Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto.

Chapter 25: Life as a Superhuman

Just one day of living as a ward had made Yugito bored. The stares that she had been getting when she had to participate in the afternoon meal were not all that bothersome to deal with as she had received harsher glares from other people before. However, what bored her the most was the fact that she was restricted and that there was basically nothing for her to do.

Hell, she would like it very much to go to the base of the superhumans, but again, her status as a ward got in the way of that, so she had asked Hinata to help after finding out she was one, just like her.

"That is... severely cool." she had said to the Hyuuga, and she had not been lying. Her ability to phase her body to make light go pass her and make her invisible or to pass through solid objects and move noiselessly made her the ultimate stealth master. The sheer potential of the ability made her jealous. Sure, not being bothered by excessive heat or cold was fine and dandy, but she would gladly trade it for the chance to have an ability that would greatly benefit her in assassination or theft mission.

And speaking of her own power, due to the amount of free-time she got, the privacy given by the Hyuuga patriarch,-who was actually much nicer than some of his own subjects-, and the insistence of her own Bijuu to explore her power, she began to practice her capability within her room.

However, due to the constraints placed upon her, she could not really focus on it and expand her abilities more. She hoped that the timid Hyuuga girl would be able to get Naruto to come and extend some sort of agreement with the Hyuuga patriarch to give her some sort of freedom, perhaps with the SDF acting as her 'guard' in the place of these people.

One can hope and one can dream, but in the end, not everything can go as one want it to be. Still, to hold on to some kind of hope, no matter how feeble it was, it was what made life worth living.

She never believed that saying, but she agreed that to hope was not a bad thing.

'I wonder what she's doing right now...?' she thought.

"M-My name is... Hyuuga... Hinata. Pleased... t-to meet you all." she said with a deep bow to those who were her own kin outside of her clan. Her face was red due to her embarrassment and shame at having her anxiety taken over her consciousness again. When she woke up, she was greeted by friendly, familiar faces from those that she happened to share classes with back when they were just normal Academy students, most prominently, there were Sakura, Ino and Tenten, who helped her get comfortable as they stood close at her sides, knowing how shy she could be when faced with a large group.

"Hello Hinata." said almost all of them in unison. Those who were her Academy peers were vocal in their greetings, but none were more vocal than Fu, who also waved her hand rather enthusiastically to the girl she just knew now.

'A new friend joins our club! This is so exciting, Choumei!'

"Yes yes, calm yourself first, Fu." said the Bijuu residing within her. A life of near-constant loneliness without any companions besides the Bijuu made Fu so excited at the prospect of having more friends after she chose to flee Takigakure and become a registered superhuman.

"U-um..." she stammered a bit before she took a deep breath again and said; "My power is... that I can... pass through things."

"Really? Show us then." said Satsuki, who gestured her hand towards her, "Do you need some sort of... props to show us this?"

"N-No, I just need to..." she stopped before she cleared her throat and turned towards Sakura at her side, "S-Sakura-san, if I may ask for your help?..."

"Of course," Sakura said with a smile at the shy girl, as she stepped to her front and nodded, "Go on ahead."

She nodded before she took a deep breath and walked towards her... With a little amount of concentration, Hinata passed through Sakura as if she were a ghost.

"Whoa..." Sakura said as she patted her torso several times after the experience, "That was... weird." which was all that she could say initially, regarding what she felt when Hinata passed through her as if she were a non-corporeal being. "It's as if a chilly wind went through me."

She almost immediately noticed how Hinata looked even more timid after her comment, and she said; "Not that that's bad or anything, it just didn't feel ri-" realizing what she was about to say could worsen the situation, she rephrased, "Wait, what I meant was that it felt a bit... um..."

"What she means to say is that your power can feel a bit... unsettling when used at us." said Ino, saving Sakura from embarrassing herself further. "However, she doesn't mean that you yourself are creepy, so don't worry about it."

"She was just being a bit of a doo-doohead." Tenten remarked with a smirk.

"Hey!" Sakura remarked indignantly before she looked at Hinata's attitude and remembered how she usually dealt with people with little to no tact and she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck and said; "...Yeah, you're right. Sorry Hinata."

"N-no, d-don't apologize, I was just a bit... I misunderstood you a little, it's not your fault." Hinata said to Sakura, a bit relieved after she was told that it wasn't her that weirded Sakura out. "A-and I'm sorry for... using you to show my power."

"Hey, no need to apologize. It's alright." Sakura said in assurance.

"So, Hinata." Naruto pitched in to the conversation as he walked to the small girl and smiled gently at her to put her at ease, which it did, as he could see from how she seemed to relax, "Informally speaking, I, along with everyone else here welcome you to our Team. Formally speaking however, we would need to have words with your father. We would need his consent for you and Yugito to be recognized as a part of our team."

With a sigh, she nodded, "I see. Um... a meeting can be arranged, I'll... I'll ask father, hopefully he'll... agree, to arrange something." she said, clearly a bit struggling to maintain her composure, as she spoke not only for herself but on behalf of Yugito as well.

"That's a start." Naruto agreed, "Oh, and one more thing, we would also need to inform the Hokage and the Raikage, being the joint leaders of this whole operation." with a wince, he elaborated, "We'd really love to welcome you here, but we need to get the consent of three people first."

"This," said a member of the team, the outspoken Shiho Shimamori, the inventor and gadgeteer extraordinaire, "is why I don't like bureaucracy. Paperwork this, paperwork that, c'mon, it should be that anyone who wants to join us can do so as long as they have powers and are willing to contribute to the team."

She then walked closer to Hinata and said to her, "Hm... you look familiar, but I don't think it's you whom I saw back then..." she muttered.

"P-pardon?" Hinata asked with a blush on her face as the girl was being too close for comfort to her face.

"Nothing, nothing, I was just rambling. Anyway!" she suddenly exclaimed with a clap, surprising Hinata, "Your ability is amazing! So much potential to be extracted and/or examined, come here, let's-"

"Shiho." Satsuki said with a shake of her head, "No experimenting on her. She's not a member as of yet."

"Aw!" whined the now second smallest girl in the room, as Hinata was an inch shorter compared to her. "But her phase-shift ability... C'mon, just a little bit? A tiny, teensy bit?" she was now bargaining like a child bargaining with their mother for a piece of chocolate after they had more than enough to hurt their teeth.

"No." this time, Naruto and Satsuki answered it together.

