Chapter 9-Darkness and Hate

Tsunade read the reports Gai and Kakashi wrote up. For the most part, they were pretty much the same. For the most part. There were a few, yet noticeable difference. For one, Gai explained in his report about Kakashi's actions during the mission to Snow turned Spring Country. How the man chose to save the movie crew over saving everyone with them. Including Gai's team, the rebel soldiers, and Naruto with the excuse the movie crew was far more important. Kakashi's report did not include that and even stated how Naruto was out of control, badmouthing everyone, and being disrespectful while Team 7 was the image of perfectly calm.

Hence why both Jounin were in the room to explain this situation. Gai was being quite calm despite his usual...self being the exact opposite, but Kakashi on the other hand was doing his best to not sweat nervously under his mask.

"I read both your reports on the latest mission. And I must admit, I am a bit...puzzled by your reports. Do you know why?" asked Tsunade while Gai was puzzled and Kakashi did his best to look bored.

"Puzzled? Why? Everything I wrote in my report is true Hokage-sama," replied Gai while Tsunade looked from him to Kakashi.

"Is it the same for you Kakashi?" asked Tsunade while Kakashi stiffened for a second.

"Yes Hokage-sama," said Kakashi while Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"I see. Well, the reason I am puzzled is because your reports are similar for the most part, but they different in certain areas. Perhaps the two of you would like to help me with this by clarifying certain things in order to end my puzzlement?" asked Tsunade with both men nodding.

"What is the issue Hokage-sama?" asked Gai since he was sure Kakashi had been honest in his report, the same as himself.

"Namely the issues in both reports showing certain events happened one, yet was not even mentioned in the other. Not only that, but in regards to your report Kakashi, you mention how good your team was during the mission, and state how Naruto was out of control. You said, and I quote, 'went into a fit of rage. Insulting you, your team, and just about everyone around him. Was irresponsible, disrespectful, and endangered the entire group.' You event recommended Naruto be demoted. Does that sound about right?" asked Tsunade with Kakashi nodding.

"Yes Hokage-sama. You will also notice my students signed off on my report too. They all agree and swear what was written is accurate," said Kakashi while Tsunade nodding.

"And you realize the penalty for falsifying a report? And said report having your Genin students signing it?" asked Tsunade with Kakashi nodding while the sweat started to come back.

"Yes Hokage-sama," answered Kakashi while Tsunade looked over at Gai.

"As for you Gai. You have stated Naruto was commanding, yet for all the right reasons. He protected the client despite her being...difficult. He also protected the rebel soldiers and your team from hard as well despite everything. Sound about right?" asked Tsunade with Gai nodding.

"Yes Hokage-sama. Every youthful word I wrote in my report is correct. My team had no problems sighing off on the report. They know the penalty, if not the risk of not filing a proper mission report," said Gai who gave her a thumbs up and shiny teeth like smile for good measure.

"I see. So here in lies the puzzlement. Why is it that certain parts of each of your reports are either omitted or different from the other. Who here is lying to me? To the Hokage of this village?" questioned Tsunade with the two men looking at each other before looking back at her.

"Perhaps Naruto could come in and state what happened from his point of view?" offered Gai since he had no problem with the young Saiyan being the tie breaker here.

"I would advise against that idea Hokage-sama. The boy does not like my team. He will clearly do anything to discredit me," countered Kakashi with Tsunade narrowing her eyes at him.

"Considering how you were not much of a teacher to him from the start, is it really that much of a surprise?" asked Tsunade with Kakashi shrugging.

"He should have respected me no matter what," replied Kakashi with Tsunade not liking his response.

"So Naruto should have put up with your tardiness, your favoritism toward the Uchiha, and let's not forget your decision to not properly train him in anything outside of the principles of teamwork? Teamwork, which was not existent from the start. Something you refused to correct in the slightest. In fact, the only remote form of teamwork Team 7 has possessed during the Naruto was on the time involved Sasuke insulting him and Sakura using Naruto as a punching bag for the slightest provocation," said Tsunade with Kakashi shrugging once more.

"Teamwork takes time. And two out of three people working together is better over none at all. Besides, Naruto wasn't a team player. He never listened. Never did anything right," said Kakashi with Tsunade's eyebrow twitching at his words.

"So you're saying it is Naruto's fault he wasn't taught anything? It is also Naruto's fault that you did not show up on time, teach your team as a whole over a single individual?" asked Tsunade with Kakashi shrugging again.

"Teaching a Genin team has always been at the discretion of the Jounin sensei in charge of them. I see potential in Sasuke and none in Naruto. Sakura was the buffer between the two of them. In fact, Naruto shouldn't have been promoted to Chuunin and only became one due to Jiraiya taking over his training," replied Kakashi while Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the lazy Jounin.

"Kakashi, I promoted Naruto because of his skills, maturity, and competency as a Shinobi of this village to do things right. He also helped fight off an invasion, stopped the One Tail from destroying Konoha from within, and let's not forget his actions in helping the bloodline rebels take control of Kiri after wining their civil war. This eventually led to the new Mizukage visiting and assisting in Orochimaru's downfall," countered Tsunade with Kakashi narrowing his one eye slightly.

"The Sandaime Hokage would say otherwise if he was still alive today and not dead by Naruto's own hands when he transformed into a giant monster ape," Kakashi shot back while Tsunade growled in anger.

"My sensei made sure Naruto's life was miserable from day one. And for what? Revenge for the loss of his wife. A loss that from what Naruto told me, wasn't even the fox's fault," said Tsunade while Kakashi didn't believe that in the slightest.

"And you believe him? The fox inside of him clearly lied," said Kakashi while Tsunade wasn't moved by his words.

"He explained to me in detail exactly what happened that night from the Kyuubi showing its memories of that moment in time. A masked Uchiha came out of nowhere, killed all of the ANBU bodyguards, my sensei's wife, and ripped the fox out of Kushina right after Naruto was born. So don't try to feed me crap about Naruto or the fox lying to me about what happened that night. Sensei's own journal admits as much on the subject of someone influencing the Kyuubi coming out. Even still, my sensei felt someone had to be blamed for everything so the village could properly vent over all the losses it suffered that night," replied Tsunade with Gai making a noise.

"Forgive me Hokage-sama, but the reports?" questioned Gai in order to get things back on track.

"Yes. Thank you Gai. As far as I am concerned, Gai's report is the valid one while you Kakashi have falsified an official report. All to show off the Uchiha in a false light and get Naruto demoted. I find that inexcusable. And before you protest Kakashi, I contacted the new Spring Daimyo to confirm which report was right. Not only her, but the former rebels and the movie crew with all of them basically backing Gai's report over your own. So tell me something Kakashi...why shouldn't I punish you and your team who signed this report for this violation?" demanded Tsunade while Kakashi tries to keep his resolve on this issue strong.

