Chapter 49  

Kakashi felt vindicated. In the aftermath of Danzo's death, there was a lot of paperwork and conversations that had to happen, though hardly as much as there could be in response to assassinating someone inside the village. Danzo was an S-Class ninja and the few people that knew he was traitor and that he had compromised the Third Hokage, the better. It made Konoha look weak to the other nations if the full scope of what happened came out. Still, there was a major problem that needed to be addressed after the fact.

Namely, a group of genin that needed to learn not to run off and try to fight S-Class ninjas.

"So...he had arm cells from another guy in his brain?" Naruto asked the same question in a slightly different way for the fifth time.

"Yes." Tsunade groaned out in exasperation.

Naturally, Kakashi had volunteered Tsunade to explain what happened to Danzo before they managed to run across him. It was going about how he expected.

"But he seemed fine. He was really strong, till I kicked his ass." Naruto insisted.

"That's the point! He wasn't fine!" Tsunade shouted back. "If he was fine, you all would have died in seconds!"

"Because he had arm cells in his brain?" Naruto asked again.

"YES!" Tsunade, Sakrua, and Sasuke all yelled.

"Oooooh." Naruto said before giving a confident nod of his head. "Got it."

Sasuke and Sakura gave a look of suspicion at his confidence. When Sakura opened her mouth to express that doubt, Sasuke shot a hand up and shook his head. Kakashi internally pouted; he hoped them to go around that conversation a few more times, but he figured it was time to finish things up.

"There, now that that's understood, I need you three to understand how important this is. You got lucky this time, but if that fight had started even ten seconds earlier, there is a strong possibility that he would have been capable of forming a better plan and killed you all before you realized you had an issue. You didn't beat a Legend, you beat an old man who had already been in a fight and was half-mad from cancer invading his brain while also being slowed by said cancer infecting the rest of his internal organs." Kakashi summarized as he loomed over his kids. "Don't make a habit of fighting older people. If they are ninja and managed to live that long, then you should be afraid of them."

"What?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow and pointed at Tsunade. "You mean I should be scared of this old lady?"

"Hey! I'm not old you brat!"

"I wouldn't suggest making her mad." Kakashi responded evenly. "Unless you happen to have some hemoglobin on hand."

Tsunade's eye twitched.

"For...a blood transfusion?" Sakura guessed.

"Something like that." Kakashi said with a shrug before turning towards the door to their little room.

They were not, strictly speaking, under arrest, but they had been invited to stay in his manor while 'everything got sorted out' and had been provided very safe rooms that just so happened to have a lot of cameras and sensors in the area and none of the rooms they were allowed in had windows. Despite that, Anko had somehow managed to secure liquor and drink herself into stupor after a long night of celebration that resulted in the woman holing up in her own room as she cursed anyone that made a sound louder than a whisper. They had been left alone for the last few hours, but Kakashi could sense movement at the other side of the door to the room, a quick sniff had him straighten up as the door opened.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi stated before going to a bow. Two of his students copied him.

"Hey, Old Man!" Naruto cried out happily while Tsunade gave a vague head nod.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. Sasuke. Sakura. How are you three doing?" The Hokage asked as he played with his pipe in one hand as he gazed at Sasuke with a ponderous gaze.

"Fine, Hokage-Sama." Sasuke intoned immediately, a sentiment that Sakura echoed.

"Bored!" Naruto responsed in exasperation. "We were up answering questions all last night and we haven't been allowed to go anywhere! Your place is boring!"

Kakashi held back a sigh as Hiruzen merely chuckled in response. "Well, you have to put up with it just a bit longer. Though lunch is being served in the dining area, why don't you three go as I talk with your Sensei?"

The three looked to Kakashi, rather than just running off. A huge improvement from when he first got them, at least for two of them. All three knew they could go, the Hokage outranked Kakashi after all, but it was a look checking if they needed to know anything before they moved out. A look to see if he seemed tense or scared.

"Go." He ordered with an easy tone and the three set out a sedate pace.

"Bet I'll get there first." Naruto confidentially yelled before two sets of feet began pounding down the hallway followed by a third set a heartbeat later.

"That was spooky." Tsunade muttered as she gazed out to the hallway.

Hiruzen gave a nod of acknowledgement.

Kakashi looked between the two and then out to the hallway where something crashed and broke in the distance.

"Same interaction the Sannin had before?" Kakashi guessed.

"Verbatim." Hiruzen acknowledge. "Team 7 is very similar to the younger versions of my team."