"Damn it." she muttered before she looked at Hinata and said; "...I'm a little weirdly wired in here," she said as she pointed to her head, "A result of my power, if I had to hazard a guess. Sorry if I had been a bit too invasive and... creepy."

Hinata's lips trembled a bit, as if she wanted to say something, and after a while, she did, "Y-you kind of... scared me a little bit."

"I'm really sorry." she said as she slightly bowed to her. "I tend to get excited some-, well, most of the time, most of these guys have pretty much tolerated this by now, but you're new, so again, I'm really sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Gathering up her courage, Hinata then said; "It's alright Shiho-san... I... if I am to be a part of this team... then I should be... accustomed to everyone's quirks. And I want to become a part of this team, so... y-you don't need to apologize."

Hinata saw the slightly taller girl smiling brightly before she was engulfed in a hug, which elicited a small squeak from her, "I like you already." Shiho said softly, "Naruto, can't we just skip all the pleasantries and paperwork and just recruit her on the spot?" she asked without letting go of Hinata.

"Sadly, no." Naruto answered with a chuckle.

Watching from a distance, Kushina watched the young Hyuuga due to a sense of nearly overwhelming nostalgia coming over her. She looked familiar, and not in a sense that every Hyuuga looked the same because of their eyes. It was the facial structure that clued her in, the shape of the eyes, the shade of her skin and her hair, she knew who she was.

There was a girl back in her class, a Hyuuga girl who did not have a meter long pole stuck up her ass like her other clan members, she had been the first to try and establish a friendly relationship with her when she first became a villager of Konoha.

It still irked her that their relationship dwindled over time like how a candle flame fade against the wind because of her duties to her clan, but at the time, she saw no other choice and Kushina just accepted it as a given fact.

This young girl was her daughter, there was only a small possibility that it was of the contrary, so she wanted to make sure.

"May I... may I ask a question?" Kushina asked as she began to walk towards her, "Hi, my name's Uzumaki Kushina." she introduced herself with a gentle smile, "I'm a bit older than the others here, I just want to ask a question, is your mother's name Izumi?"

Kushina had wondered before whether or not the world would make her the person who would always initiate an awkward situation after the whole 'being absent from a large part of her son's life' happened. She seemed to always make it weird whenever she tried to rebuild, or, since there was never a relationship between them in the first place, create her connection to Naruto.

Now she knew that it seemed she would always be thrown to awkward situations with other people also, when she noticed how Hinata's eyes seemed to tear up and how the joy that was there seemed to have been taken away from her instantly.

She knew immediately that she had asked the wrong question and the reason as to why became clear almost immediately after that, "I... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I-it's alright." It was clear that she was not, but she was trying to put up a strong front, "My mother, she... um, she... died three years ago. She got really sick and it... took her. H-how do you know her?"

She pursed her lips as she took a deep breath, affected by the news that her first friend died, "I'm her friend." then with a wistful smile, she added, "She was my very first friend. I'm so sorry for bringing it up."

"I-it's okay Kushina-san." Hinata said, though she was a bit eased at the fact that Kushina was her mother's friend, she wasn't that comfortable talking about her late mother. "I'm just... not... comfortable enough to... talk about it."

Not really a great start. But then again, there was always a second chance. "Then let's not." Kushina said before she extended her hand, "Kushina Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you, Hinata."

This time, the little Hyuuga girl smiled a bit as she shook the crimson-haired woman's hand, "Nice to meet you too, Kushina-san."

Seeing this as a chance, a certain green-haired girl scooted over to them and with a bashful but expectant smile, she extended her hand towards the shy girl, "Hi, my name's Fu. It's really nice to meet you!"

Though she was a bit surprised, Hinata nevertheless reciprocate the gesture and timidly shook her hand, "N-nice to meet you."

From there, Hinata began to get crowded by the other members who began to welcome her despite the fact that she wasn't formally inducted as of yet.

But to them, it didn't matter. She was as unique as they were, and birds of a feather stick together.

Tsunade watched the improved life signs of the surviving Root member and judged that he would wake up in a matter of a few days. The pale-skinned boy had been in critical state and had to be put on constant life-support just for him to persevere.

Usually, for a treatment like that to be a success, there must also be an effort from the patient's side to live, so it was fortunate that the boy still possessed that within him.

Still, for him to answer every question that awaited him would take more than just him waking up, he would need to be on the right mental and physical state to do so. Nevertheless, they were one step closer to that goal.

"Keep him like this and update me on his status," Tsunade said to one of the doctor that accompanied her, "If there's anything urgent, reach to me immediately, and for gods' sake, keep him alive should his vitals drop."

As she left the room, she passed around the now-increased population of the able-bodied medical personnel that she had been training to refill the vacant positions that was made so by the Kyuubi incident.

She had been working very hard that she had little time in between her works to enjoy some downtime. Right now, her current destination was the auditory room, where, when she entered, a certain medic-nin she had known personally was in the middle of showing a prospective medic-nin how to properly heal someone.

"Don't push your chakra too forcefully. Remember, you're there to help the restoration process that the body is doing by itself, so you need to be gentle but firm." Shizune said to the young medic-nin whose hands that were located on the chest of a mannequin with a replicated chakra circulatory system seemed to glow with eerie green light.

"Got it Shizune-senpai." said the young girl as she stabilized her chakra output.

"Shizune-sempai." Tsunade called to her protege with a playful tone, alerting her, and her protege's student, to her presence.

"Tsunade-sama." Shizune greeted as she turned towards her. She looked at her student afterwards and saw that she too was turning her head to look at the legendary Sannin of the Slug, "Concentrate on your patient." she sternly told her, "You can't afford to be distracted when dealing with them, every wrong move could mean a loss of life."

"A-apologies, Shizune-senpai." said the student, embarrassment flowing freely through her tone of voice, before she turned towards the mannequin once again.

"That's right, keep doing what you're doing, I'll be just a moment." Shizune said before she walked towards her own mentor, "Tsunade-sama, is there anything you need from me?"

"In addition to checking your progress with the others that you are training, I also want your report on the sample of the superhuman DNA." She had delegated that task to Shizune while she had to take care of the many prospective medic-nin that came to be trained in the art.

"I... have already put it on your desk, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said, "I've finished it quite a long time ago."

Tsunade sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in slight frustration, "You did? Sorry, I must've missed it." The Slug summoner said, "Anyway, tell me the basic outline of what you found, particularly about its adaptability."

