"Hokage-sama, are you suggesting that we should allow the attack to take place?" Hyuuga Hiashi was the first to break the silence after the initial introduction had been given by the Godaime regarding the current situation of war in the village.

Danzo did not respond to the Hyuuga clan head as he scanned the faces of the gathered War Councilors, it was clear to him that many were dubious about the idea of allowing the enemy to strike first.

He sat alongside Koharu and Homura behind a curved desk on a raised platform at the head of the room, the deep red symbol of Konoha proudly emblazoned on the wall behind them. Beneath them to both the left and right were a row of flaming torches that brought to the life the underground war preparation chamber and made visible the many different world maps that adorned the chamber walls.

In the centre of the room beneath the podium was an oak table that stretched towards the exit and aligning it were the village's war councilors. There were 10 councilors in total, made up of 6 major clan heads (with Nara Shikaku also attending as the Jounin Commander), the village's financial advisor, civilian representative and esteemed war veteran Hashimoto Noriyuki, the Anbu commander codenamed Fox, the village spymaster Jiraiya and the village's lead medic Tsunade.

Danzo could almost hear the cogs turning in Nara Shikaku's mind as the man stared intently at the oak, seemingly detached from the world around him. Hyuuga Hiashi was still staring at the Hokage in expectancy of a response but Danzo continued to ignore him as his eyes brushed over the man and lingered on the worried frown spread out across Inuzuka Tsume's face.

"There's no doubt in my mind that she wants us to go charging into enemy camps, the Inuzuka's fearless readiness to rush to their deaths for the sake of their clan and village is admirable, but foolish."

Turning his attention to Yamanaka Inoichi caused the old war hawk to nod ever so slightly in approval, the man had just responded to a sudden glance from Nara Shikaku, who sat to his left, with a stern nod before closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh.

"It seems they have reached the same conclusion as I, that it is simply too late for us to strike first if we hope to quash our enemy with minimal loss."

Drifting his gaze over the remaining members of the council, Danzo noted that the room seemed fairly divided on which option to take, it was then that he noticed Jiraiya fixing a stare at a particularly shadowy corner of the room.

"So he's noticed Kyoko's presence, yet why is he so interested in the fact? None of the others that have realised she is there have exhibited any more than a passing interest. Hmm."

Evidently Kakashi had managed to catch up to the Toad Sage and share his suspicions about the Phoenix masked Root commander. The matter was certainly not high up on the Hokage's list of current interests but he did not particularly want the nosey sage digging up dirt on him now that could put him an unfavourable light later on down the line. He would warn Houou to keep her distance from the village spymaster but for now he would not bother with addressing the "issue", Jiraiya should not be allowing himself to get caught up in such triviality at a time like this anyway.

"Hokage-sama?"

Danzo's eyes snapped back to meet Hyuuga Hiashi's and he briefly noticed that his two "advisors' who sat either side of him shifted slightly in their seats before each turning to pin him with cold, unimpressed stares.

"Yes, Hokage-sama, are you seriously thinking of allowing the enemy to infiltrate the village and instigate a war? "

The sound of Koharu's voice always managed to pluck at Danzo's nerves and he briefly mused over the idea of stabbing her in the throat with his cane, he had not stabbed anyone in the throat with his cane in far too long and the desire had been ever growing since his appointment to Village Leader.

"Of course I am not suggesting we let them into the village, I am suggesting we let them launch an attack on the village. What else would you have us do? Send our troops out to engage and leave the village open to an attack from within? Of three things we are certain; Orochimaru is in our territory somewhere, Iwa has large numbers of shinobi attempting to sneak up on us and we do not know how Orochimaru plans to aid the attack."

The Hokage was pleased to note that most of the council were nodding along with his statements. It was then that Hashimoto Noriyuki chose to voice his opinions, to which many perked up slightly in their seats. Hashimoto Noriyuki was a highly respected war veteran and one of the last of the once decorated Hashimoto clan, the second clan to set aside their bad blood with the Senju and help found Konoha. He was currently responsible for managing village military expenses and was partially involved with maintaining good relations with the Fire Capital.

"There are also many things of which we are uncertain, Hokage-sama, but there are three points that strike me as most concerning. First of all, do we have reason to believe that Orochimaru knows that we are aware of his involvement? Obviously we weren't going to miss Iwa's army marching towards us, no matter how hard they tried to conceal themselves, but I question whether Orochimaru is using them to bait our army out of the village so that he can launch the real attack."