"Hopefully these little shits will end up better." Tsunade groaned as she leaned back in her chair.

"Don't worry, I suspect Sasuke will never transform into a woman." Kakashi joked.

"No. That's Naruto's thing." Hiruzen countered and Kakashi had to suppress a laugh.

Despite the joking, Hiruzen lingered and fiddled with his pipe. This was not a formal meeting, it was personal and something Hiruzen was uncertain on. Kakashi settled into the chair that Sakura had abandoned earlier and made himself comfortable yet attentive. He wouldn't rush the man.

Tsunade had no such compulsion. "What do you need?"

Hiruzen heaved a sigh and grabbed one of the chairs for himself. "Last night I received a visitor. I went to the old Team Study last night and was greeted by Orochitama."

"Of course she did." Kakashi groaned. "Did she bring booze? Threats? Sexual innuendo?"

"No. She invited me to sit for my favorite tea and cookies." Hiruzen responded rubbing at his nose. "Then she proceeded to spell out what all her plans over the last few months have been building up towards, gave me information that I frankly am unsure what to do with, and then made an offer that I worry we can't refuse."

"Isn't that what she does every time anyone meets her?" Tsunade asked drolly.

"Frankly, her not flirting was the most surprising part of that." Kakashi noted aloud before thinking on it and admitting that it actually wasn't. From what he could tell, Orochitama never flirted with Tsunade or Jiraiya either. Something about their connection to Orochimaru made her unwilling to flirt with them.

"Well, I found the most surprising part to be her admitting to be the result of Orochimaru attempting to achieve immortality by changing bodies only to mess up the process in such a way that the Shinigami personally sent a soul into the process which disrupted the technique and created an amalgamation of three souls into one that is Orochitama. That, or when she outlined how she orchestrated a marriage between the Daimyo of Valley and the son of the Daimyo of Hills who then adopted the Daimyo of Rice resulting in Grass, Waterfall, and Sound combining into a single village."

Kakashi put aside the metaphysical implications of most of that to the side for him to have anxiety about later for the far more pressing issue.

Waterfall, Grass, and Sound? Sound's strength was fairly unknown, but Grass and Waterfall together gave them more manpower than Sand or Mist. Plus, those three nations had several major ports and trade lines running through it, while also having a huge amount of farmable land, as well as several decently sized iron mines. It would be smaller than the likes of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, but the nation had the natural resources and positioning to be a peer to any nation. Waterfall even had a jinchuriki. This new village, whatever it ended up being called, weren't just another small village; they met all the requirements to have their leader hold the title of Kage.

"Shit." Tsunade spat, summing up Kakashi's thoughts on the matter.

"I would appreciate if you would tell me in greater detail everything you found out, Hokage-sama." Kakashi stated, perhaps a bit out of place for him to request such a thing from his leader, but the man was clearly coming to them for advice. He needed context to provide that.

"Very well. She greeted me as 'Sensei'-" Hiruzen began.

It was no exaggeration to state Konoha's reaction to the events Hiruzen was describing could decide if they would fall to war in the coming years or not. He needed the full picture, but what would truly decide the future would be how the other Kages reacted to this new village.

xxxxxxxx

Rasa found himself flummoxed on how he should feel about the greatest political move of the last decade. The Fourth Kazekage stared out his window in thought as he rolled the facts over in his mind. A task he found difficult as he found himself struggling with conflicting feeling on many things that had occurred of late, particularly as it related to Orochitama. A subject that felt fitting to stew over as he looked over the the village that gave birth to the enigmatic trickster.

"Father. I have come to speak about pressing issues." Gaara announced from behind him.

"Speak." He ordered to his son. He briefly considered congratulating the boy on his victory at the Chunin Exams, but dismissed it. Such platitudes were useless and Gaara's victory was expected.

"I have just learned of the new village being created through the alliance of Sound, Waterfall, and Grass. We assisted Orochitama in this endeavor. Are we prepared for war breaking out?" Gaara asked.

The more interesting question to Rasa was how Gaara knew of the formation of the new village. Did he hear it as he was in Konoha? Had it already spread to the masses? Or had Baki told him? Regardless of what it was, the living weapon had learned to listen when those around him spoke and not just dismiss it. A positive step.

"Sand is always prepared for war, but this is one that won't likely effect us. This new village will be close to Konoha, Iwa, and Kumo and if conflict breaks out, it will be located there. They will not be inclined to march across a desert to reach us." Rasa answered; Sand's greatest defense had always been that going through the desert left any force open to ambushes and made any long term sieges a logistical nightmare. It just wasn't worth fighting them.

