Chapter 7: Spies, Councils, and Fights!

As she watched the young woman leave, Tsunade heaved a silent sigh of relief. With any luck, once he heard of that confrontation, Ē would back off from making any more provocations. The man was extremely hard headed, and his stubborn attitude was a minor legend in the shinobi community. Truthfully speaking, Tsunade had not really relished taking such a hard stance, but even she had realized belatedly what the other elders had.

In his zealous efforts to keep Konoha safe after the devastation caused by the Kyuubi, Sarutobi had unintentionally weakened Konoha's standing on the international scene. In addition, now it was up to her to make sure that the situation did not deteriorate any further. She was sure that she would a face a lot of dissension from the council for taking such a drastic step.

She frowned. That was another thing which she intended to change soon within the village. The council was beginning to overstep its authorities again, as they had with Sarutobi, after he had assumed control after the Kyuubi's attack. She would have to show them exactly who was in charge again. Her grin turned feral as she imagined that delicious prospect.

"Well, that went well," a voice muttered quietly, and she turned around to see Jiraiya lounging around on a chair at the opposite end of the room.

"That was all right, you know, at the conference, I mean," Jiraiya continued as he had that same infuriating smirk on his face, "You did all right, hime. You showed the world that you had balls, and for once, I don't mean those two hanging on your chest," he grinned wanly, while Tsunade just sighed. Although, in any other situation, that phrase would have seemed extremely crass and corny, for the moment she understood what her teammate was saying.

"Heh, you sure put a burr under everybody's saddle. Hell, I think you almost gave Danzo a hard-on," he chuckled as he continued in the same tone, "One thing is for sure, they will now think twice before trying to poke their nose in our affairs again," Jiraiya concluded softly, as his gaze turned serious.

"All, except Kumogakure, and even you know it. Ē will have to do something drastic after this. He cannot afford not to, with what I have done here, he will face enormous loss of face at home, and he will have to do something drastic, if only to save his face and reputation," Tsunade replied softly.

"So ... ... that is why you went so hard on that girl, huh," Jiraiya nodded, as if something had made sense, "I guess so, but you know, with your declaration here, the other villages will probably make at least one aggressive probe towards us, just to check whether you were bluffing or not. And now, we will have to retaliate brutally against the next blow that will happen, which I can bet my ass is going to happen soon," Jiraiya warned her as he looked at her.

"I am not worried about them, Jiraiya, I am more worried about what will happen at home," Tsunade retorted calmly.

"Well, for the first time, I think even Danzo and the elders will be on your side, but Sarutobi-sensei is gonna kick your hide six ways to Sunday after what you have done here, not to mention the clan heads. Yep, the council is going to bitch about this royally," Jiraiya too agreed as he smirked.

"Then I will just have to show them why they are the council and I am the Hokage, but, even I am worried about sensei's reaction," Tsunade admitted softly.

"Yeah, well, we will deal with it when it happens," Jiraiya spoke out softly.

"Coming back to that, what happened with the task I gave you?" Tsunade asked as she glared at him.

For her question, she was rewarded, with a slip of paper that he slid over the desk.

"It is Akio's writing, I just received it when you were talking to that girl," that was all he said.

"Who then is this Akio?" Tsunade asked.

"Akio, Tsunade, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; a name with which my informant has chosen to identify himself, whenever he has sent me extremely sensitive information. He is important, not for himself, but for the great people with whom he is in touch with, if he actually is, for I have no means of verifying it. He is like the jackal with the lion – anything that is insignificant in companionship with anything that is formidable; not only formidable, but also sinister – in the highest degree sinister. That is where his services become invaluable. For instance, he was the one who gave us the meager evidence that we have, against Danzo, and that's just an example of one of his major successes."

"That damn old criminal," Tsunade muttered with distaste as she wrinkled her nose, as the name of the former commander of Root was mentioned.

"You give the man too little credit, hime! I don't think you understand the scope and reach of that man, and neither did I, until Akio provided me with some of the information that he had gathered. By calling Danzo a criminal, you are uttering libel in the eyes of the world – and there lies the wonder of it. The greatest schemer to have ever been born, the controller of the underworld, a brain that might have made or marred the destiny of many nations – that is the true extent of his capabilities. However, he is so aloof from general suspicion, so immune from criticism, so admirable in managing his public persona, that he could probably drag you, the Hokage, to court, win in a case of defamation, and take compensation from you! A Hokage who uses her authority to bully a crippled old man, that is how it would have played out, if that were to happen! I have to admit, until I learned of the true extent of his activities from Akio, even I had underestimated the man; his involvement in clandestine affairs goes far beyond what we might have expected."

