The inflitration (Patreon)

Naruto glanced at the board in his hand. "So, there are eighteen finalists: three from the Sand, two from Konoha, three from the Rock, four from Lightning, and the rest from small villages."

"You were given that so you could remember their names and the order of their consecutive bouts," Tsunade said, giving him a pointed look.

Naruto nodded, his eyes fixed on the board with a newfound focus.

"I have already sent invitations to the other Kage. All we can do is wait for their responses. If they accept, their accommodation needs will be met," Tsunade explained.

Naruto looked up with a frown. "Why are you telling me all this? Do you want me to coordinate that too?"

"I want a lot of things, Naruto, and I expect much from you, but no," Tsunade replied, placing the papers in her hand on the table. "I've designated others for that task, but you must learn all of this. You're a jonin now; I don't want you acting like a clueless genin."

Naruto nodded slowly. It wasn't that he was opposed to the tasks she delegated to him, but they could sometimes be confusing. He much preferred missions to diplomatic and administrative jobs. The latter involved too much paperwork and, most of all, too much politics.

What Tsunade wasn't telling him was that she wanted him trained, trained to be Hokage when she retired. He had the prowess to be a hokage, and he needed diplomatic and political clout for support. Making him a figurehead in a few of such events or mission would do just that.

"I also want you to coordinate and understand the anbu and jonin patrols around the village," She said.

Naruto nodded, "Kakashi is on the roster so ask him and note it down somewhere, every jonin needs to do that."

Sasuke's ventures in Kirigakure with Orochimaru had given him a clear understanding of the country's dire situation, but actually seeing the streams of refugees passing through the Land of Waves was something else entirely. It seemed the rumors of the civil war being over were indeed true.

Groups of Kiri refugees were now returning home from the mainland via the Land of Waves, which served as a crucial port for supplies and fuel. Karin was particularly irritated by them, her disdain for Kirigakure well known to the group.

Suigetsu, on the other hand, just wished the refugees would leave, wanting no part of their affairs. Even though their current base of operations was on the village's outskirts, the sheer number of refugees was enough for them to grasp the full scope of Kirigakure's situation.

Meanwhile, Sasuke remained focused on a more pressing matter: information. Without Orochimaru's network, they were operating blind. With both Itachi's shadow and Orochimaru's still hanging over them, they desperately needed intelligence to survive.

"None of us were privy to the Snake's information network," Ototane said, looking at Jugo. The latter was awake for the first time in days, trusting Sasuke to keep him in check if he went berserk.

"We weren't even privy to Kabuto's network," Jugo added thoughtfully.

Sasuke nodded. "With Sasori dead, there was a vacuum in the network, but I'm sure Kabuto filled that role."

"I still don't get why Orochimaru told you about Kabuto's network in the Akatsuki," Suigetsu said, sitting on the ledge of the room's single window.

"Partly to alert me about Kabuto's abilities and partly to keep him in check by having someone else know of his contacts," Sasuke explained.

"And in a bid to create rivalries, pitting Kabuto against you," Karin added, sitting up from her spot on the wooden floor where she had been inspecting a paper seal.

Sasuke looked at her. "Probably."

Karin placed the seal in a pouch at her waist. "We could use seals, you know."

"We'd have to place a seal everywhere we want to collect information from. That's tedious and dangerous," Jugo said.

"But no more so than having contacts in every nation," Ototane countered. "One agent with loose lips and the whole network goes haywire."

"Do we know how Sasori controlled his spies?" Suigetsu asked.

Ototane shook his head.

Sasuke pondered, Seals sounded alright. Better than agents, that would take a lot of years, time that they didn't have.

"We could place seals in information center, or bounty collection office." Sasuke said.

"We don't have information centers in Wave," Suigetsu pointed out.

"But we have nearby, just past borders." Ototane said.

Jugo stopped mid step as he had stood to fetch a glass of water from kitchen. "Kiri? We have discussed this, their patrols would be high alert, searching for individual with anti-bloodline aspirations."

Suigetsu nodded in support, "He's right, we cannot enter Kiri."

"Then we have two options, Hot spring and noodles." Jugo said.

"Only one, Hot spring doesn't have a strong info centre." Karin said, sitting cross legged.

"Noodles it is then," Ototane said.

Sasuke shook his head. "The Land of Noodles' information centers are for trade, not shinobi operations."

"That leaves us with..." Karin pondered gravely.

"The Land of Fire," Sasuke finished her sentence.

"That's as unsafe as Kirigakure. We don't want to anger the wrong people, Sasuke, especially not someone we know is searching for you," Ototane warned.

"It's a huge risk," Suigetsu said.