"Will they not try to strike back at us for assistance in helping Sound with their efforts in Konoha? We appear to be their allies, if not on paper, then by reputation." Gaara probed.

"Konoha will be far too busy fending off others to worry about coming to us. Mist will be recovering from their coup. Iwa and Kumo both would have to travel too far to get to us and would need to go through far too much enemy territory. They simply won't have the numbers." Rasa said again dismissively as he very suddenly was tired of looking at the vista of Konoha. He turned away from the window as though it offended him.

"But what of Orochitama?" Gaara pressed.

"Yes, she is rather clever and managed to have us get involved in something larger than I intended, but she's-"

"Your lover." Gaara interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Rage filled Rasa's veins.

"She is reputed to be your lover. I don't know if that's true, nor do I care. What matters is that people believe it. Whispers back home and here that Orochitama manipulated you with her charms and her-" Gaara paused struggling to recall a statement before saying the words that felt unfamiliar on his tongue, "big mommy milkers."

Rasa stared at his child, gobsmacked.

"You have heard this rumor as well. That is a lever of manipulation that Orochitama is not going to leave unused. If war arises she will insure some of the enemy is pointed our way, as every blade pointed at us is one less she has to deal with. That is assuming she does not already have further plans for us."

Rasa struggled to refrain from attacking his son. The audacity of coming in and thinking he had a better grasp of the political situation than Rasa, who had been a Kage for than a decade? It was insulting and certainly not that he was embarrassed that a twelve year-old had pointed out things that Rasa never considered.

"Further, we lack S-Class ninja, and if a single powerful S-Class ninja with a team were dispatched they could cripple us enough to-"

"Enough!" Rasa growled. "I am not some simpleton unware of state of our power, nor am I an idiot so easily manipulated!"

"I see." The child said, looking up at him with dead eyes that felt full of judgement and held far more weight than they ever had before when they looked upon him in hatred.

"You are not good at being Kage." Gaara finally stated, seeming to come to a conclusion and turned to walk away before Rasa could say anything in response.

Rasa found he preffered when his son just tried to kill him and screamed about "Mother demanding blood."

XXXXXXXXX

Mei stared at the message with bloodshot eyes. She hadn't slept in 36 hours and likely wouldn't get any sleep for many more hours. They were still finding small pockets of loyalists and misguided ninja that thought themselves her equal that looked to spring a trap to wrestle power away from her faction and into theirs. An effort that would have been even more difficult had Orochitama not left a powerful team of ninja with her to help rout out the last of the holdouts. Even still, she was tired, sore, and mentally drained but had to present a strong front and air of authority as she cemented the installment of the government.

She blamed that as the reasons she screamed in rage and burned the message sent to her.

"She used us as a fucking distraction! She just formed a whole new nation and we just handed over the god-damned Three Tails over to her!" Mei raged as the smoke darkened the small room and cast ominous shadows about her face.

"Told you she had a bigger angle." Zabuza responded from his position near her desk. He too had been running round but instead got to sit in a chair and "rest his eyes" while she was pouring over reports between battles.

"I didn't think you meant this big!"

"Me either." Zabuza said with a shrug. "She's got even bigger balls than I gave her credit for."

"The bitch used us." Mei groused.

"Yeah. How dare she give us everything we wanted and profit from it." Zabuza said sarcastically.

Mei acknowledge the truth of the statement in her head, but gave no outward acknowledgement. It was true that none of what happened negatively effected them, and she had been nothing but massively helpful to their cause. Hell, even the formation of this new nation would draw everyone's eyes and stop anyone from thinking too heavily about attacking Mist while it was vulnerable.

It was helpful...but that they were used without a clue of the snake woman's greater plan. To be led by the nose down a path like they were some wet behind the ears genin hurt her pride and inspired feelings of simmering rage to settle in her bones; though Orochitama generally had that effect on her.

"I hope you keep that sense of humor about this, because this damn sure decides your job for the forseeable future." Mei shot back quickly.

Zabuza froze.

"You're already well positioned." Mei said simply.

Zabuza sat silently before giving a grunt of acknowledgement, a deafeated sigh on anyone else.

"Fine. I expect to be paid damn well for this." He groused.

"Look on the bright side. With how Konoha and Kumo are likely to react to this? You won't have to have the position for very long." Mei said with a shrug.