Their DNA is amazing. Its very resilient and far more transformative compared to our own, and for every building block, it contains thrice times the energy contained within a normal Shinobi's DNA.

But more than that, they are genetically bonded with their energy in a manner most symbiotic! If Chakra is our way to manipulate the elements and the environment around us, then their energy, even though somewhat similar in make, is their own way to do so, but their bond with the energy allow them to use it without any mnemonic devices such as Handseals.

And from its durability, I think it is possible to use it to empower others through exchange of fluids, preferably blood. But that needs further research before anything can be fully determined.

Site Zero-Zero was located beneath the ground of a certain village plagued by a seemingly never-ending rain. Above it was a village filled with skyscrapers that seemed to be made out of scraps of metal, a facade to mask what was going on underneath the ground.

Unlike Site Zero-One, this Site was filled with more people than just the pale men that reeked of dead plants. There were other men and women hard at work, serving the whim of a man who now ruled the city.

They thought of the man as a god, and the deification assured the loyalty of those under him. However, this was the second time the title God was taken from the previous one. First, there was Hanzo, who was replaced by the entity known as Pein.

Now, the entity was controlled by another person. Few people knew of this, and one of those people was Kabuto.

His fellow workers were skilled and competent an most of them merely served in silence, which was not a problem for Kabuto. As long as they were not hindrances, then their presence was very welcome.

Working on many projects the likes of which the Shinobi world had never seen, they were hidden from the rest of the world. Kabuto in particular was working on a DNA integration with a subject.

As the syringe was finishing the act of taking out the blood from the young man sitting at a sterilized white room, he said to him, "Energy Redirection... Your mutation is quite impressive, young man."

"Can I be of use to Kami-sama with this?" he asked.

A devoted person would always be the ultimate pawn for a cause. This young man would otherwise be unremarkable if he did not receive this power with the Catalyst, but because he did, he was somewhat important.

He wasn't so important that Kabuto remembered his name however. "Of course you can. In fact, you already are."

Devotion was something that the people of Amegakure had in abundance in regards to their leader. Being a village that had become very isolated since the last days of Hanzo the Salamander's reign and Pein's regime, they would turn to the one with the greatest power with almost unnerving ease.

It helped them to become the most willing guinea pigs because of that. "There we go. Now please leave, I have other things to concern myself with."

Though he was stern and was somewhat rude in his dismissal, the young man agreed without question or backtalk as he left.

Looking at the blood that he had extracted as he transferred the content of the syringe to a vial, he was reminded at how the alien technology that his leader had taken and reverse-engineered would do to this fluid. A marvelous sight to behold it was when he first saw the process.

He then extended the hand containing the blood-filled vial towards his silent assistant and said; "Take this to the Cloning Chamber, Specimen #0002618, Energy Redirection, Level 2. Weak, but has enough potential."

The young male assistant nodded as he left the room for Kabuto alone. 'Now... what should be done next with you, hm?' he wondered as he took a certain file regarding a certain girl contained within a tube.

What it was that Obito did to her and his devotion in continuing the work that he had started for a very long time brought a sense of admiration from Kabuto. He was going to see this one project through to the end, until he saw her waking up from her long slumber.

The admiration came from how, despite him being quite obsessed with it, it did not deter him from his other objective, which was to prepare an army and expand his territory using his power and the technology at his disposal.

Integrating the power that came from the unique genetic blueprint of these people to the machine was ingenious. Bio-engineering had never truly succeeded with Chakra before, save for that little project that the people of the Land of Snow was doing before it failed, but due to how easy it was for them to call upon their unique power, it was relatively easier for it to be replicated by a machine.

Of course, there had to be certain steps that needed to be taken before the power could be implemented to any machinery. The blood needed to be integrated to an empty shell that could become one of the white Zetsu and let it be matured into a fetus with the power contained within and then the fetus will be liquefied and moved to the Source, where it would be molded into a more versatile form that can be integrated into a mechanical apparatus.

Though the process would take time, the end result was worth it. Some of it even helped restoring a degree of life to what was once a corpse of a dead woman. The DNA that did such a thing came from his own leader.

Technically speaking, the woman in the tube was alive. But she was as alive as a fetus in a womb, capable only to live, not to have complex thoughts, not even simpler, unconscious thoughts, or perform voluntary movements. More time and effort were needed to restore her to full health.

And considering that his leader had given him ample resources, all Kabuto needed was time, which was more than enough for him to indulge himself in other experiments.

The amount of freedom his leader gave him was also the reason why he respected the man. The Uchiha was a man of science, and as long as what he worked on could prove beneficial to him, the world or to humanity as a whole, then he would allow it and provide for him.

All in all, his thirst for knowledge would be quenched better in this situation. Not to mention that keeping a previously-dead person alive and with the end-goal of making them wake up and fully-functional again was a scientific challenge that he was not going to back down from.

Even if he could feel the name Kabuto Yakushi was slowly getting more and more unappealing for his ears to hear, he would not stop quenching himself of this seemingly insatiable thirst.

It all started with a question.

"Is there any way that can make us learn things faster?"

With just a short time until they become an official Joint Force between two villages, Naruto felt that it was time they up the ante a bit. They were strong now, but their enemy was even stronger, and with every passing day, with them hiding in the shadows, it was very likely that the one named Obito Uchiha and his army would get stronger as well.

Though strong, Naruto realized his team would have to learn more skills such as advanced combat training, crash course in war strategies, geo-politics lessons, for a team that was to be a protector for two villages, they seemed very unprepared.

Yuugao and Kakashi had been asked to teach them about the first two while Naruto planned to ask the Hokage to find a teacher for the third in addition to telling him that Hinata Hyuuga and Yugito Nii were superhumans and, if allowed, would be inducted into their ranks.

The two former ANBUs accepted the request, with Kushina recommended by Yuugao to also teach them in Uzumaki style of fighting. And now he was on his way to the Hokage tower along with Kushina to take care of the latter.

Kushina, being the one he had asked, told him that there was a Jutsu that they could use to accelerate the learning process. Asking the Hokage for it to be disclosed would not be a hard one, she had said before.

"He owes me a lot."

Considering how she came to decide to travel the world to anywhere but Konoha for eight years, Naruto supposed he could understand what kind of debt the old man had with her. It would take a lot before she'd say that the debt had been fulfilled.