"A risk we have to take. The Land of Fire is dangerous, but it's not on high alert," Sasuke countered.

"Didn't we move to the outskirts to avoid this Tazuna fellow just for the suspicion that he might be chummy with the Land of Fire?" Jugo asked.

"We did, but we have choices to make," Karin said. "Information from the Land of Tea would be delayed, plus we need our information network to be as close to us as possible for the seals to work properly."

Sasuke pondered the prospect for a few minutes before nodding to himself. "Ototane, Karin, and Suigetsu will go. Try to be as discreet as possible; the Land of Fire produces some of the best shinobi in the elemental nations."

Suigetsu snorted. "Kirigakure produces the most sensors; Konoha falls behind."

Karin interjected. "Most, yes, but not the best." She turned to Sasuke. "We'll be quick, love. We'll get in, stick the seal, and get out."

Sasuke nodded, looking grim.

Hinata eyed Naruto as he drew a simple seal array for her to decipher. His kanji was quite elegant and clean, a skill he hadn't possessed when they were in the Academy. She knew this because she had carried Iruka's homework to the staff room for him quite a few times.

"So, look here. This is a barrier seal," Naruto said, placing the paper in front of her and Konohamaru. "It's not a complex one, but a rudimentary copy of the seals used on special storage scrolls for classified messages."

The Sarutobi boy was a punctual student, which she hadn't foreseen. According to Hanabi, he was loud, brash, and always causing mischief, much like a certain blonde shinobi she knew during her academy years. Yet, the boy respected Naruto and truly followed him around like a duckling. He learned far more than just fuinjutsu from Naruto, unlike her.

No, while Naruto trusted her with far more complex arts, he had only taught her fuinjutsu. Konohamaru, on the other hand, was Naruto's unofficial apprentice, and it showed. The Sarutobi boy was one of the best in the Academy. She heard gossip from other Chunin that he was being considered for early graduation, a rarity since the Third Hokage had ruthlessly curbed its prevalence.

"Hinata, focus. I don't want myself painted pink," Naruto said sternly, though a hint of amusement sparkled in his eyes.

Hinata smiled to herself. It seemed she, too, had a penchant for faulty seals when under Naruto's guidance.

"Practice your seals," Naruto said, standing up. "I have a project for Higarashi's shop that I need to finish. Plus, you'll learn about weapon inscribing today."

"Will you teach us how to do it?" Konohamaru asked, excited. "I have the tanto you gave me with seals."

"No, you're not ready, and not everyone has a talent for it," Naruto replied.

"Hey! That's not fair, big brother. I'm talented with fuinjutsu!"

Naruto smiled and ruffled his hair. "You are, brat, but weapon inscribing is a separate branch. Not every fuinjutsu user can learn it."

Naruto nodded to Hinata before exiting the living room.

Up in the study was a staff, five and a half feet tall and made of fine mahogany brought it and its stand down, placing them on the table in the living room. Hinata and Konohamaru both focused intently on the weapon, the latter with particular interest since his grandfather also used a staff.

"Now, this is an example of the weapon inscribing practiced by my clan," Naruto lectured. "The Uzumaki used seals on weapons to improve their durability, weight, sharpness, and much more."

"See these curves here? They're familiar to the Uzumaki style of fuinjutsu, but you can also notice zigzagging lines in them."

"That's your unique style," Hinata said, completely focused on the seals etched into the staff.

"Yes, they can't be inscribed using the Konoha style," Naruto admitted. "You need a good understanding of the Uzumaki style."

"And for that, we need to be Uzumaki," Konohamaru said sadly.

Naruto nodded. "I'm afraid the art requires that, Konohamaru."

Konohamaru smiled. "I know, Nii-san. And I respect it; I respect their sacrifice."

Hinata looked at Naruto. He smiled at Konohamaru to reassure him, but she saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes. Her time learning under him had given her a small window into his mind.

She knew he mourned his clan and his parents. She knew nothing about the latter; he never divulged their identity, and there were no portraits of them in his house. This gave her a chilling clarity—they must have been important or dangerous enough for Naruto to conceal their identities.

The Uzumaki were a distant cousin clan to the Senju, but they weren't native to the Land of Fire. She knew a small population of Uzumaki had once resided in Konoha, but their numbers had dwindled, just like the Senju.

And as of now, only Naruto remained of the clan. This put his relationship with the Hokage in a new light. They were distant cousins, of a sort, and were clearly close.

Close enough that every clan head in Konoha understood that Naruto was under her personal protection.

Hinata chuckled to herself. As if the blonde shinobi needed any protection. He was a menace with seals and was rumored to be one of the fastest shinobi in Konoha. She had witnessed this firsthand during his spar with Kakashi-sensei when he had first returned.