"Sarutobi-sensei should have disposed of him long ago," Tsunade growled in reply as she heard Jiraiya state his point.

"But why then, did he not? Think on it, and you will notice the shroud that Danzo has woven around himself to ensure his safety. Tell me, have you ever entered his office in the Hokage tower?"

"Yes. Once or twice, when I have had the misfortune of doing so."

"Rather Spartan, isn't it, in its appearance?"

"I suppose," Tsunade nodded gingerly.

"Tell me, did you by any chance notice a small painting hanging behind his chair, on the wall?"

"Yes, but I didn't give it much notice."

"Maybe, you should have. That painting, Tsunade-hime, is a painting by Kondo Kurosaki, and it is worth more than 8 million Ryo. Kondo Kurosaki is one of the most famous painters this world has ever seen, but that is not the point here. Haven't you yet wondered how a retired shinobi who was just a commander of a defunct ANBU division managed to acquire such a priceless piece of art? In addition, may I remind you, according to the records that Konoha has, his personal assets don't exceed the value of 6 million, and he receives an annual pension of only four hundred thousand. By all accounts, he should have become a pauper when he bought that painting, and yet -" Jiraiya stopped as finally a flicker of interest came upon Tsunade's face.

"How indeed?" Tsunade muttered thoughtfully as she too gazed at the tiny piece of parchment in front of her.

"That's what amazed even me," Jiraiya admitted softly. "However, you have now seen the point of the picture. It shows him to be a very wealthy man. How did he acquire the said wealth? He is unmarried, he has no rich relatives, and his personal familial inheritance is non-existent. And yet he owns a painting worth 8 million."

"Well?"

"Oh, come on Tsunade, even you must get the inference," Jiraiya complained as he looked at the Hokage.

"He has an unknown source of income and we don't know what it is," Tsunade concluded softly as she gazed at the tiny note, her respect for this unknown Akio raising a notch.

"Exactly, once I got the information from Akio, I set my own information network on the trail, and do you know what we have found?"

"Something of monumental importance, no doubt," Tsunade spoke up as she looked at Jiraiya expectantly.

"Nothing."

The answer rocked the Hokage right back to her heels.

"That's…," she began in a hushed tone, at which Jiraiya nodded, "intriguing, isn't it?"

"So, we have the ends of both sides, namely, we know that he has a clandestine source of income, which in its scope is enormous, and we know he controls it. But what we don't know is, what is it?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"You don't see the picture, hime; the man has hidden himself so effectively, that you underestimate him even now. I mentioned the painting just to gain your attention. I have no doubt that he has dozens of similar sources of income, each carefully hidden in a dozen different nations, no doubt," Jiraiya concluded.

"And this Akio fellow found it all out?" Tsunade asked in an incredulous tone.

"Not exactly. He knew of them of course, but he told me that if I wanted to find out more, I would have to do it on my own; he just nudged me in the proper direction that is all. I have no doubt that he knew all of this, even before he informed me," Jiraiya explained in a serious tone.

"So, what has he sent you this time?" Tsunade asked as she gazed at the illegible writing, illegible to her at least.

"Well, you see, what we have is a curious partnership. He sends me information, and in return, I send him information; and this time, he has sent me quite a juicy tidbit. Heh, looks I will have to pay his price after all," Jiraiya chuckled.

"Just what kind of information? And more importantly, who is this Akio, and why haven't I heard of him before?" Tsunade asked as she looked at Jiraiya with an inquisitive look in her eyes.

"I don't know who he is," Jiraiya replied glibly, at which Tsunade stood up in shock.

"Are you kidding me?" she snarled as she gazed at her teammate.

"Calm down, Tsunade," Jiraiya replied in a soothing tone, while she glared at him, "Jiraiya, how can you be so stupid? He could be an enemy of the village! He could be someone who could use your information to…," Tsunade began when Jiraiya raised his hands, and she stopped her tirade.

"Believe me, I have tried to find out who he is myself, but even I cannot find out. He contacted me four years ago, and offered the first bit of information as an opening deal between us. I would give him the information he needed, and in return, he would give me the information I needed. No personal contact between us at all, and that was his only condition. He also assured me that he had no desire in gaining any information on Konoha from me, and let's face it; if he can uncover all this information on Danzo, which I myself could not, then what is to say that he couldn't gain that information himself?" Jiraiya asked reasonably, while Tsunade considered that.

