Chapter 24: A New Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Chapter 24:

A New Mission

There was chatter everywhere as every academy student paid rapt attention to next pair called up to the middle of the field. The sun was high in the sky. It was one of those beautiful days that people just couldn't help but go outside, even if it was hot and dry. But for the academy students in Konoha, they really didn't have much of a choice either way. Not that they minded the heat at the moment. This particular class was the oldest one. They had but a couple of months left before they were due to take the final graduation exam which would decide whether or not they became proud genin of Konoha or were sent back as failures. Needless to say, the tension was high among the students. But at the moment, that tension wasn't there as they observed the spar that was about to take place in front of them. The students formed a circle around the field surrounding the chunnin in charge as well as the pair of students that had caused this…..hype.

Among the crowd of the other students, one Uchiha Kazuki observed all of this with a small smirk on his face. The boy had gotten much taller than before. Now at eleven, his face had lost most of its natural baby fat. Some was still there, however, much to the boy's private annoyance. He still wore a pair of black shorts with a black long sleeved and high collared shirt, the Uchiha clan symbol proudly displayed in the back. Next to him, also watching the duo walk into the sparring ring, Uchiha Fugaku was also wearing the same outfit except that his shirt was short sleeved. Now at twelve, he too had gotten taller. He had also let his hair grow a bit longer than from before, much to Kazuki's amusement. It was one of the best sources he had to tease his older brother with, after all. Fugaku had learned to ignore them of course save for that little twitch his face always got when Kazuki brought it up. Which was just about everyday.

Kazuki scanned the crowd to see most of the girls in his class with hearts in their eyes. It wasn't an uncommon sight really. But today was extra special. Why? The answer was simple really. The two that were about to have their little contest were none other than Sasuke and Minato, the two heartthrobs of the class. Kazuki mentally smirked at the title. It was one that always had Sasuke annoyed and Minato embarrassed. Despite the blond's skills and charisma, when it came to girls, he was a blushing mess. It was amusing really. But it just made the blond that much likable. Kazuki knew that he would have never been able to get along with him if he was an arrogant asshole. His brother was an exception because…well, he was his brother. That, and Kazuki knew that despite the arrogant attitude he had, Fugaku wasn't that bad of a person. It was just really hard to get through to him to find it. So far, the only other person whom his brother had warmed up to besides himself was Sasuke. And that had to do with two things: Sasuke was part of the family, and he wasn't weak.

Kazuki mentally t'ched at remembering how Sasuke had beaten him easily the first time they had spar and every time since then. His father had been both surprised and proud while Fugaku had been jealous. Still was jealous to be more precise. But under that jealousy was also an acknowledgment that he wasn't a weakling. Kazuki didn't particularly like that train of thought since, even if he had beaten Sasuke, he wouldn't have treated the older boy any different. But that was just the way his brother had grown up. He valued strength more than anything else. Okay, so it wasn't just his brother. It was the Uchiha Clan in its entirety. It went without saying that Kazuki despised that train of thought. Unfortunately, he wasn't really in a position to try and change anything. He didn't have the power necessary to let others acknowledge what he was saying. Kazuki congratulated himself in recognizing that fact at least. It didn't really matter how right you could be. In the end, it all came to whoever had the power. Power dictated everything in the world. Some saw it in the form of money while others in combat. Whatever form it was, that was all that it came down to.

His eyes soon picked out a few of the girls in the class who weren't blushing. Kazuki instantly knew that these were the true future kunoichi. Among them was Tsume of course. That girl didn't bow down to anyone. There were also two girls from the Hyuuga clan whom Kazuki didn't know. He hadn't made the effort to try and learn just who everyone in his class was. The boy could proudly attest to it being because of his laziness. Hey, there wasn't any point in working 24/7. Okay, so maybe he didn't like to work at all. The only reason he liked to train was because he felt complete when he did. Just like whenever he fought against Sasuke or Fugaku. Kazuki didn't really know why this was. It probably had something to do with the Uchiha. At least, that was what his old man was always teaching them. Something about the Uchiha clan being one of the oldest and most powerful clans in existence since long ago. Kazuki didn't bother to try and pay any attention to any of that. As far as he was concerned, the past was the past. Whatever the Uchiha clan was, it didn't define him. Not in the slightest. Also, he didn't consider training work since he enjoyed it. Working was only when he had to drag his feet to do it. As well as be miserable. At least, in his mind.

