'Hideo' slipped through one of the opium dens the gangster and 'legitimate businessman' Gatō had established in the Land of Wave. 'Hideo' could appreciate using the highly addictive drug as a means of control. There was no denying it was an effective method. The issue was that many of the 'patrons' weren't there by choice. Many of the young women who 'served' the establishment and the young men who arrived after slaving in Gatō's dry-docks and mines did not start opium by choice. They had been dragged from their homes by the criminals who were now the power on this wretched island.

That was the issue Hideo had with Gatō. Gatō removed all concept of choice or at least the illusion of choice. Hideo's creator was beginning to form a new philosophy that evolved from the ancient concept of Evil.

Uzumaki Naruto was the Overlord. It was perfectly okay for him to define his philosophy however he wanted! There was also the fact that Naruto and Hinata, unlike Gnarl, knew the importance of a solid PR campaign. Gnarl hadn't been paying much attention to the average person over the centuries. He only witnessed the major events that drew upon the powers of the Ancient Tower Heart. The Minion Master had failed to realize that the people, especially the civilians, of this era were basically sheep. As long as they were fed, housed, distracted, and happy; they would follow any leader and any political system. Apathy was the key to domination now. Naruto and Hinata knew they would no longer need iron chains to enslave the populations of the world. All they would need is a brainless movie to come out every once and a while, cheap food on the table, and for the purges to happen 'somewhere else'.

Hideo strolled casually into the least shitty of the various inns in the city. He put on his best 'I'm not part of Gatō's organization' smile and approached the skittish looking hostess. The young woman looked as if she wanted nothing more than to hide behind her husband. 'What could this place have that keeps Gatō off their cases?' The Naru-clone known as Hideo mused.

"Good afternoon," the hostess said cautiously. "Are you here for a meal, board, or work?"

The Naru-clone paused as his question was partially answered. "A bit of all three actually."

"You ever work in a coal mine before?" The man asked while sending a message for reaching for a weapon concealed beneath the counter.

"No," Hideo admitted with a very enthusiastic grin. "But I am very interested in learning more…"

Naruto jotted down some notes in his 'journal'. He caught the nervous look from Sakura. The pinkette was still terrified of him after the threats at the start of their career 'together'. Sasuke hadn't stopped alternating between glaring at Naruto and glaring in the most likely places Kakashi would arrive from.

Theatrically closing his 'journal', Naruto drew the attention of his 'teammates'. "I'm bored."

"What a tragedy," Sasuke deadpanned.

"I'm surprised," Naruto drawled. "That you're satisfied being an errand boy, Sasuke."

"Errand boy! I'm a shinobi!" Sasuke spat.

'Mission is go,' the Overlord thought with an internal smirk. "Then how come you want more D-rank missions?"

"Do you actually think I like doing chores for civilians who get off on the one tiny scrap, the one illusion of power they have in their lives?" Sasuke snapped back.

"Then help me!" Naruto hissed. "If we all bug Kakashi enough, we could probably get a C-rank mission!"

Sasuke cast a glance towards Sakura who nodded resolutely. "We are in."

"Excellent!" Naruto crowed as he clapped his hands together. "I happen to know that an engineer from Wave is in Konoha and looking for a highly talented team to escort him home."

"How do you know this?" Sakura questioned. She swallowed back a squeak of terror at speaking up to Naruto but also felt a surge of pride.

Naruto smiled. "I know how to ask the right questions. And Hinata has the Byakugan."

"At least you won't be slowing us down," Sasuke scoffed. Naruto smiled a lopsided smirk. The two young men loathed each other, but there was a modicum of respect somewhere in that emotional sea of hate, anger, and rivalry.

Silence resumed its reign over Team Seven. Kakashi finally arrived. Naruto sat back as Sasuke took the lead in this matter. He was more interested in the latest Kage Bunshin to dispel's information. Tazuna was drunk. Drunks were easy to exploit.

…drunks were exploitable in the extreme. This could bode very well for Naruto's long-term plans. Returning his attention to Sasuke's rant, Naruto decided now was the time to actually…help…the Uchiha. Naruto found the entire concept distasteful. The situation required Naruto to put aside his personal animosity.

"Sasuke's right! We shouldn't be doing chores! We're ninja! And we're ready! Anything the world can throw at us; we can handle-ttebayo!"

Kakashi grinned as his students played to his expectations. He wasn't a moron. Kakashi knew the interaction was forced, but he could notice the cracks. If he kept working, there could be real progress. Real interaction and maybe even friendship. For the first time, Kakashi felt the inkling of hope form in his heart.

"How about you, Sakura?" Kakashi quizzed his kunoichi. If she wasn't ready, Kakashi wouldn't push her too hard.

"I believe that…a C-rank is just what Team Seven needs!" Sakura declared emphatically. Her body language was confident. Her tone was adamant. She truly believed in what she was declaring. Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he accepted her response.

What the Copy-Nin wasn't aware of was that Sakura was hoping Uzumaki Naruto would be somehow be crippled or killed on the mission.

Still, the covered Sharingan didn't grant Kakashi to read minds.

If it did, he'd probably shit a brick or three.

Hideo may have been a Shadow Clone, but he was a masterful liar and possessed his creator's charisma. The coal miners were so desperate for some minor way to strike back at Gatō that they would latch on to any hope. Hideo leaned back in his chair and smiled once again.

"I'm no shinobi, but my…mentor…has trained me in some useful skills. My mentor is coming and he will liberate you. I swear this. He may wear the headband of a Shinobi village, but his first loyalty lies with those who are loyal to him."

"I understand that," Atsushi virtually pleaded. "But what you are proposing is suicide!"

"The candle that burns brightest burns shortest," Hideo repeated a phrase Iruka-sensei absolutely loved to say. "Tell me, what is better to live a short life and be remembered forever as a legend or live a long life and be forgotten before it even ends?"

"But…" Another miner said.

"Trust me," Hideo said smoothly. "We all have a role to play. I chose this one."

The Clone soaked up the resigned admiration. He finished with a flourish and a smile. "Besides, I really don't plan on dying tonight."

A round of cheap ale later, Hideo was slipping into the night. The mission was dangerous, but nowhere near as dangerous as the yokels back at the 'clandestine' militia post were lead to believe. Hideo was not the only Kage Bunshin that had become 'gainfully' employed in the poverty-stricken, crime-ravaged shithole that was Wave Country. Gatō was actually paying a dozen of Naruto's clones that had replaced some of his thugs. The Thug-Clones were turning around and funneling their paychecks, loot, and other sources of income back to Naruto and Hinata's Dark Domain.

Better yet, they were providing excellent cover for the weapons caches the Browns serving the Overlord and Overlady were seeding across the Island.

'Yet, we still can't find how to get to the Tower Heart Shard…'

Hideo bit back a curse at the thought. He had to at least try to be stealthy. Gatō had a few Missing-nin on the payroll. The adversaries were suitably paranoid and almost never revealed themselves to the masses.

Admirable, truthfully.

However, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyūga Hinata were ruthless, clever, and willing to apply that cleverness to their ruthless pursuit of power.

Naruto's clones had been preparing to eliminate the missing-nin using one of Hinata's tactics to deal with the Missing-nin. The Missing-nin weren't being poisoned currently. They were being fed the antidote.

Fortunately for Hideo, the guards for the night were the idiots who had been replaced by Naruto's Clones. It was an absolute miracle that none of the Missing-nin had encountered the Clone brigade. Naruto and Hinata were confident in their abilities, but even they were aware the odds of fooling a decently trained veteran shinobi were very slim.

The Shadow Clone was still cautious, however. There was no telling if one of Gatō's other mercenaries got drunk on his previous shift and was stumbling out of some side room. Fortunately, the only drunk mercenaries were well and truly drunk. To the point that the extension of the Overlord's Will actually kicked one in the face out of sheer spite.

And nothing happened.

'See,' the Shadow Clone thought. 'This is why Gatō is gonna be overrun in a week when the Overlord and Overlady show up...'

The prearranged patrol patterns between Naruto's clones were followed to perfection. It was childishly easy to get to the meat and place a smaller-than-usual dose of the antidote. It was just as easy for Hideo to extradite himself from the camp. He slipped out of a gap in the patrols that even a first week Academy student could exploit.

Hideo suddenly cursed as he stumbled across a young woman approaching from the woods. She was carrying a basket of flowers and herbs. Hideo could not deny her grace or her simple beauty.

"Don't yell for the guards, please," Hideo whispered with a mix of feigned and legitimate pleading in his voice.

"And why would I do that?" the young woman asked succinctly.

The Shadow Clone gulped. "I-I just want out. I came thinking…that I could get some work in the mines, but…they got us in deep. My sister, they got her hopped up on opium and used her up! She freaking OD'd! I…I've got nothing left…If you don't have that one person in your life…what's the point?"

Hideo's words struck a chord. They had been complete bullshit, but they had seemingly struck a very powerful chord. "Go, there are no patrols towards the beach tonight. I believe I saw a small dinghy. Take it."

"Thank you," Hideo said. "Uh, what's your name?"

"Haku," the young woman answered. "My name is Haku."

"I'll see you around," Hideo said as he took off running for the beach. Haku watched him go wistfully. She hadn't expected someone on this island to have a philosophy that mirrored her own. The story was just another blow to her enthusiasm for this mission. However, Zabuza-sama's will was her own. Every time she interacted with Gatō or any of his men, she had the urge to simply kill them all and be done with this. The way Wave was being exploited and defiled truly sickened her. Unfortunately, Zabuza's stance was absolute. As long as Gatō continued to pay them regularly, despite every shred of mounting evidence the small pathetic creature was preparing to double-cross them at the earliest opportunity, Zabuza, the Demon Brothers, and Haku would continue to meet their obligations under the contract.

"Why Zabuza-sama?" Haku lamented.

Hideo had, of course, known about Haku beforehand. She had come to collect the choice meat for Zabuza and the Demon Brother's meals. The Shadow Clone actually cried out a very dramatic and, in his limited opinion, very convincing cry of 'No!' He had not traveled far enough for there to be any doubt that Haku had heard the lament. Even as he cursed the fact that as a Kage Bunshin he could feel pain, he had to struggle not to smile. Haku erupted from the tree line just as another of Naruto's Kage Bunshin disguised as one of Gatō's enforces stabbed him in the chest with a cheap wakizashi.

Haku could only watch in horror as Hideo mouthed Aki and fell into the wetlands behind the dunes.

'He had been so close!' Haku raged. In her rage, she reached out with her Bloodline and froze the 'thug'. With a powerful blow, Haku shattered the assailant.

The thug was not the only thing that shattered…

Back in the Dark Domain, Naruto was resting his head in Hinata's lap as the Overlord and Overlady relaxed on a couch.

"Well?" Hinata asked as she ran her hands through Naruto's hair.

"You are an Evil Genius," Naruto commended his partner. "The poison plan is tried and true. I couldn't see it working this good in a shinobi village, but hot damn, it is working great here. The Viral Shadow Clones are working wonders."

"If the Hyūga taught me anything, it is the necessity of political scheming. For all their many flaws and sins, they have instilled some very sound values in me," Hinata laughed.

"Genetically, they did right by you too…" Naruto said with admiration.

Hinata smirked triumphantly. "Flattery will get you everywhere…"

"I think I need to thank you…"

"Uzumaki, you absolutely have to thank me…" Hinata whispered huskily as Naruto repositioned himself in front of Hinata. She had elected to wear as simple robe…and nothing else…so Naruto found it a very quick process to gain access to Hinata's womanhood. Fingers and tongue slid in with practiced ease.

As Hinata moaned, a single thought escaped before her mind was engulfed in a tidal wave of pleasure. 'It's good to be the Queen…'

"Wakey, wakey, Tazuna."

The voice was dark, muffled, yet powerful. It sent a shiver of absolute terror through his gut. "D-Did Gatō send you to kill me?"

"No," The voice said with a dangerously annoyed edge. "Gatō doesn't have the balls or the muscle to stage a hit in Konoha."

"Then," Tazuna gulped. "What are you doing here?"

The cloaked and armored figure walked into view. Tazuna couldn't make out his features, but the engineer had the distinct impression that the man was smiling behind his shadowed cowl. The message behind the hypothetical smile was not pleasant. It was 'I could kill you a dozen was before you could scream.'

"I come on behalf of the Overlord and the Overlady," the figure announced. "They have already laid the groundwork for the liberation of Wave."

"What?" Tazuna bolted up from his bed. The figure stopped him with a glare. Which, to be honest was made even more impressive since Tazuna had no way to see that man's face.

"You shall see when you hire a shinobi team tomorrow. Gatō will be destroyed; my masters give you all assurances."

"Gatō has ruined us!" Tazuna hissed. "I can barely afford a C-rank mission, which would barely get shinobi worth their salt!"

"Normally," the threatening figure agreed casually. "Which suits my masters perfectly. Tomorrow, request a C-rank. There will be a Genin team that will be pushing for a true Shinobi mission. Be warned, two of Gatō's shinobi will attack you en route to Wave."

"Then why should I hire Genin?" The bridge builder gaped.

"For one, the Genin are quite skilled...even if two are, to be frank, assholes. The Jonin-sensei is a broken idealist, but a masterfully skilled ninja. He's a legitimate Hokage candidate even."

Tazuna sighed and reached for his wine flagon. "I guess that is a condolence."

"And when word of the shinobi attack reaches Konoha, a second Genin team will be dispatched as reinforcements, primarily for their Jonin-sensei."

"For free?" Tazuna asked childishly.

The figure laughed. "Tazuna, my dear Tazuna, nothing is free. But, a short-term investment will lead to prosperity and power Wave has never even dreamed of."

"Are you telling me the truth or what I want to hear?"

"Both," the wraith answered with a shrug. "There are times where the truth and desire align."

"I need proof."

"Very well. The coal miners have been inspired by a man named 'Hideo'. When we reach Wave, ask about the sacrifice he made for your country."

"Why are you so interested in Wave?" Tazuna queried. "This is super suspicious."

"Because we want the same thing. Power and respect. I can provide that for you, and all that is required is trading a foreign tyrant and a cowardly and ineffective Daimyo for a new government."

Tazuna sat up. "And what will this help Wave? What can your new government offer that we can't get ourselves?"

"How about protection from Shinobi, for one?"

The Engineer snorted. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"So be it," the figure crossed the room before Tazuna could yelp. "Gibblet! A portal!"

"A what now?" Tazuna asked in a panicked voice. The grip on his pajama shirt was menacing. To Tazuna's dismay, the sound reality made as it was torn asunder was even worse. Tazuna was dragged into a seeping wound in reality. As Tazuna's eyes adjusted to the gloomy light, he felt an intense heat.

There was a meaty thwack that caused a new adrenaline rush to get Tazuna to focus.

"Listen, you! The Masters want their guest unharmed!" A cruel and ancient voice caused Tazuna to tear his gaze away from his kidnapper. The creature was some kind of gray leathery imp. It was clad in sackcloth robes and a glowing crystal suspended off of a banner pole with some kind of wire. The unfortunate younger brown imp was wearing some kind of armor sourced from insect carapace. In the distance, hundreds of beady red eyes glowered menacingly from the shadows.

Tazuna was led into a throne room carved from living obsidian. Banners of orange and lavender fluttered in the air currents created by the volcanic heat. The throne room was dominated by a single imposing throne cut from living obsidian. However, the throne was unoccupied. Two smaller, but still incredibly regal, thrones were placed on a step below the main throne. Two chain mail veils were in front thrones in a militaristic parody of the veils of the Daimyo. Tazuna could vaguely make out the outline of figures sitting on each of the thrones.

"Tazuna of Wave," a male voice announced. "You are amusingly brave."

"W-What?"

A female voice, one colored by a paradoxical mix of gentle and vicious, spoke next. "You haven't collapsed yet. There are few who can withstand the presence of such concentrated Magic."

"We have seen what Gatō has reduced your island to and it sickens us," the male continued before Tazuna could react. "It is our philosophy that there should be choice."

"Choice?"

The figures' faces were obscured, but Tazuna could tell they were grinning from behind the veils. Tazuna watched as the female nodded. "Yes, choice. Everywhere people are chained by the theft of their self-determination and choice. We wish to break those chains."

"To that end, we have begun laying the groundwork to liberate Wave," the man said.

"For your own power," Tazuna tried to sound defiant.

The pair laughed. "Of course, but doesn't that describe every politician and noble on this miserable rock?" The man asked again.

"Y-You have a point. Are you really trying to help us?" The bridge builder asked.

A soft laugh that was far too threatening escaped from the woman. "Of course. Truth can be as an effective weapon as lies and violence."

"What if I decide to not to hire Shinobi?"

"Then you will die, your bridge will stand as a monument to your failure, and Wave will be damned to slave and waste away under Gato's tiny ineffectual rule," the man snapped.

Tazuna finally realized that the two figures were keeping him off balance. He was being run ragged. "You would have me set aside pride?"

"Set it aside, yes. Abandon it? Never. You are waging war and war requires sacrifice," the woman pointed out.

'How can they coordinate so perfectly?' Tazuna thought. 'If they are this skilled…'

In addition to their skill, the conviction in the pair's words was sweeping Tazuna up. "If I agree, I will want to know your plans."

"Our plans?" The pair asked in unison. Tazuna watched as they exchanged a look that almost seemed amused.

"They are quite simple," the man laughed.

"We want the world."

Tazuna wasn't sure how to respond, but in his heart, he knew their plan wasn't as outlandish as it sounded.

Sakura wasn't sure when it had started, but she would always put Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun between her and Naruto. There was something unsettling about her blond headed teammate. He had played Sasuke like a koto. Sakura was sure that Kakashi-sensei had realized Naruto's game. It shocked her that Sasuke-kun had fallen for Naruto's honeyed words.

'Sasuke-kun has tunnel vision in regards to 'That Man',' Sakura realized.

Still, she wasn't completely opposed to the C-rank mission. The mission would be a great opportunity to see tangible proof that she was growing stronger. There was also the chance, however slight, that Naruto would die on the mission.

Team Seven had reached the Hokage's Tower, but Kakashi stopped them before entering. The Copy-nin crossed his arms before addressing the Genin. "I want to make absolutely sure that you three are one hundred and ten percent ready for a C-rank mission. Once we get to the Hokage's office, there is no turning back."

"What's there to turn back to, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "I think we're ready for whatever the world can throw at us!"

Sasuke huffed. "I'm with Naruto." The use of Naruto's name came across as a choked noise."We are ready."

"We are shinobi now. This is our duty!" Sakura shouted. Her enthusiastic energy was quickly converted into heat. She had caught Sasuke's impressed stare. It was an achievement of a lifetime that she did not squeal in delight.

"Stubborn kids," Kakashi chuckled.

At the top of the tower, Naruto and Sasuke feigned really listening to the Hokage. The two young men were far more interested in receiving their mission. Naruto and Sasuke lived to prove themselves. This was the greatest opportunity the shinobi had ever had.

"Your C-rank mission is to escort a bridge builder to his home country," Hiruzen revealed. "Please send him in."

The nameless Chuunin quickly ushered Tazuna of Wave into the office. The engineer ranted for a bit about the youth of his protectors. Kakashi stepped in and reassured the client. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi turned their attention to the Hokage.

Naruto hesitated a moment. The words that followed would haunt Tazuna forever.

"Nice to meet you, Tazuna…"

Author's Note: Here's an update! Was looking through my works and saw how close this chapter was to completion. Muse went active and I managed to finish off the last bit that was left. Shorter chapter, but it is a bridge to the next major arc. Some pretty big developments in store. We're heading to Wave! Which, if you can't tell by the opening and ending of this chapter will definitely not be like canon.

As always, reviews are life.