"Because Naruto is too dangerous. He is unpredictable. The only value he had was the fox sealed inside of him and the awakened power obtained during the Chuunin Exams. Without those two things, Naruto would be a dead last nobody who should have been thrown away in the Shinobi reserves to rot. And you and the village need me to bring out Sasuke's potential with his Sharingan," answered Kakashi with Tsunade's growl getting louder.

"Kakashi, your actions are reckless, stupid, irresponsible, and narrow-minded in regards to those around you. Your perception of things is poor and if it wasn't for the fact you are a valuable Shinobi to have in the village, I would throw you away in a hole and destroy the hole," answered Tsunade with Kakashi feeling slightly smug since there was a "but" coming.

"But you won't because of my valuable skills and Sasuke needs someone to help with his Sharingan in order to reach its fullest potential. Anything less would be detrimental to the village," added Kakashi with his smugness leaking out into his voice.

"Yes. I won't throw you away. However, do not think for one moment I am not going to punish you for this action. It just won't be the fitting punishment I want to give," replied Tsunade while Kakashi was shocked and worried over that miscalculation.

"And what punishment did you have in mind Hokage-sama?" asked Kakashi with a hint of worry.

"You will be demoted to Chuunin. Your pay reduced to reflect your demotion in rank to reflect this. Your time will be spent training the Uchiha since you claim to be the only one to help him with his Sharingan. Furthermore, the Uchiha will be tested and evaluated by people of my choosing in the future. If I find him lacking in necessary skills needed to be a Shinobi of this village, I will remove you as his sensei," said Tsunade with Kakashi wincing, but he could handle it.

"And what about Sakura and Sai? What about Team 7's future?" asked Kakashi offhand with some measure of curiosity.

"Simple. Team 7 is being disbanded. As far as I am concerned, Team 7 never even had a future. Sakura's training has been minor at best and will be sent into the Shinobi reserves, provided she keeps up her training. If not, she will be relieved of service and can get a civilian job. Sai was brought in at the request of Danzo. A man I wouldn't trust to have a civil conversation without him seeking a means to gain power in the process. As it stands, I am sending him back into the reserves too," said Tsunade while knowing Danzo would find a way to snatch Sai up from the reserves for his illegal Root program.

The Sandaime's journal was quite detailing in Danzo's past actions in the past up until her predecessors death. It also mentioned how Root was officially disbanded, but still active in order to make other villages, if not clients, believe Konoha was had the best morals of the Five Great Shinobi villages. If Root Nin were ever caught in their mission, Konoha could not be implicated in their clearly illegal activities on the mission they were on. Oh the Shinobi of old like the Tsuchikage of Iwa and even the Raikage of Kumo knew Root Nin when they saw one. So did the veterans who fought in the previous wars and lived to tell the tale from those two villages did too. But neither Kage could claim their village was innocent of having ordered their own missions where illegal activities were carried out.

Danzo made sure to have such information as insurance should his own operations be brought to like. A "just in case" situation to justify his actions.

At the moment, Danzo assumed she wasn't aware of his activities with Root. Still, it did not mean the man would be reckless in his activities with Tsunade being Hokage. To do that would be stupid and foolish of someone of Danzo's level when it came to scheming.

Speaking of Danzo, the man came into the room looking serious, walking with a purpose and his cane hitting the wood hard with each step. For a man who believed ninja should be stealthy, Danzo had no problem announcing his entrance like he was the center of the village, if not the whole world. He wanted everyone to focus on him, but not his illegal activities or his Root Nin.

"Hokage-sama, I heard Team 7 has returned from their mission, which was a complete success," commented Danzo while deciding to speak first.

"Funny how I was just informed of the same thing. Your handpicked student Sai must tell you a lot of things. Some of which you are not meant to know," said Tsunade before she dismissed Kakashi from the room.

"I personally trained him and I do have clearance," replied Danzo without shame.

"I'm sure you did train him since your emotion purging signature is all over his body both mentally and physically. While Sai's Shinobi skills are quite impressive for one his age. It would also explain why his ability to interact with people, namely his own Genin team, it is practically nonexistent," commented Tsunade while Danzo's one eye narrowed at the jab toward his training of Sai in all aspects of life.

As far as Danzo was concerned, human interaction with others outside of himself was just something Root Nin did not need to do.

"I'll be sure to remedy that," remarked Danzo.

"I'm sure you will. Now, aside from your socially awkward student, why are you here?" asked Tsunade since Danzo's sudden arrival was unwelcome and unexpected.

"I had hoped to speak to you about the Jinchuriki and his importance to Konoha," said Danzo with Tsunade narrowing her eyes at him.

"He has a name Danzo. You will address him as such," countered Tsunade with Danzo giving her a mild shrug.

"I suppose I should. Weapon and tools are occasionally given names to make them feel more important. Though I find the idea pointless," replied Danzo with Tsunade growling.

"He is not a weapon. He is a person. Same as you and I," countered Tsunade while seeing Danzo didn't care about Naruto's rights or position in the village.

As usual.

"Except he is a Jinchuriki and all Jinchuriki are weapons of war. Weapons who need to be held by a weapon holder," Danzo shot back.

"All Shinobi are weapons of war. Including those who are suppose to be retired of active service. And last I checked, I am the Hokage. Which means Danzo, by your own way of thinking, I am the weapon holder," countered Tsunade with Danzo frowning slightly due to her being (painful as it was to admit on a mental level) right about that.

"There have been multiple weapon holders in Konoha in the past who have the power to command Shinobi aside from the Hokage," commented Danzo and was prepared to use ANBU Captains, Clan Heads, and even the Sannin themselves as key examples in order to squeeze in his position as former Head of Root in there too.

"To some degree, yes. BUT you fail to realize Danzo that the Hokage is the leader of the entire village. Meaning I am the final authority and the weapon holder to wield any and all weapons. Even other weapon holders in the village lower in rank outside of my own position. And don't think for one moment I have forgotten about your position in Root or that you wish to remind me of it to call yourself a weapon holder. Even if that is remotely true Danzo, you are still a weapon for me to command. In fact, if I ordered you to walk into Iwa with hundreds of explosive seals on your body and kill the Tsuchikage, I expect you to obey the command!" said Tsunade with Danzo disliking the idea of dying, much less on the order of someone he considered weak when compared to himself.

"Such a command is invalid Hokage-sama, as I am retired from active Shinobi service," said Danzo with Tsunade smirking.

"If that is true, you have no business being on the Council. You have no business being part of Konoha's infrastructure and government," countered Tsunade while Danzo's one visible eye narrowed.

"Just because I am retired from service out in the field, doesn't mean I cannot function to serve the village in another capacity," Danzo shot back with Tsunade's face becoming deadly serious.

