knocked on the door. Itachi looked smaller all burried up under a mountain of blankets. He was surprised Sasuke wasn't stuck to his side like a limpet but he had probably been torn between staying and finally going to visit Neji.

"Naruto-kun, is that... a kitten? Did you find a stray?"

He sat up in bed just as the little bit started making noise to be put down. Naruto dumped him on top of all the blankets and it started nosing and sniffing at the brunette's hands. 

"The little thing found me. I think it was... what do they call it?...kismet?"

"He's adorable."

No, Naruto thought, you are adorable. He had the brightest smile the blond had ever seen. It made him sad to think that Itachi would be stuck in that bed for a while, at least now he wouldn't be lonely. Sakura was confident his lungs would heal fine but after examining his eyes she had determined he needed a transplant sooner rather than later. Good thing Danzo had kept spares in stasis seal. It made him shudder just thinking about it and he hoped the Uchiha would never find out where they came from.

"All yours."

"I wasn't going to give him back!"

Naruto laughed as he sat down on the side of the bed. 

"How are you feeling. You know, Kakashi is making the announcement in the morning. Tomorrow you're gonna be a free man."

The happiness left Itachi's face at that.

"That's what frightens me, Naruto-kun. I have never been free. Sasuke says I don't have to fight anymore but outside of battle, I don't know who I am."

Since meeting the older teen Naruto found he quite liked Itachi. Sasuke had always been telling them stories about his brother but in those tales he had been more akin to a saint or a god, distant and ethereal. That Itachi wasn't someone you could talk to, or laugh with, or love. He had been too perfect. Unreal, more an illusion than a person to the point where he had just waited for the older Uchiha to just vanish for days after he joined them. But the real Itachi...

This man in front of him had turned Kisame Hoshigaki into a puppy. He looked Kakashi in the eyes, after spending years as a missing nin, without flinching. He was funny and sweet and let Anko cry all over him and cover him in tears and snot. He had a sweet tooth the size of a mountain. He took every change in his life in stride like nothing could ever bring him down and was cuddling a little stray kitten to his face and cooing at it. This Itachi, the real one, had fears and tears and a past and a future. His hand was warm when Naruto took it into his own. He was so alive, had a whole life ahead of him.

"What are your happiest memories then?"

"Teaching Sasuke."

He didn't even think before he answered, the words pouring out of his mouth like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So do that."

"Teach Sasuke? I think that ship has sailed."

Not completely, he was sure there was a lot Itachi could still teach all of them but it hadn't been what he meant. His visit with Iruka reminded him of the situation at the academy. He remembered Kisame saying something about have to drag the Uchiha from under piles of kids.

"Well, no. Just teach. Kakashi is doing a lot of changes at the academy, expanding so the civilian children have a chance at education is one of them. Right now, they could use a lot more teachers. There are plenty of posts going to open in many subjects."

"And you think people will let me teach their kids?"

He turned his attention back to the kitten, he wasn't crying but Naruto could hear his sadness. It wasn't fair. In what screwed up world did someone so kind have to ask such a question? 

"There are always gonna be haters but I think you will do just fine. If there's one thing I learned is that when things look bad people will always surprise you."

This Itachi, the one smiling at him right now, Naruto could really love.

***

Chapter Text

Sasuke woke up to the smell of lavander. They had forgotten to close the window the night before and Neji's nose was adorably twitchy in his sleep. 

Over three years have passed since Kakashi became Hokage and Konoha was settling well. Once Homura and Koharu had been executed for their crimes most of the opposition had been silenced. 

As for the Hyugas, he kissed Neji sweetly on the nose, it did indeed turn ugly and Sakura was proved right. Tsunade's presence did help. And so did Hinata's, who threw herself at an Elder trying to activate a seal and showing him exactly how not weak she was. Sasuke had to admit even he had been impressed, she and Neji ended up becoming very close. She had refused the position of Head of the family once her father had been stripped of his rights, proposing instead that her maternal aunt, a former branch member would be a better choice. The Elders were executed, Hinata's father under house arrest by virtue of being the only one not to fight back and accept the change, and Neji had moved in with him. 

Less than a week after the whole shitshow went down the Hyuga showed up at their doorstep with a bag and Sasuke spent two days glaring at everyone and daring them to disapprove, not that any of them would have. He was not going to send Neji back to that house, to that place where he had been nothing but a slave. Sasuke couldn't even imagine what growing up with that kind of fear had been like but his love was so, so strong. It never ceased to amaze him. He took in a deep breath, enjoying the fragrance, it chased the dark thoughts away from his mind. He touched his lips to that perfect forehead and just kept them there for a moment.

"You are thinking too much again."

Bright eyes blinked up at him, he truly was gorgeous.

"There are lots of things to think about."

Neji pecked him softly on the lips. He stretched and yawned as he lover sat in front of the mirror to brush his hair. He loved that hair, if there was one thing his fangirls got right it was that he loved long hair. He walked over and took over the brushing, it felt like silk between his fingers. Maybe he should activate sharingan during sex one day, have that image of his lover etched into his mind forever. But then he'd never get any work done ever again. Hmm, the many fun things they could do in the morning. 

"I hope you weren't thinking about Itachi and Naruto again. They are happy, Sasuke."

He grimaced, and there it went.

"You're killing me."

Neji's shoulder shook in laughter under his forehead.

A nightmare woke Sasuke in the middle of the night and he stepped into the hallway just in time to chatch his brother sneak out of Naruto's room. 

He had known, of course he had noticed the looks and the lingering touches and the gifts. Naruto had given his brother a kitten, he filled his garden with lavander and complimented Itachi's awful, awful baking. It had been a conscious decision to be willfully ignorant, he didn't want to know what his sweet brother and his teammate got up to in their free time.

"Sasuke."

Itachi angled his body so it would cover the door and Sasuke realised he was afraid of his reaction. He stepped closer and sqeezed his brother in his arms, making sure Itachi would never question his support again.

"I love him."

"I know."

The next day, Itachi's room was suspiciously empty of belongings and Naruto was moving a cat bed to his own.

"I could use not walking in on them ever again."

That was traumatizing, and it kept happening!

"Knock."

"It was the dojo."

Well, at least the week before, they didn't seem to consider any room off limits. Neji turned bright red as he most likely remembered their own... special times in said room.

"Remember that time after I came back from Grass, you did that thing with your tongue...?"

And his erection was back, Sasuke loved being a teenager and he could brush Neji's hair again after. That's what he called a double win.

***

Naruto ran his finger up and down his lover's spine, he couldn't erase the dumb smile off his face. They had been sharing a room for over a year and Naruto was never getting tired of waking up next to him.

"Good morning, sunshine."

He kissed a pale shoulder gently,  remembering the night before. Itachi didn't answer. Naruto frowned, had he been too rough? Maybe Itachi should have topped.

"Are you sore?"

Itachi groaned and turned on his side, he looked exasperated not in pain, good.

"You know I'm fine. You're never rough, you worry too much."

He knew Itachi was strong but he couldn't bring himself to treat him any other way. The beautiful man deserved to be touched like he was the most precious being in the world, because he was. He ran his hand through silky hair, pushing it away from that face he loved so much. 

"How are things at the academy?"

"They are great! The atmosphere is so much lighter these days, Iruka is doing a great job running the place."

He looked so happy talking about his job. It was at moments like this Naruto understood why Sasuke insisted Itachi would never have to fight again. He might be one of the most powerful shinobi alive but his heart was also the brightest. He was glad him and Iruka got along so well, the older sensei would look out for him.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, kids are actually excited to get there in the morning. It's light heartening to see the changes he's making..."

Their fridge was covered in the artwork of Itachi's students. The Uchiha was a preschool teacher, they were just two when he started teaching them and soon he would have to let them go. Start on a new generation. That was a hurt Naruto was not going to be able to protect him from, he loved those kids so much. The Uzumaki didn't know where he got the patience but teaching really was Itachi's calling, every time he visited the young ones were looking at their sensei with such worship in their eyes. Iruka told him the first time his love would have to let his kids go would be the worst because it won't be real until then.

He was pulled out of his thought by Itachi squeezing his nose.

"Have you listened to a word I've said? Kakashi visited Iruka again yesterday."

"Really?"

"Had lunch there, made excuses not to leave..."

That was news, good news. Had Kakashi been holding out on them? 

"That's good. We've been getting worried."

Itachi leaning on his elbow, a curious look on his face.

"I know there was someone before I came back home."

"Yeah, Zabuza. It wasn't ugly, they were just... duty led them in different directions. I'm glad Kakashi is moving on."

"Kisame claims Zabuza's spawn is driving him mad, according to him the kid likes sharp things."

"Maybe it's genetic... I know the giant is a bleeding heart, he can't fool me anymore. By the time this kid grows up his reputation will be in tatters."

Things were going well in Mist, Team Seven still had regular talks with Haku. Or, as Shino called them, gossip sessions.

And weren't Shino and Sakura a surprise all on their own? They were so cute together, Shino was so shy it was adorable. He was a nice balance to Sakura's more volatile nature and he could communicate with bees, Naruto was never going to have to worry about his flowers again.

They regularly kept in touch with Gaara too. The Kazekage was doing so well Naruto was convinced he had been born for the job. He had grown up so much since they had first met. It made him proud of the younger Uzumaki. He really should introduce him to Karin one day. She had grown into herself too, Sai and Shin bought her right out of her shell as she taught them as much as she could about the world. Their team added some people to the network themselves.

Actually with their network growing, maybe he should look into connecting more than two scroll, that would help. And maybe see what he can do about the fact that paper runs out at some point. He put it out of his mind as Itachi dragged him to the shower. Yep, definitely think about it later.

***

Sakura sighed as Shino fell breathing hard next to her. She loved morning sex, it was always good to start the day on a good note!

With Kakashi as Hokage, her team had started spending far more time into the village and that was how she noticed Shino watching her. She waited for months for him to get the guts to ask her out, during which time she had started actually liking him. He was handsome and quiet and sweet and so respectful of life. It was refreshing to meet someone who just valued beings. It got to the point where she was waiting for him to ask her out and he Wasn't. Doing. Anything. It drove her mad. So she vented her frustration on her wonderful housemates and that was how Neji convinced her that she should ask Shino out. Something she hadn't considered before, she knew she could come on strong sometimes but he convinced her it was worth it. And Kami was it worth it. 

Two years have passed since that wonderful day and they fit together like a fine pair of gloves. She kissed Shino's cheek sweetly and got up to shower, if they went together they would never get ready for the day. Hmm, she should make some more of that skin moisturizer Neji loved, after all he had won himself a lifetime supply. Sasuke's great taste actually benefited her, who would have thought?

Sakura stepped out of the shower to see Shino looking at the ceiling. She was going to the hospital that morning to help with Tsunade's program. It had already reduced casualties and death in action significantly. The kunoichi liked helping at the information desk when she had free time. She wasn't ready to reveal her skills or ever retire from active duty to help full time, but it was nice to see so many benefit from the classes. She met some interesting people.

"Listen."

It was quite, the only sounds she could hear were birds and wind outside.

"To what?"

"Exactly, it's quiet. This is crazy house, it's never quiet."

"We took a day off from training, maybe they are sleeping in. Besides, you are planning on moving into this crazy house and I didn't hear you complain before. When are you doing that, anyway?"

Shino had been supposed to move in months ago. She had expected his parents to put up a fight, to demand she move with their clan instead. Maybe she still expected parents to be disapproving and demanding, after all her own still refused to accept her. Shino's parents had been the exact opposite, they had been so lovely to her and so accepting of their relationship. So she didn't understand why he hadn't moved in yet.

The answer came from the bathroom, the shower was running but he left the door open.

"I never said I'm sane. I don't know... moving here will mean my team might want to come over, spend time here."

"Well, Hinata already does, Kiba gets along with Naruto well enough and Kakashi is friends with Kurenai, it won't be the end of the world."

"They might notice... you know... things."

Right, the kage level power. She was so used to hiding and being surrounded by people they trusted she had almost forgotten that could be a problem. She frowned at the mirror as she arranged her hair with her fingers. Short hair was so easy to manage, she didn't envy Neji and Itachi having to deal with that hassle every day.

"Just move in, we will cross that bridge when we get there."

She moved to look for a clean shirt just as her lover came out of the shower.

"Sakura, are you sniffing your shirts?"

Well, a semi clean shirt. Clean-er. Ok, so maybe living in a house with six guys rubbed off on her a little.

***

Kakashi hummed as he cooked breakfast, it was going to be a full house that morning so he made a lot. Maybe he should pack some for lunch too, Iruka loved eggs.

His little monsters had grown a long way from the days when they used to sneak into his bed in the middle of the night. As they knew he felt like he was abandoning them as a teacher by becoming Hokage, they took it as incentive to work twice as hard to make up for it. So they trained with him and they trained with the sanin and with Itachi, with Neji and Hinata and Shino. Gai's team. Anbu members. With any instructor he threw their way. Gaara and his siblings in Sand. Haku and the new Seven Swordsman in Mist. They made new allies in Stone and Cloud and learned from them as well. They found other hosts and skilled shinobi all over the nations. 

