AN: So… I started writing this centuries ago as an early teen, deleted the first version altogether then rewrote it years ago, and now, after quite a break from fanfiction and Naruto I have yet again changed pretty much most of it and am rewriting the whole thing. The plan is to actually follow through this time around and finish it. They say third time's a charm, right? Let's see where this ride will take us. Hope you'll enjoy.

HIDDEN

Jedan

"…I see you looking at my curves, coke bottle…I got that bounce I'm bouncing,

pluck me like a rubber band.(1)"

The beat of the song pumped through the small, smoky club, making its way to the dance floor while enticing minds to leave and bodies to get lost in pleasure. The sight of entangled limbs, the smell of mingled sweat and alcohol, and the bittersweet effect of drugs already gave a taste of the markings of the 21st century.

Gone was innocence.

Instead lust had taken over, forcing virtues into retirement.

Hedonism was right on track of hitting another peak.

" …I'ma get it real good, make it go back and forward. I'ma get it real good, make it go side to side…"

Red locks swayed back and forward, and a slender body grinded seductively. Small hands moved down, outlining impressive muscles and reached two bigger ones to give a teasing squeeze before finally letting go. The woman's limbs slowly disentangled, and her eyes locked one last time with a pair of smoldering black ones. Her smile widened slightly, and with that she turned around using the waves of bodies to push herself towards the bar.

"One cran-vodka."

The red-head allowed her eyes to close for a couple of seconds, a break from the burn of her green lenses, and embraced the music, the smell, and the dark.

She prepared herself for the awaited company and wasn't disappointed when a presence made itself known, leaning close enough to be straddling the line between strangers and something more.

"You definitively seem to be on fire tonight." The bass underlining that voice as well as the close proximity of those lips didn't allow the words to be drowned out by the noise.

She let her lips linger on the rim of her glass as she shifted closer towards the tall, dark-haired man beside her, never once breaking eye-contact.

She put down her empty glass, pushing it over the counter, before she grabbed his collar and pulled him down even further.

"It's about fucking time."

The man chuckled slightly, privately enjoying the discrepancy between her venomous response and the teasing smile on her face.

"Easy there. You know the importance of laying decent groundwork better than anyone else. No point in rushing is there."

Her hands moved from his collar to the back of his neck, entwining, and holding him in place.

"I swear if this butt has to grind on one more asshole… I will kill you." She tightened her grip just a little bit more to get the message through.

"Don't worry. There's no more need for any distractions…- unless you want to, of course," he added, not being one for ever giving up on the opportunity to push her buttons.

The fingers on his neck released their hold, gliding rather painfully more than sensually over his neck, leaving angry marks in their wake. He tried not to hiss, while her angelic smile only got a barely noticeable twisted curl to it.

"Good. Now that we at least proved our initial suspicions we can spend the next eternity on figuring out how to get in and nail the bastards."

He threw some money on the counter to pacify the waiting bartender.

"The lady's drinks are on me."

"Aw... such a gentleman." She mouthed, batting her eyes long enough to know her sarcasm wasn't lost along the way. Her hand found his and she let him lead her out of the club and into his car.

She watched him fumble with the radio, before he finally settled for some enka.

"Prepare yourself for a long, long night, agent Firecracker."

She no longer bristled at the stupid nickname; after all, there was no need to give all of those so-called professional asshole colleagues the satisfaction.

"Sarutobi, just get going already. You're wasting precious time."

"Yeah, yeah," he ignored her attitude and flashed a real smile.

"Hey Hanabi…"

"Hn?"

"Let's do this."

She entertained the idiot, her idiot, with an actual response. "Un."

And with that, Sarutobi Konohamaru, started driving towards their destination while obnoxiously singing and ruining Ishikawa Sayuri's (2) masterpiece, and Hanabi finally let herself relax and melt into his comforting presence.

"Hokage, sir, I've just received a confirmation from Firecracker and Lion. They will be ready to report in detail tomorrow at 8 a.m."

The Third took another long inhale from his pipe and blew out rings of smoke in the air in silent acknowledgement.

His agents –no, grandkids, he allowed within the seclusion of his mind- had made it through as expected. He knew he gave up the right to worry about them the moment he placed his signature and one-handedly sealed their fate, turning them into subordinates, rather than only his grandchildren. They both competed in their ambition and drive and were desperate to prove themselves. Years of hard work and sacrifice, marked by losses of innocence had broken and molded them into loyal servants, protectors, and weapons of Konohagakure.

But you'll always remain my two little shrimps no matter how much you've grown from the scared withdrawn girl and the obnoxious mischievous loudmouth…

His chuckle moved another wave of smoke into the room. He still remembered the day Hanabi and Konohamaru met, that day was etched into his brain as if it were yesterday. He had officially taken Hanabi under his wings a couple of days before, but his insane schedule hadn't allowed him to formally introduce her to the Sarutobi family.

As always, Konohamaru had plotted a "secret mission" and managed to "evade" the guards to supposedly sneak into his room and demand a fight for the title of Hokage. Hanabi was sitting next to him, drawing in her sketchbook when Konohamaru not so stealthily slammed the door open.

"JIJI! Fight me! The fifth Hokage title belongs to me… KONOHAMARU…-"…and he tripped right into Hanabi's table, who managed to jump back -less gracefully than she'd like- to avoid a crash.

Hanabi had glared down, arms folded and eyebrows raised, greatly disapproving of the tangle of limbs whimpering "ouch" in front of her. Sandaime merely shook his head slightly, as if expecting this interruption. He then waved in the general direction of Konohamaru.

"Hanabi, I'd like you to meet my grandson, Konohamaru. Konohamaru," he continued, "this is Hanabi. She is the newest member to our family. So I'm counting on you to make her feel home, hmm."

Once Konohamaru had scrambled up, he openly stared at Hanabi, his curious gaze especially not so subtly fixed on her eyes. After quite a few seconds she had finally snapped: "What?!"

To which he responded by pointing at her eyes and loudly exclaiming: "They're weird!"

They then spent the whole day fighting in his office, destroying whatever was left of his thin shreds of concentration and gifted him with the worst headache of his life – yet he was hit by such a great sense of relief that he had allowed himself to be hopeful. It was the first time he caught a glimpse of the real Hanabi. The child beneath all of the cold detachment and scars. It stirred a sense of belief in him against all worries that she would be all right after all.

The pile of folders stacked on his desk pulled him out of his reverie. A glance at the clock told him he only had a few hours left to get through all of the paperwork. The first opened file on top had him close his eyes wearily.

There is a change in the wind. I'm afraid we're up against something so much bigger and time is running up. How much will I be able to protect you this time around?

He always had done his best to keep them safe within the confinements of his and their positions. And while they were forced to grow up much too fast, Hanabi and Konohamaru had never experienced the devastation of war. They were children born in the fragile peace nurtured and strengthened during their lifetime. It was a blessing he never took for granted. Especially now, when the onset of another war was getting too close to becoming reality.

Beneath the strained ties with Sunagakure and the threat of the newly established Otogakure led by his former student-gone-stray, Orochimaru, a threat of a whole another caliber lurked. Something big was about to emerge from the shadows.

Akatsuki… I wonder what the new dawn will bring us.

(1) Agnez Mo, Coke Bottle

(2) Ishikawa Sayuri: popular Japanese enka singer