"No. You can't. Either you are on the active roster or you are retired on a small pension. You cannot have it both ways. Are you still active or retired?" challenged Tsunade with Danzo gripping his cane tightly since she was putting him a tight spot.

If he said active, Danzo would keep his position the Council along with the correct level of clearance to access certain classified material others did not. But if he did, it would mean his position was second to the Hokage on an official capacity. It meant he has to obey any order she gave and to ignore or disobey could be counted as treason. Such a thing would also risk being counterproductive to the training of his Root Nin, who he taught were to obey him as the true Hokage of Konoha. To acknowledge Tsunade as his better on an official level might make certain members of Root question things about what they were doing.

He couldn't risk it.

At the same time, if Danzo declared himself retired, he would lose his clearance level to access classified information needed to manipulate things from the shadows. It would also mean his Root Nin would be unable to obey him anymore as they couldn't follow someone who retired from leading. Besides, retirement of Shinobi in their elderly years practically meant death without purpose. Even more so for a man of his seasonable age and Danzo had no intention of dying like that.

Or dying at all. Danzo had squads his Root Nin raiding Orochimaru's old and more recent bases where the man conducted his research to extend his life in order to extend his own beyond the norm. He wanted to live forever. To live and rule over the world as a God with Konoha being his temple to him. To his beliefs. To his convictions that emotions are a weakness and should be expunged from the mind. That his way of doing this was the correct way, no matter how immoral his actions might seem to others.

What few knew about Danzo, was it was actually his mind set that poisoned Orochimaru in the first place when the Sannin was in Root. Convincing the Sannin to go beyond the boundaries of ethics and morality in order to achieve the means to ascend to Godhood. It has worked for the most part with the Sannin providing results to his research, which had helped Danzo in his desire to evade death's grasp. But overtime, Orochimaru's mind was unable to handle the mental strain of the concept Danzo had envisioned. Orochimaru's ambitions and genius had mixed with Danzo's concepts of becoming a literal God among all others. As a result of this, Orochimaru's mind became warped and twisted into what people knew of him prior to his death.

Only instead of following Danzo's ambitious path for the good of...well Danzo himself, the Sannin had chosen to follow his own ambition born from the seeds of the war hawk. Orochimaru had decided to find out the secrets of immortality for himself and only for himself. He had cut Danzo out entirely in the quest for immortality without fear of repercussion from his superior in the belief that the highly illegal experiments done would not be revealed to the Sandaime. The Sannin felt Danzo would risk implication and become a target of the Sandaime for doing illegal actions.

He underestimated Danzo, who had made sure to purge all records of his involvement in the support of these experiments before getting his rival involved to expose the Sannin of his crimes. The last thing Danzo needed was the Sandaime having the means to kick him out of Konoha and labeling him a traitor like Orochimaru.

"Since I clearly have the power to choose what I am to Konoha, aside from being a long standing patriot, I would say I am an active Shinobi," answered Danzo while making sure Tsunade understood his position in Konoha was one of loyalty to the village and being one of the oldest members in it to serve.

"Glad to know where you stand Danzo. And since you are an active Shinobi, no matter how seasoned, I have a mission for you. One where I can make use of you and your Root Nin lying underneath Konoha," said Tsunade while Danzo's eye widened in shock before it narrowed.

"Root was disbanded years ago," said Danzo while trying to play the "I don't know what you mean" and the much more subtle "you can't prove it" card.

"And yet I have it on good authority that it is still very much active. Now, before you say I have no proof, I want you to think reeeeaaal hard about what I just said. If I didn't have proof of Root being active, would I have mentioned it right to your face? And to answer the obvious question in your head, yes I have the proof, and no I won't tell you where it is or who provided it. All you need to know, is I know it is active, I know you are running it, and I know you have done plenty of shit that if it came to light would turn every single Shinobi village, if not every country against us in an all out war. Provided I don't give them you and your Root Nin as a peace offering," replied Tsunade with Danzo gritting his teeth since it was clear to him that she did have proof and wasn't afraid to expose him.

And he once more cursed his dead rival for leaving said proof for someone to pick up to use against him. It seemed he underestimated the Sandaime's desire to deny him what he wanted and would go so far as to deny him from beyond the grave.

"What mission do you require of me and my Root Nin Hokage-sama?" asked Danzo with Tsunade narrowing her eyes at him.

"First off, they are not your Root Nin anymore Danzo. They are mine! You may be their commander, but I command you. Meaning I own what you own. So don't call them yours ever again or I will have you executed on the spot for treason. Second, you and my Root Nin are going to redirect their efforts on the one major threat threatening the balance of the Elemental Nations," ordered Tsunade with Danzo's eye widening slightly.

"The Akatsuki," concluded Danzo since they were the only ones left outside of the other Shinobi villages threatening Konoha.

"Yes. You and all the Root Nin that you've had under your command will be redirected toward finding and eliminating the Akatsuki's contacts, informants, and eventually their main base. Jiraiya reports they are not yet ready to move against us or the other Shinobi villages so we have a chance to hit them first and hard by targeting all of the high ranking members of the Akatsuki. I want you and the full might of Root taking the fight to them. Is that going to be a problem Danzo?" asked Tsunade in the end with Danzo shaking his head no.

"No Hokage-sama," answered Danzo though he didn't like giving it to her.

"Good. I expect results and you will provide me with detailed reports when ordered. If I find you have been trying to subvert my orders or using any of the Akatsuki's resources for your own purposes, I will break you Danzo. Painfully! I will break your body into so many pieces, even my medical skills won't be enough to put you back together properly if I wanted to save your miserable life," warned Tsunade with Danzo now fighting the urge to reveal his hidden arm and eye so he could usurp the woman of her position.

No. He was exposed enough as it was right now. Tipping his hand a this stage of things would be unwise since there were still too many obstacles in his path.

Not to mention a certain Kyuubi Jinchuriki would take his attacks on Tsunade personally and seek to obliterate him from this world. He wasn't sure how his powers could compare to the village weapon right now. Too many variables. Not enough information.

"As you command Hokage-sama," said Danzo before he left the room and planning to get around this troublesome issue.

(With Sasuke-Sometime Later)

Sasuke was livid. Everyday that went by, it seemed he was getting weaker while the loser was getting stronger. The most recent incident with Spring Country and him transforming into something else entirely burned his Uchiha blood something fierce. The dead last with no real talent was getting the power, the strength, and the glory from these missions. The greatness that came with those things belong to the Uchiha Clan. To Uchiha Sasuke. The last loyal Uchiha in all of Konoha.

Sasuke needed to obtain power to rival, if not surpass Naruto. He needed to do something drastic. Something that would tip the balance of power in his favor. To achieve absolute power in order to bring Naruto low and into the ground.

Power he couldn't get here in Konoha. If anything, they had given him all they could and Sasuke was done with their sudden desire to want something more from him.