Wait, where was he again? Oh, right. Actual kunoichi. On that topic, there was one that Kazuki knew he couldn't miss: Mikoto herself. The so-called "queen" of the class. And his not future sister-in-law. Ah, such a sweet memory. All joking aside, that day had been a shock for him. And that was saying something. Of course, the one who had been shocked the most had been Fugaku himself. Kazuki was already certain that his brother had already accepted the fact that he was one day going to marry her. He didn't like it. But that was just the kind of person he was. Always following the customs. The only other person who had been even more shocked than Fugaku had been Mikoto's own father. Kazuki had never seen the man lose his temper before that day. But Mikoto had stood by her decision, which made Kazuki respect the girl even more. It was only because of his father's warning that Mikoto's father hadn't disowned her right then and there. And there was his father himself too. He hadn't been quick to dissolve their marriage just like that. He had taken both Mikoto and Fugaku with him to another room so that he could discuss the issue with them in a private manner. It hadn't taken that long. Kazuki was certain that his brother had finally told their father how he truly felt about the marriage since Fugaku had sported a look of relief after returning. And Sasuke…well, he had been passive through the whole thing. He hadn't said or shown any emotion about the whole situation. It made Kazuki skeptical considering the fact that the day before Mikoto had talked in private with him. But considering since neither had actually hung out together since then, Kazuki had decided to let the matter drop. Fugaku hadn't been happy with the arrangement anyway.

Finally, there was only Yoshino, from the same clan as Shikaku, who was watching the two with a calculating gaze rather than a dreamy one. Kazuki didn't know the girl personally, but he did know that she was smart. Like, hella smart. The only one who could match her was Shikaku, who didn't bother to try most of the times, though. Unless it was something that interested him. The one thing she did have going for her that surpassed Shikaku, though, was her incredible sense of insight. But Kazuki didn't really bother to concern himself with such matters. Maybe it was just his prideful nature speaking, but he still considered himself better than Shikaku and Yoshino. Hell, even Minato for that matter. His true goal was Sasuke and no one else. Kazuki felt that if he could surpass the boy, then he would actually be close to becoming stronger than anyone else. That was what he yearned for, after all.

But for now, he would sit back and watch who came on top of this little match. He knew it was going to be Sasuke, though. Even if the older Uchiha hadn't accepted any of Minato's invitations to spar, Kazuki knew it was a given. Or maybe he was just thinking that because he didn't want to feel inferior to the Namikaze boy in case he did win this.

Either way, he was going to find out in a few minutes.

Sasuke t'ched to himself as he stepped up to stand in front of Minato who was his designated opponent for this practice match. This had been more of an occurrence as the final graduation exam drew close. Sasuke knew it was because the instructors wanted them to have some sense of an actual battle before they left the academy. But in Sasuke's opinion, these were the farthest from that. He wasn't shaking in excitement. Nor did he sense that rush of adrenaline that he usual felt when he entered combat. Nor was there any real danger of death. All those key components were missing, so Sasuke couldn't really call this a fight. Then again, he knew that he was being unfair comparing any of these kids to Naruto's or Madara's level. It just wasn't right. For them.

Another thing that had him irritated at the moment were all of his "fans" screaming his name out as he prepared to "fight" Minato. That irritation was extended to Minato's fangirls as well for the same reason. They didn't have any reason to be here if the only thing on their mind was to drool over boys. But Sasuke knew he couldn't exactly do anything about that. They were aspiring to be shinobi for their own little petty reasons. He didn't have the right to squash those dreams down, no matter how much he had the urge to.

Sasuke hadn't changed that much in the last four years. He had gotten taller of course. But he still went with the same outfit as usual, feeling it to be the most comfortable thing he could wear. He didn't see any reason to change it. Of course, that would change when he finally graduated. Thinking along those lines and of his fangirls made Sasuke rethink his choice about not taking the graduation exam early. Both the Sandaime and Jiraiya had suggested it to him since his complaining had increased as his time in the academy went on. But he had turned it down for the simple reason that he didn't want to be separated from either his father or uncle. Especially the latter. Sasuke still hadn't forgotten the fact that his father had never mentioned the boy to him. Ever. So he had the feeling that something had happened. Now, he just needed to figure out just what that was. So he had felt the need to stick around for that reason. Not only that, but things had also been calm in the Elemental Nations ever since the war had ended. It was both a blessing and a curse. Danzo had also been quiet, something which Sasuke had mixed feelings about. Not only that, but he hadn't seen the man around either.

Sasuke's train of thoughts ceased as the chunnin stepped up as well to stand between him and Minato who had a smile plastered on his face. This was something that drove his fangirls crazier than before.

Sasuke sighed while shaking his head. "Just what are you smiling for?"

Minato's smile grew bigger at the question. "I'm just thinking that, after all this time, I'm finally going to fight you. I only wish it was because you wanted to, not because you had to."

Well, Sasuke didn't really have to. He knew he could walk out right now and everything would be dandy. Maybe not dandy, but definitely it wouldn't that problematic. It would be too much work for something that he could just take care of right now, though. It was why he was here and not halfway across the village by now.

But Sasuke didn't say any of this. Instead, he simply gave the blond a small nod to indicate that he was either right or that he was simply acknowledging what he had said. In other words, he didn't give anything away.

It wasn't like it mattered to Minato one way or another. The blond was simply happy that he was finally going to have this moment, to see just how he would fare against the Uchiha. He had been waiting for this moment for about four years now. Minato found it mildly amusing that, in all their time in the academy, they hadn't even once been placed against one another. It had to be because of some invisible outside force. Or so Minato thought.