Landing in front of the Hokage tower, the mother and the son walked with confident gait towards its interior. Satsuki was currently on the way to the Hyuuga estate with Hinata on her tow, to help Hinata inform the Hyuuga patriarch of his daughter's and his ward's status as a superhuman.

Whether or not he's willing to talk terms or conditions would be up to him. Satsuki was there just as a messenger and a mediator between the parent and child. Naruto put great trust and hope in her, and he wished for a good outcome from the meeting.

"So what is this Jutsu that you say can help us?" Naruto asked Kushina. He was out of uniform for this occasion, wearing only a short-sleeved, semi-tight blue t-shirt, a pair of black track pants and a pair of black sandals.

She, on the other hand, wore a long-sleeved red t-shirt and a dark blue skirt that reached her knees completed with a pair of black sandals. "Minato, your father, along with the old monkey, knew and used this Jutsu to aid them in handling the weight of their work. Its name is Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)." Kushina answered Naruto's question.

"A Bunshin? I assume it's more than just a simple Bunshin, but how can Clone constructs made of Chakra help us learn?" Naruto wondered.

"Well, it's a B-rank kinjutsu, and it is more powerful than just a simple Bunshin, so much so in fact, that it is actually a big energy suck for a single Jutsu. Creating just one of it would take a lot of chakra to be used."

"Hm..." Naruto thought for a second, how could the technique be used to learn quickly then? One could order the clone to read something, and then the clone would know the content of the book through the act, but would that really work? "Let me guess, does it work by memory sharing through dispelling? Say that I make one, and I order it to read a book, when it finished reading it, I'd order it to dispel, and as the energy I expended to make the clone return to me, I would also get its memory?"

Kushina's smile expanded into a grin and her hair seemed to have slightly caught on fire as she said; "Precisely. Using enough clones, one can condense the time needed to learn something by ordering a number of your clones to learn the same subject. For example, if you dedicate five clones to learn about the political details of the Five Great Villages of the Shinobi world from five different books in one hour, you will get five hours of different crash course lessons in five different subjects in the span of just one hour."

Naruto mirrored Kushina's grin with a wide smile of his own. It was certainly useful. However, his smile faded a bit as he said; "But some of us aren't really used to Jutsu. Will it even work with us?"

The redheaded woman's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Hm... I see, that could be a snag... But there's no harm in trying, is there?"

Naruto nodded, "I suppose not. We'll have to take the risk." He agreed with Kushina, and thus their walk came to a close when they reached the door to his office.

"He's not here at the moment." The old man's secretary said right before Naruto went to knock the door to alert him to their presence, "He's in a meeting with the Raikage at another room. But I can inform him that you're here if you'd like to wait."

The younger Uzumaki nodded to the secretary, "You can. Thank you." He then turned to Kushina and gestured to the nearby seats and said; "Let's take a seat, shall we?"

As both of them took a seat, Naruto then asked, "Other than Kage Bunshin, what else are you thinking of teaching us?"

"Well, considering that our chakra manifests differently, we might be restricted only to Ninjutsu that focuses purely on energy molding. In this case, perhaps there is a Jutsu that you guys can use."

"Which is?"

Kushina responded by opening the palm of her right hand, directed it upwards and created a glowing ball of energy that floated above it. The crimson-colored ball produced a high-pitched humming noise that could only be heard up close, and its glow told him of the amount of destructive capability it possessed.

Using his extraordinary eyes, Naruto examined the construct, and he marveled at its mechanics, "Molding, moving and condensing a large amount of chakra at an extremely fast rate to create the densest energy construct you can create... It looks similar to a Bijuudama actually, was it inspired by it?"

Kushina chuckled and admired her son's foresight, "It was actually the basis from which this technique was created. Rasengan is this technique's name, and due to how it was created as a ninjutsu that one could make without handseals and does not require a certain nature affinity to be performed, I think it would be much easier to learn compared to other offensive Ninjutsu."

The technique was actually quite brilliant. What Kushina was holding, if it were to be collided against something, was enough to yield an explosion that could level a three-meter tall, three-meter wide and two-meter thick wall of stone. He was on the same page with her on this, this could prove very useful for his team, people whose chakra was a bit different compared to others thanks to their mutation.

"That's actually quite an awesome technique. When did you create that?" he asked, assuming that due to her being a Jinchuuriki, it was her who created the technique.

Kushina sheepishly laughed and said; "It wasn't me Naruto... It was your father who created this." She answered.

Naruto's eyebrows rose up, "Really? Huh, so it's like a... an inheritance, so to speak." He remarked with a small smile on his face.

The red hair that adorned her head flickered like fire as she chuckled, "Well, not exactly. Rasengan is relatively easy to replicate, he's not the only one who could do it, anyone could, given time and training." She then dispelled the Rasengan, "But if there's a Jutsu that he could pass on as an inheritance, then it would be his trademark Jutsu, the Hiraishin no Jutsu."

"Flying Thunder God... that's how he got the name of Yellow Flash." Naruto quipped, remembering the history lesson that Iruka had taught him.

"Yup, and many people don't know this, but he perfected that technique by studying our clan's Fuuinjutsu, which happens to hold the long-lasting record of being the very best in the business. The Second Hokage borrowed it from my great aunt, Uzumaki Mito and using it as a template along with my help, he created the imperfect form of the technique that your father would end up completing, which is now known as his signature skill, Hiraishin no Jutsu." Kushina added.

Deducing the very likely possibility that it must also be through her that he knew the detailed mechanism behind a Bijuudama, Naruto couldn't help but to remark with a grin, "So I guess he had you to thank for making him legendary throughout the Shinobi Countries."

There was silence for a moment before both of them laughed and Kushina had to reply; "Ahahaha...! Well, when you put it that way, I suppose that's true huh? Hey, you know what they say, behind every great man..." she trailed off with a shrug of her shoulders as both of them began to laugh again.

Their laugh continued on even when the Hokage returned to the lobby where they were sitting not a moment later, alongside him was the Raikage, and both village leaders had their entourage behind them when they saw the two Uzumaki nearby.

"Naruto, Kushina, is there something you need?" Hiruzen asked, making both Uzumaki turn towards the older man.

"Right." Naruto stood, followed immediately by Kushina, "It involves a couple possible inclusions to the SDF's roster, and I also need your input on this, Raikage-san."

The large, one-armed man's eyebrows rose up, "I assume that you're implying that one of my men is a superhuman?" he asked.

Naruto nodded and said; "Yeah. And it's not just anyone either..."

