82: Revenge Arc Intermission: Hot for Teacher!

Tsunade tried to keep her posture relaxed and calm as she left the Daimyo's palace since she didn't want to give the impression that she was scurrying off. But, it was proving difficult since if she had to spend more time with the nobles of Fire Country, she feared that she would go on a rampage. What truly bothered her though was that regardless of how her retreat was perceived, she knew that politically the Daimyo had already won. This was due to the fact that to the majority of his citizens, he had demonstrated his power by being able to summon her before him, making what was actually discussed almost irrelevant. Reaching the front gate, she felt some of the anger that she had built up begin to fade as she headed into the capital proper.

Her anger stemmed from having to listen to a bunch of samurai in name only, especially when considering how the shinobi had been carrying the water of defending the country, repudiating her for what they perceived to be failures on her part. She had been more than willing to admit that by not dealing with Sasuke earlier, she had helped to create the monster that he currently was. A mistake she also shared with her predecessor in regards to Orocimaru. But, she had drawn the line at accepting that she had been lax in the security precautions taken by the prison. After all, most prisons feared escapes generated from within. There had never been such an organized assault on a prison which had originated from an outside force. Even other shinobi villages had never attempted such a feat. Although, Tsunade suspected it was because doing so would open them to similar reprisals from rival villages.

She sighed as she could imagine the mounds of paperwork that would be generated from this new reality and the need to counter it. The most pressing of which would be developing a means to counter the flying vehicles that Sasuke had utilized to help the prisoners to escape. She also suspected that was one of the reasons as to why she had been summoned before the Daimyo since these new devices were going to change how villages would need to defend themselves. As such, the Samurai in charge of defending the capital and keeping the day to day peace in much of the Land of Fire wanted as much information as possible. Not to mention, an opportunity to berate the failures of the shinobi that they felt assumed their place in the limelight.

Unfortunately, Tsunade did not have an abundance of information to provide to them, and couldn't even substantiate the claim that Shadaloo, a criminal group primarily operating out of the Land of Lightning had been the source of the vehicles. However, she felt with the presence of Vega, and the reappearance of a woman that had also been working with a slaver group in the Land of Wind, it was a safe bet. She imagined they had been sent along to provide assistance with procuring the false identifications used to gain access to the prison, as well as to witness the effectiveness of the vehicles they had provided. Still, at the moment it was only a theory since a direct link couldn't be made. Yet, with another piece of technology tied to the engineering skills of former shinobi from Sky Country appearing. Tsunade believed the Shadaloo group was also behind the defection of the engineers from the Land of Spring shortly after Koyuki's uncle had been deposed.

But, learning anything about the group was proving difficult since the Raikage was taking the opportunity to stymie their investigation by denying the Alliance access to Kumo's intelligence. At least officially, but fortunately Mabui had made the connection between Vega, Sin, and Shadaloo beforehand so had made copies of many of the records before the Raikage had put a block on them.

She sighed as she couldn't exactly grow angry at the Raikage for his resistance to aiding them, since in a sense it was karma paying them back for how they had helped Yugito to defect. Which although she felt they were right morally, did concede that it had been achieved using underhanded methods. Still, developing their own intelligence on Shadaloo would prove difficult since although it was rumored to have its hands in criminal activities throughout the continent. Its primary territory was found in the Land of Lightning and Land of Frost. There were rumors that it had started in the Land of Hot Springs, but had been violently rebuffed forcing its relocation. She knew though it would take time to validate much of what they had learned themselves, all the while having to make it look like they had developed their own sources so as to not incriminate Mabui.

Focusing on more immediate concerns, Tsunade couldn't help but be concerned by how the Daimyo had behaved towards her. The ruler of Fire Country had made it clear that he considered Sasuke a loose cannon that needed to be dealt with. However, Tsunade although wanting to separate the Uchiha's head from his shoulders and punting it for a distance record, had steadfast refused into being baited into making a rash announcement to do such. It wasn't because she wanted to follow her lover's example, but because she knew that with so many unknowns, if she did her words might be used against her later. In fact, it was Yoshino who had cautioned about the importance of taking such a stance. She hadn't gone into her reasoning, only stating it would be important not to go on record stating they would bring the Uchiha to justice. As such, despite many of the nobles attempts to get her to state as much, she had only replied that at present there were too many unknowns to form an adequate picture for how they should respond.

Yet, although despite her feeling like she had avoided a trap that she still hadn't quite seen, she was still looking forward to getting some answers from the Nara. As such, upon reaching the hotel at which she was staying, instead of entering through the lobby, she simply began to run up the building causing some of the locals to gasp in surprise. Reaching her penthouse, she landed on the balcony and throwing open the sliding door was about to announce her presence to those present, but was beaten to the punch as the Nara said, "I take it the meeting went as expected."

Tsunade frowned since she would have expected the woman to make some attempt to verify the person behind her was who she thought. Especially as her back was facing towards her, and there appeared to be no items nearby in which she could be checking discreetly. Instead, she continued to organize the papers laying before her on an oak coffee table. The Hokage wondered if one of the things which made the Nara so sure of who was standing behind her was she had predicted how long the meeting would be, so felt it could be no one else. She did feel somewhat silly thinking as much since she quickly realized the woman might simply have sensed her via the foxmark, but was trying to appear omnipotent for the other shinobi present although only Inaho was truly unaware of the connection they shared.

Tsunade entered the suite being mindful of the many papers strewn about the room as she decided to get right down to business by saying, "And I'm wondering how exactly you seemed to know what it was they were going to angle for?"