The chunnin looked at the two as he said, "Remember that this is a taijutsu fight only. That means no weapons, no jutsu. Nothing."

Sasuke scoffed in his head about the jutsu part. Most students here didn't know anything other than the three basic jutsu that the academy taught them. The only exceptions were those that came from the ninja clans such as the Uchiha or Hyuuga. Minato was another exception even though he didn't come from a ninja clan. But that was because he was already under Jiraiya's tutelage. The others weren't so lucky.

The chunnin raised his hand up into the air, making every muscle in Minato's body tense in preparation to either rush or defend himself from his opponent. Meanwhile, Sasuke did the best to act if he was doing the same. He honestly wasn't trying to be an arrogant jerk here or anything. But the truth of the matter was that it would be years before Minato could even hope to give him a proper challenge. The same rang true for Kazuki and the others. Of course, there was also the option of simply letting the blond win so that he would be under the radar so to speak. But that wasn't Sasuke's style. Even if it would get the fangirls off of his back, which he doubted very much. His pride wouldn't let him, though. That was something that Naruto could pull off. Not him. Despite how he liked to boast like no tomorrow, Sasuke knew that Naruto wasn't one to just show off like that. The idiot was too humble for such a thing.

"Begin!"

Sasuke's ears were barely able to transmit the chunnin's declaration due to being lost in his own thoughts again. But Sasuke's body was able to respond in time as Minato's fist came flying pretty close to his face just seconds after the word had been uttered. Sasuke smirked in his mind as he jumped back a few feet to get some distance between himself and the blond. The one thing that Sasuke knew Minato already did have going was the boy's speed. While it wasn't as great as it one day would be, it was phenomenal for someone their age. No one came close to it, except for maybe Kazuki.

Sasuke t'ched as Minato was right on top of him again. This time the Uchiha felt the blond's fist graze his cheek. He was thinking too much. Even if they weren't genin, Sasuke knew that this batch of academy students was still a lot better than the one from his original time. War had such an effect.

Minato's eyes widened as Sasuke caught his fist with his palm. But then he smiled. He had sensed that his friend hadn't been fully into the match before. It seemed as if that was over now, though. And that suited Minato just fine. He didn't want his victory to be half-assed, after all.

But the blond's thoughts of coming out on top in this were cut short as he soon found himself being sent in the air by a very precise kick to his gut. Said kick also knocked the wind out of him. It was a new sensation for the boy given the fact that no one before had ever managed to land such a precise hit on him that roughly. Not even Kazuki. Jiraiya hadn't actually tried to do any heavy sparring with him either. So it was a good learning experience for him as he landed back on the ground with a large thud. But true to his name, Minato was almost instantly back on his feet.

Everything continued to go downhill from there.

Multiple pair of eyes widened as they witnessed one of their best students getting completely owned by another of their best. They had known that Sasuke was good. But never would they have guessed that the gap between Sasuke and Minato was this big. Except for three other Uchiha who had already been expecting this from the beginning. Especially Kazuki.

Minato didn't know how to defend himself from the barrage of combos that were thrown at him. But some part of him didn't mind this in the slightest. It was what he had been hoping for, after all. Not to get his ass handed to him. But for Sasuke to actually be serious about fighting him.

It would be quite the surprise if the blond Namikaze found out that this was nowhere near what Sasuke considered to be a serious fight taking in account just what he could do.

Minato grunted one final time as a powerful punch to his jaw sent him sprawling to the ground on his back. He was breathing quite heavily as well as having multiple bruises all around his face. But despite all of that, there was a smile on the boy's face.

Observing this, the chunnin shook his head slightly. Only in his class were there students that were actually pleased at losing a fight. It was one of the reasons why he hadn't actually bothered to try and stop the fight even though it had been quite obvious that Sasuke was going to win.

"The winner is Uchiha Sasuke!"

There was a pause. The chunnin mentally counted down in his head from five. And true to his estimation, the silence was instantly followed by a loud shriek from multiple girls as they screamed Sasuke's name out to their hearts' content. It was pretty much typical in his class by this point. So much that he had already gotten used to it by this point. He honestly didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Ignoring the cries of admiration, Sasuke walked up to the fallen and still grinning Minato, once more sighing. Of course this was the idiot's father. He could totally see the resemblance right now.

"Are you all right?"

Minato looked at Sasuke and the hand in front of him, taking it with his own. "Of course," he said as he got back up on his feet, the smile growing a big wider. "It looks like you went all out on me. I appreciate that."

'Of course you do,' Sasuke thought, not commenting on it out loud.

"Don't think this is over, though," Minato continued, his smile leaving his face while his face took a more serious tone to it. "I'll get stronger too. And one day, I'll reach up to you."

Sasuke smirked at this. "I'll look forward to that." And that was saying the truth.