He was an Uchiha. He didn't have to give anything back anything to anyone. Sasuke was an Uchiha. An Uchiha took what they wanted when they wanted. Everyone was a tool, a stepping stone, and resource to be used for the purpose of making any and all members of the Uchiha Clan stronger.

And with Konoha no longer able to give him what he needed, the only thing left to do was go somewhere else.

'I need to leave this place. Leave and go where I can get stronger to kill Itachi. Once I do, the fools here in this village will give me everything that loser has obtained just to gain my loyalty back,' thought Sasuke knowing the village would bend over backwards for him no matter what crime was committed.

Making up his mind, Sasuke went to his room, packing his essentials needed to survive long enough to get outside of Konoha and Fire Country. Once he was in another nation, Konoha wouldn't be able to touch him. Not yet at any rate. Knowing the Councils, they would move to have him pardoned for any future crimes provided he gave the village a bunch of Uchiha children in the future.

And Sasuke had no problem with that, provided they were any and all women his loser for a former teammate loved and cared about. What better way to hurt the Saiyan then to take someone close to him as his personal breeding bitch?

And rub it in the Saiyan's face every single day.

With that in mind, Sasuke took off from his house, heading for an exit near one of the damaged walls still being repaired after the failed invasion. No one was really guarding it at the time since none of the villages wanted to provoke Konoha at the moment given the stories of how one of their own could turn into a giant ape like creature and handle a three headed snake summons.

Many Shinobi were actually wondering why it sent Iwa's Tsuchikage into a frenzy and making false accusations of some kind about it the first two weeks following the failed invasion. Though why the old man went ranting about a Jinchuriki and a giant ape was beyond most who didn't know about the nine Biju and which one was which.

Not that it mattered to Sasuke. He would find a way to get stronger, beat the Saiyan loser who shamed him repeatedly ever since changing during the Chuunin Exams, and prove to everyone that the Uchiha Clan was the most superior clan in existence.

And never realizing that someone was watching said Uchiha from above with a frown on his face.

(Hokage's Office-Short Time Later)

"So the Uchiha brat ran. Why am I not surprised," commented Tsunade since she knew this was going to happen after Inoichi had given her the psyche report on the brat.

Or rather the sorry excuse for a psyche report the Yamanaka in charge of it had filed after Itachi killed his clan and mentally tortured Sasuke. The mental evaluations that followed were no better and Tsunade demanded an explanation about how this could be allowed to pass. Her sensei let this excuse for reports on the Uchiha's mental health go by like it was normal and ignored the real mindset of the brat.

Fortunately, Inoichi had found the member of his family responsible for the assignment, dragged him before the Hokage. After getting answers on why the fool basically fudge the reports on Sasuke's mental health at the request of those high in the governing body of Konoha, he was taken to Ibiki for good measure to search for anything else they might want to know. Though it was fortunate this (now spilling his guts out) Yamanaka had also made a secret file on Sasuke detailing his real mindset in the off chance of getting caught and he needed a bargaining chip to hold off losing his head. Inoichi proceeded to explain the real mindset of the Uchiha based on the real report and it was clear the brat had a lot of issues running around his head.

An overinflated opinion of himself.

Inferiority complex

Superiority complex

Emotional issues in the belief people were either tools or obstacles to his goals.

Selfish and will betray anyone remotely close to him if it means obtaining his overall objective to win.

Conclusion: Untrustworthy

Recommendation: Serious mental therapy and kept locked away until ready to handle the world.

And why was this real report ignored all this time? According to her sensei's journal, he needed to have an Uchiha (prior to the clan's liquidation) on Naruto's future Genin team. One who had a chance to awaken their Sharingan Eyes and keep the boy in line. Kakashi wouldn't be able to do it forever and Yamato was suppose to be the Sandaime's secret ace in the hole should Naruto go on a rampage with the Kyuubi's power. He also hoped that Kakashi could be able keep Sasuke in check and promise him the means to accelerate the development of the Sharingan to one day target Itachi.

So many promises made and most of them false or not kept. All to control power in the belief it was true power to control others with power. The fool! The foolish son of a bitch that was her sensei tried to cage storms and demons and power personified all for the sake of trying to feel more powerful when trying to control it.

"He feels underappreciated. That while I am getting stronger, he is getting weaker. The idiot can't stand the idea of someone our age being stronger. Hell, he could barely tolerate the idea of Haku being stronger then us back in Wave," commented Naruto knowing the Uchiha had been broody ever since Wave happened and he lost to someone only a few years older.

It only proved to Naruto that Sasuke's pride was easily hurt and really fragile. He would act cocky, arrogant, acting like his skills were unparallel. But when someone comes along and upstaged him, usurps him, or even shows just how pathetic his power is by some kind of comparison, Sasuke would whine like a little bitch.

"Bring him back to the village. Beat him within an inch of his life if you have to Naruto. He is a disgrace to Konoha, his clan, and the Will of Fire my Grandfather believed in all those years ago," ordered Tsunade with the Saiyan nodding.

"As you command," replied Naruto before he flew out the window and spilled her papers everywhere.

"DAMN IT NARUTO! USE THE DOOR NEXT TIME!" yelled Tsunade since she now had to have the work redone or reorganized.

Oh how she yearned for some sake! Damn Shizune for taking her secret stash just an hour ago. It should practically be a prerequisite to in order to deal with this kind of crap!

(Valley of the End-Sometime Later)

Sasuke had finally made it. To this place where his ancestor Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama fought each other. All was left was a few more miles and he would be over the border and would seek out one of Orochimaru's hidden bases in Rice Country. Once he found it, all Sasuke had to do was see which experiments left behind by the Sannin had the potential to increasing his power.

"Going somewhere?" asked Naruto who was hovering behind him with his arms crossed.

"Yes. To Rice Country. To find the power needed to become stronger," answered Sasuke with Naruto smirking.

"You won't find it there. Or the other bases Orochimaru left behind for that matter. They have all be destroyed," replied Naruto with Sasuke growling.

"And how would you know?" asked Sasuke while Naruto's smirk grew.

"The various subordinates we captured awhile back? You remember them, right? They were some of Orochimaru's most trusted people. He took them everywhere. We know about every single base he setup in Rice Country and all the other countries. So all you are going to find is wreckage," answered Naruto while Sasuke glared harder.

"I knew you were jealous of me. Jealous of my power. Of the Uchiha Clan. You were always afraid I would one day become strong enough to challenge your power," said Sasuke while Naruto laughed.

"Seriously? Are you that pathetic? Is your ego so fragile that the idea of someone being stronger then you makes your mind seek delusional means of coping with life?" asked Naruto with Sasuke gritting his teeth.

"Shut up! I'm an Uchiha! An elite! I am a direct descendent of Uchiha Madara himself! I have the blood of greatness in my veins!" exclaimed Sasuke with pride and anger while Naruto scoffed.