Hinata refocused on the lesson as Naruto explained the seals on the staff. "See this small array here?" he asked, pointing to a subtle spiral pattern. "It's a weight-reduction seal. It's layered on top of a core seal for durability, which is why it looks so simple."

"But I don't see any kanji for 'weight'!" Konohamaru piped up, leaning in for a closer look.

Naruto chuckled. "That's the trick, brat. The seals are chained together. One triggers the next, affecting the staff's mass without needing a complex kanji. It's a custom job, not something you'll find in a book."

He then looked to Hinata. "You can't just copy the pattern; you have to understand how their energies interact. This is why I've only asked you to observe. This kind of layering is out of your skill level for now."

She nodded, already anticipating a week's worth of tasks. Naruto would be busy as the host of the third phase of the Chunin Exams.

Genma rolled his eyes as Kakashi entered the jonin lounge, an arm draped over Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto, this is the jonin hangout. You can join the recreational activities, play poker like those guys," Kakashi said, gesturing lazily toward a group playing strip poker.

"Or you can laze around like them." He pointed to Asuma and Raidō, who both offered a lazy salute before melting further into the sofa.

"It's a space to relax and wait for missions," Kakashi explained, dropping onto a green grass rug and opening his porn.

Kurenai scowled at him from her spot beside Asuma, but the others left him alone. He was the Copy Ninja, after all.

"Why didn't I know about this before?" Naruto asked, still standing and looking utterly confused. "I mean, I've been a jonin for nearly a month."

Genma smirked. It was all due to Kakashi's laziness. "Ma... Ma, Naruto, as your former sensei, I just forgot to introduce you."

Naruto opened and closed his mouth, then looked at Kakashi, affronted. "That's irresponsible, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi's eye crinkled in a smile. "Look who's lecturing me on responsibility."

Naruto glowered at the one-eyed scarecrow. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're irresponsible," Kakashi said lazily.

"I am not!" Naruto insisted.

"You are, too," Kakashi replied without looking up, his head buried in his book.

"Shut up, brat. Some of us are trying to sleep," a woman with a familiar purple mop of hair growled. Naruto looked up to see a group of hammocks hanging from the ceiling, one of them occupied.

Mitarashi Anko looked down at him with an irritated expression. He still remembered the "snake lady" from the second phase of his Chunin Exams, and final rounds of Jonin exams.

Suddenly, a cheer erupted from the group playing poker. Anko looked at them sharply and threw a kunai that landed squarely in the center of the poker board.

"I've told you brats to keep quiet! I just got back from a long-term mission, so let me rest, or I'll set Kuro on you!" she snarled. The men cowered, nodding at her command.

"Who's Kuro?" Naruto whispered to Kakashi.

"Her largest pet summon," he replied, unconcerned, as if he were just commenting on the weather.

Naruto just shook his head; some of these jonin were just too wild for his taste.

Genma dropped down from his perch, taking in Naruto's appearance. He resembled Minato in his coloring, but his face shape, eyes, and nose were a match for Kushina's.

Genma had noticed the similarities during the Chunin Exams, but they were clearer now, more refined on his chiseled face.

It was only by a stroke of coincidence that nobody had recognized him until now. Then again, according to his entry in the Bingo Book, Naruto used disguises in enemy territory and had an innate talent for fuinjutsu.

"Did you bring your brat here to show off, Kakashi?" he asked in a teasing tone.

"Hokage-sama asked me to introduce him," Kakashi said uncaringly, flipping a page in his book. "He'll be working high-rank missions, so it was apparently imperative and all."

Genma looked at Naruto. "Remember me, gaki?"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully before nodding. "You're the guy from the Chunin Exams' final round, and my Jonin exams. The toothpick guy."

"Senbon, brat. I use a senbon," Genma corrected.

"Yeah, that. You're a Tokubetsu Jōnin, though, right?" Naruto asked.

"Pulling rank on me, brat?" Genma said, signaling for him to sit in an armchair before taking the adjacent one. "No, I'm a full-fledged Jōnin; I always have been."

"Nothing like that," Naruto replied, sitting down. "I just thought you were a Tokubetsu Jōnin."

"I was one, but Minato-sama saw to my promotion to full Jōnin," he said.

Naruto looked up, a bit amazed.

"You know," Genma remarked, a bit shocked. He thought the Third had forbidden anyone from ever revealing Naruto's parentage.

Naruto nodded.

"You resemble him a lot," Genma said with his smile.

"People always say that," Naruto said returning his smile.