Clan rivalry was never a thing that Satsuki had been drilled upon from when she was little. Though she knew that the Uchiha and the Hyuuga had some sort of rivalry due to their ocular-based Kekkei Genkai, she had never been involved in any altercation involving two or more members of the two clans and thus, she had no overly negative preconceptions about the Hyuuga.

However, the first impression that she got when she first entered the estate with Naruto to bring Yugito Nii was that most of them require a surgical operation to remove the pole stuck up so deep within their posterior.

Their gazes were condescending, distrusting or outright harboring suspicion at the sight of her. It was only thanks to Hinata's presence that she was able to enter at this moment. 'Still, to live at an enclosed space with these kinds of people must've done something to the girl's mind.' She thought.

Perhaps this was the reason for her nigh-crippling shyness. Being in a rather prestigious clan would make her subject to expectations, one that she might have failed in their eyes and molded her personality.

Satsuki remembered that her own clan had been the same once. Every Uchiha family hoped that one of their children would grow up to become one of the greatest Ninjas known to the Shinobi world, and from there, the psychological and physical pressure took root.

She cast a sad look at the shy, bumbling Hyuuga at her side as they walked the path towards the main house of the estate. 'Not to mention the kidnapping attempt back then... poor girl must've been scrutinized and criticized for every little thing that she did from the day she was born.'

Their path was stopped mere few meters before the door leading to Hiashi Hyuuga's room by the man himself. He looked stern as he crossed his arms. He looked at the two girls, the Uchiha with her casual clothes of black t-shirt, blue shorts and sandals might not look intimidating, but remembering her capability, one would be wise not to antagonize her.

At her side was his daughter, whom he had been informed had escaped without their notice to who knows where, and now that she was with a superhuman at her side, Hiashi had an inkling as to where she had been.

"Hinata. I was surprised when I was informed that you managed to pass through the guards in broad daylight. You have never exhibited such a talent in stealth before as I recall, and not to mention that our guards are trained with their Byakugan, and are conditioned to pick up even the littlest noise." He started, "And now, Miss Satsuki Uchiha is here with you... Did you go to their headquarters? And if so, for what purpose?" he asked, not unkindly but with a stern tone nonetheless. He needed to know if his assumption was correct.

Hinata took a few deep breaths before she looked at her father with a small, but noticable fire behind her silver eyes. "I... wanted to meet them... to tell them that... I... a-am... the same... as them." She then paused to gulp a non-existent knot in her throat, "And so is Y-Yugito-san."

Satsuki smiled at the determination audible in her voice. Despite her stutter, she managed to convert her determination into willpower needed to stand against the harsh, stern glare of her father.

Inwardly, her father was quite impressed by the determination that his daughter showed. Never had she shown such willful attitude to anyone, and it seemed that she only showed this now because she was determined to do something not only for herself, but for Yugito.

A sense of pride began to bloom within him. Despite her shortcomings, she told him of her status out in the open and with just slight hesitation on her part. Clearly, she inherited her mother's willfulness in concordance with her sensitivity. The latter of which had been very prominent ever since she was little.

Maintaining his persona, he crossed his arms and asked; "Superhumans you say, both of you?"

Hinata steeled herself, aided with Satsuki, who placed her hand on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly to assure her, and then, the pale-eyed girl said; "Yes. I am... capable of walking through walls or let things go through me... Even light."

'So that's how she passed through the guards. And everything else, it seems.' Hiashi thought with a dry tone of voice from his mind, "And Yugito's?"

"Flame. She can control and make... f-flames." Hinata answered, "N-now... father... I... want to discuss... about our status, t-to you. N-Naruto-san, the le-leader of the group, and Satsuki-san w-will also be present. D-do... you agree, father?"

Hiashi remained in silence for a couple of seconds more with his charade still in play. With a mask of sternness, he then broke the silence, "Very well... But I am not the only one needed for this arrangement. Where is Kanzaki Naruto right now?"

"He's with the Hokage right now, arranging a meeting between the Hokage, Raikage and the Hyuuga." Satsuki answered, "He went expecting you to agree to have a talk." She elaborated more.

"And if I didn't?"

"You won't." Satsuki answered with a smile, "He said that despite every stereotype about the Hyuuga clan that happened to be true in regards to most of its members, you are an exception to the norm."

"And how exactly did he come to this assumption?" Hiashi asked, intrigued by what the young man thought of him.

"You're willing to have a peace talk with the Raikage and wanting a ward instead of exacting some sort of revenge. Most Konoha Shinobi wouldn't even think of raising a Kumo person as a form of payment, even if she does happen to be a very valuable asset to them. You could've asked for their Bijuu instead, but that would've been as equally unacceptable as asking for the life of their leader or one of their best Ninjas in return, so you chose something that they would have to think over instead of outright refusing. And it worked out in both of both sides' favor."

There was a moment of silence before Satsuki said; "Still, regardless of our assumptions, what matters now is that there will be a discussion in the very near future, yes?"

Hinata might have been hallucinating, but she would swear later on that the edges of her father's lips creased upward ever so slightly, as if he was smiling. "You can be certain of that assumption, young lady."

He then turned to Hinata, whose shyness came back in full force and made her look downwards. "Hinata, look at me." Said her father, and she obeyed.

However, when she looked at his face, she saw that his stern look had softened, and then he said to her, "You did not disappoint me by doing this. Though I can't say that I commended you acting with subterfuge, unlike our own way of doing things, I am... pleased, that you would do your best for another person, whoever they are. Such is a noble act. It would do you well to take pride in it."

Being complimented was not something that the girl had any experience in, especially when it came from her father of all people. And so, with a massive blush made out of mixture of delight, embarrassment and confusion, she fainted. Satsuki, who was at her side, managed to catch her, preventing her from falling into the ground.

"That's the second time today..." Satsuki muttered with a mixture of amusement and annoyance in her voice.

The patriarch of the Hyuuga clan sighed at the sight of his unconscious daughter, "Well... it's a pity that part still needs more working. But it is a step forward I suppose." Hiashi mused out loud.

The Raikage mulled over the information that he had just received. Yugito Nii being a superhuman was not something that he had been privy to, mostly because Yugito kept it under wraps and that he respected the girl's privacy to not pry too much.

Still, with the whole joint organization between Kumo and Konoha bridged by the superhumans underway, having a Kumo superhuman on the ranks might prove beneficial, a representation from one of the two villages partaking in this joint operation.