"Please! Spare me your spiel about the greatness of your clan. You are not even a shadow of Uchiha Madara. As far as I am concerned, you have all of the hatred, but none of his power. The man would be ashamed to call you his blood," commented Naruto before he was gone one moment and appeared across from Sasuke above Hashirama's own statue.

"We'll see who is stronger when I rip your heart out. Maybe I will visit those women you are so fond of in a few years and show them what a real man can do. Use them to breed a new Uchiha Clan. One where we dominate the world and all our slaves to our greatness and power!" exclaimed Sasuke with sadistic glee while Naruto just scowled in a way that spelled doom for anyone it was aimed at prior to a fight.

"Not only are you a whiny pathetic weakling, but you are a fool too. Just for that, I am going to crush you. And throw your ashes into the wind!" said Naruto in a deep cold and deadly serious voice.

"Bring it loser!" exclaimed Sasuke while summoning the Chidori into his hand to make himself look intimidating.

Naruto only smirked.

"Done and done," said Naruto before he vanished and appeared in front of the shocked Uchiha before punching him in the stomach hard enough to lift him off his feet.

The Uchiha spewed blood, followed by vomit, followed by blood in the vomit, and was barely holding on while not passing out. The hit was unlike anything the Uchiha had felt before today. No one had ever hit him this hard from just one punch. Not Itachi. Not the Academy instructor (though he never did realize they were order to pull punches), not Zabuza when they first met, not Haku in Wave with those damn ice needles, and not even Orochimaru when fighting him in the Forest of Death.

This one hit was on a whole other level.

"Is this it? Is this all you can do Uchiha? So weak. So pathetic. Take away Orochimaru's Curse Seal and your Sharingan Eyes. This is what you are Sasuke. Weak. Pathetic. You were given so much by the people of Konoha. Yet you didn't earn what you were given. Not. One. Piece of it!" exclaimed Naruto angrily now while Sasuke struggled to breathe.

"I lost my clan. My family! My Mother and Father. I lost everything!" Sasuke shot back while gritting his teeth with Naruto growling at his "horrifying loss" like nothing else in the world mattered.

"So what?! You think you are the only one who lost everything? Look at Kiri? They went through an entire civil war regarding bloodlines. Wiping out countless clans with unique bloodlines that have been around for generations. How many people do you think lost their entire families during all three Shinobi wars? How many lost their husbands, wives, daughters, sons, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even grandparents during those times of war? You are but one person in a long line of people who got fucked over at a young age! The same with me! The only difference is you had this entire village to love you. You had this entire village to support you. Give you comfort. Love. Friendship. Ready to do whatever it takes to make you happy! And yet despite it all, you throw a hissy fit when someone in the village actually has a good day while in your emo presence," countered Naruto before kneeing Sasuke in the air, grabbing his foot, and slamming him into Madara's statue.

"No one deserves to be happy. No one in Konoha deserves to walk around with smiles on their faces. They should be scowling and filled with anger and hate everyday over losing what they love. Its only fair!" exclaimed Sasuke while Naruto scoffed.

"So what you are saying is...its only fair that the people in throughout the world become miserable just like you? In what Universe do you believe this world owes you everything when you have lost so little by comparison?" asked Naruto while Sasuke spit out blood and tried to hit his rival with Taijutsu.

"Little by comparison? I lost my entire clan in a single night! You don't know what it is like to lose so much! The world owes me and my clan a thousand times over!" exclaimed Sasuke with his mind clearly showing signs of madness while trying to hit Naruto.

And all the while, the Uchiha continued to mention how it was his duty to avenge his clan by any means necessary. How the world, if not the entire Universe owed him for the loss of his clan. How he deserved everything and was going to take it one way or another due to being an Uchiha owed a Universal debt.

Only to be viciously punched off Madara's head before being hit again in mid-air into the cliff wall near the statue of the Uchiha. Sasuke gasped in pain and found Naruto's hand nearly crushing his throat with the Saiyan looking increasingly pissed off.

"Enough! I'm sick and tired of all your belly aching. All of your bitching! You want to talk loss? I'm come from a clan of my own and we were nearly wiped out by an alliance of nearly every Shinobi village on the planet! What's worse, is I learned more about my Saiyan side and how I obtained it in order to keep the warrior race I now represent alive! Saiyans are not a clan with an actual bloodline. We were once an actual humanoid race with our own planet to call our own. We had our own culture. Our own beliefs and a way of life suitable to our nature. Do you know what happened? Some power hungry lizard fucker feared our potential and wiped out the entire planet by blowing it up!" exclaimed Naruto angry with the memories of Bardock and what Frieza did to destroy the Saiyan race.

"What?" asked Sasuke in shock.

"Yeah. An entire planet. Filled with life, people, and almost all of them being Saiyans. And to make it even worse, Saiyans were part of that lizard fucker's army! We served him and his Empire loyally. And what does he do? The fool blows up our Kami damned planet because he feared the Saiyan race would one day become too strong for him to control! If this Universe owes you so much for the loss of your stupid clan totaling a little over a hundred people, then I am owed more by the fucking multi-verse! And allfor the loss of my Mother's clan and the entire Saiyan race totaling well over into the millions!" stated Naruto before throwing Sasuke from one end of the Valley of the End to the next.

"You lie!" protested Sasuke after coughing heavily and struggling to breathe.

"Foolish Uchiha. Always using all the muscles within your body except the one that truly matters most in your head. Would I honestly lie about something like that? No! Why? Because its one hundred percent true! I lost far more in life when compared to your pain you twit," said Naruto before kneeing Sasuke in the stomach and relishing the sound of several parts of him breaking.

"It doesn't matter what you say. You are a demon. A monster. A freak of nature despite your claims. You will never be able to know true peace. Konoha will never accept you for anything else but a monster like they did in the past and into the future," said Sasuke while Naruto narrowed his eyes at him.

"So what. The opinions of the arrogant and a village filled with bigots means nothing to me. And if they do try anything, I will take great pleasure in ripping them apart piece by piece," said Naruto before throwing Sasuke into the water below.

And Naruto simply floating above the water in the air and sensing Sasuke's angry chakra signature easily through it all. Even now, the Uchiha was still making his chakra levels known with the negative emotions attached to them. If the brat had any sense, he would mask his signature and try to run away before the beating continued.

Though it seemed common sense was no match for Uchiha pride. Always having to win no matter the outcome just to prove their so called "superiority" to everyone.

So it was no surprise that Sasuke leaped though the water behind him, kunai in hand, Sharingan Eyes spinning, and his face filled with hate. No surprise that the boy was so damn angry about being "cheated" from what was his in life and wanting everything the world had as compensation.

"Die you tailed freak!" exclaimed Sasuke angrily while ramming the blade into the back of Naruto's head.