"They didn't see him up close a lot; I did. Me, Raidō, and old Iwashi," Genma said, and Naruto looked curious.

"The Third created a group, the Hokage Platoon, to secure the Hokage and to aid him in an emergency. We were assigned to Minato-sama and were dismissed after his demise."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"We were deemed inefficient by the council and replaced after we failed to protect Minato-sama," Genma admitted.

"Council?" Naruto asked again.

"The Advisory Council, formerly constituted of the Third's old teammates," Genma said.

"Stop giving him political lessons, Shiranui. The brat's young; he'll learn all that in due time," Anko said, dropping down from her hammock.

Anko looked him up and down. "Still favoring the orange, brat? It looks atrocious."

"No, it doesn't," Naruto argued back.

"Got some spunk, I see. Why don't we meet outside and have a light spar? You're a combat specialist, right? The last time we fought, you got the upper hand," Anko said.

Naruto nodded, standing up. "Combat and fuinjutsu specialist, for now."

"Stop intimidating him, Anko," Kakashi said, his face still in his book.

"Don't overhype your student, Scarecrow. He's only a green jonin," Anko replied.

"A green jonin that went head-to-head with you, Genma, and an Anbu commander," Asuma said, lighting a cigarette.

"Hah, I was tired then. I had just come from a mission when he chose me," Anko scoffed.

"Yet you got defeated pretty fast—the fastest of us three," Genma said.

"Oh, I'll get back to you for that, Genma. But first, let me bring this brat down a peg," Anko said, looking at Naruto, who appeared offended.

"Hey, what do you mean by that? Don't underestimate me, snake lady," Naruto blurted out, instantly covering his mouth in haste. He hadn't meant to say that last part.

"What did you just call me, brat?" A tick mark appeared on her forehead. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, calls me 'snake lady'! How dare you?"

"That's it! You're coming out to Training Ground Three, right now. I'll beat that spunk out of you!" she growled, storming out with a furious purpose.

Naruto followed her out, a frown on his face.

"She's going to regret this," Kurenai said, shaking her head and placing a hand on her forehead.

"That she is," Kakashi said, putting his Icha Icha back in his pouch as he stood up and followed them out.

"Are you going to stop her?" Genma asked.

Kakashi shook his head, his visible eye forming a smile. "Why would I do that? It'll be good training for him, and Anko will be brought down a peg or two. No harm in that either."

Asuma chuckled. "You're a sadistic one, you know that, Kakashi."

Naruto took his place as Anko sauntered into the training ground.

"This is just a spar; no maiming or killing," Genma said, walking to the middle. "I'll be the referee. When I say this ends, it ends."

Naruto nodded, already stretching his arms and legs. It had been a few weeks since he had gotten the chance to let loose. Maybe Anko would provide that chance.

"Ready?" Genma asked. Both he and Anko nodded. "Go!"

Genma vanished, taking his place beside the other jonin who had come to watch the spar.

"Wanna bet?" Raido asked.

"A thousand yen on Naruto," Asuma said.

Kurenai elbowed him. "Stop doing that, Asuma."

Naruto eyed Anko, who was still stretching, and took his stance. Anko rushed at him, eager to pounce.

He sidestepped, ducking under her following punch. Already familiar with the dance of taijutsu, he jabbed at her abdomen, only to have his strike redirected. He moved forward, his elbow poised over her face, but she caught it, twisting his arm.

With all of his strength, he pulled away. A kick to her sternum freed his arm, but she huffed, "You're quite good, gaki, but not good enough."

Naruto smirked. Her answer was a roundhouse kick that grazed his shoulder, but he endured it to get inside her guard.

His uppercut was again avoided, but not the following elbow. Unknown to Anko, he had reduced his body's resistance seal, making him far quicker.

Anko spat out blood. "You hit hard, kid."

But she was not easily deterred. She returned to him, and as he moved to counter, she twisted her body in a very unnatural way—just like Orochimaru had done all those years ago in the Forest of Death.

He grunted as her punch connected with his jaw. Even with his resistance reduced to 25%, she followed up with a kick that sent him flying backward.

It seemed she was going to challenge him, and she did. When he looked up, she was gone. He didn't even get a chance to react before his body suddenly began sinking into the ground.

Halfway down, he substituted himself with a log that was completely consumed by the earth. From the tree branch he had landed on, he watched the log disappear.

"Well, that wasn't nice," a voice said from behind him, just before a kick sent him plummeting to the ground. He looked up to see no one there. So, she was playing hide-and-seek. He could do that even better.

He swiped a seal from his belt and applied it to himself, vanishing completely. He was about to apply a scent-suppressing seal when a thirty-foot-long python erupted from the ground, attacking him.

