Note 1: So, after several years away from writing I have returned! I am currently in the process of reviewing and in some cases rewriting my stories. In regards to Knock on Wood Konoha, I've changed pretty much everything…

Note 2: This story starts after the defeat of Kaguya and Naruto and Sasuke enter the Valley of the End for their final battle. This story is built on the premises that they were left to conduct their battle and the rest of the Shinobi Nations went to work rebuilding after the Fourth Shinobi World War. The Alliance still stands and in essence life has gone back to the way it was. Though I have kept up with the plot of the series I haven't read everything so please let me know if there is something I need to address.

As always comments and constructive criticisms are welcomed! I don't currently have a beta reader so bear with me!

I don't own anything but the plot line, there are elements from other series like Bleach and Shadow Skill but these are mostly fighting techniques and skills I thought would be cool and I don't own those either.

ooo000ooo

Prologue

Shi o motarasu odayakana yuki

a gentle falling snow that brings death

Victory is an illusion, the enemy hides in a dark corner waiting to attack.

Unknown

ooo000ooo

A Year From Now

: :Hokage Monument: :

This was not how she thought it was going to end.

Things hadn't seemed so bad when they'd been planning. In the months leading up to this fight. At first they'd had a fighting chance, still high on the victory against Kaguya.

She didn't remember him being this strong. He'd been defeated before and he'd lost the majority of those loyal to him.

Maybe they'd gotten soft? But so quickly after the Fourth Shinobi World War? She'd thought they'd last longer than that. They'd lost so much in that fight and had only just begun to recover. Maybe she had been foolish for hoping that the rest of her reign as Hokage would be relatively peaceful. Let the next one have the next war.

How had this happened? There's a tint of desperation to her thoughts now. Jiraiya was bleeding all over her as she dragged him away from the front line. Even half conscious he was still trying to get back to the fight.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Iruka coughing up blood in Obito's arms as Yajirobi worked frantically to stall the bleeding. Kakashi stood guard over them, but he was barely standing, his body and chakra exhausted. She could feel the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan draining what was left. She felt a brief flare of hatred for the kekkai genkei that had brought so much pain, but that flare was swiftly doused by the reminder that it had birthed shinobi so loyal they couldn't even die properly.

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura weren't far from their teacher, but Sasuke was down, brought to his knees by a blow meant for Naruto. Sakura was frantically trying to heal him and Naruto was defending them with what he had left, Kurama at his side. But both Naruto and his summoning were distracted and kept glancing over to check on Iruka.

Itachi and Kabuto were side by side as always, not far from Naruto and Sasuke. Close enough for Itachi to keep an eye on his baby brother as they fought. The calm viciousness of Kabuto that had always terrified her was one of their best defenses now.

Shisui was just a step away, a step behind Kikyo and Minato who were reading for another attack and the blind shinobi was still looking for an opening to strike. Kikyo and Minato were the only part of the front line with any significant chakra reserves left to fight. But Kikyo's shunko was fading and so was Minato's speed. They were going to start taking serious damage soon.

Tenten and Lee were attempting to hold the right end of the line by themselves, Genma and Raido were too badly injured to stand, not that they weren't trying and Gai was attempting to pull them back from the fight on broken legs. Asuma was frantically trying to wake Kurenai, down from a blow meant for her former students.

Neji was trying to help his former team but he was still blinded by an earlier attack. Hinata refused to leave Neji's side and Hanabi refused to leave her sister. Ibiki and Shizune were trying to treat Naji's eyes while Anko and Kotetsu stood several steps ahead of them, a wall between the injured and their attacker.

Tsume and Shibi stood next to Anko and Kotetsu, flanked by Kiba and Shino. The two former Hanta Nins had taken their promise to Hiashi seriously and hadn't strayed far from the three young Hyuugas.

Choji had used his family's famous technique alongside Ino to shield Shikamaru, whose shadow holding technique was the only thing holding back their opponent. Temari and Kankuro were guarding Gaara nearby, who sand was preventing their battle from leaking out into the village. Izumo was with Gaara attempting to add his darkness to the shield without loosing control.

What was left of their ANBU and Root backup were working on saving their own injured and there was no one left to spare for the front line, though Sai was doing his best to lead a few back towards them.