"Well, this is a surprise," Jiraiya muttered as he looked at the parchment.

"Tell me, hime, have you received any proposals for a marriage between Raiha and a member of the Yamanaka clan, or the Aburame, or even the Kurama clan?"

"Why, yes," Tsunade replied in a startled tone, "not just them though, even Tsume Inuzuka has offered her daughter's hand in marriage, as have at least another twelve prominent families. It seems that the Go-Ikenban is desperate to ensure that Raiha marries at the earliest, so that the Senju clan may be further revived. I however told them, that the ultimate decision lies with him, and that I will not force him," she concluded quietly.

"And you are lucky that you did so," Jiraiya replied softly.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"It means Tsunade-hime, that Danzo has already made a move to ensnare Raiha in his web," Jiraiya replied grimly.

"What?" Tsunade exclaimed in shock as she gazed at Jiraiya with widening eyes.

"You don't know this, but when Sarutobi-sensei nominated your name for the position of the Godaime, Danzo protested it, saying that you were unreliable because you had abandoned Konoha, and not looked back once. At that, Sarutobi-sensei replied that you had an extremely important reason to do so, and he further stated that it was so important; that it could not be revealed even to the Go-Ikenban. And boy, did Danzo flip at that! However, after that, sensei conferred with the daimyo in private, and immediately after that, the daimyo nodded his assent to your appointment, flatly overriding all protests," Jiraiya explained quietly.

"So sensei…," Tsunade began as she realized what had happened.

"Yeah, he had to reveal to the daimyo, that you were raising the great-grandson of the Nidaime Hokage, who was the sole heir of the Senju clan, and against that, Danzo's protests were thrown out like waste paper. It seems that he had it planned out completely."

"That old monkey! When I get my hands on him…," Tsunade stood up raging madly, but after a while, she sat down with a huff, with a wry smile on her face as she composed herself.

"Yeah, he still hasn't lost his touch," Jiraiya chuckled as he looked at the princess.

"So, what has this Akio sent to you this time?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"It was he who informed me that Danzo was still maintaining and running 'Root' as his own private militia, and that they had infiltrated almost all quarters of Konoha's government. Therefore, I asked him to find out who were his main supporters, and he has delivered. It appears that the Yamanaka, Aburame and the Kurama clans are allied with him, and the majority of his militia is made up of their members," Jiraiya concluded as he gazed at Tsunade, who looked shocked beyond comprehension.

"But…I know Inoichi and Shibi…they…," Tsunade spluttered incoherently as she gazed at Jiraiya in shock.

"I don't know about Shibi, but I will bet that Inoichi is as unaware of this as we were. He may be the clan head, but that does not mean that his clan members cannot go behind his back. I will bet that most of the Yamanaka clan members who are with 'Root', have maintained their true allegiance with that division in utmost secrecy; and the Aburame, well, their mentality almost matches Danzo's, so I would not be too surprised if they were allied with him. Moreover, the Kurama, well, with what happened with the clan head's family, the clan has lost most of its prestige in the village, and unlike the other clans, they are not that well known, so I guess that they must have allied with Danzo in desperation to revive their lost status," Jiraiya concluded softly.

"But what does this have to do with Raiha?" Tsunade asked in agitation as she glared at the piece of parchment.

"Don't you see it, hime? Raiha's arrival in the village threw all of Danzo's schemes into total anarchy. He is the great-grandson of the Nidaime Hokage, and by that account the great-grandnephew of the Shodai, not to mention being your adoptive grandson, of you, who is one of the Sannin and the current hokage, and to top it all, he is now the last male Senju. By all accounts, a most enticing target for anybody looking to increase his or her political prestige in the village. By my information, he has already replaced even Uchiha Itachi as the most eligible bachelor in the village. Moreover, apart from all that, his capabilities are well known as well. Therefore, it was of the utmost importance to Danzo to ingratiate himself with the boy, but, you, were in his way," Jiraiya explained softly.

"Me?" Tsunade asked incredulously as she took in the information.