"Not so fast, gaki," a voice said from behind him. But this time, before Anko could get a drop on him, he vanished with a Shunshin. His seal flickered before he was fully visible again. It seemed that damned snake had targeted the seal. Only a summon could be trained to attack like that.

"Where's your tongue, gaki? Cat got it? I thought you were the talkative kind," Anko mocked him from her perch in a tree, a snake wrapped around her torso.

"I was just getting your measure, you know," Naruto said with a smile. "You're truly good, just behind Kakashi-sensei. But I earned this jonin status on merit, Anko-senpai."

Anko raised a brow. "I like the sound of that, gaki. A humble kōhai is a good kōhai."

"I will show you humble," Naruto mumbled, vanishing in a Shunshin.

He reappeared behind Anko, and before she or the snake could react, he applied a Gravity Seal on the summon before disappearing again.

"Damn! He's fast, Kakashi," Asuma said, amazed at Naruto's Shunshin speed.

"You haven't seen even half of it. The brat is sometimes even faster than me," Kakashi replied.

Raidō looked at him. "Surely you must be jesting."

"Nuh-uh," Kakashi said, shaking his head.

The snake went down, dragging Anko with it. They both fell to the ground, and the snake vanished in a puff of smoke. "Hey! That's not nice, gaki!"

"See, this will feel nice," Naruto said, dropping down toward her with a smaller Rasengan in his hand.

Anko cursed and vanished with a Shunshin. The blue ball of chakra created a small crater where she had been.

"You're bringing out the big guns, aren't you?" Anko asked, going through a series of hand signs.

"Katon: Great Fireball Barrage!" she spat three medium-sized fireballs at him.

Naruto unfurled a sealing scroll that absorbed the fireballs. "Fuinjutsu: Mirror Fire!"

The three fireballs returned to Anko, who spat a glob of water to extinguish them.

"Impressive," a voice muttered above Kakashi. He looked up to see Guy standing there with a wide grin on his face.

"How long has this youthful spar been going on, my youthful rival?" Guy asked, dropping down beside him.

"Not too long," Kakashi said, his focus already back on the fight.

"Doton: Toad Head Attack!" A giant toad head made of mud rose from the ground, speeding toward Anko.

"Shit!" Anko cursed.

Another Naruto appeared behind her with a Shunshin. He went through a series of hand signs and yelled, "Doton: Toad Head Crush!" Two toad heads made of mud rushed at Anko, intending to crush her between them.

Anko bit her finger and summoned the largest snake she could. The toad heads crashed into the snake, which hissed dangerously and slashed its tail to destroy the heads, coating its tail and lower body in mud.

"Bringing out the big guns? Not so fast," Naruto said, working through three more hand signs. "Doton: Mud Harden!"

The mud on the snake's body solidified, constricting it in place. Anko hissed, seeing her summon so easily restricted. "You're getting on my nerves, brat!"

"You haven't even seen half of it, Senpai," a voice said from behind her. She swirled around, but two medium-sized air bullets had already collided with her chest. She flew off the back of the snake, already dazed from the close-range jutsu.

"Fuinjutsu: Sealing Chakra Chains!" the boy said as she righted herself in midair.

As soon as she landed, the chains wrapped around her like snakes. She was used to it; even if she cursed Orochimaru's name, he had taught her to avoid snakes. She was about to twist out of the chains when the brat appeared in front of her, a grin on his face.

"Fuinjutsu: Second Gravity!" The seal he dropped on the ground increased the gravity by a factor of three.

Anko grunted as the chains curled around her like a vice, and she slumped.

"Do you yield, Senpai?" the boy asked.

Anko nodded, a silent admission of defeat, and Naruto undid his jutsu.

Tsunade eyed the entourage from Sunagakure. Gaara was leading, with his sister at his side. It was not a small entourage, yet it wasn't as large as it could have been.

"Hokage-dono," Gaara said, nodding at her.

"Kazekage-dono," Tsunade said, returning the courtesy.

Her jonin commander, Nara Shikaku, led her own entourage behind her. He had griped about the additional responsibilities but had taken to them like a duck to water.

"Your accommodations have been arranged as per your liking," Shikaku said, bowing formally, yet not low enough to show that the Hokage still held more respect and authority than any other Kage.

Gaara nodded and walked off with the Nara clan head. Tsunade watched him go, allowing Shikaku to lead Gaara's entire entourage to the hotel that had been booked exclusively for them, with no other guests.

She sighed. He was the first Kage and the third head of a village to attend the Chunin Exams' final rounds. He was an expected attendee, and Tsunade wanted it to remain that way.