From perfect manipulation of their elements to improving their chosen specialties, from strategy to meditation techniques to improve chakra capacity and control. They trained with their summons and they trained with the samurai of the north. There was never enough knowledge and always room for improvement. 

While leaving Konoha left them apprehensive instead of relieved the last few years they still continued the tradition of training trips under the guise of missions. There was never a shortage of people loyal to Kakashi willing to go with them. Their Alliance kept expanding with every trip they took out of the gates. Being one step closer to their dream, seeing Konoha safe and thriving only made them want to work harder. He was so proud of his little monsters -they didn't let him slack off either which his dad adored them for.

Orochimaru had returned officially to Konoha six months after the invasion, with his name cleared he grew tired of trips between Sound and Leaf. Sound was only a handful of people anyway. With Konoha accepting Itachi and Orochimaru and the return of the Swordman to Mist, other nations started to pardone missing nin of their own, mostly out fear of their power. So most of Sound returned home and his dad came to Konoha with some lost little ducklings following him. They were living in another house on the compound, it had become much livelier in recent years. It was fine, Konoha was getting an influx of citizens anyway.

Daidara of Iwa was one of the missing nin that was pardoned. The loss of three powerful members was a hit to Akatsuki and in their desperation they had sent Hidan and Kakuzu after his team. It didn't end well... for Akatsuki. Those two missing nin would never see the light of day again. Hayate and Yugao still got hearts in their eyes as they talked about that battle. It set the missing nin organisation years back with their plan, by Itachi's calculations. Yugao had proposed a field promotion to chinun and didn't back down until she got it. They still took most missions together but they could at least take them alone.

Even if they were powerful enough they could crush nations in their sleep he still looked at his baby monsters sometimes and saw the sweet kids who refused to stay down. Now they were helping change the world, one day at a time.

While they were taking the world by it's horns Kashi was working on Konoha.

The former Root agents had slipped into normal life seamlessly, it helped that most shinobi were weird anyway. He was slowly smoothing over the discrepancy between civilian and shinobi quality of life. The Academy and Hospital were improving by the day. It made even the most hostiles loose their wind. 

He felt a weight drop over his back and slender arms wrap around his middle for a few minutes, bringing him to the present. They might be all grown up but they made sure he knew every day they loved him just as much. Team Seven never left one of their own behind.

"Good morning to you too, Sakura."

"You really didn't have to cook for all of us, Hokage-sama."

Shino set about making the table, he was always so polite but Kakashi wished he would lossen up already. He knew it was because most people had bad reactions to his bloodline but he would learn over time no one judged in their household.

"Oh, this is a bribe... and it's Kakashi to you when I'm out of the office."

"A bribe, what for?"

Sasuke fell into a chair with a way to satisfied grin on his face. He was too afraid to ask. Neji just attacked the the orange juice, that kid had an addiction.

"Are Naruto and Itachi coming down soon?"

"Don't say it, I don't want to know."

One day Sasuke would have to stop turning green every time their relationship was mentioned but maybe it would help if they understood that common rooms were not private.

"We're here, bastard, no need to get your panties in a twist."

"Naruto, be nice."

The older Uchiha set about feeding the cat first, cooing at it. Kakashi could sweater the little shit was half demon, it growled at people and was way too protective. His idiot housemates, because it didn't only include his students, thought it was cute and called it Mr.Fluffy. The thing was bigger than Pakkun!

"Well, now that everybody is here. My sweet little demons..."

Everyone looked up from their food at his foreboding tone. There was a reason he had wanted all of them present for the conversation.

"So, Asuma and Kurenai got it into their heads that as all of their students are chunin now..."

"Therefore not really their students anymore."

Well, yes, Itachi was right but this was a peaceful time, in spite of all the recent setbacks. They had been allowed to mature and train and grow stronger in their own time and while the promotion had been a milestone for them their sensei had continued to keep them close after. Gai had been harder on his students but even he had been cotton soft compared to Kakashi's approach. Every team was different and they all needed their own pace. Shino and Neji regularly trained with his team, yes, but they were still part of their own in all ways that mattered.

"...it is time to prepare them for a more mature stage in a shinobi's life."

They choked on their food. He loved messing with them, besides there were two healers at the table and Sakura and Neji would never let anyone die such an embarrassing death.

"That sounds awful, I hope you know that."

He grinned.

"Yeah, they are planning on taking their former students on a bandit dispatch mission."

"You're kidding me you mean they're never..."

He could see where Naruto was coming from and he wishes he had had the same luxury of protecting his students as other sensei. Assassination and extermination were the bread and butter of Team Seven, they were buried in guts and swimming in blood. They simply couldn't comprehend being a shinobi so long without killing but that was why missions were ranked. A shinobi could take delivery and extraction, guarding and capture missions and go their whole carriers barely fighting. Something told him that if he had tried to shelter his little ones though, he would have lost them along the road. They were built of different stuff and they got stronger where others would have crumbled.

Shino took pity on their poor confused brains, Neji had just shrugged and Itachi had looked just as incredulous.

"This is peace time, we haven't... we didn't have those kind of missions. I mean yeah we hurt people, and maybe some even died of injuries later but actually killing? No."

"Oh."

"That's the catch, actually. Since I'm Hokage and can't leave the village they want to take you with them."

"You're kidding."

They spoke in complete unison, it sent shivers down his spine thinking of the pranks they could pull as punishment for doing this to them.

"Nope, as a wonderful sensei that I am I said yes."

"I don't think we can pull that off..."

"I don't want you to act. Kurenai and Asuma are trustworthy. Shino and Hinata will be there, the others are heirs to clans already allied with us. Maybe you can finally fix things with Ino, maybe it's finally time."

Then Shino could finally move in and he won't have to hear Sai bemoan about Ino anymore, if Sakura can make her pull her head out of Sasuke's ass the pale man might actually ask her out. Kakashi mentally high fived himself, he was an expert problem solver. Now... he just had to make sure his sweet younger siblings never found out he had proposed the mission.

***

Chapter Text

Shikamaru was dozing against the wall when Team Seven finally showed up. With his eyes still closed he could imagine Ino's veins threatening to burst.

"Yo! Sorry we're late."

"We got lost on the path of life."

"FOREHEAD! We've been waiting for two hours!"

"Hn..."

How... troublesome.

Shikamaru prided himself on his brain, he was a Nara, after all. He knew there was something different about Team Seven just like he knew Kakashi Hatake didn't become Hokage over night.

Something had been going on with his parents for years before That Day. That Day everything changed. There had been unrest in certain circles, his parents hadn't been happy with the government for awhile. No one rebelled outright, but there had been tasting of the waters. Then one day they got quieter but more active. A dinner with a clan head here, tea with someone of influence there. Sides chosen and one name was whispered in the shadows: Hatake Kakashi. So when he was announced as the Fifth Hokage Shikamaru hadn't been surprised because it had only been a matter of time. 

Within days a line was drawn in the sand. It was Hatake against the Elders, old against new, tradition vs progress. And there was no question which side his parents and their friends were on, even Asuma-sensei, the Thrid's own son was firmly planted next to them. Shikamaru and his teammates watched from the sidelines as all the truths they had ever known were dismantled with each scandal that followed. Root. The Uchiha massacre. The fall of the Senju. The erasure of Uzushio and the Uzumaki clan.  Orochimaru's self imposed exile. The scandal of the Hyuga seal...

Hatake was loud in his actions. He didn't allow the mistakes of the past to fall through the cracks, he was progressive. He opened the library to the public, he expanded the academy, he invested in the hospital. He implemented healing classes, he dug up the long forgotten history books... He was honest and open, a novelty as a kage. Shikamaru's father called him a good man but a great leader. His name was on everybody's lips, he was a hero, the people loved him. But his students, it was like they didn't exist!

Team Seven was imperceptible. Naruto and Sasuke were the heads of their clans, they sat on the council, the Uchiha's and the Uzumaki's had been the latest gossip for months after That Day. But no one paid them any mind, no one mentioned them. Their promotions had been in the field but no one ever talked about their skills. Why? What had they done to earn it? They were beautiful, young and talented. During their years in the academy, Shikamaru knew them to show the most promise in their class. They had had potential!

And now? They seemed to be blending with the shadows better than a Nara. Short and practical hair, plain almost baggy uniforms. Sasuke had a sword and Sakura's protector was around the waist, their vests had fewer pockets but they were boringly normal. They were kept out of the village on missions or isolated into their closed off compound. They barely interacted with the outside world. Itachi Uchiha had made a life for himself, he was a teacher and loved like his past was someone else's life. Orochimaru was running the research division at the hospital. There was a young Uzumaki medic that came from Grass. Sai, one of Hatake's bodyguards straight from Root. They lived behind the same walls but they were known, they were seen. 

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura stood out because they were an absence of knowledge. If you stopped people on the street they would most likely not even recognize the names. They were the Hokage's students but they might as well be ghosts.

It could be, of course, that the potential he had seen as children was simply stifled until they became just bodies in a crowd. His biggest clue that something was fishy hadn't come from his clan, or even his sensei. It came from Temari. He grew to like her during their earlier interaction and took any opportunity to visit. She had mentioned her baby brother had a cousin a couple times, that he loved sparring against him. She was very careful about the information she gave out, but one day the Nara was left alone in her home and snooped. Not his nicest move. The picture had been hidden in a book. A recent picture of the Kazekage and Naruto, who, next to each other, looked remarkably alike. Because the Kazekage had a cousin, a cousin that liked to spar with him. Naruto barely-made-chunin, no-special-skills Uzimaki, went against a kage in his free time. For fun. All those years...  Shikamaru had almost convinced himself that he'd been wrong, that maybe Sakura's memory hadn't been that good, Sasuke didn't use to learn that fast, those weren't seals Naruto used to doodle. He'd almost let them fool him, question his own intellect. Him, of all people, bought the act. Almost. It had been that close.

He should have known that any mission they were a part of was never going to be easy. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

They got captured.

***

Kurenai wanted to bang her head against something, this was all Kakashi's fault! Why had she let him talk her into this!? Oh, right. Potential war on the horizon, need to be ready, blah blah blah! And now Asuma was injured and she was too afraid for her unborn baby to act rashly. Those fucking thugs had them surrounded and her hands were fucking tied! Literally and figuratively! She was hungry, she wanted a bath and she wanted her fucking bed. For sleeping, not fucking. So much sleeping. This stress was really not good for her baby!

It was supposed to be a band of muggers. An easy way to introduce the younger generation to the more bloody aspects of shinobi life. Her and Asuma's kids were strong, dare she brag, jonin level in skill. In experience, not so much. Emotionally? Maybe they had been a little bit sheltered. And so what? She wasn't going to apologize for caring about her students. But there was a war coming, they were heirs, their skills would be needed and if things went wrong, Kami forbid they might have to take over their clans sooner rather than later. She saw Kakashi's point, she did, she couldn't keep them kids forever. She even willingly took his own kids with her, it wasn't like he could do it himself and they deserved the same privileges her own children got. Except for the late start, and really what had she expected, they were good kids. Quiet, respectful, disciplined. A little too much even, in her humble opinion. They were almost subdued. Until shit hit the fan, that is.

Their intel was wrong, there were too many and they were missing nin, not thugs. Things had started relatively well, they fell into formations, the mission objective was being met. Hinata, Shino and Kiba had their first kill within minutes, Ino and Shikamaru the same. By comparison Team Seven were like limp limbs just hanging by. And then Choji defended himself on instinct, underestimating his own strength he put his whole fist through his attackers chest and instantly went into shock at the sight of it. Asuma got distracted trying to protect him and got severely injured by what she was sure was a jonin rank missing nin from Stone. That was three man down in an instant as Hinata didn't even think as she jumped to heal them. Their formations were broken and they were outnumbered. Ino and Shikamaru defended their fallen teammates putting up quite a fight but they got outlasted and ran out of chakra. Kiba ran straight into the frey and almost got his head cut off and Shino stuck to her but they were simply not made for close combat. By comparison Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke only needed to pe pushed around a little. That's how they all ended up huddled in the middle of a clearing, cold and dirty, surrounded by enemies. And that blond moron of an Uzumaki had decided to honour his fallen ancestors by perpetuating the infuriating art of mouthing off!

"Hey, you! Yeah, you, the one the one from Mist with the dumb face. Why don't you just be a good boy and let us go. I promise we can forget this ever happened and we will just go. On my honour as a shinobi."

"Moron. You're giving me a head ache, can't you just shut up? Can't you see they are too dull to understand you? Let's just wait for the boss to show up."

Wonderful, the Uchiha was joining in. Wasn't that clan supposed to be quieter? He only gave them a "hn" when they had met up but he could suddenly talk now! "Hn" wasn't even a real word!

"Yeah, about your boss... What's his name? Her name? Their name? We don't discriminate. Are they hot? Hot tempered? Sasuke, do you think they will try to eat us? Are those cannibals? I don't taste good. I'm stringy, and bony. I will give you indigestion, Sakura always says I eat too much salt. Really, I will probably poison you!"

Eat them, he thought they were going to eat them! She was going to have some words with Kakashi Hatake.

"Kami, Naruto, shut the fuck up I'm trying to meditate!"

Right, pinky, because this was just the time to get some zen!

"Well, can't you be done yet? I'm bored out of my mind and those guys won't even talk to me!"

Pinky took her hands off from the ground, wiping them on her knees.

"I'm done now. You're going to owe me 35 new kunai for this."

"Finally!"

It was like a flip had been switched. Oh shit! These were Kakashi's students, alright.

***

Kiba woke up to Choji healing him with trembling hands. They got captured, they were all out of chakra, Asuma-sensei was injured, Kurenai-sensei was pregnant and Team Seven was useless! Useless and making a ruckus, his ears were ringing but he was sure Naruto was yelling. He would recognise that yelling anywhere. He gently pushed Choji's hands away, it was better if at least the other chunin remained in fighting condition and used his big sturdy frame to pull himself up. Just in time to see an orange barrier spring up around them. The kunai Naruto had been throwing around at the beginning of the fight, seemingly without any aim, filled the clearing, seven being the source of the dome. The Three Idiots were outside of it!

The jonin that had injured Asuma jumped back from the wall of light as if it would burn him just by being too close. 

"What the hell is this? Witchcraft!?"

"Now, now, now. Don't just go accusing people of such dreary things. It's not nice."

Kiba could swear he saw Naruto lick his lips, Kami those canins were sharp! Everyone inside the barrier was frozen, what the hell was the happening? The blond blurred from sight, appearing behind the leader, and slapped something on his back. Knees slammed the ground, the only thing keeping him up was Naruto's hand in his hair.

"Let's play a game. It's called for-every-question-you-don't-answer-one-of-your-friends has to die. They would die anyway but like this you get the privilege of watching."

Why were the other missing nin not reacting at this?! The Inuzuka forced his body to cooperate and looked around. Half of them had glazed eyes, pointing their weapons at their own allies. From the woods other glazed eyes herded more thugs into the clearing. Were there really that many left? It was like their fighting didn't even put a dent! Why were they doing that!? It was so creepy! The glazed eyes were all looking in the same direction and at first Kiba had thought it was them but... no. It was Sasuke. Sasuke was leaning against the barrier, they were all looking at Sasuke. They were under a genjutsu!

He leaned back against Choji, his body giving out. The other chunin steadied him. 

Sakura was in front of the kneeling man, her hands on her knees and a deceptively sweet smile on her face. 

"How did you know to expect us?"

"Go to hell, bitch."

"Wrong answer."

She backhanded him so hard he could hear Hinata's breath hitch somewhere close. With a thud, a body hit the floor outside the barrier.

"Feeling more cooperative? Who do you work for?"

"The tooth fairy."

It went on like that, hit after hit. Body after body, like a sick game of Truth or Death.

"You're a very, very naughty boy and you are running out of friends. Do you know what happens when we run out of collateral? My teammates take over the interrogation. They are really, really worse than me. Who gathered you all together?"

The missing nin was a bloody mess. Snot and tears were mixing with the blood on his face.

"I don't know! I don't know!"

The screams were deafening and then it was eerie quiet. Sasuke was wiping the blood off his sword and around them was a massacre. They were all dead. The sight of guts and bones was bad enough but the smell was making Kiba's stomach turn. He gagged. 

"I really, really, don't like liars. Since you don't seem to like speaking anything of value, I suppose you won't be needing a mouth anymore. Naruto?"

A seal was slapped over his mouth, blending into his skin and making it look like he didn't have lips in the first place.

"Blink if you are ready to talk."

He didn't. Kiba slapped his hand on Choji's own mouth to keep him quiet. The other shinobi was trembling.

"Then you won't be needing eyes either."

The eyes disappeared behind the same kind of seal. He looked like a mockery of a human face.

"Since you can't speak and you can't see, it's really a waste for you to hear."

Once his ears were gone Naruto let him fall to the ground like a doll with it's strings cut. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." echoed in Kiba's head in his grandfather wise old voice.

He looked at Team Seven. They were the dead last team. They got promoted by the skin of their teeth. Kiba had been so proud of himself and his skills and his "fighting prowess". Like a stupid blowhard. And he got beat to a pulp by the enemies they had obliterated. 

The missing nin started desperately feeling his way, trying to reach a lifeline that wasn't there. He was trashing around like a fish out of water. The blood of his camarades had turned the soil into mud and he was rolling in it.

***

Hinata knew Team Seven. Naruto had been her strength growing up, without Sakura half the children in the clan wouldn't have survived the removal of the seal and Sasuke was responsible for the happiness of her older brother. Kakashi was an uncle to her, always so supportive of anything she did. She owed them more than she could ever repay. They had her loyalty and her support. She loved them like she loved her own blood. She knew their skill, she learned from them and trained with them. She ate with them. She played with their cat and she slept over at their house when she was too exhausted to go home. She saw Naruto treat Itachi with such gentleness she could cry, how could she hold on to her crush in the face of that love? Sakura healed her every scrape and every skinned knee. Sasuke made her tea when she was down and taught her how to make soup for her sister when Hanabi was sick. They were family, her family. She knew they got angry when their precious people got hurt and that they had a darker side she had yet to get a glimpse of. But nothing in the world could have prepared her for the level of ruthlessness and brutality she had witnessed. It was like every emotion had been erased and shred of humanity locked away.

They had been let out of the barrier and Sakura was healing them with much more skill than she and Choji could muster. It reminded Hinata just for how much longer the pink haired kunoichi had been doing this. Sasuke and Naruto were throwing the bodies in a big hole Sakura had made in the ground. The earth technique had been executed so seamlessly she didn't want to know how many times before they had done the same thing. Shino was a calm presence by her side, they were both torn on how to act. Shino was Sakura's boyfriend, Team Seven was his family too but the others were their friends, their brothers and sisters in arms. They grew into themselves together, went on missions together, got promoted together. Were they supposed to really take sides in this? 

Sasuke and Naruto started burning the bodies with a combination of air and fire techniques that she was sure weren't supposed to be used like that but at least there were no smell or smoke. Kiba stuck by her and Shino pretty much out of solidarity, he looked determined for some reason. Choji was looking at his own hands rather then anyone else, Shikamaru was wiping the blood on himself and his teammates while Ino was stuck between crying and laughing. Their sensei were watching Team Seven's every move with sharp eyes.

It crossed Hinata's mind that it would hit them all later, once the commotion died down and they were safe in their beds, that they had just killed people. She didn't feel it yet but she knew she would once the numbness faded. Neji had shared his own experience on what it felt like, he said for him it took a week to finally sink in. Soon it would for her too. That those ashes Sakura was now covering in earth, that blood she was sinking deeper as if it had never been there were people once. And some of them, Hinata had killed. They had been someones child. Mother, father, sister, brother... And no one would ever know what happened to them, they were not even dust in the wind. They had just vanished.

***

The door to the Hokage's office slammed into the wall. Asuma winched. After they had all been deemed fit to walk and had started the journey back home, Sasuke had asked, in hindsight, who had given them the intel for the mission. When Kurenai told them the mission had come straight from the top, the girl, Sakura, had looked like a thunder cloud had descended upon her.

"How dare you, you idiot! They could have died! What had you been thinking?!"

"That were there, there was no real danger!"

"You can't know that! Bad intel, missing nin and the sheer number!"

"Exactly the kind of mission we took when you were twelve, if you could do it then, you could do it now."

"LISTEN HERE YOU..."

"I DID IT FOR YOU! Because I knew if I didn't trick you, you would fake it! And you could have."

She was fighting head to head with the Hokage and had he not seen what he had seen Asuma would have been scared for her. He had never heard Kakashi yell before. Never. But it made her rear back as he settled back in his chair and took a deep breath. With her tirade stopped, Shino went to her and took her in his arms. What the...?! How long had that been going on?!

Sometime during the fight, Kakashi's paper pale bodyguard had led the older Uchiha and Gai's Hyuga student into the room. They went straight to Uzumaki and Uchiha's sides respectively and suddenly Asuma had the feeling this was less about the mission and more about whatever the hell was going on with this team. As Kakashi turned to address all three of his students, the rest of them made an unanimous decision to stay out of this and let Hinata and the bodyguard herd them to the side.

"When is the last time you took time off?"

"When you told us about this stupid mission."

That irritation definitely proved Naruto was Kushina's son.

"For more than a day. You have trained and trained and trained. Did you know, there was an entire week last year when we didn't even speak to you? You left before down every day and crawled back afer sunset, looking like something the cat dragged in. I love your desire to learn, I'm not saying you should settle, but stop for one second and look around you! Konoha is safe! We made it safe!"

At that, the boyfriends, which Asuma took to be there for emotional support silently agreed with the statement. Asuma had to admit that it sounded like they were a bit... workaholic. Wonder where they learned that.  Kakashi walked around his desk to stand in front of them.

"You are afraid, that isn't something to be ashamed off. You are afraid to stop, because what if one day you're needed and you're not strong enough? That's on you. You are afraid everyone will see who you really are reject you. Run. You killed the shadow so must have replaced it. But that's just it! Fear. The people here have known you since diapers, they are just waiting for you to be ready to let them in. There is nothing wrong with you."

They didn't look ready to hear those words, they leaned back into their boyfriends like they were trying to disappear. Hatake kept going.

"You are not broken... You don't break!"

No, they probably didn't, just like their sensei. Asuma had the startling realisation they were exactly like their sensei in every way that mattered. They acted dumb and everyone underestimated them but they were actually light years away from their peers. They hid behind masks, though not as literal, like they didn't care about the world but took it all to heart. Every hit. Every loss. Every failure. They smiled at you until you hurt someone they loved and Kami have mercy on you after that. He had seen it, what happened when you hurt their people.

"You have reached a level of power we can no longer comprehend, you have hoarded knowledge and you never never stopped."

Kakashi looked them each in the eye, had they not been held in place by their boyfriends they probably would have fled. Asuma didn't envy the copy nin, he worried enough as it was about his own students and they didn't seem to give him half as much grief. 

"The weight of the world doesn't solely rest on your shoulders, let the rest of us share a little of that burden. I am proud of all that you've accomplished but let me impart upon you this one last lesson as a sensei. Stop and smell the roses."

Asuma could see tears in their eyes. Who would have known, out of all of them, little Kakashi would one day be such a wise sensei? When they were younger he would have put money against it and called it a suckers bet.

"Take a week of..."

"A week?! I don't know what to do with a week."

An Uchiha could look that terrified?

"Give me your protectors."

"No. HmHm."

Naruto backed away only to be stopped by Itachi's body. The cloth bands had to be practically pried off of them.

"Yes. And change your clothes."

"I don't have anything other than uniforms."

The kunoichi sounded really offended, you'd think she had just been ordered to walk naked on the streets not take off those ugly and unflattering bags they called clothes.

"So go shopping."

Kakashi waved his hand in a shooing motion and the boyfriends had to drag them from the room huffing and puffing in indignation. They could forgive getting sent into a trap faster than you could blink but time off was where they drew the line? Ino could yell all she wanted, Shikamaru could sleep his life away and he would buy Choji all the food he could eat, by some twist of fate, Asuma got the sane team.

"Alrighty, anyone below the rank of jonin is dismissed."

"What?!"

"Shoo! Shoo! Off you go!"

They looked offended to be thrown out, how cute. Asuma knew though that Kakashi did it for them, he let them stay while he talked to his team for his students sake. It was his way of asking them not to judge, not to push his kids away. But sending them away was for them. To go home and wash and let someone who loves them hold them and tell them it will be OK. That the empty feeling will pass...

"Now who is gonna give me a real report?"

"Did you know you were sending us into a trap?"

Kurenai had been buzzing to ask that, he knew. He was surprised she held back so long.

"I suspected. You were never in any danger with them there."

"Kind of figured that. Could have used the warning!"

They should come with a warning. Suddenly he got it how Kakashi ended up Hokage, they had been the drive behind it. He had done it for them. Asuma understood, he always had. His father had failed his most sacred duty, he had failed to protect the king. One day... One day his nephew would grow... and understand it too.

"Anyway their methods made me question their sanity but it did yield results. Ibiki would be proud."

"Anko gave them lessons."

"Cause why not?"

Kurenai muttered next to him. Anko? Crazy Anko? Poor kids.

"Before he died the leader told us he had been hired by some Tobi guy to test the ones sent after them. I suppose the fact that they all vanished will have to be answer enough for him."

"So Akatsuki is finally playing their hand."

"Were you right to worry? Is it war?"

Kakashe leaned back in his chair, looked out the window at the sunny sky. 

"Yes. Yes, it is."

***

Chapter Text

Ino opened the door to stop the incessant knocking and was surprised to find Sakura standing there, hand still raised. She had a sheepish smile on and was wearing what had to be the worst combo Ino had even seen. She had ripped a pair of uniform pants into some semblance of shorts and the ratty old t-shirt she wore was an ugly shade of orange that clashed with her hair and was way too large, clearly borrowed from Naruto.

"Take me shopping?"

That was... pitiful. She had actually been serious the day before? Who the hell didn't have other clothes besides uniforms? Ino didn't even know where her own uniform was. 

She left the door open as she went to change her own clothes, her mom threw a questioning look that she waved off, she knew her eyes were still a little red. She put on a comfortable dress and went back down the stairs, Sakura was hanging by the door like a lost stray. They made their way to the shopping district in silence. Sakura being content to look around at all the ways the village had grown since the Fifth had taken over. Hadn't she seen the new places before? Some had been there for years! 

She grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged the other kunoichi into her favourite shop. It was one of the newer places, with anything you need from shoes and clothes to accessories and makeup, if Sakura really didn't have anything she would need all the help she could get. An assistant recognised Ino and smiled, the place always smelled pleasantly of lilies and the appearance was a little luxurious. It was more expensive than most but nothing could beat the quality, it was hard to find products that could withstand the trials of shinobi life. 

"How about this?"

She spoke for the first time since they met that day, holding up a dress so Sakura could see it. The other girl had just been running her hands over fabrics looking confused. The dress she chose was pretty, light but durable. It had thick enough straps, was knee length and had a very cute belt. It was not very revealing, even Hinata would have worn it and the color was a bright emerald green that would just make those eyes pop.

"It's beautiful but maybe something... less bright?"

Oh. It really had been a long time since they talked, hadn't it?

It was a little touch and go but once she got her childhood friend to loosen up it was like watching a kid in a candy store. She even bought things for other people, accessories for long hair, makeup, nail polish, clothes in a smaller size and so, so many from the man's section. Ino's eyes widened as the pile by the cashier kept growing with every trip there that Sakura made and the glint in the older woman's eyes got brighter. Oh shit, maybe she should have chosen a less expensive place. Ino's family had money, she could pitch in if needed but even she had balked at the price once everything was rung up. Sakura just swayed happily from side to side, not even paying attention as she carefully sealed away her new treasure, she just handed a card to the outright drooling woman behind the desk. What had she done? Has she unleashed a beast?!

"Can I take you to tea? As thank you?"

She really didn't know why the girl was smiling so nicely at her, she hadn't done anything to deserve it in a really long time.

"Um... sure."

They walked the story way to a tea house and sat in a corner. The place was almost empty.

"Hey, forehead? How long has it been since you've shopped for something?"

"Like, four years or so."

"How do you survive?!"

"Deliveries? We didn't want to be seen much. The others in the house were willing to venture out once in a while."

What must it have been like, to feel so isolated? So alone? And Ino... Ino was supposed to be her best friend! Tears trailed down her face, hands trebling around the hot cup of tea.

" I'm... I'm sorry, Sakura. I failed you. As a friend. I was selfish and petty and... a bitch. I abandoned you for a stupid crush. And you've been, you've been through a lot, haven't you? And I have no idea. I'm so sorry... So so sorry."

Soft fingers wiped away the tears, lifting her face to look at a kind smile.

"Ino, you were a child. I admit, I could have tried harder to save our friendship but Kakashi was right. Your opinion mattered and I was afraid. And I didn't want you involved in the shit we pulled, I wanted you to have the chance to grow up at your own pace. It's what we wanted for all of you."

She nodded earning herself a brighter smile. Sakura wiped her face down with her sleeve. Who was the crybaby now?

"Can I ask you something?"

She took a deep breath at the affirmative, looking down at her hands that used to be so red with blood.

"What was it like for you... the first time you... you know. The three of you made it look so... easy."

"And now you wonder if what you feel is OK because maybe being a kunoichi means you shouldn't feel anything at all. Ino... to be a shinobi is a choice but we are born human. It's OK to feel, I'd worry if you didn't. I was..."

No one has ever put it like that. They all said that it was a part of her life now. That it would pass, that it would get easier. But not that. No one had said that before. Sakura didn't continue and she wondered if she had screwed up, everyone always said her big mouth was gonna get her in trouble one day.

"I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry, I don't know if it's a faux pas or something."

"It is, actually, don't go throwing that question around but it's fine."

Sakura leaned back on her chair, hands around her own cup and voice oddly calm and detached.

"I was twelve. Our mission was much the same as this one. The client was poor, his village barely had enough to eat so he lied. He said it was a simple escort detail because that was all the money he had and they gave the mission to a genin team."

"What happened?"

"We got attacked on the road, that was the moment. You know, the fork in the road? It could have gone so horribly... But we had... talents we hid very well and in that split moment we decided to trust each other. That's how we became a team. That's how we became a family."

"So your attackers..."

"No, Kakashi did that. Even though the client lied, we decided to go through with the mission. The man, the tyrant holding the village hostage had a lot of thugs working for him. Kakashi didn't want us to go with him but we made him take us. It was... I can still see it if I close my eyes. They were weak, civilian thugs even, we cut through them like butter but when it was done..."

"You went into shock."

Like Choji. Team Seven hadn't mocked her friend, hadn't blamed him for things falling apart in the middle of a mission. They weren't angry they had to fix it, because the knew. They were so... mature compared to the rest of them. A whole world away...

"Woke up the next morning, couldn't even take a shower on our own. Didn't want to be alone... My hair, I couldn't wash it, Naruto and Sasuke helped but every time I saw it, felt it on my skin I remembered it a mess of blood and guts."

At that, Sakura ran a hand through the short locks. So that had been why she cut it. Ino couldn't even imagine... they had been twelve years old.

"Your mother must have loved that."

"We don't talk anymore. My parents and I don't see eye to eye."

Sakura had lost her innocence, lost her family, lost her best friend and still looked at Ino the same way she had all those years ago when they first met. What must it take to be so strong?

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I moved on. Shino's parents help. They are great actually."

"You two seem happy. He never told us."

Sakura really was grown, wasn't she. She had a carrier, a stable relationship, family, friends... She was settled in her life. Ino was still a stupid teenager that worried too much about how pretty she looked that day.

"Shino is kind of shy... You know, you should give Sai a chance, he really really likes you."

"The Hokage's bodyguard? He's cute I guess but he calls me ugly, Sakura! And he flirts with everybody else."

Everybody but her.

"His social skills are a little crooked. We are having a party tomorrow, Kakashi's idea, you should come. Sai will be there and you will see."

They giggle and talked for hours, it felt like old times.

The next morning Sakura's last words before they parted still echoed in her head.

"We don't resent anybody, you know? We chose this life. It didn't happen to us. I've been so many places, I've met so many people. I've seen the worst and yet... so much... light. The world is wonderful and worth so much. It's a priviledge to be alive, and an honour to live my life in pursu of peace."

***

Naruto was watching the people. People watching. In the park. On a bench, by himself. Alone. All on his lonesome. It was what Sasuke jokingly called their fourth day of exile and they had been encouraged- HM, HM ordered- by their lovely significant others not to spend the week stuck at the hips together. So they were each doing their own things. Alone. By their lonesomes.

Naruto had babied all his plants, brushed the cat- twice-, caught up with his childhood friends, lazed around the house. Had a party... Found out Shizune and Yamato got tired of Tsunade gambling away their wedding money and eloped. Anko was finally pregnant with Izumo and Kotetsu's first kid and Ayame and Kabuto were moving in together. In a house at the compound.Where Naruto could keep a close eye on them. Yup, good girl Ayame, that is how dating is done the right way! Then on day three he visited Iruka and Itachi at the academy, got thrown out for distracting the teacher. Spent more time with Choji, Kiba and Shikamaru... Visited the cemetery.

Now it was a new day and he was in the park, looking at people. Young people. Old people. Tall people, tiny people. Running tiny people... wait a second, wasn't that the Sarutobi kid chasing a cat? What was his name, Konohamaru? 

Yup. Definitely him, chasing that little monster Naruto remembered from his own genin days. Before he could stop himself he followed them to the woods. They were taller than he remembered looking at him in wonder when he just reached out and gently picked up the cat. Poor thing was terrified, of course it ran if they all chased it. Kids were so energetic. Konohamaru pointed a finger at him, almost tripping on his scarf.

"You! You're that guy!... How did you do that?!"

Thinking better he turned his back on Naruto.

"No! It doesn't matter, I don't want to learn anything from you!"

Noise distracted them as a desperate man burst out of the shrubbery, flushed and in tears. That was a sensei?

"Guys, guys, where have you gone?!"

He started bowing when he saw Naruto, years ago he would have spit in his face. Naruto instantly disliked him.

"Oh! The esteemed Hokage's student! It's an honour, an honour!"

"Oi! Don't treat him with respect, he's a liar and a thief!"

He looked at the sputtering kid, than turned to the slimy sensei, passing the cat into his arms where it went directly for the eyes. Yeah, Naruto remembered it liked to do that.

"Actually, if you would take ...this to it's owner, I would like to spend the rest of the day with Konohamaru? There are some lessons I believe I need to pass on to him."

"Of course, of course!"

Could he be more fake? The other two genin looked apologetic as they were dragged away.

"What! You can't leave me with him! What if he kills me!"

Naruto grabbed him by the scarf before he could bolt.

"Come, we are going to the river."

He pouted all the way but followed, Naruto wondered what made him go deeper into the forest with someone he claimed to hate so much. Maybe he was just waiting for a moment to strike? He was so young, hadn't even left the village on a mission yet, Naruto was sure. Still learning his own body and mind and heart. Still finding something worth fighting for... definitely haven't found something worth dying for. There was so much hatrated in those eyes, so much rage at the world to fit into a being so small. It had been allowed to fester for too long, it might prove deadly if left alone much longer...

The river was calm, it was such a beautiful day... Naruto took off his shoes and stepped into the water. Kami, how long had it been since he's done this?

"What are you doing? I'm a shinobi, I don't have time to splash into the river like a child!"

He was a child, a loud one at that.

"We're fishing! Come on! Shoes off."

"Fishing? You don't have a rod you moron!"

Fists were tight at the kid's sides and Naruto sighed, turning to leave.

"I suppose you don't want to learn my great technique... well I will get going then."

He heard a splash behind him. Hook, line and sinker. Kids were so easy. He turned back around to an angry scrunched up face.

"No! I'm learning!"

"Good. Now... close your eyes. Feel the breeze through your hair, the stones under your feet. The warmth of the sun on your skin. Be the flow of the river, the lighting in every living being."

"This is the kind of bullshit Uncle Asuma would say."

"I think your uncle's wise."

He didn't know Asuma well but from what he saw and from what Shikamaru told him the man was indeed very wise. Much wiser than his father had been. He looked back at Konohamaru whose eyes were squeezed so tight it looked painful.

"The elements are in us, Konohamaru. There is water in our veins, air in our lungs, fire in our souls, earth in our bones and lighting in our minds. We don't control nature nor command it. A true shinobi is a part of nature. We are like the fish, we follow the direction of the stream."

You couldn't fight the past, only go forward. The kid would have to learn that. Time was a river and they were fish going with the flow.

"I thought we were here to fish, not become fish!"

"Mhm."

He continued, his voice lulling the kid little by little despite his protest. He probably didn't even notice.

"You need to feel the world, kid. You need to let go of everything anchoring you to the mortal world until you are the deafening thunder in the sky, the scorching fire of the sun, the rumble deep into the earth, the cutting edge of the wind... the strength of water. When you accept the world as much as it accepts you, you don't need a rod to fish."

Naruto reached into the stream and waited, seconds later coming up with a flapping fish into his hands. The kids eyes opened at the noise and then grew in size.

"Wow."

"Now you try."

It was much later, as they were frying their fish on sticks, and the sun was going down, that Naruto spoke again. Konohamaru looked like the pressure that had been crushing him was finally gone and he could breath for the first time in years.

"You know, your grandfather taught me how to fish like that."

"He had?!"

So long ago when Naruto had been a child and only knew the man to be his loving uncle. He smiled at Konohamaru... a sad smile, it was mirrored back.

"There was less talking involved, but yes. He did... You know, we all leave our marks behind. Every step on the sand, every trail on snow... No one vanishes, nature doesn't forget. People do, but nature doesn't. Your grandfather had done some bad things and he did some good things, his mark on this world? It's there, not you nor I can erase it. The question is, Konohamaru, what mark will you leave?"

***

Sasuke had done a lot of things that week. For one, he tore down the old Uchiha compound. And no, that wasn't work, that was cathartic, he could breath easier with every piece of wood that he tore down. It felt good. He spent time with Hinata, cooking and just drinking tea. He treated Anko and Itachi to all the dango they could eat, had lunch with Sai and Shin. He fixed that hinge at the gate that the chunin on guard duty always complained about but no one got around to. But his favourite time of the week had been the hours he took out of each day to just sit with Jugo.

He had befriended the giant shy boy when he had first arrived with Orochimaru but had never had the time to truly appreciate his calm. Until now. For six days and counting, he had joined the tall man under his preferred tree by the forest edge, crossed his legs, closed his eyes and listened. Some days, they just stayed like that, it was the most peaceful Sasuke had been in his life. The grass was pleasantly cool, the sun was bright and warm, birds were singing and sometimes... sometimes animals approached them. Bunnies and does and foxes and squerrels... And he got it. He got what Kakashi meant when he said to stop and smell the roses. Because the world was beautiful. It was satisfying to be reminded that no matter what happened, it would continued to be so. That peaceful feeling, that was what they were fighting for, so that the rest of the world would enjoy it one day, too.