The blonde noticed that both Ibiki and Inaho had stopped reading the reports they had been holding to listen to the Nara's reply. Noting how eager they seemed, she suspected they had noticed how laid out before Yoshino were what appeared to be bits of the various reports they had received via messenger hawk since arriving, and so wanted to hear what theory she was working on. The Nara didn't give much away as she said, "That didn't require any sort of guessing. There was only one reason for the Daimyo to call you to the capital so quickly after a crisis, and that was to box you into making a statement which he could later use against you to weaken your standing in the Leaf and Fire country."

Inaho appeared confused as she asked, "Why would the Daimyo wish to undermine Lady Tsunade's position?"

Yoshino couldn't exactly fill the woman in on some of the reason's the Family would suspect as much, so instead said, "It is a logical conclusion considering he would call her away so soon after the attack. If he truly was curious about the incident, then he could have visited her, or sent an emissary, thus insuring all the data she had was up to the minute. But, by removing her from the village he demonstrates his ability to order her away, and the location itself might put pressure on her to give assurances that she might not be able to back up."

"Which in time might give ammunition to those seeking to oppose me or my positions," Tsunade added for the Nara.

Inaho frowned giving the impression that she knew she wasn't getting the whole story, but Ibiki interrupted the question his subordinate was likely going to ask in favor of his own. "I take it that you've formed a theory as to why it was important for the Hokage to remain vague on how we are going to respond."

The Nara inclined her head as she answered, "Yes, I think it is safe to assume that Sasuke has formed a Shinobi Village." Ibiki nodded his head obviously suspecting such an answer, and Tsunade half had as well, but hearing Yoshino state as much made it feel much more real.

Inaho surprised the others present as she said, "You mean he is the one that Tanzo's theory was pointing to."

Tsunade arched an eyebrow as she said, "I'm impressed. I had feared his death meant it wasn't being looked into."

Inaho frowned which Tsunade mirrored since it had slipped her mind that according to Yuugao's observations from investigating his murder, the young woman had feelings for her colleague. Yet, it was Ibiki who answered as he said, "I am as well. Furofuki's attack sadly didn't allow me to put many resources towards investigating it further. If it has been looked into further, then she did so on her own intuitive."

Tsunade nodded so moving to one of the few empty chairs in the room took a seat and indicated toward the Chunin as she said, "Please recap his theory and what events you believe tie into it."

Inaho nodded as she said, "Tanzo believed that much like when Orochimaru was establishing the Sound village. The number of missing-nin incidents dropping was because he was recruiting them. This also correlated with a number of criminal incidents that in hindsight might have benefited a fledgling village that was coming into existence. Recently there had been a similar drop in missing-nin activity and events such as what happened in the Land of Rice Paddies could be considered to fall into the second category. I would probably qualify what happened to the Leaf Prison as well if it wasn't an attack meant to hurt Naruto Uzumaki."

"And there is no reason that you shouldn't," Yoshino said quickly. "It is folly to believe everything Sasuke truly wanted to achieve was meant to hurt Naruto. In fact, I would argue it to be the least important aspect of his plan."

"Sasuke stated it as his goal," Tsunade said angrily, "and pissing off a major village is not a smart thing for a new village to do,".

Yoshino shook her head before calmly stating, "The fact that Sasuke said it, is all the more reason to question it. The reasoning you used to support your belief is exactly why it is wrong to believe he would do all this just to harm Naruto. We need to stop thinking of him as a petulant child striking out in revenge, but more as a shogi master willing to play to our prejudices about him in order to make us fall into his traps."

The Nara could tell convincing Tsunade would be an uphill battle, but Inaho said, "I would tend to agree with Lady Tsunade. Before he attached his name to the attack, I would have leaned towards the man behind this as being Tobi. Konan of Rain said he had a Sharingan as well so could have been responsible for the bandit forces raiding shipments in Rice Paddies. Sasuke Uchiha was probably gravely injured by Naruto during his last encounter with him."

"Yes," Yoshino said, "Which is probably what taught Sasuke patience, since he couldn't act on his own. However, as was demonstrate by the thing Sakura encountered, it would have been possible for him to make it at least appear that he was still viable." Focusing on the Hokage she added, "It is easy to picture him as a revenge obsessed cretin, but we can't fall into the trap of assuming that is all he is. This attack required lots of planning and more importantly the thing he lacked most, patience. I'm sure he knew elements of it would personally harm Naruto, but it would be a mistake to assume that was all he hoped to achieve, or was even his primary goal."

Ibiki leaned forward as he asked, "You mean the prisoners."

Everyone was surprised when Yoshino shook her head and then pointed to the papers laid out before her. Focusing on one of them she said, "No, I believe the Root prisoners were a goal. But likely one Udon desired for his own purposes, and so to secure Udon's assistance, he made freeing them an objective. Yet, if Sasuke is starting a village having a squad of highly trained ANBU is only a bonus. Likewise, Iruka's death had to be treated as an optional objective."

"How can you say that knowing..."

Yoshino knew Tsunade would likely refer to the pain that Naruto felt and was experienced by his lovers when he had seen Iruka. It had been like a knife that had been thrust into the women bound to him, which only grew more pronounced before he had come to terms. But, with Inaho present, she said, "The world doesn't revolve around Naruto and it is a mistake to assume it does for Sasuke."

Tsunade calmed as she realized what she almost revealed but said, "You can't honestly believe he didn't take any pleasure from what he has done."

"I'm sure he enjoyed it a great deal," Yoshino said, "I'm positive that he was even salivating about it as it happened. It might be the part he looked forward to most. But, this operation was a lot of moving pieces to just kill one Chunin instructor, and as his attack on Sakura's mother proves, he has the means to generate pretty impressive false credentials to gain access to the village. If he wanted Iruka dead, then he could just have sent an attack team into the village. Once he isolated Naruto for fear that he could teleport to Iruka. Sasuke could have unleashed them to achieve the same results."