Mikoto observed the two boys as they talked after their spar before making their way back to their little group which consisted of a Nara, a Yamanaka, an Akimichi, and the two other Uchiha. Mikoto hadn't actually bothered to try and learn the other three's names. The girl supposed that that was one of her less undesirable traits: the fact that she didn't pay attention to anyone or anything that didn't interest her. It was one of the reasons why Tsume didn't like her, after all. Mikoto could imagine that they could possibly be good friends considering the fact that, unlike most other girls in the class, they were actually serious in pursuing a path to becoming a kunoichi.

Her annoyance with her fellow female students grew as they continued to exclaim their supposed love for Sasuke. And if looks were any indication, then the boy was just an annoyed with them as she was, maybe even more.

The girl tuned her mind out as the chunnin called up two other students to the middle. Quite a few things had changed, she reflected to herself. She was no longer due to marry Fugaku. She supposed that that was the biggest thing. Her relationship with her father had gotten worse as well. But the girl didn't particularly care too much about that. The man had only seen her as a way to further increase his social standing within the clan. Thank Kami her mother wasn't the same way. Mikoto had always wondered how she had ever fallen for the man. But then she had learned that her mother had also been put into a marriage contract. After having learned that, she had been even more happy at having canceled the whole engagement off. It surprised her quite a bit at having seen how Fugaku had been relieved as well. It at least told her that the boy wasn't as bad as her father in that regard if he still hoped to find someone whom he really wanted to be with. For all that it was worth, she wished him luck.

Romance wasn't exactly her forte, after all. That would be a surprise to others considering the fact that just about every boy in her class was interested in her. As her mother had told her a few weeks back: she was blossoming into a beautiful young girl. Her hair had grown even longer than before. It now reached her lower back. She was now wearing a black skirt with mesh leggings underneath. Combined with her skirt she now also wore a short black sleeveless blouse, exposing her flat and tone stomach. She also had a pair of wristbands around both wrists. Finally, she chose a pair of black shinobi sandals. She found herself to be the most comfortable in this attire, especially during training. It was the only reason why she wore it.

Her thoughts ceased as she was brought back to the real world by the chunnin announcing the next two students to step up for their match. It was Tsume and a Hyuuga that Mikoto didn't know. While Mikoto had never made an effort to get to know the girl's name, she knew that the girl was one of the few in the class that was actually serious about her studies along with herself and Tsume. It was why she decided to pay attention to this one to see just who would win.

It would help her kill some time before she was called up anyway.

Kenshin calmly sipped on his tea as he sat on the walkway that led to the backyard/training ground for his children. He was wearing his usual plain robes which were the most comfortable to be in when we was just lazing around the compound. This was also his time of the day where he had his tea before he rushed off to finish whatever paperwork there was that needed to be completed. But on rare occasions, such as today, his tea time was interrupted by an unexpected guest with a pressing problem. That was his way of sugarcoating whatever asshole dared to annoy him when it was supposed to be his off time. Especially since most "pressing matters" weren't that pressing to begin with. Honestly. The idiocy of some people.

Going by his current mood, one might be able to easily deduce that today's "pressing matter" fell under this category. And it was brought up by none other than some old coot in the Uchiha council. Yes, old enough for even Kenshin to consider him to be an old coot. That was definitely old all right.

"It's a major concern among us in the Uchiha clan," the council member said as he rambled on behind Kenshin who was doing his best to enjoy whatever peace he could retain from his time off.

"The boy has shown to have great skill and the potential to be one of our best. It wouldn't do the clan any good if we lost him to the village."

Kenshin held himself back from snapping at his fellow Uchiha. The "pressing matter" he was referring to was none other than Sasuke himself. But it wasn't Sasuke that was the problem. In fact, many of the old hawks considered the boy to be a blessing to the clan since he was the top of his class despite having had been transferred to the academy later than the other students. They saw greater potential in him than they did in Kazuki whom they had pushed for to skip a grade so that he could graduate earlier. Kenshin had been against it in the beginning. But after having asked his son and seen just how much he had been excited about the idea of being in the same class as his older brother, he had gone to the Hokage for the final permission of the transaction. The man had agreed, which had surprised Kenshin. But he hadn't questioned it.

At any rate, what the old man behind him was complaining about was the fact that Sasuke had been seen hanging around the Hokage tower more and more recently. Kenshin hadn't really bothered to try and find out just why Sasuke was doing such a thing. The boy's studies were doing well and so was his relationship between his sons. The boy was growing up. And as such, Kenshin valued his privacy. Not to mention the fact that he did trust Hiruzen as well. If there was anything fishy going on, the Hokage would tell him at once. And the final, perhaps the most important reason of them all, Kenshin saw this as an opportunity so solve a problem that had been brewing up ever since he had become the clan head and even before then: the Uchiha clan distancing itself further and further from the village. His fear was reinforced even more by the council member behind him who spoke for the council as a whole on the matter. Kenshin knew that, if things went down well, then perhaps Sasuke could serve as the pipeline between the Uchiha and the village.

The council didn't like this, however. But Kenshin didn't particularly care about this fact. The old fossils would be dead soon enough. He'd be damned if he let them ruin the clan because of their own little fears.