Aburame Shibi was listening intently to the old war veteran but was also being careful to pay attention to his colleagues reactions, Hashimoto Noriyuki often surprised him in the General Council and would certainly raise some valid points here, he would consider the man's words carefully.

"That brings us to the next point, where is the Sound army? Root have reported suspicious activity around our borders yet there have been no sightings of Sound shinobi, only Iwa - which is hardly surprising at any time of the year. Then, of course, we have to wonder whether the Sand will join arms with us in this battle, we have intel that the attack is at least a day away, considering it is set to take place during or after the final stage of the exams. As Iwa will have declared war during a peace-time event and Sand are our allies, surely that is plenty of time for them to send out troops. If they choose to deny us their cooperation then we need to be prepared for the fact that their jinchuuriki is in the village and at that point potentially a co-conspirator of our known enemy."

The weathered old man opened his eyes once he had finished his speech and was pleased to see that all of those present, including Danzo, were nodding in agreement to all that he had said. As the silence filled the room he reached over to pour some himself some tea with the ornate tea set he had unsealed but chuckled slightly upon noticing that the teacup was slightly chipped on one corner.

"That darn Naruto!" He thought as he recalled the memory of the boy startling him into dropping the cup the day he had told the boy Tsunade was a candidate for Hokage.

"Perhaps the talented young Namikaze will be our trump card in this tricky game of war."

Glancing over at the Slug Sannin the old man could not resist eye smiling at the dirty look she was sending his way, he supposed perhaps he should have resisted the small laugh.

"This is not a joke, old man, you might find death and loss amusing but not all of us are so thrilled to watch our comrades throw their lives away for the village. That being said, I understand that a fight is inevitable, I just also wonder what it is that snake Orochimaru is after anyway? Is no one else concerned by that piece of intel?"

Jiraiya, and several others in the room, flinched slightly at the sound of Tsunade's voice as she stood up and smacked her palms down on the table and caused several chips of wood break off. It had been no secret that the Senju Heiress had been tired out after the war and had fled the village all those years ago to try and cope with her loss and avoid responsibility . Now it seemed her time back in the village had fanned the flames of her spirit once more and that she was prepared to stand and fight for her home again.

"It's hardly worthy of discussion, Tsunade-hime." Noriyuki responded, calm as ever. "A dozen possibilities come to mind when I consider what it might be but without further intel it would be foolish to waste our time pondering it. If we had more information we could consider laying a trap for Orochimaru or plan a counter of some sort but the fact remains that we have no idea what he wants. So let us focus on the upcoming war and hope that the decisions we make here will be enough to stop him before he reaches his target and destroys our village in the process."

Tsunade shot the old man another dirty look before resuming her seat and turning to address Danzo directly.

"Hokage-sama, if our intel is correct then we have atleast a day before the attack is set to take place. We could use that time to move and re-secure anything that could be of great use to Orochimaru, surely we can spare a few Anbu squads for this purpose? It has to be something extremely valuable and there's no telling how dangerous he will be once he gets his hands on it. Even if we survive the attack, is it truly a victory if our enemy has succeeded in his goal? It could be something he will return with later and use to put an end to Konoha once and for all!"

Danzo met Tsunade's intense gaze for a few seconds before finally turning to address the Anbu commander.

"Fox, I am inclined to agree with Tsunade somewhat." He ignored the snort from Noriyuki and the sudden look of shock from Shikaku.

"Village security is our main priority but I believe that includes our assets and I do not particularly enjoy the thought of Orochimaru strolling in here and taking whatever he wants. I propose we go ahead with the plan to move our forces quietly into strategic positions for a counter attack and that we use the time between now and when the finals commence to have a few Anbu squads focus on moving everything of power value around and re-securing them. Negotiate with the Root Commander so that you won't have to stretch yourself thin, I do not want this task to compromise our security."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." Fox gave a sharp affirmative nod to his leader before catching the Toad Sage's attention.

"Jiraiya-sama, do you have any intel about Orochimaru that we could use to prioiritise the security of village assets?"

The sage broke off his stare from Kyoko's location once more and leant back in his chair in careful thought, after several moments he finally spoke up.