Yoshino could see her argument had made some headway with Tsunade, and it caused Ibiki to stated, "If I'm following you correctly then you are saying, Sasuke's true goal was Sakura all along."

"Precisely," the Nara replied before explaining, "Let's just look at the timeline. According to our inside source, we know that it appears the prison attack was in motion before she came along."

"This would be the Momo Hinamori woman that was used to kidnap Lady Kiyomi," Inaho said since the Priestess's involvement was common knowledge. However, as Kiyomi was officially the wronged party, she had lobbied for her to receive leniency in favor of the information that she possessed.

"Yes," Yoshino answered, "This leads me to believe that the prison might have originally served as a means of isolating Naruto. It isn't hard to imagine that with us receiving news of a prison riot in progress and Iruka being there that he would have gone. Add in a means to escape once he arrives, and destroying the Bridge suddenly leaves him on an island. Especially if they use a barrier to keep him there. This frees them to grab Sakura, whose father would be easy enough to lure away just before the operation was to begin."

"If they already had a plan, then why would they allow this Momo's desire to hurt Kiyomi enter into it?" Inaho asked her tone indicating that she felt something was missing. "If anything, it only added to the complexity of the plan."

"Not to mention set a hard time limit for when they needed to act," Ibiki added although he seemed more interested in hearing the Nara's thought process behind her theory. But, he further substantiated his point as he said, "If they stuck with just using Iruka as bait, then they could have moved anytime when he was giving those lessons to the prisoners. They would have had a much larger window."

Inaho built on the point as she also contributed, "Plus, Iruka would have been far more likely to draw Naruto out then some business leader, or her body double, Mito"

The Nara noticed the Hokage smirk at the mention of her grandmother's name. In order to explain how Kiyomi had appeared to calm those in attendance at the Wave ports opening celebration, they had concocted a story of her having hired a bodyguard who had also had reconstructive surgery. With the obvious resemblance to the First Hokage's wife, she had been given the codename of Mito. It also had the added advantage of letting either woman respond freely when being put in danger as no matter who was pretending to be the face of "Kiyomi." If a threat reared its head they could just as easily claim to be "Mito."

"Agreed," Yoshino stated conceding the point to the two members of the T and I department, "It is hard to believe that Sasuke would alter his plan on the word of some priestess about an alliance between the two. But, he could have come to believe there was some connection between Naruto and Kiyomi due to her agreeing to help him assist the Fuma with the bandit problems they were facing. He knows Naruto well enough to understand that he wouldn't abandon someone that he considered a friend. With that connection made it allowed him to make greater gains in the prison."

"How so?" Tsunade asked surprised.

Focusing on the Hokage, the Nara said, "Let me layout the case that Sakura was the true objective and I'll answer it in time." Receiving a nod, Yoshino began by pointing to the column of papers at the left end of the coffee table the first item of which was a flyer advertising the celebration of the ports official opening, "Okay, we can figure the operation was setup in three parts. The first was isolating Naruto, and by tying that part of the plan to the kidnapping of Kiyomi, they set the hard date as Kiyomi's attendance of the port opening since she tends not to leave the Leaf all too often or travels with highly skilled guards. Now, if it wasn't enough to draw Naruto out, then they simply would have reverted to the original plan at some later date using Iruka. The next two parts of the plan went into motion as soon as Naruto teleported to the cave base in Wave."

"But what makes you so certain Sakura was the primary objective of the operation," Tsunade asked concerned Sasuke might make another attempt on her apprentice and fellow Family member.

"Because of the three parts of the plan, she was the only one that he made any attempt to interact with," Yoshino said quickly. Indicating the column in the middle of the table she added, "If hurting Naruto was truly what he desired from the operation, wouldn't he have killed Iruka himself. Instead, he delegated it to someone else. I also believe that despite appearing that he was some kind of special Zetsu hybrid, the real Sasuke had some means of controlling it. Similar to the Yamanaka Family's technique."

"How can you know that?" Inaho asked sounding rather skeptical.

"Before he killed Sakura's father, he referenced some minor detail that only the real Sasuke would know. Plus, neither Sakura or Naruto seemed to harbor any doubt that they were talking to the real thing even after the Zetsu was revealed."

"That still wouldn't exclude him wanting to hurt Naruto, or the prison being one of his primary objectives" Tsunade stated.

"No, but the operation to lure out Sakura was something that required the longest amount of time to prepare," Yoshino countered. "You know as a doctor that it takes time to manufacture a medical crisis. Heck, even a natural one starts off slowly with people usually downplaying it until it reaches a crisis point. But, once it reaches such a point it can take months or years to get under control."

"But, they couldn't know that Lady Tsunade would send Sakura," Ibiki said, "The Frost Daimyo didn't ask for her specifically."

"Yes, but with a virulent disease that had resisted all attempts to contain and cure it on one hand. And a request from a Daimyo that normally reaches out to Kumo on the other. It isn't exactly the time to send out your B team," Yoshino countered quickly knowing it was a weakness in her argument. "I suspect the reason they didn't target a village in the Land of Fire was because chances were greater that you would go yourself, Lady Tsunade. Barring that, Sakura is the next best candidate, but moves to number one if you move the crisis outside Fire Country's borders."

Ibiki nodded, before adding, "And if you don't draw her out by the hard start date required for the Wave portion. You abandon that part of your plan to instead focus on luring Naruto to the prison."