"There is nothing to worry about," Kenshin said, interrupting the clan member halfway through his speech. "Sasuke's allegiance lies with both the village and the clan. Just like with the rest of us. Isn't that so?"

Kenshin smiled to himself at the silence he received. No matter how discontent they may be, the council wasn't going to out right say that they needed to split from the village. That would be an extremely radical move. And the clan was nowhere near that level. Hopefully things never got to that level too. Not only that, but there was also Sarutobi to consider. At the moment, there wasn't anyone in the clan who would stand a chance against the man. It made the probability of leaving the village that much smaller too. So Kenshin was confident in his position as well as the time he had in order to remedy the clan's standing in the village.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with the man, the council member quickly bid his farewell. Kenshin threw him a half-hearted goodbye, quickly returning to sipping his tea with a content sigh. He had about thirty minutes left or so before he would have to return to his duties. How time flew by all right. He would have to get ready to teach his children a new fire jutsu as well. They had been craving it ever since they had mastered the fireball, the fire jutsu most used by the Uchiha since they had been the ones to create it in the first place. Kenshin chuckled at remembering how eager Kazuki had been when he had announced that he was going to be teaching them an actual jutsu last year. The Uchiha clan head felt as if they had progressed enough in terms of physical skills for now. It was why he deemed it right to teach them another jutsu to add to their arsenal. Kenshin was certain that they would be the only ones with elemental ninjutsu at their disposal. Unless Jiraiya had taught his pupil anything along the same lines as well.

"Kenshin-sama! He did it again!"

Kenshin t'ched midway another sip as a younger Uchiha appeared by the doorway behind him, panting and sweating. This hadn't been a rare sight in the last couple of months. But that wasn't to say that Kenshin didn't think they weren't annoying. They most definitely were. Especially since he knew just why the child was doing them.

'He's going to be a problem when he grows up,' Kenshin thought with a heavy sigh a he finally stood up. 'Maybe even more so than Kazuki.'

Turning around to face his fellow clan member, Kenshin tilted his head to let him know to lead the way. Another thought came to the clan head as he quickly followed.

'I wish Mikoto wasn't in the academy right now. She's the only one that the boy will ever listen to.'

That, and he fought back a cringe as another wave of pain assaulted his chest.

Sasuke made his way to the Hokage tower in a leisure pace, his hands in his pockets as usual. Seeing him en route to the Hokage tower wasn't a rare sight, especially in the last several months. And that was because the Uchiha was quickly getting fed up with being cooped up in the village. Jiraiya hadn't offered to take him out of the village again. And Sasuke had an idea as to why. First, there was Minato. Sasuke was sure that the white haired man wanted to train the boy adequately. As such, he wanted to spend the fair amount of time required with the blond boy. Sasuke couldn't blame him for that. The other reason probably was because things in the Elemental Nations had been really peaceful lately.

To Sasuke, it didn't feel right. That wasn't to say that he detested the peaceful setting. Quite the contrary. But what didn't feel right was the fact that both Madara and Danzo had been completely silent these past four years. Sasuke would have expected that he would have clashed with one of them again by now. Instead, the opposite had happened. The Sandaime had already informed him that the Anbu under his command that he had placed in Danzo's Root hadn't reported anything suspicious. But that wasn't enough to satisfy Sasuke since he was sure that Danzo had the means to get around that. What had been the clincher was how Jiraiya's contacts also reported the same thing. Even the ones in the port city where he had killed that Kiri spy had said the same thing. Danzo's Anbu had stopped meeting with Kiri's contacts in the area. But that probably had to do with how the Sandaime had taken to look into matters in such places more closely ever since Sasuke had told him about all that he had learned while with Jiraiya. So, if the war hawk was up to anything new, then he was doing a fine job at hiding it. No matter how much Sasuke actually wanted to kill him, the Uchiha had held himself back since he had promised that he would stick to following better ways in going about doing what he needed to accomplish in order to bring about his goal. Especially since he wanted to expose Danzo to the whole world as well.

As for Madara, things had pretty much gone the same way. After Kumo had announced its surrender in the last war, Sasuke had wanted to head to Iwa next to help Konoha in that front as well. Jiraiya had been apprehensive about it, but after seeing just how many questions Arashi kept asking about Sasuke he had agreed. But before actually heading to the battlefield, Sasuke and Jiraiya had taken a detour to Madara's underground base that Sasuke had learned of through that White Zetsu clone. If anything, he had expected to at least find the demonic statue. But no such luck. Madara had already taken his leave, bringing everything with him. It's what Sasuke had expected but hadn't wanted. After they had finished their investigation, Iwa had already announced its surrender. What annoyed Sasuke the most was that he couldn't march straight to Kiri and just bring the older Uchiha down. Well, he could. But Sasuke avoided that option for the simple fact that the consequences it would bring were going to be catastrophic. One of which was war. Sasuke didn't doubt for a second that Madara already knew that war was something that Sasuke didn't want for to happen. Nor did he doubt that the Uchiha would find someone to blame for the attack on his nation and start another great war through that. And since Sasuke was no longer trying to use straight forceful means to change the shinobi world, that option was close down. And with no other way of knowing where Madara had re-stationed himself, he was left to wait for the Uchiha to reappear again.