Only for the blade to break upon contact with Naruto's skull.

"I know people say I have a hard head, but this puts a new spin on it," Naruto remarked casually before backhanding Sasuke into the literal feet of Madara's statue.

"Why? Why can't I beat you? How are you so strong?!" demanded Sasuke while looking at Naruto with rage in his eyes.

"Because I worked for it. Everyday. I suffered for it. Every. Damn. Day. What did you do with your life? Nothing! You wanted a Jutsu? You complained and someone taught it to your whiny ass. You wanted something from a store, but couldn't afford it? You just went and complained and the shop keeper would give it to you at a loss from his own pocket due to a hefty discount being made. Do you know how those stores were able to give you all of those high level discounts every single time and still make a profit in the end? They charged me double, if not triple what you would have gotten for damn near free! Where you got the most freshest foods from the market and sent to the front of the line no matter how long it was, I was given rotten food. Outdated food. Food that was so spoiled, the rats wouldn't dare eat it. The stray dogs in the alleys wouldn't touch it. And for the wait, I couldn't even get through the door sometimes. They would toss me into the alley with said spoiled food after taking all my money. Did you honestly think someone as spoiled as you would and could become strong enough to kill your brother with the entire village handing things to you without working for it. Strength means working for it day in and day out. Nonstop. Like I did," said Naruto while Sasuke spat out some blood and a tooth before glaring at him.

"You didn't get strong through hard work. Your Saiyan powers did that for you!" Sasuke shot back.

"Wrong. The only thing my Saiyan blood did was speed up the process. Even if I wasn't a Saiyan, I could still best you in battle. You have no endurance. No real strength, except for your eyes. Face it Sasuke, your title of Rookie of the Year wasn't earned through hard work. It was a gift made out of pity," mocked Naruto while Sasuke lashed out and with a punch to the face.

Only to feel like he punched solid steel and broke his hand.

'How did he do that?' thought Sasuke while grabbing his hand now immediately swelling.

"Are you done with your whiny temper tantrum now?" asked Naruto while finding this so called fight boring.

"Never! I will never go back to Konoha. It is filled with weaklings and fools who hold me back from my ambition! I would rather die!" protested Sasuke while Naruto sighed.

"So be it," said Naruto before raising his hand and a ball of energy formed to obliterate the Uchiha from existence.

Only for Naruto to frown, glance to his right, and shot the blast toward a spot that was overlooking their position. Seeing his chance, Sasuke leaped away with what little power he had left in order to escape the now distracted Saiyan. Only when Sasuke reached the top of Hashirama's statue, Naruto was there in an instant and punched the Uchiha in the stomach.

"Stay down fool. Our spy, if not your intended rescuer needs to be dealt with before I drag your ass back to Konoha," said Naruto before turning to face the plant like creature.

"How did you sense us?" asked the white half of the plant man.

"Who cares? We have our orders. Retrieve the Uchiha runt before he can be killed or returned to his village."said the black half of the plant man.

"Judging from your attire, you are from the Akatsuki. Why would they seek out this runt? His older brother Itachi is part of your organization. An older brother who he loathes and hates," commented Naruto with Sasuke gritting his teeth at the mention of Itachi.

"We have orders," said the White half of the plant man.

"And the Uchiha can still be of use to the Akatsuki," said the black half before sinking into the ground to barely miss a strike from Naruto before appearing beside Sasuke.

"We will give our leader your regards," said the White half of the plant man.

"Be sure to mention I called him a cowardly asshole," remarked Naruto while the black half of the plant man snarled.

"Don't get too comfortable brat. The Kyuubi will be ours soon," said the black half of the plant man before it grabbed Sasuke and disappeared into the ground.

"Well this complicates things," said Naruto before heading back to Konoha to report what happened.

(Akatsuki HQ)

"Here he is per your orders," said the White half of Zetsu with the Uchiha in hand.

"Still don't know why you want him. He's a weak little shit," said the Black half of Zetsu before throwing the beaten form of Uchiha Sasuke at the man's feet.

"Of course he is weak. Konoha made him weak. They fear those who have the potential to be strong enough to become great," said the figure in front of the downed Uchiha boy.

"You sound like you know from first hand experience regarding Konoha," commented Sasuke while looking up at the leader of the Akatsuki.

"Of course I do. I was once part of Konoha's Shinobi forces. Proud patriot. Eager to serve my village during the last Shinobi war," said the figure while Sasuke was shocked there was someone who was from Konoha leading the Akatsuki.

"Who are you?" asked Sasuke while the figured chuckled behind his spiral mask and his own Sharingan Eye showing.

"I am Uchiha Obito. The one and only student of Uchiha Madara himself," said Uchiha Obito before removing his mask to show Sasuke his scarred face.

"How? How is this possible?" asked Sasuke with Obito smirking before putting his mask back on.

"I will explain everything to you. The truth that Konoha doesn't want you to know. And in time, you will become strong enough to crush the Fourth Hokage's son with ease," said Obito while Sasuke was almost satisfied with the offer.

"And what about Itachi?" asked Sasuke with Obito tilting his head.

"What about him?" asked Obito with Sasuke's anger showing.

"I want the power to kill him. To avenge my clan," replied Sasuke with Obito sighing.

"I suppose I can help train you to one day kill your brother in the near future. Itachi will most likely be useless to the organization in a few years anyway and have to be replaced with fresher blood," commented Obito like it was going to be a hassle to lose Itachi for his younger brother.

"Teach me!" commanded Sasuke after standing before he violently backhanded to the ground once more.

"First off, you do not command me brat. Now before you go on a rant about how you are an Uchiha Elite, you forget I am an Uchiha as well. Older, wiser, and more powerful then even your big brother Itachi. Second, I already agreed to teach you so there is no need to act like a whiny bitch. Three, you will do what I say, when I say, and how I say or I will snap your neck like it was a wet twig," commanded Obito while Sasuke glared at being hit by his fell Uchiha brethren.

"I am not one of your subordinates or those fools in the Akatsuki and will not be treated like one," Sasuke shot back while Obito scoffed.

"And you are not my superior or better. So don't act like you are either one boy. For now, you will do what I command because I am your teacher. You want to get stronger? It is called listening and obeying when given orders. Everyone starts off like that and you are no different. You think Orochimaru was all strong and powerful from the start? No. He had to listen and obey just like everyone else. Same went for me, Itachi, your Father, and all the Kages from every village past to present," countered Obito with Sasuke glaring.

"With the loser being an exception it seems," commented Sasuke with Obito's one visible eye behind the mask narrowing.