Yoshino wasn't exactly sure Sasuke would have just abandoned it as he would have a very angry priestess on his hands. One he had used to create the barrier around the base in the unclaimed territories where he had tried to stash Sakura. She was confident that Ibiki likely suspected as much as well, but couldn't admit that Momo had wanted to kill Naruto in front of Kiyomi and thus why it couldn't have easily been abandoned with Inaho present. But, she also had another reason for why Sasuke wouldn't want to just abandon giving Momo a shot, but knew that she would cover it later.

"Exactly," Yoshino said rather than elaborate on it and was glad that it appeared Ibiki was willing to support her theory. "Plus, he would just have the woman behind the plague make matters worse until we would almost have had to send Sakura."

Yoshino in preparation for explaining the thrust of her argument about Sakura being the primary target, pulled a report from the papers that she had organized for the Wave portion of the plan. The report was of Momo's statement which in essence said that she had wanted to kill Kiyomi because she had come to believe the red head had killed her lover. Yet, she had learned the true murderer had been an on assignment Mito, who had already been through the operation to look like the woman she was supposedly impersonating. There were quite a few holes in the story, but they were intentional since a large part in securing Momo's pardon had been by casting her as a victim of her lover. It didn't name Kanji, since they didn't want Hot Spring's Daimyo to learn of his fate, or that there were women out there who had been tied to him. But, the supposed gaps in her memory were blamed on the years of manipulation Momo had been put through.

With most of the groundwork laid Yoshino explained, "I don't think Sasuke would have just abandoned the Wave portion of the plan. He probably just wouldn't have connected it to his larger one to grab Sakura. Primarily because I believe he has found a way around the injuries that Naruto's Rasenshuriken has almost certainly done to him." Yoshino felt a chill settle on the room, and for a moment wondered if the Hokage hadn't closed the door behind her. But, ignoring it said, "Besides creating a pandemic, one action cements that this plot was about getting his hands on Sakura. The raid on the installation that Kumo has called the Vault."

Tsunade arched an eyebrow as she felt completely lost, and was somewhat mollified that both Ibiki and Inaho seemed to be as well. "Come again?" she queried before adding, "We don't even know what was taken from there. Let alone who was involved."

Yoshino smiled somewhat pleased with herself believing she saw a connection that everyone else had missed. But, knowing that it was just a crazy theory until proven, explained, "Don't we? Where else would the remains of Hidan have come from. When Naruto killed him, they left his body behind to make sure Yugito's attack would fall squarely on Akatsuki. She did go missing for a period of time. Yet, I believe the Raikage sent the body to the Vault. I reached out to Yugito about the incident, and she claimed that the Raikage acted as if he had never heard of Hidan."

"You believe it was a smokescreen to cover up that they had sent his remains to this Vault location," Tsunade asked while finding herself worried about what else might be stored there, or other uses the facility had besides storage.

"Yes," the Nara replied with assuredness, "We know the Raikage has no problem lying to his shinobi. We also know he didn't come after us for Yugito's initial disappearance after the incident. Therefore, he must have known about Aktasuki's involvement already. So why pretend otherwise? Unless he didn't want to inspire any questions about where those remains went. But ignoring that mystery for now, we know the Vault was raided, and with Sasuke ending up with Hidan's remains, it must mean someone was studying them. I propose that is what they were doing in the Vault to learn the scope of the damage Naruto's Rasenshuriken was capable of, and to see if they could unlock the secrets of Hidan's immortality. Considering Kumo's desire for legendary weapons and bloodlines, unlocking the secrets of supposedly unkillable warriors would be a huge boon for their forces."

Inaho put the pieces together to state, "Then if that raid on the Vault was actually the starting point for this operation then it stands to reason that getting his hands on Sakura was the endgame..."

"And everything else was a smokescreen to cover that fact up," Yoshino finished. "Kizashi wasn't killed because it would hurt Sakura and thus Naruto. If Sasuke wanted to do that, he would have killed Sakura. No, killing her father like that and then threatening her mother was to break Sakura's spirit as quickly as possible to make sure that she wouldn't resist. He knew he would likely only be able to hold her for a limited period of time. Either we would rescue her, or she would rescue herself. In either case, it was a move to maximize how long he would be able to have her focus on finding a cure for the cellular damage the Rasenshuriken causes. Obviously, I don't think he planned on having Sakura for such a short period of time. But, considering Momo's almost pathological need to kill Kiyomi. He didn't foresee that they would be able to convert her and that she would reveal the base they were keeping Sakura at."

"The other reason Sasuke wouldn't want us or anyone else to think that was his primary goal is because it shows that on some level he fears Naruto," Tsunade said finding herself having to agree with Yoshino as well.

Nodding towards the Hokage, the Nara stated, "Something likely compounded by the fact that Naruto has grown even stronger since they last met, while Sasuke has been diminished. So, even if he had found a way to switch bodies. He must fear that he will be far weaker then him should they meet again." Yoshino noticed that the only unbound woman in the room seemed unsure about something, and having a decent idea about what said, "You don't seem convinced Inaho. Is it perhaps because if Sasuke has found a way to offset the damage he already sustained, it would seem pointless to go through all this effort for a cure."

Yet, it was Tsunade that explained why it made sense as she said, "It's because if he is using Orochimaru's body swapping jutsu, then he likely is jumping to what would have been that bastard's final switch."

"Precisely," Yoshino said positive the Hokage was now on board with her theory. "This is also why he wouldn't have denied Momo from having a shot at Kiyomi and thus Naruto. If Momo's end goal had been to just kill Kiyomi or in actuality Mito, then she would have just done so. However, her true goal was to hurt her by killing those close to her. Including allies such as Naruto."

Yoshino focused on Inaho since the Chunin seemed to be the most resilient to accepting her theory. She actually considered this a strength since the woman was missing details the others present weren't. Details such as how close Naruto, Mito, and Kiyomi were. Still, the Nara could tell she had a quick and agile mind as the younger woman said, "So if Naruto stood a chance of dying in a portion of the plan, then his actions towards Iruka were pointless."

"Not entirely," the Nara stated, "But, that is why we should treat it as a bonus objective rather than the main goal of his plan. If the priestess does kill Naruto, then the Rasenshuriken matter is solved. However, I believe Sasuke would only abandon his body as a last resort, so would still prefer a cure to be discovered."

Ibiki leaned forward from his chair and said, "You put a great deal of effort in convincing us of that. Perhaps now you should tell us why."

Before the Nara could though Inaho's eyes went wide as she realized, "Because if it was just a matter of harming Naruto as we were treating it, then he's achieved his results and we would assume he is moving on to something else. But, if it was to get himself a cure, and grow his ranks it means that he is still in the buildup portion of Tanzo's theory."

Tsunade frowned as she watched the Nara incline her head in agreement, and reaching her own conclusion asked, "I'm guessing this is what you meant when you said the Wave portion allowed him to increase his gains at the prison."

"Yes," Yoshino answered, "Before the Wave portion was added it is easy to imagine that most, if not all of the standard prisoners would have been sacrificed to tie up Naruto once he appeared to save Iruka. However, I believe that both the Warden and Nobori would have been targeted."

"Wait, hold up," Inaho said before the woman could explain further, "Nobori was a part of the plot. You're making him sound like a victim."

"I'm aware," Yoshino said, "Yet I'm not convinced that he was, and if I'm right, then that means that we still have elements that are either loyal to Root or perhaps even Sasuke directly."

Ibiki appeared skeptical, but having looked into Nobori's background would admit that he hadn't found much to indicate he was Root. There were other factors as to why he was skeptical, one of which he stated, "If you are right, then it would seem to indicate that Daichi is the culprit since those in the old communications room heard Daichi implicate Nobori as having attacked his squad. Not to mention Daichi's statements upon recovering consciousness."

Yoshino knew she had a tough sell in front of her since she was sure Ibiki had looked into Daichi's background as rigorously as he had Nobori's. Furthermore, unlike most standard Root members like Komachi had been, both young men came from intact families as opposed to the orphans that had usually been targeted by Danzou. Plus, those families didn't appear to have any ties to Root either. Not to mention, she would be defaming a person that many newspapers in Konoha were already proclaiming to be a hero.

But, she was confident in her theory so said, "A double agent can be a difficult thing to pull off. Let alone one that you manage to get into our cryptanalyst department." Yoshino despite the grave matter that she was discussing did have to fight back a smile as she thought, "Unless you're Naruto, who just fucks his targets onto his side." She noticed the Hokage was holding back a smirk so imagined she was having a similar thought since Naruto was an expert at creating them. But she knew his success was his genuineness and his desire to build a world his Family could live in that was at peace. Most double agents though were either turned for their own selfish desires or were blackmailed into helping. This made them somewhat unreliable. A Root member though would fall into the same category as a woman turned by Naruto, namely the true believer in the cause. However, the difficult thing about creating one of those was most had to be grabbed when they were young, and thus might not have the skills to infiltrate the places that could really do some damage. That was what made Naruto so dangerous in a sense, in that he could target women in those key locations.

Which was why Yoshino found it hard to believe that if Nobori was a Root agent, Sasuke would have used him already. Explaining her thoughts on the matter she said, Nobori makes sense when you believe Sasuke's primary goal was simply to hurt Naruto." She pulled out a picture from the Column that had evidence she had collected in regards to the Prison elements of Sasuke's plan. Showing those present that it displayed the Warden's schedule she said, "The Warden believed that Iruka would be meeting with him next month. However, the letter Iruka received invited him to visit on the day of the attack."

"Which if Nobori was working with Sasuke makes sense," Ibiki said quickly. "He likely intercepted the letter and made the change as he coded it in order for it to be sent to Konoha."

"Which just showcases how dangerous a spy in the Cryptanalyst Department would be," Yoshino replied gravely. "With someone there that no one suspects, Sasuke could do untold damage to us. Not to mention, would have an eye on all our communications. Furthermore, the survivor of the Prison's cryptanalyst unit said a bunch of prisoners broke in as they were destroying the decoding keys and apparently took him against his will. She only survived because Naruto managed to teleport her to the hospital. Plus, in the overall time frame the prisoners grabbed Nobori at the very beginning of the escape, before the prisoners grew increasingly organized."

Tsunade countered, her argument as she said, "That event could have been staged so people would think that he was taken against his will. Daichi claims they grabbed him, and planned to take him as well. Which was why he was on the roof. At some point in the future, we would have received a clue as to their whereabouts and found a tortured Nobori with his corpse. But Iruka interfered as they tried to board their vehicle supposedly allowing Daichi a chance to get away."

"That's what he claims," Yoshino said with a frown, "And it is an explanation that would have put Nobori back in our midst. But, would you put him back in the Cryptanalyst Department? Even if you did, wouldn't you insist that he be monitored to make sure that he hadn't been turned?"

"But Daichi was found with a sword stuck through him," Inaho said quickly. "There was no guarantee that he would have survived his wounds."

"True," Yoshino conceded, "But don't underestimate the lengths that true believers would go for their cause. Moreover, it is a tactic that we used to keep Komachi close to Root, except Kakashi was the one that took the blow." She then grabbed several other pictures from the Prison column of her gathered evidence and held them up. She wasn't surprised as she saw out of the corner of her eye that Tsunade looked at them with a face that screamed that she blamed herself for the deaths depicted. Although she had probably needed to defend herself from the Daimyo that she couldn't have foreseen the assault on the prison. Yoshino believed the woman would think that she should have. However, for Yoshino, the dead shown in the pictures painted a very different story. One that should have included Daichi among them unless he was working with Udon. "What do you see in these pictures?"

Inaho was confused as she watched Yoshino flip through the pictures before she answered, "People killed in the Prison escape as they tried to take the control room to blow the bridge."

"You've made two mistakes in your analyst," Yoshino stated causing the Chunin to frown. "The first is that the prisoner's believed that they wanted to destroy the Bridge. They couldn't have known about the transports on their way." She flipped to a picture of a dead kunoichi near the control panel that housed the button to activate the charges that would have blown the bridge. "Do you see the hole in the control panel near the button?" When she received a nod, she stated, "It corresponds to a wound on the woman's hand. She was injured reaching for the button. That means someone stopped her from pressing it. Udon's fingerprints on it show that he was the one that activated the bridge's self-destruct."

"Why would he tell them one thing, only to do the opposite himself?" Inaho questioned sounding rather dubious of the Nara's theory, although the evidence she presented was true enough.

"Because, the people that engaged in the assault were run of the mill prisoners," Yoshino explained, "Not the maximum security Root members that would have followed his orders to the letter."

Ibiki could tell his charge wasn't convinced so aided Yoshino as he said, "While they assaulted the control room, Nobori was supposedly freeing the prisoners in the MS wing. However, even if they had been freed, Udon would much rather spend the regular prisoners as cannon fodder rather than his fellow Root members."

"But, if the goal was to blow the bridge he could have just as easily had the prisoners move on the gate," Inaho stated.

"Perhaps," Yoshino replied before countering, "Yet, the guards would have fought them, and most of the prisoners would have probably gone for the gate. Considering most of the prisoners were Genin or Chunin, dividing them up might have given the guards the ability to defend both locations. Remember, the guards were fighting to keep from blowing the bridge so reinforcements from Konoha could arrive. But, would have destroyed it if one or both positions were in danger of falling. So, Udon convinced them that they needed take the control room to prevent them from blowing the bridge, and a concentrated assault would be the best way. Not to mention, the initial explosion they set off in the entrance had destroyed the gate's controls located there. The only way to raise or lower the gate was now the main control room."

Inaho seemed more willing to accept Yoshino's explanation, but asked, "Why didn't they turn on him when he blew the bridge instead of lowering it?" Hearing the question aloud, she realized the answer, "Never mind, seeing that he had trapped himself in the prison with them must have meant he had another means out of the prison." She received a nod from the Nara so instead asked, "What did you mean I was wrong about two things though?"

Yoshino held the pictures up again and answered, "The people killed in these photos weren't killed while defending the control room, but after being incapacitated while doing so. Almost as if one of the prisoners was deliberately wounding them, but only to render them unconscious. However, it appears someone else was following behind and eliminating them."

Tsunade sounded skeptical even as she admitted, "Some of the autopsies would seem to suggest that. But, you're making it sound like a deliberate choice rather than just someone following in the wake to eliminate any survivors while the prisoners moved on."

Yoshino began flipping through the photos until she returned to the one of the kunoichi murdered by the control panel. Holding it up she said, "This woman was wounded while reaching for the button. Not killed, so even with everything on the line the person that targeted her aimed for her hand. It would have been easier to go for a more debilitating strike, but the attacker deliberately aimed to wound her. However, moments later someone else slices her throat. Two very deliberate, but different acts. I imagine Udon was the one following behind cleaning up after this prisoner."

"Do you believe you know who this prisoner is?" Tsunade asked wondering if they were thinking along the same lines.

However, Yoshino loathed to put forth a possibility without some evidence to back it up said, "No, and I don't have a theory that I would state with any confidence. Yet, I imagine you believe it might have been the woman that was Iruka's reason for visiting. However, if it was her leaving people alive that also probably put her on the roof when he died, and she did nothing to aid him. So, I wouldn't put any faith in her altruistic nature. She might just have been keeping her options open and Udon was making it clear that she had none. But, I can't say one way or the other."

"Then what is your point? Inaho asked.

But, Ibiki was the one that answered as he said sounding genuinely angry at himself for not having seen it himself, "That if Udon was killing all the people someone was leaving behind. Then it was damn sloppy of him to leave Daichi alive on the roof, even with a sword stuck through him."

"Exactly," Yoshino stated, "Not to mention that Daichi seemed to have quite a few encounters where Root seemed rather lax in cleaning up after themselves. For instance, it was his report that those listening in the old control room allowed us to name Nobori as the Root infiltrator. A report he made after Nobori supposedly killed his squad, but left him wounded but alive. This also meant that the plan to take both Daichi and Nobori so we could eventually find him after enduring torture should have already been scrapped. As such, there was no reason to take Daichi with them to the roof."

"Unless they would have made it look like Daichi was actually the traitor," Ibiki interjected, "If it proceeded as planned, Nobori could have used the same evidence to incriminate Daichi. He probably would have claimed he killed Daichi just before we found them."

"But, there would still be a black mark against him in that scenario," Yoshino countered, "And as your investigation into Nobori has shown, there is nothing there to show he was once ever a part of Root. A black mark which only shows up because Daichi was left alive to report in. A similar mark Daichi avoids by not only being so grievously wounded when we find him, but also naming the supposed traitor."

Tsunade was feeling numb since if what Yoshino said was accurate, then she had helped saved the life of a traitor, and likely the one that had literally stabbed Iruka in the back. Not wanting it to be true, but fearing it was she said, "But, if Nobori was just a patsy then who actually forged the letter to lure Iruka to the prison?"

"That I don't know," Yoshino said, "If we follow my theory on Daichi then it might have been the kunoichi that survived from Nobori's department. But, I don't believe that to be the case."

"Why?" Tsunade asked not sure how the Nara could sound so sure of herself.

"For one, if I'm to believe in my theory that Nobori is not a member of Root, then her recollection of events would fit that belief. Moreover, if she was also a member of Root like I believe Daichi to be, then she would have given a similar story as he about how Nobori attacked her. In fact, I believe the prisoners that took him were instructed to capture Nobori alive because he was always meant to shoulder the blame. The prisoners that grabbed him though were just sloppy and left a witness alive. We could spin it that it was meant to foster the illusion that he was innocent, but there was no certainty that the kunoichi would survive to tell her tale. Thus the only certainty we have is that Daichi pointed at Nobori as being the inside man regardless of if he survived or not."

"Which is why they left the personnel at the Warden Mansion alone," Tsunade said with the sinking feeling in her stomach growing stronger.

Yoshino could see Tsunade was likely coming to regret saving Daichi's life. But what she most likely feared was having to tell Naruto about the possibility that the young man was a traitor, particularly one that might have had a hand in Iruka's death. After all, it was one thing to call for calm when you had no idea where the one blamed for it could be found. But another thing entirely when he was in the same village and people were currently calling him a hero. The Nara was considering telling Tsunade that they should keep the fact a secret from him, but she knew the Hokage would never go along with it. Moreover, Yoshino figured that by telling the Hokage her theory, she in essence wasn't prepared to keep secrets from him either.

Yet, she focused on a more pressing matter as she said, "There is one other matter that needs to be discussed."

"Which is," Tsunade said hearing an ominous tone in Yoshino's voice.

"That if I am correct, and Nobori is innocent. Then that means Sasuke has a spy in the Cryptanalyst Department, and if it isn't the kunoichi that survived the attack on the department in the prison, then that means the spy is in the village," Yoshino stated. "In fact, the finger being pointed at Nobori isn't so much to protect Daichi, as it was to protect this spy."

Tsunade sighed before stating, "Unfortunately, we can't proceed to go on a witch-hunt unless we can prove Nobori isn't the spy. Tensions in the village are already high as people want us to strike back, and saying there are enemies among us will cause people to begin pointing fingers at anyone they disagree with. Ibiki and Inaho, you are to continue your investigation, but proceed as you feel best based on what you've just heard. Yoshino if you believe this is still just Sasuke building to reveal that he has started a village, then he is going to want do so in an even flashier method then this attack on us was. I want you to concentrate on what he plans to do next, and how best to stop him."

She was about to dismiss them so they could begin but stopped as Ibiki said, "Actually, there is one other avenue I would like to pursue, Lady Tsunade."

"What is that?"

"Sasuke couldn't do all this on his own," Ibiki said matter of factly. "His name might have attracted missing-nin and such. But, there is money and other resources that he lacks. I believe it may have been the Shadow Cabal which provided these things to him."

"To what end?" Tsunade asked unsure why he was bringing it up, especially since it was clear Inaho had no idea who he was talking about.

Yet before his young charge could ask he said, "I believe the Shadow Cabal exists to destabilize the Shinobi Villages. Giving Sasuke the means to create a village would go a long way to doing just that. The Bounty offices that we believe they back also work towards this goal. I believe if they are linked to Sasuke's rise, then this is the freshest trail to find some information on them that exists. I would like to expand my department to begin focusing on finding signs of this trail or trails."

Tsunade was on the fence considering how little information they had uncovered when they had investigated the Bounty Offices. Still, she knew her Family's goals might never come to fruition if there was a group hiding in the shadows sowing chaos and willing to put monsters like Sasuke into positions of power. Feeling that if she rejected his offer and there was something to be found that she would have squandered an opportunity she said, "Very well. Recruit as many as you need. But, focus most of your efforts on the threats that we already know about."

Ibiki nodded, and so she moved off to reflect on all that had been discussed. She moved to a window and studied the capital of Fire Country as it went about its business and couldn't help feeling somewhat disheartened. Particularly since it seemed that even as her Family's ambition moved forward, it seemed the dangers that they faced only grew more numerous and sinister. Moreover, when they had first started out they had expected to fix a broken world, but one that had been so through mistrust and misunderstandings. Yet, if Ibiki was right about the Shadow Cabal, it would seem to suggest that there were those who sought to make sure it remained broken making their task all the harder. After all, it was hard enough dealing with maniacs and would be despots that the shinobi world had already created. A task that would be infinitely harder if there was some group out there helping a new generation to step into the light by providing them resources to replace the threats they had already taken care of.

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"If you are willing to accept my proposal, then I believe my debt with you should be wiped away," said a man who had accrued a massive debt in the gambling house owned by the person he was addressing. On his hands and knees with his head touching the ground he waited for some reply, but not receiving one looked up cautiously. He frowned as the fox masked man seemed more interested in admiring the rear of the similarly masked woman standing next to him. The prone man's gaze drifted to her and from the form fitting silk dress that she wore, he could imagine why, especially due to the slits cut into the sides which raised almost above her hips.

The man making the offer, could tell from the way she held her arms across her stomach that she didn't particularly care for him or his offer. But, the man that she served seemed more aloof making it difficult to judge. Looking over his shoulder towards his daughter and finding her shrinking upon herself thus making it hard to see her face, he said harshly, "Make yourself presentable."