Tsunade hadn't been Hokage for as long as Sandamine, she was still figuring it out, but she was hard pressed to think of a worse situation in the history on Konoha. Even with the battle against first Obito then Kaguya, the odds had never felt this bad. What would Hashirama and Tobirama have done? Sandamine? She was shocked to realize that at that moment, rather then any Hokage that had come before her, who she really wanted was Madara. Or Fugaku. Iruka was here and so were Itachi and Shisui and Sasuke but they were wrapped up in one another and so, so angry. Their fight was personal and turned towards protecting one another and how sad was it that they felt they had to protect one another against the world because no one had ever been on their side before.

Tsunade wanted to scream her frustration at the sky but she couldn't see it at the moment because of Gaara's sand shield. It probably wouldn't have looked very good if she had, watching their Hokage screaming nonsense because she couldn't figure out a way to win wouldn't have inspired much confidence and Tsunade would likely loose what few supporters she had left in the government.

They were loosing ground and shinobi fast. They'd managed to keep the fight contained within Gaara's sand but there was no telling how long it would be able to hold out. Most of Konohagakure was unaware of the battle currently taking place and Tsunade had dedicated most of the Hidden Leaf's shinobi to making sure the rest of the village was safe.

They were on their own to win this fight.

How had it gotten to this point?

ooo000ooo

A Year Before (Present Day)

: :Hokage's Office, Konohagakure: :

Kakashi leaned back further into the wall and glanced at the clock above the door. They'd been here for two hours already and it didn't look like the meeting was going to end anytime soon. He'd tried pulling out his beloved Icha Icha but the look on Tsunade's face, righteous fury tinted with a deep sadness, had made him think twice. As much as the fiery Hokage insisted she was fine, Kakashi sensed that the death of her former teammate had struck deeper then even she'd been expecting.

Jiraiya had always been larger then life and it was hard to accept that he wasn't going to be around any more. Tsunade hadn't had time to morn until now and Kakashi knew what it felt like to suddenly have nothing but time on your hands to wonder about what you could have done differently. He imagined there were a lot of Konoha shinobi feeling the same way right now.

Kurenai had returned to her jounin duties, her newborn daughter cared for by her cousin in her absence. Kakashi couldn't imagine what it was like to go home every night to a reminder of the man she'd lost.

Gai was finally healed, but he had yet to challenge Kakashi to any kind of battle. He spent a lot of time training with TenTen and Lee, adjusting to their missing teammate. From what he'd heard from Kurenai Hinata was having a hard time adjusting as well.

Genma didn't joke as much anymore and Raidou spent most nights at the Tower trying to catch up on work that wasn't late yet. Ibiki and the ANBU commander had their forces working around the clock to maintain a high security level for the village, even though there hadn't been an attack in months.

Everyone had celebrated the end of the war but it seemed like they weren't quite ready to actually let it go. It was understandable in a way. It had been such a big event, life altering. They'd all had a purpose, a goal and in the end it had united them. A dream no one had thought was ever attainable, but here it was. He was almost afraid to think about it, lest it turn out to be a dream that would fade away under his fingertips.

Seeing Obito and Minato-sensei, and his father even if he wasn't real, had been…something. Kakashi couldn't really think of a word that accurately described it. And then to find out that Obito had been working so hard on a goal that would have resulted in the destruction on Konohagakure. For a little while there Kakashi had been convinced that he was in hell and this was punishment for every life he'd ever taken and every life he'd failed to save.

At least Obito had come back at the end, saying good-bye had done a lot for Kakashi's mental state and his soul. Seeing his father again had been…difficult and it had been hard to stop thinking about it. The dreams hadn't helped, taking him back to the days leading up to his father's death and that quiet empty room where his father had chosen to take his own life.

ooo000ooo

Years Before

: :Hatake Clan Compound, Konohagakure: :

Kakashi walked silently through the house. Training had finished early and Minato-sensei had sent everyone home with instructions to rest. Rin had asked him to dinner but Kakashi had just wanted to get home. His father's last mission hadn't gone well and the stress was taking its toll. It had been a failure for Konoha's White Fang and while Minato-sensei had done his best to shield Kakashi from it he'd heard the comments. The Great White Fang had gotten soft, had let his emotions rule him and the mission had failed because of it.