It would certainly make it look like Kumo also had a hand in the whole thing. Most of these people were born in Konoha, and dual citizenship between two rival villages was not something that the world had seen in abundance, if at all.

"I am in favor of allowing Yugito into your ranks... provided the Hyuuga allows his heir to do the same." Answered the Raikage, "To enter this organization is to put them at risk from Obito Uchiha and his goons. If the Hyuuga patriarch allowed his daughter to be inducted, then I will also entrust Yugito to you."

Naruto nodded, "Then we should have a meeting to discuss this further, all of us, you, the Hokage, Hinata, Yugito and me along with Satsuki and Kushina-san."

"Hm, I concur." Raikage gruffly answered with a stiff nod. "But first, inform your friend, the one who's in the estate at your behest. Use your telepath to contact her and inform her of what I say."

Having seen the dossiers of all the members of the SDF, the Raikage had come to the conclusion that the Yamanaka's superior telepathical ability could be used as a center of mental communication for every member without the need for tools.

"It's not as easy as that, Raikage." Naruto answered, a bit miffed at how nonchalantly he ordered him. Though he knew about her potential, it wasn't that simple to use her just like that, "She's not a constantly open channel, her mind needs to be opened manually to receive thoughts, and sometimes that can be a bit too much so she doesn't use it constantly. How about this, in her place, I'll go to the estate myself inform Satsuki of what's going on."

"Very well." The Raikage nodded, accepting his reason but not missing the defiant look in his eyes when he explained that what he had ordered wasn't exactly possible.

"Naruto, tell Hiashi that he needs to be ready to be called upon in three days from now." Hiruzen pitched in, "This is something that needs to-"

Almost immediately, the secretary outside of the room called and said; "Hokage-sama, there is an envoy from the Hyuuga clan here to see you."

"Hm... Bring them in." Hiruzen said, silently pleased that it didn't have to take a long time for Hiashi to make up a response.

Entering the room was a Hyuuga from the Main Branch, a young man with an unreadable gaze that was compounded by his pupilless white eyes. He brought with him a rolled-up letter, tied with a rather elegant-looking ribbon.

"Hokage-sama... Raikage-dono." He greeted the two leaders, his address to the latter seemed a bit forced and added with slight hesitancy, "Hiashi-sama ordered me to deliver you this... He said that it is for your eyes only."

With a nod and a gesture from his hand, the Hyuuga came closer and gave it to Hiruzen, who quickly removed the ribbon and unrolled it to see its contents.

Slowly, his lips formed a smile, "Naruto, I believe Satsuki and Hiashi's daughter have succeeded in convincing him."

"I can't believe you succeeded." Yugito said, half out of disbelief and half out of gratitude. She then realized that she sounded like an ass with that remark and quickly said; "Gah. Sorry, didn't mean to sound ungrateful, but it's just... I didn't expect it to be done so quickly."

"I... I still have a hard time believing it myself." Hinata admitted as much. "It wasn't what I... expected from my father."

It wasn't just his quick concession, but the complement that he gave to her for doing what she did. The image that she had of her father was the reason why she was quite shocked by the turn of events, and to be frank, even the girl from her clan's main rival agreed.

"He didn't strike you as someone who would be quite lenient from appearance alone, I agree." Satsuki remarked dryly before she shrugged, "But at the very least, it should be welcomed, no?" she asked rhetorically to the two girls.

"M-maybe." Hinata conceded, "It's certainly a good thing that he allowed a talk with the Raikage for Yugito-san to join." She remarked brightly. Even her eyes seemed to sparkle in happiness."

She felt useful, she felt as if she had done something good, something that mattered, which after a moment of retrospection, Hinata found that it really did matter, she contributed to a group that was planned to be the vanguard of two villages by offering a new member in addition to herself, that was something worth to be counted for.

"Still..." Yugito sounded doubtful, "Will they agree though? The Raikage might be a bit desperate with B gone, but he's still a hardass man. Even if I were to contribute to the team, he might worry of the fact that I'll be doing work not for the name of Kumogakure, but by... what's your group name again?"

"SDF. Superhuman Defense Force, to be long." Satsuki answered.

"Yeah." Yugito finished with a nod, "He's still the kind of guy who would put his village first, despite his common sense."

"I-I'm sure it will all work out." Hinata assured her, "We... We, all of us... have bigger things to worry about, d-don't we? A bigger... villain, a bigger cause."

"Right. Obito Uchiha." Satsuki bitterly said the name, remembering how badly he hurt Naruto, "You said that the Raikage has common sense. Let's hope that it would win out against his pride."

Yugito offered Satsuki a lopsided, mirthless smirk, "One can hope."

"One can dream." Satsuki said back.

"Yet only reality can provide the truth." Hinata, much to the others' surprise, finished the sentence, knowing the reference to the fairy tale 'The Rabbit Queen', "Let us believe then. It's... it's what we need to do. Believe that everything will work out."

"Then it is decided. The meeting will occur two days from now at the earliest. There will be speakers for Konoha, the Hyuuga, Kumo, and the SDF, which will be handled by me, Hiashi Hyuuga, the Raikage and Naruto Kanzaki respectively." Hiruzen said to his fellow Kage and the leader of the interdependent group of the superhumans.

The man who was closely associated by his summoning animal, the monkeys, soundlessly call for the Hyuuga messenger to come closer, then quickly, with ease that came with experience, the old Hokage wrote the agreement of a scheduled meeting on a piece of paper, rolled it up, bind it with a red ribbon with the Hokage's seal and gave it to the tapir-masked ANBU.

"Take this to the Hyuuga compound, make it certain that Hiashi Hyuuga sees its content and afterwards, your task is completed."

The Hyuuga dipped his head low as he took the letter, and wordlessly, he exited the room.

"Now... is there anything anyone wants to add before we end this impromptu meeting?" Hiruzen questioned the people left in the room.

"That's all I came here to do." Naruto informed the two, "So if you two still want to discuss something else, then I'll be leaving to get Satsuki and talk to Hinata and Yugito about all this. I'll see you at the meeting."

When he left, the two leaders remained, and he could hear them beginning to talk again, so he began to walk away. Kushina, who had been waiting outside, followed his steps.

"So it went well, I take it?" she asked Naruto.

"It went very well, Hiashi-san sending the Hyuuga to inform the Hokage was a welcome bonus, and it didn't go as complicated as it could've been." He answered as a smile bloomed on his face, "I hope the incoming talk would be the same."