But her wish was shattered three days later when an Anbu informed her that an entourage from Kirigakure had been sighted just outside the village.

She hurriedly called Shikaku and led him to the gates, where a group of Anbu escorted the entourage. It was led by an auburn-haired woman Tsunade instantly recognized: Terumi Mei.

Mei was rumored to have led a successful coup, overthrowing the bloodthirsty Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage.

"Bloodthirsty Yagura"?

As far as Tsunade remembered, the Bloody Mist always produced sinister, ruthless, and cruel shinobi. The kenjutsu and silent killers that Kiri created were infamous throughout the elemental nations.

This was evident in her entourage, as a swordsman flanked the Mizukage on each side. She eyed the infamous Kubikiribōchō in the hand of a large, blue-eyed man with dark hair and a cruel smile.

On his other side was a boy no older than eighteen. In his hand was Hiramekarei, the twin blades combined into a long sword and wrapped in a white cloth.

"Hokage-dono," Terumi smirked. "It's been a long time since I saw you."

Tsunade raised a brow. "Mizukage-dono, I'm surprised you came. I thought Kiri was still recovering from the reign of Yagura."

Mei giggled. "Your informants have been a bit lax, Hokage-dono. Yagura's reign ended quite a few months ago. We've rebuilt and recovered."

"Quite so," Tsunade said. "Regardless, your accommodations have been seen to. Nara Shikaku will lead you there."

Mei smirked, nodding to her. Her entourage was large, and Tsunade recognized a few of them. It was a good thing the inns were on quick notice; she hadn't expected any other Kage to come, but she should have. Fortunately, Shikaku had planned for all possibilities.

To her surprise, the next entourage to arrive was from the Village Hidden in the Rock. Ōnoki wasn't leading it, however; it was a large man garbed in the robes of Iwagakure, accompanied by a young girl with black hair and a heart-shaped face.

They were introduced as Kitsuchi, the representative of Iwagakure, and his assistant, Kuruma. They carried a scroll signed by the Tsuchikage himself, which gave them the authority to advise on and administer promotions.

The entourage was quite small, and no reasons were given for Ōnoki's absence. Tsunade was secretly glad, as the old coot and Konoha had too much bad blood between them. Ōnoki would surely jump at any chance to cause chaos.

They were given their own hotel, which meant four out of the five great nations now had representation.

The only nation to not attend or send a representative was the Land of Lightning. While not completely unwelcome, it was suspicious.

The Raikage, Ay, was known for his brashness, authoritativeness, and deception, but he never backed down. He was a proud man.

It seemed Jiraiya was going to be busy in the near future. The news he had sent last week was about a massive breakout from one of Orochimaru's facilities. The name of Sasuke Uchiha was on the report, along with a few unknown shinobi for whom Konoha's archives had no records.

Tsunade sighed. She sometimes wanted to pummel that brat for sweet-talking her into this cursed role. She never would have accepted this position if not for Naruto. Fortunately, the security was being managed by the Anbu Commander, and the jonin schedule was prepared by Kakashi.

The Hatake was meticulous once you forced something on him—though not when it came to teaching; the man was simply not made for that.

She returned to her office already spent and tired, but a mountain of paperwork was waiting for her, even though the Chunin Exams were still a few days away.

Karin entered the Land of Fire unhindered. It was a well-known fact that Konoha was lenient on the Land of Waves, and for good reason—the closest elemental nation was Kirigakure, which had only recently been plunged into a civil war.

Ototane was just behind her, while Suigetsu kept watch, moving at a certain distance to alert them if he noticed anyone approaching.

"We're in," Ototane said, looking at the map in his lap. "From here, we need to move southeast. The first border patrol is three miles away, and the second is six miles behind that."

Karin looked at him, annoyed. "We don't need to go that far. The information center is just four miles from here."

"Yeah, but we need full information on their sensors," Ototane argued.

Karin waved him off. "Konoha doesn't deploy sensors in these areas."

Ototane looked a bit uncertain but nodded, signaling to Suigetsu with a small gesture. Karin didn't stay to see if the water specialist understood or not.

She moved on silently, not daring to climb the trees. The Lands of Rice and Grass didn't have rich foliage, so she wasn't adept at traveling through trees like Sasuke. She was far more discreet and silent on the ground.

Ototane followed her closely, and soon they encountered the first patrol. It was a small group, but they looked skilled: one black-haired shinobi, two brown-haired, and a blonde. There was no Hyūga or other sensors among them.

It was fortunate that Konoha hadn't deemed the Land of Waves' borders important enough. The patrol party was quite lax, not in a hurry and certainly not overly alert.

Peacetime gave them the luxury of being so. During times of war, the patrol would have had a barracks nearby, along with a sensor or a Hyūga.