Kakashi had always idolized his father, had never questioned that he was the ideal of a Konohagakure shinobi. Learning that his father had failed a mission, on purpose, had been shocking and Kakashi had been angry. He was still angry and he knew it hurt his father, but as much as it hurt him and as sad as it made him, Sakumo refused to apologize for what had happened. He kept saying I brought them back alive, that's what matters and Kakashi yelled back that he'd failed the mission, that was what mattered.

Minato-sensei had been surprising quiet about the whole thing, carefully maintaining the middle ground whenever Kakashi and Obito started arguing. The Uchiha was firmly on Sakumo's side and he and Kakashi had gotten into several brutal fights that Minato and Rin had had to break up. The young Uchiha had repeatedly stated that bringing your team back alive was the most important mission of a shinobi, which showed just how soft he was. It made Kakashi even more upset at the situation.

He sighed, dropped his gear neatly on the table in his room before wandering through the house, looking for his father. The rain was failing in sheets when he found him, sitting quietly in one of the far rooms with lots of windows. He was silent, his blade on floor next to him, watching the rainfall onto the world outside. A single torch burned, casting the room in shadows and making the silence all the more oppressive. Kakashi entered silently and knelt next to his father.

"How was training?" Sakumo's voice was tired. It seemed like he was always tired these days.

"Fine." Kakashi's answer was short, clipped, angry.

Sakumo smiled sadly. "Did you learn anything?

"Some. Minato-sensei called it a day early, told everyone to rest."

"Oh, that was good of him."

"Che, it's a waste of time." Kakashi was training to be a shinobi, not to take the day off.

Sakumo glanced at him, though he had a small smile on his face, his expression was sad. "You have to have some good times Kakashi, otherwise, what are you fighting for?"

"The village," Kakashi responded instantly.

Sakumo's smile fell away. "Yes, the village." His eyes fell to a small cup of flowers, beautiful chrysanthemums in a deep blue hue. They were rare, Kakashi had only seen that color grow in the Uchiha's gardens deep inside their compound. Obito had brought Rin one once. "How is Obito today? Did you two spar?"

"We fought. He thinks you were right to let the mission fail." The anger was back, what does Obito know about carrying out missions, he's a screw up. He has no idea what it means to be a Konohagakure ninja.

"He's right." Sakumo declared softy.

Kakashi turned an angry gaze on his father. "They're calling you a failure in the Hokage's Tower! Did you know that? They're making fun of you and saying that you've lost your touch!"

"What other people think rarely matters Kakashi." One mission and I'm already a failure huh, Sakumo let his eyes fall shut, it looks like you were right Fu, the village is falling. With his eyes shut Sakumo could here the raindrops falling, the wind howling, and Kakashi's angry footsteps as he stood and stormed out of the room. "Kakashi." His son stopped, Sakumo would here the wood frame of the door creak under his grip.

"Yes father?" The distain was obvious and incredibly painful.

"Someday Kakashi, you are going to be very important to a very broken little boy, whose act of kindness will save the world. Never, ever forget that."

Kakashi, in his anger, stormed out. Sakumo sat in silence until the torch burned out.

ooo000ooo

Present Day

: :Hokage's Office, Konohagakure: :

Kakashi blinked rapidly and pulled the sharingan back under control. Since he'd achieved the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan the memories had been coming back more often and with much more strength then they'd had before. It was hard to tell that they were just memories sometimes. On several occasions he'd woken to find the sharingan spinning wildly and the bitter taste of tears in his mouth. He needed to find a way to get it under control before it started affecting his missions.

He forced himself to focus on the meeting. Thankfully it didn't look like he'd missed anything important, just budget planning. He slouched further and turned his gaze to the window, surprised to see that it had starting raining, sheets of water diluting his view of the village sprawled out beyond the Hokage's tower. His home. Kakashi new every street, every alleyway, every vendor and restaurant and bookshop. Sakumo had always believed that knowing what you were fighting for was important and part of his training with his father had always focused on the village. Before everything with Obito and Kaguya had kicked off he'd been planning to teach Team 7 the same thing. Before he'd failed so completely as their teacher.

Someday Kakashi, you will be very important to a very broken little boy whose act of kindness will save the world. They'd been the last words his father had spoken to him. The next day when Kakashi returned he'd found his father's dead body next to the small cup of blue chrysanthemums. For a long time he'd forgotten those words, grief and anger drowning everything else out. Now, after everything, they haunted him. Running through his head over and over and making him think about what he could have done differently.

