Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Kakashi felt vindicated. In the aftermath of Danzo's death, there was a lot of paperwork and conversations that had to happen, though hardly as much as there could be in response to assassinating someone inside the village. Danzo was an S-Class ninja and the few people that knew he was traitor and that he had compromised the Third Hokage, the better. It made Konoha look weak to the other nations if the full scope of what happened came out. Still, there was a major problem that needed to be addressed after the fact.

Namely, a group of genin that needed to learn not to run off and try to fight S-Class ninjas.

"So...he had arm cells from another guy in his brain?" Naruto asked the same question in a slightly different way for the fifth time.

"Yes." Tsunade groaned out in exasperation.

Naturally, Kakashi had volunteered Tsunade to explain what happened to Danzo before they managed to run across him. It was going about how he expected.

"But he seemed fine. He was really strong, till I kicked his ass." Naruto insisted.

"That's the point! He wasn't fine!" Tsunade shouted back. "If he was fine, you all would have died in seconds!"

"Because he had arm cells in his brain?" Naruto asked again.

"YES!" Tsunade, Sakrua, and Sasuke all yelled.

"Oooooh." Naruto said before giving a confident nod of his head. "Got it."

Sasuke and Sakura gave a look of suspicion at his confidence. When Sakura opened her mouth to express that doubt, Sasuke shot a hand up and shook his head. Kakashi internally pouted; he hoped them to go around that conversation a few more times, but he figured it was time to finish things up.

"There, now that that's understood, I need you three to understand how important this is. You got lucky this time, but if that fight had started even ten seconds earlier, there is a strong possibility that he would have been capable of forming a better plan and killed you all before you realized you had an issue. You didn't beat a Legend, you beat an old man who had already been in a fight and was half-mad from cancer invading his brain while also being slowed by said cancer infecting the rest of his internal organs." Kakashi summarized as he loomed over his kids. "Don't make a habit of fighting older people. If they are ninja and managed to live that long, then you should be afraid of them."

"What?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow and pointed at Tsunade. "You mean I should be scared of this old lady?"

"Hey! I'm not old you brat!"

"I wouldn't suggest making her mad." Kakashi responded evenly. "Unless you happen to have some hemoglobin on hand."

Tsunade's eye twitched.

"For...a blood transfusion?" Sakura guessed.

"Something like that." Kakashi said with a shrug before turning towards the door to their little room.

They were not, strictly speaking, under arrest, but they had been invited to stay in his manor while 'everything got sorted out' and had been provided very safe rooms that just so happened to have a lot of cameras and sensors in the area and none of the rooms they were allowed in had windows. Despite that, Anko had somehow managed to secure liquor and drink herself into stupor after a long night of celebration that resulted in the woman holing up in her own room as she cursed anyone that made a sound louder than a whisper. They had been left alone for the last few hours, but Kakashi could sense movement at the other side of the door to the room, a quick sniff had him straighten up as the door opened.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi stated before going to a bow. Two of his students copied him.

"Hey, Old Man!" Naruto cried out happily while Tsunade gave a vague head nod.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. Sasuke. Sakura. How are you three doing?" The Hokage asked as he played with his pipe in one hand as he gazed at Sasuke with a ponderous gaze.

"Fine, Hokage-Sama." Sasuke intoned immediately, a sentiment that Sakura echoed.

"Bored!" Naruto responsed in exasperation. "We were up answering questions all last night and we haven't been allowed to go anywhere! Your place is boring!"

Kakashi held back a sigh as Hiruzen merely chuckled in response. "Well, you have to put up with it just a bit longer. Though lunch is being served in the dining area, why don't you three go as I talk with your Sensei?"

The three looked to Kakashi, rather than just running off. A huge improvement from when he first got them, at least for two of them. All three knew they could go, the Hokage outranked Kakashi after all, but it was a look checking if they needed to know anything before they moved out. A look to see if he seemed tense or scared.

"Go." He ordered with an easy tone and the three set out a sedate pace.

"Bet I'll get there first." Naruto confidentially yelled before two sets of feet began pounding down the hallway followed by a third set a heartbeat later.

"That was spooky." Tsunade muttered as she gazed out to the hallway.

Hiruzen gave a nod of acknowledgement.

Kakashi looked between the two and then out to the hallway where something crashed and broke in the distance.

"Same interaction the Sannin had before?" Kakashi guessed.

"Verbatim." Hiruzen acknowledge. "Team 7 is very similar to the younger versions of my team."

"Hopefully these little shits will end up better." Tsunade groaned as she leaned back in her chair.

"Don't worry, I suspect Sasuke will never transform into a woman." Kakashi joked.

"No. That's Naruto's thing." Hiruzen countered and Kakashi had to suppress a laugh.

Despite the joking, Hiruzen lingered and fiddled with his pipe. This was not a formal meeting, it was personal and something Hiruzen was uncertain on. Kakashi settled into the chair that Sakura had abandoned earlier and made himself comfortable yet attentive. He wouldn't rush the man.

Tsunade had no such compulsion. "What do you need?"

"I didn't think you meant this big!"

"Me either." Zabuza said with a shrug. "She's got even bigger balls than I gave her credit for."

"The bitch used us." Mei groused.

"Yeah. How dare she give us everything we wanted and profit from it." Zabuza said sarcastically.

Mei acknowledge the truth of the statement in her head, but gave no outward acknowledgement. It was true that none of what happened negatively effected them, and she had been nothing but massively helpful to their cause. Hell, even the formation of this new nation would draw everyone's eyes and stop anyone from thinking too heavily about attacking Mist while it was vulnerable.

It was helpful...but that they were used without a clue of the snake woman's greater plan. To be led by the nose down a path like they were some wet behind the ears genin hurt her pride and inspired feelings of simmering rage to settle in her bones; though Orochitama generally had that effect on her.

"I hope you keep that sense of humor about this, because this damn sure decides your job for the forseeable future." Mei shot back quickly.

Zabuza froze.

"You're already well positioned." Mei said simply.

Zabuza sat silently before giving a grunt of acknowledgement, a deafeated sigh on anyone else.

"Fine. I expect to be paid damn well for this." He groused.

"Look on the bright side. With how Konoha and Kumo are likely to react to this? You won't have to have the position for very long." Mei said with a shrug.

After all, it would take quite a bit for Konoha to overlook a traitor setting up a competing power on their doorstep and Kumo wouldn't much care for the idea either and it would be quick math for them to decide to take care of the issue.

"I dunno. She's continued to surprise us so far. She probably has a plan for that." Zabuza said.

Mei hated that he was probably right.

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Onoki contemplated the message before him and pondered it's implications. He imagined the other Kage's were collectively shitting themselves right now, but not him. Oh no, this new development brought almost enough blessings to outweigh its curses. At first glance, a powerful hidden village led by a psychopathic mad scientist and traitor forming right on his nation's border was cause for alarm, and it was, but it had another boon as well. They had a shiny new barrier against being invaded. Now, if someone wanted to invade the nation of Earth they would have to contend with this new nation or trudge through the water soaked and disease-ridden land protected by Hidden Rain.

Kumo had been looking for a fight for years. They had strongest military of any of the nations and had wanted to make sure that any war started on their terms if one was to begin. With this, that new target was certainly not going to be Iwa.

If a new war was to start, the players would be Kumo, Konoha, and this new nation. They could come to blows while Mist and Sand sat back and licked their wounds from their recent issues. They wouldn't be in a position to counter attack for years though, but Iwa would. If Iwa played its cards right, they could sweep in near the end of the conflict with fresh soldiers and resources and claim vast amounts of wealth and land for themselves.

If it didn't work out...well there was alternatives.

After all, Akatsuki had proven quite useful in the last few years.

He just had to sit back and wait for now.

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"Damn Konoha and their pain-in-the-ass traitors!" A, the Raikage, raged to his brother with a drunken slur.

"Yo, calm it down bro, your drinking needs to slow. You're yellin' and spittin' mad but you need to see things ain't so bad." Bee said, trying to calm his brother.

"They're on our damn doorstep! We can't let that threat stay. That buffer zone existed for a damned reason!" A yelled as his brother failed to grasp the situation.

"Yeah, and a buffer it shall be, but it seem to me, this ain't the threat that you been tryin' to see." Bee said before dissolving into beatboxing and muttering as he frantically wrote lyrics in his notebook.

"Stop with the rapping! What is it that I'm failing to see here?! Hm!?" A demanded as he knocked back another shot of sake.

"The Akatsuki they been rumblin' causing ruckus and troublin me. They're the biggest threat coming to be. This is a new enemy? Nah, look how their placement's key." Bee said as he placed a finger on the map and tapped at Hidden Rain. "We got intel sayin' that's where we'll find Akatsuki. This Orochitama will be their priority. Fool, we patiently pass, waitin' with sass, till Akatsuki or Konoha go to blow up their ass." Bee smirked triumphantly.

A ignored the stong feeling to roll his eyes and considered the words. It might be that he was drunk, but Bee was making sense. This new village would be bordered with Iwa, Konoha, and Rain. Orochimaru, or Tama or whatever, had supposedly previously been in Akatsuki and turned traitor. Hell, she had already spilled secrets about them to the public in front of every single village attending the Chunin exams. Her being a lure for Akatsuki wasn't a terrible idea. Akatsuki was a band of powerful traitors and A hated that all the villages just allowed them to exist. They were going to be trouble, he knew it. This way, they had a juicy target to draw them out.

Plus, it made a stronger buffer between them and Iwa.

"This is making far too much sense to be coming from you. What's Gyuki been saying to you?" A asked critically.

"Damn Bro! Why you always doubtin when my smarts flow?" Bee asked, offended.

A punched him in the head.

"Gah! Fine! He's been sayin' he's talked to Three. The Snake Lady's been spillin' tea, knowin' things like she's a long trustee. Knowledge that's knockin' and rockin' the tailed beasts and makin' their anger floppin'. Cat like that you don't bother unless your looking to have a lotta good men to end up Shinigami fodder." Bee said seriously.

Bee had a point. This Orochitama was dangerous and had consistently seemd to know things she shouldn't. If even the tailed beasts were being cautions, it would be foolish to move recklessly. However, that danger couldn't be ignored either, especially if at the head of a village. It wouldn't be now nor would it even be soon, but this was a threat he couldn't just let do as it wills. Especially considering the strange pox that swept through his village seemed suspiciously well timed to Orochitama's desires.

He would leave it for now, but plans would be made and forces would be drafted. Infuriating this new village and finding out it's players and power structure just became his nation's highest priority. Then, after they knew what they were dealing with?

Well...he'd have to see.

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