'I wonder if killing the Sandaime and the other Kage and establishing myself as the new world ruler would have been easier,' Sasuke thought in slight amusement as he continued on his way through the many streets in the village.

As usual, the village was buzzing with activity. The spirit of the village as a whole had been high ever since the war had ended. Not that Sasuke could blame them. The war had been long, after all. And there had been many losses as well. Sasuke couldn't understand just how Iwa and Kumo had been willing to continue with the violence even after all the deaths. Sasuke didn't know if he should include Kiri in the mix since Madara was basically in charge of the village. But according to Jiraiya, the Kiri shinobi had been more than willing to follow through.

Once more, some part of him did understand Kiri's mentality. They wanted revenge. In many ways, they were no different from himself. But Sasuke had come to learn now that taking it out on others wasn't exactly the best answer. If Naruto could remain true, then so would he. It was that simple.

Sasuke cleared his head of those thoughts as he finally reached his destination. Looking up towards the window that led to the Hokage's office, Sasuke was certain that the man was probably doing his best to laze off on the paperwork for as long as he could until his wife came in to berate him for it as per his secretary's request.

That was something else that Sasuke found highly amusing. Despite being one of the strongest shinobi alive, the Sandaime was whip to the extreme by his wife. It was funny seeing their interactions. It was plainly obvious, after all.

Shaking his head, Sasuke walked towards the entrance of the building, a small smirk on his face.

So perhaps not killing the Sandaime had been a good choice. Perhaps. Ha.

Hiruzen sighed in content as he laid back on his chair, his pipe in hand as he faced the windows present in his office with his back towards his desk. It was another peaceful day. Just the way he liked it. The only downside was the fact that he didn't have any excuses to not catch up on his paperwork. It wasn't that he was lazy. Oh no. Far from it. It was just…brutal. The pile never ended for Kami's sake. It was like it was cursed or something so that it could haunt him for the rest of his days. If Tobirama-sensei had told him that this was part of the job, he might not have been so quick to accept the man's naming him of Hokage. Even if it had been in the middle of a deadly battle which had also been the last time he had ever spoken to the man.

Hiruzen chuckled in amusement at the thought. He couldn't help but wonder just how the Nidaime would have reacted if he had.

His amusing thoughts left him when he heard someone opening his door. Knowing that his wife had the habit of entering his office unannounced just so that she could capture him "slacking off" as she called it, he threw his pipe out the window in a flash before turning around to face his desk again, giving the appearance that he was hard at work. Which he wasn't. But no one needed to know that.

He sighed in relief when he saw that it was only Sasuke. But then he scowled to himself when he realized that he had lost his pipe in the process. Just great. Now, he would have to finish the work faster than usual.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at seeing the man scowl as he walked into the office, closing the door behind him. "Do I even want to know?"

Sarutobi sighed before waving Sasuke's question off. "It's no big deal. Just a…personal issue." Sasuke snorted in his mind at that. "So what can I do for you this time?" Sarutobi asked, raising an eyebrow this time. "Or is it just the same as usual?"

By "usual," Sarutobi was referring to the fact that Sasuke would come to his office just about everyday to ask if either Jiraiya had returned or if there were any trouble that he could deal with if the former wasn't out of the village.

Sasuke shrugged. "Do you really have to ask?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Sasuke, you have to understand in what kind of time we are in right now. There's practically no major conflict happening out there right now."

The Sandaime sighed again when he saw Sasuke simply nod. He could understand where the boy was coming from. He could. He was restless. Danzo may still be planning something else out there since they were all certain that the man had another plot against Uzu hidden somehow. Sasuke was the most suspicious. Kiri and Kumo's ambush wasn't grand enough for the man to be taking such risks with his own men at being exposed. But they had no leads. Nothing. The same could be said about the Uchiha Madara incident that Sasuke had informed him about. It went without saying that Sarutobi had instantly paled at hearing that the man was truly still alive and acting as the current Mizukage to top it all off. But Hiruzen wasn't so keen on starting another world war just to flush the man out. Especially since Sasuke had already informed him how the older Uchiha had a sneaky accomplice on his side: this White Zetsu fellow. It was a mess really. But their hands were tied on the matter.

Another thing that the boy must be feeling was annoyance at the fact that he was still just a boy in the eyes of the rest of the world. He had no say in the village or even his clan for that matter. But Sarutobi knew that it had been a great move on the Rikudo Sennin's part on having turned him back into a child. Without having known just why he had been inside his village, Sarutobi was certain that he would have taken a helluva lot more precautions than he had done so when he had first met Sasuke. It was only natural.

"Is there really nothing you have that I can do?" Sasuke asked, some desperation entering his tone. It was a rare thing for him. But at this point, he was quite fed up with being in the village. He knew he should be grateful that he was clan was here, which he was. But at the same time, Sasuke wanted to know that he wasn't just lazing off. Which was exactly what he felt ever since he had completed his training several months ago. It was why he hadn't come to bother the Hokage sooner since Sasuke had taking to mastering the new powers that he had gotten. He knew it was the only way that he would stand a chance against Madara. After all, as much as he hated to admit it, the man had been able to stand up to him despite having been already weakened. That spoke volumes right there.

Sarutobi was about to tell him no until a certain document cached his eye. It was an A rank mission, bordering on S rank, which he was going to need to approve soon. It had been the last thing he had considered before going on his break. The Sandaime already had a team in mind as well as who would be the one leading them. But turning his attention back to Sasuke, the man had a sudden new bright idea. It was perfect! It would be killing two birds with one stone so to speak.

'I only hope Sasuke-kun agrees,' he thought before refocusing back on Sasuke. "All right then. It will probably child's play for you, but there is a certain mission that just arrived to me that you might like to take part in. It's a high A rank one."

Sasuke didn't need to think much about it. Hell, he would have been happy with a C rank mission if it meant he could stretch out his legs some. And by that, he meant so that he could go out and kick someone's ass. It wasn't exactly subtle, but Sasuke didn't particularly care about such details at the moment.

"What do I have to do?"

Sarutobi held back from chuckling at seeing Sasuke's eager look. "There has been a group acting up around Taki for the past month. They didn't say much about the members since apparently the village leader wants to speak to whomever I send about the details in person. Nor did he mention just what they're after."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Sasuke commented at seeing an irritated look flash through the man's face while he had been explaining the mission "details" to him. But Taki. If his memory served well, he had only been there once with Naruto and Sakura on that mission to protect the villagers from those rogue shinobi who were after the Hero Water.

"That's because I'm not," Sarutobi agreed. "Taki has always tried to bite more than it can chew. But other than Ame, they're the most powerful of the smaller nations." But that was mostly because of the fact that the village itself was hidden to outsiders. Sarutobi already knew that if it weren't for that fact then the village would have been captured a long time ago. Even if they did possess the Nanabi. After all, according to their intel, they didn't even have a vessel for the bijuu yet. And it had been some time since Hashirama-sama had given them the bijuu. Sarutobi was still perplexed as to why his predecessor had agreed to such a thing, especially since one of their shinobi had been sent to kill him. But knowing the man, it probably dealt with trying to keep friendly relations with the village. Sarutobi honestly felt it hard to do since it was filled with one of the most arrogant shinobi in existence. The problem was, though, that they didn't really have the skills to back up that arrogance. It was one of the reasons why Onoki had been trying for years to wipe the village out of existence as well as to steal the Nanabi and the so called Hero Water.

"I'm not too fond of sending my shinobi without too much information," he added to which Sasuke nodded, agreeing with the village leader.

"But I know that you will be able to handle it," Sarutobi said with a smile. "It'll give you the chance to try out any new moves if you want as well."

"Oh? So you're finally giving the brat a mission?"

Both turned towards the far window to see Jiraiya already leaning against it, a smirk on his face as he took in their annoyed expressions.

"You really need to start using the door," Sarutobi said while rubbing his forehead.

"Too boring," was the jonin's response before he turned to look at Sasuke. "But really? Going off on another grand adventure without me?"

Sasuke shrugged at Jiraiya's faked hurt look. "You aren't exactly willing to get me out of here. So I have to take matters into my own hands."

Jiraiya chuckled, but Sasuke noticed how it didn't exactly reach the man's eyes. He decided to not comment on it since he could just ask Jiraiya when they were alone. After all, if he wasn't saying anything at the moment, then it meant it was something he didn't want for the Hokage to hear. Or if it was because of him, then he wouldn't tell him when he asked. Either way, he was going to find out which one it was.

"Well, I have been through quite a few things myself recently. Especially since I'm trying to get some inspiration for my book," Jiraiya said while rubbing the back of his head. "Although I think I may have found it."

"Oh?' Sarutobi leaned in interest. "Is that so? Did you already write it or?"

"It's pretty much finished already," Jiraiya answered while nodding his head. "I just haven't found a publisher yet. That's one of the reasons why I came back. It looks like I might have missed you if I hadn't."

Sasuke merely shrugged again, not knowing what else to do.

"So, does that mean you'll take it?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the Sandaime's question, wondering for a moment if the man was really asking him that. "Of course."

A smile formed itself on Sarutobi's face. "In that case, you'll meet your partner in-"

"Hold up, partner?" Sasuke interrupted with narrowed eyes.

Sarutobi nodded. "But of course. You didn't think I didn't already have someone else in mind for the mission, did you? Although I guess I'm not going to be sending the other members with you. But I sm sure the others would only slow you down."

Sasuke t'ched, already aware that the Hokage planned it from the beginning. "Whatever. Just who is it?"

"Hatake Sakumo."

Sasuke was taken back by the last name. "Hatake? Then he's-"

"That's right," Sarutobi said, already knowing what Sasuke was going to ask. "He already has a two year old son."