The rain outside was just like it had been that day, a steady, rhythmic drumbeat that drowned everything else out. Someday you'll be very important to a very broken little boy…looks like I failed that one too Obito.

ooo000ooo

Present Day

: :Umino Iruka's Apartment, Konohagakure: :

Iruka leaned back, arching over the couch behind him, sighing in pleasure as his back cracked in several places. He'd been grading papers for well over an hour and he was nowhere near finished. He took a sip of the jasmine tea he'd made earlier and winced, it had gone cold. He debated making another pot as he placed the cup back on the table, but for some reason he felt lazy tonight. The years were heavy on his shoulders. All the aches and pains were settling deep into his bones and brought on a weariness that shouldn't exist in someone who was barely thirty.

The war had ended months ago. Things were slowly returning to normal. No one had seen or heard from Naruto or Sasuke since they disappeared into the valley to continue their battle. Iruka hadn't been happy when he'd learned they'd just been left to fight alone. Tsunade and Kakashi were convinced that Naruto would win and return to Konoha when it was over, but Iruka couldn't help but think that Naruto, who'd always cared too much, would be more hurt by having to kill Sasuke then the others assumed. Growing up and realizing that pain was simply a part of life didn't stop it from hurting and Naruto had a habit of feeling more then most people. He never sighed away from his emotions, something that had practically become a written law for shinobi, and instead had embraced them for the strength that they were. There were very few things that made Iruka prouder.

He glanced out his large living room windows at the brightly shining moon. Thinking about Naruto always made him think about Sasuke as well. The stoic young man was exactly what it meant to be an Uchiha. Unbelievably powerful and immensely skilled, proud and arrogant on occasion, and far, far too caring. Too sensitive and kindhearted, just like his brother. They got that from Fugaku as funny as that was. Mikoto had been a loving mother, but an iron hearted shinobi. Fugaku, despite his outward personality felt the weight of the world on his shoulders when it came to protecting his clan and family. They'd been a good match, Iruka mused, pieces of a puzzle that fit together and made a whole; a rare occurrence in the world of shinobi. Iruka had always been proud and insanely jealousy that Itachi and Sasuke had gotten to be the product of it.

Sasuke was a touchy subject in Konohagakure right now. He'd been declared a missing nin before the Fourth war, but Iruka had been hopeful they'd lift it after he'd come to their aid. Tsunade had been making noises about pardoning him if Naruto could convince him to come back but there were others in the government that wanted him dead, no questions asked. Iurka liked to think Tsunade was the kind of person that would fight them on it, but the doubt was hard to dismiss. It didn't help that she and Iruka didn't get along and he knew exactly how underhanded the Konoha Council could be.

What he really wanted and would give pretty much anything he had to do, was beat some sense into both Naruto and Sasuke. They were still so young, though they'd both crossed the line that many considered adulthood the first time they'd taken a life. There was still so much more to it that they didn't understand. So many experiences they hadn't had yet. But then, Iruka had met shinobi twice his age that didn't understand either. That was the problem with training children to be soldiers and it was what the founding of Konohagakure was supposed to stop. So much for that, Iruka had taken his first life long before his first kiss and part of the reason he'd become a teacher was to help Naruto, and all of his students really, avoid that kind of life.

Iruka sighed, it was strange that he'd gotten used to the quite. Naruto had always been so loud, so had everyone he'd trained with and his brother, but the huge apartment had been silent for years now.

He picked up the next paper to be graded and steeled himself to continue. He would never, ever admit it but he hated grading papers. As in he'd rather be tortured or forced to help Tsunade with her paperwork for month then grade papers.

Suddenly a gust of wind and leaves scattered Iruka's papers across the living room. Smoke filled the room and Iruka pulled his shirt up over his nose as he waited for it to clear. Only one person had ever thought to transport directly into his living room and he smiled as the mop of spiky blond hair became visible through the smoke.

Iruka took a deep breath, bringing out his best I-am-your-teacher-be-afraid voice. "Naruto, what have I told you about transporting into my living room?"

The smoke cleared and Iruka's mouth dropped open. Naruto beamed, beat up, bruised and bloody. His signature orange jumpsuit was in tatters and he was covered liberally in dirt that had once been mud and god knew what else. He was finally growing into himself, almost as tall as Iruka now. It was like looking up at the sun. What surprised Iruka was the unconscious Uchiha over his shoulder.

"Naruto…" Iruka felt his eye twitch. "Why are you carrying Sasuke around?"

It was his creepy calm voice that usually came before a huge blow up and Naruto obviously remembered that because he went from cheerful to terrified in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei! I…" Naruto trailed off and Iruka felt a twinge in his chest at the suddenly unsure but still determined look that took over his face. "Sasuke's hurt."

Naruto looked at him, eyes wide and liquid, the same eyes he'd used to get Iruka to take him to ramen three times a day and to let him see books and scrolls on jutsu that were supposed to be secret.

"He's still technically a missing nin." Iruka reminded him, voice steady and cold.

"What?! That's bullshit, he helped us fight Kaguya!" Naruto's tendency to get loudly and violently overprotective of those he cared about was never going to fade and that actually made warmth blossom in Iruka's chest. "That's not fair, everyone knows that Sasuke was just trying to figure things out! And he didn't anything as bad as Black Zetsu or Kaguya! This isn't fair!"

Iruka couldn't help but let a small smile grow. "You know as well as I do that life isn't fair. Sasuke left the village, as far as some are concerned he's the enemy. And he was for a little while there."

"Yeah, but he's agreed to come back!" Naruto was so excited, slamming one foot down on Iruka's battered coffee table and pointing a finger at Iruka. Iruka could practically see the flames of righteousness coming off of him. Iruka had a brief moment of worry for Sasuke as Naruto swung him around rather violently. "He promised, Iruka-sensei, he's going to stay with me! We're going to figure out what to do and then Sasuke will be okay."

Sasuke will be okay…not the village, not the world….just Sasuke. Iruka laughed. He couldn't help it, years later, over a fucking decade and that bastard had been right.

Naruto watched his former teacher laugh himself silly on his living room floor and frowned. "Ah, Iruka-sensei are you okay?"

Iruka pushed himself back up straight and looked Naruto dead in the eye as he grabbed his collar and pulled the boys face closer. "Naruto, why did it take you so long to come back?"

"Oh, uh, well Sasuke and I fought for a long time and then we passed out."

"You idiots used up all your chakra didn't you?" Iruka guessed and the guilty look on Naruto's face said everything.

"Yes, but only because we wanted to do our best!" Which had been Naruto's excuse for a lot stupid decisions when he was small. Always trying to get stronger and be better.

Iruka smiled. "Alright, we'll talk about that later." Naruto's relief at avoiding the lecture was palpable. "What happened when you guys woke up?"

"Err, the first time we fought again."

Of course you did. Iruka smile turned rueful.

"The second time though we finally talked."

"To injured to fight again?" Iruka guessed and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, we managed to stumble to a cave and just talked for a while. Iruka-sensei, Sasuke just wanted to help, maybe he went about it the wrong way, but if he just wanted to help, doesn't that count for something?"

Naruto looked so damn hopeful and innocent. Iruka sighed, "But do you understand the situation for the Hokage and the government? I know Sasuke probably does, which is what makes me think you just waited for him to pass out and then brought him back here."

The blood draining out of Naruto's face and the massive twitching pretty much answered Iruka's question for him.

"Ur maybe, but the stupid teme doesn't know what's good for him!" Naruto yelled, the fire was back and so was Naruto's tendency for physical expression that resulted in an unconscious Sasuke being swung around as the young shinobi swung his arms wildly. "He thinks he should die so everything will be okay, but it won't be okay if he dies! See he's stupid!"

"Ur, well, okay you might have a point there." Iruka couldn't help but agree, death never made a situation better. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to protect the stupid teme and the village. No matter what happens I'm not letting the stupid the bastard quit like that"

"Right, and you don't want him to leave you alone." Iruka added just to see Naruto's reaction.

"Exactly! You were the one that always told me never to give up Iruka-sensei and I promised Sasuke that I would end that stupid curse and never give up on him!"

Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him in the middle of his rant and all Iruka could think was, well at least something sunk in.

"Alright Naruto, I'll tell you what. Put Sasuke in my bed and I'll help you protect him." Like Iruka would ever consider not helping the brat and Naruto probably knew that inside, or he wouldn't have come to Iruka first.

Naruto's face lit up with smile so wide it barely fit his face. "Thanks Iruka-sensei!" And he took off for Iruka's room at the end of the hall.