"I would move anything that was seized when Orochimaru fled the village, all of the Sandaime's possessions, everything in the lower vaults and the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. Orochimaru has been traversing the lands in order to learn everything about the world and achieve immortality so if there's something here that still interests him there's a high chance it's for that purpose. I would prioritise the Sandaime's possessions, even Orochimaru is not stupid enough to come here for something belonging to the Sandaime with the Sandaime here to protect it so it could be that he has chosen now to attack as the Sandaime is out of the equation."

For the first time since they had entered the war preparation room, Nara Shikaku spoke up.

"I have to disagree with this plan, I'm afraid. I suggest we only move the Forbidden Scroll of Seals and the Sandaime's possessions. It would be exceptionally unwise to move anything in the lower vaults, let alone everything, and we would only make the items more open to theft in the process. Instead, we should increase security around the vaults and put the scroll and possessions in there too, it will be easier to defend one point rather than several, particularly when we don't know if his target is even among these things."

Danzo was pleased with the idea but glancing over at Noriyuki he could tell that the man was in deep thought.

"Something to add, Noriyuki?"

A smile tugged at Danzo's lips as the man rested his teacup down on the saucer and coughed to clear his throat before speaking.

"I am just a tad confused about something, perhpas it's my old age, but I'm sure one of you youngsters will be able clear it up for me. Are you trying to tell me that the village's assets aren't currently well secured?"

The old man took the time to meet eyes with each and every person present at the table before continuing.

"If the scroll and the Sandaime's possessions need to be moved then that implies that they are poorly secured at this current time and have been all along. Also, if the vaults need improved security- I won't question why the security is not top notch anyway- then I doubt that they have anything of real value to Orochimaru in them. Back in my day, anything of value that we did not want our enemies to get their hands on we made sure was locked up so tight we wouldn't be too confident of getting it out ourselves and I'm willing to bet many of those things have remained untouched even up until now. Orochimaru is no fool, he's been prancing in and out of this village like it's a bloody back road tea shop for years now and not been bothered about breaking into our vaults all this time. Now I agree that he might well be after the scroll or something that once belonged to the Sandaime but does it really make sense that he would need a war to cover up the theft? It might sadden some of you but we're a military village, we care about shinobi numbers and securing our interests. The first thing we do is check our losses after a war, you might not all have been present for the first 2 but the last war should still be pretty fresh in your minds, right?

He nodded along with the rest of the shinobi present before continuing.

"If he had wanted anything in our vaults it would have been easier to stroll in on a normal day and take it without drawing attention to himself, apparently. My first piece of advice is that you move and secure the scroll and the Sandaime's stuff somewhere that the snake is unlikely to look. My second piece of advice is that you stop for a moment and consider that it's been a while since our beloved Sandaime died and that it would still have been easier for Orochimaru to come here and get either of those things between then and now without raising much suspicion. If I had to make an educated guess I would say that he is here for a person, not an object. It is much easier to kidnap a person in the middle of a war and get away with it than it is an object of value."

Akimichi Chouza grumbled at that, he was a man who valued camaraderie above all and could not accept such a statement.

"Hashimoto-san, we are a village that treasures camaraderie above all-"

-Danzo bit down quickly on his tongue-

"-and I cannot accept that we would allow one of our to be taken without our knowledge!"

Noriyuki smirked at the statement.

"Akimichi-san, of course we would know that one of our shinobi was missing but it would be damn hard to prove that they had been kidnapped by Orochimaru and damn hard to do anything about by the time we will have realised. Besides, a missing shinobi often means a dead shinobi. Raise your hands anyone who doesn't know how to kill someone without leaving a body. Anyone? No? No one? I didn't think so. Not to mention Iwa are marching in on us, they're somewhat known for making bodies unidentifiable."

The room was silent so Noriyuki decided to continue.

"Going back to the main point, I think it is imperative that we set in place a plan that will keep the Iwa troops as far away from Konoha as possible so that our main army will be able to attack without causing damage to the village whilst also bumping up our defences in the village in preparation for the intial attack from Orochimaru. As we seem to have agreed, it is wiser to let the enemy continue with their attack unaware that we are prepared to counter so that we can achieve the best results in dealing with the situation."

It was Jiraiya that spoke up next and Danzo didn't miss how everyone straightened up at the sound of his voice.

"As we are planning to feign ignorance to the attack it will be difficult to evacuate civilians without raising suspicion. I suggest that we find a way to evacuate the civilians whilst they are in indoors, by creating a secret underground network leading to a safe spot that we could then secure with protective sealed barriers."