After all, it would take quite a bit for Konoha to overlook a traitor setting up a competing power on their doorstep and Kumo wouldn't much care for the idea either and it would be quick math for them to decide to take care of the issue.

"I dunno. She's continued to surprise us so far. She probably has a plan for that." Zabuza said.

Mei hated that he was probably right.

XXXXXXXXXX

Onoki contemplated the message before him and pondered it's implications. He imagined the other Kage's were collectively shitting themselves right now, but not him. Oh no, this new development brought almost enough blessings to outweigh its curses. At first glance, a powerful hidden village led by a psychopathic mad scientist and traitor forming right on his nation's border was cause for alarm, and it was, but it had another boon as well. They had a shiny new barrier against being invaded. Now, if someone wanted to invade the nation of Earth they would have to contend with this new nation or trudge through the water soaked and disease-ridden land protected by Hidden Rain.

Kumo had been looking for a fight for years. They had strongest military of any of the nations and had wanted to make sure that any war started on their terms if one was to begin. With this, that new target was certainly not going to be Iwa.

If a new war was to start, the players would be Kumo, Konoha, and this new nation. They could come to blows while Mist and Sand sat back and licked their wounds from their recent issues. They wouldn't be in a position to counter attack for years though, but Iwa would. If Iwa played its cards right, they could sweep in near the end of the conflict with fresh soldiers and resources and claim vast amounts of wealth and land for themselves.

If it didn't work out...well there was alternatives.

After all, Akatsuki had proven quite useful in the last few years.

He just had to sit back and wait for now.

XXXXXXXX

"Damn Konoha and their pain-in-the-ass traitors!" A, the Raikage, raged to his brother with a drunken slur.

"Yo, calm it down bro, your drinking needs to slow. You're yellin' and spittin' mad but you need to see things ain't so bad." Bee said, trying to calm his brother.

"They're on our damn doorstep! We can't let that threat stay. That buffer zone existed for a damned reason!" A yelled as his brother failed to grasp the situation.

"Yeah, and a buffer it shall be, but it seem to me, this ain't the threat that you been tryin' to see." Bee said before dissolving into beatboxing and muttering as he frantically wrote lyrics in his notebook.

"Stop with the rapping! What is it that I'm failing to see here?! Hm!?" A demanded as he knocked back another shot of sake.

"The Akatsuki they been rumblin' causing ruckus and troublin me. They're the biggest threat coming to be. This is a new enemy? Nah, look how their placement's key." Bee said as he placed a finger on the map and tapped at Hidden Rain. "We got intel sayin' that's where we'll find Akatsuki. This Orochitama will be their priority. Fool, we patiently pass, waitin' with sass, till Akatsuki or Konoha go to blow up their ass." Bee smirked triumphantly.

A ignored the stong feeling to roll his eyes and considered the words. It might be that he was drunk, but Bee was making sense. This new village would be bordered with Iwa, Konoha, and Rain. Orochimaru, or Tama or whatever, had supposedly previously been in Akatsuki and turned traitor. Hell, she had already spilled secrets about them to the public in front of every single village attending the Chunin exams. Her being a lure for Akatsuki wasn't a terrible idea. Akatsuki was a band of powerful traitors and A hated that all the villages just allowed them to exist. They were going to be trouble, he knew it. This way, they had a juicy target to draw them out.

Plus, it made a stronger buffer between them and Iwa.

"This is making far too much sense to be coming from you. What's Gyuki been saying to you?" A asked critically.

"Damn Bro! Why you always doubtin when my smarts flow?" Bee asked, offended.

A punched him in the head.

"Gah! Fine! He's been sayin' he's talked to Three. The Snake Lady's been spillin' tea, knowin' things like she's a long trustee. Knowledge that's knockin' and rockin' the tailed beasts and makin' their anger floppin'. Cat like that you don't bother unless your looking to have a lotta good men to end up Shinigami fodder." Bee said seriously.

Bee had a point. This Orochitama was dangerous and had consistently seemd to know things she shouldn't. If even the tailed beasts were being cautions, it would be foolish to move recklessly. However, that danger couldn't be ignored either, especially if at the head of a village. It wouldn't be now nor would it even be soon, but this was a threat he couldn't just let do as it wills. Especially considering the strange pox that swept through his village seemed suspiciously well timed to Orochitama's desires.

He would leave it for now, but plans would be made and forces would be drafted. Infuriating this new village and finding out it's players and power structure just became his nation's highest priority. Then, after they knew what they were dealing with?

Well...he'd have to see.

XXXXXXXXXX