Sometimes, sometimes Sasuke talked. He talked about all of the things he had never let himself talk about before. His dreams, his fears, his insecurities, his nightmares... and when he stopped, when he couldn't talk anymore because the words got stuck in his throat and everything was overwhelming, Jugo would just lay a big, gentle hand on his knee and wait. He never asked, he never pushed. He was just there and he never turned him away, never turned his back. Never left.

It was their last day of leave and Sasuke made a mental note to make time for their quiet moments more often in the future.

"You know, you should become a therapist. Sakura said they are looking for some at the hospital."

He knew Jugo was lonely, the man refused to leave the compound on his best of days. Kimimaro had been trying to get him to go out and enjoy his life for years but the older man could not even budge him. Jugo was getting depressed and Kimimaro was getting desperate which was really, really bad thing. Therapy was a new program at the hospital and there were still those who thought it was useless. That you should just burry it. Sasuke had seen what ignoring your mind when it asked for help did to people. What it did to the world.

"I'm not qualified."

"You are."

Orochimaru had told them Jugo had read every book, learned every technique. Kami, he was practically the therapist of everyone living at the compound! That alone made him a saint!

"The world doesn't need a monster like me to try and heal the minds of others."

Sasuke looked at the sad man next to him, he didn't see a monster. He saw a man who worked tirelessly with Orochimaru and Taunade, who trained for months with the toad summons, just to learn to control a curse so he would not hurt anyone. Team Seven had trained with their summons too, he knew the dedication it took. And Jugo did it, for other people. That alone was worthy of admiration and whoever got the chance to be his patient should be honoured to work with him!

"This world is filled with monsters. They are anger and rage, hunger and cold. They are fear and revenge, greed and envy and pride. They stop us from being kind to each other, they stop us from listening to each other. They can not be killed or contained, they strive to erase peace from the world. You are not one of them and you never were."

***

Chapter Text

Sakura breathed in the cold air of the Land of Iron, when they had trained with the Samurai it had been her favourite part. There was something so clean and pure about it, like the snow that shimmered far away on the tops of mountains. The Raikage had convened a summit of the five kage, the second in the history of the shinobi nations.

Not even two months after that band of missing nin confirmed their fears, Akatsuki had made their move and attacked Gaara head on in his own village. Sasori and Tobi himself had descended upon Sand like the wraith of gods. It had been a difficult and drawn out battle that had almost cost the Kazekage and his brother their lives. Tobi escaped... Sasori didn't.

Naruto had rushed to Suna at a speed they hadn't reached before. They found Temari desperately trying to keep both her brothers alive, who burst into sobs at the sight of Sakura. The older kunoichi had managed to heal Kankuro of the poison but Gaara? They had lost him, and for that one moment... Sakura had felt dread, fear, anger... crushing grief. When his life faded under her hands, it was like the world was fading, the air was smothering... She had never lost a patient before. Never met a wound she couldn't fix or a desease she couldn't heal. All the people she had killed, their blood on her hands had never felt like acid... They had never lost one of their own. Never felt that despair...

For one moment, the sky fell down on them... if it hadn't been for her summons sacrifice, if they had been weaker or just one moment late... He would have been gone. Just like that... Sixteen and with the power of gods, faded before he could even grow... Nipped in the bud, like a flower someone thought too beautiful to to just let live.

Akatsuki could not be allowed to reach their goal, no matter the price. It prompted them to take the final step, their one last move on the board... and to complete their training. All that learning, all that harsh work that beat their bodies and minds into peak condition... Their hearts had not been ready before but now? Now it was a waiting game.

Her and Sai stood silent behind Kakashi's chair, taking in the tense atmosphere. She silently bid Naruto and Sasuke good luck in their own quest. Akatsuki may be powerful but she had faith... soon their dreams were going to come true. Soon, there would be peace. First, the shinobi nations. Next, the rest of the world.

***

A crossed his hands under his chin as the others started filling the room.

For three months hosts of the tailed beasts had been vanishing. It had started with the failed attempt by Akatsuki to capture the bijuu of Suna but they must have learned from their mistake, as his spies had informed him. The jinchuriki of the Seven Tails vanished from Takigakure in the night. The Five Tails disappeared from the middle of Iwa. The Three Tails was gone from where it was supposed to reform in Kiri and the trail of the Four Tails just faded. The Six Tails was nowhere to be found and two weeks ago... Two weeks ago Yugito had been declared missing in action. The team he had sent to retrieve hear had found not a hair. No trace where she had gone, it was like she had vanished into thin air. Only three more were left and A couldn't allow his brother to be next.

He felt at a disadvantage, most people in the room he had never met before but they knew each other. C and Darui were a soothing support at his back.

He remembered like it was yesterday when they came to him and announced they had been invited into an Alliance. By a Hyuuga, no less. Much like Akatsuki, the organisation had been amassing power for years. Like a fool he had refused, not wanting outside help... By the time he needed it finding out who was involved were was a hassle and a half, there had been at least hints and rumors that the youngest three kages were more than just a little involved and that the Alliance had been interacting with the hosts. He needed help protecting his brother and no one was leaving this room until he flushed out JUST WHO WAS BEHIND THOSE SCROLLS!

Mifune stood calm in the middle, ready to break any argument that broke out. The samurai had actually volunteered to host an assembly of potential volitile shinobi and provide accommodations. That was in itself suspicious and A wondered if he was truly neutral after all.

To his right was stubborn Oonoki, who having bought with him his grandchildren. The boy had the reputation of a klutz and the girl was even more arrogant and pragmatic than the old man. A wasn't under any delusion the old man or the girl were involved in such a reformist pact, far too traditionalist and stuck in the past. The boy, on the other hand... he just might have made it as a candidate. Rumor had it the girl was always on her cousins case for being too soft.

In front of him was Terumi Mei, two swordsman behind her, both looked too young to have been members back when it was still known a the Bloody Mist. Her involvement with the organisation, much like her domain, was shrouded in fog. Mei's reputation as a beautiful woman was well earned he observed but word was that she was happily married and a loving mother. She wouldn't risk her child by revealing anything.

The Kazekage was to her left. The youngest in the room still seemed to have some growing to do but his eyes were aged far beyond his years. His siblings stood tall behind him, and tired, the recent times had not been easy on them either. Out of all the kage in the room, A considered him the most dangerous. Not because he was a host, not because he was powerful. No, all of them were powerful. Gaara of the Sand was charismatic. By the time he raised to power, he had already won the hearts of his most shrivelled up and glacial elders. His promotion had been undisputed, he was openly adored. He might seem dainty but A would pity anyone that went against him, his strength and integrity could never be questioned. The kid was definitely involved, but he would never talk. 

In the middle was the Hokage, face covered up. The man's rise to power had been outrageous, never before had a kage aired their dirty laundry in such spectacular manner. A didn't know if he should be insulted or congratulate him for having balls of steel. Hatake screamed his involvement from the rooftops, he might as well be the leader. If not for the fact that it had taken him far too long to make a play for power in his own backyard, no... someone else was behind it. His bodyguards were young too and the girl was far too beautiful, as his eyes fell on her he felt C squeeze his left shoulder. This was it, what they've been looking for. An in. 

In a room of shinobi, she stood out like the moon among the stars. She was wearing all black. Tight pants, short sleeveless dress cut on the sides all the way to the hip, her vest stopped just beneath her breasts and around her waist was wrapped proudly a protector. She stood tall and lean, hands behind her straight back, eyes ahead. She looked too... perfect. Her hair was short but shiny, an innocent cherry pink. Lovely face, skin was flawless, untouched by blade or element. Emerald eyes sharp, a purple diamond on her brow... She was bewitching, an ominous vision. There was an air around her, of ease, like falling snow, if you dared touch... it will disappear.

While he had been watching the opposition, Oonoki had already regressed to his habit of insulting the young. Mifune did a good job of dissolving most arguments until the granddaughter decided to throw in her own... delightful opinion of the Kazekage.

"You little shit! A jinchuriki should know their place not presume they can sit in the chair of someone above their standing!"

She was gonna land herself in a world of trouble one day and her grandfather would not always be there to keep her whole.

"Do no presume to speak of matters above your station, little shit, or rip out your tongue."

***

Mei nearly facepalmed, behind her Suighetsu's and Chojuro's hands grippied the hilts of their swords in preparation for a fight. Well, that didn't take long! What the hell had made Kakashi take Sakura of all people as his advisor?!

Sasuke was a little cold, Naruto a little enthusiastic but Sakura had a temper. She couldn't be counted on to keep quiet, especially now as it seemed they were stepping out of obscurity. Gone was the shapeless uniform and emotionless face. Haku had been getting worried, that the kids weren't doing so well even with Konoha firmly under control. The more powerful they got, peace of mind seemed to elude them. Even Kisame had expressed his concern and Zabuza had reported Kakashi had decided enough was enough. She sighed, whatever he had done had bore results. His students were done hiding.

Knowing the history between her husband and the other kage, she had expected some resentment in his eye when they saw each other for the first time in so long but there wasn't any. 

The Kazekaze was talking it all with a grace not many possessed. He didn't strike back at the foolish Iwa girl nor did he censure Sakura for implying he needed defending. The room was split in half in the blink of an eye, Mei knew if a fight broke out and sides were taken it would turn ugly. 

"If that's the state of the world and of humanity... we have no future. If we stop trying to understand and trust each other... all that will remain is fear and terror. Strategy that does not incorporate morality, and giving up, are things that I no longer accept easily."

The Kazekage was... moving. Naruto had been singing his praises for a long time, brimming with pride of the younger Uzumaki and finally meeting him, she could see why. She didn't really believe in their dream of peace, she didn't think humans were built to merit it and as such it would forever be out of reach. Yet so many of young ones were willing to endure in order to seek the unattainable. It was... humbling.

"Such deep thoughts...But you're still just a green brat that knows nothing about running a village. So now's your chance to ask anything you like. As your senior I'm willing to answer any question you have..."

"Then let me ask you this."

"Sure. Go ahead, no holds barred... Kid."

Oonoki was mocking, what a senile dolt!

"When did you forsake yourself?"

Mei bit her lip to stifle her laughter, oh, she loved that kid...

***

Oonoki was a sheep in a wolves den. He could see it, the moment the girl defended a kage not her own, that he was fighting a loosing battle. But he was too old to learn new tricks... 

Over half the people in the room were too young to have fought in the old days, they were unmarked by the stain of war. Yes, they were strong, yes, they had killed... Yes, they had suffered but that hopelessness, of seeing your brothers and sisters die while you could do nothing? That crumbling weight that you felt every time you sent someone to battle knowing they were never going to return? They had never experienced that...

They were so young... just learning to crawl in their cruel world that either crushed you or turned you to stone. Oonoki had been an idealist once too, who had thought he could save the world. In their shadow... he saw himself with his own cohort, swearing to not repeat the mistakes of their predecessors. And where did that get them all now?

He had heard rumours of an alliance between nations, of an organisation that sought peace but didn't believe it. Shinobi putting behind the bloody pasts of their nations? Embracing their differences? Who would have swallow such a senseless sheme?

Now he stood alone. Even the Raikage was playing a game he didn't know the rules of. He had been so stuck in the past, on those already lost, that the times rushed past him. He was an old stubborn man and he had been left behind.

His own blood, his own blood didn't have faith in him to see the bigger picture. Akatsuchi had fought besides the other bodyguards in solidarity, he knew them, he was one of them.

Oonoki had been scolded by an infant and the worst part? The kid was right. He had given up and it showed. 

The Hokage stopped the intruder with one hand! They had mobilised and attacked, one cohersive unit he was pushed outside of. Mist, Leaf, Sand... even Cloud, they were moving on with the times and Stone? They were still led by an old man afraid of change.

Oonoki was weak, in his heart. and he had just insulted the one chance his nation might have to survive... youth.

***

The fight had been a blur. The masked intruder appeared from the ground before C could even sense him and was upon them. It was an embarrassment of a fight. Until the Hokage finally got the chance to touch him, then it was like he gave up!

"Where are the bijuu?!"

The intruder was demanding they hand over the bijuu like be didn't know where they were... he didn't know where they were! Akatsuki didn't have them!

The pink haired bitch from Konoha smiled. She had single handedly destroyed the white creatures that accompanied the masked man. C was pretty sure she was one of the Hokage's students and if there was one thing he had learned it was that they were neck deep in Alliance shit.

"They are exactly where they belong."

Her words echoed. Exactly where they belong? What did that mean?

"Then let the Fourth Shinobi War commence."

Like lighting the masked man twisted himself away from his captor and with one more look at the Kazekage vanished.

C followed his gaze, he dug beneath the overwhelming storm of chakra he possessed... and found nothing. Beneath the boy's own monstrous chakra, nothing was concealed... the One Tail. It wasn't there. It was gone!

In Kumo, Naruto's fist connected with another.

"...It's nice to finally meet you, B."

***

Chapter Text

Choji was face down on the ground, he couldn't feel his body but from where he was fallen he could see Ino's and Shikamaru's glassy eyes turned at him. Sobs shook his thin body, he wished he could just die, he had nothing left to give!

When the orange haired guy had first arrived, the sanin had tried to talk to him. Jiraiya-sama had called him Yahiko, asked him to please stop. He had pleaded and begged and the guy killed him in cold blood! He called himself Pain, and asked to be handed the Nine Tailed Fox. The Nine Tailed Fox was dead!

The man was a monster. Choji's finger twitched, just a little more and maybe he could drag himself along the earth, maybe heal one last person.

The sounds of the fight could be heard in the background and he couldn't shake the images of the horrors he had seen. Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru-sama had fought until their last breath but he took them down so easily. There were six of him, of it, of the monster.

Kabuto-san, Yamato-san, Shizune-san, Anko-san... so many, so many had fallen.

He had cut through the civilians like paper people... his parents, his clan.  Asuma-sensei, Karin-chan... all those people he knew...Choji sobbed, screamed as hard as his lungs could take, someone was there, somewhere behind him, still alive. He could hear the hitching breaths, drowning with their own blood... If Choji could just get his body to move... Just a little... just a little...

***

B angrily attacked the training ground. His brother had left him behind. Again!

When he first became a jinchuriki, A didn't treat him any different but as time passed... A didn't do it out of prejudice, like all the others, which was why B couldn't bring himself to disobey the kage. With every ugly word directed at him, with every threat, with every danger, his big brother got more and more overprotective. A had promised him once, that they were brothers and every moment of every day had proved it by loving him. But that love had become suppressing to the point where it hurt.

Most of his days were spent in solitude, Gyuki his only companion. It was like his brother forgot that he had dreams and fears and feelings too! The sound of metal cutting the air was the only warning he got, when he turned to defend himself there was a man behind him, as if he had appeared out of nowhere!

A young man, with golden hair and tan skin. He was tall, three marks on his cheeks and sky blue eyes. The Konoha uniform was all black with forearms guards over his sleeves. He had a short sleeved black long coat on his broad shoulders, pattern of white fire at the bottom... or were those waves? B had the staggering realization that it was like looking a ghost.

He was a handsome, a smile broad and easy on his face as he held a fist up. Not to harm but to greet. His whole posture was relaxed, willing to let B take the first step, and he did. Bringing his own fist up, B touched them together.

"... It's nice to finally meet you, B."

B felt it. His power, his fear, his worry, his love... his acceptance of the world. His connection with nature, the content of his heart. A wise mind, and ocean of understanding, wide and clear and deep and neverending acceptance. He'd never felt a being so bright.

"I'm Naruto."

"You didn't come alone. It's fine for him to come out, Gyuki won't mind."

If Naruto was the brightest being he had ever felt, his companion was endless darkness, like a blanket you could hide under so no monster could ever find you. A clear night sky enveloped in protective clouds. For one moment B was a part of the world and the world a part of him. A sentinel always standing guard..."

B took his fist back a second time.

Black hair and black eyes, pale skin like the moon. Taller but less broad, pretty more than handsome. He looked almost serene. His uniform too, was black, a sword on his back. His coat was different, it didn't have sleeves, more like a black quilt with a hole for his neck, it looked comfy. B thought he should get one for himself.

"This is Sasuke."

They couldn't look more different but something about them felt the same. They shared the same peace in their souls. The same way the ocean and the sky give the illusion of meeting at the horizon. Gyuki was buzzing in his head.

"I am B and have to see,

Are you Akatsuki?"

Naruto smiled gently, his friend silent behind. They blended so well into the ancient power of the Turtle Island that their presence was indistinguishable.

"No, we are not. I used to be like you. Kurama has been my companion for a long time..."

"You are Konoha's host, 

Are you here to boast?"

"I was... Akatsuki is coming, B. I'm here because we need to talk, all of us."

He was? As far as B knew no human could survive the extraction of the bijuu. They had assumed the junchuriki or Konoha and Suna were alive because Akatsuki had failed, but what if they were wrong?

"You aren't no longer a jinchuriki,

Did something happen to Kyuubi?"

It was Sasuke that answered in a smooth voice. It was deeper than B expected. 

"The bijuu were not meant to destroy, did you know? They are just like you and I beings of this world, they've been hunted and chained and they lashed back. A cycle of hatred that never stopped. Until they were locked away... and the cycle started all over again with the shinobi nations. They have a purpose in this world and it is not to bring power and status to anyone."

Naruto just crossed his arms waiting for B's reaction.

Gyuki tried to reach out for his brother but he truly wasn't there. The strain of the extraction had killed all shinobi before but these were no regular shinobi, were they? Their chakra felt more like that of the nature itself, they got through every defence without resistance and the wild animals seemed to pay them no mind. What if... what if it hadn't been Alatsuki that took the hosts? Then that meant they were there for B... and his brother was fighting on the wrong battlefield.

"You are here to kidnap me,

What if I don't agree."

Naruto shook his head, laying a strong hand on his shoulder.

"We are here for all of us to talk, if you would let us."

All of them... includes Gyuki, no one had been considerate enough before, to care what the bijuu wanted. 

"We will listen to what you have to say, 

Don't lead us astray."

Red bloomed in Sasuke's eyes as he gripped Naruto's elbow. If that was a sharingan no one told B it was supposed to be beautiful. He wondered what type of flower that was.

***

Gai was a modest man... had been, he was dying man now. He hadn't been that smart, or that powerful but he had mastered the way of the gates and he had done it well. He had been a decent sensei, he liked to think so, at least. He hadn't had the power of a kage, like Kakashi. Wasn't very good with people, either. He had always been too intense and too loud. People made fun of his clothes and his hairstyle but that was OK, he had his friends, his people and that was enough. 

He hadn't come from a powerful clan nor have desire for children but Lee had been enough of a legacy, he was proud of his students. Tenten was so dedicated, such a mature girl... and Neji, he had grown into such a powerful young man, in love with such a bright future ahead of him... Neji was still fighting... Gai had faith in that.

***

TenTen looked at the sky. Why was it so clear, didn't it know that they were all dying? Nothing was left of the village but ashes.... at least it was a beautiful view to die to.

There was a weight on her chest, that fool Konohamaru had tried to defend her fallen form, now his dead body was crushing her and their blood was mixing on the ground... it was alright, everybody's blood was mixing.

There were so many things she would have liked to do before she died. She would have loved to see the waves of old Uzushio and the snow! She had never seen snow, never been north... she didn't know that would be something she mourned before she died. She could have been a bit kinder in life, made more friends ...maybe even fallen in love. Children... she would have loved some. Maybe two... and a dog, so they could play ... 

...What a beautiful blue sky it was...

***

Lee wasn't talented like other people, some even said there was something broken in him. Not Sakura-chan, she always said that everybody was born with a purpose in mind. 

As a child he had wanted to be like all the other children, as an adult he had learned that there was value in being just you. He was young but he had accomplished some things! He saved people where he could... he gave food to the hungry and befriended the lonely. One day he would have liked to become a sensei, maybe in old age retire somewhere quiet, teach taijutsu to those who had no chakra at all.

It would be nice if he was remembered by someone, maybe then his life would have had purpose after all...

***

Konan stopped by what looked to be a playground. The swing was swaying in the wind, there were toys abandoned everywhere, wooden kunai and shuriken and swords surrounded miniature training posts. A sandcastle was slowly sinking down. She could hear the ghosts of laughter, of tiny feet slapping the ground. The building ahead was large, a mismatch of old and new, a whole wall covered only in palm prints. Some tinier, some larger, blue and red and yellow, green and orange and purple and pink... Every color of the rainbow and then some. It was a beautiful place, a loved place. With clean windows and cared for yard. It was treasured. Happy. This was what she never had. What they never had. What Nagato and Yahiko would have deserved! But these kids were born lucky and they were not. How was this world fair? Where were all the gods!?

"I don't fight anymore, but I can not let you hurt them. He isn't here, Konan! You won't find what you seek in this place."

There was only one man standing in front of her, for he was a man now. A little taller, a little broader. Cheekbones just a little sharper, hair longer. He was a far cry from the scared child she had first met, trying to look strong and hold back the tears. It was a beautiful realization to have.

"Itachi, you are a sensei."

"I am."

He had always been calm but there was something about him, in the lilt of his voice, in the easiness of his posture. When he and Kisame had first disappeared she had been sure they ran away to be together. She knew now that Kisame never harbored such feelings for the Uchiha. The blue man had always been protective, almost doting over Itachi. It had made her happy to know she was right by placing them together, there were so many in their organization that would have loved to tear the kid apart. She had seen something that needed to be sheltered and had known Kisame would be kind to him. And he was. She nodded to the colorful wall.

"Who's idea was that?"

"Mine."

"It's cute... are you happy, Itachi?"

The lines and signs of stress and worry that used to mark his face as a teenager were gone. He was worried, his village under attack, his people in pain but there was an oddly content air about him. 

"I am."

"I wish we had a place like this, when we were growing up. I wish we had a teacher like you, who cared enough to stay."

To stay and fight. For all he claimed not to fight anymore, he was willing to put his own wishes second. And he really didn't fight anymore, did he? There hadn't been one report of him spotted outside of Konoha, he really hadn't left again. Itachi Uchiha, one of the most proficient killers in history with power so great lesser civilizations would have worshiped him, didn't fight anymore. He wore simple clothes, a pleasant blue, no sword, no armor, no weapons. A teacher, not a soldier.

He smiled at her, understanding in his eyes. He'd seen Rain, he knew her pain.

"So do I. You won't find peace this way... This is revenge, Konan. On the five nations who hurt you and walked all over your kin without even noticing they were there under their feet. For your people's suffering. For your suffering. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Peace is something you must find in yourself first, before you try to impart it upon others. You don't teach it, you share it. You don't take it, you embrace it. Peace isn't something you make, it's something you feel. You can't achieve peace, if you are angry at the world... and angry at yourself."

Was that the change she saw in him? Peace?

"You speak like you've found yours."

"I have."

She was confused, was he... trying to share that with her?

"An you are sharing it with me, now, even though I'm your enemy?"

"You aren't my enemy, Konan. You're in agony."

That was something Yahiko would have said. This something Yahiko would have done. What would he say, really, if he could see her and Nagato now? Would he judge them, for turning their backs on all he stood for? Or would he look at them the way Itachi did now, with acceptance and understanding?... Maybe she didn't really want to know.

"I wish you the best in life, Itachi. I hope you get to keep your peace."

She had come to see Itachi, to see if he was happy, if she had done at least one thing right in life... because she knew, she knew this was gonna be her last fight too. And she was so tired of fighting, and Nagato was so tired of fighting and didn't have much life left in him. She could feel him fading already, Yahiko was calling to him... calling to them both.

They watched each other in silence, just standing there. Waiting... She saw the spirits of the dead return and knew it was the end for them, he was gone... her Nagato. She truly was alone in the world now. Itachi smiled at her, like he had known. Like he had seen it coming. Looked into her and Nagato's hearts and known they could never bring upon the world the kind of pain the world bought upon them. He had the strength to smile at her. They had destroyed his village, killed his people, and he had kindness still to show?  

"They will share peace with your people too."

She didn't know who they were but something in her heart felt lighter.

"May rain never fall upon your souls."

She turned her back to him and let tears finally run down her face. She would go and find Nagato's and Yahiko's bodies and finally lay them both to rest. Spread their ashes on the water, build a house by the lake. She will guard them from there as long as she had breath and maybe one day... maybe one day she will find her own peace.

***

Nagato let the souls go, watching as their returned to their rightful owners. Yahiko's body was at his feet, the long haired boy had dragged it with him. He felt Konan return, gentle hand pushing his hair back but his sight was already gone...

The three kids were not leaving, even with Konan returned by his side... They mourned for him.

No matter how he beat them down, they had gotten back up, nature chakra keeping them going long after everyone else had broken. He killed one of their allies? They pushed harder. He broke their bones? It made them stronger. He killed all of the short haired boys insects, crushed the girls hands and punctured the long haired's boys lungs... They stood up... They always stood up and all he saw every time they did, was his brother. All he could hear every time they talked was him. Yahiko. Yahiko never would have destroyed a village.

He had won, he could have let them suffer, after all didn't they deserve it? Weren't all the great five the same? But those three, even in their last moments, they spoke of peace, of freedom. They died there, on that field, face down on the earth, believing in freedom, and his brother's ghost haunted him. 

So he gave them all back what was never his to take and instead of hatred, they showed him kindness. His dying wish, they granted it and bought to him his brothers body. Was that what real compassion was? 

He would meet Yahiko soon, maybe he could explain...

***

Chapter Text

Numb fingers tightened the straps of Naruto's armour. Itachi could still feel his brother's gentle touch to his skin as they said their goodbyes.

"Sasuke, be safe out there."

A bright smile that didn't reach the eyes broke out on his baby brother's face and a poke to the forehead took him by surprise.

"Don't you worry, older brother, we're gonna be back before you have time to miss us."

... and then he was gone.

"Maybe I should come with you."

Naruto's strong hands gripped his own, bringing them to his lips so he used the opportunity to cup his loves face. He run his thumb on theose lines on his cheeks, he knew that face better than his own. A strong face, a strong man. 

"No. Itachi... no."

"I'm not weak!"

The blond reared back like he'd been slapped. 

"You're not. Itachi you are not weak."

Wasn't he? His lover was fighting. His baby brother was fighting. His family was all fighting and he was staying behind. They were going out there, laying down their lives while he was hiding.

"I am a disappointment, if my father could see me now..."

"You are the farthest thing from a disappointment."

He pulled Naruto by his neck and kissed him, kissed him like he might never get to again. Because he might not... A knot settled in his throat as he pulled away, his chest felt so tight...

"Can we really afford to bench me?"

"We can't afford not being here. You are capable of senjutsu, you can share chakra with the medics. And the children... the children need you."

Behind them in the cave were the medical settlement and the children. The walls and the ceiling had been reinforced so the end of the world wouldn't bring them down. They couldn't afford to split their forces on more battlefields so they had to ensure their villages couldn't be held hostage. All civillians were evacuated and children had to be hid somewhere. The medics settlement was the safest place to be.

"Itachi, I love you. For peace, I would save the world."

Tears run down his face in silence and he wrapped his arms around that warm, warm body. Those strong arms that held him close at night, that made him safe and treasured... they might not be there ever again and Itachi didn't want to let go. He never wanted to let go. Soft lips lingered on his temple.

"For you, I would destroy it. I would fight a thousand wars and kill ten thousand man so you won't have to. As long as there is breath in this body, you will never have to fight. But if I..."

Itachi's hands locked into fists around the black fabric of that uniform at the shuddering breath his love took.

"Naruto, don't say it."

"If I don't make it. If we don't come back. You will have to protect the future."

They had to come back. They had to. Itachi didn't want to be alone again. His body shook with sobs as Naruto pried his fingers off and one last kiss was laid upon his lips.

"Itachi, you are not here because you are weak. You are the strongest one of us. You are our last line of defence."

He left. He left. Itachi was numb, he touched a cold hand to his chest. It felt like he was breaking. His heart was breaking.

He didn't hear Tsunade until she was holding his hand, didn't react as she pulled him into her arms. 

"Come on, little Uchiha, we're gonna be fine, you and I."

Strong hands pushed his face to her neck, gentle fingers running circles on his back like a soothing lullaby.

"It's gonna be ok, kid. We're gonna be alright. You and I, we're gonna be just fine..."

And he broke...

***

Shino paled as Itachi's muffled screams revibrated in the cave. Tsunade had left just minutes ago, how she had known to go to him Shino might never understand. 

Sakura was making her last rounds rattling instructions to Kabuto and Haku who looked at her exasperated. She was worried, Shino knew, though she's never say it. The two man just let her vent and he was greatful for it. Hopefully, with four people capable of sharing nature chakra being placed at the camp, they were never going to run out of rested medics. The two man, Tsunade and Itachi could very well be what changed the course of the war.

She would have kept going forever if the old healer from Sand hadn't threatened to ban her from the place unless she came in pieces and as a patient. Shino dragged her away before her fury caused her to scream at a woman who had seen more wars than Sakura had birthdays.

They passed Tsunade and Itachi on the way out, the man was limp in her arms... He must have passed out. The sanin looked at them with fire in her eyes.

"You come back, do you hear me?! You come back! ... because I will not be telling him any of you are not returning."

He nodded at her, it was a promise he would give his all to keep. He loved his family, his blood one and his chosen one more than he could say and losing and of them would be like having his limbs ripped off.

Outside the pleasantly cool cave, the sun was overwhelming. He had traded his glasses for a band that covered his sensitive eyes better but it was still an adjustment. Sakura's hand stopped him short.

"Shino?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right?"

She had a faraway look on her face as she pushed a lock of pink behind her ear. He frowned.

"Sakura, what's gotten into you? I love you. And I know you love me."

"I don't say it enough. Or show it enough. And I know I'm not a romantic and I'm not elegant like Ino or soft spoken like Hinata. And I nag too much and I have a temper and..."

She went on and on without pausing for breath so he stopped her with a kiss. It must finally be getting to her, all the stress. She had been running around like a little bee not giving herself any time to think.

"Sweetheart, you're fine. You're perfect the way you are."

He took her into his arms and smelled her soft jasmine shampoo.

"I still remember the day I first saw you, some moron pulled on your hair and you were crying. I wanted to help but Ino got there first and I was too shy to approach you both."

He felt a wet snort in his shoulder and smiled.

"What a flattering first impression! My knight in shying armor!"

"Before the chunin exam, all those years ago, I hadn't seen you in years... but you were right there, healing a tiny little helpless butterfly. And I was gone on you..."

"I don't think I remember that."

He did. Like it was yesterday. He ran a hand through that short hair... No, he could never forget.

"I do and there is so much compassion inside you Sakura and so much respect for this world."

"Marry me."

In a heartbeat. 

"Now?"

She looked up from where she was buried in his shoulder, eyes wet and smile sweet.

"If we survive this. Marry me."

"The moment we've won."

And they would win, losing simply wasn't an option.

***

Neji had helped his clan get ready for battle but ultimately left them in the capable hands of Aiko. Their Head of clan was a truly amazing woman who never held it against him that he couldn't step foot inside their compound again. Even before, when he had been a child and his father had just died she had cared for him. 

He sighed as he drew in the hot and dry air, at least he won't have to watch children die on the battlefield. Kakashi had complained about how long it took for all the kage to agree on a minimum age for active duty.

Kakashi and Mei had refused to back down while the Tsuchikage and Raikage had called it hair brained idea to leave behind so many able bodied fighters. Legend had that Gaara nearly crushed their heads at that comment and the argument had lasted long into the night. Their side had prevailed and the age limit was fourteen. The final argument of the Tsuchikage had been that they couldn't ban someone over that age if a fourteen years old had been deemed mature enough to lead a village not too long ago. The kids would be safe, they had the best guards they could provide.

The real problem was the unrest between the nations. While members of the alliance were all too ready to work together everybody else was not and they were still only a handful compared to the true strength of the army. They had settled between the countries of Fire and Wind and the harsh conditions caused a lot of fights to break out.

He sought out Sasuke in the field and found him coordinating the placement of emergency supplies. At the sight of Neji the assortment of genin he had been ordering around let out a simultaneous breath they've been holding. He grabbed an elbow and started walking to the makeshift cafeteria... Really it was a tent they served food from. 

"Alright, love. Time for a break before you break the kids."

"I wasn't going to break them. It builds character!"

That was... a joke. That was supposed to be a joke? Sasuke should never quit his day job. 

"You're a slave driver and you need to eat something! It will be time soon... just let them have a few more moments of quiet."

"Alright."

They were sitting on red earth, everything was red earth, stirring their spoons in the porridge. Sludge... Mystery sustenance mud of the day. Neji looked up at the sky, it was clear of clouds and the sun was blistering. It was drought season, which really, there that made ninety percent of the year. But the sky was clear and bright and a sight to behold, he could see migrating birds pass by thousands.

"Do you remember when you told me we had to choose to break the cage?"

"It was only the day we met."

They smiled at each other and Neji leaned his head on Sasuke's shoulder. Thin fingers found his hair, combing slowly. He loved when Sasuke did that... 

"But we did it Sasuke. We are free. They couldn't chain us. They couldn't silence us. They couldn't keep us down. We survived, we're alive."

Their clans couldn't. Danzo couldn't. Pain couldn't. He set his bowl down and pulled Sasuke into a kiss. Slow, gentle. He tried to convey all his love into it. Words they didn't say because they never had to. They've always just known.

"You taught me how to believe in me. How to believe in us."

Neji touched his forehead to Sasuke's.

"We live."

"We live."

Neji threaded his fingers through Sasuke's. They would get through this. Together.

***

A blur of white and green landed on her baby brothers back, putting him in a deadlock.

"Gaara-chan! You piece of shit. They told me you died!"

"Get off of him, you idiot. He's the Kazekage, you're causing a scene!"

Temari grabbed her by the hair and pulled only to get fingers shoved up her nose. What was she, five?!

"Shut up, you old hag!"

Old. OLD! She would give her old, that little shit! Before she could teach the shrimp a lesson, sand formed a wall between them. 

"Temari, it's all right and Fu... I'm fine. I'm sorry."

Huh? It took Gaara months to let Temari touch him but the little shit he barely knew got hugs?

"Sakura-chan said they lost you... for a few seconds..."

"I'm not going anywhere."

She punched him in the shoulder, wiping away at her eyes. The girl drove her crazy but Temari got her. She did. Gaara was going to push them into an early grave with his recklessness.  

"Don't scare me like that again or I swear to Kami I will kill you myself! Now go and do something about those morons downstairs. The fights are drawing down morale."

Her brother eyes grew wide as he went to protest.

"I don't think I'm the right person for that job. Maybe we should ask..."

The moron planted her foot in his back and pushed him in front of the crowd. And he let her. Oh no. Oh, no! Anyone but her! Her baby brother was an angel that girl was crazy and she was loud!

***

Silence. His brother's words had silenced them all. Kankuro looked at the crowd... no matter their village, they all felt that speech and the puppeteer was proud.

Gaara had grown so much, his little brother wasn't so little anymore. Kankuro knew all about his crush on that crazy girl, Fu. She was cute, he had to admit but he'd have never pegged his brother's type as hyperactive. Well, people lived to surprise you. 

They were all gonna get through that battle because Kami be damned Kankuro was gonna live to be the best damned uncle the five nations had ever seen. And he was gonna spoil the snot nosed brats until they went into sugar comas!

If Sasori's poison didn't kill him it would be an embarrassment to die at the hands of a plant with delusions of grandeur!

***

This was it, the time of reckoning. The time that would decide their fates. All the moments of their lives have led to this.

They stood face to face with the enemy. Obito's scarred face across from Kakashi's, Sasuke and Madara with swords drawn. Naruto's smile was mirrored on his father's face and Sakura held her own against Zetsu. The enemies army of dead was facing their allies and the combined army of the shinobi nations was behind their backs.

"We are gods! You're never going to win, we will just keep coming back."

They let their power rise and spread as their friends and family and camarades did the same. They were the earth and the wind and the fire of the land, the lighting and the water in the clouds, and they spread that strength to all behind them until it felt like they were one.

"You may be gods, but we are not alone."

***

Chapter Text

Oonoki was ashamed to admit but even after that day months ago, he had underestimated them until the very last moment. It was hard not to when they all looked like babies to him. A mistake he would never make again...

There had been a time when the sight yellow flashing through the air had sent shivers down his spine, now it gave him hope. 

When he had seen Han and Roshi step into the camp he had nearly had a heart attack. He would have never lived it down, the old man jokes would have been in neverending supply. Akatsuchi, on the other hand, had been expecting them, going directly to the point and sending them to their division. 

When the battle had started, when Madara's dead and the white clones hit? He had fully expected to be abandoned to his own fate. He's already lived his life, who cared if he died as long as he took as many enemies as possible along for the ride? Apparently a lot of people, including the Kazekage. That foolish little boy, looking out for such a weary old soul...

Floating on his tiny patch of sand, watching all those young people fight for their ideals, he felt alive for the first time in decades.

***

The girl was as terrifying in battle as A had imagined she'd be. That seal on her forehead was a marvel, she never seemed to tire or hurt, like she wasn't even human anymore. And her strength... once the battle was over he just had to arm wrestle her!

A had heard stories and legends about senjutsu, had never hoped to ever see it. He didn't even have a summon. To be filled with nature chakra was an eye opening experience he would otherwise have had no chance to appreciate. It was a hidden mine of gold in an otherwise dreadful reality of ugly war. It felt a truly spiritual adventure for a man of mortal sentiment.

For thousands of years being a sage had been seen as something close to devine... maybe they had simply fallen so far it was easier to lie to themselves. He looked around him and saw so many people, young people, with the power that had once, in his mind, belonged only to gods. And yet, they saw fit to share it with the likes of him. A relic of times long passed...

When he had returned to Kumo to find B without a bijuu and withholding an explanation, he had been livid. His brother though, his brother refused to back down from his new found dream of peace. For the first time in his life B stood up to him and at the time A had been clouded by anger. But now he understood. Maybe there was hope, truly, for a better future, and who was he to stand in the way of that?

***

Mist was renowned for the skills of their swordsman but seeing Sasuke and Madara fight was like watching a deadly dance. Mei found it peculiarly fascinating. As the night had fallen, Sasuke's lightning blade had appeared to be cutting the very sky asunder. His red eyes, far too lovely for such a deadly creature, made him look like a demon raised from hell. And she knew in that moment why her ancestors feared his kin. 

Mei was a simple woman, she didn't crave lands or treasure. She valued her power for it helped her people, she loved her son... maybe even her husband. She had respected Haku's unwavering faith in people but had had little of her own. The gods were gone, they had abandoned humanity to kindle the flame of their own doom and she couldn't blame them.

Humanity was an ugly thing, flawed, disgusting even. They hated each other. Hurt each other. Humiliated each other. They pulled others down to make themselves feel better. It was in their nature, to feed on chaos and strife. And yet...

They had pushed apart their differences to fight side by side. They helped each other stand, healed each other up and shared their understanding of the world with all willing to partake in it.

Maybe the gods weren't gone, maybe they had just been waiting for the due time...

***

When they had first showed up on his doorstep, years ago, Mifune had thrown the Konoha shinobi out on their ass. Literally. Into the cold snow of deep winter and wiped his hands of them.

...Until the next morning. When they came back, asking for training and he repeated his actions of the day before. Only for them to come back the day after that... and the day after that... and the day after that.

When he finally took them in they were a pitiful replicas of walking icicles. Apparently no one had been willing to allow them inside and they had been living in the forest all that time, unwilling to turn back. He had never had more dedicated students, none willing to work together that much. They didn't question tasks no matter how meaningless they seemed, they listen to his stories when others their age would have demanded they be allowed swords already.

They were strong in body, yes, and very good with weapons. Their chakra was unrivalled, their minds a trove of treasure. For that alone he would have agreed to teach them. But their integrity won his respect. Their dedication to their dreams and their faith, made him think that maybe shinobi and samurai were really not so different after all.

Seeing them fight... It was an honour to have been able to call himself their sensei, even for that short while.

***

Gaara looked into the black eyes of his father. Once he would have been afraid. Not anymore... the demon his father had created was dead.

Gaara had walked into the darkness of the Earth and he had seen true light.

When Gaara had met Naruto, his loneliness had been all encompassing. There had truly been only two people in the world he would have cared to see gone.

He had attacked but was embraced, was the enemy but was healed. He had been shown unconditional love by virtue of being born. He would gladly lay down his life to defend that feeling he had been so candidly gifted. Peace belonged to all on Earth, there was no Stone, no Mist, no Cloud, no Leaf, no Sand and in the face of that, his father was so tiny. 

Maybe the world had yet to realise but Gaara was an Uzumaki. They didn't bow, they didn't bend not even in the face of death. They were born from the ocean and no storm would ever conquer them.

***

Minato let the light fill his soul and take him to his wife. He had so much to tell her...

Kakashi his sweet child, that he had raised since he was five. His little Kashi-chan might not have shared his blood but he had just as much of his love. And he had grown so big and strong and it swelled Minato's heart... To see him there, lead nations as they stood side by side, one goal, one symbol was fulfilling. And Naruto...

His baby boy, if only Kushina could be there to see him. So much fire in him, just like his mother. A match for them in every way and far surpassing that. He flashed across the battlefield with the ease, blades of wind an extension of his arms. A sight to behold. There was a strengtht in his soul, he was a force of nature.

What a fool that Zetsu was to think he'd ever kill his sons!

***

Madara had been convinced of his victory, of his righteous path to the end. Until the very end... he had been so sure.

Long ago, he had dreamed of something else and had built a village... A beautiful place of opportunity so no child would ever suffer the way he did.

He had been betrayed, or so he had thought, and let the rage consume him. His hatred had been born from love but if his sacrifice truly was the price of peace maybe it was time he stopped fighting. They had both been right, him and his old friend. Peace could only be born from war... and only by working together could humanity achieve it. And those kids... they were not alone.

He was looking at his brother's face, a century later, with eyes like fiery flowers and knew... he knew the dream he'd dreamed so long ago was not dying with him.

***

In his last moments, Obito saw Kakashi. It was a fitting end, though as life drained from him, he regretted saddling his beloved friend with that one last burden. For he had been loved, even after all that time and all the wickedness he's unleashed upon the world, Kakashi loved him. Forgave him.

He had spent so long, so many years resenting his friend. For himself. For Rin. And yet, Kakashi forgave him, in the blink of an eye. An eye he ripped out himself, that he willingly gave back, just to make Obito happy. Even in the middle of battle. 

Kakashi smiled at him, as death's cold arms crept up and Obito knew... he knew he was leaving the world in better hands.

***

Haku was tired and hungry. He was covered in blood up to his elbows and he could feel a headache starting to form between his eyes. Choji and Karin and C kept coming with more and more patients and no matter how fast they could heal and send them back out, there were still those that had to be benched... and they were running out of space.

Itachi barely left Neji's side since he had been bought in. Tsunade-san had been able to heal the most dangerous stab wounds but he would not be completely out of the woods until his fever went down. 

And the ones they had lost...

If this was the price of peace, was it really worth it?

He was thrilled to see Kabuto come to relieve him. They were on opposite shifts and Haku learned to treat the sight of the man like water in a desert.

He walked just outside the cave and leaned against it's hard rock. His beautiful snow leopard summon slid against his legs in comfort as he slowly slid down, true to its name as a big cat. He buried both his tears stricken face and bloody hands in the crisp white fur so it loyally hid all his sobs.

Long into the distance, the world fell silent. Silence, it hadn't been quiet in days! The sounds of battle had been deafening. He pushed his tired body to connect with nature once more and it protested down to the bones but he could feel them.

Zabuza and Mei and Kisame and Chojuro, even that moron Suigetsu. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were like lighthouses in the dark. He found Kakashi and Shino, Gaara and his siblings, that moron Fu... Akatsuchi was close and Yugito and Sai... Hinata...

In the distance the famed mist technique of his people was dissipating and the sun left rainbows in it's wake. The whole sky was covered in colors, like Northern Lights. They were coming home... his precious people were coming home.

***

Chapter Text

The sun was barely up when Anko stopped by the monuments to leave some flowers. A few weeks had passed since the Fourth Shinobi War and that night had been a difficult one for her. She found a fresh bouquet of white lilies already there...

***

"Yo! Sorry we're late. We had a meeting with fate we couldn't miss."

Sakura waived at the gathered crowd waiting for them. She made to push her hair behind her ear before she remembered. Oh... She had forgotten about that, her ear was gone. She let her hand fall and grip Shino's instead.

"Forehead! You're gonna be late to your own funeral!"

Naruto shook his head at the loud girl and wrapped his left arm around Itachi, the stump of his right still bandaged up. He could see Iruka making soothing gestures at the Yamanaka from Kakashi's side.

"Now, now. Don't be so angry, Ino-can."

"You don't have room to talk! You are supposed to be the voice of reason and you let those morons drag you down with them!"

Drag him down? What were they, millstones? Sasuke sighed, his right arm going behind himself to steady Neji on his back. The sleeve of his left flapping slightly...

Kurenai was looking disapprovingly at all eight of them.

"Ino is right, you know. This whole thing was your idea, how can you be three hours late to a meeting you assigned!?"

They said no one was left untouched by war, and they were right. Kakashi's eye socket had been damaged beyond repair and a transplant was no longer viable. Sakura's ear took with it part of her hearing and Sasuke's and Naruto's arms would never grow back. In war there were no victors, only survivors.

Konoha had been rebuilt, it looked a little different, it smelled of fresh paint but it felt the same. It felt like home. 

By fate or chance, Tezuna and Inari had been on the crew that came to rebuild the village. The younger carpenter had joked, upon meeting them again, that they would require escort home and got more than he could chew. Now, all eight residents of Konoha's craziest house and far too many of their friends were going to Wave for an Alliance meeting. At least they left the cat home, it had to count for something, right?

They bickered all the way out the gate...

...

"Sasuke, put me down! I can walk!"

Neji was nearly healed, it had been months! He could walk on his own! So what if he got a little tired ten steps in?! 

"I'm not an invalid!"

"You were injured and are still healing. If you are opposed to having me carry you I believe Lee volunteered."

"No!"

Oh, Sasuke nearly laughed, the horror of being carried by Lee. Neji would have no choice but to hear him talk for hours and hours! His boyfriend sighed in his ear, giving up.

"I believe we've had this argument before..."

...

Sakura stopped in the middle of the road.

"Sakura, why did you stop?"

Sakura touched the mark of the kunai on a tree. It was faded by time but she remembered. Her husband's presence at her back was silent. True to his word, in all their bloody glory they had haunted down the nearest kage still standing and demanded a wedding. The Raikage had nearly brained himself in shock.

"This is it. This is the place."

She showed him the marks. Everyone else walked on, unaware they were passing history by. Only her teammates had knowing smiles...

"This is where we were attacked, on our first mission outside Konoha... This right here... see those marks? This is where Kakashi tied the enemies up. It was in this very place, on this lonely road, that we decided to trust each other."

Shino looked at the tree, he should built it a shrine if it indeed was responsible for giving him his most precious wife. 

...

"Itachi! You can't honestly want to sneak off right now. We're in the middle of the forest!"

They had set camp that first night and everyone was telling stories around the fire. Itachi slid his hand higher on his lovers thigh.

"So what?"

Naruto hissed. Kami, he was getting hard! And Sasuke always accused him of being a pervert if only he knew what a little demon his sweet brother was!

"So people might see!"

The Uchiha grinned as he walked into the trees.

"Naruto, that's half the fun."

***

The bridge was just as they remembered. Tall, sturdy, beautiful...

The Tsuchikage was sitting down on his supply crate, Akatsucki behind him while Kurotauchi was glaring at Darui. Said man looked proud of himself for whatever he'd done and C was shaking his head. The Raikage was farther away, looking pleased that his companions were enjoying themselves and B was having a heated conversation with Fu. Han and Roshi were chilling out with Utakata and looked a little high. Kankuro seemed he'd rather be anywhere else and Temari made a bee line for Shikamaru. Gaara was sitting next to Haku, Mei and Zabuza's kid on his lap and pulling at his nose, while said kid's parents tried not to laugh. Kisame had no such qualms.

It was Sakura that steeped forward. 

"Thank you all for meeting us, I know that for some it has been a long journey. We wanted you to be here with us, to see, to understand."

Kurotsuchi ts'ched at them.

"That you named a hunk of wood after us? You Leaf and your tree hugger ways."

Daruit slaped a hand over his face.

"This place is clearly years old, moron!"

They were getting along so wonderfully already!

Sakura sighed.

"We didn't name this place, in fact we didn't even know this was it's name until me met Tezuna here again... Some of you have seen what we can do and you are scared that we will take this power and try to conquer..."

She stepped on the wood and ran a hand on the railing.

"No, we didn't name it. We build it or at least helped to."

Everyone's attention was on her. The foreign dignitaries, their old classmates, senseis, friends... family.

"No, we wanted you to really feel what this place means. This is where the Alliance was formed. This is what the Alliance is."

Sasuke and Naruto joined Sakura on the bridge, walking towards the town. It felt like yesterday... had it really been so long? Naruto leaned to look at the water below, it looked cleaner... The air felt cleaner.

"We were just children that were trying to survive in a world that would have rather seen us dead than free. We had been set up to fail, by people who should have protected us... We were scared and tiny and our home was falling apart."

He looked at Haku, for really where had the Alliance started if not with them?

"And this is where we learned that it doesn't matter what symbol is etched on your clothes because in our souls we are all equal."

Haku had tears running down his face, he too remembered.

Sasuke looked at his family, so greatfull for the path he took long ago.

"This is the place where we learned we are stronger together than apart. Where we found a home in each other. This is the true meaning of the Alliance. It was not formed to destroy, but to heal. To unite, not conquer."

Tezuna had known long before they did that the alliance was a bridge. A path of understanding between people.

***

"Thank you, Tsunami-san."

Haku smiled at the woman, she was older but looked just as kind.

"We are sorry for imposing, I know there are many of us."

Tsunami's smile was warm as she welcomed all in.

"Oh, no. When the town found out you guys were coming, they practically threw the food at me. I haven't had to lift a finger!"

...

Laughter could be heard hours later, food long gone, they were talking well into the night.

Kurotsuchi tapped Gaara on the shoulder.

"So, Kazekage-san?"

"Yes?"

"Those devices, how do they work?"

He looked down at the form in her hand. Naruto's latest brain child.

"Seal based. Every device has a pattern on the back that is unique and in combination with the communication seal each one can connect to up to thousands of others."

"That's nice..."

The way she ran her fingers on it was almost shy. A voice boomed not far to the left, Darui was just a little drunk.

"Oohh, does the princess want to keep in touch? Are you going soft?"

"Shut up, you bumbling troll! I'm just asking for a friend!"

The room descended into laughter, it was infectious. Oonoki looked around at all of them together before turning to Team Seven.

"But really, I just have to ask. Where are the bijuu?"

Naruto grinned.

"Exactly where they belong."

***

In a different life, they would be dying in a cave. In a different life they would not have trusted each other. In a different life, Kakashi's words reached them too late. In a different life they lost...

In this life Team Seven knew that those that abandoned their friends were worse than trash... and they never left anyone behind.

The shinobi world was one step closer to their goal, now it was time to share their peace with the rest of the world. Together they could create a better future. Like a thousand skipping stones making ripples on the surface, all at once.

***