Suigetsu signaled that the patrol party was moving on, completely unaware of their presence. Karin moved to go forward, but Ototane held her by the arm. "Not so fast. Let them get clear of our range."

Karin nodded and waited for a moment before the second signal came. They moved on. The walk was silent, and Ototane was on high alert. The man was a worrywart; she knew he was skilled enough to easily handle more than a few shinobi at once, but he was always anxious.

Sasuke always called him "cautious," but Karin knew he really meant "anxious."

The trek to the info center was quite slow, all thanks to Ototane. They took cover behind some rocks as soon as the center was in sight.

"Good," Ototane said. "We've reached the center unnoticed. One of us needs to remain here as a lookout."

Suigetsu nodded. "I'm the infiltration specialist."

Karin snorted, interrupting him. "You're the dumbest of us all, Water Boy."

Suigetsu gritted his teeth. "Don't call me that, and as I was saying, I'm the infiltration specialist because of my water-based abilities. Karin needs to be inside to stick the seal on correctly, so Ototane, you should be the lookout."

Ototane nodded, signaling them to move forward.

Suigetsu moved first, his body turning blue and then transparent as he entered a pipe that Karin had confirmed was connected to the centralized AC unit.

He traveled through the pipes and then the AC vents. Fortunately, it wasn't cold enough to freeze his water form. After a few turns, he entered the one that led him to the information room.

The room was plain enough, with two computers, three connection devices, and a staff of five. It all seemed quite normal. Now, he needed a distraction to get the troublesome redhead inside.

He moved forward, entering a second room adjacent to the information room—a storeroom. He got an idea. He returned the same way he came and exited the building. Karin was standing there, looking quite annoyed.

"How long does it take you to reconnoiter, you numbskull?" she asked, irritated.

Suigetsu shushed her. "I have everything planned."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Then pray tell."

Suigetsu looked irritated but nodded. "There's a storage room next to the information room. I'll leak some water into it. They'll surely go to check, and you should stick the seal and escape."

"The window will be too small," Karin said, frowning.

Suigetsu smirked. "Not if the water leaks on some important machines. I saw quite a few in that storage room." He then revealed a small jar with a rock-like material floating in a liquid. "This, my irritated teammate, is sodium. When it hits the water..."

"...it causes an explosion," Karin completed his sentence with an impressed smile.

"Just the right placement, above one of those computers, and boom!" Suigetsu smirked.

The plan unfolded exactly as they had designed it. Inside the ventilation shafts, Suigetsu carefully maneuvered, a small, sealed jar clutched in his hand. He located the primary air duct that led directly to the information center's storage room.

The hum of a central server unit told him he was in the right place. With the silent hiss of an activated seal, he opened the jar and let the piece of sodium drop.

It landed on a computer casing with a faint ping. A moment later, he used a smaller water jutsu, releasing a concentrated stream of liquid just above it.

The reaction was instantaneous. A blinding white flash of light was followed by a sharp, percussive explosion that reverberated through the metal pipes. The sound was muffled to Suigetsu, but he could hear the panicked shouts from the information room as the fire alarms began to blare.

The chaos was his cue.

Below, Karin felt a surge of adrenaline. As the shinobi scrambled out of the information room and into the storage room, shouting orders and trying to find fire extinguishers, her chance appeared.

The door was left ajar. She slipped inside, hidden in the commotion, moving with a silent grace that Sasuke himself would have approved of.

The room was just as Suigetsu had described it. Two large computer terminals sat on a shared desk, their screens flashing with status reports.

Karin knelt down and ran her hand along the underside of the main terminal. The chakra from her fingertips confirmed the network connections were exactly where she needed them to be.

She pulled a small, layered seal from her pouch—a design so compact and inconspicuous it resembled little more than a smudge of ink. She applied a small amount of chakra, and the seal fused instantly with the metal, its layers embedding themselves into the machine's casing.

It was a listening and data-retrieval seal, designed to siphon off information and transmit it back to a pre-programmed receiver. A masterpiece taught her by Orochimaru.

With the seal set, her mission was complete. Her mind raced with a sense of urgency. The shinobi would be returning soon.

She needed to vanish. Drawing another, smaller seal, she activated its pre-loaded chakra.

A thick cloud of smoke immediately billowed from the seal's surface, filling the room and obscuring her path to the door. She slipped out, a ghost leaving behind a smokescreen to hide her tracks. The seal would burn itself out in a few moments, leaving no trace.

She met Suigetsu just outside, a few yards from the building. "Done," she said, her chest heaving slightly from the exertion.