"Hey, Naruto watch his head!" Iruka winced as Naruto disappeared into the bedroom. Sasuke's head bouncing off the doorway in the process and Iruka made a mental note to dig out his pain meds and teach Naruto a proper buddy carry for injured nins. Sasuke was going to have more damage from the trip then from the actual fight.

Iruka sighed as he listened to the sounds of Naruto laying, though it sounded more like dropping Iruka was going to give him the benefit of doubt, Sasuke on the bed. It was incredible, how quickly everything could change. How just like that Naruto was back like he'd never left and he had Sasuke with him and it made Iruka want to laugh and cry hysterically at the same time.

He glanced out the window again, the moon still bright and unblinking in the night sky. The stars were brighter now and Iruka grinned. There was going to be a fight of course, when wasn't there, but this time it would be a good one. For something real, and important with a beating heart and warm skin. Not some improbable dream that required undoing the world. For a boy this time, that made the sun shine brighter.

"Oi, Naruto, you better have taken off his dirty cloths before you put him under the blankets!"

ooo000ooo

Present Day

: :Hokage's Monument, Konohagakure: :

Tsunade sighed and kept a watchful eye on her shinobi as they headed home for the night. A few were headed out on missions, but things had been oddly slow as the village struggled to find a new normal. Kakashi especially had seemed distracted during the budget meeting and Tsunade suspected he'd be happy to shed some of his new responsibilities and return to simple jounin duties. She doubted he'd be willing to take on another genin team, given that he still blamed himself for failing to keep Team 7 together and for Sasuke's defection.

Sasuke…Tsunade sighed, that was a complicated situation and one that was on the minds of many. The Uchiha had come to their aid against Obito and Kaguya, but in the end had chosen to follow his own plans instead of returning to the village. Naruto, unsurprisingly, had refused to let him and now they were battling it out in the Valley of the End. Fittingly, the location of Hashirama and Madara's great battle. Tsunade couldn't help but wonder how that battle was going. Normally she would never have thought a battle could last this long nor would she have allowed it to happen. The battle was over by now, someone had won, Naruto hopefully, and it was just a matter of time before he returned.

Tsunade tried not to think about it too often. She didn't know how Naruto was going to handle Sasuke's death, Sakura refused to talk about it with anyone and Kakashi doubted his ability to understand his students. In the end no one knew what was going to happen and Tsunade wished repeatedly that Jiraiya was still alive. He might not have had the right answer, but he had a hopeful way of looking at things that had always helped to fight off the darkness and he'd had absolute faith in Naruto. But he was gone now, just one of the many casualties of this war. That unbridled light that Tsunade had been convinced was never going to go out had been snuffed out just like all the others. She couldn't help but be a little angry at Jiraiya for letting it happen, as irrational as that was.

Feh, that stupid prophecy he'd never shut up about, guess he was right. She looked up at the stars, blinking brightly in the night sky. Things were still tense, the Alliance was holding, though sometimes it seemed like it was only through sheer will power. It would be a long time before another war took place. Everyone was tired, recovery was going to take years and Tsunade wanted that to be her legacy. Not the war, but the rebuilding afterward. Her grandfather had built Konohagakure and now she was going to rebuild it and achieve the dream he'd always held for the village. It would be easier if everyone was on the same page, but it seemed like that was the true impossible dream.

The Konoha Council was making noises about re-establishing power. Rumors that Root ANBU was still operating even though Tsunade had supported Sandamine's decision to disband it. The Daimyo was getting old and Tsunade had no idea who he wanted as his replacement and there were those within the shinobi population who wanted advancement and power. ANBU had gotten new commander and then of course, that damn academy teacher that never agreed with her who pretty much ran the missions desk. Umino. Though apparently he hadn't agreed with Kakashi that often either if the stories were to be believed, but Sandamine had loved him. Everyone that knew the two of them spoke of the Sandamine's respect for the young teacher and of Umino's fearlessness in expressing his opinion to anyone.