Kushina's response was an honest one, "It will. As long as you stand for them, it will. So when the meeting occurs, press the old bats, sway them to see your point." She then smiled wanly, "Sadly, I'm not very good with that. Politics, I mean. So I can't exactly give you any advice."

"It's alright." Naruto said with a dismissive wave of his hand as both of them reached the lower level of the Hokage building, "If you don't mind me saying this, you don't seem like the type of person who likes politics in the first place."

Kushina pouted a bit in response, "Being a representative to a clan whose members are mostly dead and/or scattered doesn't really give me any lessons in dealing with politicians, yeah. But even if I weren't groomed to be the ideal 'player', I can still handle some things thrown my way." She said with adamance before she deflated a bit, "But I admit, I can get pretty worked up when dealing with slimy... people, and my temperament is not ideal for the kind of 'game' that it's supposed to be."

Naruto chuckled, not having a problem of imagining her being rather angered by slimy politicians at all, "Really, it's alright. I'll do my best nonetheless and try not to make a fool out of myself. That's what matters right?"

She regarded Naruto with approving eyes and smile, "Basically, yeah. For some people, the other parts come later on. Hopefully that'll be the case with you."

Now, they finally got out of the building, and he asked her; "So. To the Hyuuga estate?"

"Let's." Kushina responded with a simple word.

Two streaks of blue and red going towards the southeastern part of Konoha was visible for a few seconds on the sky looming over Konoha. Quickly they passed through and quickly they landed in front of their destination that the spectacle was very short-lived.

In front of the duo were two Hyuuga guards, sentinels of the estate's main gate. Both of them were caught by surprise due to the manner of their arrival, but due to their conditioning, they shrugged it off pretty quick.

"Hello." Naruto greeted the two of them with an easy smile, "I know Kushina-san and I haven't made an appointment yet, but is it too much to ask for us to go inside?"

For a moment, the guards were silent, as if they did not hear what Naruto just asked them, but then one of them finally said something that surprised them, "No. In fact, Hiashi-sama is expecting your arrival. You two may enter." He said politely.

"Well, thank you then." Naruto said with a nod as he entered the estate, followed by Kushina, who stared back at the sentinel's pale gaze.

When they were inside, they made their way towards the main house of the rather big estate, midway, Kushina stated off-handedly, "Nothing has changed... Last time I was here, Izumi and I were fourteen, and not one bit was changed. Leave it to the conservative Hyuuga to left things as they have always been."

Knowing that she didn't really expect a reply to that remark, he decided to stay silent, but he nevertheless smirked out of amusement at how she described the Hyuuga so aptly with a simple sentence.

Entering the main house, they were greeted by a young Hyuuga servant branded with the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead. "Greetings, master Naruto. You have been expected by Hiashi-sama. Would you like to meet him first, or your companions?" he asked with a bland, almost toneless voice.

Though a bit disturbed by how impassionate the man was, Naruto answered politely, not betraying the discomfort he felt, "If by my companions you mean Satsuki, Hinata and Yugito, then yes. Take me to them first."

"Very well. Follow me, please." He said as he began to lead them to a branching path, directed towards the right side of the main house.

"Heh, as creepy as ever... Most of the people in their Branch Clan are just so..." Kushina sighed, a sense of solemnity was spoken through that outtake of air, "Sorry, don't mind me Naruto."

He got what she meant, however. Most of the people of Branch Hyuuga clan were either dispassionate or seething with emotions that lied so deep that it manifested as a sense of wrongness when it came out in fragments through their speeches that they were rather unnerving to be around in.

Seeing their subtle body language and hearing their heartbeats allowed him to see beyond what appeared, and he could see that some of them were so empty, resigned to their fate as a back-up or secondary to the Main clan, while the others were so repressed and stunted emotionally that they chained themselves mentally to prevent something from coming out.

He pitied them, and he didn't like the system that they had, but though he had some political clout now, this was a matter of the Hyuuga clan. If something were to be changed, it had to come from within. That's how it had to be done.

'Focus Naruto, focus. You're here to see Satsuki and the others, not to think ways to make the Hyuuga better.' He thought to himself.

"Like that would stop you from trying."

'True, but now's not the time to be thinking too deep about that.' Naruto conceded. He would find a way, hopefully with the help of some people from the clan. His mind went to Hinata first, and then to Hiashi, who was the cause of everything related to the events that led to the creation of SDF.

Reaching where his friends were, the Hyuuga escort bowed before he left them. Sliding the door open, he was greeted by Satsuki who were accompanied by Hinata and Yugito as they sat around a square-shaped table. She smiled as she said; "Hey you."

"Hey." He said back to her as he took a seat and looked at Hinata, "So, your father agreed to have a discussion. What's your thoughts? Will he impose certain limitations?"

"I-I'm not sure." Hinata admitted, "We... have been discussing it, before you came here, and we think that he might. Hopefully not too much." She answered, "But, I admit... I thought I knew my father before. It seems... I was mistaken."

Noticing the expression on her face, Satsuki said; "Yet you look happy."

"It was... a good surprise." She answered, her smile wide, proud, and also bashful. "My father seems less... strict and unforgiving than what I have believed, and for that I am... happy, to know him better, to see... this side of him. I'm just... so glad."

It was the brightest, most innocent smile Naruto, Satsuki, Kushina and Yugito had ever seen in their entire lives, so much so, that they smiled back in return out of instinct, as if it was only right that they do so.

'She certainly has her mother's smile.' Thought Kushina, whose eyes felt a bit hot, as if there were tears threatening to burst forth.

After a moment, the girl noticed that she became the sole attention in the room again and she blushed fiercely, "U-um... Y-yes, I-I am ha-happy, that father isn't... as bad as I have thought." She reiterated what she said.

Yugito reached out to her, gently grasped Hinata's shoulder and offered her a smile, to which she responded with an elated nod.

"Hinata," Naruto began again, "Thank you for bringing this to us, and to act in Yugito's stead. You'll be a valuable member to our organization."

She nodded, her intense blush indicated her delight and embarrassment, which was showcased more with how she cast her head down and clasping her hands together, "I-I sure hope so... N-Naruto-san."

"You will need to practice your powers a bit more, and drill you in combat training that goes along with your powers, and that goes with Yugito as well." Naruto added, "Having powers is one thing, being adept at them is another thing entirely. However, I have to ask one thing... Was this your first attempt in sneaking out of the estate or has there been others?"