Sasuke's world paused at hearing this. If Kakashi was already been born, then that meant that Obito was more than likely alive as well. And in the clan. But he hadn't heard any of this!

"I know what you're going to ask," Sarutobi said before Sasuke could open his mouth. "And the reason why I didn't tell you sooner was because you were deep in your training. I didn't want to sidetrack you with such a trivial matter for now. Although, it did slip my mind to tell you recently. I figured that now was as a good time as any."

"Does that mean that this Uchiha Obito is alive too?" Jiraiya asked. He wasn't really in with any of this since he had been out of the village most of the time, only staying a week or two save for that one time he had spent with Minato which had been for an entire month.

"That, I don't know," Sarutobi replied. "That is privy to the clan only. But if what you told us is true, then the boy is more than likely already been born as well. But that's just my speculation."

Sasuke nodded, already wondering just how he could ask his grandfather about such a thing. It wasn't something one brought up in a normal conversation, after all.

"Then meet him at the north entrance in two hours. He'll probably already be there when you arrive."

Nodding again, Sasuke was about to bid his goodbye so that he could prepare. But it was then that Jiraiya stepped up towards him.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you….."

Behind him, Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at this. Meanwhile, Sasuke didn't verbally respond. He merely motioned for the man to follow him, which he did. Hiruzen watched the two leave his office, not bothering to ask just what that had been about. If they were going to tell him, they would. It was that simple.

With that in mind, he returned to his paperwork, calling his secretary into his office so that she could call Sakumo over here.

He had a new mission to prepare for as well, after all.

Mikoto sighed as she entered her house, muttering a "I'm home." She was quite exhausted this afternoon. Today, she had gone twice as hard as usual during her personal training. Seeing Sasuke and Minato's fight had gotten her more pumped up than before, reminding herself that Sasuke was still her goal and more than likely out of her reach for the moment. But the keywords were "for the moment." The girl was sure that she would be able to get as strong as him one day. And when she did, she would have become a great kunoichi.

"Oh, Mikoto, welcome home, dear!"

Mikoto smiled at seeing her mother appearing from the kitchen, wearing an apron and smiling happily towards her. She was no doubt already preparing tonight's dinner.

"I'm back," Mikoto said, returning the smile as she sat down by the table, observing how her mother looked amused about something. The younger Uchiha was about to ask what had gotten her so giggly until a shout from her bedroom and sounds of someone running towards her gave her the answer.

"Miko-nee!"

Mikoto sighed as the small figure jumped straight towards her, engulfing her in a hug which almost sent her tumbling back.

"So, you got in trouble with the clan head again, didn't you?" she guessed with a raised eyebrow while looking at the small boy who was now in her arms.

A four year old Uchiha Obito sent her a big grin while sticking his tongue out.

"Today was fun!"

Sasuke was deep in thought as he made his way towards the gate, his genjutsu already in place. Even if he was Kakashi's father, Sasuke wasn't going to trust the man just like that. He would have to keep his persona in place around him during the mission. It would limit some of the fun he had been hoping for, but at least he was finally going out to the real world again.

But that wasn't what was on the Uchiha's mind at the moment. No, it was something far greater and far more disturbing. It was what Jiraiya had told him before the two had parted ways.

"So, while I was in Ame, I actually met this boy who possessed the Rinnegan."

Sasuke's world had come to a halt for the second time during the day after having heard that. And how else was he supposed to react? From what Jiraiya had just told him, he had met the future puppet leader of the Akatsuki: Pain. Sasuke had never actually met the man. All that he had known was that he had somehow possessed the Rinnegan and that Naruto had been the one to defeat him. But the question was: just how had he obtained the Rinnegan in the first place? Sasuke didn't know. And it was really starting to irritate him. It was just another question that had appeared before him, adding to the many that he already had. In other words, it wasn't exactly hopeful.

Sasuke put that to the back of his mind as he caught sight of the gates as well as a man already standing there. Jiraiya had already told him how he was going to stick around some in order to step up Minato's training to the next level. Sasuke already knew that the Namikaze was going to enjoy that.

Arriving at the entrance, Sasuke took notice of the man's features. And, even without having ever seen Kakashi's face, Sasuke could already tell the similarities between the two with the hair being the most obvious one. The man was wearing the standard jonin uniform with a pair gloves as well as a distinctive short white sleeve with red edges and the standard Uzu crest on it. He also had a small katana strapped to his back which was no doubt the infamous White Light Chakra Sabre.

The man sent him a smile which reminded Sasuke too much of Kakashi's whenever the man had shown up late. Which had been all the time.

"Well, it looks like we'll be teammates for this mission. The Hokage said you had great skills. I hope I get to see that."

Right there, Sasuke knew the man was the overly friendly type.

"My name is Hatake Sakumo. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Anbu-san." If the jonin found it odd that Sasuke was wearing the regular anbu attire during the mission, he didn't show it. Which Sasuke was grateful for. The less amount of questions the better.

"You may call me Itachi."

At the man's nod, Sasuke focused his attention back to the main road before them.

It was time to head out to a new mission.