"Took you long enough, Red," Suigetsu grumbled, but a subtle smirk played on his lips.

Ototane, who was waiting further back, let out a relieved sigh. "Any trouble?"

"None at all," Karin confirmed, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. "The plan worked perfectly." The first step of their new beginning was complete. Now, they just had to wait for the information to come rolling in.

But unknown to them, two shinobi wearing plain white masks observed as they retreated before vanishing from the trees as if they were never there.

Tsunade was just about to attend the Chunin Exams when an ANBU arrived, a small piece of paper in his hand.

"This came early this morning, Hokage-sama," he said, his voice muffled behind his mask.

Tsunade opened it and frowned. "A fire in the easternmost info center? That's quite unusual."

"They reported that it was a minor leak that resulted in one of the big computers exploding," the ANBU said.

Tsunade looked up. "A minor leak results in a computer blast? Do computers explode that easily?"

The ANBU shook his head.

"Tell ANBU Bear to send a team under him to investigate and report the findings to me." The ANBU nodded before vanishing with a Shunshin

Danzō eyed the Root ANBU kneeling in front of him. "A red-haired female, you say?"

"Hai, Danzō-sama," the agent said, looking down. "There was one blonde-haired individual and a white-haired shinobi."

"They were spying around the info center, then?" Danzō asked, leaning forward from his seat.

"They seemed to be a sabotage team, as they destroyed one of the computers at the center," the agent reported dutifully.

Danzō clicked his tongue and shook his head. "No, they were no sabotage team. The computer you're telling me about is a spare one. You're dismissed."

Danzō needed to get to the bottom of this, especially if they were indeed with Sasuke. No, he was sure of it. There were only a few true-blooded Uzumaki left, and for one to appear just as another had vanished... it was no coincidence.

He needed to reach them before Orochimaru could, or, even worse, before Itachi. No, he couldn't allow that. He wanted Itachi dead, not sharing critical information with his equally treacherous brother.

If only Itachi had left the village as soon as he butchered his clan. No, he had to stay, and he had the gall to threaten him. He would have killed the last descendant of Madara and been done with it. Fucking treacherous Uchiha.

The thought of Itachi's audacity made Danzō's good eye twitch. He had a deal with the Uchiha prodigy. It was a Faustian bargain, but one that served his purposes. Itachi was a valuable, if unwilling, asset.

But now, with a new Uzumaki apparently in tow with Sasuke, the variables had changed. The Uzumaki clan's reputation wasn't built on combat prowess alone; their fuinjutsu and vast chakra reserves were legendary.

The more unsettling thought was that Itachi might be seeking out this Uzumaki for his own reasons, perhaps to aid Sasuke. The Uchiha were always a blight on Konoha's true destiny, their arrogance and bloodline pride a constant obstacle to his vision of a stable, militarized Konoha.

He had purged them once, and he wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

Danzō rose from his seat, his gaze sweeping over the sterile, shadowed room of his Root headquarters. He saw the world in terms of assets and liabilities, and right now, the rogue shinobi known as Sasuke's new companions were a grave unknown. They were a loose thread in the tapestry of his carefully constructed plans.

"Mizuki," he spoke, his voice a low growl that carried through the silence.

A figure, garbed in the signature Root uniform and a blank mask, materialized from the shadows. The agent knelt, awaiting his orders. "Danzō-sama."

"The team you observed near the Land of Waves' border," Danzō began, his eye fixed on the agent. "Their objective was not sabotage."

The agent's silence was a testament to his training. He merely absorbed the information without question or surprise.

"A team of three," Danzō continued, his mind tracing the connections. "A red-haired Uzumaki, a white-haired boy—likely a member of the Hozuki clan—and a blonde. Find them."

"Hai, Danzō-sama," Mizuki said.

"This is not a mission for a simple patrol. This is a retrieval mission. I want them brought back alive, and I want them to be brought to me. Use whatever means necessary, but do not kill them."

The agent said nothing as Danzō continued. "They will serve Konoha, even if they do not wish to. This is a task that must be done, and it must be done quickly and discreetly. I have other plans in motion that must not be disrupted. We cannot risk being exposed. Do not fail me."

Danzō's gaze was hard, uncompromising. He had sacrificed too much for his vision of Konoha—his eye, his arm, his humanity. He would not allow a few runaway shinobi to unravel decades of meticulous planning.

The Chunin Exams were a distraction, a sideshow for the other villages to observe Konoha's strength, but he knew the true power lay in the shadows, in the intelligence gathered, and in the assets secured.

He had to have this Uzumaki, if only to prevent Itachi and Orochimaru from getting to them first. The future of Konoha depended on it.

Disclaimer: All rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto.