Complicated... or Easy?

A team of 4 shinobi traveled through the woods of The Land of Fire as they made their way towards their objective.

Sasuke, now dressed in proper Konoha shinobi attire couldn't help but think about the words uttered by his brother as he traveled alongside his old teammates… and his new teacher.

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(Flashback - Uchiha Compound, Near midnight.)

Sasuke was laying down, a small smile on his face as he felt the warmth of his home, reading a book as he leaned back on the bed, a habit from his early days, trying hard to copy Kei who stayed up late, only to find himself having been put on a bed after falling asleep 'reading'.

Leaning further back, eyes staring into the ceiling, different thoughts. He hadn't appreciated what he had back when he was but a kid, the quiet and relaxing feeling, the safe feeling of home, something that only remained as long as his older brother was under the same roof.

That being said he could do without the persistent visits of the Hyuga girl… though the look she first gave him when she understood he was going to stay under the same roof as Kei was… less than friendly, the stoic expression with her Byakugan staring daggers into him as he could see a demon materialize behind her. Something his brother seemed oblivious to. He felt that the woman was dangerous…

Sasuke was drawn out of his musings as he heard a knock on the door.

"It's open." – He answered, knowing it was his brother by the fact that he didn't sense or hear any movements whatsoever before the knock.

The stoic cold face of his brother greeted him.

Sasuke put the book down, sitting straight as he could tell something had made his brother very unhappy.

"Is something wrong?" - He asked the rhetorical question, prying open a way for his brother to tell him what was happening.

Kei's head turned to face him as his cold blood-red eyes rested on Sasuke's, but moved away even faster. At that moment Sasuke almost thought he saw that a change had occurred in his brother's eyes, but as they were moving and his won weren't activated, it didn't register the different pattern on his brother's eyes.

"You might encounter missing-nin on your mission, nothing too much for you four to handle… but still, be cautious to not let your guard down at any time." – The Hokage explained as his eyes moved across the room, examining every corner as if searching for something out of place.

It seemed like a bump on the mission, but nothing serious enough for his brother to be acting this way…

"It seems trifling in comparison to the face you are making. Is that the only thing that is bothering you?"

Kei stood still for a minute as he suddenly spoke.

"…Sasuke… I won't lie to you. To get where I am I have spilled a lot of blood… enough to build the foundation that we stand on today… the one that allowed me to return you home without so much as a single word raised against you, that allows us to seek true answers as to what happened to our clan. Now that foundation is being chipped at, slowly but surely there are individuals who are moving against us."

Sasuke was taken back for a moment… he never before did take into account how actual politics worked. How he was greeted warmly wherever he went inside the village, especially when he was expecting to be seen as a traitor. At first, he couldn't believe anybody would be as stupid as to go against his brother… but then he also knew that if Madara Uchiha still existed… then there might be others.

"What can I do?"

A long silence ensued as Sasuke stood still under the red three tomoe Sharingan that stared at him as Kei spoke.

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(Flashback Over, Sasuke POV.)

Looking down, I stared at the Scroll on my hand, putting it back in its place, safely secured as I continued following my 'teammates'.

I had heard that Naruto was practicing a new technique with the toads from my brother… but he didn't even try and use it against me… not even when I used my Susanoo against him. A good friend is what Kei used to describe him… I'm leaning more on calling him an idiot, and for some reason, I don't think my brother would disagree.

As his thoughts deviated, Sasuke brought them back at the matter at hand.

"Use it once the mission is blown out of proportion, but be sure to stay out of sight. You'll see what I'm talking about when the situation unfolds." – the words his brother had said to him.

'It doesn't make sense. Mukade is just a nobody, he shouldn't even be able to make a dent in any kind of situation that might trouble Kei… That said, just with the fact that he is paying this much attention to this, makes me think I should tread very carefully.'

(3rd Person POV)

Unknown to either of the members, Naruto's pouch shivered slightly wriggling as if it was alive before it settled down, whatever caused it to move remaining unknown.

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(Hokage Tower, Hokage Office)

A map of the Elemental Nations span across the Hokage's desk as he, Hiashi, Shikaku as well as the four anbu commanders stood around it discussing the situation.

"We've lost all of the high-level agents in both the Land of Lightning as well as the Land of Water. Contact with the Daimyo's has been lost as well, effectively cutting them off from our control." – An anbu commander explained as Shikaku cut in.

"This has allowed the Raikage and Mizukage to assemble their troops without any interference. Given their timing, I would suspect they have arrived to some sort of agreement."Moving a few shogi pieces towards Konoha's borders, Shikaku calmly explained the situation.

"It is reckless and stupid. We have long since fortified our Eastern and Northeastern borders. Given their geographical locations, a pincer maneuver would be impossible, not to mention the ease at which we would be capable of sending reinforcements from one front to another." -An anbu commander replied as he shook his head.

"That would be correct, without even accounting for our own geographical advantage. To preserve its own fighting force, Kumo will have to bypass two villages, unless it takes the risk of being caught in a pincer attack. This will for them to attack us from water, meaning as long as we hold the shoreline during the initial attack, a battle of attrition will be ours to win." – Hiashi replied, showing his expertise and knowledge of the subject. The man clearly had imagined this happening before, probably even hopping for Kumo to try their hand at attacking.

"True as that might be, the Mist will have the advantage on the shorelines, most of their attacks relying on water. Any input on mitigating or outright erasing their advantage?" – The Hokage asked as he observed the map.

Shikaku was the first to speak as he slowly pulled a pawn from Konoha's border back, raising his eyes to meet the smirk of the Hokage.

"We pull them in, away from their source of water and into the forest. Of course, we will have to grind them gradually from the shores, using our terrain advantage to constantly drain them day and night. It will wear down their shinobi gradually, keeping them on constant alert. This will also keep them from attempting to flank the forces engaging Kumo once ashore." – Kei explained.

Hiashi took two golden and two silver generals as well as all the pawns, putting them together in one place.

"And if they do happen to attack together? An initial attack of this magnitude cannot be held back by just one force. It can and will punch straight through our defenses before any help can arrive, especially with two Kage level powerhouses and two Jinchuriki who have full control of their tailed beasts." – Hiashi asked.

As their heads turned to their Hokage, a small smile rose into his face as he simply picked up the King piece, placing it directly in front of the defense force, facing the enemy pieces.

"Then everything becomes that much easier." – Kei responded while smiling.