"Yes, you," Jiraiya replied authoritatively, "You raised him in secret, and moreover, you did not allow his existence to become public to the village, and that was a slap on the face to the Go-Ikenban. If he had been raised in the village, they would have found a way to get the boy under their influence, but that was not possible. In addition, when you returned, you granted him his wish, and did not allow him to be a shinobi, placing him further beyond their reach. They are getting desperate, Tsunade; for them, the boy's heritage and the influence that comes with it is too great a chance to pass up. They will do anything to get the boy to endorse their ideology and viewpoints. And since you have forbidden any form of official contact with him, the only way they can get close to him is through someone who is close enough to him. And the only ones close to him are Sarutobi-sensei, you, Shizune, and me. And that will not work. So, they want someone else close to him. Someone who they believe can subtly influence even him, and thus, indirectly, gain a chance to influence even you. And who can be closer to a man, than his wife?"

"SON OF A BITCH!" Tsunade swore as the implications of what Jiraiya was explaining sunk in to her mind.

"Ingenious, isn't it?" Jiraiya chuckled quietly, "Only a convoluted mind like Danzo's could come up with a scheme like this. The proposals from those three clans, specifically those three girls, you must avoid at all costs. I have no doubts that they are agents of 'Root'," Jiraiya spoke quietly while Tsunade's face began coloring up.

"I AM GOING TO RIP THEIR FREAKING HEADS OFF!" she roared as she smashed the desk into pieces and began to move ahead to deal with them immediately.

Jiraiya instantly pulled her back, "Calm down," he roared as the woman began to struggle to get out of his grip, "Have you forgotten what Raiha is like? Hell, they would have a better chance of influencing a stone than him! That is why I said that you had done a good thing, by declaring that you would leave the choice to him; and those girls can never make him interested in them, no matter what they try, so he is safe for the moment," Jiraiya concluded as Tsunade ceased her struggles.

Her eyes took on a hardened glint. The next time when the council would gather, they would be in for a very rude shock.

"But sooner or later, their patience will run out, and then we will have a problem on our hands," Jiraiya admitted quietly after a moment as he too gazed at Tsunade.

"So, what do you suggest then?" she asked snidely as she gazed at him.

"Get him hitched," Jiraiya replied bluntly, while Tsunade's eyes widened, "Get him hitched before the pressure on him by the council becomes too much, that will cripple all their plans," Jiraiya spoke quietly while Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"You have got to be joking! Where in the hell will I find a girl who can match his temperament? You can't be serious," Tsunade replied haltingly as she gazed at Jiraiya.

"Where is he anyway?" Jiraiya asked at which, she frowned, "He said he had some personal business to take care of."

"Well, apart from that there is another way we can appease the council," Jiraiya began as he looked at her slyly.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, her eyes twitching.

"Well, the council is desperate for the Senju clan's revival, right, and this, is an alternative if you don't want Raiha to be bothered," he began quietly at which Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Go on…," she spoke softly, as a suspicion began to form in her mind.

"Well, you are a Senju as well, and if Raiha can't get hitched, then maybe you could get hitched instead, with me, and I assure you, I am more than manly enough to ensure the revival of your clan," Jiraiya replied with a lecherous grin on his face.

With a sigh, Tsunade palmed her face, as her suspicion was proven true.

The next moment, Jiraiya was punched through the door of her office and he went sailing through the air as he crashed down in a broken heap as he collided with the wall opposite to the room; while she left, and although she was furious, a small smile was still present on her face.

Meanwhile, in Amegakure,

Amegakure no Sato, was a minor shinobi village, which had had the misfortune of being located between three of the great five nations. And despite being a small village in a backward nation, contradictorily for it, it was a highly industrialized village. It had been the hotbed of numerous wars, which had been fought on its ground, some by itself, which it had declared on others, and at other times, other nations had fought their wars on this ground as well. Overall, Amegakure was known as the most violent place in the shinobi nations.

In addition, it was a rather loosely knit village, with many of its shinobi being missing-nin or criminals. Lacking the power to have a Kage status, it however had a leader, who while not being a Kage, was a ninja whom even the other Kage's did not dare to offend. His name was Hanzo, and he was known all over as Salamander Hanzo, the man who had single handedly defeated the three Sannin and bestowed upon them, their title.

However, today, Hanzo was in no mood to ponder upon all these facts, for he was busy in trying to find out why his village had been invaded by this person, who by all accounts, should not have been here in the first place.

"Senju Raiha, news of your exploits has reached even these aged ears," Hanzo spoke out in a guttural tone as he gazed at the young man who stood in front of him. The young man neither acknowledged him, nor did he deign to reply. He seemed to be scouting out the location.

"I have declared that my nation is in lock-down, and that shinobi from other nation are not to be allowed in, and yet, you have brazenly broken that decree, and invaded my home. Give me one reason as to why I shouldn't slay you where you stand," the man asked quietly as he gazed at the youngster.