He was Naruto's precious person, according to both Kakashi and Jiraiya and Tsunade was willing to give him a lot of ground just for that but every time they encountered one another she felt like she was being judged and found wanting by a standard she wasn't aware of. It made her defensive and Umino showed no interest in getting to know her better or to try and work things out. He seemed happy to keep their interactions to a minimum and painfully professional. It made Tsunade want to pull his hair just to get a reaction that was something other then disdain or anger. Normally she wouldn't have cared, but she couldn't get over the fact that Sandaimine had thought so highly of him and that many of her shinobi thought the same. His position at the academy meant he dealt with shinobi of the highest levels. She'd heard that he and Hyuuga Hiashi didn't see eye to eye on Hiashi's younger daughter Hanabi. He had frequent meetings with the heads all of Konoha's clans because he taught their children, which meant he probably saw them one on one more then Tsunade did.

What the hell am I missing about that brat? Tsunadedidn't like feeling like she was missing something that should have been obvious. A twin flare of chakra pulled her out of her thoughts and Tsunade sighed.

"Lord Hokage, a moment of your time."

The Konoha Council, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, Hiruzen's old teammates. If Tsunade was being brutally honest, she didn't share the Sandamine's level of respect for his old friends and she knew they saw her as inexperienced, young and more then a bit foolish. While things had looked to be improving in the days before and during the war, that goodwill had pretty much disappeared once the war had ended. Both Homura and Koharu wanted to make a show of power, to demonstrate that Konoha was still powerful and Tsunade suspected that they were behind the Root ANBU faction operating in Konoha. If they were it was a blatant refusal to follow Tsunade's order, but she didn't have any evidence to bring against them. "Yes?"

"We wanted to speak to you about the Hanta Nin."

Hanta…hunter nin? Sandamine never spoke of them. How do they know about them? Tsunade turned. "What about them?"

"The duties of the Hanta nin are clear, they are our first line of defense. They gather information, assist the Hokage with maintaining the wards protecting the village, and carry out the execution of any nin the betrays the village." Koharu's voice was cold and calm as she spoke, she obviously didn't expect Tsunade to know any of this. "They are expected to represent the ideal of a Konoha Shinobi. To help lead us in times of war. In fact, their duty, is to insure that it never comes to war."

"And your point with all of this?" Tsunade asked, trying to stay calm. She didn't like being lecture like an errant child.

"Our point Lord Hokage, is that they have failed." Homura responded. "And they must be punished. As an example to the village that we have not gotten soft following the war."

"The war just ended, no one thinks we've gotten soft," Tsunade argued.

"They shirked their responsibilities," Koharu stated, "They failed to stop Orochimaru's defection and later attacks. They failed to stop Uchiha Itachi from killing his entire clan and they failed to apprehend him. They failed to identify Akatsuki and to stop any of their plans. Not once did they attempt to assist the village in the Fourth Shinobi World War. They have abandoned their duties and must be held accountable."

Tsunade frowned, she couldn't argue with that, though it was exceedingly stupid to blame anyone for all of that. The case seemed clear cut, but that made Tsunade suspect that there was something else going on. She'd never heard Hiruzen mention Hanta Nins. She knew Mist had them, but they were a corpse disposal unit and Konoha had nothing like that. Obviously the Konoha Council knew exactly who the Hanta Nins were and wanted them out of the picture. If Tsunade admitted she didn't know their identities then the council could accuse anyone they wanted.

This was dangerous ground. Many Konoha shinobi had broken with tradition, challenging the accepted beliefs and traditions and even the laws in these past few years. That didn't make them any less loyal to the village and Tsunade didn't necessarily believe they needed to be punished with death. Once the Hanta Nins were unmasked there was no telling who'd hunt them. But where had they been? Was the council right, did they abandon their duty? Or maybe the council doesn't know who they are either and this is their way of finding out?

Either way, Tsunade was not going to order the executions without further investigation.

"I'll take it under consideration."

That obviously upset the council. "There's nothing to consider, the case is clear. Dereliction of duty results in treason, punishable by death."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "That is true, but you haven't presented any evidence to support your claims." Both Homura and Koharu opened their mouths to speak, but Tsunade held up a hand to stop them. "I will assign investigators to look into your claims immediately. Once the investigation is finished, I will convene the tribunal and their judgment will be carried out, as is the law of Konohagakure."

Both members of the Konoha Council looked like they wanted to argue, but they didn't. They shared a look, then nodded.

"Fine, we expect to be updated on the progress of the investigation," Koharu agreed.

Tsunade nodded. They disappeared in flashes of smoke and leaves and as soon as they were gone Tsunade let out a growl of frustration.

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