His daughter did as he had instructed, pushing her bangs from her face as she sat straighter. He looked back to see the masked man did seem more interested. The man wasn't exactly proud of the fact that he was offering to sell the gang leader his daughter or that she would likely end up falling into a life of prostitution in favor of having his debt forgiven. But, he knew he wouldn't be able to pay them off otherwise, especially as he owed another gang boss a substantial amount against the store that he owned. Still, he hadn't exactly come out and said as much, instead making it seem like he was offering up their services in his business ventures. But, with such a beautiful woman on the table, he thought it was clear what was really being offered and considering the gang's brothel was its most lucrative business was confident what the masked man would take.

The leader pulled his gaze from his female associate's rear as he leaned over his desk to say, "So, to forgive your debt to me. I'm free to put either of you to work in one of my operations, is that it?" Receiving a nod, the masked man said, "Well, since I recently have retired the previous boss running things here. It stands to reason you mean either the gambling house or brothel. I doubt you'd generate much money at the brothel, and I can't exactly have you working in my gambling dens. That would be like trusting a monkey to sell bananas. I suppose your daughter would be a good fit in either one, but really with her looks if I really wanted to maximize my profits I think we both know which operation I should send her to. Are you really okay with that?"

"She is a good obedient daughter, and knows what must be done," the one who had occurred the debts she would be paying off said.

The masked man began drumming his fingers on his desk as if in thought. The debtor could feel one of the members of the masked man's gang clenching his fist behind him and was straining to keep them from the swords at his hip. The debtor knew the gang member was sweet on his daughter, and he felt that he might even be doing a public service by using her to drive a wedge between the man and his boss. The Boss focused on his subordinate as he said, "Is there a problem Jin?"

"No sir," the man replied in a calm and detached manner despite what his body language was saying.

Turning towards his female partner he asked, "Koharu, I'm thinking about accepting the offer and feel it might be a good fit for our new endeavor. Based on his debt, and current market prices, how many years of service would we be looking at?"

"About eight years," the masked woman said and noticed the young woman shivered in revulsion.

"Does that sound like a good deal to you?" the masked boss asked addressing the debtor.

The man frowned as he said, "That is a rather long time. I've heard some of your girls make..."

"That's because I purchased the debt that you owed to the White Whale gang," the masked man said cutting him off. "Agree and all your debts are gone. Although, I'll own the thirty percent stake in your business that you sold them as collateral and which I intend to hold onto."

The man's eyes went wide and he began practically was salivating at all the gambling he could do with his debts forgiven. "You've got yourself a deal, Lord Menma!"

"Excellent," Menma said sitting back in his chair. He waved towards his spectacled ronin samurai named Jin, who presented the man some papers.

The man quickly placed his mark on them not wanting to give Menma a chance to back out, but as soon as he did two other gang members grabbed him by the shoulders and began carrying him out of the room. Confused the man called back towards the leader of the Black Fox gang, "Lord Menma, what is going on?"

"You're being taken to my new mining operation," Menma said with an easy to visualize smile despite the mask he wore. "Unfortunately, I doubt your daughter would be a good fit for such an operation so you really are the best choice. You really should have been more specific and certainly should always read what you sign. Take care now."

Menma stood from behind his desk and came before the still surprised woman as he said, "Now then Ms. Kohana, while your father is away. I expect you to continue to run the store. Since Jin tells me you were practically doing so already, I expect your profits to increase quite a bit now that the drain on them has been taken care of."

"I...I don't understand," the young woman said confused as Menma helped her to her feet, "Why would you seemingly play along with him, just to help me?"

The disguised Naruto smiled behind his mask before walking back to his desk as he explained, "Well sadly it isn't legal for me to take a male debtor into indentured servitude like it would be for me to take a female. So I needed him to basically sell himself to me."

"But why?"

"Purely selfish reasons I assure you," Naruto said sitting at his desk, "For one, I doubt Jin frequents your establishment so often for your father's company, and I assume that is the case for all your customers. Putting you to work in a brothel would only hurt the business that I just bought a stake in. He'd run it into the ground within a few months. Seeing as I do own a stake of your business you do not need to pay a protection fee, but I do expect my associates to be given discounts when shopping there in exchange."

"Yes of course," the young woman said obviously still shocked at the turn her life had just taken.

"Good," Naruto said before adding, "Jin, I trust you will see that Ms. Kohana makes it home safely."

The man wearing glasses and dressed in blue bowed politely as he said, "Of course, Lord Menma." Naruto waited for the pair to leave before removing his mask, a part of him felt some guilt at conning the man, but it quickly evaporated as Koharu removed her mask to say, "Watching you play that fool really made my day. What kind of father would sell his daughter to square his debts?"

A bitter part of Naruto quickly replied, "Probably the same level of one who would seal what everyone viewed as a curse into his son or allow his wife to die so that he could." Naruto quickly felt bad about his statement. But, he couldn't deny a part of him felt his father's actions with sealing Kiyomi into him had mirrored Kohana's father attempt to sell her, in that a next generation was asked to pay for the actions of the previous ones.

Granted his own situation had wholly turned into a positive one, so he felt being bitter for his sake was a waste. Yet, watching the man negotiate a price for his daughter, had brought those negative feelings to the surface, especially since he saw in him the part of Minato that had been willing to sacrifice his wife for his legacy. Where much of the bitterness towards his father resided because of his betrayal against his mother.

Koharu placed her hand on his shoulder, and unlike when Iruka had been killed Naruto allowed his lover's comforting touch to help soothe the bitterness still within him. He looked up at her to see she had removed her mask, and she said, "Yet, because of that you now call her your woman. Not to mention a number of others. Myself included."

Naruto nodded as Koharu moved before him to sit on his desk, and pushing the front of her dress aside displayed her glistening pussy for him. Her heavenly scent caught his nose drawing him forward, as he said, "I know a lot of good has resulted from what happened. But, it doesn't erase the awfulness of those actions."

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