"That so called 'loser' is the son of my sensei Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Both of them were exceptionally dangerous Shinobi in their time. Don't believe me? I was the one to rip the fox out of Kushina just after she gave birth to Naruto and it should have killed her outright. Yet she was so strong that the woman endured long enough to use what little strength was left in her body to hold back the fox's claw from killing her only child. Minato was fighting me prior to this and still had enough strength to force my retreat and sealing the Kyuubi into Naruto. Had Konoha properly nurtured their son from the start or if they had been around to raise him, I imagine the gaki would have been high level Chuunin low Jounin while you were still trying to graduate from the Academy. The fact is Sasuke, my old village could have had a valuable asset in Naruto much earlier if they had just let their own stupidity die soon after that night occurred. Instead, they tried to cripple him and deny Naruto from reaching his full potential because they feared his already amazing potential inherited from his parents before factoring in the possibility of the gaki using the fox's power to its full potential. This hate filled issues you have with the Saiyan blood are pointless, as the Saiyan part of him is merely countering all of the damage my village did while growing up," explained Obito while Sasuke grit his teeth in anger and frustration.

"It's not fair! To get stronger so fast and with each new battle. Adding the Kyuubi sealed into him only makes it worse! That power the loser wields should be mine to command!" exclaimed Sasuke while Obito sighed like he was dealing with an unruly child.

Before punching the boy in the face once more.

"Are you done bitching? Complaining about this so called 'unfairness' you feel right now when compared to the Yondaime's son? To think the two of us here are from the same damn clan. I almost wish Madara was here to see how whiny his descendent has become and the way the clan acted following his death," said Obito, but it was more to himself.

He had a lot of work to do before the Uchiha was ready to unleash himself into the world. A lot of work.

(Konoha-Hokage Tower)

"The Akatsuki?" asked Tsunade skeptically to Naruto after reporting his mission was a surprising failure.

"Yeah. It was wearing the same robes as Itachi and Kisame. Some kind of plant like thing which had a weird split personality disorder. One half would talk first before the second half did in a darker voice. Said he was given orders. Someone high up in the organization felt it was necessary to grab Sasuke before I could bring him back. My guess, it was the leader since only he could give an order like that," said Naruto while Tsunade frowned.

"What makes you think it was the leader?" asked Tsunade while Naruto shrugged.

"Who else? Besides, Itachi is part of the organization, right? Sasuke has no love for his brother and I doubt Itachi asked for it. My guess is the leader intends to replace Itachi at some point within the organization and decided Sasuke would fit the bill. The Akatsuki is made up of not just S-ranked Missing Nin from different villages, but also those who can suppress and combat Jinchuriki or Biju when push comes to shove. They would need a Sharingan user to do that," said Naruto with Tsunade nodding since it did make sense.

"The village will have a fit over your failure to retrieve the Uchiha. Some will say you let him go deliberately out of jealousy," remarked Tsunade while Naruto scoffed.

"They can think the Uchiha shits rainbows, unicorns, and gold for all I care. It doesn't change the fact the Akatsuki came and took the brat right as I was about to bring him back to Konoha. Still, even if the Akatsuki took Sasuke, I gave the prick a beating that will take months to recover from. His attempt to get stronger will be hampered greatly unless he receives a world class doctor to heal his injuries," commented Naruto with a grin on his face while relishing the memory of beating the Uchiha bloody.

"Which the Akatsuki don't have or can't hire since by that point, the Uchiha will be in the Bingo Book with a high bounty," added Tsunade with a smirk.

"A bounty I intend to collect in the coming years," replied Naruto before he left.

"So, I take it you heard everything just said?" asked Tsunade before Jiraiya entered via the window.

"I did. And to answer your unspoken question, its no. I doubt Naruto would lie about the Uchiha being taken by the Akatsuki. Besides, he can sense my chakra easily enough even if I try to suppress it. Though I will inform my spy of this development. The last thing he needs to be right now is a sudden surprised should he see Sasuke within the organization he's spying on," said Jiraiya with Tsunade sighing.

"Its a shame Itachi had to do what he did. Not everyone in the clan deserved to be killed that night," said Tsunade after reading the report Hiruzen had written up on the situation and the details in the journal.

"I spoke to him about that once during one of our rare face to face talks. He didn't kill the elderly, the women, or even the children that night. Sensei promised to keep them alive and make sure they didn't follow in the same path of betrayal like Fugaku was planning. Someone else did it. Someone who was just as strong, if not stronger then Itachi himself. Someone he couldn't talk to me about," answered Jiraiya with Tsunade frowning since her late sensei's journal said as much.

"Danzo and his Root?" asked Tsunade since she suspected him like sensei did, but could not prove it.

"Possibly. The man always did believe in using "scorched earth" tactics when dealing with 'certain threats' or those he deemed 'a threat to Konoha'. There is also all the medical reports I found mentioning the loss of Sharingan Eyes in most of the bodies in well over half of the dead Uchiha found the following morning," replied Jiraiya with Tsunade now frowning at this information.

"My guess would be the leader of the Akatsuki assisted in the deed. Itachi doesn't fear Danzo. It was most likely the leader of the Akatsuki assists Itachi in killing the entire clan, except for Sasuke. Danzo swoops in with his Root and harvest the eyes because he didn't want such a powerful Dojutsu to be lost. He knows Kakashi had one implanted into his eye and my have thought of having the same thing done to himself," said Tsunade with a frown while Jiraiya did too.

"It makes sense. Though who would he go to for such a secret and treasonous operation?" asked Jiraiya with Tsunade thinking before her eyes went wide.

"Orochimaru," whispered Tsunade with Jiraiya realizing this too.

"Of course! He was obsessed with transferring bloodlines into other people or bodies for his own purposes. But doing it surgically meant losing it when switching bodies. It would explain why our old teammate never did it himself. Danzo must have approached him in secret and asked Orochimaru to do the surgery shortly after the massacre. He must have a Sharingan Eye under those damn bandages and using his excuse of it being an old war wound to conceal it from everyone," concluded Jiraiya since it would be the only way to hide the Sharingan on his face.

"Not only that, but who was the Uchiha he harvested it from. Danzo wouldn't choose just any random Sharingan Eye. No. I suspect he chose one with unique and rare properties, even among those of the Uchiha Clan," theorized Tsunade with Jiraiya nodding since it did make sense.

"The questions to ask now is, what kind of properties? And how many times can Danzo even use the Sharingan, if he has one? A man of his age can't use it everyday. Can he use it once a day? A week? Maybe two? A month? asked Jiraiya while Tsunade sighed due to this suspicion was giving her a headache.

"Danzo will never let us find out if our assumptions are true or not. A man with a small army of Root Nin under his command no doubt has quite a few who know medical Jutsus to help him maintain his Sharingan Eye," remarked Tsunade and Jiraiya scowled since there was no telling how far down the rabbit hole this went.

"And we unfortunately need him in order to keep the Akatsuki on the defensive for the next three years. My spy told me due to Yagura being killed, the three tails will reform in three years. One year per tail," replied Jiraiya with Tsunade nodding.

"Good. With any luck, the Akatsuki will thin Danzo's Root Nin while being weakened at the same time. With both sides weakened, Danzo can be kept under better control and the Akatsuki itself will be weak enough to crush before they can do any damage when they plan to resurface," said Tsunade since that was what she was hoping for in the long terms with the two sides fighting out until neither side had the strength to oppose her plan to clean things up.

For once, time was going to be on her side.

(Danzo's Root HQ)

"To think Tsunade had the nerve to call me out like that. Hiruzen would have never done such a thing," commented Danzo while Homura and Koharu were in the room with their own scowls.

"Hiruzen had more respect for us. He knew how we thought and understood our mindset balanced his out. Tsunade does not respect the older generation. She is unworthy of being Hokage," said Homura while Koharu nodded.

"Clearly. Still, she has provided us a means to protect Konoha from the shadows in her own rude way. The Akatsuki are a threat to Konoha and Itachi is a threat to us if the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre were to be revealed," remarked Danzo since he knew if the truth did get out and what happened to the Uchiha eyes taken from them, it would spell disaster for him.

"Root should move against the Akatsuki and get in contact with Itachi. Inform him of the plan to take the fight to the organization and use his position to our advantage," replied Koharu while Danzo nodded.

"Naturally. And when Itachi is no longer useful, we will kill him. Or rather, we capture him in order to have Sasuke kill his older brother in exchange for the brat's loyalty. Once we have it, the remaining Uchiha can be trained to truly combat the Jinchuriki and bring it to heel," commented Danzo with the Shinobi Elders nodding.

"And once properly conditioned to be obedient, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki can be used to crush to other Shinobi villages until Konoha is the only one remaining," said Homura with Koharu nodding briefly before they left.

"It is a shame Orochimaru and Kabuto are dead. The Jinchuriki's unique Saiyan powers, added with the Uzumaki lineage might have been useful to help prolong my life," said Danzo to himself while walking into his office and stared into a nearby mirror before a deep scowl formed on his face.

For years, Danzo found his body getting weak and weaker. His hair was thinning. His once young looking skin now had more wrinkles to it. His bones and joints were aching more with each passing day. It got harder to move around to the point where medication for his body might be required with all the side effects involving his mind slacking for a few precious hours. His Medic Nin within Root had used medical chakra to prevent the need for such things, but soon medication would soon be required short of a medical miracle.

Unacceptable.

"We still have time. We will use the next three years to prepare for the true Konoha, the real Konoha, to rise up and replace this farce the Yondaime tried to create. It is a shame Hiruzen had to follow the path the Yondaime set for Konoha seeing how popular it made the village. Otherwise, he could have easily changed things to our way of thinking," said Koharu with Homura nodding and Danzo standing still with his back toward them.

"The Yondaime died a martyr all those years ago. A symbol of the Will of Fire that he along with Hashirama and Tobirama believed in. The beliefs of a martyr cannot so easily be removed or changed. A symbol can be, if given time, perception, and enough people willing to believe in the change we wish to instill in them. We did it with the Uzumaki Clan when removing all knowledge of their existence from Konoha when their clan fell. By making sure the next generation of Shinobi would know little to nothing of their very existence, we created the belief it was our village's might alone that prevailed against our enemies in the Second Shinobi War. Not the aid of allies from some island filled with a dangerous clan refusing to join Konoha fully like they should have done from the start. We easily did it with the Uchiha Clan by slandering them in secret and let their pride run its course by letting the fools demonize themselves in the process to further justify our own actions in wiping them out with one of their own. As a result, we had the last Uchiha within its walls loyal to us because we gave him the belief that our power was absolute in all things and only through us could the spoiled brat achieve his own personal ambitions and goals," explained Danzo with Homura and Koharu nodding.

"Only for the Kyuubi Jinchuriki to make the Uchiha question those beliefs. Of the world and perception we created in Konoha. This action made the Uchiha go rogue and weaken Konoha considerably. This action cannot go unpunished and must be dealt with swiftly," said Homura with Koharu nodding.

"Unfortunately, a direct act now would be ill advised by myself or Root. Tsunade knows any action taken against the boy now would look suspicious and me acting out of some kind of spite," said Danzo knowing Tsunade would suspect, but not have proof.

Not that she would need it since the woman had other evidence from past deeds to have him charged with treason.

"What about indirect? What about enemies outside of Konoha? Enemies of the boy's own Father and Mother?" offered Koharu with Homura and Danzo frowning.

"You mean the Tsuchikage and Iwa? Or Kumo and the Raikage?" asked Homura since those two villages hated both parents of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki for different reasons.

"Both of them. Iwa and Kumo have regard much of their former strength since the last war. The Sandaime Tsuchikage already suspects something and I'm sure the Raikage's own spies in Konoha have informed him of recent developments to put things together," replied Koharu while having discreetly leaked such needed information already to both villages without the two men in the room knowing.

Plausible deniability so they couldn't have anything pinned on them and weaken their slightly weakened power base in Konoha's government.

"I know you all too well Koharu. The mere fact you even mentioned the idea means it has already been set into motion," remarked Danzo while Homura looked a tad surprised his former teammate would do this behind their back.

"It was necessary. Tsunade is breathing down your neck. Homura has been a more vocal supporter of our actions when we talked to Hiruzen about things. Out of all three of us, I am the second most subtle person, and have no problem setting side plans into motion to keep you two from being sent to Ibiki," said Koharu with Danzo smirking and Homura just staring and staying silent.

'So she went behind my back and did it for our own good. So this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end of such things, right Hiruzen?' thought Danzo knowing he did the same to his old rival on numerous occasions.

"I can only imagine Onoki is not liking the idea of the Yondaime's progeny being alive, much less able to become a giant ape monster," commented Homura at last.

"No. Our own spies in Iwa reported the Tsuchikage was irate and almost accused one of his two Jinchuriki of secretly going to Konoha to aide our village during the invasion. One of the two Biju Iwa currently possesses is the four tailed giant ape so it is somewhat understandable why he even made his outrageous, yet not entirely usual claim at the time of hearing how the Kyuubi Jinchuriki transformed to fight the One Tailed in battle," said an almost amused Koharu.

"With any luck, the future actions of Kumo and Iwa will allow us a way to weaken and control the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. If not, we can always make sure his actions weaken them instead," added Homura with Koharu nodding.

No matter what happened regarding the final outcomes of Konoha's weapon fighting the other two Shinobi villages, they would be the ones winning in the end.

(A/N: YAY! Another update. Sorry this took so long. Been busy. Tired. Needed a much desired vacation from writing. The usual stuff. Anyway, enjoy this update and all of its greatness. As to when I will update next for this fic or the others, I have no clue. But it will most likely be awhile. Until next time...PEACE!)