"I am not a ninja, I am a civilian," the boy replied finally, as he gazed at the man who was standing on his summon, the King of Salamanders, looking down upon him.

"Ah yes, I had heard something of this sort, 'The Civilian Ninja', or something of that sort, isn't that what you are known as nowadays? Be gone, boy, I have no desire to bandy words about with Hiruzen's toys, or you will face my wrath. And this time, I will show you no mercy, as I once did, with your grandmother," the man growled as he looked at the boy.

"I must however, decline. You see, I am here, to reclaim vengeance on my clan's part, for the treachery you dealt it with. Today, you will perish, and I will see to it," Raiha replied softly, as he gazed at the legendary shinobi.

"You think you can beat me, me, who defeated even your grandmother, when she was with her team, a team that was said to be unbeatable in the entire world? Do not forget boy, not only have I beaten your grandmother, but I was even responsible for…," Hanzo snarled when Raiha interrupted him coldly.

"Treacherously killing my great-grandfather, the Nidaime Hokage, after you betrayed him, yes, I do know about it," the boy spoke out coldly, while Hanzo glared at him as he was stopped mid-tirade, before he could claim responsibility for having defeated the Nidaime Hokage.

"Your penchant for betraying your allies surpasses even your fame, Hanzo of the Salamanders. It is well known, that you formed an alliance with Senju Tobirama and Konoha, and that you then betrayed him, by attacking him when he was with just a few of his guards, with an overwhelming force. And I also know, that you are still forced to wear that breathing apparatus to survive, because of the crushing damage that he dealt to your lungs, before you treacherously killed him," Raiha spoke out quietly while Hanzo glared at the boy, cursing him for daring to look at him with such insolence.

Instantly, he formed some hand seals and a javelin made of ice hurtled towards the young Senju. However, just as the javelin reached him, the boy unsheathed his sword, and in a brilliant streak of yellow light, slashed it into a dozen pieces.

"The RAIJIN!" Hanzo exclaimed in shock as he warily eyed the blade in the boy's hands. He had not forgotten the damage that blade had inflicted on him all those years ago.

"So, reclaimed your family's weapon, have you?" Hanzo muttered gutturally as he gazed at the blade wearily. He seemed surprised at the blade's size though. Instead of the broadsword, which it usually looked like when wielded by Rokusho Aoi, it seemed more like an ordinary sword, only thing was; its blade was composed entirely of lightning.

"Yes, from that fool, called Aoi, I believe," Raiha replied softly, "I suppose you are wondering why it looks so different. Well, this blade was designed so that it could be controlled by the user's chakra. The more uncontrolled and unrefined it is, the more heavier and ungainly it becomes, and its size makes it too unwieldy. However, in the hands of a Senju, who is its rightful wielder, its true power is released," he finished quietly while Hanzo glared at him with an inscrutable look.

"Be as it may, its power is still no match for the power of my pet," Hanzo stated as he gazed at the boy.

"Yes, I agree, and since you have your own summon, let me grace you with my own. This is not a summoning in the actual sense, technically, but, their power surpasses that of any known summon in the entire shinobi world," Raiha replied softly, as he rapidly began to make some hand seals, and plunged his hands into the ground.

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!"

As a startled Salamander Hanzo watched with surprised eyes, two coffins, bearing the tags of 'one' and 'two' rose from the ground. And when they opened, for the first time in fifty years, even Salamander Hanzo took a step back in fear, because standing in front of him, were the only two people whom even he had feared in his youth.

The Senju brothers.

Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.

Authors note:

Just one thing, which I would like to clear up before hand. I am certain that a lot of you will complain that the council does not have that kind of power or authority, as you have done in the many complaints I have received till now, but I say it does. While not in the canon series, it does in my story. Let me at least tell you this, as a history major, I have studied such features. A feudal dictatorship, for that is the closest a village like Konoha can be called as, is definitely a lot like this.

In such places, nobility and such councils hold enormous sway in the decision making processes, and even though, nominally the strongest feudal chief is accepted as the leader, because of his strength, a parallel to the Hokage as you can see clearly; even he cannot afford to continuously anatagonize his fellow feudal chiefs even if they are not as strong as him.

I don't see why I can't use such real world realism in my story, and frankly speaking I don't see why you should complain either.

Oh, and for his using Edo Tensei, remember that he is originally Orochimaru's experiment, and therefore he has knowledge of many of Orochimaru's methods and techniques, so it is not unreasonable for him to use it.