At this, she seemed hesitant. She played with her fingers and stared at them as if they were the most interesting thing in the room, while stammering all the while.

The others, curious as to what her answer will be, patiently watched her, until she spoke. "There... have been some... e-escapes, yes, b-but it wasn't a lot... just a few." She admitted as much before she added, "Maybe... three or... five times."

"And no one got a clue?" Satsuki asked with a low voice, "These Hyuuga guards with their Byakugan and their conditioned hearing, nobody knew that you escaped that many times?"

With a proud and if one were to look deeper, a mischievous, smile, she said; "T-they wouldn't know. H-how could they?" the rhetorical question was spoken in an equally mischievous tone of voice.

Small laughter from the occupants of the room echoed for a while before someone softly knocked on the sliding door. Through the screen, there was a silhouette of a child with long hair, and then a voice spoke...

"Onee-sama? Are you busy?"

Everyone looked at Hinata then, and she said; "Ah! Um, I am with my friends, but if they don't mind...?" she looked at the others, non-verbally asking for an answer as to what she should do.

Out of curiosity, everyone nodded, especially Yugito, who didn't know that Hinata had a sister.

"You can come in!" Hinata said, and everyone noticed that she seemed a bit more assured when she spoke to her younger sister.

The sliding door was opened, and there was the little girl. She looked a bit different compared to Hinata. Where her hair was dark purple, hers was black, and their skin tone was also a bit different. One thing came to the minds of the others there...

'She takes the look of her father.' Was the shared thought of the three non-Hyuuga in the room.

The little girl went to her sister immediately and grasped her hands, "Onee-sama, I heard from father that you might not be at home often soon, what's going on?" she asked, worried, concerned over this bit of news that she had been told of.

"Ah, that is because... I am a superhuman, Hanabi-chan." She explained, keeping her hands on her little sister's, "If... when father came to an agreement with the Hokage and the Raikage, I will accompany those who are like me, people like Naruto, Satsuki and Yugito-san."

Her little sister looked at the others that were there with a slight glare that, due to her age and appearance, made her look cute instead of intimidating or threatening. Satsuki even had to clasp her mouth with her hand, somewhat hiding her smile when she saw the expression.

"But then I won't have anyone else here that can be with me like you do." She indignantly but cutely said to Hinata, "Do you have to go?"

"I won't always be gone, Hanabi. I'll still be spending time in the house with you." She comforted her sister by saying that and stroking her head, "Besides, Neji-san will also be here, and he's... fond of you."

Hanabi pouted at that, "But he's not you." She said back before her demeanor fell once again, "And he doesn't like you as much as he does with me."

Hinata's face fell to a somber one for a moment when Hanabi said that, but then it was gone, replaced by a pained, but content smile as she said; "Hanabi... I promise, this won't change anything. I won't come to neglect you, not because of this. Not ever. Okay?"

Hanabi looked up to see her sister's eyes and she asked, "Promise?"

"I promise." Hinata said, prompting a smile from Hanabi that culminated with both of them hugging each other.

Hearing an almost inaudible gulp made Naruto and Kushina turn to Satsuki. She looked as if tears was about to flow out, and her body language suggested a sense of mental restraint. The sight of the two sisters must've triggered memories of her and her wayward brother.

Naruto reached out to grasp her left hand, and Kushina knelt down a bit from her standing position to grasp the young Uchiha's right shoulder and squeezed it a bit. The action from both Uzumaki made Satsuki looked at both of them, and she saw that they understood what went on in her mind.

Touched by their sympathy, Satsuki nodded to both of them as she squeezed Naruto's hand and touched Kushina's hand, conveying her gratitude.

After both of the Hyuuga sisters released one another, she then began to introduce Hanabi, "Ah, Hanabi, you haven't introduced yourself to them."

Gasping as if she realized she did a mistake, Hanabi stood up and bowed to them and said; "P-pleased to meet you, I am Hanabi Hyuuga, Hinata-Oneesama's younger sister. I'm sorry for my r-rude behavior back then."

Seeing a three-year old apologizing so formally and profusely for something they did not take offense for made Naruto say; "No no, don't apologize, it's alright, we understand." He then nodded and said; "My name is Naruto, Kanzaki Naruto."

"I'm Kushina Uzumaki, pleased to meet you, Hanabi." Kushina said, if she were bothered by the name Naruto used to introduced himself, she didn't show it.

"I'm Uchiha Satsuki."

"And I'm Yugito Nii, though I'm sure you must've known about me." She said.

"I do. I haven't seen you, but I've heard from father that you're to be our family's ward." Hanabi said before she took a bow to everyone, "Pleased to meet all of you."

"Your sister's... very precocious, Hinata." Yugito remarked, "For a three-year old, she's very well-composed and... dare I say it, mature." Her tone of voice conveyed her awe and amusement.

"Could she possess a superhuman ability too?"

The question was asked by three different Bijuu to three different Jinchuuriki within the room. The girl's precociousness might indicate hidden superhuman power, or it could also mean that the girl was just precocious and that was the end of that.

'I don't know. Maybe it's best to wait until it manifests on its own.' Was the thought that Naruto, Kushina and Yugito shared with each other, albeit with different choice of words.

"Rest assured Hanabi, we won't force your sister to spend time with us more than necessary. We'll make sure that she will also be able to spend time with you as much as she used to." Naruto said to the smaller Hyuuga in the room.

Hanabi smiled and bowed again, "Thank you, Naruto-san."

"Now, if that's cleared with... Let's talk schedules." Naruto began.

Hiruzen felt fulfilled. For now, it seemed that everything was working well. It had been quite an... exciting couple of days, but for now, perhaps things will wind down a bit before it finally fluctuated wildly once again.

Looking at the tea that had been prepared, he smiled as he took a sip and leaned back on his chair, catching a moment to catch his breath and relax...

"Hokage-sama. Tsunade-sama's apprentice, Shizune, is here is to see you. It seems to be urgent."

Fighting down a deep sigh that was about to come out and he replied to his secretary, as calmly as he could be, "Send her in."

Shizune didn't enter in, she barged in, as poised as such an act would allow her to be, but her expression betrayed her utmost need to deliver something to the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, the boy from Root has woken up."

Only then did he sigh. Life had a way to fluctuate wildly, even when it seemed to be calming down.

End of Chapter 25

And another chapter finished. So Sai has woken up. Wonder how he would react on basically being left with no discernable, pre-given purpose?