Although it was clearly a good idea there were many dubious experessions around the table, that sort of advanced sealing would require a lot of chakra and a seal master to oversee the construction.

"Try to be practical Jiriaya, you are the only Seal Master in the village and such a task would mean that you would be severely weakened by the time the attack took place and therefore unable to fight. We cannot afford to take such a risk at a ti-"

Before Koharu could finish her speech, Jiraiya suddenly interupted her.

"-Actually there is another seal master in the village, how could you forget? Phoenix?" He was now pinning his gaze on Kyoko's location once more. "Are you not a Seal Master?"

They both hit the ground with a heavy thud and a slight crunch, Kankuro rolled over and took a deep breath before jumping up into his taijutsu stance as his ninja senses finally kicked in. Sasuke had already risen and had his kunai drawn in preparation for a fight.

The 3 young Iwa shinobi had them surrounded in the dark room, glancing around Kankuro noticed that there were many holes in the walls In the large circular room that did not appear to go through the walls but were instead miniature vortexes of some sort.

No one had spoken yet but the Iwa shinobi were eyeing the Uchiha heir with high levels of bloodlust and seemed as though they might attack in a split second. Sasuke maintained an air of calm and collectedness despite this, which nearly made Kankuro snort, as minutes beforehand he had been a whiny, unsettled brat ranting at Naruto and demanding answers.

"Why have they not moved to attack yet?" Kankuro continued to scan their surroundings for answers during the stand-off, soon his eyes were drawn to the floor. The floor was painted in black and white tiles, much like a chess board. Curiously, everyone in the room was currently stood on a white tile. Was there some significance to this? The Iwa team were looking a little worse for wear, as if Temari had been attacking them with her fan.

"I suppose the only way to prove my theory is to test it." The Suna nin noted that, just as he lifted his foot to step onto a black tile, the Iwa shinobi collectively braced themselves to move. Before lowering his foot onto the black tile, Kankuro gave Sasuke a brief look to see if he was paying attention to what Kankuro was about to do. The Uchiha didn't turn to look at his new fighting partner, his Sharingan spinning wildly as he assessed the challengers before him, he merely gave a stiff nod in response to the silent question and braced himself for whatever was about to happen, if anything.

"Well here goes nothing." Kankuro took a deep breath and lowered his foot down on the black tile beside him.

It happened within a split second of his sole connecting, Sasuke shot forward and began a vicious onslaught against the nearest enemy nin. The others quickly moved into action and the sound of metal against metal rang out across the room as the shinobi battled for their lives.

Nothing happened to the room when they all moved, however, the strange vortex like holes on the wall remained inactive and stepping on different coloured tiles as they fought one another did not appear to have any effect on the room. For some reason Kankuro was still nervous to use his puppets in the fighting, he couldn't understand it but his gut was telling him not to fight with them.

"But what had the Iwa shinobi so shaken up about the room then?"

Most the Council now had their gazes on Kyoko's position and although most of them were wondering how Jiraiya knew that information, a select few were more concerned with Jiraiya's apparent interest in Kyoko.

Fox was staring at Tsunade, who was slyly observing Danzo, who was scowling at Jiraiya, who was smirking at the Elders, who had just exchanged a brief look between them and were now staring at Danzo, who ever so slightly nodded his head in approval.

All eyes were on Phoenix as she moved out of the shadows and into the light of the flames, she was wearing her long black cloak and had the hood pulled up to conceal her hair, the mask could barely conceal her sharp violet eyes though as she stared back at Jiraiya.

The clan heads were particularly confused at the tense atmosphere that had descended on the room, though none of them had known Phoenix to be a Seal Master, it was hardly shocking considering they all knew her to be a relative of the Uzumaki clan.

"That is correct, Jiraiya no Sannin, I am a Seal Master. With the Hokage's approval, I propose that I be allowed to create several "Entry Locations" in random shops and homes that will lead to a seal protected underground location that the civilians will be evacuated to with guidance from the Chuunin Police and the Genin. Once our army has left to engage the Iwa troops outside the immediate border, I will then enact a life binding barrier seal around the village that will keep everyone already inside the village in and anyone outside of it out. As the main Anbu forces will mostly form a part of the troops sent to engage , I will keep the majority of the Root forces in the village to deal with any attacks from within alongside the Police, Genin and defending Jounin groups. Any problems so far?"

Tsunade had been caught in a daze as she stared at the woman stood in front of her, there was no mistake, it was Uzumaki Kushina.

"That plan means that we would have to station some medic tents outside of the village so that our outside troops will be able to receive medical support, which means that we will need to keep Iwa far away enough that we can set up enough of a fall back area to protect medics from immediate attack."

Kyoko hadn't expected Tsunade to pipe up, given the melancholic look in her eyes as the medic stared up at her.

"Also, Commander, such a technique would be a great drain on you physically. It would be imperative that you had a highly trained medic nin guarding and sustaining you. I believe I would be the best candidate for the role, considering the importance of keeping the barrier up."

Tsunade could tell that Kushina was smirking underneath the mask and it was all the Slug Sannin could do not to leap forward and rip the porcelain from the Uzumaki woman's face.

All remained silent as the two powerful women regarded one another across the room.

Nara Shikaku's mind was whirling with new hypotheses as he considered recent events, he also hadn't missed the knowing smirk that had briefly adorned Hyuuga Hiashi's face as Phoenix had been called into the light.

"Why would Tsunade-sama take such an interest in the Root Commander all of a sudden? Why is she so keen to be alone with her? What does Hiashi know? I'm missing something very significant here. I will figure it out."

It took Shikaku a moment to realise that Phoenix had torn her gaze from Tsunade and had been carefully studying him as his mind raced, as his eyes met hers she sighed and turned her captivating stare back on Tsunade.

"Tsunade-hime, although you make a fair point, it would be better if you were stationed outside of the village to assist and protect the medic nins working there. Your combat experience could mean the difference between a win and a loss for the village. As for me, we have had your former apprentice Katō Shizune working with us in the Root Division for some time now and she is quite familiar with how we work. So, with that in mind, I would prefer to have her monitoring me whilst I sustain the barrier and a Root squadron guarding us both for its' duration."

Shikaku's eyes widened slightly at the revelation that Shizune was working for the Root, it made sense now how Danzo had been able to convince Tsunade to stay without much of a fight. When the Nara clan head had first visited the hospital to welcome Tsunade back to the village, she had been an unsettling level of calm and rather blunt, merely stating that she had no choice but to stay as Danzo had withdrawn her wandering rights. Anyone who knew Tsunade knew that was not enough to keep her, otherwise the Sandaime would have done it a long time ago.

"What is this all about?" He would have to spend more time dwelling on it after they had defeated the invaders. Now was not the time for conspiracy theories, now was the time for war.

"I agree with Phoenix, Tsunade-sama should protect the medic nins outside the border and Shizune-san should tend to the commander. It is clearly the smarter option."

The Slug Sannin growled slightly at the Nara's interjection but it was clear from the nods around the room that the decision had been made. The Root Commander looked to the Hokage for approval and ,upon receiving it, gave the War Council a deep bow and drifted back into the shadows.

"Now that has been settled, we need to organise the troops."

At the sound of Danzo's voice the tense atmosphere in the room settled and the Councillors refocused their attention on the battle plans.

"Kushina will do whatever she believes it will take to protect Naruto, you must not forget that Hiashi."

Hyuuga Hitomi had her back rested against the bars from the inside of her cell and her head turned slightly to face her husband, who mimicked her stance from the outside of the cell.

"I am well aware of Uzmaki Kushina's motherly defensiveness, Hitomi. Believe me, I do not wish for it to come down to the contract anymore than she does. However, I feel more assured that, should Naruto fail to fulfil his promise, she will take whatever steps necessary to remedy the situation before our hands are truly tied. She is a very powerful woman, even if she is supposed to be long dead."

They regarded one another in silence for several long moments before the clan head's wife finally asked the question that had lingered on her mind for some time now.

"Could you release me? Please Hiashi? I never wanted to leave before because I truly deserve to be here, however with a war coming I cannot bear the thought of Hinata out there alone!"

She pushed off of the bars and spun round to look the Clan Head straight in his pupilless eyes as she gripped the bars tightly and continued to plead.

"If I get caught then I'll say I escaped on my own! I would never incriminate you. You've said that a war is set to break out! It would be no hard task for me to slip out of the compound in the chaos, please? Free me."

The Hyuuga Clan Head was stunned into complete silence, for a second Hitomi thought that perhaps he had stopped breathing altogether.

"Hiashi! I have never asked you for anything in the past, I know that I once betrayed your trust but I have spent all these years repenting for that sin and I desperately want to see my daughter again. Please? You don't even have to do it for me, do it for Hinata! She deserves to know that I am still here for her."

Hiashi finally raised a hand to silence her.

"What would we tell the Hokage? What would we tell the council? Where exactly would we tell Hinata & Hanabi that you've been since you were supposed to have died? Have you not considered any of this Hitomi?"

Lifting his eyes to meet hers, Hiashi expected to see a defeated expression adorning Hitomi's features but instead was greeted with a rather mischievous smirk.

"I have a plan in mind, however, it would require scrapping the original plan with Naruto and asking him for a different type of cooperation. The operation would hinge on his capability but the consequences for failure are.. unthinkable."

Although Hiashi was intrigued by the prospect of freeing his wife and saving his daughter, a part of him was fearful for what might happen to them and to the Hyuuga name if they were exposed. Not as fearful, though, as the part of him that considered the debt he would owe Namikaze Naruto should they manage to pull it off.

Hitomi quirked her eyebrow at the faraway expression on her husband's face, what she did not know was that, as he stared past her, Hiashi was picturing the young, blonde Anbu agent leaning against the back wall of the cell. He was captivated by the Namikaze heir's cool blue gaze. He flinched as he could imagine those cerulean orbs washing over with a shade befitting of an Uzumaki warrior's locks- blood red, a now unforgiving gaze which held the promise of suffering.

No. It truly did not bear thinking about.

"Why do I have to stay here!? I am the FIRE LORD! You cannot keep me here against my will. I want to go out there where my fans can see me and revel in my greatness. I am not a little kid! I'm-"

"-A stupid little kid." The young Fire Lord paused to glare at the Hokage as the man interrupted his tirade.

Danzo currently had Minamoto Aro, the newly appointed Seventh Fire Lord, locked in a large, modestly decorated room in a nondescript house near the centre of Konoha. He had just finished explaining to the young lord that an attack was nearing Konoha and that the boy could be a target. The troublesome whinging had started when he reached the part about how the Fire Lord would not be attending the finals of the Chuunin exams and that a body double would stand in his place.

"How dare you? I should be the one to decide whether or not I will attend the exams, not you! These shinobi answer to me above all-

-The Hokage's snort caused the gathered ninja to shift uncomfortably-

"-and they will escort me to the arena for the last stage. That is final."

It was then that Noriyuki decided to interrupt, it was his job to deal with the Fire Capital, after all, and that included the young Fire Lord- unfortunately.

"Aro-sama, you must try to understand that this is now a time of war and, therefore, the Hokage holds the ultimate command. If you were over 21 years of age then, in accordance with the law, you would still retain your power to make decisions regarding Fire Country- bar Konoha of course. However, you are merely 12 years of age and so it has been decided for you that you will remain in hiding until such a time that the Hokage deems it safe for you to come out. That truly is final."

Seeing that the young boy had slumped back into his chair in defeat, Danzo nodded to the shinobi, including the Fire Guardians, charged with protecting the Fire Lord, before spinning round to make his exit from the house. Noriyuki was merely a step behind.

As they reached the front door Danzo paused before pressing his hands against it to activate the sealing array Kyoko had painted there, once it had activated a moment later he slid the door open and the 2 war veterans, along with the Hokage's guard, stepped out of an entirely different unused house in another sector of Konoha from the one they had just been in.

"Hokage-sama, it may not be an issue now but young Aro won't be so easy to control once he reaches maturity. Some day that boy will openly oppose you and it could tear Fire Country apart."

Noriyuki had spoken quietly as they strolled down the streets of Konoha and observed the villagers continuing with their general duties, completely unaware of what was coming.

"One war at a time, old friend."

Danzo did not speak again until they reached the Hokage Tower.

The tunnel was eerily quiet as the trio strolled lightly towards their target. They were currently disguised as Grass Ninja, having dumped the bodies of the real team a little way out of the village before entering the exams in their place. Orochimaru no Sannin had taken on the disguise of a boy named Shiore who, coincidentally, bore a slight resemblance to the Snake Sannin's original features. His long black hair swayed slightly behind him and he wore a conical straw hat with a talisman hanging from it that had "evil" written on it. It would be difficult for the 2 servants to forget whose presence they were in, particularly under the weight of their master's killing intent as it filled the corridors with its' powerful strength.

"We are close. Very close now."

His voice seemed to hiss as he spoke and there was something slightly seductive in his tone that was deeply unsettling. The 2 nin either side of the Snake Sannin swallowed deeply as Orochimaru licked his lips in excitement and his face broke into a wide grin.

"Soon Sasuke-kun, soon we will test your worth and decide your fate."

One problem was on Orochimaru's mind, however. Kyoko's son would be around here somewhere and although the Sannin had managed to separate the 2 boys by causing the maze to shift, there was still every chance that Naruto would catch up to him before he could complete his plan.

"That bitch Kyoko! Because of her I cannot touch the Namikaze heir but I also cannot afford to miss this opportunity. I will have to be very careful to keep the boy at a distance, it also wouldn't do well for anyone, especially Naruto, to find out the nature of the deal I made with Kyoko"

The sound of kunai clashing together could be heard in the near distance and the smell of blood carried in the damp air around them.

"Sasuke-kun should be engaged with an Iwa team up ahead, there is not much time to waste."

"So Tatsuru will be stationed outside of the village to meet Iwa's forces. Are you sure that you are comfortable with that Phoenix? Powerful as he is, that boy has never fought in a war."

The 2 Anbu commanders, Fox & Phoenix, were stood atop the Hokage Monument, watching out over the village as they discussed the upcoming battle. Phoenix had enacted a privacy barrier around them so that their conversation could not be overheard by any unwanted listeners. Fox stood tall with his arms crossed, his cloak billowing gently in the wind behind him. Phoenix was sat beside him, her hood pulled up and her mask firmly attached. She had not uttered a single word during the half an hour they had been up there together, opting instead to hum quietly and listen to Fox ponder the decisions that had been reached during the meeting.

"You should tell him the truth while there is still time, he deserves to know what really happened that night. He deserves to know who you really are."

Kyoko continued humming a sweet tune to herself, not even bothering to look in the Anbu Commander's direction.

"What would Minato think of you? Kushina?"

Her burst of laughter caused the man to stumble slightly, although the sound was concealed within the barrier it still felt as though it had rang out across the village.

"What would Minato think of me? Ha! As if I give a flying fuck what Minato would think. If he were half the man I once thought he was he would be standing here right now gearing up to defend the village and keep his son off the battlefield. However, he is no longer around to fulfil his duties, neither as a Kage or as a father. So I think you'll find that his opinions no longer matter."

Fox merely sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets as he followed the Uzumaki woman's gaze to a nearby rooftop where Jiraiya no Sannin had been watching them the entire time. He had been well aware of the fact, of course, but as Phoenix had shown no sign of it bothering her he had decided not to do anything about it.

Jiraiya would be the biggest problem once the attack on the village was over, if the village survived, that is. The Sandaime's former student would ask many questions, none of which the Anbu commander was a in a position to answer. Jiraiya would start digging and what he would unearth would carry the risk of uprooting the village and dumping it into chaos if the Sannin wasn't careful.

"Kami, what I wouldn't give to have Minato back here, leading us once more."

"I can practically smell the blood! Soon the real battle will commence and we will be right in the heart of it. You are planning to let me feast on the Iwa forces right brat!?"

Naruto stood in his mindscape before the Nine Tails with his hands stuffed in his pockets and an air of nonchalance about him as he stared up into his companion's bloodthirsty eyes. Snorting, he flipped his hair out of eyes before finally responding to the expectant gaze he was being pinned with.

"Sure why not, I suppose I can just chill out on your back while you decimate their army. You will have to be careful to only attack forwards though and not harm any Konoha nin."

The Kyuubi snorted before resting his head back on his paw and closing his eyes.

"Your Konoha nin will have to be careful to not get themselves harmed by getting in my way."

The blonde shinobi laughed at that and turned to exit his mindscape and refocus his attention on the fights happening around him, glancing back over his shoulder to leave the Nine Tails with a parting thought.

"Ne, Kurama, do you think Iwa will bring their Jinchuuriki to the fight? I know the Four Tails and Five Tails fight with them. Hmm.. 4 and 5 makes 9, who knows? Maybe the two of them would be enough to drop you on your arse?"

The one eyed death glare he received in response was enough to make him chuckle before he finally left.